BEST Foundation Hosts its Largest Coach Training to Date
From October 8th to 10th, the BEST Foundation hosted a Speech & Debate Coach Training at Park Hotel Moskva. The training, which gathered 41 total coaches, marks the first multi-day training event for coaches in the Foundation’s history. Due to the largess of Fulbright Bulgaria, whose sponsorship allowed the training to expand, coaches were able to engage in in-depth conversations about competition categories, piece selection, and the fundamentals of leading a successful BEST team. This year’s team coaches include experienced Bulgarian teachers who are returning coaches, new Fulbright American English teachers, as well as Bulgarian high school students.
During the training, coaches were treated to live performances by former and current BEST competitors in the Duo, Prose, and Poetry categories. When reflecting on the weekend, Sophia Brewer-Thompson, a new coach in Gabrovo, spoke to how impressed she was by the quality of the performances and the impact that they have had on the students:
“The emotion and eloquence with which [a student] executed his poetry performance demonstrated the profound effect BEST has had on his high school experience and comfort with public speaking. I was shocked to hear that he was shy growing up and was extremely impressed with how much he was able to open up with his performance.” ––Sophia, Gabrovo
In addition to student performances, the event also featured prominent guest speakers including AUBG professor Dr. Olga Nikolova, whose workshop on Poetry Interpretation gave coaches hands-on opportunities to analyze and perform poems, and even compete in a mini competition themselves. After winning the challenge, Dimitrovgrad coach Malique Brunner explained how she used the exercise as an opportunity to empathize with her students:
“I never thought I was going to do poetry this weekend as it’s always been something I would watch other people do rather than partake in myself. But then I realized something: I tell my students every day that I would rather them create and partake . . . rather than just watch someone else on a screen. I needed to follow my own example.” ––Malique, Dimitrovgrad
The weekend concluded with advice from experienced judge and active member of the BEST community, Chris Totten, whose hybrid session detailed his experiences judging Debate, a category that many of this year’s Fulbright ETA coaches are personally invested in, having formerly competed in it themselves in America.
Although many of the coaches who attended training are inheriting pre-existing teams, this year, a number of coaches also attended with the goal of establishing new teams at their schools. One of them, Adalyne Cummins, a Fulbright ETA in Burgas, shared how training bolstered her excitement for expanding the BEST community:
“As a new coach building a new team, I left training feeling not only more prepared, but also completely energized to take on the challenge for what is bound to be a fantastic season. This may be our first year participating in BEST but get ready––my team will be putting their best foot forward.” ––Adalyne, Burgas
The coaches will be joining their teams at the Fall Regional Tournaments on November 12th through 14th (West) and November 26th through 28th (East).
About The BEST Foundation
BEST stands for Bulgarian English Speech and Debate Tournaments. Established in 2013, BEST provides the English-language learners of Bulgaria an opportunity to come together and pursue personal growth through English language speech and debate. BEST aims to empower students to think critically, express themselves creatively, and create a dynamic community that truly cares about the success and the future of Bulgaria. BEST is proud to provide a platform for English-language speech and debate for students across the country.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Petar Donchev: assistant.director@bestfoundation.bg
