FSHA student, coach see gender bias in debate world

As a debater, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy senior Maddie Collins has a lot going for her — poise, confidence and a clear speaking voice she’s polished for years as a member of the school’s speech and debate team.

The only thing that seems to occasionally work against her is, unavoidably, her gender. Taking part in an activity that retains a traditional “boys club” dynamic, female debaters like Collins and their coaches admit they often struggle to overcome stereotypes that put girls at a competitive disadvantage.

Collins says she has to watch her voice, make sure it doesn’t get too high pitched when she’s excited or making a point, employing an activity girl debaters call “pitching down.”

“Listening to a lower register is more appealing to judges,” she explains. “You worry about sounding feminine.”

Among Collins’ more dubious criticisms have been that she comes across as “bossy” or, as one parent judge wrote in a critique, “I’d hate for you to be my wife.” The 17-year-old tries to take in stride the fact that she faces some burdens her male counterparts do not.

But debate coach Leilani McHugh says that kind of criticism can keep female students from participating in debate, and thereby keep them from the many academic and interpersonal skills polemics can bring.

FSHA’s speech and debate team comprises a total of 22 girls, but McHugh says only six practice debates, while the others opt for speech only. Many students see debate as a high-pressure, high-risk endeavor.

“It’s very hard to hold onto some girls in debate. They’ll often drop out,” McHugh says. “The lack of respect is very difficult.”

For example, out of the 236,111 members of the online polemical community https://www.debate.org, only 37% are women, with membership among men aged 18 to 24 nearly double that of their female peers.

Undaunted, Collins has racked up some impressive accomplishments in her time at FSHA. In December, she ranked fifth place out of 117 varsity debaters. And at last month’s Harvard Westlake Debate Tournament, she placed 19th out of 116 debaters.

Next weekend, Collins heads to UC Berkeley, where she will be one of more than 400 debaters participating in the California Invitational. Last year, she made it into the octofinals — the top 32 — and hopes to place even higher this year.

“I love it. I love winning, and I love the rush (I get) in rounds,” she says. “And it really helps with critical thinking. It’s just something where you take the good with the bad.”

As for future plans, Collins hopes to study filmmaking and gender studies in college. She sees a lot of parallels between film directing and debate. Both require leadership, persuasion and prioritization, and both are known for being run largely by men.

That last fact doesn’t faze Collins in the least.

“I’d like to go into a male-dominated career path, just to prove them wrong,” she says.