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December 25, 2013

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Home » Supplement » Education

World Scholar’s Cup was experience of a lifetime

By Eugene Tan | December 25, 2013, Wednesday | Print Edition

There are many instances where life has a rather unique sense of humor and where it throws you into paradoxical situations that render you stunned. For me, the participation in the World Scholar’s Cup did that and more.

I had the honor and luck to be chosen alongside my teammates Mark Mou and Kester Zhou from Shanghai United International School, Gubei Secondary Campus. The overall experience has been a life changing one.

First, I would like to thank my family, mentors, excellent teachers and friends who have stuck by my side all this time for all their love, help and support throughout the years.

I want to mention two particular individuals: Amy Francis, whom I can never thank enough for her support and friendship, and my mentor Darrell Holliday, who teaches me the essence of life.

Mou, Zhou and I did not know each other well before we met in our ECA class to hone our debating skills. Our teachers, Ms Yadav and Mr Wincent, were determined to fine-tuning our techniques.

This allowed us the opportunity of amassing knowledge that involved the different motions and areas of knowledge, which we would undoubtedly be tested on. Through it, the three of us forged a bond of friendship and brotherhood, one that will never be forgotten as long as we live.

There are three rounds in total, the Regional, Global and finally, the Tournament of Champions, hosted at one of the world’s most prestigious universities, Yale. Only the cream of the crop is chosen and to qualify is an acknowledgement in itself.

In the World Scholar’s Cup, we have the Scholars Debate, Challenge, Writing and Bowl. Teams debate unknown motions and are judged individually through structure, evidence and presentation skills. The Challenge is a series of questions almost like Trivial Pursuit about the subjects the organizers have chosen for that year. The Writing contest is debating through an essay format on topics that your team picks. The Bowl is where you have the iconic clicker device to select in MCQ style a series of questions on the projector on stage with the rest of the scholars around the world.

In the Global round, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that Abigail Fong and her teammates, Donya Sabet and Annie Chen — the junior team from our school — had been chosen as one of the best junior teams. They came home with a trophy for their excellent debating skills and teamwork.

All of them are extremely competent debaters in their own right. So it’s no wonder they did so well. But most surprisingly, Fong was chosen to be at the Debate Showcase in front of hundreds of scholars from around the world to pit herself against the best scholars of the world. Only the best can make it to the showcase. We were all extremely proud of Fong.

The Tournament of Champions was another eye-opener — I never fathomed that I could make it so far. The motions for the debates — “Fear gives value to travel,” “Globalization has a positive impact on the arts” and “We should have the right to colonize outer space” — were all very challenging and each team we faced had top-notch debaters. They were all spoiling for a win — as were we. 

On the third day of the competition, it was time for the end of the scholar’s bowl, and the thought of being chosen for the showcase never crossed my mind. My teammates told me to stay put, that I was definitely going to be chosen for the showcase.

I had never dreamed that I would be awarded the top sixth debater in the world. As much as I dislike bragging, it was simply an honor to be chosen as one of the best debaters in the world.

With all that being said, I’m just a normal person looking for meaning and value within my life. Certain people have asked me if the experience has changed me, and in some ways it has, with regard to how I understand myself, how I perceive who I really am and what I am able to accomplish.

However, it’s truly about neither the medals nor the prestige, it’s about the experience of a lifetime that is truly meaningful and worth remembering.

Coasting in life is an easy thing but truly living life to the fullest — that is no simple task. I encourage all who read this to do something new and exciting, and always follow your dreams — even when it’s difficult.

 (Eugene Tan is a Year 12 student at SUIS Gubei.)


 

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