Debate team to begin season with 'Run for the Roses'

The Georgia Debate Union will begin the 2018-19 season at the prestigious Run for the Roses debate round robin, held in late September at the University of Kentucky. The projected top 7 debate teams in the nation receive invitations to the Kentucky Round Robin.

The team of Nathan Rice and Johnnie Stupek, both rising seniors, will be representing UGA and the Georgia Debate Union.  

The Kentucky Round Robin features the projected 7 best college debate teams in the nation. The other 6 teams invited are from Emory University, Wake Forest University, University of California-Berkeley, University of Michigan, and University of Nevada-Las Vegas.  The teams will debate each other over 2 days in a standard round robin format.  

This is the first time since 2011 that a team representing UGA has debated at the Run for the Roses.  Travel to Kentucky this September will be supported by funds provided by the UGA Division of Student Affairs and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.  

The GDU holds a preseason "work week" before every school year to get a head start on the annual topic - this year, that work week is slated for the week of August 6. Student competitors will be debating whether there should be increased restrictions on executive authority for the entire season, which runs from August until April.   

"We usually know by May who will be on the team for the subsequent season - that group includes returning debaters already at UGA (such as Stupek and Rice) or current UGA students who have expressed joining the team for the fall semester," said head debate coach Hays Watson. "Most students reach out via our website to express their interest in joining the team over the school year and I meet with them individually to discuss team expectations. The average UGA debater spends 20 hours of week doing research and preparing themselves to compete against the Harvards, the Georgetowns, and the Northwesterns in the college debate world. "

Interested students should visit the site for information. Congratulations on their many recent successes and best of luck to our debate team for an other outstanding season.  

Image: UGA debate team competitors Nathan Rice, left, and Johnnie Stupek.