2025 John Lewis Invitational

Vancouver Debate Academy delivered another outstanding performance at last weekend’s John Lewis Invitational, finishing among the top teams of the tournament in both the novice and varsity divisions.

The novice Public Forum duo of Bateer Wang and Owen Liang roared to a strong start, powering their way through both preliminary and elimination rounds all the way into the top 16 of the tournament. This was a significant milestone for both debaters, marking Bateer’s first time advancing to elimination rounds and Owen’s very first Public Forum tournament ever. Their incredible teamwork and focus were key to their breakthrough performance.

In the highly competitive Varsity Public Forum division, Angela Zang and Miranda Le made a spectacular debut at their first open-level tournament, facing off against the most experienced competitors from around the United States. They triumphed in a tough field where several teams with 4-2 records did not break, ultimately advancing to the Triple Octofinal round.

The team’s success was a true group effort. Coach Stormee took a moment to highlight the invaluable contributions of the entire team, as well as Finn Ye and Kingsley Dai, who weren’t competing but provided critical behind-the-scenes support by helping to cut cards and prepare the novice team for crossfire.

“I am so beyond proud of these students and their achievements this weekend!” said Coach Stormee. “I can’t say it enough, I am so humbled and honoured to coach such a wonderful team, and so proud of our success!”

Please join us in congratulating all our debaters on a fantastic tournament!

Let’s go VDA!!!