2017 Harvard-Westlake DebateLA Round Robin
Finalist Interviews
Jack Wareham (Oakwood Secondary School – North Hollywood JW), Champion
Question: Was there a particular round you debated at this tournament in which you really enjoyed the argument interaction/clash in?
Jack Wareham: In my round against Raffi from Harrison, I tried out this counterplan I had been working on about censorship leading to more people going to heaven. It turned out to be a much more viable strategy than I thought it would be, and the round was super fun.
Q: Who’s your favorite judge and why?
JW: Michael Harris. We ideologically align on many issues, and he’s also helped me develop a lot as a debater since my sophomore year.
Q: What tournament are you most looking forward to next?
JW: Harvard should be really fun, although I hope it isn’t as cold as it was last year.
Q: Are there any positions/issues in debate that you’re passionate about that you’d like to speak about?
JW: Analytic philosophy is declining in debate, mostly because people view framework as blippy and filled with tricks. Unfortunately, debaters have adapted to this not by innovating their moral frameworks or making them more nuanced, but by reading equally silly K tricks. It would be cool if more people made an attempt to read interesting frameworks while still substantively engaging with their opponents to change the negative perception of analytic philosophy in LD.
Round Robin
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Quarterfinals
Harvard-Westlake CE def. Harrison RP (Williams, Smith, Kumar)
Greenhill SK def. Cypress Woods LC (Hussein, Shan, Flores)
Oakwood Secondary School – North Hollywood JW def. Harker SP (Wheeler, Smith, Kuang)
Harvard-Westlake EE def. Peninsula JL (Randall, Paramo, Castillo)
Semifinals
Oakwood Secondary School – North Hollywood JW def. Harvard-Westlake EE (Hussein, Timmons, Kuang)
Harvard-Westlake CE def. Greenhill SK (Smith, Shan, Paramo)
Finals
Oakwood Secondary School – North Hollywood JW def. Harvard-Westlake CE (Hussein, Paramo, Kuang)
Champion
Jack Wareham (Oakwood Secondary School – North Hollywood JW)
