What Happened in Prague?

July 17, Olomoutz, a small town in the Czech Republic, nearly 200 adults and students were crammed into a very large classroom. Morgan W had just sat down for a few seconds before a 6’3” young man who looked 35 years old with his full beard and nicotine-stained fingers stood up to the podium. This was Denmark’s best team, a team that would go to place 6th in the world in Stuttgart a week after this tournament, but after John E, ever calm and composed, and then Afyz M, as his usual frenetic self, talking even faster than most ordinary mortals could keep up with, Denmark ending up narrowly losing.  They were shocked. So were we. The opposing teams at the Heart of Europe event were from Budapest, Kigali, Johannesburg, Toronto, and 24 other cities in the world. Sarah L, Maya Jenner, Max Q, Torren K, Michael L & Liam P debated eight rounds over a three days and after each win, people came up and asked us “Where is Brentwood College?” Later, David M joined us for another tournament - the Global mini round for the World Scholar’s Cup in the heart of Prague. After days of trivia and debate events, these students earned Brentwood a fourth place finish, the highest ranked school from North America, and a berth for six of this group to attend the Tournament of Champions, at Yale University in November. This represents some international acclaim for our Brentwood Debate programme and, as your coaches, we remain very proud. Mr. Neil Bryant