Debate president, Dotan Appelbaum, hopes to receive a bid at the upcoming Mid-America Cup Tournament.

According to Appelbaum, debaters receive bids depending on their success in the tournament. Participants need two bids to compete in the final tournament at the end of the year. Adviser Richard Shmikler said he is preparing Appelbaum and other participants to compete in this weekends tournament and hopefully receive a bid.

“The Valley Mid-America cup is one of the largest national tournaments in the country (and) in the midwest too. It is a qualifying tournament for the national tournament at the end of the year, — the tournament of champs,” Shmikler said.

Applebaum said the tournament of champions is the biggest national tournament, and success necessitates hard work and preparation. He said the team has been practicing writing arguments, analyzing cases and speaking drills.

“I feel really prepared. I think we’ve got some really good cases written and some really good arguments,” Appelbaum said.

According to Shmikler he has been preparing the debaters for the past four weeks, and he is very excited to debate at one of the largest tournaments in the Mid-West.

“We have prepared our cases, we have practice rounds and we have spent a lot of hours discussing strategy as well as how to maintain mindfulness and a healthy competitive attitude at the tournament,” Shmikler said.

Shmikler announced that Ayanna Nathan member of Park’s debate club was invited to the Mid-America cup sophomores round a day before the tournament begins.

“We were invited to this tournament, but the tournament hosts a round robin, which is an invitation only tournament the day before, for the top sophomores in the nation,” Shmikler said.

Ayanna Nathan was invited to compete in that tournament for the top twenty sophomores in the country.”

According to Shmikler, the debaters who qualify for the tournament will travel from Sept 24 to Sept 26 to in Des Moines to compete a the Mid-America Cup Tournament.