Motor mouths Motor mouths (December 23, 2005)

High school debaters put Mountain View High on the map

By Molly Tanenbaum

There’s little point in listening to Prashant Rai argue against an opponent about eminent domain if you’re an outsider to the world of high school debate. Rai, a Mountain View High senior, has mastered the art of speed-talking, a way of communicating fit only for auctioneers and incomprehensible to the untrained ear.

Rai’s speed, brains and dedication have elevated him to his high rank as fifth in the nation for high school Lincoln-Douglas debate. He and teammate Stephen Hess, a Mountain View senior who is currently ranked 34th out of 2,000 debaters, have strengthened the high school’s team with their competitive drive and brought it into national view.

“This is something I’m particularly proud of,” Rai said. “Our freshman year, we probably weren’t ranked even in the top 2,000 in the country.”

Rai and Hess, friends and Los Altos natives who met in junior high, began debating for the high school as freshmen. According to head coach Terese Tricamo, who is Hess's mother, the team was small, informal and not nationally competitive. This year, it is ranked seventh in the nation.

“It was really just a handful of kids kind of dabbling in debate, but no one was really serious,” said Tricamo.

The Mountain View duo participate in Lincoln-Douglas debate, a one-on-one event named for the 1858 debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. The format involves philosophical analysis of an issue without definite right or wrong answers. Debaters must be able to argue effectively on both sides of every issue, because they’ll have to do both in every tournament.

Topics switch every two months. The current topic is eminent domain; previous issues have had to do with judicial activism and immigration. Eminent domain will also be the topic at this year’s Tournament of Champions in Kentucky, and this past weekend was the first time Rai and Hess got to try out their new arguments on the subject.

Tricamo attributes the recent strength and success of the team to Rai and Hess’ determination. To be competitive, both have attended debate summer camps the last three years, and their team is now attracting top-notch coaches and motivated teammates.

So far this year, Rai has won or reached the finals in several tournaments around the country. Hess has had a tough fall season but he is optimistic about the rest of the year.

Both Rai and Hess were attracted to debate for its competitive and intellectual challenges. They think debate has helped shape and improve how they think, communicate, argue and analyze.

“You learn to deconstruct the way a logical statement is formed,” Hess said. “It disciplines people into a dedication to academia in general. I read much more than I ever think I would have.”

On top of juggling AP courses, college applications, and their editor positions at the school’s newspaper, “The Oracle,” Rai and Hess both put in at least 20-hours commitment to debate. They spend their time researching and preparing arguments, and on tournament weekends, the boys travel and often miss days of school. Both have quit other activities – mock trial, basketball, marching band – to make room for the demands of debate.

Recently, Rai and Hess were awarded the National Forensic League’s Academic All-American Award, an honor based on grades, SAT scores, character, and debate achievements.

Rai’s mom, Deepa, did not expect her son to be drawn to debate in high school.

“He has always enjoyed talking to people and voicing his opinions, but I thought he’d be a sports person,” she said. She frequently overhears him drilling his fast arguments in his room to enhance his speed—an activity to which he devotes endless hours of practice.

“He’s in his room and you can hear a lot of noise,” she said. “I don’t know how he does it.”

Rai’s fast talking involves taking quick, deep gasps of air between long, rapid strings of sentences. This technique comes in handy in timed debates, where competitors pack in as many arguments as possible into just a few minutes.

Within Lincoln-Douglas debate, Rai says that he’s known as the fastest-talking debater in the country. It gives him a huge advantage over his opponents. At the College Preparatory School tournament this past weekend in Oakland, two of Rai’s opponents conceded to him mid-round because they didn't stand a chance against him.

Right now, both Rai and Hess have their sights set on this year’s Tournament of Champions—the major event that debaters must receive two “bids” to attend. Bids are earned by winning or placing at other large tournaments. Because Rai was a finalist as a junior at the Tournament of Champions last year, he has an automatic bid. Hess, on the other hand, still needs to earn his two but is confident he’ll be able to make it.

“I think there’s a lot of good competition this year,” Rai said. “I think our year is really strong compared to previous years.”

Participating in debate has influenced what the two plan to study in college, and what they will pick as future careers. Rai is thinking about political science and international relations, which may lead to a career in business, while Hess plans on studying philosophy and pursuing a law degree.

Rai and Hess have not decided whether they will continue to debate in college. Rai said the debate commitment in college can take 30 to 60 hours a week.

“Ironically, I’m sort of debating back and forth about it,” Rai said.

E-mail Molly Tanenbaum at mtanenbaum@mv-voice.com

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