UAA debaters advance to the quarterfinals of the Trinity Intervarsity

by Michelle Saport  |   

UAA debaters in DublinAmy Parrent and Matthew Fox claimed top honors over the weekend at the Trinity Intervarsity, a major international debating competition held in Dublin, Ireland. The Trinity IV draws top teams from the U.K., U.S. and Western Europe for three days of intense competition in the British Parliamentary debating format.



After debating five preliminary rounds on topics ranging from whether victims of domestic violence should be held responsible for crimes they commit as a result of their abuse to whether "Romeo and Juliet" should be taught in schools, Parrent and Fox advanced to the single-elimination phase of the tournament ranked 14th of the 84 teams entered in the competition. Notably, the team of Matthieu Ostrander and Matthew Stinson were only a single preliminary point away from advancing to the quarterfinal in their first European tournament.


In the quarterfinal round, the Seawolves faced tough teams from Bates, St. Andrews,and Leeds, where they were assigned to propose the motion "Allowing women in the front lines is a victory for the feminist movement." Arguing that having the opportunity to participate in combat maximized choice for women, the judges ultimately found the arguments from Bates and St. Andrews in the top half of debate more compelling and the Seawolves did not advance.

The Seawolves are home for February and March as they host the Cabin Fever Debates, UAA's Intramural Tournament for students not actively involved on the competitive team. Debates will be held Tuesday evenings from Jan. 29-March 5 at 7 p.m. in SSB 118 and are open to the public. The final round will be held Thursday, March 7. The Seawolf Debate team will return to competition in early April for the U.S. Universities Debating Championship.

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