A week later Tuesday and an addition to the hypothetical challenge

We survived the Gold Standard debate tournament.

We didn't qualify in debate. My sister didn't qualify in speech, either. Our friends who were staying with us did not qualify in duo or impromptu.

I wanted Will to qualify in impromptu-I thought he had a good chance. I gave him a crash course in music shortly after he found out that a. that was what the topics were going to be for impromptu and b. he knew nothing about it. I was hanging around, so I told him everything I knew. And the one thing I drilled him on-stacatto-was one of the choices he got. That alone was pretty cool, but the way he incorporated it into a speech was pure genius. I really wanted him to qualify and I know he wanted to. I don't understand why he didn't. Also, he and his partner didn't qualify in team debate, either. So performance-driven Will was pretty sad.

I don't think any of us were expecting them to qualify in duo. It was the first duo Will's brother had ever done. It was well done, but there was really stiff competion. I liked it, though, and I hope they do one together next year.

And as for the hypothetical challenge:

The first person (the one who was trying to make friends with the other person first) is now feeling bad because the second person doesn't seem to fit in with the intended friend & co. But the second person is still trying their dead-level best to make friends out of the first person's intended friend. Even though the first person told the second person exactly how they felt about competition for friends, the second person is miserable because *gasp* now there's competition.

a. What should the first person say when the second person says, "There's competition!"?
b. How should the first person deal with the second person's tenacity in trying to be friends with the first person's intended friend?

--<-@

Thanks!

Out,

~EA