After many years of practicing and competing, Aiden Swartz ‘25 and Arthur Hu ‘26 became significant leaders in Germantown Academy’s small but notable debate program. They rose through the national rankings, achieving a career-high ranking of #35 nationally.
Swartz and Hu participate in public forum debate, a partner-style format where they compete against other duos on a monthly topic. Both have been dedicated members since their freshman year, but their skills have especially shone this season. They participated in numerous tournaments, including the Harvard Invitational and the Columbia Invitational, eventually qualifying for the prestigious Tournament of Champions competition, where the best teams from around the country travel to debate at the University of Kentucky.
However, their abilities are not only displayed through their accomplishments and records, but also through their leadership. They share their knowledge and experience as successful debaters with the rest of the team, guiding underclassmen and new members.
“In the beginning, [Aiden and Arthur] taught us all the basics; how to do it, what we need to know. They were really supportive and there for us, especially during competitions, because it can be overwhelming,” Anushka Sen ‘28, a novice public forum debater, said. “Most other debate leaders leave the novices out, but they kept helping us write speeches and giving us things to read during competitions.”
Not only do Swartz and Hu take time to prepare lessons and resources for the whole group, but they also dedicate time outside of club meetings to help individual debaters overcome personal challenges.
“If it weren’t for them, I would have no idea what I’m doing,” Rahul Bhatt ‘27, another novice debater, said. “Aiden and Arthur specifically have had many calls with me talking about the topics, how to debate and the rules.”
Swartz and Hu want members to share their success. So, in addition to mentoring teammates and spreading their knowledge, they have introduced several debate opportunities, such as camps and prestigious tournaments.
“They have sent me the camp that they will be working at this year, and they have kind of taken me under their wing,” Bhatt said. “The second [opportunity] is the tournaments that I’ve traveled to. I did a Columbia Invitational that was really nice; Aiden and Arthur set everything up for me.”
Swartz and Hu must also prepare themselves for competitions across the country, such as the Harvard Invitational, Columbia Invitational, and the Tournament of Champions. Success in these competitive tournaments requires significant work, dedication and strong teamwork with your partner.
“Debate is definitely a time commitment. Me and Aiden, we’ve done all 10 tournaments this year, and that’s 10 weekends where we’re just fully in another state or in a university,” Hu said. “The way I balance it with the other things is to definitely do some homework and study for tests while I’m actually at the tournament, whether I’m at hotels or in between rounds.”
However, in public forum debate, the key to success is not only hard work but also having chemistry with your partner and the ability to work well together. Swartz and Hu’s bond and mutual determination have both significantly contributed to their accomplishments.
“I think I definitely work well with Aiden because we’re both motivated to do debate,” Hu said. “We don’t see it as an extracurricular you have to do. We see it as an activity for fun.”
Swartz also shares Hu’s remarks in that they work well together.
“Arthur is one of my closest friends at this point, so I think that that really helps,” Swartz said. “We both have very similar speaking styles, so it complements each other, and I think we know how to build off of each other pretty well. There’s a lot of continuity within our speeches that if he says something, I know what to say to make sure to enunciate his point from his previous speech.”
Ultimately, Swartz and Hu’s hard work and dedication have shown through their accomplishments and knowledgeable leadership. Not only have they risen high in the rankings and seen significant success, but they have also shared their knowledge with incoming members and inspired many.