One account of what growing up entails is learning to live with contradictions. Whether as individuals, groups, or nations, if we are seduced by the notion of attainable purity (of race, ideology, creed, or even knowledge) we inevitably become blind to our very nature: imperfect, incomplete, and in need of others. To grow up is to learn to have enough, rather than to strive to have it all.

Nowhere is this lesson more clearly practiced than in learning how to debate. Debating teaches us to look beyond the warm comfort of our own convictions and to understand the reasoning, fears, and hopes that shape the views of others. By learning to argue from our adversary’s standpoint, we begin to see that disagreement does not necessarily imply division, and that truth often emerges not from certainty, but from dialogue.

Debate, at its best, is not about winning; it is about widening our understanding of the human condition. As John Stuart Mill wrote so eloquently, “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.” Of course, for an individual to be able to achieve this, they need a milieu that fosters respect and learning: two values we consciously strive for at The English-Speaking Union Chile.

This year we had fifteen teams in the tournament (three more than last year), which could have reached sweet sixteen but one team withdrew a few days before the first date. It bears repeating: all schools who participated can be very proud of their students, as they showed passion, commitment, intelligence, courage, and a considerable amount of healthy teamwork. Special kudos to the Carmela Carvajal debaters who attended the last date just for the sake of enjoying the proceedings. Respect! 

Coming back to the semifinals, we entered them with our final four teams: The Grange School, Santiago College, Verbo Divino, and Villa María Academy, out of which only the latter had been in the semifinals last year, and for Verbo Divino this was their maiden tournament! You can see the fixtures and results from our quarterfinals onwards in the picture below.

Some special prizes were given to graduating students who’ve participated in the tournament for several years, in recognition of their commitment to debating. These were: Celeste Aracena, Amanda Raddatz and Martina Schomburgk, from Santiago College; and Camilo Contreras and Rafaela Goren, from The Grange School. 

Finally, a prize (a copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass) was given to Mia Powditch, from Villa María Academy, in recognition as the Best Speaker in the tournament. She received the highest average individual scores from our judges from Round 1 to the last date included.