The Summer Workshop Experience
How To Deal, What To Do

By Les Phillips

I've seen the summer debate experience from every angle: as a workshop student, long ago; as an instructor/lab leader, as a residence hall director - and, for 25 years, as a coach. Workshops are crucial to success in debate, but they can be challenging experiences for everyone involved.

Here are some suggestions that can make the summer experience more livable and productive.

+ FOR COACHES

CHOOSING THE WORKSHOP - If your debaters have choices among workshops, don't be shy about helping them decide. If you haven't sent many students to workshop, ask your colleagues. Two good questions: Were students at Workshop X productive? Did the student come back in the fall with better work habits?
THE LAB INSTRUCTOR IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE WORKSHOP - Most institute directors are happy to discuss lab placement with you, and many will honor specific requests. Even the most prestigious summer programs have mediocre instructors. Other instructors are excellent for the most experienced kids, but not so good with beginners. Experienced students and other coaches can offer advice on which instructors you might want to request.
FOLLOW UP WITH THE LAB INSTRUCTOR - You can overdo this - summer instructors are frantically busy, trying to do too much in a limited amount of time. But a quick call or email to the instructor four or five days into the workshop is perfectly appropriate. Most teachers will appreciate the concern, especially if the student is underperforming. Another query after the workshop is done is also useful. If students know that you'll be following up, they'll probably work harder!
DEBRIEF YOUR STUDENTS - Spend some extra time in the fall asking kids about their summer experience - not just the arguments, but what the social and educational experience was like. If you have concerns, express those to the institute director. If you want to commend particular staff members, do that too - and be sure to copy the institute director.

+ FOR STUDENTS

DON'T BE INTIMIDATED - If it's your first workshop, you may worry that everyone there will be smarter or more experienced than you are. Rest easy. JUDL provides you with more background and better coaching than many students will have, regardless of where they come from.
ROOMMATE OR PARTNER TROUBLE - Try to make it work. Don't decide too quickly that you can't get along with the other person. Do your best to be kind, friendly, accommodating, and patient. If none of that works, and the problem is really serious, speak to a lab leader or dorm director.
Work. No, really. WORK! - It's summer, and you get to meet new friends, and the college environment is exciting, and it's sometimes easy to forget what you're there for. You need to stay focused! Your workshop time is special. Workshop gives you access to great debate minds, a first-rate library, and much else that's harder to come by when you're back home. Your summer experience can make you a much, much better debater, but only if you use the time well.
PLAN YOUR TIME - This includes social time. Frequently early evening time, or the time just after lunch, is free time at workshop - use that for exercise, or hanging with friends, and resolve that the rest of your time will be spent on assignments. If you develop regular work habits each day, you won't be forced into frantic all-nighters late in the workshop. When possible, work alone or with your partner, and find a place where you won't be distracted.
SHOW YOUR INSTRUCTORS THAT YOU CARE - Here's the brutal truth: summer instructors expect their students to be motivated. If you don't seem to care, they may decide that they don't care about you. This does not mean that they only want to work with star debaters. It does mean that you need to be engaged in lab meetings, with positive participation. If you're having trouble with an assignment, ask for help. If you finish an assignment early, ask for more.
ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS - This is critical to success. Don't be ashamed if you don't understand a term, a concept, or an argument: ASK. If you don't feel comfortable asking in front of your peers, go talk to your instructor privately.
STAY HEALTHY - Every year there are debaters who are too sick to compete in the workshop tournament. Usually these are students who don't sleep much - when you get exhausted, you're more likely to get sick. Again, planning is key; if your work habits are regular, you'll avoid last-minute, sleepless crunches. If the weather is hot, drink lots of water (not soda or coffee); dehydration can sneak up on you. And if you really do get sick, tell the RA or dorm director - a quick visit to the doctor might prevent you from getting sicker.
THE WORKSHOP TOURNAMENT IS A MEANS, NOT AN END - You should regard the tournament as a set of high-level practice rounds. Of course it's nice to win, but it's more important to get and use feedback from your judges. This is also a good time to experiment, to try out new cases or arguments.

LIFE AFTER WORKSHOP

The workshop experience is excellent preparation for the fall - but don't come home thinking that your work is done. You'll come up against some workshop cases and arguments throughout the year; others you'll never hear again. More important, the best debaters are constantly updating their arguments from the summer, and conceiving and researching new cases and negative arguments throughout the year.

The best lab leaders don't just give you arguments - they teach you how to think and research. Keep doing that throughout the year, and you will be excellent!

I'm happy to chat with students and teachers about institutes - you can reach me at les_phillips98@yahoo.com

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The Jersey Urban Debate League will be conducting a debate tournament at Rutgers-Newark on June 5th to mentally spar the merits of Governor Corzine's fiscal initiatives. The final round of the tournament will be held on June 10th at the Newark City Council chambers and televised live by Cablevision. More details coming.

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2006-2007 Debate Topics

National High School Resolution

Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its public health assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Resolved: That increased African access to AIDS treatment drugs should be valued above the business concerns of American drug companies.

JUDL Debaters Sweep New Jersey States, Districts

April 10, 2008 - JUDL debaters swept the recent New Jersey state tournament! University High School's Joshua Gonzalez and Jamil Ahmed were undefeated in prelims. Second place went to Science Park's Pamela Chomba and Kyla Broughton.

Marquis Guzman and Khariah Davis from West Side High School won first place in the junior varsity division, and Shagun Krukej and Amna Tariq from University won first place in the novice division.

The tournament was held on Saturday, March 9, at Ridge High School.

The University and Science Park varsity teams also swept the New Jersey NFL District tournament, held on March 29 and 30 at Hunterdon Central High School. Jamil, Josh, Pamela and Kyla will represent New Jersey at this year's NFL tournament, to be held in Las Vegas in June.

Newark Debaters Triumphant at NAUDL Tournament

April 7, 2008 - Jersey UDL debaters dominated the first annual Chase Urban Debate National Championship, held April 3 through 6 in Chicago. Our league's representatives took four of the top ten speaker awards; in addition, they fought back fierce competition to advance to the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

University High's Joshua Gonzalez was second speaker, and Science Park's Kyla Broughton was fourth speaker. Joshua received a $2500 scholarship award, and Kyla received $1000. Their partners also won awards: University's Jamil Ahmed was eighth speaker, and Pamela Chomba from Science Park placed ninth.

The tournament featured the top two teams from each of the country's seventeen active Urban Debate Leagues, including debaters from Seattle, Miami, Boston. Our University and Science Park debaters were seeded third and fourth after five preliminary rounds. In quarterfinals, Kyla and Pamela were defeated by a team from Morgan Park in Chicago. Josh and Jamil prevailed in their quarters round against Kansas City Central, but lost their semi to Lane Tech, the Chicago team which eventually won the tournament.

Awards were presented at a special reception, held at the University Club in downtown Chicago. Later that evening, NAUDL held its first annual dinner, attended by hundreds of recently recruited NAUDL friends and donors - including many former debaters. At this dinner, our own Diana Dunker received the first UDL Alumnus Award.

So it was a terrific weekend, both for JUDL and for urban debate everywhere. The new NAUDL Executive Director, Scott Deatherage, has truly hit the ground running with a variety of fundraising and educational projects.

Special congratulations to Diana, our debaters, and their coaches!

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