The Wildwood Middle High School debate team competed at FCDI State Championships in April and came back with some rather good results.
AmandaLesly Miranda placed third in Extemporaneous Sports Analysis while Oscar Rubio-Flores placed third in Middle School Extemporaneous Speaking. In addition, Jaden Brooks was a semi-finalist for Novice/Varsity Impromptu Speaking.
Rubio-Flores said he’s proud of placing third and is grateful to be part of the debate team.
“I felt proud of myself,” he said. “I don’t really care about the award, I care more about the experience and feedback so I can become better.”
AmandaLesly Miranda had similar thoughts.
“I’m very proud of our performance and achievements, and I think getting third was pretty incredible,” she said, adding that “it’s not every day you place third in the state championships.”
Although she says she feels like there’s room for improvement, she’s optimistic about next year.
Coach Illiana Miranda also had a few things to say about placing at states.
“Placing in the final rounds at FCDI States and watching the support they give each other unconditionally is an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything,” she stated. “We are learning a lot about what our strengths and weaknesses are and how we can overcome them together, which is something that will be an ongoing process.”
This is the debate team’s inaugural year and so far, it has been highly successful. FCDI States was the last tournament of this school year for the team, until some of its high school members participate in the 2022 National Speech & Debate Tournament later in June.