“I had to be standing on chairs so I could be at the height of the lectern in front of me,” shared Ronaldhino, who is arguably now hooked to the activity, with years of experience and accolades to his name.

The Jamaican Association for Debating and Empowerment (JADE) will next year bring the Pan American University Debating Championship (PanAm UDC) to Jamaican shores. The competition, which involves top universities from North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean, is a regional spin-off of the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC).

“It is a tremendous feeling, and a fantastic achievement,” said the duo’s coach, Germaine O Barrett, who is founder and executive director of Jamaican Association for Debating and Empowerment Limited (JADE), a non-profit organisation located in St Andrew.