Woodward debaters talk their way to top

By Gracie Bonds Staples

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Just days after yet another tournament, Woodward Academy’s top two-member debate team hunkered down for another strategy run.

They felt good.

The National Debate Coaches Association had ranked them — Matthew Pesce and Max Plithides — No. 1 in the nation.

Like hundreds of high school debate teams across the country, they have been consumed by a single question provided by the NDCA: Should the United States substantially increase social services for people living in poverty?

Given the state of the economy, it’s a good question.

How Pesce and Plithides answer will depend on which round of a tournament they are in and how their opponent responds.

Either way, their argument has to be quick, logical and supported by sound evidence.

Either way, the very nature of this year’s question makes their journey to the top remarkable. Poverty isn’t something they have much experience with.

Not only is Woodward Academy the largest independent school in the continental United States, the majority of its students hail from well-off families who pay nearly $20,000 a year in tuition. Even those who need scholarships aren’t likely to meet the government standard for poor.

Matthew Pesce is the son of an investment banker and stay-at-home mom who live in Virginia-Highland. Max Plithides is the only child of a consultant and an engineer. He splits his time between their homes in Norcross and Duluth.

At 18, Pesce is the oldest member of Woodward’s 20-member team and by far the most intense. He also has the most experience in the big debate arena.

That he and 17-year-old Plithides have been friends for a long time helps, said Woodward debate coach Roy Levkovitz, or “Coach L.”

“They know each other well, which means they also know how to push each other’s buttons,” Levkovitz said. “Because they’re both competitive, it unites them in a goal to succeed.”

The two of them spend dozens of hours preparing for each debate inside and outside the classroom, forming strategies to dismantle the competition’s arguments. They have mock debates to see how arguments might play out. And they do the research — lots of research — to ensure they have the evidence to support their claims.

Maggie Berthiaume, director of debate at Chattahoochee High School and a member of the NDCA board of directors, calls Pesces and Plithides “very talented students.”

“It’s a pleasure to judge them,” she said.

The Pesce-Plithides team has what it takes to win: a strong work ethic and a natural curiosity about the world.

They also like to win, Plithides said.

“It’s human nature,” he said. “The fact that our team is nationally ranked makes you feel exceptional among the excellent — at least in my mind. Not only am I good at something, but I’m the best at something.”

When NDCA President Mike Bietz started the debate team at Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles four years ago, Woodward was one of the first teams he wanted his students to see as something to inspire them.

In Bietz’s estimation, Woodward has it all: a supportive administration, dedicated coach and a debate room stocked with trophies.

The team, however, isn’t the only metro Atlanta school to succeed in the national debate arena. Both Chattahoochee High School and Westminster are ranked among the top 25 teams in the country, and Westminster has twice won the Baker Award from the NDCA for the top two-member team.

If Pesce and Plithides keep up their high-level performance, Berthiaume said, the team could capture this year’s Baker, which will be awarded at the NDCA’s final tournament of the school year in April at Georgetown University. It would be a first for Woodward.

That’s Pesce and Plithides’ dream.

For now, though, they’ll think only about the next competition and putting in the work.

As they have done since winning the Big Bronx Classic in October, they will eat their lucky meal at Charley’s before departing from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Pesce will have a grilled chicken salad with blue cheese dressing and a lime lemonade. Max will grab a chicken teriyaki sandwich on white bread and wash it down with a caramel cappuccino. And Coach L will have a Philly cheesesteak with custom fries and a Diet Coke.

What isn’t in their heads and hearts is stored away in the five plastic tubs they’ll check with their luggage.

The orange paper — it’s always orange — that they will use for taking notes during the debate, Coach L will get the night before the competition.

“Orange paper has been very successful for us,” Levkovitz said.

“And my special pants,” said Pesce, smiling.

They’ll do everything they can to retain their ranking, but they know there are no guarantees.

The pressure to win is the only constant.

“You don’t want to be the team that went from No. 1 to No. 20,” Levkovitz said.