Four large rubber tubs hold hours of work, thousands of rebuttals, topic proof, researched answers, archived articles and a mountain of collaborated efforts.

These four tubs, which Oak Harbor High School debate coach Todd Moore said contain more research than a graduate student would gather for their master’s thesis, hold months worth of work done by Oak Harbor High School juniors Robby White, 17, and David Thompson, 16.

As Oak Harbor High School’s debate team, White and Thompson recently took all this research to a national debate competition in Philadelphia.

Moore and the debate team left to nationals June 11. This is White’s second year at nationals and Thompson’s first.

“This is my first year debating at this level,” Thompson said. “And debating at this caliber and level — it’s got a little bit of pressure.”

White said this year’s debate topic is “whether or not the U.S. government should support United Nation peace keeping operations.”

White said in a debate event, teams participate in six rounds; three of which they debate in support of the issue and three of which they debate against.

Each team is judged after each round and their points are added up. After the sixth round, low scoring teams are eliminated.

“Last year we missed advancing by one round — we missed clearing by one ballot,” White said.

This year, both team members say they hope to do better. The team has been preparing since July of 2004.

The Oak Harbor debate team is competing as part of the 500 debate teams attending nationals, six of which are from Washington.

Of these 500 teams, only 32 teams enter the elimination rounds, and then the number is cut in half each round after that.

Moore said the last time a Washington State team won debate nationals was in 1986.

White said debate teams are judged on arguments, clarity, organization, proof or evidence; and strict adherence to time limits. He said judges also watch team presentation and have an eye and an ear out for clothing neatness, behavior, and pre and post debate humor, comments, language and gestures.

“We talk really fast,” White said. “The best are fast and clear — 400 words a minute, and that’s not an exaggeration.”

He added that debaters are like auctioneers, only understandable.

Moore, who has been involved in debate for 21 years and coaching for 11, said debate students are known to go on to do big things and many become involved in politics.

Moore said as a debate coach, he feels the responsibility that comes with equipping individuals with the tools to wield power, and the advice he gives his students is to use these tools wisely and for the benefit of the community.

But at present, White and Thompson weren’t thinking of using their acquired debate skills for anything other than attempting to win nationals.

“I hope to finish out this season strong and make an impression at nationals,” Thompson said.