By Maxine Smith
When senior Evan Lee first got into debate, he was unaware he was chasing a passion. “I guess I wanted to get into college,” he admitted. He was also coming to realize that he no longer wanted to play baseball, his main sport. So debate seemed like a respectable thing to try.
It took him some time to enjoy speech and debate. In 10th grade, he lost his first 20 rounds straight, but something changed after his first win.
“I won a round, and I was like, whoa, alright,” he recalled. “And then another round.”
Those victories, after so many losses, sparked something, a determination to get better. “I really enjoy the competitive aspect,” he said. “It’s always pretty nice to hear a judge say you’re smarter than your opponent.”
He’s certainly put in the effort to get that kind of affirmation from judges. He gives a lot of credit to Dr. Ezell, who spent long afternoons drilling questions, teaching new philosophical points of view, and walking him through strategies for competitions. “In the fall of my sophomore year, I would stay after school until 5, one-on-one, just practicing with Dr. Ezell,” he said.
Dr. Ezell commented that Evans’s work ethic is something that differentiates him from other debaters. Also, he admires Evan’s ability to shift his thinking. “He’s not always stuck to one position; he’s very flexible,” said Dr. Ezell.
Because Lovett’s team is small compared to the massive debate programs across the country, Evan turned to outside coaches for help as well, for support in writing and prepping material. “It’s kind of like a travel team for baseball or soccer,” he explained.
For Evan, the challenge is not just about learning the content. The mental pressure often weighs him down. “Debate is probably the most stressful thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “After a round, you’re sitting there like, did I win? And it’s all in the hands of the judge.”
He recalled weeks where he prepped 20 hours for a tournament, only to lose every round. Eventually, the constant stress pushed him to change his schedule. Surprisingly, debating less at this point helped him perform consistently better.
One of Evan’s favorite memories is a full-circle moment between 10th and 11th grade. “My first ever tournament, I lost every single round,” he said. “The next year, I came back and won the whale tournament. Every single person I lost to sophomore year, I beat junior year.” He laughed. “That was pretty cool.” Dr. Ezell mentioned that this tournament especially showed his growth and improvement, since the beginning of his debate journey.
Evan has traveled a lot for debate. “I traveled at least six times last year,” he said. “I’d tell my parents I wanted to go to Boston for debate, and they’d let me. It was a pretty valid excuse to skip school and go on a trip, and debate all in one.”
Perhaps most interestingly, debate has shaped every aspect of how Evan thinks, even when he’s not in a tournament. It’s helped him a lot with public speaking and critical thinking. He finds himself drawing on philosophy to justify any claim he makes in life. “I can’t just say ‘Dogs are better than cats, ’ I have to explain why,” he said.
