Urban Debate League Finalists

On Tuesday 5 July, Dixons Fazakerley Academy competed in yet another national debating competition. It was the Urban Debate League this time, and having already won the regional championships, we were raring to compete at a national level. Since November, we have been taking part in the national Urban Debate League, and thanks to our undefeated record, we managed to secure a top 16 place. The top 16 schools were invited to London to compete for the title of national champions.

The Bank of America hosted the event at their London headquarters. Once the formal introductions were out of the way, the first round of the national finals commenced. Our first opponents proved to be worthy adversaries, but in the end, they could not overcome our incredible A Team. It was a truly outstanding performance from our seasoned debaters. After our excellent lunch (courtesy of Bank of America) it was on to the next round. Our opponents were even tougher this time, and at one point, it looked as if we were about to be beaten. Thanks to some excellent strategy, our unbelievable A Team managed to turn the tides and achieve yet another impressive victory.

There was one final debate of the day, reserved for the two teams which scored the most points across all rounds. When it was announced that we were one of only five teams to win all of their debates, we were hopeful that we would be invited to the final round. On this occasion, however, we marginally missed out on a top two position. Frustratingly, there was only 1 point which separated our team from two finalists. Despite not being overall winners, we still performed admirably, and to leave London as one of the TOP 5 schools in the whole country is something that we will be forever proud of.