After a top-place win at the Law Foundation Cup Debate Provincials last year, Liam Skeoch of JL Crowe almost made it two in a row.
Only one percentage point kept the Grade 11 student from tying for first place in the 2024 competition, held Feb. 29 to March 3.
For the first time in three years the competition was in-person, which had the West Kootenay Regional Debate Team travelling to Vancouver to take on the best high school debaters in B.C.
“Leaving the Kootenays in the pouring rain, heading over snowy mountain passes in a mini-school-bus for a nine-hour ride to Vancouver has built endurance and stamina to go the long haul,” teacher sponsor Marilyn Lunde shares.
Fifteen students from Crowe and Nelson’s LV Rogers made up the junior and senior team component of the regional team for this esteemed provincial event, held annually; this time round the host school was Simon Fraser University (SFU).
“The students worked diligently for two weeks prior to the prepared rounds on Friday night,” Lunde continues.
That included meeting with local lawyers, Doug Wilson and Sarah Yorston of Thompson, LeRose and Brown, as well as gathering additional insight from Eva Siu of McEwan and Associates and from Leigh Harrison, local King’s Counsel.
The topic, “This house would abolish criminal records for non-violent crimes,” was debated in the cross-examination style.
Students were required to speak to both sides of the case in two separate rounds.
“This was accomplished from their Sheraton Guildford Hotel rooms on Zoom, where unknowingly, the High Commissioner from India was staying,” Lunde says. “Democracy was in full action as protesters, complete with bull horns and chants, could be heard in the background outside the front doors and below the student’s windows, she adds.
“Needless to say, the students managed to present their cases.”
Saturday’s events included three impromptu rounds at Simon Fraser University that were in-person and face-to-face.
This was the first time in three years the students have been able to do so since COVID protocols were put in place.
“The energy and enthusiasm was infectious,” Lunde recalls.
Students were given one half hour to prepare their side of the topic and then present their case-lines.
Junior topics included: “This House would ban companies from offering unpaid internships”; “This House would mandate that all major government policy decisions be decided through referenda”; and lastly, “This House regrets the rise of entertainment based on true crime.”
Senior topics included: “This House would promote parenting models that ‘adultify’ teenagers (i.e. giving them more responsibilities and autonomy, assuming higher capacity for independence) to those which emphasize their status and treatment as teenagers (i.e. refraining from giving them adult responsibilities, emphasizing they are legal minors); “This House would mandate that all major government policy decisions be decided through referenda”; and “This House believes that the governments of developing nations should actively encourage slum tourism.”
The grand final topic between the top two teams was, “This House would grant legal personhood to certain natural entities, such as rivers and forests, to protect environmental rights.”
The day ended with a dinner and awards.
Lunde says the highlight was the announcement that Liam Skeoch ranked second individually and paired with his partner, Oliver Ridge, as 6th place team finishers, would be attending the Senior Nationals in Vancouver at the end of May.
The whirlwind trip included a team dinner at White Spot, an hour spent with Dr. Michael Everton, a Professor of English from SFU, and a tour of the Simon Fraser University campus.
On Saturday, the students spent 12 hours at SFU, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and became very familiar with finding their way around the main Arthur Erickson designed Academic Quarters Quadrangle.
Students representing JL Crowe and LV Rogers included seniors: Liam Skeoch, Oliver Ridge, Mia Lomuntad (LVR), Hazel Hofmann-Miller (LVR), Emma Ford, Tyson Popoff, Noah Shuparski, Kali Harkness, Paulo Miranda-Torres, Dean Sutherland and Juniors: Trinity Schneider, Katia Miranda-Torres, Andrew Stach, Stella Vanness, and Matthew Morris. Students were coached by Catherine Spencer (LVR) and Marilyn Lunde (JLC).
“This trip is a pinnacle excursion for some students in their high school journey,” Lunde notes.
“Many thanks go out to coach Catherine Spencer of LV Rogers, for assisting with debate duties and chaperoning, and our SD20 bus driver, Tammy Cox, who supported the team and kept us safe on those winter roads.”
This trip is assisted by the Debate and Speech Association of BC and underwritten by the Law Foundation of British Columbia, the B.C. Bar in affiliation with the Canadian Bar Association.