Hey guys! My name is Till – I started debating at DK Wien in September 2024. I just participated in the beginners’ tournament “Transrapid” – organised by Debattierklub München – and I wanted to share my experience with you!
The tournament was an amazing success for Debattierklub Wien. We competed with a total of four teams: David and Lucas, Christopher and Dominik, Lasse and Joschi and our team “Die Nachrücker” (Till and Elissa) formed the four teams representing Vienna.
We started the first day of the tournament in the building of the KHG München with a little anticipation and tension. We (Till & Elissa) achieved second place in the first round – behind our Viennese colleagues Dominik and Christopher. In rounds two and three, the rooms were allocated according to the principle of ‘power pairing’ – so winning the second debate put us in the strongest room in the third round.
Even though it wasn’t easy to keep up the energy in the third round of the day, the third debate was my favourite. We discussed the pros and cons of fact-checking and community notes on social media. We skilfully argued why the radicalisation of individuals through community notes is more likely and explained the negative impact on society as a whole.
Thanks to this strategy we were actually able to win the third room – so we went into the final day as the leading team.
But before the final day, we celebrated the successful start to the tournament with a cool drink (or two) at the social, so we started the decisive Sunday more or less fit.
Second place in round four secured us a place in the final, where we would once again face Dominik and Christopher.
From the role of the opening opposition, we finally pulled off the coup. After I had given the first speech within our team as usual Felix – who was co-judging the final – was able to enjoy Elissa’s incredible speed and talent for the first time. Dominik and Christopher, who had also reached the final thanks to strong four rounds, held their own as closing government. After a short jury deliberation, however, it was clear: We were the winners of Transrapid 2025!
The feeling immediately after the call was truly incredible. We knew we weren’t bad, but we didn’t expect to win the whole thing, especially before the tournament started.
Not only our four teams, but also our judges Luca and Felix delivered a great tournament, Felix even judged the final!
The organisation of the tournament on the part of the Munich hosts was excellent, whether it was the smooth running, the culinary provision or the overnight accommodation!
It was therefore an ideal setting to experience our first tournament, and not just because of the strong result!
Summing all this up, we are delighted with the successful defence of Felix’s and Sarah’s title from the previous year and, after this start, look forward with confidence to a hopefully successful 2025.
