The Niles West Policy Debate season is in full swing. The NWN had the chance to talk to head coach and global studies teacher Eric Oddo about the team’s progress this year and its hope for the future.
NWN: How has the season been going so far?
Oddo: The season has been going well. We already had a few big successes, like one of our team’s going undefeated in the preliminary rounds (6-0) in the varsity division at Wake Forest and winning our first varsity tournament at the Barrington Winter Classic. There have also been a lot of growing pains. Migrating from a successful JV team to a successful varsity team is tough for any debate team. I think it is even harder on our third years because they do not have teammates older than them to model what it takes to be leaders of the squad.
NWN: How long does a policy debate season last, for people who don’t know?
Oddo: The season lasts from August, which is mostly pre-season, to April, May, or June. How late we continue depends n how well varsity teams do at certain tournaments.
NWN: How big has the team gotten?
Oddo: We have around 50 students competing this year and around 70 enrolled in the Introduction to Debate and Debate courses.
NWN: What have been your successes throughout the year?
Oddo: We have had a lot of success already but recently, junior Theo Noparstak, was the second speaker at the University of Michigan Juniors Round Robin. We also earned the Leading Chapter award for the Northern Illinois National Forensic League District which is based on participation numbers. This is a huge honor for a third year program.
NWN: What are your goals for this year?
Oddo: I would like to qualify for the Tournament of Champions and advance at the IHSA Varsity State Championships.
For more about an inside look into the world of debate at West, check out this video by junior Michelle Sproat, member of the team, as she captured life at a tournament.
