- 07 Dec 09, 20:27#173424
On a err slightly cheerier note (pending on perspective) I was roped in (they needed me to make up the numbers) into a debating tournament on the Saturday just gone (5/12/09).
One round was a "long prep" (you knew your topic before hand, although the position you'd be in for it was given 15 minutes before the debate) with the "others short prep" (you learn the topic and position 15mins before you speak for 5).
Anyway, first round we assumed would be the long prep topic, turns out we were wrong and only realised when the debate just started, but somehow or another (tbf the other teams in that round hadn't done debating before) we won. 2nd round therefore saw up against the other teams who had managed to win their round and was the long prep motion, we took second. Third round we also took second.
Our points score was strong enough to take us to the semis, where well we lost, don't know the position but lower than the top two teams in our semi final (so third or fourth then). Although one of the teams who made it to the final was a team we had beaten in the second round (they finished lower than us).
Overall we came 6th out of 32 and I was the 11th best individually out of 64.
Also a note, we were up again some of those really elite London schools(st Paul's boys and girls school, Westminster etc)
One round was a "long prep" (you knew your topic before hand, although the position you'd be in for it was given 15 minutes before the debate) with the "others short prep" (you learn the topic and position 15mins before you speak for 5).
Anyway, first round we assumed would be the long prep topic, turns out we were wrong and only realised when the debate just started, but somehow or another (tbf the other teams in that round hadn't done debating before) we won. 2nd round therefore saw up against the other teams who had managed to win their round and was the long prep motion, we took second. Third round we also took second.
Our points score was strong enough to take us to the semis, where well we lost, don't know the position but lower than the top two teams in our semi final (so third or fourth then). Although one of the teams who made it to the final was a team we had beaten in the second round (they finished lower than us).
Overall we came 6th out of 32 and I was the 11th best individually out of 64.
Also a note, we were up again some of those really elite London schools(st Paul's boys and girls school, Westminster etc)
. Wow it was fantastic and what a small world it is because my FTO (Field Training Officer) is a graduate of my academy. No 8 month academy could have prepared or taught me what I learned in just one 8hr shift. We made numerous safety violation stops but wrote only one ticket. 
