On Monday evening, Jonah, Sam and Isaac represented St Chris in the first round of the English Speaking Union’s Schools’ Mace debating competition.
The Schools’ Mace, founded in 1957, is the oldest and largest debating competition for schools in England and Wales, involving around 300 schools each year. Jonah, Sam and Isaac approached opposing the tough motion of ‘This house would not treat e-sports/gaming like real sports’ with intelligence and eloquence and were particularly praised by the judges for their thorough research and quick thinking in the face of tough challenges from the opposing team and floor.
Head of History, Flora Barton, was particularly proud to see the team not being tempted by common debating traps of acting in a patronising or aggressive way towards the opposing side, but rather using their logic and knowledge to support their arguments in a confident but calm manner. They ended up in the top two teams from their heat and have progressed through to the next round! The boys used their speeches to paint a convincing picture of a world in which the arena of sport is widened to include e-sports as one in which the environment would be better protected, social justice promoted and inclusivity and equality enhanced, particularly with regards to disability and gender.
