By MATT WHETSTONE
For the State News
MSU’s chances of winning a national championship in 2002 may be looking better.
The MSU Debate Team duo of Austin Carson and Calum Matheson is ranked second in the nation and poised to make a run at the championship with four tournaments remaining.
The pair just returned from two California tournaments with first and second place finishes.
Carson, an international relations senior, said the team needed a good showing in California to prepare for the Dartmouth Round Robin this weekend.
“We have a lot of momentum going into this weekend,” he said. “If we prepare well for this tournament and nationals, the sky’s the limit.”
Carson and Matheson will compete against the nation’s seven best teams, including No. 1 Northwestern and No. 3 Dartmouth, at the Dartmouth tournament.
The pair went 0-2 against Northwestern in one of the California tournaments but defeated Dartmouth in the semi-finals.
They beat both schools at a University of Kentucky tournament in October.
Round robins typically begin at 7 a.m. with pairings and continue with four two-hour matches.
The team gets one hour between debates to size up the next opponent.
“People don’t realize the extreme competition involved in debate,” Carson said. “We have to outthink, outsmart and outspeak - it feels good to win.”
The key to victory, Carson said, is not to dwell on any debate and always concentrate on the next one.
“If we want to win the national championship, we need to get effort from the entire team,” he said. “Everyone must show up and do their part.”
Matheson, a social relations and history junior, said he likes to listen to music or read before a debate, anything to help block out distractions.
“This tournament will affect the seeding process and it is important, psychologically, to be successful,” he said.
Following the Dartmouth tournament, the team will begin practicing for the national championship, a two-tournament set.
The season-long topic for debate analyzes federal control policies toward Native Americans. One team debates for, one against and the pro-side determines how specific or broad the debate will be.
“If we prepare well and don’t lose focus, we have a shot to be the best debate team in America,” Matheson said.
Team member Suzanne Sobotka, a political theory sophomore, said she has no doubt Carson and Matheson can win the championship.
“We all want Austin and Calum to do really well because it reflects well on the whole team,” she said. “The research we do is shared.”
Sobotka also has high hopes for the years ahead.
“Austin is the only senior on the team,” she said. “So as long as we continue working hard, there’s no reason we can’t keep the tradition of success going.”
Jason Trice, the director of debate, said the team also has a handful of strong freshman and sophomores who may lead the team in the future.
“But our main focus is on the here and now,” he said.
