In mid April, when Last Chance is around the corner, the manifest of exchange students for the following year is released by the parish office to school personnel. However, under no circumstances should the list be made public until such time the parish office deems appropriate. Flo is summoned to the principal's office regarding Last Chance two days before the withdrawal deadline:
"What is the meaning of this? You had us enter Last Chance?" an angry Marianne asks Flo, believing that two Nats berths in Rod and Stacey are enough trouble for her as it is.
"Last Chance itself is free so long as we abide by its rules! It's the first time I take part in it as a coach! Francisco and Tania both finaled at the district qualifier but failed to clinch a Nats berth!" Flo retorts.
"Do you realize that other schools all over southwest Louisiana, and maybe even state-wide, envy us by now? My old workplace was pitied instead!"
"The only thing we could be envied for state-wide is mathletics. Notwithstanding Trillian having choked at the USAMO this year. In the Louisiana debate world, it's more like a class dynamic. We carry the hopes of the state's Title I schools, as well as southwest Louisiana irrespective of their Title I status" Flo then asks a question, doubting that other schools across the region would envy VA without fielding a team in a specific activity. "How do you know that we are envied by other schools for achievements in activities they cannot or otherwise don't engage in?"
All the parish asked for at the time was five years of experience as a teacher, and any experience as an administrator, especially at Title I schools, was a plus, Marianne is reminded of what the parish asked for in a principal.
"Sometimes I visit other schools in the region, especially for football or basketball away games. And I do meet with other schools' staff, such as when the parish office had all the principals in the parish attend a workshop on J-one requirements for host schools"
Such as what is required for a DS-2019 to be issued by the host school to the exchange student, and what is required of the host school once the students arrive.
"Just back-tracking a bit. We might be the envy of the Title I world, but why would four berths to the national debate championship be worse than two, other than for costs?" Flo asks her principal, suspecting that Marianne might ask the VAs to withdraw from Last Chance.
"It's more than just costs. It's about our relations with other communities!" Marianne shouts at her.
"You must understand the following: for so many in southwest Louisiana, outside of this town anyway, education and intelligence aren't valued that much, and hence their communities don't put much of a value on a Nats or HSNCT berth. And therefore remain confined to school personnel. As far back as when I was a student here, we kept clinching HSNCT berths and out-of-parish schools without an established rivalry were indifferent to that! What it could do is increase existing rivalries' virulence, but not ignite new ones!" Flo raises her voice.
"But yes, the costs of sending two more players to Nats are pretty high, so get Francisco and Tania to withdraw from Last Chance!"
"There's no guarantee either one will get to the quarterfinals at Last Chance! Don't act as if it was a foregone conclusion just because they went to the quarterfinals at Stanford!"
And even if either one made it to the quarterfinals at Last Chance, they would need to be in the top sixteen quarterfinalists to qualify, Flo starts thinking about what her players would need to achieve at Last Chance to clinch Nats berths.
"Should both players clinch Nats berths, what do you propose to cut next year, then?" Marianne shows Flo the tentative budget for next year.
"I propose that we postpone any budget discussions until the end of Last Chance!" Flo tries to pitch a compromise. "By then, the real amount to cut, if any, will be known!"
My old workplace, while underfunded, would not have a team begging for money to fund additional Nats berths. The five teams (football, basketball, cheerleading, band and theater) would be fighting over money to pay for necessities, Marianne is then trying to formulate a counter-offer to Flo.
"My previous workplace would be unable to even clinch one Nats berth, so be lucky that we even have Nats berths! So stop arguing and try to make up for the shortfall after Last Chance!"
"Thus far, you make it sound like your old workplace is some underfunded school with an underperforming student body!" Flo points at her observations. "You once deemed the debate team to be worth supporting!"
"I still do, we just don't have any cash left!"
Underperforming student bodies are a recipe for disaster in debates. I try to imagine what Wattpad High's debate team calendar would be like: the Love Triangles (an unofficial fight song contains references to love triangles, even though it's not the actual team name) would only be able to attend tournaments in the metro area, or online ones, Marianne then lets a comment slip to Flo:
"I worked so hard for years to make this place better than Wattpad High!" Marianne shouts back at Flo.
"Wattpad High?" an incredulous Flo gasps upon asking the question. "Is Wattpad High even real? I feel like it's a codename for some underfunded, underperforming Title I charter school!"
And probably not in Texas, since her old workplace's football stadium is in worse condition than the Jerry Simmons Stadium; even underfunded Texan Title I charter schools would tend to lavish financial attention to their football team and field, as well as do so at the expense of all other extracurriculars! Provided it even has a football team in the first place! Flo is left wondering where Marianne used to work prior to coming to VA. However, despite my disagreements with her about the debate team and foreign exchange students, Marianne isn't completely bad as a principal... Honestly, knowing the schools in this state, I don't think I'm going to get anything remotely close to the level of interest and support for debate anywhere else in the state.
"What would Wattpad High conjure in your mind?" Marianne asks her.
"A school whose strongest academic area is STEM and has a strong track record in placing students in electric engineering?" Flo answers, oblivious to what Wattpad even is.
"You're completely off base on that count. I assume you're not familiar with indie literature platforms..."
"Is Wattpad one such platform?"
"Yes. Please, do your research on this indie literature platform's history, especially as to what kind of works dominated, and then you would have a better understanding of what kind of dysfunctional school I used to work at"
"Before I do so, though, I'm furious about your lack of consistency about your stance on Last Chance as well as your obsession with foreign exchange students!" Flo lashes out at Marianne, after this entire discussion about Last Chance veered way off course, and her face getting red.
"By now you must have realized that everyone benefits with the infusion of fresh, new perspectives that we get on the foreign exchange student markets!"
Tensions have never been higher between Florence and Marianne, and both hope that this dispute over Last Chance would be resolved satisfactorily. Especially when the crux of the dispute appears rooted in the payment of the costs of having Francisco and Tania attend Nats should they clinch berths at Last Chance. Speaking of costs, Flo's best estimate for getting them to compete at Nats includes entry fees, transportation and meals, but no extra lodging costs since they already planned on booking two rooms within the hotel block in the host city.
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"We're not at this Wattpad High of yours, regardless of whether this place is actually named as such, or even if it's a codename for a real school fraught with issues, where foreign exchange students could fill the most critical academic holes in the student body! Next year's FES must not be used specifically for that purpose! However, I'm in the dark about that" Flo whines about VA's foreign exchange student situation for next year.
"You know what? I'll let the team compete, but you're on the hook for any costs incurred as a result of Last Chance, either in terms of fines or in terms of Nats berths!" an exasperated Marianne realizes she wasted a lot of time dealing with Flo and Last Chance. "And it may even result in the loss of roster spot availability for next season!"
"Fine... I just want Last Chance to be in the afternoon announcement and, if possible, with the players in it delivering the announcement about it"
Ouch. I will ask for help from the booster club only after Last Chance, but there's something crazy going on with Marianne: she could punish us in the future for our successes in the present, Flo sighs upon leaving the office, and also realizing that they will be able to compete at Last Chance as scheduled.
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The following day, as the first afternoon class starts, the announcement about Last Chance is delivered, with the two players in the principal's office. But never did the debate team announce an upcoming tournament to the student body this far in advance.
"Good afternoon, Venomous Agendas: with the approval from the administration, the debate team is going to compete at Last Chance starting next Thursday! I, Tania Hébert, will compete in original oratory" Tania hands off to Francisco.
"This is Francisco Vargas. Please note that, for original oratory, as well as international extemp, in which I compete, the top sixteen competitors will qualify for the national debate championship!" They then return quietly to their classrooms.
"Good luck to our debaters at Last Chance!" Marianne wishes the pair.
For speech competitors, Last Chance proper actually starts on a Friday night. Once the announcement ends, however, Flo overhears a few students taking wagers on who will go on to earn Nats berths out of Last Chance.
"Je parie mon argent du dîner pour toute la durée de la Dernière Chance que les deux vont se qualifier!" (I bet my lunch money for the entire duration of Last Chance that both will qualify!) one of the best students in AP French bets on Last Chance with his classmates.
"Je gage dix dollars qu'ils n'iront pas aux Nationaux!" (I bet ten dollars they won't go to Nats!) another student, within earshot of a debater, places a bigger bet, assuming Last Chance to take place over two school days and the weekend.
The debater next to the bettors raises his hand, seeing the wagers around him get out of hand, which causes the gamblers to get caught. Flo approaches the wager takers, wanting to open a parimutuel pool for Last Chance:
"A-ha! Vous êtes pris à parier la main dans le sac!" (You're caught red-handed gambling!) Flo then takes the two would-be bookmakers to the principal's office.
The two students dread getting pulled out of class for a trip to the principal's office. Which is synonymous with punishment to the eyes of the student body. When the trio enters the office, Flo can tell the principal is unhappy with the students:
"I caught these students gambling! Over Last Chance of all things!" Flo states the rationale.
"They took bets on Last Chance, you say? They will be suspended out-of-school for the entire duration of Last Chance!" Marianne then fills out their notices of suspension and sends them back to class.
I never expected Last Chance to draw any kind of gambling charges! Spring sports maybe, but these kids who were just punished were honor students. I have no choice but to call their parents, Marianne is made to feel like allowing the VAs to compete at Last Chance was a bad idea, regardless of outcome. When she calls the parents of the first would-be bookmaker to inform them of their punishments:
"Hi, this is the principal of Venomous Agendas High, I am calling about your child, who was caught taking bets during the AP French class" Marianne announces to the parent.
"WHAT?" a surprised parent gasps upon hearing about the gambling infraction the child committed in class. "What did my child take bets on?"
"Last Chance"
"Last Chance?" a clueless parent asks and gasps. "What the hell is Last Chance? Some sort of sports tournament?"
While some VA fans still follow VA sports, by this point in the semester, none of the VAs' spring teams made it into their respective state tournaments. Marianne then explains what Last Chance is, who are the VA speakers in the tournament and any other information she feels the parent needs to understand what's happening to their child.
"Let me get this straight: my son got suspended out-of-school for two days next week because he took bets on some inter-state debate tournament?" the cold, hard truth of their son's punishment hits the parent like a ton of bricks.
"Exactly. But since it's his first serious offense, I delayed the suspension a little"
I can't believe my own son would do this: he was a sweet boy, he was normally well-behaved, he wasn't the kind to eat suspensions in the face like this. Nor would people even bet on debate tournaments! The clueless parent ruminates, wondering what could have pushed him to take bets on Last Chance.
"When?" a visibly annoyed parent asks, in a tone of voice that leaves no doubt as to their state of mind.
"Next Thursday and Friday, that is, during the opening rounds of Last Chance itself" Marianne answers the final question of the first offender's parent before she calls the second offender's parents.
I swear, Last Chance has been nothing but trouble! I hope Francisco and Tania clinching Nats berths are worth the trouble Last Chance has brought! Marianne seems to have some dark thoughts before calling the second set of parents. Which doesn't seem as surprised as the first parent was.
And yet, the local community proves divided in the lead-up to both Last Chance and the Vans Math Contest, the latter being the mathletic season closer. For some reason, there seemed to be some requests from some members of the community to watch their own favorites play during Last Chance. The willing takers are even ready to contribute towards the team's costs of these students attending Nats.
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On Friday afternoon the following week, before Francisco and Tania compete at Last Chance, the entire team is assembled for one last meeting regarding their game plan after Last Chance:
"The sale of Last Chance tickets hasn't brought us much more than the game against DCC did. So right now, we have raised five hundred dollars towards getting Francisco and Tania to Nats. We will need to beg money at the grocery store and/or at church, try to approach local businesses for sponsorship, especially if ours win at Last Chance!" Flo then lets the students think of other fundraising ideas.
"The past two weeks have been stressful for all of us. It's only the third time we attend Last Chance in school history. We only attended if we were in a strong enough position to qualify whoever entered" Steven harangues the players. "There comes a day where we might lose faith in our season. However, today is not this day. Today, and this weekend, we carry the hopes of not only southwest Louisiana, but also of the entire Title I world on the debate floor!"
"Down with DCC!" Stacey shouts, while keeping tabs on the LD field.
"Stacey, do I need to remind you that we aren't doing LD at Last Chance?" Rod scolds his teammate, before the rest of the team goes to the library to review the material for their final exams.
And, of course, Francisco is in an adjacent room to prepare for the extemp draw, which takes place thirty minutes before the round starts. For the first round, the organizers saw fit to have the contestants play in alphabetical order of their last names.
Whereas Francisco's strong performance in international extemp at Stanford gave him some hope that he would probably have a chance to make it to the top 16, Tania, on the other hand, was much more consistent as the season went on.
Then, the people who attend these sessions where VA games at Last Chance are being played mostly find that Francisco is the more educational of the two. And thus draw more of the townsfolk, who preferred to be listening to different topics for each new round over just listening in on Tania yakking about the need for medically accurate sex ed, round in, round out.
The computer lab where extemp games are held ended up being too small for the playoff rounds, so, for the playoff rounds, the extemp games are moved to the band room.
Yet, over the course of the weekend, the VAs get their hopes up that one of these two players would make it to Nats. Right until the very last moment, during the quarterfinals. Francisco's turn to go into cross-ex arrives as he starts questioning his opponent...
What's going on here? Having played with teammates whose aggressiveness is put to use in cross-ex, it's very tempting to him to be aggressive when he questions opponents in the few rounds with cross-ex! Steven starts feeling like Francisco is about to squander an entire season's efforts in three short minutes by being too aggressive in cross-ex, even though he isn't judging the game. This can become even more heartbreaking than Daisy in LD triple-octos at Last Chance nine years ago!
Once the round ends for both Francisco and Tania, both wait patiently for their results in their respective game rooms. They tremble like leaves, knowing their entire season is on the line based on one single round.
After Flo is done judging her own round, she then checks on the status of both international extemp and original oratory to see where both VA players lie. And, of course, she closed her video feed before doing so.
"Estie d'extempeur international! Francisco lost in the quarterfinals! Now, for Tania..." Flo shouts in her own room, while looking at Francisco's results first because they were released first. "Tania finished tenth"
Damn it... this year has been a wakeup call for me, in that "rental players" in debate, under the form of foreign exchange students, have their limits, not the least being the learning curve. I will not attempt to court anyone specific from next year's exchange students; if they want to play, by all means, they should play, though, Flo seems to have an epiphany while she writes the press release regarding Last Chance's outcomes. Tania qualifies but Francisco doesn't.