RHS coach is recognized for building a successful program Posted 6/8/01 by Aaron Tinklenberg Staff Writer When Robert Groven became the co-director of debate at Rosemount High School nine years ago, he took the position, in part, because he felt it was a program that he could build and help to thrive. In that respect, Groven, his co-coaches and his students have succeeded. From having only six debaters when he began, RHSí debate squad grew to more than 60 three years ago, even rising to prominence on a national level. Now, Groven is being recognized for his 13 years of work as a high school debate coach, which includes stops at Como Park and Coon Rapids high schools. He has earned a Diamond Key award from the National Forensic League, a youth speech education organization. The award is given after a coach compiles a specific number of points, earned as his students enter and perform well in speech or debate tournaments. What makes Grovenís accomplishment unique is his acceptance of only 10 percent of the points earned by students under his direction, giving 90 percent to the other coaches on the team. "Itís not as important to me because itís not my career. Itís just sort of my hobby," said Groven, who teaches full time at Augsburg College. "Really, the award is the culmination of many studentsí hard work over a long period of time. Itís like a very large team effort." Hobby or not, Groven and his teams have come a long way since he arrived in Rosemount. But according to Groven, the skills students have learned at his instruction will go a lot further than the trophy case. When most people think of debates, the presidential variety are the first to jump to mind. But high school debate competitions are much more than two people answering question after question from behind a pair of podiums. Instead, the competition is designed to have point-to-point refutation. One team begins by reading a prepared position speech on a real issue, such as the use of weapons of mass destruction. The opposing team then attempts to refute that position, arguing directly against points made during the initial speech. That refutation then comes under attack from the first team and so on for a specific number of rounds. All of the speeches after the initial lobby must be made up on the fly, with literally only a few moments to prepare. "I really wish that members of the general public who fear for the leadership of our country could come in and could see that here we have 15-, 16- and 17-year-old students who are incredibly knowledgeable and articulate about almost all the major issues of today," Groven said of the skills his students display at competition. "Every time I watch it, it gives me great hope for the future of democracy. It sounds grandiose, but I donít think it is." Groven says students rarely need prodding to work hard on researching issues. Instead, the competitive nature of high school debate gives them motivation and allows them to feel good about being interested in subjects and activities that are often portrayed as uncool for teenagers. "I think it just blows apart the negative stereotypes that people have about teenagers and high school students ó that theyíre not interested, that they donít care, that they donít want to work, that they are inherently sort of selfish," Groven said. "These students are none of those things. Theyíre hardworking and knowledgeable. They care about the political process. They want to be involved. Seeing that is part of what gives me energy out of the activity." Like every co-curricular activity in District 196, Grovenís debate program is feeling the effects of budget cuts. Last year, the speech budget at Rosemount was lowered by 8 percent. This year, it will likely face a 6 to 10 percent drop. According to Groven, cutbacks have been particularly difficult on the debate program, an activity that consistently needs nearly $3,000 a year from fund-raisers just to meet expenses. "Because weíve seen budget cuts the last two years," he said, "weíll have to both limit the number of tournaments we enter and increase the amount of time we spend fund-raising. Plus, weíll have to lower the number of students that go when we travel." After peaking three years ago, the number of Rosemount debaters has dwindled slightly and Groven expects only 16 returning participants next year. So, the schoolís team will go through the rebuilding phase every successful program must face from time to time. He and the other coaches will work to recruit as many as 40 newcomers for next fall, though he expects only about half to stay for the long haul. Teaching novices can be an arduous task, but itís one Groven has always enjoyed. "Personally, what keeps me in it is that I really love to see students blossom over time," he said. "In debate you get to watch the student go through this process of finding that itís OK to be interested in things and to be aggressive in an argument. Once they realize that, they just explode outward and I just love watching students do that. Itís really a fun process." ©Thisweek Newspapers