The 2025 UIL State Cross-Examination topic was released in June of 2024 and reads as such: “The United States federal government should significantly strengthen its protection of domestic intellectual property rights in copyrights, patents, and/or trademarks.”
The topic reads as more than a mouthful, and it will be debated, deconstructed and cross-examined over and over again by 64 teams within each classification (1A to 6A) at the University of Texas at Austin from March 17 to 22.
Juniors and siblings Kyle and Tiffany Zheng are representing Edna at the UIL Cross-Examination State Meet after placing first in February at the Boling District Meet, and they are ready to compete, armed with tons of intellect, mental stamina, and arguments.
“It can be heady stuff, but as I say with every topic, once you get into it and start learning the ins and outs, it becomes regular knowledge,” said Mark Ruiz, debate coach at EHS for two years, who also teaches Spanish level one.
“I know they’re going to do great because their work ethic is unmatched, and it’s with everything they do, not just debate,” Ruiz continued. “I think it sparked a little increased productivity from the
see ZHENG CROSSEXAMINATION on page A11 rest of the team too, they could see first-hand what it takes to win.”
Last school year was the first time debate was a class, and they started late in researching the topic. Tiffany said they only had two weeks to prepare, but they still achieved two EHS firsts: Kyle finished in the top ten of the Lincoln-Douglas debate, which is one-on-one, and they had a team qualify as an alternate to state.
This school year they started researching the topic last summer, nearly nonstop since the topic was released, which is a must in order to be prepared. Kyle said once September rolled around, they were researching, finding evidence and extensions during after- school practices.
“Then we’d do individual work on our own, like constructing and writing arguments, getting more evidence and constructing our case,” Tiffany said.
Kyle is the first speaker of the two. “I normally set up the framework of the debate and then she pulls it through.”
Tiffany nodded. “I take his arguments and repeat them in my speech and add more, so it also lays out the groundwork for his next speech. So we just add on top of each other.”
So then as a pair, the co-captain Zhengs achieved another EHS first by placing first at the 2024 District Meet and qualifying for state.
Ruiz said the rounds at state are labor-intensive, and each span an hour and a half. The Zhengs will debate for three rounds before their first break. That’s four and a half hours of hard work before they can exhale for a moment.
The 64 teams are then whittled down to the sweet sixteen.
“If they’re hitting top competition and using every second of their time while executing at a high level, it can be exhausting,” Ruiz explained. “By the end of the day, they’re just: ‘feed me and take me home.’” Kyle said they both expect it to be mentally straining, and they’ve been building stamina.
“You just have to go into every round with an open mind,” he said. “And every person you meet, you know they’re going to be competition, but you meet them afterwards and you get to know them and it’s fun.”
Tiffany said meeting other teams calms them down a bit because it turns into a friendly rivalry, and it helps them get into the right headspace to go into the next round.
“Plus, we have strategies,” she said. “His stuff is already prepared and it’s the same in every round. That allows me the time to get ready for my next speech, depending on what our opponents are running and what arguments they bring up.”
Both Kyle and Tiffany have big goals for next year and are looking for some patrons to help them reach the Harvard National Speech and Debate Tournament in Massachusetts. As they spoke of it the two glanced at Ruiz with hopeful eyes.
“That is their dream,” Ruiz said. “It’s held every year during President’s Day weekend...so if anyone is reading this article and would like to donate to their cause, we’d gladly take any donations to support them.”
Hint, hint. Kyle and Tiffany’s parents are Xiufeng Zheng and Wanyuan Lin. The siblings also play percussion for EHS; Kyle is the Drum Captain and Tiffany is the Drum Major.
Ruiz had one thing to add. “We’re so grateful to the administration, we didn’t have a program and they started it mid-season. They’ve supported us with this brand new program and we’re blazing a trail,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting since what they’ve done as a solo debater and a team are firsts, and we could not have done it without the administration’s support. We’re very grateful for that.”
The new debate team will have some big shoes to fill in the 2026 school year, but the Zhengs and Ruiz are doing everything they can to prepare them and continue blazing a trail.
