ISU Debate closes season with third consecutive win on National Stage
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — ISU Bengal speakers Alyson and Joseph Tyler upset Bellmont Abbey College Sunday to win the final round of the CLIMB Online National Sweepstakes Sunday.
The round also marked the last time the married couple would debate together as Alyson graduates in less than two weeks.
The Tylers won every round they debated in the tournament and were recognized for claiming the top speaker rankings tournament-wide. Then they advanced to the semi-final round and won that, too, placing them into the final round.
“With team public debate (TIPDA), participants are provided with a strike sheet composed of five different topics for each new round. The two teams then “strike” or eliminate possible topics until only one remains,” Assistant Coach Andy Christensen said. “I can say with certainty that Joseph and Alyson got a big chuckle to find themselves affirming the topic: “the institution of marriage ought to be abolished.”
“I was already a little tearful about being married and this being our last debate together,” Joseph said, “just to follow it with a bad impression of the Priest from The Princess Bride about “marriage is what brings us together today.”
Joseph recently claimed second place at the Public Debate National Tournament in Abilene, TX. And the Tyler couple also delivered the National Third Place trophy in Public forum Debate at the Pi Kappa Delta National Conference in Florida in May.
“We’re so proud of their successes,” ISU Director of Debate Sarah Partlow Lefevre said. “And we’re proud of our entire team. Through Covid, and every other challenge that came our way, we stayed the course, picked up of some really noteworthy wins, and made sure the top priority for the team was to have fun.”
