Picture this... It's a cold and dreary Saturday morning somewhere in Wisconsin.  Five in the morning is a time when many teens have been in bed for an hour or two, but not at this high school.  In ones and twos, sleepy forms undistinguishable as to name or even gender, struggle onto the bus clutching blankets, briefcases, and business suits.  Thhree hours and a hundred and fifty miles later, they emerge from a high school restroom dressed, alert, knowledgeable, powerful and with an aura of command that demands respect.

Why do students do this ten to twenty weekends a year?  Why do students' parents take, help, fetch, fill, plug and judge during these difficult hours?  Why do coaches end one season only to begin another even before the new topics are announced?  Why does your school invest time, money and resources in this extra-curricular activity?  What could possibly be important enough to bring together all of these people merely to "jaw-jaw" all day long?  Of what benefit could it possibly be?

Glad You Asked... 

• The confidence to speak in front of a room full of people
• The ability to present an argument persuasively
• The vision to understand that there are two sides to most arguments
• The respect for others, to let them have their say
• The sense of timing, to prioritize your material and speak in a given time period
• The structure to order your thoughts, to introduce, develop and summarize your points
• The general and specific knowledge of many current affairs topics, learned through research and debate
• The flexibility to react quickly to new ideas and to remain unflustered in crisis

Thanks to Vanguard and British Debate for their contributions to this story.