A Great Start

The University of La Verne debate team kicked off its season with a huge victory at the Sunset Cliffs Classic Invitational debate tournament Feb. 13 and 14 at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.

Eleven students were crowned the winners and champions of the tournament, and juniors Kandin Maraquin and Tanner Long were named the top two speakers of the competition.

“This is such a great way to start our competitive semester, eventually reaching our goal of winning U.S. Nationals in April,” said Director of Forensics Rob Ruiz.

La Verne competed against teams such as Beijing University, University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, the Claremont Colleges and Pepperdine University, ranking as top team after six preliminary rounds.

They debated on topics including whether entertainment artists should be able to profit from social movements, the use of private military contractors and a topic fit for Valentine’s Day – whether people should marry for money.

Ruiz said La Verne advanced to the final round, competing against USC, the United States Air Force Academy and the Claremont Colleges before winning the tournament.

It was the first time Long and Maraquin worked as partners in a competition, and Long said they aimed to win.

“We wanted to send a message to other schools that we would be one of the teams to beat in the west region this year. I think winning it as a team and taking the top two speaker spots at the tournament did just that,” Long said.

La Verne triumphed despite facing students from bigger schools who wore expensive suits. Maraquin said he debated the first day wearing a tank top and sandals, making a statement of being true to himself. Long also dressed casually.

“Our coach, Rob, has always encouraged us to be ourselves, and I think that’s what ultimately gives our underdog story a happy ending,” Maraquin said.

Debaters are now preparing for the Pan American Debating Championship, taking place in Jamaica at the end of March. It will be a historic competition for La Verne because it is the first time teams will be participating in a Spanish-speaking debate competition, going up against teams from Mexico, South America, Cuba and the U.S.

Maraquin said he and his teammates are uncertain who will be competing from La Verne, but he plans to keep preparing to succeed at more competitions regardless of their location.

“I know that personally, I will continue to work hard to honor my University, to represent La Verne fiercely in the face of much more intimidating schools, and most of all, to be grateful of everything, and expecting of nothing,” he said.

La Verne tentatively plans to send around five students, including one team who will debate in Spanish and another in English. The Spanish debaters have been practicing since January, with their debates being recorded and critiqued by faculty and alumni, Ruiz said.

“I find that the most difficult aspect is the translation,” Ruiz said. “The words we use in English are not always similar in Spanish, or are even words designated in Spanish. It forces the student to explain more of what they’re trying to say.”

The trend of incorporating Spanish into debate tournaments began two years ago, but Ruiz did not have bilingual speakers until now.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” Ruiz said.