Debating Society: Training Officer

The following text is best read while listening to Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne

I like trains.

I think the first time I ever rode a train was when I was a young child, it was a very translational experience. Following this I spent much of my remaining youth in front of the TV, watching Thomas & Friends or Chuggington. It was through this early and in-depth exposure that I came to truly understand what it means, to train. Once, when I was ~9, I took a steep fall off the top bunk of an overnight sleeper train. My parents thought I had died because of how soundly I kept sleeping. But no, that's just how comfortable and at peace I am on trains.

Truly I was born to train.

It's my philosophy that to be able to train well, one must keep up-to-date with our sport's ever-evolving meta. That's why these days, I dedicate at least 2 hours a day, every day, to being on a train. Some might call that "commuting" or "a consequence of being too broke to live in London", I call it committing - and you'd be hard-pressed to find a training officer more committed to trains than I.

This train's just getting started.

If elected, I pledge to bring a minimum 200% increase in motions relating to trains, locomotives and railways when conducting sessions next year. Whether you want your cases to thunder out at lightning speed like the Shinkansen or glide authoritatively and steadily onward like a Flying Scotsman, I'll make sure everyone is on the express track to their goals.

Choo-choose me as Train-ing Officer

Hi, my name is Rino, and I'm standing for Training Officer because: 

1. It's an opportunity to give back to this society, where I have had so much growth and fun over my first year 
2. My experiences like representing UCL at the World Universties' Debating Championships and captaining my high school's debate team align best with the responsibilities of Training Officer 

Thank you for reading this through :) 

I am standing for Training Officer because I have always been very passionate about the educational side of debate.  One of the most rewarding parts of debate for me is seeing people improve and grow through training.

I have relevant experience in this area. I founded the debating society at my school and served as its Training Officer, where I organized the structure of the society and ran the training sessions myself. I prepared materials, led sessions, and provided feedback to debaters. I am also currently a coach for Team Portugal and have coached several Brazilian teams in international tournaments. In addition, my experience as a judge helps me provide very detailed and constructive feedback, which I believe is essential for strong training.

One of my proposals is to introduce more dynamics that help people engage with debate content itself. In my view, being a good debater is not only about understanding mechanisms but also about having strong knowledge across a variety of topics so that arguments can be properly proven. I would like to organize activities focused on current affairs, shared prep times, and exercises that help people understand burdens and key argumentative structures. At the same time, I want to continue the excellent work already being done in the Tuesday and Thursday training sessions, which I believe have been going very well.