Apopka High Debate Team Thanks Community for Support

By Ethan Uhlig

The Apopka Debate Team’s trip to compete in California was one of the most incredible, wonderful experiences of my four years in high school. I know that my teammates feel the same.

Thanks to the gracious support of the community, we were able to attend our first tournament on the West Coast – in fact, for most of us, it was our first time on the West Coast at all. While we enjoyed driving around the city, going across the Golden Gate Bridge, and getting to see the famous redwoods, from the moment the plane landed at San Francisco International Airport, I was anxious to start debating.

Three days later and after debating against teams from across the country, my partner and I were fortunate enough to ‘break’, or advance into the second phase of the tournament. Though we saw far more success than we expected, we were eventually dealt a loss by two very strong, deserving debaters (who ended up placing in the top 8).

Our journey ended with a placement among the top 32 teams nationally – higher than the vast majority of the teams that qualified. Though obviously we wished we could have performed even better, Morgan and I consider ourselves incredibly blessed to have been given the opportunity to prove ourselves and show that two debaters from a small town in Central Florida could compete with the best and brightest America has to offer.

Ethan Uhlig is the co-captain of the Apopka High School Debate Team

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The Apopka High School Debate Team's next and last event of this season is the 2016 National Speech & Debate Tournament in Utah June 12-14.

The team is still raising funds to cover the cost of travel.

Donations can be made directly to the Apopka High School Debate Team with check or cash. Donations may be mailed or presented at the school (555 West Martin Street, Apopka, Fl. 32712).

Contact Cathy Brown at Cathy.Brown@ocps.net for more information.