Cooper’s Connor Brynteson Back-to-Back State Debate Champion
You can’t argue against one senior at Robbinsdale Cooper High School, well at least not easily.
Connor Brynteson is a back-to-back state debate champion in the congressional debate format.
Cooper High School Student Connor Brynteson is a State Debate Champion.
Officials say that feat has never happened before in the history of the Minnesota State High School League Debate Tournament.
Not only does the talented debater have an impressive record, but he also has a special connection to his debate coach.
A History with Cooper Debate
Long before attending Cooper High School in New Hope as a student, Senior Connor Brynteson was there for debate.
“There was a joke that when I first went here I knew everything about the building because we have a debate tournament at Cooper every year and I helped run for the tournament,” said Connor.
As a youth, Connor would run papers back and forth for judges, and help hand out awards to debate champions, never knowing that someday he would walk away with a couple of big awards himself.
“Debate has made me who I am. Debate has helped me understand how I am as a person and how I should approach different topics,” said Connor.
Connor got his start at debate thanks to his parents and learned he liked it a lot.
“I really like the competitive aspect of it,” Connor said. “It may not sound like the most competitive thing ever, but when you get really into debate, you get really into debate, and you want to do well.”
Not only did he want to do well for himself, but his Dad who began coaching him in 8th grade.
“You know that he’s there. You know that he’s in the room,” said Connor.
As a coach and a dad, DJ says he knows the hard work Connor’s put in to win consecutive championships.
“It wasn’t very long after he won as a junior, he realized that this year, his senior year, is going to be even harder. Everyone would be gunning for that position, there’s something great about beating the state champion,” said DJ. “The pressure was higher, harder the second time around, he had to work, you know, twice as hard.”
Coming home from the win, Connor got some well-earned bragging rights.
Debate champion award for Cooper High School student Connor Brynteson.
“After I won, I used the state champion line about every one and three sentences,” said Connor.
And the time he’s been able to spend with his dad has also been a win.
“It’s definitely brought us closer,” said Connor.
And that’s not up for debate.
Connor is also the Student Council President and National Honor Society Vice President at Cooper High School where he also participates in track and marching band. Cooper plans to attend St. John’s University in St. Cloud where he says he would like to be a debate coach.
For CCX News, Sarah Alain.
Cooper High School
