Wimbledon are national winners in debating!

Congratulations to Matilde N and Alex D in Year 11, who won the St Paul's Girls' School Women's Open in debating on 19 September, beating some 40 teams from across the country and beyond.

Alex and Matilde came through the opening rounds successfully, despite having prepared for one side of the motion in one debate, only to be told with 10 minutes to go that they would have to switch sides. They showed real adaptability and the skill of thinking on their feet.

The competition was held virtually via Zoom. Matilde commented: "The Zoom aspect actually made it not as intimidating. Some competitors might have been more comfortable with face-to-face, but the online aspect didn't phase us. It made it more about the quality of our argument - none of us could rely on body language and we know that some contestants rely on that to intimidate their opposition."

"There was an international aspect as well," explained Alex, "so we got to learn a different parliamentary style."

The motion for the final - This House opposes the regendering of fictional characters who are explicitly written as male (James Bond, Thor, Dr Who etc)) prompted a lively and rigorous debate about creativity, gender politics and the importance of representation and Alex and Matilde had to muster all of their critical and rhetorical skill to win the debate.

Mr James Courtney-Clack said: “It was wonderful to see 3 teams of WHS debaters more than hold their own during three rounds of competitive debating, tackling topics as diverse as compulsory vaccinations for school children, the effectiveness of climate strikes and the role women are allowed to play in organised religion. We had 2 teams in the finals and for Alex and Matilde to win the whole competition was a fantastic achievement.”