Finally I am able to get some rest. It has been 3 consecutive weekends of non-stop competitive debating, I am thoroughly exhausted. From Malaysian High School Debate Open (MDHO), then to Taylors Interschool Debating Championship (TUIDC) and lastly Lim Kok Wing International Debating Championship (LIDC), it has been a spetacular experience with a bunch of rollercoaster events.
DJ clinched a clean sweep at MDHO 2016. From breaking on full points, this means no losing a single preliminary round, to becoming eventual champions of the inaugural MDHO. I was also named the Overall Best Speaker and Finals Best Speaker. It was once in a lifetime, a dream that all debaters want to live, and I have successfully lived it.
Taylors was the week after, and it was a huge disappointment honestly. Our blood was pumping and we were excited to 'slay' teams there because of our huge success the week before. We showed no mercy. Unfortunately, we were also feeling tired and was underperfoming. After being unjustly scored by 'dodgy' adjudicators, we were pretty demoralized by the time we reached the semifinals. And because of our shattered spirits, we lost out to Sri Permata on a 6-1 split. Tabs was not a consolation either. From being 1st last week, I dropped to 29th and was tied with Luc while Kim beat us by a 4 point margin to rank 12. Disappointed.
Although unspirited, we were still passionate about this hobby we have - debating. We then carried on to participate in the 2nd edition of LIDC. It was bittersweet. We were gaining our pace back as a strong team, feeling more in form than the week before. We broke 2nd on full wins and lost out 1st place to Sri Permata by a mere 0.5 on speaker points. Although frustrated, we pushed on. But unfortunately, we eventually lost out to Malay College Kuala Kangsar in the semifinals on a 4-1 split decision. The finals that happened was honestly horrible, and we felt frustrated because we knew we could've did better than them. If ONLY we weren't careless back at the semifinals. Finally, I was named as the Overall Best Speaker of the tournament once again. It was just a consolation, the aim was to win and we have failed that aim.
After 3 long weeks of unrest, finally some rest can be gained. But regardless, debating is not just some activity I join for fun, it's a hobby, a passion. The interest burns inside of you. Every failure you experience makes you a stronger person, every victory you clinch will be worth the failures. You will be exhausted, but you will work and do whatever it takes to fulfill the goals you have set in your heart. I have experienced countless failures, and by that I mean failures back to back for 2 years. It has been 3 years now and things are looking brighter by time, I'm satisfied that at least my efforts are not wasted. This is my passion, and I'm never going to give up anytime soon, what's yours?
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