Bill Batterman is the I recently guest wrote the Thursday Thing To Read at Wisconsin Forensics Daily and shared some of my thoughts about how small programs can more effectively compete at the upper levels of high school policy debate.
An important element of many discussions of high school policy debate and its future in Wisconsin center on the gap between the proverbial “haves” and the “have-nots,” those programs with dozens of debaters, excellent coaching, and healthy budgets and those without. Unquestionably, policy debate presents significant barriers to entry and students blessed to debate for strong, established programs have many advantages over their peers from less-fortunate squads. Given this environment, is it possible for small programs to compete at the highest levels of policy debate in Wisconsin?
History, it would seem, answers in the affirmative. While a review of the top teams in our state over the past decade reveals many powerhouse schools like Brookfield Central and Marquette, it also includes debaters from small programs like Hortonville, Janesville Craig, and West Bend East as well as upstart programs like Madison West. The accomplishments of students from these squads demonstrate that however difficult, it is possible to compete without the advantages that large programs provide.
While the debate community should continue to pursue reforms that decrease barriers to entry, it is also important to help those debaters currently competing for small programs to succeed despite the obstacles they face. My own experience both as a debater at a very small program and as a coach for squads of varying sizes and with varying resources has afforded me what I feel are unique and meaningful insights into the requirements for achieving success in our activity. What follows is an attempt to share some of the most important lessons I’ve learned about competing for a small program. While this list is by no means comprehensive, it is my hope that these tips will help “small school” debaters make the most of their participation in the activity and assist them in reaching their goals.