KIDA IV Interview Series 2: Breaking Composite Teams

KIDA IV Interview Series 2:

Breaking Composite Teams

(“How I Met Your Unanimous Decision” and “Ssanai”)

How I Met Your Unanimous Decision 

(Minyoung Rho and Eunji Kim)

Please introduce yourselves

MY: Hi, my name is Minyoung Rho, from Sogang University, majoring in Business Administration.

EJ: Hi, I am Eunji Kim from EDiS(Ewha Debating Society), and I teamed up with a very close friend of mine, perhaps the best in KIDA - Minyoung Rho from ADS. Our team name How I Met Your Unanimous Decision was based on the TV show How I Met Your Mother, and we thought it was funny(while some people called it lame). We both worked in the registration sector of the organizing committee, and ended up as Semi-Finalists as debaters.

How was the Semi Final Round? What were your thoughts and feelings before and after the round?

MY: The theme for the semi finals were given (MDG) and we never thought we would be debating on that motion!! Yet, as always, Eunji had a 3-page matter file so we at least had something to play with. The round was very interesting, having to debate with seven good people was an honor for me.

EJ: Honestly, we didn't prepare for the prep-theme fervently, because we never knew that we would end up in Semi-Final rounds. All I did was search for 8 MDG goals, and then probably look into statistics regarding the progress of the MDGs. I personally liked the motion because it was something out of my expectations and also was fair to be debated on both sides. I also want to thank the EDiS Seniors for handing me their research materials before I went into the round - the support really helped me.

How was KIDA IV for you in general? Share with us the good, bad, and the ugly.

MY: KIDA IV was my first time debating as a composite team. The best experience was to be teaming up with one of my best friends, Eunji Kim. Despite our lack of preparation and practice, we achieved more than we thought we would (our goal was just to survive after being thrown back and forth by the very high quality team pool). The best part was throughout the whole tournament, we were focusing on learning a lot, and most importantly, having fun! The bad part was having to debate in a room with CUDS1, Lam Chops, and EDiS1 on a motion that we were totally unaware of. The ugly part is probably arriving 30 seconds before the pre-semi match-up. It was one hell of a run.

EJ: KIDA IV was a really good experience! Motions were fun and it was nice to see a lot of people I love all gathered in one place to enjoy an activity that we love. All socials were fun, and as the part of the Org Comm (registration team) we have a lot of fun in the process too. The hallways were very cold though, I was shivering every time we were preparing for a round. I had to steal Minyoung's coat to keep myself warm.

What were your best and worst motions? How were the debates for those motions?

MY: My personal favorite was R2, about virtual punishment. It was the one round where we had our OG take all of our arguments and us being forced to come up with an extension during the DPM's speech. However Eunji had a very powerful extension, and eventually we got 1st. The motion was also very interesting, as I love 'assuming that the technology exists' kind of motions. Worst motion was probably the African motion; where we got 4th and our speeches literally sucked.

EJ: My personal best motion was the fourth motion regarding plastic lifestyle, as I was arguing on an issue that I would think about. I always thought people criticizing women for holding expensive or preferring plastic lifestyle had unjust reasons, and I wanted to prove the fact that women should be getting what they want, buying what they want and be appreciated with their ability to be able to. I loved the fact that I got to convince the adjudicators(who were all men).

The worst motion was the 6th motion in prelims regarding lobbyists, basically because I think I panicked and did not know what to say.

As a composite team, how did you make a team and how was the teamwork?

MY: Eunji and I are very good friends. We wanted to debate together, but never had a chance to do so. So we decided to team up while being the organizing committee as well. The team name 'How I Met Your Unanimous Decision' was a parody of our favorite TV show, 'How I Met Your Mother'. We planned to use the catch phrases such as 'it's gonna be legen....wait for it.... dary!!' during our speeches, however never actually had the chance to do so. The teamwork was surprisingly good! We both have similar views on religious, political, and global issues; so the prep time was really productive. I guess teaming up with a good friend never goes wrong.

EJ: The decision was made really quickly, when Minyoung asked me if he wanted to go to KIDA IV with him via Katalk. The teamwork was pretty great! We both had comparative advantage in our positions, where Minyoung would be PM, LO & WHIP and I do the Member and Deputy speakers. The dynamics were awesome. Plus, we always encouraged each other during the rounds and were generally having fun chit-chatting. It was funny in the end because even the number of speaker points we had were the same.

Who did you find the hottest at KIDA IV?

MY: The hottest must be our conveners Hyewon and Wonhyong. As a member of the org Comm I learned A LOT, and as a participant, the tournament went so smooth! You guys rock.

EJ: I think I have no other choice but to say that the most attractive person was the male convener of the tournament. Don't criticize me for being so cheesy. He looked nice in the KIDA IV Org Comm hoodie, or the navy coat he was wearing on the last day.

Who was the most inspiring speaker for you at KIDA IV?

MY: Matthew Leung from Lam Chops. I could only wish all Matthews could debate like him. (by the way I'm a Matthew too!)

Who was the most inspiring adjudicator?

MY: Aditya. He didn't write much down on his paper during speeches, yet he gave very comprehensive feedback and also taught me a lot of ways to improve.

EJ: The most inspiring adjudicator was Albert Lee from the CAP, because he made me realize the real value of debating - talking about an issue that I feel passionate about. After the round he asked me whether My case was based on what I personally thought, and that was the moment I realized that my case had been derived from my personal attachment to the issue. Youngcho Lee, a senior of mine and also the president of EDiS was a great inspiration as she showed enthusiasm as a responsible CAP member, and also have motivated me to study harder for debate competitions.

Any last words?

MY: It was an honor to be part of this wonderful event. I hope to meet all the good friends again next year, because the next KIDA IV will be legen......wait for it..... dary!!!

Oh, by the way, thank you again Eunji.

EJ: KIDA IV was a great opportunity to meet a lot of individuals in debate community I love, including my teammate Minyoung Rho, EDiS(institution I love), KIDA IV Org Comm, people from KIDA and foreign countries. And I want to once again thank Minyoung Rho not just for being a good teammate, but also being there as a good friend whenever I have troubles in life and things to talk about. KIDA IV and what we've achieved wouldn't have been possible without you. Thanks a lot

SSANAI (Yoon Hoo Jung and Josh Jeong)

Please introduce yourselves

Hello, my name is Yoon Hoo Jung. I’m not part of any debating society, as I graduated from a school in America last summer. I debated in high school, and thought I had enough of it, so I didn’t debate much in college except for adjudicating at events occasionally. I’m currently working in a human rights law foundation as an intern.

How was the Pre-Semi Round? What were your thoughts and feelings before and after the round?

I personally enjoyed the Pre-Semi round the most. KIDA IV was my first debate tournament in 6 years. Naturally, I felt nervous a bit every round. But in the Pre-Semi round I felt pretty comfortable, and I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the debate. The dynamic among teams was good, and my team’s performance satisfactory. We both thought we would advance to the semis to be honest, and bummer that didn’t happen, but it was one of those rounds where you wouldn’t mind the result too much because you had a lot of fun in it. So both before and after the round, I felt pretty good.

How was KIDA IV for you in general? Share with us the good, bad, and the ugly.

The good part was rediscovering the fun of debate after 6 years of staying away from it. I always associated debate with negative ideas, like unnecessarily cutthroat competition, arrogance, and arguing just for the sake of it. KIDA IV didn’t completely wash away those negative images, but I did learn to enjoy debate despite them. For me, the bad and ugly parts go together. Team Ssanai got 4th twice, on the first round each day. The awkward lunches I had with Jaedong after getting 4th, where we try unsuccessfully to concentrate on the cutlets in front us while wondering exactly where we screwed up… If I had to choose the bad and the ugly, getting 4th twice and dealing with the aftermath would be it. But it was all part of a wonderful tournament experience.

What were your best and worst motions? How were the debates for those motions?

I personally liked the motion of round 3, “THW ban portrayals of negative images of Africa by international organizations as a means to raise fund”, the most. The debate I had in this round was pretty engaging, with none of the confusion or lack of engagement that so often plagues debate rounds. The worst motion was the motion of the first round, “THBT the rise of public protests undermines democracy”. The motion itself was good. It’s just that we sucked so much at it. We panicked because we got OG and set up an extremely confused and shaky case for which we paid dearly. Otherwise, I think the motions at this tournament were pretty good.

As a composite team, how did you make a team and how was the teamwork?

After the 2012 Fall KNC in Solbridge, I had a drink with some Solbridge people. I adjudicated Jaedong a few times, so we were having a friendly conversation about some of the debate rounds. Then Jaedong half-jokingly (or so I think) asked me whether I would go on to KIDA IV with him. I thought that might be fun, so we just did it. And it was a good decision, looking back.

Jaedong is good with talking about practical arguments, and I am more inclined to think about principle arguments, so we tried to use our comparative advantages as much as we could. During prep time, I would think about philosophical arguments, while Jaedong thought about the consequences of passing or opposing a motion. Our teamwork either worked remarkably or failed miserably. When the former happened, we got 1st. When the latter happened, we got 4th. Only one round we got something in between.

Who did you find the hottest at KIDA IV

Hmm.. well, there was this girl who came in to see my pre-semi round. I didn’t see her around before. I liked the way she laughed out loud when she heard something funny, and the way she gave the you’re-so-wrong-I-wanna-puke-on-you stare when somebody was bullshitting. She looked like she’s got some attitude. I tried to talk to her after the round, but I couldn’t find her.

Who was the most inspiring speaker for you at KIDA IV?

For me, Jaeyong hyung from KU (who partnered up with Bo Young for KIDA IV) was the most inspiring speaker. I met him in the final prelim round. So, I told you that I tend to focus on philosophical arguments. The downside of that is that sometimes your analysis gets abstract and vague if you don’t back it up with ample evidence. I thought Jaeyong hyung’s analysis effectively balanced principles and down-to-earth examples.

Who was the most inspiring adjudicator?

Mina Lee from EDiS judged us 3 rounds, and each time she gave us really good feedback. I would definitely pick her as our most inspiring adjudicator of KIDA IV. If I’m allowed to choose another, I’d pick Joe Iesue from Solbridge. He was very helpful with his tips and support throughout the tournament. I really want to thank Joe for the good advices he gave us.

Any last words?

I would like to thank the CAP and Org Comm for a wonderful tournament experience. And most of all, I would like to thank Jaedong for drunkenly suggesting that we do this together and also for being a wonderful teammate throughout the tournament.