Crystal Leday
ColumnistOne of the Speech and Debate Team’s classic rituals is traveling to Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. The tournament is held at the beginning of every spring semester. This is one of the larger schools we attend and it is by far the most exciting.
To begin, we fly from the warmth of Louisiana to the shivers of Missouri. We tend to leave on the earliest flight out of Lake Charles, so when we arrive we tend to have an entire day before the competition starts. As a team, we usually explore the city’s main attractions: the City Museum, the famous Gateway Arch, and the finest restaurants.
If that first day is relaxing, the first day of competition is anything but: everyone is hectic. The biggest struggle I find we have is finding the classrooms where we are scheduled to compete. All of the buildings are similar in size and structure, which makes having a sense of direction very difficult. Every corner you turn makes you feel like you’ve been there before.
Not to mention the weather. Last year, when we attended this tournament, the weather was just above zero, while back in Louisiana it was in the upper sixties. Definitely a shock.
After finding the buildings, there is still a race against time. You’re in casual attire with many layers of clothing, and carrying your materials used to compete. Time goes by very quickly when competing, especially when many schools are present, and at Webster, this is definitely the case. You’re busy getting to know people, running from building to building, competing, and starting all over again.
The school itself is placed in the middle of nowhere. I found that the thing I noticed most is the vital green trees covered in snow. That is not something I would enjoy getting used to. Still, I definitely look forward to visiting St. Louis each year.
If that first day is relaxing, the first day of competition is anything but: everyone is hectic. The biggest struggle I find we have is finding the classrooms where we are scheduled to compete. All of the buildings are similar in size and structure, which makes having a sense of direction very difficult. Every corner you turn makes you feel like you’ve been there before.
Not to mention the weather. Last year, when we attended this tournament, the weather was just above zero, while back in Louisiana it was in the upper sixties. Definitely a shock.
After finding the buildings, there is still a race against time. You’re in casual attire with many layers of clothing, and carrying your materials used to compete. Time goes by very quickly when competing, especially when many schools are present, and at Webster, this is definitely the case. You’re busy getting to know people, running from building to building, competing, and starting all over again.
The school itself is placed in the middle of nowhere. I found that the thing I noticed most is the vital green trees covered in snow. That is not something I would enjoy getting used to. Still, I definitely look forward to visiting St. Louis each year.
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