<p>I'm going to a debate invitational for the first time in Jan.10 but I don't know what to expect... My coach signed me up as a varsity debater, and I'm frikin scared. What's it like to be novice, JV, varsity..? any insight or strategies??</p>
<p>oh yeah, btw how the hell do you understand those motor-mouths...</p>
<p>Ha. I was a public forum debater up until this year. My very first LD tournament was hard as hell. I got signed up the night before and prepped my cases during school and right before the tournament. Fun times. lolIt's not usually that hard. :) </p>
<p>My biggest advice is just to prepare like crazy and do tons of practice rounds. </p>
<p>As for how to understand them, listen. You'll get use to it eventually. My area doesn't really have too many people who talk overly fast.</p>
<p>Lmfao you've never done one and you're going to varsity?</p>
<p>I started this year, and I've done one simple novice round so far - the advisor at my school's worthless, it's not a class for us, we barely meet like 30 minutes a week, the president's like awkward and barely teaches anything. </p>
<p>I just printed some facts and went in there, improvised and dominated the hell out of others. One girl almost cried, inspired by the sheer awe of me owning her in skill and life to the deepest parts of her existence.</p>
<p>It was novice though; I haven't been taught anything but the others also sucked (I mean they prepared and stuff, but worthless still).</p>
<p>^ It depends where you live too.</p>
<p>My area is big on style. If you don't debate to the style, you won't win, regardless of how well you argue.</p>
<p>Haha what tournament are you competing in? I've done public forum for three years now, never LD though. Don't be scared just because you're in the varsity division - in the NFL or CFL - the difference between a varsity debater and a novice debater is one year of experience or 25 NFL points. There are plenty of bad varsity debaters, and many good novices. Why LD though?</p>
<p>Why LD?</p>
<p>Because you're alone and you rely on your godly skills only, not some other guy who screws you up in policy or something.</p>
<p>And plus LD takes less research, and it's a lot of improv, policy more research too lazy for that.</p>
<p>Is your area into speed? If so, good luck. XD</p>
<p>I didn't know speed was an "area" thing... I don't think we're TOO big on speed, though as seeing my coach never told me to practice talking fast.</p>
<p>I started in varsity as well. It's not too hard, and besides, going up against the pros will teach you more than going up against a novice would ever do.
As for those who speak too fast, I tend to call abuse on them. The point of a debate is to communicate your ideas and argue, but if your speed of speaking impedes the communication of ideas, then debate really loses its purpose.</p>
<p>I didn't know speed was an "area" thing... </p>
<p>Oh deffinatly is, expecially depending on what league you're in. From what I've seen/heard I believe CFL (correct me if I'm wrong, I actually think I am, it's another league regardless) has more speeding than NFL. </p>
<p>A lot of things are deffinatly based off of area. Even competing with a different part of the state where I'm from is intersting because of the different styles. The east/north half of my state speeds more than my half. They have different speaking styles and approach debate in a different manner.</p>
<p>CFL wasn't very speedy, at least not the one tournament I participated in lol.</p>
<p>^ Hmm. Thought I was getting it confused.</p>
<p>LD shouldnt be fast... that's policy.</p>
<p>I'm an LD debater but the other day I was talking to my coach when somebody came up to me and said "I never had any idea you were LD!" (referring to Learning Disabled).</p>
<p><em>slaps forehead</em></p>