Debating duo to compete internationally
| October 4, 2016 |
|---|
By Maggie Sullivan
Based on their witty banter and occasional finishing of each other鈥檚 sentences, Loyola seniors Megan Nubel and Dara Davis would make great leading characters on a kids鈥� sitcom.
But their compatibility and charisma is already being put to good use. The pair will compete at the Oxford Inter-Varsity Debating Competition, an international collegiate debate hosted by London鈥檚 Oxford Union, November 11-12.
Debating at this level is no small accomplishment; the prestigious competition draws top universities from all over the world.
鈥淏eing chosen to go to this competition is super important for Loyola,鈥� said Davis, before she paused to discipline herself for overuse of the word 鈥榮uper.鈥� Even in colloquial conversation, the debaters work to groom subpar language out of their speech.
Davis explained that they both have phrases that they subconsciously latch on to, hers being 鈥渟uper.鈥�
鈥淢ine is 鈥榩erpetual,鈥欌�� admitted Nubel.
鈥淪ometimes we鈥檙e not looked at as a big school or competitive enough for the international level,鈥� Davis continued. 鈥淏ut we are up against Yale, Harvard鈥攁ll these elite schools. And I think we have a high potential of being really successful.鈥�
David Romanelli, who is in his 20th year of coaching the Loyola debate team, selected Nubel and Davis to compete for their skills and dedication to the team.
鈥淢egan has had an outstanding run at Loyola. She is fearless,鈥� he said. 鈥淒ara works hard and tries to help everybody else out. She has already reached out to the crop of first year students to help them improve.鈥�
But he also recognizes what a strong team they make.
鈥淭hey work well together and they work hard,鈥� Romanelli said.
Their chemistry is invaluable during the short 15 minutes competitors are given to structure their arguments. During this time, they must agree on main points to discuss while trying to be as creative and nuanced as possible with their approach.
鈥淵ou have to rely on a lot of background knowledge. Most of our research just happens daily鈥攍ike staying up to date on what鈥檚 happening in the news and knowing general things about the world and history,鈥� said Nubel. 鈥淲e both know a lot about a lot of things. But our scopes of expertise are different, so we can complement each other by filling in different types of information depending on what the resolution is.鈥�
Nubel and Davis have learned to operate on the same wavelength and can sometimes communicate without speaking at all. And they instinctively balance each other out鈥攚hen one takes an aggressive approach, the other keeps calm.
The debate will use the British Parliamentary format, which involves four teams debating two sides of an issue in seven-minute rounds. Nubel and Davis will represent Loyola as one team. While they defend their side, they must not contradict the other team debating on the same side while providing a superior argument.
Loyola has typically debated in American style, so transitioning to a new format for the Oxford Competition will present an adjustment challenge. To prepare, the Loyola debate team will compete in a few British Parliamentary style tournaments in the United States before departing in November.
But Nubel and Davis have been debating for eight years鈥攕ince high school鈥攁nd they also coach Chicago high school debate teams. Their confidence in themselves and in each other is evident.
Even so, Loyola鈥檚 debate team is more focused on personal growth than glory.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing more exciting than seeing someone gain confidence in themselves,鈥� Romanelli said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care if they don鈥檛 get a trophy鈥擨鈥檓 serious about that鈥 tell my students that the best debate they will have may be one they will lose.鈥�
The team does intend to raise the image and presence of Loyola University. Attending the Oxford Inter-Varsity Debating Competition will put Loyola on the radar of other top universities so the debate team can get involved in other competitions and eventually host a tournament on their own turf.
Throughout their debate careers, Nubel and Davis have gained much more than the opportunity to compete in London.
鈥淒ebate has helped me develop a productive thought process,鈥� Nubel said. 鈥淲hen people say things to me I don鈥檛 just take them on face; I鈥檒l think critically.鈥�
And of course, Davis is on the same page as Nubel.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what kind of person I鈥檇 be if I hadn鈥檛 done debate, she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to me to be a part of this community...even after graduation.鈥�