Deerfield won the Ross Lambert Trophy, given to the top overall team, at the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Competition (IISPSC) from October 19 to October 22.
The team consisted of Justin Ahn ’24, Alice Zhang ’24, Edie Huffard ’25, Lily Pierce ’25, and Billy Tang ’25.
Out of 172 debaters, Ahn, who is also a Co-Managing Editor of the Scroll, scored top overall individual performance and earned the Selwyn House Trophy. This qualified him to represent the United States National Team for the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in Canberra, Australia in April 2024.
Since the first IISPSC tournament in 1982, only one other school in the United States, the Winsor School, has won both top overall team and top overall individual speaker.
Tang, who is also an Associate Editor for the Scroll, placed first in parliamentary debate, Pierce took second in dramatic interpretation, and Ahn placed third in both extemporaneous speaking and parliamentary debate. As a pair, Ahn and Tang placed second in the cross-examination debate event.
“I was amazed,” said Head Speech and Debate Coach Daniel Houston. “I knew how hard our team had worked, but I still didn’t fully expect us to win.”
Crofton House School and Little Flower Academy hosted the IISPSC in Vancouver, Canada, and 51 schools from countries as far away as South Korea and India sent their best public speakers to the tournament.
Ahn reflected on his experience competing at IISPSC last year, saying, “The team was roasting me about it the whole trip, especially Doc [Dr. Houston]. Because last year at [IISPSC] prelims, I scored highest for extemporaneous speaking but got a massive time penalty because I forgot to bring my stopwatch into the room. [The speech] was supposed to be a maximum of 6 minutes. I talked for 12 minutes.”
All IISPSC member schools rotate through hosting the tournament. Deerfield hosted last year, gaining the opportunity to take six people this year instead of the usual three. Myles Mzyece ’25 was the sixth member of Deerfield’s team but could not participate due to visa issues.
Each debater chose to compete in three out of nine total speech and debate events. Tang, Zhang, Huffard, and Ahn all chose to compete in the cross-examination debate, parliamentary debate, and extemporaneous speaking events. Pierce competed in the dramatic interpretation, impromptu speaking, and persuasive speaking events.
Ahn felt confident about his debate events. He said, “Because [Deerfield] is such a competitive program in debate, we are used to beating people in DANEIS…Canada doesn’t emphasize debating as much as public speaking. So I knew it was time to cook.”
Many of the debaters found the four-day trip demanding yet rewarding. “The whole thing is emotionally exhausting because it’s just so intense,” Dr. Houston said. “They’re putting so much of themselves into these events, especially in the case of Lily who is doing dramatic interpretation…I was just so proud of them.”
Once the competition started, the team debated for eight to nine hours every day. According to Dr. Houston, “When you’re there and debating [at IISPSC], it’s really a grind…so I think a lot of the best memories that we all have are the memories of coming back together in the dining hall and talking about how the events were. Those memories are really meaningful.”
Additionally, the team bonded while visiting an outdoor market and watching an improv show on Granville Island. Dr. Houston said, “That was really memorable for a lot of us because we got to experience some Vancouver culture.”
The team members inspired and motivated each other. “It was just all the amazing members of the program,” Huffard said. “We were there for each other. Even though the events were individual, it felt like we were trying to do it together.”
Several members of the team mentioned the positive group dynamic during the trip. “I think it’s great to have a team of people,” Ahn said. “I definitely want to do right by my team because I know they care so much…so that definitely motivates me to build up a good [Speech and Debate] program.” Pierce agreed and said, “taking home any kind of award is an incredible feeling. However, taking home an award as a team and as a school is even more of an incredible feeling.”
That unique community and environment made speech and debate fun for Tang. He said, “Besides the superficial want to win…I enjoy the mix of history, politics, and philosophy, and I don’t think you quite find that anywhere besides debate. I find like-minded people who also enjoy the same stuff. So it’s a nice little community that I’ve become a part of, and I think that’s the main reason why I’ve been doing debate.”
Over four days, this IISPSC experience opened up a window for the five Deerfield students to practice real life skills and grow as teammates and thinkers. “What I love about debate is that it teaches and gives an opportunity to practice real life skills, things that really matter,” Dr. Houston said. “What we’re practicing is not how to use a bunch of specialized terms or statistics or jargon. We’re practicing how to communicate effectively with other people, and I love that about working with debaters.”
