Debate Team Qualifies for Top Tournament

“It is a big deal to qualify because as a team, Masters is getting recognized for our program and how well we debate,” said Carolyn Hohl ’21, co-President of the team with Ratan.

Cowin and Ratan competed in the Seattle Academy Invitational, held virtually during the weekend of November 7-8. Out of 76 competitors, both Cowin and Ratan were ranked in the top 10 speakers in the Open Public Forum category. Cowin was ranked second best speaker and Ratan was ranked as 10th best speaker overall. Capturing the Seattle crown sealed their TOC bid and made them the first Masters team to champion a national circuit tournament. 

Ratan explained that getting a coveted silver bid looked tough when they went up against a very good team from a prestigious boarding school known for its strong debaters. “There was a lot of pressure. When we won the round, it was an amazing feeling of all our work paying off,” she said. “We never imagined actually winning the whole tournament and getting a gold bid, so that was just the icing on the cake.”

Cowin, who has worked hard for four years to reach this point, agreed. “I feel ecstatic about qualifying for TOC. Very few teams in the U.S. are lucky enough to get a gold bid at a tournament.”

Faculty advisor Zev Barnett has nothing but praise for Cowin, Ratan and the entire tightknit group. “The debate team prides itself on being both the scrappiest and the most inclusive assemblage of ragtag ruffians on campus. We debate because it’s fun and because we want to learn how to think and communicate more clearly. But of course, winning is also nice.”

The tentatively set topic for TOC in April is the International Monetary Fund. “Kai and I are already starting to prep a little every week. We’ll begin to ramp up the prep as we get closer, but for now we’ll take it easy,” said Ratan.