"There are just so many variables that can affect the outcome that you're always really happy [to succeed,]" Ken Strange, coach of the Forensic Union, said. "I wasn't surprised they did this well."
Josh Kernoff '08 and Kade Olsen '08, the team's senior duo, defeated teams from Harvard and the University of Michigan, before falling to Wake Forest in the final round.
Kernoff and Olsen said they were excited to make it to the final round, though Olsen joked about the elusiveness of a first-place win.
"We were pretty happy; getting to the finals is hard," Olsen said. "We might have set the record for most second place finishes in tournaments over the course of a year."
The tournament was the culmination of a successful season, including a first-place victory at a tournament hosted by Gonzaga University in the fall.
In policy debate, teams are given a broad topic at the beginning of each season, and all debates focus around this subject. Debate topics always reference hypothetical policy decisions enacted at the federal level of the U.S. government.
Each round features two teams consisting of two debaters, with one side presenting a proposal, called an affirmative, which the other side attempts to attack.
A panel of judges determines the more persuasive argument made over a series of cross-examinations and rebuttals. Unlike other forms of debate, participants are not judged on style, and often speak very rapidly -- up to four or five words per second -- in order to include as much information as possible.
This year's topic addressed ways to increase U.S. involvement in the Middle East, but there was considerable variability in the types of arguments teams must debate, according to Cyrus Akrami '11, a member of Dartmouth's team.
"Last year, there were people who dressed up as pirates and talked about how piracy was good," Akrami said. "Anyone can get up and say anything."
The rapid pace of the three-day competition push the team members to turn to each other for support, Akrami said.
"You become so close to the debate team," he said. "Everyone on the team is great. We all work together, we travel together everywhere, and our coach is just a great guy."
Although Olsen and Kernoff will graduate this spring, Olsen plans to remain with the team next year as an assistant coach, according to Strange. All three are confident the younger team members will be successful in subsequent seasons.
"For next year, we have a bunch of very good debaters," Kernoff said, "The '11s are very talented and hardworking."
