After waiting so long last year, the debate team already has a coach for this year, social studies teacher James Ziegler. Senior Ivy Yan, who is again returning as captain for the debate team, said this year is quite a difference from the shuffling of the team’s coaches last year. What Yan called “insane” ended up causing the debate team a delay in starting their season.

“After the struggle that was finding a coach (last year), losing him, and then getting a wonderful new one at the last minute; finding a new coach so early on is amazing,” Yan said via e-mail.

Yan said she expects the call-out meeting to take place in early September and bring about 30 people. Her major goal is to keep as many members as possible from the start of the year to the end.

“(My goal is) to make sure all, realistically most, of the people that come to the call-out meeting will stay on and become a part of the team,” she said. “Last year, with the insane shuffling of coaches, we, unfortunately, lost a lot of people in the transition.”

For Ziegler, a 2004 CHS graduate, he said he was happy to help the team out when Principal John Williams and Athletics Director Jim Inskeep asked if he’d be coach.

“I personally enjoy debating,” Ziegler said, although he admits he never was a part of the debate team while at CHS. “I thought I had something I could offer.”

Ziegler said he hopes to continue the tradition of hard work that the debate team displays.

“Members independently have the motivation and drive to succeed that I hope to build upon and take to the next level,” Ziegler said. “(My goal is to) help them grow as individuals.”

Looking forward to the season, he said his goal is to keep the debate program alive, something he said he thinks isn’t happening at other schools.

“Debate is a program that is dying at some schools,” Ziegler said. “I don’t want to let that happen here.” By Patrick Bryant <[email protected]>