WSDC 2004: Stuttgart, Germany
Diary

Wednesday, 11th February 2004

Finally the time had arrived. The start of the championships. The main tasks for the organising committee were the picking up and registration of the different teams. Some teams had arrived prior to the 11th, but most were arriving on this one day. Matters were not helped by the fact that it had snowed heavily all through the previous night and that this snow had hindered committee members from getting into Stuttgart.
However, things were sorted out relatively quickly and, by 10 am, the shuttle buses were running between Stuttgart airport and the Hotel Maritim in the city centre. In addition, registration was taking place in the hotel lobby and, on arrival, teams were presented with their information packs, name badges, tickets, etc. Transfer from the airport/main station continued well into the night (using minibuses driven by committee members) and everyone arrived safely and settled down for the night.

Thursday, 12th February 2004

The second day of the championships did not actually contain any debating. Instead, the morning was taken up with the fine breakfast at the Maritim and then, on the one hand, a judges and coaches briefing, and for the debaters, the "Debaters Go Physical" programme, in which individual debaters took part in various activities (from jive dancing to learning to bake pretzels), not in the teams, but as individuals, in order to get to know each other better. At just gone 1 pm, the "chaperons" arrived. The chaperons were German pupils selected and trained for the purpose of accompanying the international teams through the championships and acting as a guide/friend/helper, so that the teams had someone to take them to the schools, and someone to ask if they had any problems. Chaos ensued as the 29 teams met the 63 chaperons and we certainly filled the lobby with people! The teams then went off on a walking tour of Stuttgart, thus giving the judges/coaches and already exhausted committee members an hour in which to draw breath and relax.
At 3 pm, the judges etc. met and went off to the Kunstgebäude (House of Art) for the opening ceremony. The proceedings were opened by Dr. Wolfgang Schuster, the Lord Mayor of Stuttgart, who gave a delightful speech in English, welcoming the teams. In addition, Angelika Höness, the Convenor of the championships, gave a speech, both welcoming everyone, and showing just what a mammoth task organising the championships can be.
After this, there was a short buffet and then the teams went their separate ways, either back to the hotel to practise yet more debates, or into the city, to go shopping or see the sights.

Friday, 13th February 2004

Usually, Friday the 13th is greeted with some trepidation. This was another such case. It was now that the months of planning would be put to the test. Would the chaperon system work? Would the teams get to the venues on time (they were all being moved by public transport)? Would the schools be prepared? Would the debates go well? All the fears proved baseless as the system worked like a dream.
The first debate was "This House Believes That Turkey Should Join The EU.". The teams were there on time and their first chance in the championships to get down to what they were all here for: debating. The schools did the committee proud with their hospitality. There was food for everyone, flags, speeches, musical presentations - everyone went into the afternoon in a good mood.
The second round was an impromptu debate. For those that are unsure what this is, it means that the teams have no idea of what is coming (the other debates are prepared), and the motion is then read out at a given time, and the teams then have one hour to prepare their side of the debate. The motion for the second round was "This House Believes That Fast Food Companies Should Pay Compensation For Damaging People's Health.".
After the debate was over, there was a great deal of phoning to see how other teams were getting on and joy and sadness at hearing that teams had won or lost. Because of the fact that there were 29 teams in the competition, a bye round had to be instigated to account for the odd number. This was held at the Königin-Olga-Stift and eight teams participated in the round. The other went back to the hotel to put their feet up and relax after the first day's debating.
In the evening, there was a wine tasting put on for the judges. This was hosted by Herr Florian Weingart from Boppard in the Rhine Valley, and he presented to those present 7 wines from different regions of Germany. Unfortunately, his presentation was sometimes disrupted by the somewhat high-spirited audience, as well as those returning from the bye round with information hot of the press. Nevertheless, it was a fitting end to a hectic day and one which gave the international visitor a chance to see what Germany can offer in the field of wines.

Saturday, 14th February 2004

On Saturday, 14th we went on the optional excursion to Heidelberg. On a rather grey and foggy morning we went along the romantic Neckar valley and barely made out the castles on top of the hills rising out of the mist. In Heidelberg our first stop was the ruined castle where we visited the great vat and the beautiful terrace overlooking the old town. We walked downhill on a cobblestoned path and hit the High Street where everybody was eager to use their free time to do some souvenir hunting. One formidable Greek debater, however, is said to have visited two museums in the relatively short span of 1 1/2 hours, though I don't have any witnesses for that. We then spent the rest of the afternoon in Mannheim's Museum of Technology and Labour (without three members from the Irish team who opted for a televised Rugby match instead).

Monday, 16th February 2004

Monday was the first chance for debaters to visit schools outside Stuttgart. Teams went to Backnang, Winnenden and Esslingen. Also for the first time in the championships, the sun shone! This improved the general mood and the schools pulled out all the stops to ensure that the visitors were made to feel at home. There were specially composed songs, gifts, jugglers, dancers and much more and the day passed off without a hitch. In the evening, the teams from other countries were given the opportunity to see debating, German style, as "Jugend Debattiert" gave a presentation.

Tuesday, 17th February 2004

Tuesday presented some logistical problems right from the outset. Because debaters were primarily going outside the Stuttgart tariff zone they all had to be equipped with extra tickets and special instructions as to what to do if tickets were checked! However, the chaperons shepherded everyone along and no-one was late or in any trouble. The venues for the day were Böblingen, and also four schools in the university city of Tübingen and the Parler-Gymnasium in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Some of the Tübingen schools were not fully cogniscent of debating procedure and this presented some difficulties. However, the sun shone again and this helped Rounds 7 & 8 to pass by without too much trouble. The evening was the crucial moment for many teams as the last 16 were announced. There was joy on the part of those through to the Octo-Finals and sadness on the part of those who dropped out. To finish off the day, the Canadian delegation responsible for Calgary 2005 provided drinks in the bar - hopefully not as a scene-setter for next year's worlds!

Wednesday, 18th February 2004

If the previous days had been difficult, then this would cap them all. We had the Octo-Finals in the morning in schools around Stuttgart and then the Quarter-Finals in the afternoon in Stuttgart city centre. Bleary-eyed, the debaters in the last 16 teams all moved out to the venues only to be confronted with the motion "This house believes that the welfare state should be scrapped.", for which they had a single hour to prepare. Many of the teams opposing this motion were the victors as the proposition had a hard time trying to defend scrapping state health care and unemployment benefit. The success story of the competition, Team Greece, sailed through the Octos and then had to be rushed back to the city centre to find out where they would be going to next. The eight teams in the Quarter-Finals were England, Australia, South Africa, Greece, Peru, Israel, Scotland & Singapore and they debated against each other in the State Parliament, the Old Palace, the City Library and the Museum of Regional History ("Haus der Geschichte") with the motion "This house believes that political parties have too much influence on democratic elections.". These debates were chaired by politicians, who got the chance to view a debate themselves. Then, suddenly we had the results, Greece had triumphed yet again! They and England, South Africa and Australia would meet the following day in Strasbourg to fight it out for a place in the final.

Thursday, 19th February 2004

(Trip to Straßburg) In the evening, the teams were given the chance to relax and put their feet up as the Max-Born-Gymnasium, Backnang staged the Grand Carnival. The theme for the carnival was "Legends and Fairy Tales" and was, of course, a fancy-dress affair. Both the school and the participants pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember. Alas, the teams arrived somewhat late, due to an accident on the motorway on the way back from Strasbourg. However, there was more than enough food to go around, plenty of drinks, lots of music and dancers from Backnang, including the typically-German "Funkenmariechen". The highlight of the party was the scene towards the end of the party when young people from 29 countries joined each other on the dance floor and partied the night away. It was with a heavy heart that the organisers had to bid the teams farewell and get on with the job of clearing up! But it is hoped that the carnival will be the one thing that remains in the minds of those who attended the 2004 WSDC.

Friday, 20th February 2004

On Friday, 20th during the World Council Meeting, four groups of debaters went to different museums in Stuttgart: one small group went to the Old Palace and relished the anecdotes about the golden past in Stuttgart, one very large group opted for the Mercedes Museum and the tactile sensations of metal and chrome, one group learned more about the history of the state of Baden-Württemberg, and the last group visited the temporary exhibition in the art gallery about impressionist paintings around the turn of the century - small, but exquisite!

In the late afternoon, everyone put on their best clothes and went over to the Mozartsaal of the Stuttgart Liederhalle to watch the Grand Final - Australia vs. South Africa. The hall was packed with debaters and visitors which helped to create an atmosphere you could have cut with a knife. The debate was chaired by the British Consul General in Stuttgart, Mark Twigg. With his blend of charm and god humour, he helped to steer everyone through the debate: "This house believes that the world is facing a clash of civilisations.". Being the final, this debate was judged by nine adjudicators. You could have heard a pin drop as the chief adjudicator for the final, Cameron Wyllie, announced the result - a 6-3 win for Australia. It was extremely touching to watch the two teams on the stage congratulate each other on a fine debate - a complete contrast to the debate just a few minutes earlier. We all then moved on to the Alte Reithalle in the Hotel Maritim for the Grand Dinner. This was a four course meal with live chamber music. The evening was punctuated by speeches and presentations: to the winners, the participating teams, the chaperons and the organisational committee. It brought a lump to the throat to see how the teams brought their chaperons forward to receive their certificates - the chaperons had become part of the teams and really were the lynchpin to a successful championships.

by David Whitehead & Ellen Butzko

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