Debate qualifies for internationals with Team Texas
Coppell High School senior Sahith Mocharla, junior Anushree De and senior Umang Vinayaka have been chosen to be part of the Texas State Team this fall to compete internationally. The Texas State Team is part of the Texas Forensic Association (TFA) and has 15 members from high schools throughout Texas.
After countless hours of writing essays, recording application videos and attending interviews, three Coppell High School students found out they did not make the prestigious Team USA.
However, they had a second chance waiting for them.
Team Texas was added into World Schools Debating Championships due to an exceptional amount of talent in the state that couldn’t be fully represented in Team USA. Debate students from around the Lone Star State are selected to join the team, where they will compete in international tournaments.
CHS seniors Umang Vinayaka, Sahith Mocharla and junior Anushree De were accepted into Team Texas, where they will be representing the state in the international World Schools debate competition.
Before joining World Schools, each CHS Team Texas member competed in separate forms of debate, such as team policy or Lincoln-Douglas. In such events, debaters prepare most of their content ahead of time and present it in a mainly formulaic manner. These debate styles are frequently patronized by debate students, but for De, Mocharla and Vinayaka, something didn’t feel right.
Mocharla said “Even if I didn’t make Team Texas, I’m still the same debater. It’s the skills I have developed along the way that I think are really important, and Team Texas is a manifestation of that.”
”I felt like debate wasn’t actually debating because everything was prepared,” De said. “You had nothing where you actually had to respond to people, and I felt like the beauty of debate was getting lost.”
Compared to other conventional competitions, World Schools offers a more conversational-based approach to debates.
“I really enjoy World Schools’ debate, because I find it more applicable to the real world,” Vinayaka said. “Debating in a conversational manner [is] the kind of debate you would have with your friends or family.”
Vinayaka was previously part of the USA Development Team, earning him a perspective and experience his teammates do not have. Unfortunately, he did not make the cut for the national team this year.
In his four years of debate, the CHS senior has grown into a proficient speaker.
“When I was a freshman, I was not a good debater at all,” Vinayaka said. “Over the [past] four years, I have been able to develop arguments and my own style of speech and I have become one of the strongest debaters in the state of Texas.”
For De, debate was a catalyst for personal growth. Starting with a Zenith Speech and Debate Academy camp in the summer before seventh grade, De has grown from a timid girl in the background to a bold young-adult she once dreamed to be.
“I wouldn’t talk to anyone, my teachers would laugh at me and be like ‘Oh, Anushree? Who is that?’ Half of them didn’t know I existed and I was too afraid to speak up,” De said. “I think being in debate changed me in so many ways. I found myself asking questions and talking to people. In this process, I have changed in so many ways and I thank debate every day for it.”
The journey to Team Texas was slightly different for Mocharla, who was originally not part of the lineup. A week later, his name was added as a surprise addition to Team Texas.
Vinayaka, Mocharla and De look forward to competing throughout the school year with other talented debaters from around the world. As travel restrictions relax, they look forward to in-person tournaments, possibly occurring in the second semester.
De is the advertising/circulation manager and Mocharla is a staff writer for The Sidekick newspaper.
“I’m so excited to meet the other Texas debaters, learn more about them, create connections with people across Texas, compete with them and show that Texas is the best state in World Schools,” Vinayaka said.
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Nrithya Mahesh is a senior and the Executive Managing Editor for The Sidekick.
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Aliza Abidi is a senior and the Editorial Page Editor for The Sidekick. In her free time, she likes to read a variety of fiction novels, lift weights,...
