The debate team is a club centered around arguing over a topic with rules. But what about Chelsea High School’s debate team? Who is a part of it, and what do they do?

This year’s debate team has three active members in students Jamie Gandy, Madeline Smith, and Tanner Marlow. The Buzz recently had the chance to speak with Mrs. Newman, the sponsor of the debate team to find out what it’s all about.

Asked how she felt about her current debate team, Newman said, “We are, again, a very small team. I wish it was bigger. (I) wish more students would want to participate. There have only been two tournaments so far and I have only had one Public Forum team and one Lincoln Douglas debater to go to a tournament.”

Newman says that the reason for the small group of students often has to do with the logistics of when and where the debate tournaments occur.

“It is difficult to get students to go to tournaments,” Newman said. “Students are often times super busy and find it hard to fit debate tournaments into their schedule.”

The debate tournaments usually take place on Fridays and Saturdays.

“Students are paired up in rounds with students from other schools (depending on the Debate event),” Newman said. “Speech events are also offered at tournaments, which gives students the opportunity to perform monologues, interpretation.”

Students prepare for debate tournaments by researching and preparing speeches. This season the debate team competing in many tournaments, including big ones at Hoover High School and Mountain Brook High School.