'It was an adventure of a lifetime' said six debaters from the Bermuda debate Society (BDS) recently returned from a competition in South Korea for High School Parliamentary debating.

Adam Kiki-Charles, 18, Blake Sonnenfeld, 15, Sasha Slayton, 16, reserve member, Jacari Brimmer-Landy, 15, all of Saltus Grammar School and Michelle Kelly, 16, of Mount Saint Agnes Academy and Aliyyah Ahad, 16, of Bermuda High School for Girls, formed the Bermudian muscle squad.

During the very first round Bermuda crushed Mongolia by 3-0, which served as a confidence-booster if there was any trepidation among the group in the presence of some big names.

The World School Debating Championships (WSDC) commenced on July 4, with around 50 countries represented by teams of five per nation converging on the city of Seoul for the 12-day tournament in the heart of South Korea, conducted in English.

In a total of eight rounds over the course of four days involving tough competition, Bermuda won three and placed 23rd out of 35 teams.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette, Adam Kiki-Charles, captain, in his second time attending the WSDC, hosted in a different country each year, told of the first-hand experiences that most on the Island can only read about.

Most significant, was the group's field trip to the infamous demilitarised zone that splits the north from south, which really left an impression in the youngsters' hearts and minds.

They were transported by bus to the site, officially referred to as the 38th Parallel North, but for security reasons, were only allowed to view the border from about a half-mile distance atop a summit.

"I thought the Korean people were wonderful," Adam explained, "and even if they didn't speak English most of them were really interested in finding out where we were from.

"We had one experience when we walked into a shop and a Korean lady that couldn't speak English, pulled out a map and basically said 'this is South Korea, this is Canada, where is Bermuda?' "She was very interested and excited and I thought that was pretty cool.

"Reflecting on my stance, I think that my confidence during the tournament progressed throughout and having gone to the WSDC before, I think I was a little more confident than the first time.

"And, I really think that our team showed a lot of improvement as opposed to the last time we competed — I can't really explain it, but I feel we came across as a stronger team this time."

He described the extraordinary flying time it took to reach their destination, first flying from Bermuda to New York and then a 14-hour flight to the Asian rim that was alleviated by watching movies and playing video games.

"We were well-prepared thanks to many hours of studying for the four preliminary rounds and four impromptu ones," Adam added.

"One thing I found interesting and unexpected that came up during our first debate rounds was the topic of models and whether or not they should be allowed to be employed if they are below a 'healthy' weight."

BDS president Jennifer Haworth and Trevor Leitch, its treasurer and main coach, accompanied the local faction, acting as chaperones.

The BDS — a registered charity and the Island's umbrella organisation for debate — meet every Wednesday afternoon to train and familiarise interested youth in the art and skills of debate.

BDS has been sending a delegation of four or five senior students, their coach and a judge to the WSDC for more than 15 years and Bermuda even hosted the WSDC in 1997.

Those interested in joining can do so by logging on to www.debate.bm or by e-mailing Jennifer Haworth at jhaworth@logic.bm.