2005 Miracle Yearbook

Debate Among Cedarville University's many extracurricular programs, the debate team shone as an exemplar of Christian college kids engaging the outside world with their intellectual gifts and abilities Cedarville'steam enjoyed a second year of membership with the National Parliamentary DebateAssociation(NPDA). The team was comprised of over a dozen debaters, both novice and varsity; Professor Rebecca Sietman coached the team with assistance from graduating senior Mark Bentley. Debaters traveled across the country, participating in tournaments in Chicago, Kentucky, San Diego, Texas and other locales. Nate Washatka, a freshman debater, said, "Debate is a great challenge and a lot offun—and wearing suits isn't so bad either." Not only did Cedarville debaters have a great time honing their skills, they also compared very favorably to other national teams. Most debaters closed out the year with multiple trophies in their repertoires. Several achieved special honors: Katie Sparks and Joe Dugan were finalists in Berea, KY, and Matt Handley and Ryan Bower were the top-seeded novice team at several tournaments. Dugan noted, "It's really a team effort. It's cool to score high, but even at those tournaments where I don't break to outrounds the experience is worthwhile; we come alongside each other, offering the encouragement and support that we all need to do our very best." Katie Sparks,co-captain of the team,summarized the Cedarville Debate experience: "I think that the best thing about debate is watching how it transforms timid, shy people into confident, articulate people. It has been life- changing for me and for many others on the team. What a great way to excel as intelligent Christians in primarily secular environments." Cedarville's 2005 debate team left a mark on NPDA; they reached high levels of success and gave God the glory. 236 Organizations David Alenskis, Mark Bentley, and Katie Sparks perform a demonstration debate round in the recital hall. Katie commented,"We had a great team this year. Everybody got a long so well. We had a ton of fun together. It was also really great to watch the novice debaters throughout the year. They all grew in confidence and in their ability to articulate their ideas." Emily VanVliet and Laura Mruck flow on their yellow legal pads during a round, keeping track of their opponens. arguments. \N„E I mill • The team gathers for a group shot at the 2004 Purdue Debate Tournament. Debate Director Rebecca Sietman said,"We had an exciting year of debate. I especially enjoyed working with the student leaders, Mark Bentley(assistant coach), Katie Sparks(team captain), and Emily Van Vliet(team co-captain). Each member of the debate team demonstrated excellence and commitment, and I was pleased to see the level of team spirit and unity among the debate team members. They exceeded my expectations!ri their performace, bringing home multiple team and speaking awards during the 2004-2005 acadelnic year. I consider it a privilege to have worked with such an amazing group of Cedarville students." 1