Debate Team Emerges Victorious in League Championship
The victors researched nuclear energy for weeks in preparation for the competition. Photo: @therealmidwoodhs
By HAN XIN OU YANG and NATHANAELLE JOSEPH
The Debate Team capped off one of its strongest seasons in recent memory with wins at the 2025 NYC Urban Debate League Championship on April 5. Sophomores Diyora Khidirova and Zhiqi Li were the champions, and juniors Arielle Gordon and Sophia Uguzovas were semi-finalists.
Midwood competed against nine other schools at the event, including some of NYC’s specialized high schools. The battle of rhetoric took place at Manhattan’s School of the Future.
“For the last few rounds, I was going all-out with my arguments and questions for my opponents, and my heart just told me that I won,” said Li.
“It was a very long and challenging process,” said Uguzovas. “I remember my team and I had started preparing the moment the resolution [topic] was released, and around two weeks before the championship, I would spend almost every evening researching for new evidence and rewriting some of my cases.”
Debate tournaments are usually four rounds long, with each team of two speakers fighting to convince the judge why their side of the argument stands above the other. The topic up for debate this time was whether the U.S. federal government should substantially increase its investment in domestic nuclear energy.
The team researched all angles of the topic, from energy use to medical applications to nuclear sites’ impact on indigenous population, Li told the Midwood library.
“This year wasn't solely just about winning rounds,” she said, “it was more about growing and developing a variety of perspectives of the world around us. Every debate this year taught us something new, and becoming champions feels like all our hard work really paid off and all the lunch periods that we spent working on this debate were rewarded.”
The weeks leading up to the win featured relentless head-to-head training, gathering feedback, and undertaking additional research.
“It’s impossible to talk about the championship without mentioning the month of prep we had,” said Gordon. “We had intense practice and preparation, which was a bit overwhelming, but also really fun and worth it.”
“The most memorable moment was when our whole team was sitting in the cafeteria, refreshing our screens every five seconds to see if we had advanced to the quarterfinals,” said Uguzovas.
Uguzovas and Gordon’s unique contentions and extremely long block files [pre-written arguments] contributed to their success. “We practiced crossfire questions and answers, and the repetition of rounds helped us feel prepared,” said Gordon.
Debate team members are expected to be attentive to details and structure their speeches well to build a persuasive case.
Li and Khidirova went through a day of serious competition, training themselves to think and react fast during debates. “Championships were intense because we know the people who made it this far are also experienced,” said Li.
Uguzovas felt “ecstatic” upon hearing of her recognition. “Placing as a semi-finalist was the main goal I had wanted to achieve since the beginning of the season,” she said. “I knew that I had to give it my all and truly grow as a debater if I wanted to accomplish that.”
The debate has raised awareness of current events and improved the members’ confidence and speaking skills. Earlier in the season, they debated at Harvard and UPenn, where Sofia Fitenko, Jasmin Yin, Annabelle Franklin, and Paul Khanis made the elimination rounds.
The championship concludes debate season, which does not start again until October, when the next local tournament begins. However, the team still trains in the off-season.
“The best way to improve is to keep practicing and asking questions,” said Li. “Be open to feedback, support your teammates, and most importantly, enjoy the process. It’s one of the most rewarding experiences in high school!”