More than just an excellent showcase of teamwork, witticism and verbal skill, the World Schools' Debating championships were also a stellar example of the tourism process at work. With tourism the theme of the month and debating the focus of that week, the tournament gave students a rare opportunity to hone essential skills both on and off centre stage. And according to those involved, it was an unqualified success in all areas. "First of all, they are learning to be flexible with other people,'' said Elizabeth Virgo of Bermuda's Debate Society who not only served as the event's chief judge and convener, but organised most of it as well. "Teamwork is vital. Each must be very supportive of the other members of their group. This is one time where people have to make other people look good. They also have to learn to listen, not just for what is said, but for what is not said as well. Debating also teaches the value of having a good sense of humour and most definitely it increases one's vocabulary. "It also makes the students learn more about the world outside. They become more self-motivated, more interested in listening to the news and we've noticed they tend to read the more serious magazines such as Time and The Economist . It's also good in that they learn to speak on their feet, which is absolutely essential as they've got to have their views put forward fairly early and in general, the debating structure usually carries over to their written work. They learn to think and express themselves in a structured way, which is always a bonus with essays and papers.'' Outside of that, said Mrs. Virgo, the debate provided Bermuda with a wonderful opportunity to market itself to a number of countries. "At the farewell on the final night, all I kept hearing was, `We can't wait to come back','' she said. "So I think we sent out just under 140 ambassadors for Bermuda, who had an unforgettable experience, into 18 countries. All in all, it was deemed a fantastic success, but it was also a lot of hard work. "Veronica Lowry and Judy Pitt headed up committee with a number of volunteers and did sterling work in making sure everything ran as smoothly as it did. And they looked after everything - from allocating rooms, to making sure the debaters had water on their tables, to making sure they had lunch, to making sure that the timers had bells and watches. It meant that the visitors were that much more relaxed and happier and in a better mood to debate as well because they knew they were well taken care of. "Also, Mary Murry did a magnificent job with the billets. She visited all the host homes herself to make sure they understood what was involved, and worked it so all the team members were so close they could actually walk to each others' houses. As far as I know this is the first time this has ever happened in a worlds championship. It also kept the expense down which was very important as many countries found it quite tough to raise money to travel all the way here.'' One of the many duties involved in hosting people from around the world, said Mrs. Virgo, is making sure the various dietary and religious needs were met. "We had vegetarians and we had people with special dietary requirements, but we managed to cope with all of those,'' she explained. "And our Jewish community was incredible. We had four religious students and they were cooked for in the special way they needed to be. But on the Friday evening, we all had to be at Government House. Most of the students were O.K. travelling in the PTB buses we rented, but because of their religious observances, Israelis aren't allowed to travel by motorised transport after sundown. So they left Grotto Bay early, came into Hamilton by taxi and walked to Government House. After the event, they walked to the bottom of Langton Hill and stayed with an incredible host family for the night.'' Preparing the various groups for the trip involved such mundane tips as what to pack in their suitcase, said Mrs. Virgo. "I gave them advice on clothing, such as what to wear, I warned them what they could expect in the way of weather and also gave them some idea on how they programme would work. Three debates each day is tough, but it was worked out carefully so that they would have recreation time as well. It also helped that Martin Brewer at the Department of Immigration, was magnificent. Especially with the Pakistani and Czech Republic teams which had real problems. And for the Indian and Kenyan observers, I was notified in advance of their flight and time of arrival so their arrival would run smoothly even if the paper work was not in the strictest order. "But from the time we went to Grotto Bay on the Thursday and left on the Sunday, I can't think of any way in which it could Barriers broken down A.S.A.P.

know each other. It's very frightening coming alone. Especially for countries which are very big like Australia and Canada, where they often don't even know their own team members very well as they're comprised of people from all over.

So we wanted to make sure that any barriers between students were broken down quickly as possible.'' As such, said Mrs. Virgo, the (Police-run programme) Outward Bound was set up on the first afternoon that everyone was together, with debaters participating with strangers in a number of different activities. "At the end, everyone knew about 25 others very well,'' said Mrs.

Virgo. "And...by the end of the first night when we sat down to dinner, they were each sitting with someone who was previously a stranger. It was a great atmosphere and it continued throughout the week. In fact there was a recurring theme throughout the week. We rented three busses from PTB and they ran a magnificent service, collecting students from their host homes and ferrying them to the various schools and other places they had to get to. And everyone kept commenting on the friendliness of the hotel staff, their hosts, the bus operators, everybody. "But we also had people to help like Joe Gibbons, who looked after the entertainment. I knew what I wanted, but he made it happen.

He organised an incredible evening at the Palm Reef Hotel and another at Number One Shed in Hamilton for their last night where we had a disco. And I think, at the end of the night, everyone got on the floor. The Department of Tourism actually gave us a day of sightseeing with four buses -- two to Dockyard and two to St. George's with stops along the way, and a scavenger hunt with us meeting back at Number One Shed to see gombeys dance at the end.

It was all very interesting and there was such a variety of backgrounds. I'd like to think host families got as much out of it as the visitors.'' The Bermuda Debate Society operates under the auspices of the Bermuda Junior Service League. Committee members Sue Bartlett and Debby Graham agreed that learning how to debate usually means acquiring a new thought process. "It teaches them how to think for themselves and also how to present themselves in interviews,'' said Mrs. Bartlett. "It's a thought process. When learning how to debate, you develop a thought process; how to prioritise your thoughts. So when you actually start to speak in an interview or where ever, you've got a headstart. "We've had quite a lot of comments from people on scholarship selection committees who have said that they are starting to be able to differentiate between those students who have been through debating in school and those who have not. And the kids are finding out that they can go all the way through college on a debating scholarship. Added Mrs. Graham: "It teaches one to expand their general knowledge and be able to talk on many different subject areas and also to think on their feet. "It opens many doors and career opportunities once they go for job interviews. This is where many people fail because they don't know how to market their skills. You can always tell those ones who have had debating or public speaking in university versus the ones whose experience lies purely on the technical side.'' The change in students who have been involved over a period of time, is amazing, said Mrs.

Bartlett. "Their self-confidence is tremendous. I've been involved right from the start and I've seen kids starting at the age of 12 who were absolutely petrified. In fact I can think of one who actually burst into tears at the thought of standing up and speaking, and today they have evolved to be able to represent Bermuda overseas. Their whole self confidence and their overall presence is amazing and it's a wonderful thing to see. "There have been some students who are dyslexic and perhaps not doing so well in school, who have discovered debating and taken to it because they have found that they can express themselves verbally. It's a way to express themselves without having Orals in vogue students are required to do orals. It's tremendous how knowing how to debate makes it so much easier to stand up and do an oral exam.'' In some countries, such as parts of England, students begin debate training at the primary school age, she said. And while that practise is not yet enforced in Bermuda, it might well be in the near future. "It's an extra-curricular activity now, which makes it very difficult to get it into the schools. You've got to have a teacher who is willing to put the time in when there are so many other activities going on as well. But West Pembroke will soon be holding the first debating competition at the primary school level and with the coming of the new senior secondary school, debating will be a part of the English programme.

"It's an excellent skill for students. Debaters tend to be involved in other activities, they're more well-rounded students. And debating definitely helps their awareness of what's going on around the world. It broadens their knowledge of world events and world politics rather than what's just in the US and in Bermuda.'' PHOTO HIP HIP! Members of Australia's debating team took the World championships held in Bermuda earlier this month. Shown from left are team manager Andrea Coomber, with her winning team -- Rosalind Dixon, Mark Thomson, Pip Webb and Roger Wong. The win, at the ninth annual World Schools' Debating Championships, marks the first time an Austalian team has come out on top. Bermuda Junior Service League member, Debby Graham. The Debate Society runs under the BJSL One of our first Worlds debaters, Colm Singleton, served as a judge. Members of Bermuda's debate team almost made it to the quarter finals of this month's championships. Shown with coach Gladstone Thompson are debaters Jordan Zancanella, Trevor Leitch and Eugene Johnston, timer and speaker, Onea Mills and Janelle Clarke, and debaters Rahsan Smith and Jennifer Rhind.