Clustered together under the sharp fluorescent lights, eight debaters and their coach went through final preparations and nervous habits before heading off to Washburn Rural for their first tournament of the season. After an hour long bus ride to the state’s capitol, the four teams worked hard both Friday and Saturday to place and show the power of Manhattan High School.

“It could have been better, but it definitely could have gone worse. All the teams that went won at least one round and so, we went pretty well,” sophomore Lily Colburn said. “I think everyone is pretty pleased with how this tournament went and is looking forward to the next one.”

Even though no one on the team made it past the preliminary competitions, debaters kept up their confidence and positivity.

“We started a little ambitious, but you have several teams ranging from sophomore to senior that we can now say compete competitively on a Varsity level,” junior Sean McGimpsey said.

The majority of this year’s Varsity Debate competitors have jumped right into it, whether it be their second or fourth year debating. This first debate was used to benefit the newer Varsity members’ education and preparation in how they should go about winning these tournaments.

“Most of our teams, this tournament, were young teams encountering Varsity competition for the first time for learning and future competitive purposes,” coach Benjamin Sutherland said.

Varsity Debate hosts a more challenging competition for the team, especially those who have little clue what to do to become successful in these challenges.

“I think we all just need a lot more practice. I think everyone is really nervous, we only have one returning team that’s been in Varsity before,” Colburn said. “But I think we just need some more experience and practice, in real debate ground.”

The next tournament will take place on Sept. 26 in Emporia, where more of Manhattan’s teams will go and compete in hopes of scoring higher than they did at this one.

“It’s definitely a good sign because although we might not have done the best, it’s pretty clear how much we can improve,” McGimpsey said. “It’s just a matter of, like, preparation and understanding different arguments that you make.”