Freshmen win despite ripped novelty T-shirt
Brandon Muri
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Features
Last Friday at 1:45 p.m., freshman Will Cooney received a frantic phone call:"We had a team drop out - get over here now. Coach doesn't care if you are dressed or not."
It was freshman Nathan Lichtman, calling on his cell phone from the debate tournament in Lane Hall.
Will and his partner, freshman Olivia Wolcott, who were told they would not have to debate that afternoon, had 15 minutes before the round was scheduled to commence.
"I was sleeping when he called," Cooney said. "I was really sick, so I chucked on this terrible T-shirt and ran over to get Olivia - no socks, no shave, no shower."
Wolcott, who was also sleeping due to illness, said, "I hear this pounding on the door - I can't hear anything, and there's Will, standing in the door like a nightmare."
Wolcott, feeling sick, declined the invitation to debate, which left Cooney with a last minute stand-in - Lichtman, who was not scheduled to debate that day.
"I was wearing a polo shirt, and I just ran up and down all three floors looking for Will and Olivia, so I was sweaty," he said, laughing. "It was kind of a chaotic adventure."
Once the debate began, Cooney delivered what he described as "possibly my best speech of the year."
"I had terrible bedhead; it was amazing," Cooney said.
Cooney faced his opponents wearing a gnarly old T-shirt, with a hole prominently displayed on the chest, that bore the words, "Department of Redundancy Department," the irony of which was not lost on Cooney as he stood to give his speech.
Several minutes after the chaotic incident was over, freshman Maddie Merritt saw the strung out figure of Cooney outside the library, trying to de-stress.
"I found him sprawled out on the ground by the library, smoking," she said.
Cooney and Lichtman won the round.
"It was probably a pity vote," Wolcott said, joking about the ordeal days later.
Cooney sheepishly agreed and laughed, saying: "That's definitely a possibility."
It was freshman Nathan Lichtman, calling on his cell phone from the debate tournament in Lane Hall.
Will and his partner, freshman Olivia Wolcott, who were told they would not have to debate that afternoon, had 15 minutes before the round was scheduled to commence.
"I was sleeping when he called," Cooney said. "I was really sick, so I chucked on this terrible T-shirt and ran over to get Olivia - no socks, no shave, no shower."
Wolcott, who was also sleeping due to illness, said, "I hear this pounding on the door - I can't hear anything, and there's Will, standing in the door like a nightmare."
Wolcott, feeling sick, declined the invitation to debate, which left Cooney with a last minute stand-in - Lichtman, who was not scheduled to debate that day.
"I was wearing a polo shirt, and I just ran up and down all three floors looking for Will and Olivia, so I was sweaty," he said, laughing. "It was kind of a chaotic adventure."
Once the debate began, Cooney delivered what he described as "possibly my best speech of the year."
"I had terrible bedhead; it was amazing," Cooney said.
Cooney faced his opponents wearing a gnarly old T-shirt, with a hole prominently displayed on the chest, that bore the words, "Department of Redundancy Department," the irony of which was not lost on Cooney as he stood to give his speech.
Several minutes after the chaotic incident was over, freshman Maddie Merritt saw the strung out figure of Cooney outside the library, trying to de-stress.
"I found him sprawled out on the ground by the library, smoking," she said.
Cooney and Lichtman won the round.
"It was probably a pity vote," Wolcott said, joking about the ordeal days later.
Cooney sheepishly agreed and laughed, saying: "That's definitely a possibility."
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