WUDL Travel Team Advances 10 Teams to Elims at Grasshopper Invitational
The GDS Grasshopper Invitational is the kick off of WUDL’s Travel Team schedule, usually featuring folks who were in the most advanced labs during our summer program, folks who debated regionally the year before, and a few folks who just wanted to see what the challenge would be like in the future.
Three years ago, we entered 19 teams in the competition, had three teams advance to Octo-Finals, and had one win the tournament, getting WUDL’s first ToC bid and tournament championship ever. Last year, we had 23 teams enter in the competition, with three advancing to elimination rounds.
This year, we have 39(!) teams participating, including 35 students (and three schools) attending a regional tournament for the first time:
- Aurea and Tyius, Digital Pioneers
- Isabellle and Ama, MacArthur
- Ayaan and Sadra, Seneca Valley
We are incredibly proud of all of our participants, new and old, jumping in the deep end so early in the season.
The kids worked phenomenally hard, doing research, making arguments, and having fun along the way. A lot of them took home some swag too.
BASIS DC’s Sitara Mazumdar / Daniella Choi and Jack Schmidt / Margaret Applegate finished as co-cochampions of the Georgetown Day Invitational, getting bids to the Tournament of Champions. Because we did so well, and some other school’s travel plans, the tournament is over many hours early, also a nice surprise!
They were the tip of the spear this weekend, as 10(!) WUDL teams advanced to elimination rounds:
Advancing but not getting bids:
- Royana Poudel / Alex Ting (BASIS DC)
- James / William Neuroth (Walls)
Also in Elims
- Forest Park Adenola Awe and Chardonnae Fludd
- School Without Walls Marco Pinson and Evelyn Webster
- School Without Walls Bobby Thorn and Marie-Celeste Pessey
- Duke Ellington Victoria Ondrejcak and Anna Sullivan
- Seneca Valley Ayaan Zareen and Sadra Pishva
- Banneker Symon Goldblatt and Rohan Young
Sitara and Daniella also won speaker awards (6th and 5th, respectively).
18 teams had a 3-3 record or better, including 7th graders Louise Taylor (Eliot Hine) and Zander Ferris-Artiga (Oyster Adams) and Murray Gorod-Hauser and Phillip Wong (BASIS).
The WUDL Travel Team will return to action at the Urban Debate Dragon over Veterans Day weekend, Nov. 6th – 7th at DC International School.
Shout outs to the wonderful coaching and judging squad that supported all of our teams this weekend:
- Jess Berenson (GDS alum and former WUDL Coach)
- Gabe Ritter (GDS alum and former WUDL Coach)
- Clarke Dickens (Alumni)
- Aisha Bah (Alum, Coach, E. Roosevelt),
- Parker McCauley (Alum, Creative Minds Coach)
- Alex Montgomery (Alum, Digital Pioneers Coach)
- Sangeeth Matthew (Alum, Coach, College Park Academy)
- Edward Sun (Alum, Coach)
- Eric Clarke (Alum, Coach, School Without Walls)
- Nala King (Coach, DCI)
- Ben Sayer (Coach, Duke Ellington)
- Darin Eberhardt (Coach, Eastern High School)
- Patrick McMullen (Volunteer, Former Coach)
- Ohm Gore, Linda Oyolu, Alex Currie, and Cullen Finley (WUDL Advisory Board)
- Messai Yigletu (Coach, BASIS DC)
- Forest Gertin (Coach, Forest Park)
- WUDL Staff (Danielle, David, Dennis, McAlister, and Sarah)
We sincerely appreciate your weekend time to support them! From covering a few rounds on Friday to cutting a few cards to judging every round like Messai and Eric, everyone played a huge role in a machine that produced some phenomenal results. This is what a village can do together.
Also, welcome to new GDS director Dawn Pierce, we look forward to working with you all season long!
