By: Arik Shams
Oak Grove recently saw two of its best debaters compete in the Princeton Classic Debate Tournament last December. Will Bedwell and Steven Wild, Varsity debaters of the Oak Grove Forensics Team, participated in the Public Forum event in one of the most prestigious high-school debate tournaments in the country. The Princeton Classic tournament is hosted each year by Princeton University and Princeton High School in New Jersey. Last year was Oak Grove’s first time in competing in the tournament, and was the only school to go from Mississippi.
With 125 teams in the Public Forum event alone, the Princeton Classic is one of the largest high-school debate tournaments. The tournament offers bids to go to the esteemed Tournament Of Champions held each year at the University of Kentucky.
The “Bed-Wild Duo” (coined by WB staff) has been debating since the 10th Grade. Ever since the two debaters paired up and qualified for Nationals last April, they have been unstoppable. “Bedwell and I had been looking for a national circuit tournament in which we could feasibly compete, and I was simultaneously planning a trip to visit William at Princeton during December. The weekend conveniently fell into both of our schedules and we were able to make the trip.” Wild said (William Wild, former Oak Grove debater, is currently a freshman at Princeton University). Shane Cole, Oak Grove’s debate coach and Forensics Team sponsor, said “This was an opportunity for [Will and Steven] to keep competing in the National Circuit, and I was more than happy to sign all the paperwork… They wanted to do it.”
The duo went all the way up to Quarterfinals (Top 8), finally giving out to Regis High School of New York City. “They did very well…I was shocked at how well they did.” Cole said. The two did not stop there. This past weekend Bedwell and Wild competed in the Emory-Barkeley Debate Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, another similar debate tournament in the national circuit. They won all the way up to Top 16 from a pool of 120 teams. The duo now has two bids to the Tournament Of Champions, one from Princeton and one from Emory, making them the first ever debaters from Oak Grove eligible to participate.
Bedwell and Wild make the perfect debating powerhouse. An interview with debate coach Shane Cole revealed a few insights into the two debaters’ amazing chemistry. “When debating, Steven has a one-track mind – he is super-focused on winning that round, and nothing else,” Cole said. “Bedwell is the perfect opposite. He sees the big picture and the entire debate… they complement each other perfectly.” According to Cole, “a good debater needs to be able to see both sides of the argument clearly… [Wild and Bedwell] can now debate mentally; I don’t even have to tell them anything. Debate is mental, not emotional.”
In the words of Bedwell himself, “Steven is more uptight and factual; I’m laid back and smooth-talking. It makes for a great debating combo.” According to him, Wild is “almost as good as me [Bedwell].” Wild gives another explanation: “Predictably, Bedwell doesn’t do any of the work, but somehow we work well as a team. He does what he can and, for some odd, unexplainable reason, we just click…I taught him everything he knows, clearly. Don’t let him tell you any differently.”
Another point of note is that despite Oak Grove Forensics’ brilliant and consistent performance, this was the first time Oak Grove was represented at Princeton. “It’s the money. The school has a small budget, so we can’t take the team to compete anywhere we want…I would love to, but it’s just too expensive,” Cole said. When asked about the recent success at Emory and participation at the TOC, Cole said “We just need the money.” Bedwell and Wild themselves are confident of success.
