Debaters will speak rapidly - often from 600-800 words a minute - trying to get across as many points as possible. (Normal speech is about 400 words a minute.) Why do they speak so fast? To generate points. If you don't respond to the all the issues that are presented, points are subtracted. The idea is to raise so many issues that your opponent can't meet them all. Yet Bruschke has a different approach.and one that seems to work.

"I like my debaters to speak from passion and experience," he said. "Yes, you need to be able to respond to arguments that are raised but I think it's a much more effective debate if you can speak from the heart. I think personal experience is more important, in some cases, than academic research."

This year, one of the team's top debaters, Luis Magallon, was asked to debate on immigration issues. While Luis is not Chinese, he still can speak from personal experience. He used to live with several family members in a small apartment. Many of the families that live in his neighborhood are undocumented so INS raids are frequent. He knows what it's like to be discriminated against - he sees it in his own backyard. He also knows what it's like not to understand a language. That personal experience resonated with judges.

"If you can do it, debate is one of the most intellectually rewarding activities you can imagine," Bruschke said. "You learn incredible research skills, speaking skills. You need to apply logic and passion. You need to be able to process information almost as quickly as you can hear it. You hear it, know the counter argument, and then make the point. For every tournament, you can expect to put in at least 20 to 30 hours of preparation." Bruschke's team not only speaks from personal experience, one of his debaters even rapped his debating arguments.