Toni Neilson, CSU-Fullerton
Nadar Hadded, East LA CC
Nicole Colston, Vermont
Nick Watts, Oklahoma
Chris Spurlock, UCO/The Fort
The 2009 Call of the Loon was held in the wonderful Adirondack Mountains. This setting allowed for a students to more fully embrace the program curriculum without hectic distractions. The program staff featured nationally renowned and award winning college policy debate coaches from around the country.
Student Testimonials
"The process at the Loon is a unique experience. Without the distractions of modern technology, debaters can concentrate on their craft and take time to examine what really attracts us to debate. The instructors bring a variety of skills (and books) to work with you to achieve a better level of kritik debating in the community. In short, no other institute in the country is offering what the Loon is offering - all K, all the time." - Toni Nielson, CSU, Fullerton
"I had the privilege of attending the first ever Call of the Loon debate program in 2009. Little did I know what a revolutionary, transformative experience it would turn out to be! The Loon is the first of its kind: a debate camp devoted exclusively to alternative forms of debate.
Jackie’s vision -- the idea that 'debate is what you make it' -- laid the foundation for my entire season, as well as this upcoming year. But it did more than that; it ignited the power I had to prioritize certain questions above others in rounds. After the Call of the Loon, I felt more confident debating about something I’ve always wanted my career to focus on: the debate community itself. More specifically, I learned how to advance questions that most debaters only feel comfortable asking at institutes like the Loon. How is debate personal? Are the norms in our community actually valuable? How exactly do we engage in a pedagogical process, and to what purpose? Are there critical ways to approach other critical teams?
The lectures and discussions were inspiring, because they were the result of an ingenious model, which allowed students to set the topic. It was not that someone dispensed knowledge on us (a model which, in my experience, often left students with lingering questions of the material’s relevance and applicability), but rather we actively engaged in asking and answering the questions that have been pertinent to our own experiences. It helped that the Loon featured some of the brightest, most enthusiastic instructors within the debate community!
Members and instructors brought an overflowing amount of books and articles to share with one another. Using this library and a digital collection of articles, each debater wrote both a 1ac and 1nc. Because people put so much thought and so much of themselves into these arguments, many attendees used them throughout the year. It is one thing to receive a file and read it. It is quite another to create arguments and feel proud enough to present them aloud .In addition, I was prompted to read the articles of many authors I had only glimpsed at during framework debates. Reading the complete articles that defend a policy-focused activity made me realize the value of listening to an argument. I not only understood the warrants behind each card, but I had knowledge that I could present in these rounds, absent any paper or cards. Equally important, the discussions I had with fellow Loons brought high theory philosophers into simpler terms -- something in high demand in our activity. Their ideas, interaction, and relationship to the topic became straightforward.
All in all, I truly cannot encourage debaters to attend enough! This is a revolutionary program, and one of a kind." - Marnie Ritchie, University of Vermont
