a swansong, a finale, a grand exuent...
Team C as an opposition in the finals of JGs '06...
Team C...
i would never have believed that that moniker we conjured up at the reading room in january 2003 would be a name, a true name for a team, a true team of debaters, and a a team of true friends...
Cheam, Chu, Caines...
our first debate together - THW ban smoking... our first real prep together, and prep we did, even on a Sunday, and that set the momentum for the next four years...
as i tell my juniors, watch debates... and watch we did in sec 1, josh's debates, lucas' debates and many many more..
then we debated...
the selections for the meth cup team positions, and i was so blessed to be given the opportunity to be a reserve alongside sam on the winning team of 2003 with josh/mike/adi...
the new year came with new competitions... we didn't get to debate at the srjcs, but it was a blessing in disguise - more time to prep for the inaugural youth-14s....
i remember having to skip the prelim rounds to compete at the OM national finals, but it was so great to go back to sam's place with news of victory and to receive news of a 4th-place break...
then the quarts against rg, the semis against ri in the big LT coz there were too many spectators with the temperamental lighting and big balloon...
and the finals against cat high - a first victory, and from then on, i'd know i'd never wanna lose that feeling ever...
but lose it i did... the defeat at the meth cup 2004 was, in most senses, the "last" debate together as Team C, and what better would the motion be than THW ban smoking..
and it was off to njcip in 2005...
new teammates, new club, new division...
each week, as we would win each of the 5 rounds to the b div finals, i'd quickly find out if sam/paul/sean won their rounds as well... and win they did, and into the a div finals...
to weige and darius: my gratitude for being the champion njip team...
and a week later, the sec 3 ac team were crowned champions as well...
that was the point i knew i'd most likely go back to ac...
debating in the vjs, with and unexpected semi win to face ri in the finals...
one of our better debates, and a justified defeat...
then it was 2006, and training has not ceased till today...
lost two rounds at vcs, but that was probably the spark we needed to train even harder...
scraped a win at jg round 1...
and then the motion for round 2... the round we put in the most hours in for, the most argument over, and still a defeat...
another scraped win at round 3, and we broke 4th, just as we did in y-14s...
the quarts and semis were narrow, and here we are today, at the finals...
Team C at the finals, in our last debate, representating acsi...
sam & paul - thanks.
john.
