Every year new generations of debaters step up to fill the shoes of past legends. The wudcwatch interviewed two young debaters who are carrying on the tradition of the worlds oldest debating society at the competition’s highest level. Alisha Ricard talked to them.

Achte Minute: Did you expect to be so successful?
Rebecca: No. There are a lot of good teams here. But we had hoped for it.

Achte Minute: There is a long tradition of debating in Great Britain. Did you feel any pressure to succeed?
Ashish: Oh no…it’s my first WUDC, so I didn’t have any expectations.
Rebecca: This is my second WUDC, but it’s the first time that we have attended WUDC as a team so there wasn’t much pressure on us.

Achte Minute: Do you take the tournament very seriously or is it just fun for you?
Rebecca: Both. We’re enjoying the parties and the people, but it’s also a serious opportunity.

Achte Minute: How have you trained for Worlds?
Rebecca: We were selected to come to Berlin two months ago. Since then we have taken a closer look at German politics and we debated an hour per week as usual.

Achte Minute: What is the key to your success at worlds?
Ashish: We are really chilled. For me it’s kind of a holiday here.
Rebecca: You can’t do anything special, just try to relax. There’s so little time during the preparation time.

Achte Minute: Did you have any favorite motions during the tournament?
Both: In general, we really like development motions. And the motion about soldiers’ conscience was a good one.

Achte Minute: You are very relaxed and enjoying the WUDC. What about your family and friends? Are they excited?
Rebecca: Oh yes, they text a lot. I think they are more excited than we are.