KIDA IV Interview Series 3:
Org. Comm. and CAP
CO-Conveners
(Wonhyong Lee and Hyewon Rho)
Please introduce yourselves
Wonhyong: Hi my name is Wonhyong
Lee. I am a freshman moving onto sophomore at Korea University. I currently
serve KU as the president and was the co-convener for KIDA IV 2013.
 |
| Hyewon and Team Ssanai |
Hyewon: I’m Hyewon Rho, a to-be
graduate at Korea University. I was the former KIDA Vice President and one of
the co-conveners for KIDA IV 2013.
How was it to organize the very first IV tournament in Korea? Share with us the good, bad and the ugly of organizing KIDA IV.
Wonhyong: Overall, it was a very
hectic, very fun, very rewarding experience. To be truthful though, I think
initially there were times when I felt that I may bitten off a bit too much
than I can chew. I have personally had tournament organizing experience before,
then as the deputy convener at Korea University Debate Championship for high
school debaters. But the scale and the level of intensity were so different.
Not only was it an international tournament hosted under the name of KIDA, with
sponsorship of UNDP, it was also the very first open tournament in Korea, and
the weight of what we were organizing began to gradually sink in. Especially
considering the fact that at that time the school administrative office was
being a little uncooperative, it felt a bit like a stressful burden.
The
pivotal point for me though, was when the organizing committee began to work
together. We had a very enthusiastic group of people who were dedicated into
making the tournament possible and through this tournament I’ve met amazing people
that share the same goal of providing the grounds for debate in Korea to
develop. Once we started working together as a team there was a feeling of
reliance and trust on each other that made the job easier, but also on a more
personal level I think it was a good opportunity to befriend people from many
different institutions who put their effort in to making this collaborative
effort.
Also,
before the tournament, I think the number of teams registering not being as
much as we expected or wanted was a bit of a let-down; especially because a lot
of the work effort went into increasing the capacity for the teams. However
during and after tournament, sometimes the participants would come over and say
make comments like how much they’ve enjoyed the tournament, from small things
like how they really had fun at the socials, to the opinions on things like the
quality of the judges, venue and schedule organization; and for me these little
feedbacks all really made it worthwhile. Not only was it encouraging in a way
that told me about how the debaters and the adjudicators generally enjoyed the
tournament, which is what makes a tournament a good tournament for me, but also
it gave me assurance that now that there are a lot of people that know about
this event, enjoyed this event, that KIDA IV will be a continuing tradition and
an awesome addition to the debate scene in Korea. So in the end it was a very
memorable and unforgettable experience for me.
Hyewon: Despite the fact that
this is my 6th year in collegiate level debate, this was my first
time convening a tournament and boy oh boy. My utmost respect goes out to all
the conveners of the world! As a beginner, there were so many things I missed
and overlooked and it was one thing after the other. But luckily though, I had
a wonderful partner as well as a team that was fully committed, dedicated and
more importantly a fun group of people to be around!
I
blanked out on the podium during the closing ceremony and it is through this
opportunity I’d like to thank the members of the organizing committee. It was their talent and dedication that truly
inspired me and gave me strength to push through all the difficulties and
pressures.
CAP (DCA Young Cho Lee)
(We decided to focus the interview on the most junior
member of the CAP, as it was perhaps most memorable for her as an experience.)
How did you apply as DCA?
My
original plan when I heard news about KIDA IV was to participate as a composite
team with my brother, but even after he told me he couldn’t make it, I wanted
to take part anyhow in this very special event. I felt that KIDA and the debate
community in general has made my university life so much richer and exciting
than it would be without debate, and as someone who has received so much from
this community, I also wanted to contribute in some way. I felt KIDA IV was a
great way to give back the things I earned from debate. The fact that Daniel
and Albert were part of the CAP was another reason why I wanted to be on the
team (eyelash bats). I thought it would be fun to work with the two seniors I am familiar with. On top of
that, Hyewon Lee, my teammate, senior, friend, and former KIDA president,
encouraged and supported me to apply for the position, reminding me what a
meaningful initiate and wonderful opportunity KIDA IV is.
How was the CAP dynamic?
Unlike Albert and Daniel, since
this was my first actual CAP experience, I don’t have anyone to compare with,
but I thought the CAP dynamics was perfect. The four of us were similar
in that most of us all identify ourselves (and each other) as “workaholics” and
“perfectionists” so we all worked really hard, trying not to disappoint each
other, procrastinate, or free-ride. So because we shared these similarities we
didn’t have much reason to have conflicts or problems with each other. Then
again, for the parts we were different, the dynamics worked out really well because
we would complement each other with qualities that we didn’t share. For
example, as the most outspoken person in the team, I would fire up discussions
in many instances or sometimes save time by directly expressing disagreement (“I don’t
think so.”)
instead of beating around the bush. Albert, I felt, is genius in wording,
phrasing, or refining things, perhaps because of his experience as an editor.
In many cases he was the one who came up with the right phrase to encapsulate
the raw ideas that we had. He also had very sharp and critical viewpoints that
made me nod my head many times. Seekyeong was the balancer of the team.
We always sought for her when our ideas were stuck or we were in deadlock. She
was the mature one in the team, as she always showed
patience and composure. Last but not least, I really feel Daniel is the kind of
person most suitable as CA. Not only is he super responsible and
self-sacrificing, but I personally was very thankful to Daniel for trusting his
DCA’s so much and giving us so much autonomy when it came to work. Although the
CA always has the final say and discretion, I could feel how he fully
considered and credited the ideas of his DCA’s. His trust and commitment fueled
us to work harder. Anyone who has seen Daniel’s closing ceremony speech would
know the degree of affection he had toward KIDA IV. J It was also memorable how Daniel
really had a healthy vision about KIDA and Korean debate community and how
Albert emphasizes social responsibility. I felt working with these mature and
older J people gave me a very macro
view of appreciation toward the community that I belong in. All in all, words
are not enough to describe how awesome the CAP team was!
Any words to the members of
KIDA?
Personally,
although I want to thank every single people who came to the tournament, I felt
that perhaps a few people did not fully realize the meaning behind holding
Korea’s first open, international tournament. Many people worked really hard
for this tournament and it is completely different from other competitive
tournaments like KNC that we go to for our institution to win. Also, Korea took
a step forward in that we had teams from all over NEAsia plus invited
adjudicators. I hope more people would realize the hidden effort and meaning
behind KIDA IV and hope to see next year not only more number of teams but more
composite teams participating and more commitment and support toward this event
on an individual level. I also hope KIDA IV would become a foundation for the
Korean debate community to really grow and expand internationally in the
future, as it has been doing.
End.
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