Behind the Ivy - Spring 2018

BEHIND THE IVY

D E B AT I N G AT E L S A ’ S - E P I S O D E 2 O F A T H A V E R G A L I N C A N A D A S E R I E S SOPHY WU

up by the Subway sandwiches we had for lunch and won the third round right after. At night, the whole team went to a restaurant where previous HC teams have gone every year; eating there has become a tradition for HC girls (and Mr. Fredenburg) after debating at Queen’s. Finally, the HC girls’ big discussions and secret talks at the hotel room marked the completion of the second day’s adventure. In the end, nothing of concern really mattered: neither the food, irony, weather, nor the results. “Let it go!”, as Elsa would say. There were so many other important things, such as the chance to attend a national tournament, the necessity of time management, the courage to challenge oneself, the ability to listen and learn from others, and last but not least, optimism. I sincerely hope every “Havergirl” can continue making brave attempts, whether they are academic or athletic, because, although we study behind the ivy, our visions are limitless!

the first resolution came out. I was trying to be one of the professionals who jotted down points on the way to the debate room, but I guess “Elsa” (yes, I gave the debate tournament a nickname since it was held in winter at Queen’s) did not appreciate my pretension. Snow covered almost every inch of the ground, the wind roared violently in my face, and the hail ruined my draft papers. For someone new to Canada, it was easy to mistake the extreme chill in Kingston for that of the North Pole. Ironically, we were totally burned down to ashes by a team of twin brothers (known to be strong in debate) in the first round. Thanks to them, we were able to balance the temperature! When break came, I did not stop scribbling in my notebook, but “Elsa” played a trick on me again: the second resolution was similar to what I had already practiced, only now I was on the other side! It was a pretty close round. I even gave myself the title of the “Queen of Refutation” during the twenty minutes the judge spent on deciding our loss. We were not sad at all, because we tried hard enough! Just like the first day, we lost the first two rounds on the second day, but we were quickly cheered

“It’s time to see what I can do–to test the limits and break through. And the fears that once controlled me, can’t get to me at all! Let the storm rage on! The cold never bothered me anyway!” These are the lyrics of “Let It Go”, but also a perfect description of my first weekend back to school from winter break. From January 12th -14th, high schools from all over Canada gathered at Queen’s University for the famous annual Queen’s Debate Tournament. As usual, HC’s Debate Society sent ten Havergalians, and I was honoured to be one of them. during Friday’s Prayers, to being the only one travelling without a suitcase, the beginning of my journey was not so easy. After a four-hour bus/homework ride, we finally arrived in Kingston and settled down in the hotel. About thirty minutes later, we headed to the university for the first two rounds. Four of us ran to the nearest Subway hoping to grab lunch. We nearly succeeded, but we did not have enough time to wait for our four DIY sandwiches to get wrapped. And so, we came and left empty-handed. From being asked five times why I wasn’t wearing my uniform

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I started sharing ideas with my partner, Jessica, as soon as

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