UW Debaters Second in Regional Competition

Jan. 24, 2003 -- University of Wyoming freshmen Chris Crowe and Brian DeLong, both from Cheyenne, finished in second place at the 2003 Weber State University Val Browning Debates, a round robin competition featuring top debaters from the Rocky Mountain and Northwest regions.

Crowe and DeLong defeated debaters from Western Washington, Eastern New Mexico, Regis and Idaho State universities to reach the final round of the competition, where they lost a 2-1 decision to host school Weber State's Kellen McAffee and Scott Odekirk. Crowe and DeLong were named the 4th and 5th best individual speakers at the tournament, respectively.

"The high finish marks the first time a Wyoming team has advanced to the final round of the two-decades old Weber round robin, and will be a highlight of a promising season for UW's young policy-style debaters," says Matt Stannard, director of forensics in the UW Department of Communication and Journalism. "Crowe and DeLong were part of Cheyenne East High School's nationally-ranked debate team, where DeLong finished 10th in the nation last year and Crowe was a state champion."

Crowe and DeLong comprise one of two policy teams on UW's squad. Sophomores Seth Ellsworth of Rawlins and Caroline Simpson of Raymore, Mo., performed strongly in junior varsity tournaments last year and, along with Crowe and DeLong, will make a run this spring for the prestigious National Debate Tournament, the "NCAA March Madness" of academic debate. If they qualify, they will likely face teams from Harvard, Dartmouth, Gonzaga, Michigan and others, including 2002 champions Northwestern University. Graduate student Sarah Stone, formerly a successful policy debater at CSU Long Beach, assists Stannard in coaching the team.

Policy debaters (sometimes called "cross examination debaters") spend hundreds of hours researching and writing positions on subjects ranging from law to public policy to critical and philosophical literature, Stannard says. Unlike UW's nationally-ranked parliamentary debate team, policy debaters deal with one topic or resolution all year long. This year, the resolution deals with the ratification and implementation of international agreements, including the Kyoto Protocol, the International Criminal Court, and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Posted on Friday, January 24, 2003

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