Hockaday is filled with talented, confident and insightful Upper Schoolers, and in my last year, I want to learn about as many students as possible. And the best way to do so is, of course, over a scoop of ice cream. This issue, I took the one and only Lily Vollbrecht—a new member of the USA Debate Development Team—for ice cream, and she had quite the scoop to share.
When I think about debate, pictures of well-dressed, articulate high schoolers arguing over a complex topic appear in my mind. And while this vision is true, junior Lily Vollbrecht put the amount of behind-the-scenes preparation and dedication required into perspective.
“Topics are generally released a couple months before the tournament, and I start preparing around then,” Vollbrecht said. “First, you write the case that’s anywhere from three to 15 pages of writing, and then you prepare response material to what you think the other team is going to say.”
Although 15 pages alone is longer than my Junior Research Paper, Vollbrecht always prepares answers to both sides of a topic, as teams do not learn which side they will debate until the tournament.
Vollbrecht’s passion for debate led her to apply for the USA Debate Program last summer, where she submitted three videos of speeches on given topics, multiple essays and signs of competitive success in tournaments. Vollbrecht took over 250 takes per eight-minute video.
“I’m definitely a perfectionist, so as soon as I stumbled over my words, I had to stop it,” Vollbrecht said. “I took 13 hours one day just filming, so I definitely looked a little bit soulless in my videos.”
Vollbrecht’s hard work paid off as she was offered a spot on the USA Development Team this past August. From attending the renowned Harvard Debate Council Summer Workshop the past two summers, Vollbrecht had already met the Development Team coach and many of her current teammates. In the past two months, she has attended numerous virtual practices in addition to the Greenhill Fall Classic debate tournament, conveniently hosted in Dallas.
“It’s so much fun meeting people from all over the country who I look up to,” Vollbrecht said. “But also, because I’m on the development team, obviously I’m there to learn and develop as a speaker.”
Additionally, Vollbrecht recently co-founded an organization, Words for Women, aimed at helping middle school girls build confidence and develop their own voices through debate workshops in Dallas.
“Debate helped me so much with my confidence and clarity when speaking,” Vollbrecht said. “I think a lot of women lack access now to grow those skills.”
Vollbrecht is grateful for the many perspectives that debate has given her.
“I have to think about both sides of a topic, so that has been very helpful in putting myself in others’ shoes,” Vollbrecht said. “I’m looking forward to growing as both a debater and as a person this year.”
To watch Vollbrecht’s full scoop on how debate has impacted her life, check out The Scoop with Coop on the Fourcast YouTube.
