by Joseph Rothschild

BOWLING GREEN, KY – Lafayette Forensics hit the ground running at Western Kentucky University (September 18-20), starting off the season with a series of impressive finishes over the three-day, two-tournament long weekend. While only two members of the team (Alyssa Braver ‘16 and Joseph Rothschild ‘16) were able to attend, their combined efforts were enough to clinch two final round performances, one national qualification, and even a first-place finish.

The first of the two tournaments, the Alexis Elliot Round Robin, is a yearly tournament hosted by Western Kentucky that aims to reward some of the most consistently successful debaters in the region with a 6-round tournament. The round robin was divided into two sections, named “Big Red” for WKU’s mascot and “White Squirrel” after the albino rodents that are found around campus. Both Alyssa Braver and Joseph Rothschild were proud to represent Lafayette College in the two separate pods of the tournament. Joseph Rothschild won the “Big Red” division of the tournament and 2nd place overall after a heated final round and a 4-1 decision to the winner of the “White Squirrel” division, WKU’s own Mark Allseits.

After some mediocre chicken and waffles at a local diner, Alyssa and Joseph returned the next day for the second of the two tournaments. Another grueling six rounds later, Joseph Rothschild was able to claim a spot in the top 8, ensuring the team would get precisely zero hours of sleep and instead would spend the evening researching and preparing new evidence in the hotel lobby. With the help of coaches John Boyer and Kim Runnion and the steadfast dedication of fellow teammate Alyssa Braver, Joseph won his quarterfinal and semifinal round on back-to-back 2-1 decisions before debating WKU’s own Bailey Rung in finals. After an especially close debate, the decision was another 2-1 in Lafayette’s favor. The team beat a hasty retreat to their flight with their first-place trophy in tow.

WKU’s tournament is the first qualifier of the year, and the team’s impressive finish qualifies Joseph Rothschild to the national tournament to be held in April. Lafayette will not compete again until their own two-day tournament, The Ocho, on October 3rd and 4th. Watch this space for the results of what promises to be another exciting tournament!