BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield native Glen Scully leads Michigan State University to its first Front Royal Cup debate win. Stockdale High School alumnus helped propel Michigan State University to its historic first victory in the prestigious Front Royal Cup for debate.
Winning the Front Royal Cup is a high honor within the American Debate Association. The season-long achievement signifies elite consistency and dominance in the circuit.
"The president of the ADA created this algorithm to determine who is the strongest team in the regular season, then awards that cup to them. It’s really all about the team. Debate in itself is a partnership activity, but everyone on the MSU debate team is so positive constantly. They put in so much work to get the job done," Scully said.
Scully first picked up debating as a freshman at Stockdale High School, quickly helping his team earn countless awards through his relentless dedication. He left behind a lasting legacy and is remembered as one of the campus’s legendary debaters.
Speech and debate teacher at Stockdale High Crystal Huddleston remembers Scully's early dedication to the craft.
"He would carry around simulacra and simulation in his back pocket as a freshman in high school. I told them if they want to run critical arguments they had to actually read the literature. That’s really unusual, that is literature that I read in my masters in English program but he was a freshman in high school," Huddleston said.
Scully told me the three biggest things debate has trained and prepared him for the workforce are research, critical thinking, and communicating. He said mastering all of them will benefit him in any business venture.
"You don’t have infinite time to speak your thoughts. You need to think of them quickly and get them out as soon as possible. Which means you have to always be able to think of your feet and be able to improvise whatever is going on given your current knowledge. Those three skills I think are incredibly important in debating," Scully said.
Huddleston said debate deserves a bigger role in schools, giving students the opportunity to discover who they are, strengthen their voices, and gain the confidence to speak their minds.
"My previous students would come back and say 'Because of speech and debate I could speak to my professors. I can talk to people in a way younger people can’t always do.' I remember my high school didn’t have a speech and debate team. So, I remember being nervous in college to talk to my professors. My students spend five weekends in the spring talking to adults cause their judges are community members," Huddleston said.
Scully told me he is ready to unleash his debating skills in every walk of life, sharpening his voice and elevating his impact as a communicator.
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