Panther Team Spirit Shines Through at IASAS Forensics and Debate

Vanelli wins double gold and makes ISB history!!

March 7, 2018

The 2018 IASAS Cultural Convention Forensics and Debate Meet was held at Singapore American School from March 1st-3rd.  A very successful ISB campaign at IASAS FAD in 2017 had fuelled a resurgence in the Speaking and Debate Events over the past year, and the Panthers went of to Singapore brimming with a confidence that had not been felt in years.

The team did not disappoint with 5 of the 11 speakers making the finals in Forensics and 2 of the 6 debate speakers gaining recognition as “Top 10 Best Speakers.” In the end, it was Colin Vanelli (12)  who shone brightest for the Panthers as the most decorated ISB speaker in the history of ISB Forensics added to his store with gold medals in Extemporaneous and Impromptu Speaking. Vanelli’s Impromptu championships was the first Impromptu gold for ISB in the event which began in 1993.

In Oral Interpretation, junior Taylor Chisholm (11) (who read The Molesters by Joyce Carol Oates) and senior Janita Lunapolcharoenchai  (Sold by Patricia McCormick) both made the final round, while sophomore Eylul Kara (10) (A Thousand Splendid Suns by Kahled Hosseini) missed out by the slimmest of possible margins. OI Coach Mr. Duffy commented “The three of them were able to hold their audiences spellbound… every time they spoke, the room was riveted.”  

Chisholm and Luanpolcharoenchai entered the final round as the top two speakers from the Prelims, but, despite giving emotionally charged performances, were pipped for the medals by delegates from JIS, ISM and SAS.  Still, they girls felt the had achieved their season long goal of “moving souls” each time they took to the podium.

In Original Oratory, senior Olivia Scott (The Magic of Humour) and freshman Todd Amatayakul  (Identity and Social Media) gave strong performances in their FAD debuts, but it was their co-rookie sophomore Ava Alam who impressed the judges enough to make the final round.

Alam’s speech focused on “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” where she argued that students should not be concerned with becoming great at everything in an effort to fill in their College Ap forms.  Rather, they should focus on the things that make them passionate and unique.  In the end, it was a sweep for the team from Singapore American School who took all 3 Original Oratory medals.  But the ISB team gained valuable experience and confidence, and, with Alam and Amatayakul possible returnees to the team next year, the future remains bright.

The Impromptu team was a mixture of the old and the new with senior Jackson Carroll and freshman Jaden Cilliers making their IASAS debuts alongside 3 year veteran Colin Vanelli.  All three members of the team managed to get a “1” or “2” ranking during the preliminaries, but it was the silky speaking skills and quick wit of Vanelli that saw him through as the lone Panther in to make the Impromptu Final Round.

In the finals, Vanelli responded to the prompt “The Art of Losing” by invoking the courage of Shrek, the resilience of his grandfather, and his own ability to overcome adversity while living as a young boy in Senegal.  Coach Weber had this to say about Vanelli’s accomplishment, and her team’s overall performance: “In what has sometimes been called the “riskiest” of the FAD events, Impromptu speakers Jaden Cilliers, Jackson Carroll and Colin Vanelli rose to the challenge. And, Colin Vanelli, in his last year as a FAD speaker, won ISB’s first-ever GOLD medal for this event. Well, done, Colin! We are very proud of all of our speakers.”

It was Vanelli who led the Extemporaneous Speaking team to gold as well by responding with eloquence and a variety of sources to a prompt which asked “Is America first, America alone?”  He was joined in the finals by newcomer Zwe Latt, whose measured and articulate poise impressed the judges throughout the competition. Agam Bedi, the third member of the team, gave his best in the prelims.

Ms. Hirst, the Extemporaneous Coach was very enthused by her team’s performance. “We were very proud to see Colin Vanelli achieve gold again this year; a well deserved win.  Also, Zwe Latt, a first time participant, made the finals and gave a very creditable performance. With such a wealth of talent it bodes very well for the future of extemporaneous speaking at ISB.”

In Debate, ISB’s “A” team (Gian Chansrichawla, El-ly Namantinia and Caspian Mackey) just missed out on the finals despite their 3-2 record.  They were, however, recognized for their sportsmanship when they declined to take advantage of a dubious motion (“Let the Wookiee win”), instead framing the debate in a way that was fair to their opponents.  They finished with a record of 3 comprehensive wins and 2 losses by the narrowest of margins.

The “B” team (Sasha Wertime, Nico Robles, Sajid Farook) faced a hard group, but started with a fine win in the first round. Sadly after a couple of narrow defeats, progression to the knock out stages became more difficult. However, with Nico’s fine captaincy, debate youngsters Sasha and Sajid have learned more than they could have ever hoped for and the represent a solid foundation as the team moves forward.   

Chansrichawla and Namantinia were named as to the Top 10 Debate Speakers.  Coach Kelly was proud of both of them. “This is a fantastic achievement and a fine way to end their last IASAS tournament. Gian has now placed inside that top ten in back to back years – fine recognition of his debating ability. As for Ellie, a four year IASAS delegate, she graduates with her head high… she should be very proud of her achievements. Did you know, when you add up the stats, Ellie has spent 20 hours of her life in an IASAS prep room and 20 hours at in an IASAS debate competition. More than three of those hours have been spent standing at the podium delivering her speeches. What dedication from a fine deabter.”

In the end, it was a successful expedition for ISB’s 2018 Forensics and Debate team. FAD judging is such a subjective thing that, often times, delegates are left to wonder why they didn’t receive the rankings they thought they deserved.  However, this year’s team performed to, and beyond, their collective potential and, in that regard, they accomplished everything they set out to do. As the momentum continues to mount, ISB’s FAD delegates relish the opportunity to share their silver eloquence again in Jakarta next year.

by Conor Duffy

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