New York City Awaits Those Who Prepare.

In less than 5 days, several talented debaters will convene at the Fremont Federation of High Schools to compete for a chance to go New York City.

In less than 7 days, we will find out who the two lucky teams are.

As our varsity and novice teams prepare for what is sure to be an exciting tournament, two of the 2009 BAUDL National Qualifiers offer their experiences at the National Tournament in Chicago.  Jessica Winsey, a 2009 graduate of Street Academy, and Mya Whitaker, a 2009 graduate of Skyline, write about what Chicago meant to them — and why prepping for this week’s tournament is a must:

Mya:

Visiting Chicago for Nationals was an amazing experience for me.  It gave me the chance to make life-long friends and network with kids from across the national who were just as excited to be there as me.  It will always be a lifelong memory.  It was a fun experience and we were finally able to see how other Urban Leagues function – and that the other debaters were not “weird, smart kids,” but normal kids like us coming from urban areas as well.  Going to Nationals is an empowering experience.  I felt like I could do it.  And I did it.

Jessica:

Going to Chicago was a magnificent experience.  I had never been to Chicago before and it was the best experience ever — and it was FREE!  We had awesome opportunities visiting historical sites like the Heritage Museum and the Chicago Art Institute — and a beautiful, 6 story mall.  We also went to the Navy Pier and got the amusement park experience.  And of course, we ate authentic Chicago food: Gino’s East (featured on Food Network!) which is known for their famous Chicago pizza.  On top of all that, we met friendly people from all over the country.  The tournament gave us some real bonding time.  We did more fun stuff than people do on vacations that they do not think about.  It was not all about debating, it was also about connecting.  I made friends with people from places like Detroit that, to this day, I still talk to.  I can’t stress how awesome that trip was.  I could write a book bout it.

But then you would have to see it for yourself.  GO BAUDL!

Who will offer next year’s words of wisdom?  Will it be you?  Find out on December 12 and 13!