NCFCA Nationals Recap

So Nationals was...interesting. My observations in snippets:

• Therese and Andrew went 2-4, but I watched 5 of their rounds and they did so well. I don't think they actually lost 4 rounds, but judging is what it is. Hey, they were at Nationals. We'll take it.
• I got to spend so much time with Analisa. I got to get her feedback about a lot of things. I really enjoyed it.
• I realized (not like I needed help with that realization) that I am very immature and that certain environments bring that out more than others. 
• I realized further that I am way too sensitive.
• The debate topic next year is China. 
• As a league, NCFCA really isn't very fun. I'm sure they would argue that they are not about fun, that fun is not their purpose, but sometimes it seems like their purpose is to quash fun. I'm glad I got to debate in NFL. NFL was fun. Learning how to use rules in a round (or to use norms, or whatever) to your advantage was fun. It also mirrors real life. Like Professor Bass used to say all the time, if you know the rules in the legislature, you run the show. If you really *understand* debate, you should win. Of course, that's not true for a variety of reasons in NCFCA. First, you have to have judges who understand debate. Some do. Most don't. When you have one of the founders of the league get up and say that in 1997 no one even knew what debate was, you reveal the root of the problem right there. To NCFCA, debate is something completely different than what it is outside of that league. I get the feeling (pretty much because I was told this to my face) that they tolerate the NFLers who have crashed their party, but that they would prefer that we weren't there. I can understand why. My real question is this: if, as a league, one is interested primarily (I would argue only) in teaching students how to articulate and defend their faith, why use policy debate as a tool at all? Policy debate is gamesmanship. That's where it differs fundamentally from LD.
• Ramble over. Homeschooling to resume shortly. I am taking a week off. I haven't had time to breathe between dance and debate. I am behind in work. I forgot what knitting is like.