Sorry for spamming the forum, since I know that there are already threads about this topic, but I recently have come up with the idea of quitting policy debate.
I’m a sophomore in high school, and my problem with debate is not that my grades are suffering. I LOVED debate in freshman year and go through camp, but I don’t have the same pull or enthusiasm with debate as I used to. I now view going to debate tournaments as a chore and I hate prepping and using time for debate now. I find myself trying to come up with excuses not to go all the time.
I have also, in this year, discovered that I enjoy acting and theater more than debate, even though I pretty new at it.
My problem lies here; while I can kind of balance debate and drama at the same time right now, I know that it will be impossible for me to maintain either one seriously if I also do the other perhaps even in the near future. I really don’t want to quit theater, as I recently landed the lead in one of the fall plays. However, I have also had quite a bit of success at tournaments in debate, breaking quite often and landing speaker awards at most tournaments (mostly novice and jv so far).
I kind of feel like quitting debate now, but I’m scared that everyone on the team will hate me, and that my luck with Drama will run out after I quit debate, and I won’t be able to get back into it. I have also spent a lot of money on debate already, with traveling and going to camp. College is another issue, as im scared I’ll look too scattered and not committed if i switch atctivities now. But, if I do quit debate, I will be able to participate in the plays and musicals that my school does, and maybe participate in an acting class, and I’ll have a lot less stress.
I really feel pulled in two directions right now, and I have been working about this for two weeks nonstop! Can anyone please offer me advice?
I’ve always found that sophomore year is the year you grow into who you’re going to be. Freshmen dabble, but sophs, for better or worse, tend to discover what they love and who they love and who they’re going to be as adults.
I coached Speech and Debate for 18 years, and it’s an activity that’s close to my heart. But it’s not right for everyone. It’s no longer right for me (too much time with 3 kids and a full time job) and apparently it’s no longer right for you.
If it no longer fulfills you, stop doing it. Speak to the coach, let him/her in on your reasoning, thank him/her for all the good times, and sign up for Drama auditions.
Don’t make this into a bigger deal than it is. Adult moderators know that kids grow in different directions, and that not every kid who signs on as a freshman will still be there as a senior.
Have the chat today. You’ll feel much better.
Hi there!
I’m currently a high school senior, but I actually went through the exact same thing my sophomore year. I’d loved it my freshman year, I did very well at tournaments, and then went to debate camp that summer. When I started competing during my sophomore year, I hated even rounds where I basically crushed the other team. It felt like an anxiety-inducing chore to me, too.
I did end up quitting policy debate in October of that year, and that was the right choice for me. I chose to do some other events instead.
No one on the team will hate you. It seems like you’d much rather do theatre, and you’d be much happier doing theatre, so I recommend pursuing that. Do things that make you happy, don’t do things that feel like a chore just to improve your college application.