How Boise State’s Talkin’ Broncos had a rockin’ start to their debate season

Photo via Priscilla Grover

The Talkin’ Broncos aren’t just talking the talk — they’re walking the walk too. The Boise State debate team competed at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) against Carroll College, Weber State University and CSI. 

Ryan Wind, a second-year member and sophomore at Boise State majoring in communications shared that the Talkin’ Broncos have made quite the name for themselves within the debate world.

“Especially in debate, you’ll hear a lot of people [say], ‘this is the third person I’ve gone against from Boise …’” Wind said. “Also our coach talks about how we set a precedent — we are known as a school that is good at what we do, so when we do things, it can set standards.”

Wind said that competition days go by in a blur. With twelve-hour days, Wind shared that almost as soon as the members wake up, they are heading out the door to compete. 

Fellow teammate and communication major Chloe Sellers is a junior at Boise State and a first-year member of Talkin’ Broncos. Sellers, a transfer student from CSI, was drawn to the Talkin’ Broncos team after hearing about the team’s accomplishments and positive culture.

Sellers shared some of her individual wins, as well as overall points the Talkin’ Broncos received as a team.

“A lot of us placed multiple times,” Sellers said. “I got second in after-dinner speaking, that was really awesome. We also won first in sweepstakes, [and] since we had the team with the most people that placed, we got the most points per person, so we won by a decent long shot.”

The competition was broken up into one day of speech and one day of debate. Sellers said that while speech-centered days can be long as they feature lots of practicing and going back and forth between various rounds, debate days are more team-oriented. 

“The second day when we debate is really a lot of teamwork,” Sellers said. “You go and get your round [and] you find out what you’re going to be debating. Talkin’ Broncos are big on doing team prep. We try to help each other in debate rounds a lot, so we work together really closely and help each other out, and then just kind of hope for the best until awards.”

To win as a team, members must train as a team. Sellers explained that the Talkin’ Broncos meetings are scheduled down to the minute so that during tournaments members can “come together as a team.”

“When it comes to debating, we’re able to prep together. Once we have whatever we’re going to debate, resolution, you kind of get whoever you want. Please look this up for me. Find this definition, whatever. And then we help each other out the best we can. It’s kind of like a kitchen with a chef and a sous chef,” Sellers said. 

When asked about what students might be surprised to know about the Talkin’ Broncos team, Sellers highlighted that many debate topics are centered around pop culture or topical themes.

“As a team, we get kind of overlooked compared to sports and stuff,” Sellers said. “It’s really interesting and fun, and you get to bring in a lot of elements of things you’re interested in. A lot of us write speeches about pop culture or celebrities, and it really is like a fun activity for a lot of people. And same with debate, it’s technical, but honestly, anyone could do it. I think a lot of people would be surprised to know that they would probably really enjoy.”  

Ari Ashby, a freshman at Boise State and first-year member of Talkin’ Broncos echoed this sentiment in an email to The Arbiter. 

“This is somewhat niche, but most people are surprised when I tell them what I actually debate about. In IPDA (International Public Debate Institution) you have a different topic every round, and while they certainly can be more serious, this last tournament I debated about if we should normalize eating bugs in the US. Debate is so much more than boring political talk (despite what most people think), and the topics are definitely out there sometimes!” Ashby said. 

Aside from the rigorous training and preparation the Talkin’ Broncos engage in, Ashby said there is also a heavy emphasis on creating team bonding events and lower stake meetings.

“I’ve talked about this a lot before, but one of the most enticing parts of this team is the environment. Being new to the team, I was definitely worried about if I would fit in with the dynamics already built, but I was quickly reassured that wouldn’t be a problem. We often will go to dinners as a team (Red Robin is definitely a favorite), plan outside activities (like picnics, watch parties, etc.) or even just talk to each other before classes and workshops. Most of the time it’s pretty simple, but the little things have definitely added up,” Ashby said. 

Keep up with the Talkin’ Broncos via their social media @talkinbroncos on Instagram as they head to their next competition at the Mahaffey Memorial Tournament at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon on Nov. 15.

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