When one walks into the LASA Debate meeting in Room 109A, it appears to be like a regular club. The students laugh and joke with one another and with the coach. However, beneath this casual and friendly surface is a team known for national dominance.
The LASA Debate team has been incredibly successful in past years, winning the national Tournament of Champions, the Baker Award, many major regular-season tournaments, and making history with the first team to hold first place in the Coaches Poll for the entire season. The LASA debate coach and Texas Forensics Association (TFA) Hall of Fame member, Yao Yao Chen, explained how their success is concentrated in one event: policy debate.
“It’s high-speed, verbal, intellectual chess,” Chen said. “You debate in partnerships, you generally debate about a topic that relates to U.S. federal policy, something that a federal government should do.”
Long-time speech and debate coach and TFA Hall of Fame member Terri Robinson noted the amount of work debate takes. Robinson explained how key to success in policy debate is hard work and effort.
“That’s what really top-tier debaters do,” Robinson said. “They put hours and hours into what they do, because that’s what it takes to excel. Lots of people are smart. Lots of people have talent. The two things that will set them apart are a strong work ethic and a good coach.”
Chen found that LASA students have a strong work ethic. He described the time commitment of a successful debater.
“The top teams are putting in 15, 20 hours a week, where they’re meeting with coaches, they’re meeting with teammates, they’re doing research,” Chen said. “I mean, it’s kind of scary, but it’s like it can be a lifestyle, right?”
While the hours are demanding, LASA debaters feel the team is a supportive community. Kathryn Houston, a junior on the team, shared her experience.
“I think that the team itself is very closely knit,” Houston said. “That largely contributes to why I love being a part of it so much.”
This culture may be more than just enjoyable for the LASA debaters. Chen believes it is the secret to success.
“I think a defining characteristic is that LASA debaters are all pretty hungry,” Chen said. “They’re pretty humble. They’re very hardworking, they’re very motivated. They also really support each other.”
Beyond the students’ commitment to policy debate, they also have an experienced coaching staff. Robinson described Chen’s dedication to the team.
“Everybody works hard, but Yao Yao puts in hours and hours of unpaid coaching time with those kids,” Robinson said. “He’s just an amazing policy coach.”
Despite the many accolades earned by LASA debaters, their coach believes that recognition is not the only driver for the debaters. Chen believes the students’ passion for the activity is what leads them to dedicate an immense amount of time and work.
“There are other things you can do that get more recognition for less time you can put in,” Chen said. “They kind of do it for the love of the game.”
Team members not only participate for the recognition, but also find that they gain a different perspective. Houston explained how debate has altered her worldview.
“Debate has become a place for me to interact with the world through a new lens,” Houston said. “This activity changes the way that I think and perceive the world, and it does so for the better.”
Team members have joined and graduated, tournaments have been won and lost, but one thing remains clear: LASA Debate has made a name for itself. Robinson offers an outside perspective on their success.
“They’re one of the top policy debate schools in the country,” Robinson said. “Everybody knows that. On the state level, on the national level, they’re very well respected and well recognized because they win. They’re well prepared. They’re good debaters.”
