Groton Debater Qualifies for World Competition
Another Groton School debater has qualified to compete in the world championship, highlighting a tournament that included several first-place finishes for Groton.
Debating Society Co-President Rowen Hildreth '23 is heading to the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship in Durban, South Africa in March, after scoring as the best individual speaker at a November 6 tournament at St. Paul's School. Eight interscholastic debate tournaments are designated as qualifier tournaments for the world competition, including the weekend debate at St. Paul's, said Michael Gnozzio ’03, Groton math teacher and debate advisor.
Rowen was among many debaters who represented Groton well. Among the advanced debaters, Rowen and Mimi Kovriga '24 placed first among those arguing for the affirmative, and Arjun Ray '24 and Husaynn Ladha '24 placed second among teams arguing for the negative. Mimi also finished as the third best individual speaker. The topic: whether the U.S. should increase military aid to Ukraine.
Rowen was among many debaters who represented Groton well. Among the advanced debaters, Rowen and Mimi Kovriga '24 placed first among those arguing for the affirmative, and Arjun Ray '24 and Husaynn Ladha '24 placed second among teams arguing for the negative. Mimi also finished as the third best individual speaker. The topic: whether the U.S. should increase military aid to Ukraine.
Groton's four-person team also placed first, with Mimi and Rowen joining Amy Ma '23 and Alisa Gulyansky '24 for the victory. In the novice division, Leah-Felicity Bay '27 and Lena Aloise '27 placed first together, and Leah also placed first as the best overall novice speaker.
“In the days leading up to the tournament, all of the students worked very hard to get a detailed understanding of how the war in Ukraine is progressing, and it is a testament to the Debating Society officers' strong leadership that we had so much success on both sides of the case," said Mr. Gnozzio. "Rowen, in particular, has a wonderfully deep grasp of both international and domestic politics, and the careful attention he puts into crafting well-supported arguments makes him a very formidable debater. It will be very exciting to see him compete at Worlds!"
“In the days leading up to the tournament, all of the students worked very hard to get a detailed understanding of how the war in Ukraine is progressing, and it is a testament to the Debating Society officers' strong leadership that we had so much success on both sides of the case," said Mr. Gnozzio. "Rowen, in particular, has a wonderfully deep grasp of both international and domestic politics, and the careful attention he puts into crafting well-supported arguments makes him a very formidable debater. It will be very exciting to see him compete at Worlds!"
Other Grotonians who have competed in Worlds are Steven Pang ’22, Jiacheng Kang ’22, Sebastian Osborn ’06, Stephen McCarthy ’06, Jaideep Chawla ‘04, Michael Gnozzio ‘03, and Brookes Brown ‘00. Brookes competed in Cyprus, where she placed first in the debating portion and second as all-around speaker.
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