The Tournament of Champions- Who Will Win?

The Tournament of Champions- Who Will Win?

The sound of passionate arguing, victorious candidates, and restless debates can be heard all throughout the halls of FHC as the annual Tournament of Champions takes place in Room 112.

For the past 7 years, the Tournament of Champions has taught students about how to improvise on the spot, adapt, and overcome challenges. In this competition, students are assigned an important historical figure and they must research, provide reasoning, and debate about why their candidate is the most influential person in history.

“The Tournament of Champions is usually the most popular event that I do, even more than the D-day simulation and the 300 battle of the Thermopylae,” said Brad Anderson, who is a World History teacher. “I hear so many students talking about history in the hallways or in other classes and it is really cool to see how engaged they get.”

For most students, this competition is their favorite part of the year. It takes days of research and a great deal of planning in order to be at the best for the debate. There have been multiple rounds; this past week being the semi finals and yesterday and today being the finals.

“The people who make it to the finals really know their stuff, they are really prepared, they have great public speaking skills, and are very competitive,” said Anderson.

In one of yesterday’s most anxiously awaited final rounds, Juniors JJ Rabideau and Sal Sidebotham faced off in the intense debate of Caesar Augustus versus Mao Zedong. Both spat out roasting reasons and convincing arguments on why they each were the most influential. Although they both fought valiantly, there could only be one winner. For the 2nd time in a row, JJ Rabideau, who portrayed Caesar Augustus, won the title of the most influential historical figure.

According to Anderson, from the start you could tell JJ was determined to make it to the finals. His careful preparation and confident public speaking abilities made him a formidable opponent to all of his classmates.

In other hours, the finals happened today. Junior Ian Kastner is a finalist this year and is ready to take home the winning title.

“I competed in the Tournament of Champions last year, and this year I am competing as Saint Paul of Tarsus,” Ian said. “I prepare a lot and I really try to research myself and how I would respond to my own arguments so I can do the best that I can.”

Another student, although she did not advance to the finals, enjoyed and prepared for this tournament a lot. Junior Paige Guikema agreed in saying that it was hard to prepare research for herself and for fighting against her opponents.

The winner of this tournament gets bragging rights, a foam sword with with their name on it, and a handprint on the wall of Anderson’s classroom.

So as this school year comes to an end, so does another competition of the Tournament of Champions.

“[The Tournament of Champions] has really sparked discussion and conversation amongst many of my students,” Anderson said. “It is so cool to see how far it has come and how far it is yet to come here [at FHC].”