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[ home . first dive . feature writing . poyen's write ups . advertorials . recycle bin . links ] |
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Amazing Grace
by Florence Pia G. Yu
Published: Sun Star Weekend
Cebu City, Philippines
March 18, 2001
Pages 6-7 |
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"People say when I am debating on stage, I am fiery, but when it's over, I am just plain me," says Grace Marie Lopez, top debater and Best Speaker awardee in the National Debate held in Manila recently.
Now a 3rd year Law student at Southwestern University, Grace has been reaping laurels for her skills in debate (Best Speaker, Best Debater, Best Rebuttal Speaker) since she first took to the stage in 1998 for her baptism of fire.
"I always give my best at every debate, but after the debate I just want to disappear; It's like a job, but it's a job that I love," she discloses, smiling. |
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When pressure builds up, everyone else may buckle, but not Grace. Up the podium, it is grace under pressure for her. "If you believe in yourself and do everything with heart, you can never lose," this debating team captain says.
"During our recent competition, my team and I were almost on the edge because during the debate, we came across a topic which we hadn't really discussed. I was thinking, no! We cannot lose on the first round! I could probably accept it if we lost on the second round, but losing on the first round is so demoralizing!" she relates, replaying her exasperation. "But thank God--because we always put God first--we got through the first round and we made it to the championship round!" she relates, beaming.
Stage fright is every debater's Waterloo, she says. "Once you get onto the stage and you feel confident, everything will just flow, but if nervousness consumes you more than your confidence, that's were the jitters come in." And debaters do get a lot of it, Grace admits.
"But when I get on stage, the first thing I would do is to silently say, 'God, give me strength!' '" she says. She would be on the roll after that.
When debating, Grace says one cannot just rely on the gift of gab. "A debate is not just about speaking. It's also about reasoning; reasoning in front of an audience who is also as critical as you are--an audience whom you cannot fool," Grace says.
Grace takes time to read to expand her stock of knowledge; something, which she says, is a debater's best arm. She makes it a point to pick up a book, even though she is also busy working as customer service representative for a bank. "I don't want to leave everything to chance. In a debate, you can never go unprepared." |
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Tell me about your first debate: |
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I needed to research and my best friend doubted if I could. I had no one to support me; it was very difficult on my part. When the debate came and I won an award, my best friend screamed from the audience. |
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How passionate are you as a team captain? |
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I have to have this great sense of responsibility for the well-being of the team. I have to educate everybody, including myself. We rotate roles. For example, I let this person try to be the rebuttal speaker, and let this other person to be the speaker so that she will know how to argue. |
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How may months do you prepare for a debate? |
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We are a kind of team that has always been invited on very short notices. It has been like a curse! (laughs) We would often find ourselves saying, What?! Next week na! Going to Manila, we had three days to prepare! And it was a parliamentary debate (two-man team). A parliamentary debate is difficult because you have to have extensive knowledge of almost everything, if you can. What's more scary, everything is impromptu. As soon as the topic is given, you have fifteen minutes to get yourself organized. |
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What are you during a debate? |
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I'm the nanay. I check on my teammates. Are their pieces ready? Have they done enough research? When I'm up the stage, they say I'm on fire. |
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And after a debate? |
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Afterwards I just want to be as normal as can be. One time, after a debate, I went to the mall right away. I just wanted to get it off my head right away! |
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What do you do with your spare time? |
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I read. I don't watch TV much, but I watch movies. I always pay for a good movie... something that makes sense, like Dead Poets Society. If I want to be entertained, I don't go to a Jet Lee movie, sorry (smiles sheepishly) I have to go to Star Wars or any movie with Mel Gibson, or with Woody Allen on it. |
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How do you like intellectual discussions? |
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I love that! My friends and I would get together at this doughnut shop and the people there would hate us because our voices would rise. We would discuss everything:from politics to literature. |
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Do you end up arguing when opinions clash? |
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It can't be helped, but at the end of the day we're friends! (Grins) |
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Do you always have to have your say? |
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If I have something to say, I have to say it, otherwise I'll squirm in my seat and feel sorry later. I always grab at every opportunity that would allow me to talk out my ideas. |
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Can you sit in one corner without talking? |
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No, I can't . I'm a good listener, but I have to have my say. I listen, there's no problem with that. But if you want a point from me, I have to say it. I interact. |
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Offstage, are you a talker or a listener? |
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I'd like to think that I'm balanced (grins). My significant other would say that I yak and yak. And it offends me at some point. When I'm silent, he would always ask, 'What's wrong with you? You're unusually not you.' Maybe it's just because people are so used to me opening my mouth. But I do listen! You learn a lot from listening. You learn about the personality of a person, his strengths and his weaknesses. |
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They say women with brains intimidate men.. |
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I'm just like any other normal person. There's nothing about me that one has to be scared of (smiles). |
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�2001 Writer's Block. All rights reserved. |
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