Danforth

          Today, I volunteered as a judge for the Boston Debate League's John Hancock Tournament at Excel High School. The school is located in Dorchester Heights and it was a long, adventurous walk over. I battled monstrous snowdrifts, pedestrian impasses, crossing guards, and near misses with cars. I also found a couple of untouched rolls of wrapping paper and an unopened box of two baby bottles, which will be given to freshmen to drink from next year. Before I was due for training, I climbed atop the hill where the Americans parked their artillery during the revolution. It was frigid and gusty, but the sun was bright on the snow; I took a few minutes to admire the view over the Charles.
          Our training was quick and to the point: be fair, be judicious, and focus on who made the better argument. The format is a series of speeches for, speeches against, and a few interludes of questioning, with two teams of two debaters each. The first of my assigned debates was easy to decide: one team was drastically overmatched by the other, they seemed unfamiliar with the material, and things got a little heated. The second debate was extremely tight, and I actually gave a higher score to the team that I ultimately decided against. It was a slog trying to write everything down, figure out what the debaters were doing well or poorly, listen and judge at the same time. This was one of the more interesting volunteer opportunities I've taken on, and we got a bunch of free food from Viga to boot! I took a meatball sandwich to go and went back up the hill, this time to look out over the city lights. I don't say it enough: I love living in Boston. This could be the place for me. Fatigued but with a spring in my step, I headed to the closest Red Line station and then home. Michelle invited me to her place, but I was too bushed to do anything but sit.