It’s just before a middle school debate tournament, and one of the students is beginning to panic. They’re feeling the pressure of competition, and with so much thought of winning in their mind, they can’t concentrate. This is when sophomore Corey Streat, the middle school debate coach, steps in to reassure them, reinflating their confidence and ensuring they’re prepared to debate, win or lose.
After the previous coach left the school last year, Streat took on the role of middle school debate coach. He had previously participated in debate in middle school.
“They’re a good debater. He’s very opinionated and tough,” said Streat’s middle school debate teammate and former fellow coach, junior Elena Pozzo.
Based on that prior experience, Streat considered himself the one for the job.
“Someone needed to take over,” Streat said. “I was the one who stepped up for it.”
Streat’s coaching has received wide praise not only from the team but also from Pozzo.
“They were a really successful debater and I think that translated to coaching pretty well,” Pozzo said. “Corey had a slightly different style. He innovated.”
Streat brought a new framework to middle school debate, making the team more organized.
“Generally it was more structured, there were more rules,” Pozzo said.
Coaching middle school debate isn’t without its challenges, and often attendance is low. Streat hosted a mock debate in front of the middle school last year, and has been promoting the team frequently at club fairs.
“I’ve started to put our team out there a bit more,” Streat said.
Streat’s workload adds a level of stress.
“I have to send out emails to register a team I have to send out emails for every single question for the tournament organizer,” Streat said. “I have to send five emails just to track down one award.”
Among the many emails is the search for potential judges. Middle school debate guidelines require one judge for every group of two to three students. As the number of students in UPrep’s roster has grown to more than 20 students, the number of judges has increased as well.
“We can’t go into the tournament without at least four judges,” Streat said. “It’s a bit of a hassle.”
It’s all worth it for Streat, however, when he gets to see the kids at work.
“It’s great how well they work together,” Streat said, referring to a specific unit on his team. “They have been working together since sixth grade and are in eighth grade now …and they’re the only team we’re putting into the highest bracket of the tournament.”
The team has won enough awards that Streat is in the market for a place to keep them, one that isn’t a box in the Middle School Director’s office.
“We’re actually trying to figure out how to get a trophy case for all the school plates that we’ve picked up,” Streat said.
Even with all the wins, Streat makes sure to prioritize the idea that debate should be about fun. He loves to see his team pleased with themselves.
“It is honestly great to see how happy the middle schoolers are,” Streat said.
