Arriving at Bryon Nelson High School on August 27, debate coach Howard Ritz walks into the school with his team. Feeling confident as the team prepares, Mr.Ritz reflects on the all the work they had done over the summer.

“We did a lot of research,” Mr. Ritz said. “We went to Cameron debate camp too.”

Debating the Lincoln-Douglas (LD) topic of “justice requires the recognition of animal rights,” senior Jacob Weaver had three preliminary rounds. Going against a variety of students with his negative and affirmative cases, Weaver enters into his first preliminary round.

“I prefer running my affirmative case,” Weaver said. “My observation is stronger, and it makes my case.”

Weaver advanced through the preliminaries winning two of his three rounds. Weaver enter the octofinal rounds as the last and 16th seed, seed being another term for place. He debated the octofinals against the 1st seed, and finished his round with a victory. Entering the quarterfinals, Weaver felt very confident, and although he lost the round, he remains excited for the school year.

“I think we have a very good foundation,” Weaver said. “It is only going up from here.”

Entering into their next tournament at Grand Prairie High School, Mr.Ritz feels prepared for an eventful tournament. With even more debaters, Mr. Ritz feels his team will do well.

“Every member is an integral part of the team,” Mr. Ritz said. “The keyword is synergy.”

The team performed well in a variety of events. Senior Alivia Sutphin placed third speaker in extemporaneous speaking. Freshman Estrella Ramos and sophomore Miranda Henson both advanced to octofinals in LD, with Henson going undefeated. Senior Payne Kilbourne and freshman Tristan Strickland made it to Cross-Examination (CX) debate semifinal rounds, taking third place at the tournament. Mr.Ritz feels proud of his team and holds high hopes for the school year.

“Our team is more unified than ever,” Mr. Ritz said. “This is the best team Legacy has ever had.”