As the lights of the stage dimmed and the audience settled into their seats, Mitchell Larson, senior, and Frances Mackinnon, sophomore, looked out over the crowd. The debate was about to start, and the newly combined duo was ready to win.

On Dec. 2-3, the varsity and novice debate teams competed at a regional competition in Appleton, Wisc. While there, the top varsity pair of Larson and Mackinnon faced some unexpected obstacles.

They had come into the final round ranked first out of the entire tournament, so they entered the debate with a firm belief that they could win. The road to this final round, though, was a rough one.

The duo came together for the second time in their two years. The only other previous experience that they had debating together was during a meet in West Bend. Larson’s usual partner Katie Cao, senior, was at a science fair in Washington D.C., while Mackinnon’s partner Lauren Klein, senior, was otherwise occupied. Debating with each other for only the second time “took a little getting used to,” Larson said. “Frances and I had found our rhythm” after the second round, though, “so it worked out fine.”

Upon entering the initial preliminary rounds, of which there were five, the team ended up ranked first because the duo had gone undefeated.

The real challenge started, then, in the semifinal round, when the the team faced an unprofessional team from Marquette University High School. During the debate, the team broke a new affirmative, meaning that the team advocates for a new plan. Throughout the rest of the current season, Marquette had advocated for one certain outcome, but they had changed their end goal just moments before the beginning of the debate against Homestead.

Although not technically against competition rules, such an action goes against common debate courtesy. The stunt was “really annoying,” says Mackinnon, and, while they may have been initially thrown out of their groove, Larson and Mackinnon put aside their frustrations to win the round. Despite the advantage that Marquette may had given themselves, Homestead won the round. “It was nice to have the vindication and know that you were good enough to beat them,” Mackinnon said.

Suddenly, it was time to claim their title. All they had to do was beat an experienced team from Rufus King High School. Upon entering the auditorium, Mackinnon was in awe. There was a long, wide wooden podium, and it looked “legit,” Mackinnon recalls. “It looked like how you would assume a movie-style debate would look like.” After rounds of arguing logical points, Homestead eventually got second place to the Rufus King team after a 2-1 decision by the judges.

Despite the result, Larson felt “proud of how the tournament went. Obviously, I would have preferred to win the tournament, but I am excited that we made it to finals.”

Both Larson and Mackinnon won individual speaker awards. Larson won second place, and Mackinnon received third.

There is much ahead in the world of debate for the team, even when they do eventually go their separate ways.

Mackinnon hopes to keep improving as a debater and grow into her new role as a varsity member. “It was really cool to come in my first year on varsity,” she added, especially because it is always “really great to have those moments.”

Larson, in comparison, will be competing at the state tournament in January with his usual partner, Katie Cao. They are “hoping to win the whole tournament this year.” This adverse experience only better prepared the two for what lies in their debate future.