Fourteen students gathered in the room, waiting impatiently for the two teachers bringing two white vans. All are wearing matching t-shirts dislaying “[Public Speaking]:The one thing people fear worse than death, and we do it for fun.” Senior Henry Jones returns from Target with snacks for the road about the same time that the two white vans, driven by Mr. Ritz and Mr. Rabalais, arrive at the school. The debate team loads up their luggage and starts the three hour trek to Austin, just barely ahead of the winter storm bearing down on Mansfield.
The debate team arrived in Austin around 7:30 p.m. and unloaded their bags from the vans. As they shuffled into the lobby, Mr. Ritz spoke to the steward to get the room keys. Three students were assigned to each room. Jones and junior Michael Peterson were among the first to receive their keys, so they went to their rooms to get settled.
“We had a really nice hotel room,” Jones said. “I was really happy to be rooming with two of my best friends in debate.”
Later that night the debate team arrived at Patsy’s Café. The old-fashioned, cracked brick walls did little to prevent the cold weather from seeping inside. It didn’t help that the only area with enough room for the group was a backroom with no climate control. As the debaters huddled together around the table for warmth, they discussed their drive to Austin.
“They cancelled all other activities in the district,” Mr. Rabalais, who also chauffeured, said. “I’m surprised that Ritz still decided to come.”
The debate team had only just escaped the winter storm that was now engulfing much of Texas. In anticipation of freezing rain, sleet and snow that evening, the district canceled all other school-related activities. The only reason debate had permission to go was that they left before the storm arrived. Sophomore Lynsey Williams held her jacket around herself tight trying to keep herself protected from the cold.
“It’s freezing in here,” Williams said. “I hope food gets here soon.”
After food arrived the team took pictures by a giant poster promoting Ritz crackers with Mr. Ritz, and then went back to their hotels to prepare for the tournament. The next morning Jones and Peterson woke up at 9:00 a.m. to prepare for debating. After getting dressed in their sports jackets and ties, they went downstairs to eat breakfast.
“The eggs are mediocre and rubbery,” Peterson said. “At least the orange juice is good.”
The team left the hotel for UT at Austin around noon. To pass the time, senior Christian Oldham and senior Caleb Waugh had a duel with fake light sabers that they use during their debate rounds.
“We only won our last round,” Oldham said, “but fighting with lightsabers in one of our rounds was fun.”
None of the Legacy competitors were sure of what to expect. In the end, nobody made it past the preliminary rounds. In fact, out of the five rounds each debater competed in, no one won more than two. This was reflected in the vans on the way back home. While on the drive up to Austin the vans were filled with energy and excitement, the drive home was much quieter, and the debater’s talked about anything to distract themselves from actual debate. Going forward however, captain Henry Jones believed this experience motivated him to get better.
“This experience has motivated me to spend more time on debate,” Jones said. “I’ve been inspired to allocate more of my time to debate in hopes of qualifying for the Texas Forensic Association state competition in March.”
