The 2014-2015 debate team has decided to widen their horizon.  A number of changes are being employed, and many are already implemented.

The debate team’s first meet was on Sept. 27 at Hersey High School. Co-captain senior Elias Zenkich received best presiding officer, first place speaker, first place quality speaker and first place overall out of 600 participating students.

This year, one of the debate team’s primary goals is to compete in more national tournaments. The team plans to go to Minneapolis, Minn. for the Blake Tournament on Dec. 19-21, an event where the top debaters from all over the country come to compete.

“We would like to take our debate team to another level, so to speak, by getting more involved in tournaments outside of Illinois,” said AP economics teacher and new head coach Matt Bohnenkamp.

English teacher Rebecca Jordan remains an assistant captain, while 2013 EG graduate Anna Dowd aids team members in a one-on-one environment, assisting students who need extra help in a debate “study hall”.

The debate team has also establish a presidency consisting of senior Yasunari Sakuma and sophomore Ray Solorzano. Their role is not so much competing, but making the team more closely knit. They are also responsible for recruiting new members and make them feel welcome. Additional duties include fundraising and organizing team bonding activities.

“As a president, I would like to see more participation, more people on task with research and more people going out for tournaments,” Sakuma said. “Considering that we have a lot more novices coming in than previous years, I will do my best to encourage them to compete, despite how daunting it may seem for their first season.”

The captains, Zenkich and senior Ethan Castro, are in charge of making the team a more competitive body and conducting thorough research. The team is collectively pushing for the presidents and captains to play a more prominent role in interacting with the members.

“My biggest goal this year isn’t my own personal gain, but rather I want to make sure I leave enough of an impression on the younger members so that they can continue to thrive without me,” Castro said. “This year, we’ve changed practice structure so that it’s a lot more student-led, and I hope that leads to more of an example of leadership and performance for the new ones to see.”

The team’s next meet is on Oct. 25 at Fremd High School. Though their season has just started, the team has already participated in bonding activities and fundraisers, notably a car wash fundraiser to help pay for their trip to Minneapolis. It’s a go big or go home kind of year.