My debate tournament was delayed until Saturday because it dragged on too long, but the good news is that I'm at least in the top 4 to compete to go to state! If I win the next debate, it's likely that my teammate and I will go. The debates were very fun. Please note that I don't get to choose the sides we're on, so don't get mad at me for what I debated. We argued that the 2nd Amendment (the right to bear arms) shouldn't be repealed, that teacher unions harm student growth, that the new Oregon rent control law won't cause a housing shortage and is good for Oregonians, and that the U.S. should militarily intervene with Venezuela (we defined this as peacekeeping).

My confidence has increased a lot and I sound much more sure of what I'm saying now, which is good. I'll find out on Saturday whether I go to state or not, and I'll do my individual speaking event, called extemporaneous speaking, which is where I have 30 minutes to prepare a 7 minute speech with memorized sources on a current event, on that day too.