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In the fall of 1999, two brash, ego-driven loudmouths came to Williams because they were turned down by their Ivy League schools of choice. They each had successful, yet ultimately unfulfilling speech careers in high school: Joe Gallagher '03 was a star extemper from New York who was still steamed about not being in the NFL final round of foreign extemp, and Mike Pinkel '03 came ''this close'' to being the best mock trial attorney in the country. Over the course of that year, the two became fast friends and permanent debating partners. Developing skills that would serve him throughout his entire debate career (being aloof, MO dumping, hoarding points, ignoring time, setting up false dichotomies), Mike snatched the title of Novice of the Year in 1999 in a hard-fought battle with Beth O'Connor of Yale. Joe often wondered why he didn't take up drinking then and there.
To describe the team under Pinkel and Gallagher as "laid back" gives almost too much credit to stoners around the world. After cursory efforts to help mold bright young minds like Neil Anderson '04, Dan Bahls '04, and Peter Deutsch '04 into lean, mean, debating machines, the two of them gave up and fled to the rainy confines of Oxford for their junior year. Upon their return to the US, neither really wanted to debate all that often. In fact, neither really left campus save to buy expensive bottles of scotch (a habit picked up in England). However, the efforts of Matthew Kugler '05 and the unbelivable potential of Amanda Whiting and Heather Casteel '06 eventually convinced them to take a slightly more active role on the team. The two seniors went to a few tournaments and did well for themselves, and to this day have fond memories of their last ever APDA round against Jessee Jesse Alexander-Hoeppner and Andy Tirrell of Columbia. Columbia won.
It was was Whiting who people began to associate with Williams. She was usually seen debating with her longtime boyfriend and 2003 NOTY, Cornell's Adam Bonnifield—until she too was drawn overseas for the 2004-2005 season. The team is looks forward to the day when unknown gifted Williams debaters of the future can reclaim the respect earned by legends like Willenken, Kravis and Wiygul lost during the ignominy of the Pinkel-Gallagher era.
==Schedule==
The team has meetings, which are preceded by team dinners, twice a week in Paresky 220. Usually meetings consist of a practice round in preparation for upcoming tournaments.
==See also==
* [http://www.apdaweb.org/ APDA Web]
* The [http://wso.williams.edu/orgs/debate/ Debate Team website]
* [http://williamscollegedebate.googlepages.com the previous website]
