MACE Debating Finals 2022
Posted on: March 31st 2022School News
Congratulations to three year 12 pupils - Zach F, Nick B and Luke C - who reached the finals of the ESU Schools' Mace Grand finals. Teams from nearly 300 schools battled it out to make it to the grand final of the ESU Schools' Mace 2022.
The final motion up for debate was: 'This House Believes that sports governing bodies should require clubs to be majority owned by their fans' and our pupils represented the proposition during this debate. It was a competitive debate with well-researched and intelligent arguments presented by the pupils who missed out on the win, eventually becoming runners-up to Tonbridge Grammar School from Kent.
Nick B commented on his experiences, saying: "Mace debating was quite the emotional rollercoaster, taking the three of us from several regional rounds starting in November, right to the final 2 teams, whittled down from over 300. Debating is not something any of us had really experienced much beyond Model United Nations, until we started properly in September this year, so to have reached a national final feels incredible, and I think it’s truly a testament to the hard work Ms Lloyd-Hughes and Ms Keep have done for us in training on Monday afternoons, without which we would be nowhere. Debating is not really like anything else, most of all reflected by the range of skills involved, which might not otherwise be employed together".
He discussed some of the more unusual scenarios which he found himself in, as a result of debating: "From making 4am coffees for each other, to battling it out with the opposition, only to make great friends with them straight after, debating gives you a true plethora of experiences, all of which I will value on my journey into university and beyond. Life is a bit of a blague and so is debating, so I’d encourage anyone and everybody to get involved, because when you get up on that stage, everyone is equal, regardless of where they come from, and words are your only weapon of defence. Again, a huge thank you to our two amazing teachers, to whom we wholeheartedly dedicate this success".
Well done to our all of our pupils who achieved such an impressive accolade within Debating and we wish you the best of luck in your Debating futures!