Ask Cruz: Volume XIII
NEW YORK, N.Y. — Well, it’s been a while. I’m not going to lie. But with the regular season winding down, I think I can turn back to answering the many questions that I’ve compiled from the comment boards, from my e-mails, and from casual, old-fashioned, in-person conversations.
By the way, in case you didn’t see it yet, you really should enjoy the gloriousness that is the trailer from the newest Lucasfilm prodution: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
As always, you can post further queries regarding debate trivia right here on VBD, and I’ll select a few to answer in my next installment. Alternatively, you can e-mail me directly.
Jesse Klinger asks, “How many people have been repeat finalists at Harvard? And how many of those people have won the second time?”
While I have answered this question within the context of other questions before, I can’t help but address this “Big Weekend” question directly.
Harvard has had three repeat champions: Shenendehowa High School’s Liz Rogers won in 1992 and 1993. For the younger ones out there, yes, this is the same Liz Rogers who is now co-director of the tournament with Minh Luong. She is also a high-power attorney at WilmerHale.
Regis High School’s David Browne did not win consecutively, but he won in 1995 (in a close-out) and in 1997. Scarsdale’s Matt Shields won in both 2004 and 2005. He defeated Schreiber’s Adwait Parker in 2004 and Westlake’s Ryan Cooper in 2005.
Adwait was a two-time finalist as well, having been bested first by Matt Scarola in 2003, and then by Matt Shields the year after.
This year, Trinity Prep’s Jake Nebel — who was last year’s runner-up — won the tournament. This is actually his third Harvard final round, though. As a freshman, Jake won the tournament’s tremendous J.V. division. Given that he’s only a junior, he stands a chance to become the first person to participate in a Lincoln-Douglas final round at Harvard four times. (And yes, I checked this with the tournament staff.)
By the way, I want to give a serious shout out to the senior debater from my alma mater: Jesse Klinger made history this weekend by becoming the first debater from Great Neck South High School to earn a bid to the Tournament of Champions. GO REBELS!
Sean Janda asks, “This year, J.P. [Gooderham] and Karlyn [Gorski] both qualified to the TOC. Have two PA debaters ever qualified before in the same year? For that matter, have any PA debaters ever qualified?”
Pennsylvania has a long, rich history of competition in forensics, including Lincoln-Douglas debate. I trust your question related to Lincoln-Douglas debaters only, since a number of Pennsylvania schools — notably including Cathedral Prep this season –have been tearing it up on the national circuit for some time in policy debate.
Off the top of my head, here are the last five qualifications to the TOC from Pennsylvania. (Our first fellow qualified two times.)
Alexander McCobin of Central York qualified to the TOC in both 2003 and 2004. He earned bids at Wake Forest, Monticello (where he was in finals), and Emory. He was also the top speaker at Lexington.
Conor Mayo-Wilson of North Allegheny High School bested Scarsdale’s Doug Lieb in finals of the Princeton Classic and went on to qualify to the TOC. (He had also earned a bid at Wake Forest.)
Talitha West, from Lower Merion High School, debated at the TOC in 1998. She was the top speaker at the New York City Invitational at Bronx Science earlier that season.
Jay Igiel from Upper St. Clair High School — J.P. is not the first person from this school to qualify to the TOC! — attended in 1996.
Alon Elhanan asks, “Who was the youngest person ever inducted into the Gold Key Society of the Barkley Forum?”
This is a great question, but one that is so hard to answer given that I’m not planning to parade around asking people their ages.
From what I’ve heard, Paula Nettles, Selma Ridgeway, Ed Williams, and Jeff Wortman were all in their twenties when they became Key Coaches. While both have been cited for the distinction of being the youngest, I believe Jenny Heidt, Les Phillips, and Eric Emerson were all in their thirties by the time they became key coaches. Unless I’m mistaken. But that’s what Les told me. So please don’t blame me if I’m wrong about your age.
See, I’m not going to ask around asking people their ages. I was traumatized enough one summer at VBI, when I turned twenty-one. I told the kids that it was a big birthday for me. One innocently asked, “Oh, you turned thirty?”
I am still traumatized.
Jane Boyd asks, “Has there ever been a time that two people from the same team closed out a round robin?”
Roosevelt High School’s Steven Davis and Ben Silberman closed out the Greenhill Round Robin in 1998. (As noted by Sam Duby in the comments of an earlier Ask Cruz, David Huston was the Roosevelt coach at the time.)
Hockaday’s Joan Gass and Lindsay Dolan closed out the Vassar Round Robin in 2006.
Highland Park’s Corbin Cass and David Weeks nearly closed out the Bronx Round Robin in 2005; David placed second in his pod by one ballot, and Corbin advanced to finals, where he was defeated on a 3-2 by Douglas Jeffers of Dulles.
And while it’s not Lincoln-Douglas debate, it’s interesting to note that Manchester Essex Regional High School closed out the TOC in its third year. That was the final year of the TOC using a round robin format for Public Forum.
Mollee Huisinga asks, “Have there been any twins that have done well on the national circuit?”
This season’s intrepid pair from Scarsdale, Ken and Matt Hershey, make for the obvious answer to this question, but I really just wanted to answer this one to note that they are actually not the first Hershey Brothers to debate at Scarsdale. Photographic evidence appears in the new Photo Gallery.
Indeed, Mike and Sam Hershey — older brothers to Ken and Matt — were an earlier pair of twins who also debated for Scarsdale. As I might say, “You LUV that.” (Correction: I originally incorrectly identified “Mark” as Sam’s brother. Mark is actually father to all the Brothers Hershey.)
Also interesting: David Lebowitz, former top debater from Scarsdale, has an identical twin brother. But he didn’t debate.
Matt Dunay asks, “Which school has the record for the most number of people with one bid each in one year?”
Shut up, Matt.
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Jon Cruz wants his readers to know that he has examined the back-to-back shots of Cate Blanchett’s mesmerized stare and the metal crate marked “ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO — 1947″ in the Indiana Jones trailer very, very carefully. (The magnetically-attracted glasses are pure nerd magic!)
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31 Responses to “Ask Cruz: Volume XIII”
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Posted from: 24.44.63.150
February 21st, 2008 13:45
haha, the last question.
Posted from: 70.149.44.218
February 21st, 2008 14:10
Who is the ‘losingest’ debater of all time?
Posted from: 75.209.95.34
February 21st, 2008 18:12
1. Did Jason Baldwin ever send you his flows from old rounds, or was there “too much” jargon on them for him to send them?
2. Do you consider explaining the song “I’m turning Japanese” the most awkward moment you’ve had as a lab leader?
Posted from: 204.210.156.240
February 21st, 2008 21:16
Who is the biggest wannabe jock in debate?
Posted from: 66.27.93.144
February 21st, 2008 21:23
do u like bananas?
Posted from: 76.175.197.13
February 21st, 2008 22:17
To play ESPN analyst: If you had to call a TOC and Nationals champion right now who would you call?
Posted from: 74.70.112.133
February 21st, 2008 22:54
Salman Syed is the biggest wannabe jock
Posted from: 68.209.198.15
February 21st, 2008 22:57
Who is the worst judge in debate? It may also be worth asking who the best one is, but that question seems less relevant.
Posted from: 69.118.235.253
February 21st, 2008 23:06
while I appreciate the positive press, I have to correct that it was MIKE and Sam Hershey who did LD debate back in the day, not “Mark” and Sam Hershey.
Mark Hershey is my father who did policy in the 60s.
Mike and Sam also debated before the team was coached by Mr. Vaughan (he may have coached them their senior years) and had fewer travel opportunities than Matt and I currently have.
Posted from: 67.108.182.191
February 22nd, 2008 00:04
I know it’s totally opinion-based, but what is the most unique position that has ever been run at the TOC?
Posted from: 76.30.71.86
February 22nd, 2008 00:22
this is a future question (and one i know you won’t answer on vbd), but i want to know the 5 most struck judges at toc this year and the 5 least struck judges
this is my one and only question for you ever. make it happen.
Posted from: 71.90.27.171
February 22nd, 2008 00:38
How could you forget the loveable Asad twins from Wisconsin who captured the 2007 CFL National Championship in Policy Debate?
Posted from: 67.165.106.132
February 22nd, 2008 11:49
when did jon cruz become a national circuit debate phenomenon? i want to say it was around this time in 04, around the time duby was on his way out as primary vbd poster. (at nsd a couple of summers ago we had kids in our lab who thought you were a circuit god in hs and had never heard of john mcneil.)
Posted from: 68.175.60.130
February 22nd, 2008 13:17
I’m sure you set them straight on that. :o)
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I joined the Victory Briefs staff as a VBD contributor towards the end of 2003. I believe the very first contribution I made prior to officially joining was to send in the results of Big Bronx that year. That was before I was coaching at Bronx Science. The first tournament that received signature live coverage from yours truly was Emory of that season. I recall that a rather epically-staged photo of Steph Bell, Rob Fishman, Alex Smith, Chris Bentley, and Lauren Rosenberg was one of the first to be posted in said live coverage. (Come to think of it, though, I did do photographic coverage of Hen Hud, NFA, and Lakeland, I think, but the round-by-round coverage didn’t start until late in January.)
.
I also recall a photo of a black-gloved David Wolfish and an unfortunately highlighted Jon Cruz.
.
A lot of this — down to the finalists photo pose that I still use — was based upon the Apple Valley report format that Bietz had done that season.
Posted from: 169.204.230.202
February 22nd, 2008 13:48
hella plus one on playing ESPN for debate.
can VBD make a sportscenter like feature a regular? that would be oh so def. i volunteer my soon to be graduated and highly objective self as the white charles barkley, and i nominate sean wynn as the the black charles barkley. we could call it charles and charles.
Posted from: 24.188.117.123
February 22nd, 2008 16:32
SO MR. Cruz with this new resolution can we apply what is happening with pakistan and the political tension since benzair has died and how that might become a militarty threat and what would you do if a nation was a threat to themselves tearing itself apart and was about to aquire nuclear weapons these wepons would not be safe and could result in more casualties the country is not fufiling its obligation to its citizens
Posted from: 71.123.192.89
February 22nd, 2008 16:52
To answer the Barkley Forum Key coach question. I believe Byron Arthur the former coach from New Orleans Jesuit was the youngest coach inducted as a key coach. Ted Belch might be a better sourse than I on this one. He made the turn of the corner toward the very top of the table a while ago ;).
Posted from: 69.118.235.253
February 22nd, 2008 19:16
Jon: is it just for the United States to use military force to prevent the acquisition of nuclear weapons by nations that pose a military threat?
I will base most of my TOC prep around your answer, so answer wisely.
Posted from: 24.7.46.10
February 23rd, 2008 22:01
How could MSJ debate plummet so much?
Posted from: 63.246.171.199
February 23rd, 2008 22:56
Is there some special significance to the picture that has replaced that rotating series of pictures as the banner at the top of VBD?
Posted from: 75.25.130.115
February 23rd, 2008 23:31
What is the record for the number of bid rounds an LDer had participated in without ever bidding?
Posted from: 68.175.60.130
February 24th, 2008 07:03
Devin — no, though that’s a good question. Look for the rotating banner to return shortly.
Posted from: 66.108.131.237
February 24th, 2008 07:54
which school got the most toc bids collectively in a single year?
Posted from: 67.87.249.183
February 24th, 2008 08:08
It might be last year’s Scarsdale team, with 24.
Posted from: 167.206.203.14
February 25th, 2008 10:16
Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers, a pack of pickled peppers, Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers, where’s the pack of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
Posted from: 67.165.106.132
February 25th, 2008 12:18
its a peck of pickled peppers. you know, 1/4 of a bushel?
dirty south represent.
Posted from: 205.173.47.254
February 25th, 2008 13:26
to “a”-im not sure at all if he holds the most, but i know that jon kwan from lynbrook competed in many bid round his junior year without getting a bid until berkeley
Posted from: 128.135.193.244
February 25th, 2008 15:30
eric p. idk how many, but alot from jr to sr year before berk
12 or more?
Posted from: 63.246.171.199
February 29th, 2008 18:48
Why is a qualifying point called a bid?
Posted from: 208.120.130.198
March 2nd, 2008 14:57
1. have any one of the top 3 speakers ever NOT clear?
2. How many times in the TOC/Nationals did the 16th seed beat 1st seed?
Posted from: 205.134.251.132
March 7th, 2008 09:18
[…] with certainty for the same reason the question about the youngest Key Coach was hard to answer in Volume XIII: few debate organizations ask the ages of their […]