New debaters score upset victory

David beat Goliath, Truman beat Dewey and Leon Spinks beat Muhammad Ali.

Now a pair of first-time SWC debaters beat six teams from four large universities.

In the pantheon of great upsets, Molly Johnson and Samantha Uribe pulled off one for the ages.

International studies major Johnson, 20, and psychology major Uribe, 21, took first place in their division at the CSU Northridge Robert Barbara Invitational Competition.

Johnson also took first and Uribe fourth in the top speaker award competition.

SWC’s persuasive pair defeated Arizona State in the quarterfinals, Sacramento State in the semi-finals and a CSU Northridge/CSU Fullerton hybrid team for the win.

Victimless crime was the theme of the competition. In the final match SWC argued that legalized marijuana would harm the Californian economy because of the current drought.

SWC Forensics Director Jordan Mills said what the two young women did is almost unheard of in the debate world.

“It is very rare for people at their first tournament to win the tournament,” he said. “That shows real talent and a real future. Normally you go to your first and you get wiped out.”

Their victory surprised coaches from other schools, Mills said, in a grand way.

“I had other coaches from four-year schools coming up to me and trying to recruit them and offering scholarships after their first time ever (competing).”

Johnson said she and Uribe are students in Mills’ Communications 150 class.

They were only given a week’s notice, Mills said. Johnson described the competition as “terrifying” and “nerve-racking.” She said she did not think she would do well.

“It was my first debate tournament, so I wasn’t expecting much,” she said. “But getting that first speaking award was really exciting.”

Their last match was especially tough, Johnson said.

“The final debate was tricky,” she said. “The other team already kind of knew what we were going to throw at them. So we had to think of more strategic ways to present (our argument).”

Uribe attributed the win to the entire SWC debate team. Without them, she said, they would not have been prepared for their opponents’ attempts to poke holes in their argument.

“Our argument was flawless because the debate team worked really hard and they really got us ready with a great case,” she said. “Any question we were asked, we had an answer right there and we were ready to defend ourselves.”

Even with all the accolades, there is unfinished business, Uribe said.

“Mallory and I had made a silly bet. I said ‘If I win, I’ll do floor angels,’ and she said if she won she would do the nay-nay (dance),” she said. “It was pretty funny. We were pretty excited and shocked.”

So were a lot of university debaters.