Team Cases

February 1, 2007

So what’s wrong with a team case? As long as I have been judging, I have never had a problem with a team case. So if I’m judging, a debater never has to worry if my decision will be based on the fact that a team mate just finished reading the same exact case during Flight A. When I first started coaching, we would always compete against a team that had a team case so I thought that was the norm. Now some people frown on it or see it as cheating in some respects. Being a coach, I understand the reasoning behind a team case. If the coach ever hopes to build a successful team, it starts with a team case. Trying to teach new students how to debate is hard enough let alone asking them to write a case for the very first time. Let’s look at the pros and cons of a team case.

The good thing about a team case is that it allows a team to practice with each other immediately. Even in a class situation, very few students will write a case in a timely manner where they can actually get some good practice in before the tournament. With a team case, students can practice the first three keys to good debating (see previous article) until it becomes innate. Also, as a team, students can brainstorm different arguments for rebuttals and even develop counter arguments. The best thing is if a student does really well with a team case, hopefully he will get the bug and not only want to continue debating but even begin writing original cases as well.

Unfortunately, there are probably more cons than pros for a team case. The biggest problem being it is very hard to win on a consistent basis with a team case. Remember, most judges aren’t like me. They look at a team case as being unoriginal. So the debater with the same exact case as his buddy in Flight A loses because now his arguments are no longer fresh and creative. Also, as the tournament goes on, other teams not only figure out how to beat the case but also try to lower the team’s moral by ridiculing the case. It’s not that the case can’t win, but most team cases that I have seen have some major flaws and once the code is cracked, it’s downhill from there.

It’s not all discouraging though because there is hope. The debaters that I like are the ones that take a team case and make it their own. Change the wording and add something new – like new arguments. Using different arguments shows an understanding of what the case is trying to do. The reason I don’t care if students have team cases is because it’s the rebuttals that show if they really understand what they are trying to do. I want to see what happens after the constructives have been read. Since few debaters can do this, I try to reward a student with a team case that makes it his own and can argue on a higher level. Usually, the one that does this the best is the case writer. The author is the only one that truly understands the ins and outs of the case. It’s not something that can be taught but the students who can do it will no doubt be a valuable asset to the team.

So once again, I have no problem with team cases and if a student can actually comprehend it and raise it to new heights, they can actually win with it.