We have a strong squad of debaters who regularly travel across the UK at weekends competing in university tournaments. These Intervarsities (IVs) normally take place on Friday evenings and Saturdays, and as compensation for giving up our weekends large prize funds are on offer. In the past year UCL debaters have won competitions at King's College, Inner Temple, and University of London, and regularly appear in semi-finals and finals throughout the country. Hospitality ranges from basic to legendary, with much free food and alcohol for everybody. Important matters aside, IVs are a fabulous opportunity to argue with or against the best debaters in the UK and Europe, meet new people, and improve your speaking skills. Judges at IVs are normally former winners themselves, so your fate is in good hands.
If you're interested in representing UCL on the IV circuit, then come along to our Tuesday night workshops where you can build up confidence. Here you can practice debating in a small group, free of most of the mocking and jeering of a Monday night debate.
We are unique in hosting two competitions of our own every year. We hold the UK's only novice tournament, the UCLU President's Cup, where new debaters experience a proper IV without the pressures of meeting more experienced teams. In the spring term we hold our full tournament, the UCL Intervarsity Tournament. This year the President's Cup was held on Saturday 28th October 2002, and some 48 teams from 13 universities took part. The winners were Natalie Morris and Patrick Emerson from Cambridge. View the tab online below or download it as an Excel spreadsheet.
Our main tournament, the UCL IV, was held on 15th February 2002. Despite a somewhat unfortunate choice of date and venue (two buildings either side of the route of the biggest protest march in UK history), the event was a great success, attended by teams from all over the country. As debaters crossed paths with peace protesters throughout the day, a few arguments were inevitable, and one judge was seen being engulfed by marchers after shouting pro-war sentiments as he crossed the street, but no injuries were done. The final was on the motion 'This house would invest in the Sega generation, not the Saga generation', and was won by Jack Anderson and Kate Prentice of Cambridge. View the tab online or as an Excel spreadsheet
Details of previous events are given below.
If you are interested in getting involved in the wonderful world of IV debating, come along to our regular Tuesday night debating workshops, to gain or strengthen your debating skills. We meet every Tuesday during term time at around 19:00 in the Bloomsbury Cafe (on the ground floor of The Bloomsbury Theatre, Gordon Street).