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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, March 19, 2015 | 22 Appleby student has argued his way through the ranks by Melanie Cummings Special to the Beaver Jackson Gillard has argued his way to the top of the heap in the debating world. The Grade 11 student from Appleby College will represent Canada at the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship April 5-12 in Hong Kong. There he'll go head-to-head with an equally competitive bunch from more than a dozen other countries, including Australia, Lithuania and Zimbabwe. To earn one of the six spots on the national team Gillard had to do battle at the podium in Winnipeg last month with about 200 students from across the country. "My goal was to get to nationals," said the Burlington teen who joined the debate team at Appleby two years ago. "I didn't think internationals was possible for me." Gillard is expert at thinking fast on his feet and relishes the adrenalin rush of rapid-fire competition. Debating requires being able to put aside personal biases and tackle some pretty heady questions with logic. "It's amazing to have to look at both sides of an argument," said Gillard. Some of the questions he faced at the Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Wellness and Corrective Care for All Ages · Early morning, late evening and Saturday appointments available · Advanced computerized scans for spinal nerve stress We've helped people suffering with: Low back and neck pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, digestive nerves, disorders, breathing problems, osteoarthritis, pinched nerves, sciatica, infertility, allergies, poor posture and more. · Special interest in caring for infants and children · Pregnancy care · X-ray facilities on-site New patients welcome! T: 905-825-9529 · www.oakvillechiro.com 1500 Heritage Way, Unit 1, Oakville national competition asked: - Do international sporting events held in developing countries with rights abuses do more harm than good? (Gillard had to argue that they do more harm than good.) - Should 70 per cent of the incomes of the top one per cent go to charity? (Gillard's side was no, they shouldn't.) - Should Canada glorify war vets? (Gillard had to argue the negative side.) At the competition in Hong Kong he'll also have to give a 13-minute speech on a global issue. He doesn't know what the topic is yet. Gillard found his passion in public speaking in Grade 4, while attending Pineland Public School in Burlington. He came in third in the school's speech competition but more importantly developed a love of reasoned arguments. "I didn't do so well in competitions when I first started out," said Gillard. "I lost all of the debates I took on." That's when he started taking notes while watching some of the best debaters in the world. He paid more attention to what the judges were looking for and endeavoured to emulate those qualities while developing his own style. He also had to work through stage fright at the outset too, learning how to block out the audience, speak clearly without fumbling over his words and focus on his argument. A win is a combination of anecdotes and facts. Appleby College student Jackson Gillard, of Burlington, will be competing at the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship in Hong Kong this April. | photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver And to be a great debater, one needs to know a little about a lot, he said. Gillard is thankful for the Internet in helping to summarize complicated topics. To prepare for the world competition he'll practice by posing challenge questions to himself and see how quickly he can come up with an argument for each side within 30 minutes. He'll also meet with a coach one hour a week to fine-tune his skills. And dinnertime debates with his parents and sister are a great training ground too, said Gillard. "Practice makes perfect." 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