As debaters, the Belmont secondary team is the quintessential underdog.

A small gang of bright students launched the club this year knowing little about the techniques of competitive debate. They faced private school students trained by coaches and who sharpened their skills in debate classes. 

But despite starting from scratch, the Belmont team has held their own in four debates over the school year. Two of the team members performed well enough to earn a slot in the provincial championships in Langley this weekend. 

Cole Gagne, 17, with teammate Taylor Schulte, will be debating restorative justice in the Canadian legal system for the provincial competition. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not nervous,B次元官网网址� Gagne said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a lot of fun. ItB次元官网网址檚 the thrill of the argument. Whatever happens happens.B次元官网网址�

Grade 12 students Elliott Fuller and Sara Sarbar started the club in September as a way to engage more students in school activities, and with an idea of creating a lasting legacy for Belmont. If the high school ever had a debate team, it was decades ago.  

B次元官网网址淒ebate is very interesting,B次元官网网址� Fuller remarked. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 intellectual, itB次元官网网址檚 a good way to challenge yourself. And itB次元官网网址檚 something we wanted to leave behind at Belmont.B次元官网网址�

When the team formed, an adult mentor offered a few tips and tricks about debate, but for the most part, the students learned through trial and error. Typical debate formats feature impromptu and set topics, where two-person teams devise arguments for and against a subject, which could be anything from public policy to military conscription. 

Their first debate at Oak Bay high school was tough, they admit. 

B次元官网网址淎t first it was learning to swim and drowning. We stumbled at bit but brushed ourselves off,B次元官网网址� Gagne said smiling. B次元官网网址淲e all improved hugely in subsequent debates.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚t was nerve-wracking,B次元官网网址� said Jill Lambeth, one of the few Grade 11 students on the team, and who earned the nickname B次元官网网址淭he Annihilator.B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淏ut after one event we started improving right away.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like a sport,B次元官网网址� she added. B次元官网网址淭here is an adrenaline rush before and you feel an accomplishment after.B次元官网网址� 

The team went onto competitions at Shawnigan Lake school, the University of Victoria and regional finals at Glenlyon Norfolk school. The Belmont squad learned fast that every detail counts in a contest overseen by fickle judges. At one event, a judge pointed out that GagneB次元官网网址檚 white socks clashed with his dark pants. 

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 how you stand, if you fidget with your hands, how you speak,B次元官网网址� Lambeth said.

B次元官网网址淎ll the components, the presentation, all the nuances matter,B次元官网网址� added Belmont teacher Danielle Huculak, who has judged at a few debates. B次元官网网址淒efinitely with very strong debaters, all these things matter.B次元官网网址� 

Part of the competition strategy too is interjecting with questions designed to trip up the speaking team. B次元官网网址�(Opponents) can ask questions to target weakness,B次元官网网址� Lambeth said. B次元官网网址淭here are lots of really good questions.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an integral part of the process,B次元官网网址� Fuller said. B次元官网网址淲e just try to twist the question into our argument.B次元官网网址� 

BelmontB次元官网网址檚 self-starting, self-taught team should be proud, Huculak said B次元官网网址� it was the only public school at several of the debates, including the regionals at Glenlyon Norfolk. 

B次元官网网址淭he fact that two Belmont students got into provincials is a huge success. ItB次元官网网址檚 a testament to their work and commitment, without really any support,B次元官网网址� Huculak said. B次元官网网址淎 lot of (private schools) hire coaches or have debate class at school. Little old Belmont did it on its own.B次元官网网址�

editor@goldstreamgazette.com