LSUS debaters experience luck o' the Irish during European tour
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Three LSUS debaters recently returned from the 28th annual Montgomery Cup in Europe. During the 14-day debate and cultural exchange tour, the students visited Ireland, Wales and England.
LSUS students Micah Robinson, Addison Jacobsen and Emily Dowd competed alongside the University of Central Missouri, the organizers of the tour. The teams debated at the University of Cork, Trinity University, University College of Dublin and Cardiff University on the tour.
'The (Montgomery Cup) debate style is different than what we normally do, but these kids enjoyed getting to compete and the anxiety with learning a new style,' said LSUS debate coach A.J. Edwards, who has participated in three Montgomery Cups as a coach. 'But by the end, we were commenting how quickly they took to it.'
Robinson and Jacobsen logged a tournament win and a second place in four debates. Dowd also debated her way to win in a different event that didn't have a tournament structure.
'Debate over there is an extracurricular activity, but it's taught throughout their schools from the time they are young,' Edwards continued. 'Some of our kids have only been debating for two years, so to step in and hold your own against kids who have been doing it their whole lives, that's pretty remarkable and tells you the talent we have.'
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The students visited cultural sites in Cork, Dublin, Cardiff and London, including Blarney Castle, repository of the Book of Kell (ancient text that first proclaimed the Gospel to the Irish more than 2,000 years ago), the Tower of London, and Westminster Abbey. They also took in a little theatre in London.
'The craziest thing was that the highlight of the entire trip might be driving through the countryside in Wales,' Edwards said. 'The interstate was shut down, and we took the charter bus the back way to Cardiff, which took 6.5 hours instead of three. But the kids were in awe of how pretty the scenery was, and they talked about it for two days after.'
Debate team members said they couldn't have made the trip without support from the LSUS administration, the LSUS Foundation and the Noel Foundation, which provide financial support as well as logistical support for classes missed during the trip.
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