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UTSA Debaters Prepare for Junior Nationals Senior computer science major Jeremy Stevens and sophomore political science major Marty Golando qualified for the championships with impressive performances all season long at various tournaments throughout the country. UTSA debate team coach Skip Eno said they started out with about 35 students, and the field of debaters narrowed down to the best ones as the season drew to a close. While both students have at least three years experience debating at the high school and college level, neither of the two has ever competed at the Junior Nationals or at the Open Nationals scheduled to take place later this month at Middle Tennessee State University. The topic both students are preparing for, "Development Assistance within the Greater Horn of Africa," requires them to do a great deal of research to prepare arguments in favor of and against the issue. In addition to studying several hours a night during the week, the debaters also prepare with long nights inside the hotel rooms in cities, where the debate competitions are taking place. The elimination rounds range from an hour and a half, to an hour and 45 minutes long with the top eight debaters advancing to the next level of competition. Golando said he enjoys taking the attack position on an argument. "There’s nothing like talking fast, it’s an incredible intellectual confidence booster," he said. Meanwhile, Stevens re-entered the college debate scene after taking three years off to concentrate on his studies. "I enjoy the competition, the depth of analysis in what we say and what we think." Both debaters say they feel confident they can advance past the elimination rounds, and with a little luck they may be able to capture the championship for UTSA. Regardless of how they finish, Eno is proud that UTSA is ranked in the top 20 again, after dropping out a few years ago, following their top four finish in 1995. Send
your comments and items to: UTSAToday@utsa.edu.
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UTSA debaters are headed to Baltimore, Md., this week to compete in
the Junior National Championships March 7-12 at Towson State University.