The Debate Showcase 2014 World Scholar's Cup (WSC) Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Yale University

The Debate Showcase during The World Scholar's Cup Tournament of Champion is another additional event. In essence it is an all-star Bowl where top junior and senior round debaters are selected to participate. Four students debate in each Showcase.

The format mirrors the main event's format, but the students instead debate on stage in front of the rest of the participants. Each student speaks once for up to four minutes. When all eight speakers have gone, the host of the Showcase invites volunteers from the audience to step forward and share their thoughts on the topic being debated.

Additional, top-scoring round debate participants are the adjudicators for the Showcase. When the Debate Showcase ends, the adjudicators announce the winners. Each of the eight students speaking in the Showcase receives a medal for their hard work.

The World Scholar's Cup Tournament of Champions 2014 was held on Nov 21-24 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America. This year's Debate Showcase was held at the Shubert Theater. The Resolved for this year is "That Introverts Make The Best Leaders."

The World Scholar's Cup or better known as WSC is an international team academic tournament with students participating from over 50 countries. These participants are not your ordinary students, but are considered future scholars and leaders. WSC is known to be one of the most prestigious competition for students throughout the world to compete against. It consists of 4 main competitions: The Scholar’s Bowl (a team quiz), the Scholar’s Challenge (an individual exam), the Debate and a Collaborative Writing task.

This year, out of over 3000 students from over 50 countries who participated in the global round in Singapore, 500 best scholars were qualified and selected to participate in Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Yale University.

Among these scholars are 6 students from MRSM Alor Gajah Melaka, 3 students from MRSM Kuantan Pahang, 3 students from MRSM Batu Pahat, a number of students from KYSM Melaka, and a few students from Garden International School Malaysia.

Last year 'MalayUSA' had an opportunity to do a coverage on KYSM during TOC at Yale. This year we are truly honored to be able to spend a considerable amount of time with these very bright young scholars from MRSM Alor Gajah. Maktab Rendah Sains Mara or MRSMs are considered the best public secondary institutions in Malaysia.

Participants in the junior division from MRSM Alor Gajah are Arisya Umaira, Ellesya Myra, Mohd Jazli, Nur Farhana, Damia Amani and Mohd Nafis. These 6 students were accompanied by their coach Puan Normahyatur Mas, a brilliant yet cool-headed teacher.

To honor their accomplishment, video clips these six students and their teacher from MRSM AGh are showcased in the beginning and the end of this presentation. You will also see brief video clips highlighting participants from MRSM Batu Pahat and their teacher in the beginning of the video.

According to the these MRSM participants, the competition was intense, and it was the toughest challenge any of them had faced during the entire year. Despite hauling several medals and commendations, the team said that it wasn't entirely about winning or losing, but rather it was the trip of a lifetime, an experience they would never forget.

For three days these students made their homes at Yale, the world-famous university. Even though many of events are held at several locations around Yale, this year's participant are able to enjoy some of the competitions at the brand new $50 million 242,000 square-foot state-of- the-art School of Management building known as Evans Hall. Unfortunately, the conference rooms there where the team debates were held are quiet small, therefore audiences are limited to the teachers and coaches.

During the opening ceremony, Consul General of Malaysia New York, Abdul Razak Abdul Wahab was invited to give a speech. Vice Consul Mohd Fadly Amri Aliaman was also in attendance. Last year, the outgoing Consul General Syed Bakri Al Jufri was invited to give a speech during the closing ceremony.

This year's awards dinner will be keynoted by Guy Djoken, Executive Director of the UNESCO Center for Peace. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) will also be joining them during the closing ceremonies.

The World Scholar's Cup! A journey to greatness. Call it what you will, but this is the stuff dreams are made of.

About MalayUSA:

Offering a glimpse in the days of the lives of Malay Diaspora in the U.S.A through their videos at    / malayusa  .

We are ordinary Malay families and their children living permanently in the United States. We are located in West Haven, Connecticut, not too far from the prestigious Yale University Campus.

Our posts at   / malayusa   and our youtube videos are primarily for our family members in Malaysia and relatives as well as friends around the world, but everyone else is also welcome to enjoy them as well.