At her first in-person tournament of the year, freshman Audrey Norris returned to the team table after finishing her Public Forum event. It was the first time she was able to compete surrounded by her team, partner and opponents. The catch? It was January, and the season was almost over.

“It’s a lot more personal,” Norris said. “You’re in the same space and so the tension is a lot higher, because you can’t just mute yourself and converse with your partner. It just feels more authentic, to be here and have dress pants on instead of sweatpants, to have the judges right in front of you.”

Since the beginning of the school year, the debate team had to compete under irregular circumstances – five out of the seven tournaments held were hosted virtually.

“It’s sad, I remember when our team would take up several tables, and there was always someone to talk to,” senior Kelsie Pierce said. “Our team has shrunk a little bit because of COVID, but I’m glad that there are some underclassmen who get to experience an in-person tournament.”

For both the team and their coach, Laura Dearth, the virtual setting added new concerns to the process of debating, done through a site similar to Zoom.

“When we have to switch to virtual, then we have to bring in the technology portion of it,” Dearth said. “Where do we put our camera, how far do we stand from it, what colors are better on camera, what should our background be? When to test your technology, what if it goes out during the tournament and they can’t hear you? All those things we’ve had to spend a lot of time talking about.”

Even with the additional stresses that a year of virtual competition has introduced, the team had strong performances – at the Plano East tourney, Norris and her partner Lelah Smith made the semi-finals in varsity Public Forum, and Pierce placed first in Impromptu Speaking.

“I’m so happy that we’re back in person,” Pierce said. “It just wasn’t the same doing it virtually.”