Volume 124 Issue 92
kansan.com
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
the student voice since 1904
RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW MICROSCOPES Engineers, chemists partner to improve laser technology PAGE 2
DEBATE
Debaters earn national rank
KELSEY CIPOLLA/KANSAN
Mark Wilkins practices for a debate in the sub-basement of Bailey Hall, the team's headquarters. Wilkins is half of a debate duo ranked 15th in the nation.
KELSEY CIPOLLA
kcipolla@kansan.com
Gasping breaths are the only punctuation in the rapid-fire stream of Mark Wilkins' carefully researched words.
Wilkins, a senior from Topeka, is currently part of the 15th-best debate duo in the nation, a ranking that comes with prestige — and pressure. Only the top 16 teams are automatically invited to the National Debate Tournament, so he needs to hold on to his position.
Last week, the KU debate team moved up in the national rankings, becoming the second-best team in the nation and continuing an impressive tradition. Over the years, the University has produced five national championship teams, multiple Final Four teams and has consistently been ranked in the top 10.
Melanie Campbell, a junior from Lenexa, began her debate career as a sophomore at Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park. After attending a debate camp at the University, she decided to continue debating by participating at the collegiate level.
"I suck at sports really bad, so the alternative was band or debate," Campbell said.
"There's some weeks where that's obviously less, and I have four tests and I'm like 'I should probably not fail out of school,"
Competitive collegiate debaters put in 30 to 40 hours of research each week, Campbell said.
Campbell said.
Each year, the college debate community settles on a single topic. This year's topic is whether or not the United States government should provide democracy assistance to Middle Eastern countries. Because the topic is so timely, students always have something new to research, which plays a huge role in debate.
Technically, the debate season lasts from September to March, but debaters don't get a true break: A new topic is announced in May, requiring them to begin the cycle of research again.
"It's a lot of hard work from a lot of students over a lot of years." Harris said. "We have smart students who work very hard, which is the key to success."
The constant research is paired with weekend tournaments where debaters argue for two hours at a time in at least 10 debates, assuming that they advance beyond the preliminaries. Debaters don't even get a break from researching during tournaments, because they have to rework their arguments based on their upcoming competition's strategy. The final debate in a tournament often doesn't begin until after midnight on the final day, said Scott Harris, the team's coach for the past 21 years.
Strong high school debate programs throughout the state also help by giving the University a big base of talent, Harris said.
"Harris is 53 years old, but he has the passion of someone
Wilkins credits Harris with the team's success.
The National Debate Tournament takes place next month, and Wilkins acknowledges he is starting to feel the effects of the season.
Harris agrees that debaters have to be very self-motivated and truly love debate to get the most out of the experience.
“There’s certainly a love-hate relationship that happens this time of year,” Wilkins said. “I have the passion for learning more about the topic, but also I hate losing a lot, and I hate seeing the other team be successful at my expense. I think that's a lot of my motivation to do well.”
"It's not something that comes with a lot of external reward," he said. "There's no crowd that greets you when your plane lands at the airport. You have to enjoy what you're doing."
Harris said his team has the talent to beat any other squad in the nation, but luck plays a certain role in victories just as it would in any sport.
"When you're debating against the best teams in the country, anybody can win any given debate," Harris said. "It's just a matter of being prepared, executing your preparation and being lucky when things come down."
Edited by Taylor Lewis
TARA BRYANT/KANSAN
Amber Long, coordinator of fitness, leads a trial cycling class offered at the Ambier recreation center Tuesday night. Classes officially start Feb. 14.
FITNESS
Rec center offering new cycling classes
MARSHALL SCHMIDT
mschmidt@kansan.com
KU Fit is ready to ride.
The fitness program introduced its first-ever cycling classes to students Tuesday evening at the Ambler Recreation Center. The event allowed students to try out three hour-long cycling classes that will officially begin Feb.14.
"It's a really different kind of exercise than the other Fit classes, and I think it will appeal to a lot of people," said Erin Dempsey, a graduate student from Lincoln, Neb.
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Dempsey also bikes outside between 30 and 40 miles every week, in addition to running 25 miles. Although she enjoys biking, indoor cycling offers greater control over a workout and variety in activity, especially during winter,
Index
"I like yoga because it's relaxing and it allows you to stretch out a lot," Dempsey said.
Two other cycling classes are offered: Power Pedal, which is 25 minutes of cycling coupled with 25 minutes of muscle training, and Cycle Express, which features 45 minutes of cycling. Only 15 cycles are available for each class, which are offered every day at different times. Students can sign up for spots at Recreation.ku.edu.
Dempsey tried out the Yoga Ride class, where the class spends 25 minutes on a cycle followed by another 25 minutes of yoga.
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she said.
"We anticipate cycling being very popular and only becoming more
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The Career Fair is today on the fifth level of he Kansas Union. Grab your résumé and head over to get yourself a job!
contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
SEE CYCLING PAGE 2
Today's Weather
Precipitation moves out after midnight, but skies remain overcast.
HI: 34
LO: 16
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It's a dreary Hump Day.
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