Covid-19 Response

Wow—what a year (and it’s only March!). I write to you during considerably difficult times for many people. I have personally been affected by the pandemic sweeping the globe as I was just last week forced to move out of my dorm at law school and find alternate housing in the Boston area. All our classes are now online, and there have been considerable changes in how our classes will be graded—all factors that contribute to people’s stress levels. However, I am not blind to the fact that what amount to academic difficulties for myself and others like me would be considered relatively minor inconveniences by many others—others who have lost jobs, face uncertain long-term housing, have limited schooling options for children, and the many who have lost loved ones during this situation.

I do not say this to discount any of the difficulties that any of us are facing—I believe that the relative suffering of other people does not make our own situations necessarily more bearable. But I think it is worth doing what we can during times like these to count our blessings wherever we can—and I, for one, am deeply grateful to have been part of a speech & debate community in high school that prepared me for countless long-distance friendships with people all across the country (and even around the world). That’s just my personal two cents since everyone and their favorite meme accounts are giving you health and quarantine tips.

Updates on tournaments

I know that with physical tournaments increasingly being canceled around the country, there is considerable uncertainty with regard to what this means for your debate season. Especially with national championship tournaments being canceled, no doubt there are questions going through your mind like “is all the work I’ve put into this season of debate completely wasted?” and “what’s next?” — perhaps especially for the graduating seniors among you, but no doubt for many more. I would like to assure you that, no, your efforts this year have not been for naught. No matter the number of tournaments that have been or will be held, the topics you’ve studied and explored and the skills you have honed up to this point have and will continue to benefit your personal and intellectual growth.

That being said, I know that that alone does not necessarily satisfy the competitive drive that many of us still have. As a former debater myself, there is really nothing quite like the excitement of competing in a tournament, anticipating outrounds, and perhaps even going on to place in the top ranks. 

While Ziggy does not currently have any new tournaments scheduled besides the April 6–11 tournament (6 prelim rounds—for Stoa and for NCFCA debaters, which I encourage everyone to sign up for), please know that we are working diligently to evaluate what options we have for offering additional tournaments—both on our own, and in conjunction with others. Due to my own schedule limitations (particularly, my final exam period is from April 13–May 8), it is unlikely that Ziggy will run a tournament on our own during that block of time (although it’s not an impossibility). However, we are also in talks with various other speech and debate organizations who are likewise interested in providing opportunities for debaters to continue putting their hard work and excellent skills to good use, and hopefully will be able to offer more opportunities for you to compete—including with outrounds—in the near future. 

I think it is safe to say that, as with everything during this pandemic, very little is truly certain when it comes to scheduling, and everyone I’ve spoken with so far is in the early stages of figuring out what to do next. Your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated as we figure out our next steps—but rest assured that we are working to see if we can find an answer to the question of “what next?” and I and others want to make sure we help meet your needs as best we can, if at all possible.

Stay safe—and don’t throw out your debate files just yet while we see what we can do next.