Stevenson captures national speech tournament

You know that triumphant feeling when you win an argument?

Now, imagine the exhilaration from winning arguments with 385 of the country's best high school debaters.

Stevenson High School's 15-member debate team last weekend earned the distinction of "best in the nation" in a contest habitually dominated by East Coast prep schools.

The Lincolnshire school defeated 118 high schools to claim the top spot in last weekend's 14th annual Harvard National Congress competition, part of the Harvard Invitational Forensics Tournament in Cambridge, Mass.

It's a coup for the Midwest, said Doug Koski, Stevenson's head debate coach and one of three coaches at the school.

"We're pretty much on the map now," he said. "People are raising their eyebrows as to who Stevenson is."

The Harvard tournament, organized by the National Forensics League, is considered the top debate competition in the country.

"That's the granddaddy," Koski said. "That's the really prestigious one. It's the most desirable tournament. This is our sixth or seventh year going there, but we've never finished first (as a team)."

The students participated in a competition called congressional debate. The debates are modeled after floor debates in the U.S. Congress.

Students argue for or against legislation on topics such as public welfare, economics and foreign policy. Individual debaters and teams get points based on the quality of their speeches.

Stevenson's team finished with 331 points for first place. Two private Florida schools tied for second place with 284 points.

"That's a spanking," Koski said.

But that wasn't all.

Stevenson senior Jordan Stone was ranked the top debater of the tournament. Stone, 18, of Buffalo Grove took on the top 24 debaters in the country to win the honor. They argued about issues such as congressional war powers and genocide.

"It was a very surreal experience for me," he said. "I just felt almost entirely satisfied with something for one of the first times in my life. It represented the pinnacle of my debate career at Stevenson."

Stone said he wants to become a doctor, but plans to eventually enter politics and work on legislation to improve health care.

Teammates Brad Dlatt and Ari Kasper also were named among the highest scorers in the preliminary rounds. No other school had three students reach the final round.

"It's a phenomenal experience," said Kasper, 17, a senior from Buffalo Grove. "We were just incredibly ecstatic. For the seniors on the team, it was just great to see everything we worked for for four years come to fruition."

Stevenson's name is now etched on the tournament trophy bowl, which the school gets to keep for a year until a new winner is crowned.