By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
It was a new world of competition, but Great Bend High School debate coach Kim Heath was just excited the debate season was able to get underway last weekend.
Normally, students representing several high schools would travel to one location and conduct their tournaments. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event went on as scheduled but to an online platform. Last weekend, Halstead High School hosted a tournament, but the debaters and judges from 23 different schools connected over a Zoom platform from their local communities.
"The debaters did very well adapting to it," said Heath. "They missed the social connection outside of the debate rounds, meeting students from other schools and their friendships they built."
Great Bend debaters met at Great Bend High School to participate in the virtual competition. Heath noted her team handled the change well and that speech and debate is set up to be handled completely remotely if needed.
"Going completely remote would add complications with me being able to communicate with them between rounds and they would need a secondary source to communicate with their partner," said Heath. "It would make things more complicated so I'm glad we are still doing the in-person learning."
GBHS debate will continue this weekend with another online tournament Saturday.
Another big change for Great Bend High School debate is the decision to go paperless. Heath says up until this year, debaters were printing out research on paper and filing it into Rubbermaid tubs. Students would carry the tubs with them to tournaments for the argument files. Great Bend switched over to electronic storage for the debate tournament this past weekend.