Do you get into an argument at least once a day?

Do you like to be right all the time?

If you enjoy arguing and winning, you are in luck.

The free speech intramural competition in MS-222 at noon on Nov. 18 provides opportunities to win scholarships and prizes doing what you love.

Dan Scott, co-chair of the communication arts department and the coach of the debate team, said that the free speech competition is an “event for students with very little experience to actually function in a competitive environment and have the opportunity to compete against other students of similar preparation level.”

Scott said that about 100 to 150 people attend the competition, including students, competitors and judges.

During the intramural competition, each student receives four to six minutes of speech time and is guaranteed to present a speech in the first two rounds and potentially a third time in the finals.

There will be a break between each round where pizza and drinks will be provided in MS-220.

Scott started the intramural competition 11 years ago.

“When I was hired, Tony Cantu [former president] had mentioned that he would like to have an intramural program,” Scott said. “We hadn’t had one for quite a while.”

When Scott was a student at Fresno City College in 1994 to 1995, the college had intramural competition.

“When I came back as an instructor in 2005, during that 10-year, gap it went away somewhere,” Scott said.

Scott said that when he was hired, he was greatly encouraged to bring back the intramurals.

“I remember what it did for me as a student,” he said. “It gave me this opportunity to compete in an academic event which I had never been exposed to before.”

Scott also credits Cyndie Luna, co-chair of communication arts and co-coordinator of the event with a lot of the program’s success.

The top three participants in each category will receive a plaque while all competitors will receive a certificate of participation.

The top three competitors will each earn scholarship prizes, with the winner getting $75, the runner up getting $50, and third place getting $25. The top three will also be invited to the end-of-the-year competition in May during which both semesters’ winners will square off.

Scott ended with “It’s good for students to be exposed to the idea that they can be competitive in academics and have that opportunity to see what it’s like, it’s a cool and fun event.”