The Liberty North debate team consists of nearly 200 kids, divided amongst varsity and novice. During Debate season, there’s a tournament nearly every single weekend. Tournaments can have a timeframe of six in the morning on Friday, to midnight on Saturday.

“If you want to succeed, then you’ll put in a lot of work, if you don’t put in the work then you won’t be successful,” Freshman Joey Nigro said.

High school debate is overall divided into three main groups and forms of debate.The first major and most popular form is called PUF or Public Forum. This type of debate is organized with two people debating two other people based on a monthly topic. The next type of debate is known as policy. This type of debate is not only the most time consuming but requires the most information about one topic that stays the same for an entire year. The final debate category is known as Lincoln Douglas debate, the only type in which it is simply one on one.

“I do policy, and it’s the most time consuming activity at this school. In my personal opinion it’s the hardest form of debate,” Sophomore Cami Smith.

Even with these differences in the end, it’s a team and to contribute it’s important to put in the needed hard work and constant effort.

“After 4 straight years of debate these are some of the closest friends I have. On the bus ride home from the tournament, win or lose, we are still a family,” Senior Derek Rogers said.