Ten members of the Chicago Debate Society (CDS) made history for the University this break, securing spots as semifinalists and octo-finalists (top 16) in the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC). Hosted in Vietnam this year, WUDC is the world’s largest collegiate debate tournament in the extemporaneous British Parliamentary format, comprising almost 1000 debaters from over 90 countries.
Over the course of the nine-day tournament, debaters from around the world engaged in rigorous debates on topics ranging from philosophy and culture to finance and international relations. For CDS President third-year Helen Wu, one of the highlights of the competition was the opportunity to interact with debaters from countries as close as Canada and as far as Australia and South Africa. During their downtime, CDS members also explored the culture and scenery of Ho Chi Minh City.
The journey to success began early in the summer when CDS hosted in-house tryouts to determine the 10-person roster. These debaters, paired into teams of two, devoted themselves to intensive preparation throughout the remainder of the year. Because the British Parliamentary format only allows debaters 15 minutes to prepare after finding out the topic, debaters fourth-year Ahmad Howard and third-year Alessandro Perri spent a lot of time reading about current events to build their knowledge and acumen. From weekly sparring sessions and strategy analyses to competing in prep tournaments, CDS team members refined their skills as debaters and collaborators.
After nine preliminary rounds, the top 50 teams with the best records progressed to elimination. For Perri, the wait to find out the results was nerve wracking. “I remember the hours between the end of the preliminary rounds and the announcement of who advanced so vividly… It felt like years,” Perri said. The announcement revealed that two teams—third-year Ethan Jiang and Wu, as well as Perri and Howard—secured spots in the out-rounds.
“That was one of the best moments of my life. Just being there and hearing our names being called out was amazing,” Wu said.
Perri and Howard progressed to octo-finals, while Jiang and Wu advanced to semifinals. This achievement marked the first time the University had two teams break into this level of international competition.
CDS debaters attribute much of their success to the support of their teammates. “In general, we have a really good team culture. There were also a lot of people who graduated from our team whom I went to for guidance, and that was really great as well,” Wu said.
The growing success of CDS on the world stage also reflects the RSO’s expansion into more international debate formats.
“Previously, CDS was very focused on American Parliamentary Debate,” Howard said. “I think that [our success this year] is the culmination of a growing culture of British Parliamentary Debate, which led to all of us putting in a lot of work and practice into the format and seeing the positive results at Worlds.”
Witnessing the success of those who came before them motivated CDS members to continue their commitment to debate. “The biggest thing that inspired me to keep doing this activity is watching people above me find success and seeing what the activity meant to them… I want to see what will happen if I give something my all and see how far I can go,” Wu said.
The CDS maintains an active presence on campus, holding practices three times a week and competing in tournaments for novices and veterans alike.
