Success at BU Novice

Boston University’s Novice Tournament marks what is usually the first debate tournament many American Parliamentary Debaters will attend. For the Brooks Quimby Debate Council this was exactly the case. Bates sent four novice teams and five varsity judges to Boston University to compete in the tournament. All novice teams won at least one round in what was most competitors’ first tries at intercollegiate debate. A special congratulations goes to Arman Syed ‘29 and Emily Shield ‘29. Despite losing their first round, the pair went on to win the next four straight, break 11th into octofinals, and make it all the way to semifinals on a 6-round win streak. The pair finished among the top four teams out of over 100 in attendance, making them among some of the most skilled novices in the country. Novices are the future of the BQDC, and seeing such success on what was a first tournament for many shows a bright future ahead for both Bates and debate as a whole.

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Batesies Are Champions

Bates’s Brooks Quimby Debate Council had an exceptional performance at Brown University’s APDA tournament, breaking in both the varsity and novice divisions.
Varsities Tosca Neumann ’26 and Ari Hahn ’27 broke 11th in their division. After upsetting the third-seeded team in octofinals, they advanced to quarterfinals and finished as one of the top eight teams in their division. Manav Mittal ’27, debating with Amherst College’s Cecilia Granda-Scott, advanced as the 6-seed into elimination rounds out of their 72-team field. The pair proceeded through the octofinals, quarterfinals, and semifinals, winning the final round to claim the varsity championship. Success continued in the novice division, where Emily Shield ‘29 and Arman Syed ’29 entered elimination rounds as the 4-seed. After defeating the top team in the semifinals, they advanced to and were named co-champions of the novice final. Additionally, three other Bates teams competed at the tournament: James Foleno ’27 and Nokutenda Zuze ’28, Amy Sun ’28 and Thierry Moss ’28, as well as Ishan Reese ‘29 and Lorenz Soukup ‘29. Each team won multiple preliminary rounds.

Bates’s victory in both the varsity and novice finals in one tournament is a testament to the success of the BQDC and its hard-working members.

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A 104-Year-Old Legacy

In 1921, Bates competed in the first ever intercontinental intercollegiate debate in the world. In order to participate, Batesies sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to Oxford University. 104 years later, the BQDC kept this legacy alive and attended Oxford IV—this time by plane. In carrying on such a long and esteemed tradition, Bates’s Brooks Quimby Debate Council and its stead represented the college to a massive international body of fellow debaters and judges from around the globe. Bates was among 57 universities to attend the tournament, with 134 teams total and 268 participants among such teams. Many of these debaters are among the best in the world, representing universities in Europe to Asia. Bates put forward three teams, consisting of Manav Mittal ‘27 and Ari Hahn ‘27, Tosca Neumann ‘26 and Tanvir Thamid ‘26, as well as Arman Syed ‘29 and Nokutenda Zuze ‘28. This will not be the last of Oxford that Bates sees, as next year the BQDC will hope to make the 105th trip to England and continue the legacy of international debating that Bates is known for.