ABOVE: Thor Olson, Cooper Gudahl, Belinda Lutterman and Leon Yang stand together as a team. Lutterman and Yang made it to the top eight varsity at state finals for the first time in Fairmont history. Olson and Gudahl made it to the top 16 novices at state, making it the first time in Fairmont history two teams advanced to the elimination rounds.

FAIRMONT – With two duos making it to the top 16 and one making it to the top eight, the Fairmont Cardinals debate team broke school records at the state debate competition last weekend at Two Rivers High School in Mendota Heights.

Senior Belinda Lutterman and Junior Leon Yang were in the varsity division and made it to the quarterfinals, while Senior Cooper Gudahl and Freshman Thor Olson, both in their first year of debate, made it to the top 16 in the novice division.

State debate has no divisions besides varsity and novice, meaning both duos had to go up against the best of the best from all areas of the state to make it to their finishing positions.

Heading into the season, Lutterman said she and Yang had the goal coming in to break into elimination rounds as no one had ever done so. Gudahl said his and Thor’s motivations were slightly different as they were in their first years.

“It was definitely about having as much fun as we could in debate,” he said. “I ended up getting partnered with Thor, which was amazing, and we had a lot of fun at every tournament we went to. We kind of just went to the state tournament with the idea that we were going to make the best out of it, and ended up doing pretty good.”

Lutterman and Yang had previously teamed up two years ago, when both of them were on JV debate. By having that experience, Yang said they had an edge over previous years competing at state.

“Having that experience going into this season definitely helped our cooperation and how we work together,” he said. “In addition, we’ve both grown from that time when we were partners two years ago, individually as well, handling debate and sorting the arguments in our head.”

With fresh eyes for the whole thing, Olson said the state tournament is functionally chaotic, but organized.

“There’s a lot of teams running around,” he said. “You have more stakes due to the whole elimination rounds.”

Coaches Kathleen and Erik Walker could not physically be there, even so, Lutterman said Erik Walker was always there when she had questions and had been a fantastic mentor throughout the season.

“He’s really good at what he does,” she said. “He has so much knowledge in how debate works. If we could be a fraction as good at understanding arguments as Mr. Walker, we were able to find a lot of success because of it. He spends a lot of time helping us gather a large base of research. He’s read more on this topic than probably anyone, and he really dives in and becomes an expert on it so he can explain things to us.”

Gudahl and Lutterman are both seniors. With Gudahl having just entered the sport in his senior year and Lutterman there for four, they had their own takeaways for what debate gave them moving forward.

“I’m really glad that I did,” Gudahl said. “Not only will it help me learn how to argue better in the future and how to critically think, but it taught me about a whole new group of people that I never thought I would involve myself with, and how to be more open to that type of stuff.”

“Debate really taught me how to see things from different perspectives,” Lutterman said. “It requires you to dig critically into evidence and be willing and perceptive to not only understand both sides of an argument, but be able to argue for that point. It makes conversations regarding contentious issues easier for me to navigate.”

For Yang and Olson, this experience has given them the opportunity to re-evaluate what they want from debate moving forward.

“I’m always looking to take it to the next level,” Yang said. “I hope to break into finals next year.”

“I want to hopefully crack semi-finals,” Olson said. “I’m never expecting a big win, because I know my limits. I am not the best arguer in the world. If there’s one thing I hope is to get semi-finals or even crack finals and win it.”

By being part of a record-breaking endeavor, Yang emphasized the importance of establishing a legacy by paraphrasing Kamala Harris.

“I didn’t fall out of a coconut tree,” he said. “I exist in the context of all those who came before me. It’s great to pass on the legacy of all the teammates that gave me the confidence to be who I am. I’m really grateful I was able to make their effort valuable.”