Overland Park, KS – (March 22, 2022) Johnson County Community College hosted their 43rd annual National Junior Division Debate Tournament on the weekend of March 18-20. The tournament provided an opportunity for eighteen competitors from six colleges and universities the opportunity to compete in the Junior Varsity division of debate.
The tournament featured six preliminary rounds of competition, where students argued on both sides, on the topic “Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase prohibitions on anticompetitive business practices by the private sector by at least expanding the scope of its core antitrust laws”. Followed by a single elimination tournament where the top four teams advanced based on the results from the preliminary rounds.
The division showcased competitors with limited experience in debate and cleared to a Semifinal round featuring teams from Emporia State University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Minnesota. The Final Round saw second seeded Claire Anderson McElligott & Mark Kivimaki lockout with their fourth seeded teammates Ryan Davis & J Parrish from Minnesota. Ethan Harris from Kansas was recognized as the Top Speaker of the tournament.
The tournament marked the nineth weekend of the Spring competitive season and provided more than eighteen hundred minutes of speaking time for undergraduate students. Students engaged in a minimum of three debates in favor of the resolution and three opposed, requiring them to test their hours of research and preparation on both sides of the topic. The format enables students to build skills in critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.
About CEDA
Cross Examination Debate Association was founded in 1971. CEDA is currently responsible for formulating the annual intercollegiate policy debate topic used in tournament competition throughout the nation. Throughout the season, CEDA calculates National Sweepstakes Standings, the national and regional rankings of member institutions based on compiled tournament results.
