Duo Interpretation National Champions Interview

Debating for America's Youth

Kevin Ahern and Kyle Ahren, the 2019 NSDA National Champions in Duo Interpretation, share their advice for succeeding in Duo Interpretation. They will be coaches at the Ascend Debate camp this summer! Code ASCENDYOUTH at Ascend Debate Camp: https://www.ascendspeech.org/summer-program Kyle is a senior at Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, FL, where he has served as Vice President and Speech Captain of his team. In the fall, Kyle will attend the University of Texas at Austin to pursue a degree in journalism. Kyle has competed in all the Interpretation events and has seen out rounds at national and state tournaments in all of them. Mainly competing in Duo and POI, he has championed the NSDA National Tournament, The Florida State Tournament, Florida Blue Key, The University of Texas at Austin’s Longhorn Classic, The Cypress Bay Tradition, and Nova Titan. Kyle also has made several final round appearances at Emory’s Barkley Forum (Duo and POI), The Tournament of Champions (Duo), The New York City Invitational (Duo and POI), George Mason University's Patriot Games (Duo, POI, and OI), and The Sunvitational (Duo and POI). Kyle believes that the interpretation of literature is an exercise in innovation and encourages students to try new things. He hopes to help students create performances that are personally fulfilling, intelligent, and rooted in advocacy. When not competing at tournaments or practicing his speeches, Kyle is an avid consumer of podcasts and films. His favorite movies include Parasite (duh), Little Women, Donnie Darko, and Eighth Grade. Kevin Ahern is a senior at Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in Florida, where he serves as his Speech and Debate team’s President. He will be attending the University of Texas at Austin this fall and plans to compete on their forensics team. Kevin has competed in almost all the Interpretation events including Duo Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, Oral Interpretation, and Program Oral Interpretation. Most notably, Kevin was named the 2019 NSDA National Champion and final round winner in Duo Interpretation. Other significant accomplishments include championships at the FFL Varsity State Tournament, Patriot Games at George Mason University, the Florida Blue Key Invitational, The University of Texas at Austin’s Longhorn Classic, The Tradition at Cypress Bay, and the Nova Titan Invitational. Kevin has also seen final rounds at the Harvard National Forensics Tournament, the Barkley Forum for High School Students at Emory University, The Tournament of Champions, The Sunvitational, and the New York City Invitational hosted by the Bronx High School of Science. Nathan Fair has interviewed many National Champions. He has qualified for NSDA Nationals, qualified to NCFL Nationals and served as the presiding officer, and he broke to semifinals at a TOC qualifying tournament. He has placed 2nd at three separate varsity Congressional Debate tournaments. Finally, he served as a Presiding Officer for the Urban Debate League's tournament. His success was garnered after using the skills that are shared in this video.