The Brooks Quimby Debate Council has gone through a few changes this year. First, our interim head coach Andrea Curtis has moved on and is now working at a non-profit organization in Rockland, ME. In her place and new to Bates College is Professor Jan Hovden from the University of Kansas. While Andrea will be sorely missed, Jan is a wonderful addition to our team.

Another new development this year has been the impressive size of our novice class, which has over 20 members. After several successful recruitment events this fall, we ended our novice workshop with seventeen novices interested in attending the tournament at Smith College that following weekend. Bates sent a record 13 teams to the first tournament of the season, comprising over 15% of the tournament registration. At Harvard's recent tournament, Bates brought 16 teams, making Bates the largest contingent there. At the competition, two of our novice teams advanced to out-rounds, with Ally Mandra '12 and Monica Rodriguez '12 advancing to novice semi-finals and Yoon Loong Wong '12 and Mircea Lupu '11 advanced to novice finals. Yoon Loong Wong also received the award for 5th place novice speaker at Smith while Ali Vingiano '11 won 6th place novice speaker at Harvard.

What excites me most about this class is how dedicated and ambitious they have been from day one. Debate has been a large part of my life these last four years, and it's reassuring to know that the younger students will be here to carry the torch long after the seniors have graduated. Even with the changes that have come this year, we strive to remain true to the spirit of the Brooks Quimby Debate Council. More so than ever, we understand the importance of passing down our many traditions and rich history, just as they were passed on to us.