For the second year in the row, the Ontario Student Debating Union (OSDU) Senior Provincial Championships were held virtually via Zoom. From February 25th to 27th, Trinity College School students joined peers from across the province online to test their skills in a variety of forms of debate on timely topics such as NATO forces in Eastern Europe, Olympic hosting sites, copyright of art and eminent domain.
Two teams took part in the English-language debates. Isolde Ardies and Riley Christensen returned to the competition for the second time in as many years and performed very well. Riley was the top debater from the School again this year, finishing in the top third in the province.
Participating in the provincials for the first time were Katie Gunther and Oliver Lynn, who also had a great showing, winning a couple of debates against some very strong teams.
In a historic first for TCS, the School sent a team to participate in the bilingual division of the championships. Nina Gardes and TianTian Dong had a wonderful event, and TianTian was our top bilingual debater, finishing 6th!
The coaches, Mr. Greg MacPherson and Mr. Jeremy Foote, say this year’s online event was a success for competitors and hosts alike, but all are very much looking forward to next year and a return to in-person debating.
