Countywide : Students in Verbal Rumbles at State Debate Tourney

To Meredith Moyers, a high school debating tournament is a place where large groups of teen-agers have heated arguments that end with handshakes instead of punches.

“If adults could see these kids at a tournament, it would restore their faith in youth,” said Moyers, a retired teacher who was the debate coach at Ventura High School for 23 years.

Moyers is helping supervise about 1,000 young debaters who have gathered at Ventura College this weekend for the state’s annual forensic rumble, the California State Speech Tournament. Dressed in crisp suits and dresses, teen-agers representing 152 schools are vying for titles in 11 categories.

For many debaters, the state tournament is the culmination of years of training. Like athletes, they went to summer camp and were coached by national champions. During the school year, they are required to read Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report every week and become experts on a wide range of subjects.

The average high school debate team consists of about 45 competitors and a coach. The annual budget for a team ranges between $10,000 and $20,000, with the school district paying about $3,000 and the rest raised through booster-club efforts, officials said.

Compared to other competitive teams in school, however, the debaters virtually exist in a vacuum. Neither cheerleaders nor fans show up at their events and the media usually ignore them.

“We can have a little track meet against Newbury Park and there will be a long article in the newspaper,” said Becky Noonan, a 15-year-old sophomore at Camarillo High School. “But when we have people qualify for the national speech tournament, no one seems to care.”

Their anonymity doesn’t bother Becky’s friend, Ellen Murphy of Newbury Park High. “We get all the support we need from one another,” the 15-year-old sophomore said.

Camaraderie and friendship run high in debating. Sportsmanship is also emphasized. Points can be deducted by the judges if contestants are not courteous. A team can be disqualified for stating information that turns out to be false.

But contestants have been known to fly off the handle, yelling at each other during and after matches.

“If people get into it, things can get loud, rude and obnoxious,” Becky said.

What really irritates a debater?

“When the other team is condescending toward you,” said Tim Mizrahi, a 17-year-old junior at West Bakersfield High School.