Talking Mules Tie vs Imperial Union's Debate Society, retain Cup
The Talking Mules will retain the Montgomery Cup after tying 3-3 in their last round against Imperial Union’s Debate Society on March 16 in London. The Talking Mules scored 15 points overall in the Cup, tying with the United Kingdom’s five universities.
Jeff May believes it was a debate he won’t soon forget.
“This debate was incredible,” May said. “Imperial not only had a lot of good pomp and circumstance (and) a great facility for a debate, but they were incredibly nice before the round, after the round and most importantly during the round. They were not only nice, but they were incredibly good debaters.”
Gavin Depaul believes both teams had strong analysis and arguments.
“It was a very close round,” Depaul said. “It was just very neck and neck….I’m happy (with) the way it turned out, that we tied at the end, and I’m happy to debate them and hopefully debate them again.”
UCM Speech and Debate Coach Dr. Jack Rogers believes UCM took the one and the four rankings while Imperial took the two and the three, adding up to a total of three points for both teams.
“According to the rules of the Cup, if it’s a tie then it goes to the person that holds the Cup, and currently that’s us,” Rogers said. “Obviously, I would rather win the cup outright, but I’ll take a tie.”
Rogers said he is pleased with his team’s overall performance.
“We brought some folks that this is the first time they’ve ever done this format of debate,” Rogers said. “I’m very happy (and) very pleased with their performance, but it’s obvious that this is kind of a rebuilding year for us… they caught on very quickly and I think they did very well.”
