Alex Du

Charlie Fan (9) gives a practice speech after school. Talking Rams holds speech and debate practice four days of the week. “I would say I spend seven to eight hours a week on debate,” Fan said. “It depends on the week though. Like the week before tournament, everyone locks in, and that’s why Ladue is really good.”

In early Februrary, a crowded classroom filled with competitors, coaches and judges talked in hushed whispers as they scrutinized the quarter-final round of Champion Public Forum, a fast paced, 45-minute, two versus two debate style. But every spectator falls silent as Charlie Fan (9) walks up to the center podium. Across from him are opponents who are older, have been debating longer and should have every competitive advantage. Yet when the judges’ decisions come back, the ballots all agree: it’s a 3-0 win for Fan.

“I wanted to talk about things I’m passionate about, using what I’ve worked on for months and feeling like my hard work has turned into something I can be proud of,” Fan said.

Two years prior, Fan was introduced to debate through a course at a Chinese school over the summer, with the added benefit that his brother was the teacher. Not only is Fan’s older brother a debate coach, he was the former Talking Rams vice president, along with being the 2023 Missouri state champion for Public Forum debate.

“My brother really mentored me, gave me good feedback and [I] really appreciate that,” Fan said. “When there’s someone with more experience than you, better than you, the info you take in can really [help]. I skipped the process of feeling like I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Since the start of his freshman year, Fan has been competing with Zoran Pan (10). They’ve found an easy path to partnership as they’ve worked together in past activities, such as Science Olympiad.

“At the time, we didn’t put too much thought into [partnering] since [Fan] was still in eighth grade,”
Pan said. “But over the summer, we got some guidance and a few lessons from [Fan’s older brother], and I think that really sealed the partnership.”

Beginning debate, it can be nerve-racking to speak publicly, especially when facing opponents years older than yourself. Fan, too, dealt with this stress. Despite this, he’s conquered this fear and has been able to see his age as an advantage.

“In my first couple tournaments, I was pretty scared, especially if my opponents were good [competitors],” Fan said. “But, honestly, once you start competing at a high level, your opponents see you as an equal, not someone younger. I feel I’ve lost that sense of anxiety before rounds. Having so many years ahead of me and having a different perspective is very helpful.”

Now, after competing in the eastern Missouri circuit for a full season, Fan has racked up wins throughout tournaments like the Clayton Invitational, Pattonville Invitational and more. With Pan, they’ve been able to write and create cases, which are the prewritten arguments given in the first speech, that are creative and unique.

“My favorite case of this season was the [November and December] negative case,” Pan said. “The case was about cybersecurity and lawful access to encrypted communications, and one of the key reasons for why it’s my favorite is because we largely wrote it on our own without external help from sites like Open Case List.”

Although Fan’s first year in debate has been filled with competitive success, he’s faced numerous challenges along the way. Many judges in the eastern Missouri circuit aren’t experienced debaters, but rather just parents who volunteer since their children compete. Thus, it can be hard to understand how the judge will score a round.

“At that type of level, everyone’s very good,” Fan said. “There’s not a bad person. And, honestly, I sometimes struggle taking stuff in, like how the judges will react. At certain tournaments, I felt I was in control of the round and still lost. But it’s to be expected at that level.”

Although this can be considered a constant issue for all debaters, Fan realizes that the outcome of one round doesn’t define you or your abilities as a whole.

“It’s not always about the results,” Fan said. “That tournament can still be a lot of fun. I might have lost a round, but I felt like I did well. And honestly, that’s something that I can hold with myself and be happy [about].”

Next year, and the years after that, Fan will be back in the same classrooms, competing just as always. But each time, he’ll do it with a little more confidence, a little less fear and with even more wins.

“I still have more than three years ahead of me,” Fan said. “I think that as time goes on, you just get better and better. And I
think a lot of that is the more you debate, the more experience you have. So in the future, I think everything will continue to
get better.”