Great Debater Nate Rifkin

Nate Rifkin started debating during his freshman year of Upper Dublin High School.

“I got involved with debate through a speech and debate class.  I took the class on something of a whim, figuring that since I was interested in current events and politics, I would like the class,” Rifkin said.

Rifkin did like the class.  He liked it so much he took the second debate class offered. 

“Unfortunately, all Upper Dublin offered debate wise was those two classes and I wasn’t ready to give up debate just yet,” Rifkin said.

Along with another classmate, Rifkin started the Upper Dublin Speech and Debate team.

“I love playing the game of debate. Nowhere else do I get to play such an engaging academic game that relies on quick thinking and clever analysis,” Rifkin said.

According to Rifkin, he would not have been able to keep debating without the support and help of his coach, Jules Mermelstein.

“Nate works hard researching, writing, discussing and rewriting arguments.  He is intelligent, can frame issues well, thinks well on his feet and cares about debate,” Mermelstein, the Speech and Debate Coach for Upper Dublin High School, said.  

In the two years of the team’s existence Rifkin has been co-president.

“Nate is a strong leader,” Mermelstein said.  “He cares about all on the team and helping to teach them what he knows.  I don’t think it is a coincidence that those who help others on the team seem, on average, to do better in competition than those who just care about their arguments, their speeches, their competitions.”

Now a senior, Rifkin has qualified for the National Catholic Forensics League Grand Championship.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be one of the 18 or so people representing Pennsylvania and one of the six people representing the Philadelphia area,” Rifkin said. “I think this honor really speaks to the hard work the entire team puts in year round practicing, writing cases and just preparing for the tournaments in general.”

This achievement is a special accomplishment for Rifkin.  He qualified in Lincoln Douglas debate, a different style of debate that, up until December, had been unknown to him.

“To experience success having recently learned a fairly radically different style of debate felt incredibly rewarding,” Rifkin said.

This past weekend the Upper Dublin Speech and Debate team participated in the state championship competition for the Pennsylvania High School Speech League at Susquehanna University.  Rifkin tied for 5^th in the state in Lincoln Douglas debating.

“Debate is the type of activity that you get better in each time you do it,” Rifkin said. “I can almost always say that the last tournament I debated in was the best debating I’ve ever done.  I’m most proud of that continual improvement from tournament to tournament, however small that improvement may be.”