Jeff Craig and Jared Perkins form a collegiate forensics team that is currently ranked among the best in the nation.
Craig, a senior journalism major from Granbury, has participated in debate since his sophomore year in high school. Perkins, a senior sociology major from Peru, Ill., has a slightly different history and began debating three years ago.
“I know it was a lot about politics and current events, and it was a great way to stay up to date I also really enjoy arguing,” Perkins said. “I picked it up pretty quickly and I really enjoy it.”
The two have been debating together for the past three years and have won six tournaments across the country. They boast a record of 50-8 over the last year which places them first in the nation and they rank 13th based on the national point system.
Many of these victories come against larger schools such as Texas Tech, University of Oklahoma and UCLA.
“There is no Division 2 for debate. We sometimes compete against schools ten times our size,” said Craig.
Craig credits much of their success to an environment that “encourages success,” something that has been developed by their coach, Dena Counts, director of forensics, who took the position when Craig and Perkins were freshmen.
“[Counts] rebuilt the program from shambles and made it nationally competitive,” Craig said. “She has given ACU Debate the recognition it deserves.”
Counts initially decided the two would make a great team. Craig and Perkins represent almost exact opposites ideologically, but it is these differences, they say, that makes them so successful.
“Jeff is more on the conservative side,” Perkins said, “and I am more on the liberal side. We balance each other out. It helps because we have to debate both sides of a lot of issues. It helps that we see things a little differently. We play on each others strengths and it has really helped us be as successful as we’ve been.”
Craig and Perkins graduate this May and both plan on attending graduate school. Although they may not continue to formally debate, they believe the skills they have acquired will help them in many aspects of life.
“It really teaches critical thinking skills and always challenges the way you look at events and your opinion on them,” Perkins said.
The multi-round format of tournaments forces competitors to handle multiple topics that range from domestic to international issues. They are only given 20 minutes to prepare a defense for their point of view before presenting.
“The ability to communicate and think on your feet is beneficial for everyone,” Craig said. “We learn critical thinking skills and communication skills that you can’t learn in the classroom.”