Chase Urban Debate National Championship
The NAUDL was thrilled to host the first Chase Urban Debate National Championship featuring the best Urban Debate League teams from across the nation. The JPMorgan Chase Foundation generously sponsored the tournament, which was held at the downtown campus of Northwestern University on April 3-6, 2008.
The Lane Tech High School team, from the host city of Chicago, won the first Chase Urban Debate National Championship, defeating Grady High School of Atlanta in the final round. The Championship's final round was held in the historic Abraham Lincoln Courtroom at the Northwestern University School of Law. Urban Debate League directors and coaches served as members of the final round judge panel, yielding a 5-0 decision for the victorious Lane Tech.
Central High School Senior Sean Easterwood of Kansas City won the Top Speaker Award at the first Chase Urban Debate National Championship. In the process he earned a $2,500 scholarship that he will use to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the fall. The scholarship was provided through a grant from JPMorgan Chase.
The Chase Urban Debate National Championship brought together 34 urban debate teams and their coaches for a weekend of competition, conferencing and friendship. Teams from the following UDLs participated in the Championship: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Louis and Washington D.C.
Nate Parker, who starred in the film The Great Debaters and watched debate rounds at the Chase National Championship earlier in the day, addressed the Reception audience: "What I saw today fascinated and amazed me. All you students, you inspire me, you really do. What I do for a living is fun, but what you guys do for a living makes leaders."
During the course of the Chase National Championship participants visited several of Chicago’s premier cultural and entertainment centers, including the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art and the Navy Pier.
Professor Ross Smith, the highly accomplished Debate Coach from Wake Forest University, graciously served as the director of the tournament tab room. Professor Smith’s college team had won the National Debate Tournament the previous weekend. We are extremely grateful for his invaluable assistance.
At the conclusion of the Championship, the NAUDL's Executive Director, Scott Deatherage, stated: “We were absolutely thrilled to be able to host this event. The participating students, coaches and administrators showed great enthusiasm not only for the tournament competition, but also for its pedagogical and cultural aspects. The NAUDL is already planning for and eagerly looking forward to hosting the 2009 Chase National Championship.”
The NAUDL National Dinner
On April 5, over 300 enthusiastic supporters and guests joined the NAUDL for our inaugural Annual Dinner, held at the historic University Club of Chicago.
Participants were entertained by a short video from Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, who recorded a special welcome for our event. He offered the following tips for debaters: Always Be Right, Yell Everything, Don't Be Afraid to Cry, Constantly Change the Subject, and Defeat Builds Character. Finally, as for career counseling, he urged: "Please, promise me this, don't throw away your lives on careers in Congress. There are far more honorable ways to get free golf trips."
Emory University's Melissa Wade was honored as the first "Urban Debate Champion." Professor Wade has truly been a pioneer of urban debate, beginning her work with the Atlanta UDL in 1985. Diana Dunker, supervising attorney for Legal Services of New Jersey, was recognized as the NAUDL's "Alumnus of the Year." Ms. Dunker has argued in front of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, securing important advances in the protection of family bonds for urban and/or poor children.
The Keynote Speaker for the event was United States Attorney, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, one of the nation's leading attorneys and public servants. He offered valuable advice not only to the student debaters, but to the rest of the audience as well, stating: "I try to tell students they should find out what it is that motivates them. It could be medicine. It could be social work. It could be teaching. But they ought to make an affirmative choice about what they want to do in their life, and doing good is a very rewarding option, not just doing well. I'll find the time, I'll find the energy, I'll find the resources to help out a cause I believe in. And I know I'm preaching to the choir here, because the people in this room are the people who give up their time to be coaches or administrators or people who find other ways to make sure debate exists.”
