2007 Irish Debates: American Debaters

Westfahl, Menapace and Paxton will debate the Irish

Students from Claremont, Northern Arizona and Western Washington will represent the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) in the annual Irish/U.S. Debate at nationals.

Allison Westfahl of Claremont McKenna College, Carrie Robin Menapace of Northern Arizona and Matt Paxton of Western Washington will debate the three Irish champions on Thursday, March 22 at 4:30 p.m. at the opening assembly at the Doubletree hotel. Joelle Perry of Western Kentucky will serve as the alternate American debater.

The Americans will be opposed by Ireland’s three best debaters, who will be chosen at the Irish Times debate final at Trinity College Dublin on Feb. 17.

The students are all triple threats: top 25 NPTE (National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence) rankings, top students, with an average GPA of 3.7; and students whose college lives have extended well beyond debate into the worlds of social service, college leadership and community involvement.

Westfahl, 21, is one of the top students at Claremont McKenna. She is a double major in mathematics and government and has a 3.97 GPA. When she’s not winning debate awards, she’s often presenting papers at academic conferences, such as the one on “A non-smooth band around a non-convex region” at the Arizona Mathematics Conference. That paper has since been published in The College Mathematics Journal.

Westfahl’s NPDA debate achievements include a host of final rounds at tournaments such as The Point Loma Round Robin and the Claremont Round Robin. Top five speaker awards are common, too – first at University California San Diego, second at Claremont and second at U of Pacific, for example. Westfahl is also an outstanding performer in international debate events, participating in competitions in Ireland, Canada, China and Korea. She won the 2004 Northeast Asian championship in Seoul.

Westfahl accomplishes this while attending fewer tournaments than many top debaters, due to her significant community work. In 2004 she was appointed by Claremont’s City Council to serve as a community services commissioner. In that role, she edited the Claremont Wilderness Manual and helped plan the city’s new sports park, as part of her job. She was selected as a member of the board of trustees for an independent school in Upland, Calif. and directs the school’s human resources committee. As a student coordinator of Claremont’s Middle School Public Debate Program, the country’s largest debate outreach network, with more than 10,000 students, Allison has negotiated with school administrators, produced secondary school lesson plans and curricular materials and participated in public speaking and debate demonstrations.

Westfahl and her partner Kari Wohlschlegel are also one of the nation’s top teams, despite debating fewer rounds than other top teams. Westfahl is coached by John Meany, the director of the Claremont Colleges Debate Union.

"Debate is one of the reasons I decided to become involved in city government,” said Westfahl.  “After spending countless hours arguing about hypothetical policies, I wanted to play a role in implementing real policies."

Menapace, a senior political science major with a history minor, carries a 3.5 GPA, and is awaiting word from graduate programs in Comparative Politics, with emphasis on Caucasus, a region in Eurasia
bordering Iran, Russia and the Caspian and Black Seas.

Menapace has used her forensics skills for community outreach. She advocated for the Monterey Bay Fish Conservancy and she has conducted money-raising campaigns to assist African women suffering from vaginal fistula. She raised sufficient funds to pay for one woman’s surgery through running the advocacy in debate rounds. She donates countless hours coaching young students. In her hometown, she has also helped organize protests in favor of immigrants and works with the Albuquerque public schools toward the integration of indigenous studies in the curriculum.

Carrie is praised by her former high school coach as one who “believes that listening to conflicting opinions and then giving a measured response is not only the responsibility of a good debater but of a good person as well.”

Menapace and her partner Rebekah Lauzon are currently the 16th ranked team in the country. Menapace is one of the country’s top speakers, with a recent top speaker award at the Claremont Round Robin and second speaker at the Pt. Loma Round Robin, for example. In a prior life, she was a three-time state champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate and two-time state champion in student congress in New Mexico.

Menapace is coached by Danny Iberri-Shea, the director of forensics at Northern Arizona.

Menapace won’t deny her passion for debate, but she knows where the center of her life is – and it’s not a final round.

“I can honestly say the most important thing in my life is my family,” says Menapace. “And Rebekah, my debate partner.  She is more than a person who competes in rounds with me, she has become like a sister to me. 

“Without these people debate wouldn’t have been possible for me. They have taught me that even if it takes time away from them, and makes me argue with them more than I should, since it is an activity I love, it is one I should enjoy.”

Paxton, a senior philosophy and communication double major, has earned a 3.67 GPA. He is recognized as a top student in both of his majors by receiving the top Communication and Philosophy departmental scholarships.

Paxton spends countless hours working with young debaters, and also volunteers in a soup kitchen and theater group in Mount Vernon, Wash. His life as a volunteer started early: He was chosen as a fifth grade tulip ambassador in Mount Vernon, which meant the young Matt was sent forth, tulips in hand, to represent the city at public events – an achievement Matt neglected to mention, so others did.

Paxton and partner Jason Heck are the nation’s fourth-ranked team. They began the year with a storm – winning the Claremont Round Robin, Linfield and Lewis & Clark, while reaching semi-finals at Berkeley. Paxton and Heck reached quarterfinals at NPDA nationals last year. Paxton debated at the World championships in Ireland in 2006. Top 10 speaker awards are common.

Paxton is coached by Steve Woods, Korry Harvey, Paul Bingham and Darryl Stein. Western Washington’s strong coaching staff sports two recent national finalists. Bingham won the NPDA title in 2005 with partner Meredith Price of Lewis & Clark. Stein placed second in the 2006 NPDA national tournament with his partner Michael Dorsi of Berkeley.

 “Debate has guided my major, my activities, my friendships, and generally shaped the focus of my life,” says Paxton. “Debating in high school influenced my focus into philosophy and communication.”

All three debaters are delighted to have been chosen for the Irish debate.

“It is such an honor to be chosen to participate in this event,” said Westfahl. “I really feel like it is the culmination of my four-year debate career, and I’m looking forward to meeting and working with the debaters from Ireland.”

“Being selected to debate the Irish is just the icing on the cake,” says Menapace. “In my last tournament of an eight-year commitment, the Irish debate will be the perfect way to end the memory.  Plus, my mom is from England…I had to take the opportunity to prove some Irish wrong for her!”

“Debating the Irish national champions is both a test and a demonstration of my achievements in college,” says Paxton. “I look forward to the debate as a fun opportunity to bond with new people.”

Joelle Perry of Western Kentucky was selected as the alternate, should one of the three Americans be unable to compete in the Irish debate.

Perry, the top speaker at the 2006 NPDA national tournament and second speaker at 2006 NPTE, studies mathematics and political science and volunteers her time at a residential center for children and adults with severe mental and physical disabilities.

Perry has won numerous tournaments, and reached National Individual Events Championship finals three times. Perry is undoubtedly one of the most successful overall competitors in the country, combining individual events and debate.

The selection committee included Derek Buescher who coaches at the University of Puget Sound; Kristine Clancy who coaches at Purdue; Kevin Garner, who competes for William Jewell; Matt Bost who competes for Willamette; and Brent Northup, Carroll College coach and coordinator of the Irish program.

Brent Northup, Feb. 16, 1:40 p.m.
bnorthup@carroll.edu

END