President University Team that consists of Rendy Utomo (International Relations) and Ni Putu Andini Siddi Pratiwi (International Relations) had participated in the World University Debate Championship (WUDC) 2020 in Bangkok on 27 December 2019 - 4 January 2020.
In their world's biggest debate tournament debut, Rendy managed to snatch the 25th Best Speaker position in the English as Foreign Language (EFL) category among the 144 speakers competing in that category. Meanwhile, Andin managed to secure the 55th position within the same category.
WUDC is the biggest international debate tournament in the world joined by various prestigious universities, among others Harvard University, Oxford University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Monash University. The participants in this competition are grouped into three categories based on their English proficiency namely Main Category where the participants come from countries that speak English as their mother language, English as Second Language (ESL), and English as Foreign Language (EFL).
Rendy and Andin said that it was not easy for them to reach that position. In the first round, the two of them faced one of the top contestants, Oxford University. "During the preliminary round, the participating teams didn't compete based on their category. That's why we faced against Oxford debating team in the same round even though we belong to different categories," Rendy explained. Even though they did not win the round against Oxford University, the two debaters agreed that their debut in WUDC is a good start for President University Team to make their come back in the upcoming WUDC. Rendy stated that "We gained valuable knowledge from this competition, among others on how to shape s strategic framing and deliver effective arguments."
Not yet satisfied with his current achievement, Rendy and Andin are committed to actively participate in other debate tournaments, be it as the adjudicators, debaters, or as a coach to share their experience and knowledge to young debaters. (SL/APW)
Debut Tim President University di Turnamen Debat Terbesar Dunia
Tim President University yang terdiri dari Rendy Utomo dan Ni Putu Andini Siddi Pratiwi telah mengikuti World University Debate Championship (WUDC) di Bangkok pada tanggal 27 Desember 2019 - 4 Januari 2020.
Menjadi ajang debut tim President University tampil di turnamen debat terbesar di dunia, Rendy berhasil meraih Top 25 Best Speaker kategori English as Foreign Language (EFL) dari total 144 speakers yang berkompetisi di kategori tersebut. Sementara itu, Andin berada di posisi ke-55 di kategori yang sama.
WUDC merupakan turnamen debat internasional terbesar di dunia yang diikuti oleh berbagai universitas bergengsi antara lain Harvard University, Oxford University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Monash University, dan masih banyak lagi lainnya. Peserta dalam turnamen ini dibagi menjadi tiga kategori berdasarkan kemampuan berbahasa Inggrisnya, antara lain Main Category di mana pesertanya berasal dari negara dengan bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa utamanya, English as Second Language (ESL) di mana pesertanya berasal dari negara yang menggunakan bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa kedua, dan English as Foreign Language (EFL) di mana pesertanya berasal dari negara yang menggunakan bahasa Inggris sebagai bahasa asing.
Rendy dan Andin mengaku bukan hal yang mudah untuk meraih posisi tersebut. Di babak pertama, keduanya langsung berhadapan dengan salah satu tim unggulan yaitu Oxford University. “Di babak preliminary, peserta tidak bertanding berdasarkan kategorinya. Itu sebabnya kami dapat bertemu dengan Oxford University meski sesungguhnya kami berasal dari kategori yang berbeda,” ujar Rendy. Meski belum berhasil menaklukkan Oxford University, keduanya mengaku debutnya ini menjadi awal baik bagi tim President University untuk kembali berlaga di WUDC selanjutnya. Rendy mengungkapkan, “Kami mendapat pelajaran berharga dari kompetisi ini, antara lain bagaimana memiliki strategic framing dan menyampaikan argumen yang efektif.”
Tidak puas dengan capaiannya saat ini, Rendy dan Andin akan terus aktif di turnamen-turnamen debat lainnya, entah sebagai juri, pembicara, atau sebagai coach untuk membagikan pengalaman berharga mereka ini. (SL/APW)
