Nationally-Ranked Debate Team Seeking Competitors

Since several students have recently graduated or moved on, the Texas A&M Speech and Debate team is in a rebuilding year, says Team Coach Ryan Rigda. He says they are hoping to attract new students and increase the number of events they can compete in. Any students who are interested should visit the A&M Speech and Debate Team’s website.

Rigda, who is also a communication grad student, displays the team’s many trophies on a shelf in his office. He says what started as a small club, has become a nationally-ranked program.

He handles the logistics of running the organization, finding new debate topics, and coaching. The team participates in two styles of debate. The first is called Parliamentary debate, which pits competitors against each other on a new topic each round. Teams are given only 20 to 30 minutes to prepare. The second style of debate is Lincoln-Douglas, in which there is only one topic and more time to prepare.

Rigda has been involved in the speech and debate world since high school, when a teacher said he had a good voice and would be a good fit on the team. It really brought him out of his shell and bolstered his confidence, he says. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan in 2012, then his master’s at Central Michigan University in 2014. And all the while he continued debating, which he says improved more than just his public speaking skills.

“[Debating] gives you confidence, knowing you have this ability a lot of people haven’t perfected,” Rigda says. “It also increases critical thinking.”

Speech and debate allows people to make friends from across the country, he concludes, and the networking can lead to future job prospects.