Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2010-10-05

 

High school debaters from throughout the southeast will compete in the annual Bishop Guild Debate tournament at Samford University Oct. 8 and 9.

Teams are expected from 28 high schools in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. Competitors from Alabama represent Chelsea, Decatur Heritage Christian, Homewood, Indian Springs, Jefferson County International Baccalaureate, Mountain Brook, Oak Mountain, Pelham, Spain Park, SpeakFirst, Trinity Presbyterian, UMS-Wright and Vestavia Hills.

Debaters will compete in policy debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate, public forum, extemporaneous speaking and interpretation categories. Round one of all events will begin Friday at 4 p.m. Elimination rounds will begin Saturday at 2:30 p.m., with the awards assembly at 5:30 p.m. in Brooks Hall auditorium.

Finalists in the policy debate event will receive an automatic bid to the Tournament of Champions, the high school national championship tournament.

The debate topic considers substantially reducing U.S. military commitments in various hotspots around the globe, such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

The tournament honors former Samford debate coach Brad Bishop, who directed Samford teams to three national titles. He is now a professor at Samford’s Cumberland School of Law.

 


 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.