Gonzaga Prep senior’s debate success fueled by diverse childhood, interests

Sam Carter isn’t overly persuasive. He doesn’t have a booming voice that commands a room. Still, the Gonzaga Prep senior has gone to state debate the last four years and to nationals twice, in part due to his work ethic, focus and wide range of interests.

“I would say that Sam is an incredibly hard worker. He’s also very intelligent in that he takes in all sorts of info and is able to analyze it,” said MacLean Andrews, the Gonzaga Prep debate coach. “Instead of taking one viewpoint he will create multiple viewpoints.”

Carter, 17, joined the debate team his freshman year to fill an elective credit. This year, as the lone senior, he won the Greater Spokane League tournament in the Lincoln-Douglas style debate competition. This is the fourth year Gonzaga Prep has won the GSL tournament in that specific style.

The Lincoln-Douglas style focuses on one topic, which changes every two months and is chosen by the National Speech and Debate Association. Debaters have to be ready to argue both sides of the argument, Carter said.

Because of the emphasis on values, Carter said he’s spent hours studying different philosophies.

“I actually truly think it’s helped me be more well-versed,” he said in explaining why he has stuck with debate. “Obviously, if you are doing well in something, it’s fun to stay in it.”

Several things have helped him succeed, he said, including his work ethic and level of preparation. Andrews said Carter prepares multiple arguments, each designed slightly differently, so he can tailor his argument to the judge and his competition.

“I’ve kind of skated my way through (school),” Carter said. “It (debate) has helped me with sitting down and doing research.”

An additional benefit, he said, is the process forces him to challenge his own beliefs. Because he has to argue both sides of any given topic, he has changed his stance on gun control and punishment versus rehabilitation in the prison system, among other issues.

The gun control topic was interesting, he said, because he started out staunchly pro guns, partly because his father is a veteran. After researching the topic, however, he said he’s more favorable to restricting access to handguns.

Another reason Carter believes he’s been successful is because of how he was raised. His parents ran the now-closed Shamrock Educational Academy, a private school for boys, he said. This meant he grew up surrounded by older students and people from different backgrounds. It was normal to have 26 people around the dinner table, he said. He was never sheltered from difficult discussions and was encouraged to think broadly.

“It forced me to be more mature and have conversations with people older than me,” he said.

Carter will compete March 12 in the state competition. The topic there is democracy promotion in the Middle East. The state competition is run by the Washington Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In June, Carter will go to the national competition in Salt Lake City for a different debate style: public forum.

Carter plans to attend either Gonzaga University or Regis University in Denver and is considering a career in law, politics or economics.

“I like to outsmart people,” he said. “I guess I’m just a really competitive person.”