"I'd Like To Fold"

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." - Oscar Wilde


I'm not going to post my cases again, but our second debate tournament of the season was yesterday, and the resolution for my event was "Individuals have a moral obligation to assist people in need."


First, the judge and I waited 20 minutes for my opponent to even show up for the first round. The judge went out into the hallway to ask some people what was going on and kind of wandered off, because then my opponent showed up and we waited for the judge to return.


I gave my first speech. He cross-examined me and gave his first speech. I cross-examined him and gave my second speech.


My opponent organizes his papers, looks at the judge, and says "I'd like to fold." The judge and I look at each other, and then we look at him, and the judge says "Um, are you sure? You don't want to continue?" And he says "Yes. She completely destroyed both of my points so I'd really rather not."


I didn't even know that was allowed.


Round 2 went less well, but at this tournament all of the varsity and novice kids were lumped in together, and I was up against a girl who had gone to nationals last year. So that was fine. But the judge said later that I had the more compelling argument, so I have no idea why I lost. My round 3 opponent was from her same school, and we talked for nearly an hour before we were supposed to start, and he said she'd thought I was varsity, which was exciting. I won that round as well.


For round 4 I was up against one of the people who had originally taught my entire team how to debate at the beginning of last year, and she's consistently in the top 6 (although I don't think she was this time). So I don't mind having lost to her, either.


I managed to write a whopping 50 words for NaNoWriMo between rounds (whooo), and the next tournament is in four weeks from now on the same topic. It might be one of my last for the year, though, since I'll be busy with the school musical in February and March. So it'll just be December and then the State Championship in April.