▲ Team ‘180’ debating in the 2017 ACE+ Union debate competition

On November 7^th, the 2017 ACE⁺ Union debate competition was held at CWNU. 8 teams with 24 students from Gyeongsangdo and Busan participated in the debate. The Campus Journal met with ‘180’, the team that won 1^st place in the competition.

Q: Can you introduce yourself and the meaning of your team name?

Lee: I’m Lee Geun-soo from the Department of English Language and I’m the leader of ‘Debaters’ which is a debate group that formed last year. We chose 180 as our team name because it’s our combined average height.

Mok: I’m Mok Sung-jun from the Department of Economics. I’m a member of ‘Debaters’.

Park: I’m Park Bo-young, from the Department of History. I love debate so I have been participating in debate competitions since I was high school student.

Q: Why did you decide to participate in this debate competition?

Lee: It seems that debate culture is not as vibrant in CWNU as I had expected. I thought that if our team did well, then our debate group ‘Debaters’ could attract more people. That’s why I decided to participate in this competition.

Mok: I have participated in many extramural activities and contests. To do these activities, I should properly convey my opinion and persuade other people, but while speaking, I felt a lack in my speaking ability. So I signed up with ‘Debaters’ to improve my speaking skills. This debate was a great opportunity so I participated in it.

Park: I’ve always loved debating and I’ve been doing it since I was in high school. Last year I participated in a debate competition at CWNU as part of a team. One of those team members connected me with this current team.

Q: What was your team’s strongest point during the debate competition?

Park: Usually, between competitions and doing group projects, teams often have a difference in the capabilities or passion of individuals which causes an imbalance in the team. Our team never encountered these kinds of issues. I think it was our team's strength that we all did our best and there was no shortage of preparation.

Q: What does debate mean to you; what are its advantages?

Park: I have been fascinated by the joy of learning and the pleasure of talking while preparing for debates since I was a child and I think I’m addicted to it. It is fun to debate and there are a lot of advantages. If you are confident about your ability to speak, it will definitely help you when you give presentations in class or during interviews.

Mok: Going back to what I said about each person's tendency, I think I’m realistic and Bo-young is a little idealistic. So while I tend to think only from a realistic point of view, Bo-young thinks differently from me. I can understand the tendency of others while debating. I think it is one of the strengths of debating, to be able to think in terms of others.

Q: Do you have anything else to say to our readers?

Mok: When I first started the debate group, I was a little unfamiliar with what I was talking about. But later, I felt like talking about profound topics with my friends and I really enjoy it now. I think I have developed a lot in my speaking ability. I want to tell students that they shouldn’t be unfamiliar with speaking and should start with ease.

Park: I hope students will invigorate a debate culture. I would like to have debate games like intramural athletics does. I hope many students will become interested in debate.

Lee: Even after I graduate, I hope the debate group is well maintained. I hope to develop debate culture at CWNU. I'd like to recommend to readers to come to ‘Debaters’ if there is anyone interested in debating.

By Gwon Min-gwan, cub-reporter  1zstarz1@naver.com

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