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Ryan was an inspiration as a debater and a human. He made me realize how far you can get by just being kind to everybody. Every interaction, every gesture, was just to make people feel welcome. He also wanted nothing more than to spread his knowledge. He was obviously an incredible debater and he did everything to have other people get better, too. From disclosing his casebook, his matter file, doing infinite lectures, every part of his debate mind is publicly available somewhere. It's often easy to feel like people don't leave much behind, but I can watch dozens of round recordings and read a bunch of cases and hear his voice. His presence on this league, even for people who never met him, is instrumental and can't be understated. I only knew him on an surface level, but his presence still was inspirational. From the way he debated to the way he acted, I strive to leave a legacy like Ryan did. We miss you Laffergoat.

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My favorite APDA round, (and also the first APDA round I ever saw on youtube) has always been Brown II Quarters 2024, and my favorite APDA speech has always been Ryan's glorious superMO. For me, Ryan's legacy is his endless breadth of knowledge and sophisticated approach to debating International Relations. It's a level of concise thought and efficiency that I can only hope to deploy a fraction of every time I debate. The league is lesser without you Ryan-- and yet we are eternally in your debt for the amount of resources you created and people you positively impacted.

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I’m still very much processing Ryan’s passing. He was truly one of the best people I have ever met. I always saw Ryan as a model of what genuine participation in debate could look like. He was so incredibly kind and approached both the activity and the people in it with such a unique curious mentality. I learned a lot about how to be a better person and debater from Ryan. I will cherish every moment I had the honor of sharing with him, but for now I’m devastated. We lost a good one. Rest in peace

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Ryan was one of the best friends I made in my time competitively debating. I got the chance to be there by his side (virtually) for his first ever university-level BP tournament win, and after that, we got the chance to debate together thrice.

Every time we went to a tournament together, we'd inevitably get food, I'd lean against his shoulder, and ask him what he thought of developments in international relations -- and would be entertained by extensive, detailed thoughts from military blogs I hadn't even thought to read. He'd tell Liz and I about the military strategy of Carl von Clausewitz; why helicopters don't work quite as well in mountainous regions; why El Salvador was unique in its mano dura-style policies working; and more.

He was there for us at tournaments when we needed help. One of my favorite memories is when he gave me his solitary Red Bull when I was exhausted and dehydrated on day 3 of Panama Worlds--and as soon as he made the final, I made sure to return the favor. I remember leaping and screaming with joy at the thought of our friend winning Worlds. I also remember all the times he took us in his car to anywhere we wanted to go, and all the times he swiped us into Dartmouth's dining hall if the tournament vegan option wasn't quite good enough. And wow, Liz, Ryan, and I have spent so many hours together on Zoom calls -- I can barely count them.

Last December, we hadn't talked in a few months -- but on my birthday, he quietly made a donation to the Humane League in my honor. I loved him as a friend, and whenever I told him (overly openly) that I loved him, he always told me he loved me too. I will always love him as a friend.

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Ryan was one of the funniest, smartest, and kindest people I ever met, and I still haven't managed to process this immense loss. He was the embodiment of the very best parts of being a debater and a human being. No matter how far along in my debate journey I was, and despite getting thrashed in all 7 rounds that I had the pleasure of debating against him, Ryan always had this natural aura that made me, and everyone else around him, feel as though we were spending our time on something meaningful. He was the first person who made me believe that this activity could be deeper than just an optimized game of talking fast.

Ryan's attitude towards debate is one I yearn to apply to the rest of my life. He was a trailblazer through and through. He convinced me and countless others with his tireless work and never ending generosity that the brilliant cases he made could be made by us too. After watching his 32nd 6 hour long lecture, he earnestly made you believe that anything was possible if you work hard with a kind heart. He always spoke of the endless power debate had to shape discourse, the need to care about the positions we defended, and the importance of learning more, both for and independent of debate. No one has, or ever will, possess what made Ryan such a brilliant speaker.

Even with such insane debate skill, it's telling of how good a person he was that my most vivid memories of Ryan are always out of round. Messenger chats where we would make similar jokes as our friends groaned at us, conversations over bagels where he would practice his stand up career ("A pie costs 3 dollars in Cuba, 4 dollars in the Dominican Republic, and 2 dollars in Haiti. That's the pie rates of the Carribean!"), and the thousandth rant about an obscure recording from 2013. He was such a funny person. He was such a kind person. The world is a colder place without him.

I miss you Ryan. May your soul find the tranquility it deserves. Rest in peace goat.

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I never knew Ryan personally, but in my junior year of high school, I found the resources, lectures, and matterfile that he kindly made publicly available. Over the span of the next few months, I spent more time studying debate and improving than I ever had before. His cases and simple explanations of convoluted topics like Econ made debate the most entertaining and accessible it had ever been for me. The availability of such a wealth of easily understandable resources kept me from burning out as I had in years past while skyrocketing in knowledge and technique.

I don't think Ryan ever knew who I was, but I wouldn't be where I am without his kindness. To this day, his "Debate File" is still my fourth Chrome bookmark.

Rest in peace, GOAT

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In all my time in debate, I can honestly say Ryan was one of the people I looked up to the most. He was not only one of the best debaters I have ever seen, but also one of the best people. Every round, every RFD, every interaction I had with him has left such lasting positive impact on me. I really do think he was one of the kindest souls on the circuit.

The beautiful thing about leaving such a lasting legacy is that it carries on in the people they’ve influenced, in the small habits they’ve shaped and in the culture they’ve fostered. And Ryan didn’t just leave behind rounds and accolades, he changed the way I and so many others approach debate and growth.

I still remember my sophomore year hitting him at Nats. Walking into that round, I knew I was debating someone incredibly talented, but more than anything, I genuinely felt honored just to be there and to have the opportunity to learn so much from him. Ryan is a huge part of why I started to care more about growing in debate rather than just chasing wins. He made me want to understand the activity more deeply, to be more thoughtful, and to see the value in various types of debate. That shift in mindset has stayed with me ever since, and it’s something I carry into every round.

Sometimes in our pursuit of success in such a competitive activity, it’s easy to forget to be kind. Ryan was a reminder that kindness, respect, and a love for learning matter just as much, if not more. While our interactions were brief, the impact he had on me is something I’ll continue to carry with me, both in and out of debate.

Rest in peace Laffergoat

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It doesn’t feel real that Ryan is gone. He was a unique and singular person, the kind that one only meets once. He was the most intelligent person I’ve ever encountered and that I suspect I will ever encounter. He oscillated perfectly between friend, teacher, and leader with an ease that most never achieve. He was funny, kind, and above all dedicated to improving himself and other he interacted with. Anyone who had the pleasure of interacting with Ryan was lucky to have done so. Every conversation you had with him, despite the size and scope, left you feeling as though you’d learned something about the world or yourself. There is something missing from the lives of everyone who loved him now that he is gone, and there is nothing which can replace it. However, there is some comfort, no matter how small, in knowing that in such a short time he improved the lives of so many people, and that he left an impact which will never be forgotten.

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I've started writing and erased this post at least 10 times because it is impossible to find the words that represent what Ryan meant to me and the community. I'll settle instead for sharing two short stories that I'll always think of when I think about Ryan.

When I first met Ryan when we were working together as instructors at Westfield. One of the first things that I was struck by was his unwavering enthusiasm - an energy that was so infectious that you couldn't help the smile it brought to your face. And that energy wasn't reserved for any select few, but was part of what Ryan brought to everyone he interacted with - every session, speech, demo debate. It didn't matter how good or bad any debater or question was: Ryan would answer as if they had offered the world's most interesting hypothesis. Even from the short time we worked together, it was so obvious that Ryan loved debate and really believed in what debate could be. We didn't stay in touch immediately after Westfield until Ryan started debating at Dartmouth, but Ryan's attitude and energy was impossible to forget.

Much more recently, Ryan and I worked together in a much more organizational capacity at Dartmouth USUDC. Many years removed from the time together at Westfield, I still saw a lot of that same Ryan filled with a love for the game. Ryan's stature in debate had certainly changed - a world champion, APDA Nats champion, SOTY, author of world's most epic matter file - but that eagerness and brightness to constantly spread the joy of debate still burned brightly. During the tournament, watching Ryan as the leader of the Dartmouth team reminded me of seeing him that first summer at Westfield - paying attention to the things that every single member needed and diligently ensuring that as an organizing core we had all the resources we could possibly ask for. This tournament also was a lot of work to organize - both from the perspective being a title tournament, a litany of accommodations, coaches who had requests of the OrgComm, etc. And while Ryan was invaluable in handling those issues with aplomb, the most lasting memory of that tournament is (arguably) a much less profound one. As Ryan and I sat together in the back of GA listening to a debate taking place in the room, Ryan sent me a Spongebob meme about the PM that almost made me laugh out loud. For the next 40 minutes, we fired memes back and forth, each constantly trying to force the other one to crack. In retrospect, that moment summed up a lot of what Ryan's superpower was: that no matter the circumstances, even after a long weekend of minimal sleep and dealing with constant complaints, Ryan was never beyond putting a smile on someone else's face. And even in this little unserious challenge, like most things that Ryan did in the debate world, he won.

We'll miss you a lot, buddy - there's no one else like you. I wish I'd gotten to tell you that one more time.

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Ryan was someone I idolized since the day I was introduced to him. A man with a voice in the debate circuit that didn't hide behind fancy shmancy words to dominate his way to the 1st. For me personally, I enjoyed his character outside of rounds the most. His lectures on various avenues in debate were more than just insightful, they showed his own unique charm and love for debate outside of the competitive context. His love for peanut butter, his comparison between math and debate logic, and his always funny dad jokes made Ryan beyond anything, a shiny superstar that didn't need to stand by the podium to earn people's respect. I am about to enter the tertiary circuit. I honestly wish I could have had the blessing of meeting him.

All I am trying to say is,

Thank You Ryan, we will miss you, we will remember you, and we will pour out a jar of melted peanut butter just for you 🙏🏼

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Although I didn't have the opportunity to interact with Ryan that often, the first time I heard of him was when I was a high school debater in NYPDL. My team and I were reading over his paradigm on tabroom, which contained numerous witty dad jokes and a 40 page matter file on housing, and from this alone it was clear that he had a true passion for debate and for sharing his knowledge with others. After joining APDA, my most distinct memory of Ryan is when I was winging on a panel with him during Wesleyan outrounds. Even though I was only a first time outround judge, Ryan made me feel like my thoughts and opinions were valued, and I walked away feeling like I had learned a lot just from hearing him talk through the round. Even through the smallest interactions, Ryan's kindness made me feel welcome on the league, and I will always be grateful for that.

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I didn't interact with Ryan as much as I would have liked, but I will always remember his kindness in those small moments. As a novice, I heard stories about the legendary Ryan Lafferty and remember watching videos of him on the forum, in awe of his talent. The first time I interacted with him was in the second semester that year, and although I was just a novice, that never stopped him from treating not just me but everyone else with kindness and respect. I also remember getting my first Lafferty rfd and being starstruck and in admiration of his intellect. To this day, I still go back to watch those forum videos and utilize the many resources he gave to the league because he truly was one of the smartest people. I think everyone who knew him looked up to him in many ways. Not only was he an excellent debater, but also an excellent person. This league needs more of the kindness Ryan gave, and he forever changed APDA for the better. It will always be left with his impact. Rest in peace Ryan

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I met Ryan at Princeton APDA, when Rohan introduced us. I remember having seen his name in a lot of BP tabs pre-Belgrade, and always thought he was a BP veteran, only to be surprised to learn that he was just a freshman. I witnessed him knocking out the TOTY contenders in QFs, and was there to listen to the OA despite not being in the round. I would see him one week later at Bates NAUDC, which he finaled, talking about finance (a topic i HATED back then), guess culture and IMF. I would notice Ryan in a lot of spring BP comps I would attend, including the extremely competitive Sofia online which he won. Over the summer, we got closer, because we both spent a lot of time on the infamous NA Spar discord server, debating rounds like religious proselytization, and talking about it after, something that would make his matter file an year later to my surprise. I would later hit him up randomly at a 6 hour notice, asking if he would want to debate this DK Wien mini comp with me, trying to find a partner last moment, and to my surprise, he enthusiastically said yes. Ryan was my first and to date one of the only few BP Pro-Ams although its funny that he was the freshman and I was the pseudo-dino having been debating for half a decade. I had a fun day, learning about SAG-AFTRA (where we would run a version of X-risk smh wth Ryan), the american military, and gated communities ( one of my favorite rounds of my debate career; a round I keep going back to this date, something I just set a version of two weeks ago, oh how life is cruel). Oh and I also remember that Barbie background Ryan used for the Barbie R2, that I would later use as a thumbnail for his podcast episode. Waiting for the OA he mentioned his desire for Barbiehiemer, a case he would later write (or he might have already written, I do not know). Ryan docbotted and carried a log like myself to my first ever BP debate final, which made me feel like I could debate, and it is OK to dream. We would spar again, half a week later in NA Spar discord server, where we were chatting about giving competition to the structural reasons podcast, and Ryan cheered me on. I conditionalized me starting the podcast on him being my first guest. I rewatched the episode yesterday and man what an uninteresting host I was, falling over my words, but smh Ryan made the episode enjoyable to watch. I would talk to him about teaching novices in my club in fall, as I considered giving up on Drexel's debate team, since I planned to retire post Vietnam and he would motivate me to continue putting an effort, since guiding people is such a joy. I would later fall back to him for when I needed fun motion ideas for our Halloween practice, and when I was filled with anxiety related to Vietnam. I remember Matt cheering for my novice debate partner winning top ESL award at HHIV that year, not knowing her personally but still excited by the event. I remember going after HHIV inrounds to a bar with Matt, Aiza and him, and Ryan talking about how he got so much into meme-ing and his time in high school, and what his thoughts on fashion were. This is true, Ryan was a quick draw, ready with memes and templates before someone even said anything, as if he had future foresight. For those who were lucky to have seen the Ryan illustration of the famous "they say a criminal prosecution will occur, 5 responses" created on a motivational sunset template, it still brings a smile to my face. I remember having a half an hour message chain, after I missed his India fundraiser finals that he won, and learning about how to argue ZIRP good, a conversation that still forms a baseline of my understanding of macro debates today, or me and Ryan bouncing thoughts about Japan and Taiwan after the Vietnam motion. Ryan would later go on to make the semifinals that year, and I could not be any happier. I would take a break from debating for the earlier half of 2024, although I would still occasionally talk to Ryan about current events. I would still see Ryan at Nats, and get insight into debating about K's and theory, although I wouldn't see him for a while when he would later go on his study abroad, until Panama, where I recall me Liz Tejas Ryan sitting on the stairwell after the finals talking about HO model factor theory. I am glad to have been the audience to cheer for when Ryan won worlds and when Ryan won Nats finals. My last proper interaction with Ryan was postrounding him after my round during a long walk at Northams this year, while he was trying to satisfy my questions and convene at the same time. I saw him at NAUDC this year, we passed by, and said hi to each other, me being engrossed in the stress of the competition, but I am glad of the mini conversation we had about hard motions and how people should symmetrize more on motions, and what would the DPM be on the motion about debt ceiling. I wish I talked to him more at that time, and we could sit down and talk about things more than debate. I dearly miss those days in the 2023 summer where we would chat about random things in the NA Spar discord server, and I miss you dearly Ryan. Thank you for touching my life and motivating and inspiring me to keep on going and have passion for things i do. Thank you for making me get a genuine joy for learning things. Thank you for being a friend Ryan. I miss you dearly.

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I write with tears in my eyes as I try to conceptualize how I can possibly say goodbye to Ryan. Ryan was one of my closest friends. My mentor. My favorite human.

I met Ryan when I was 15. In my eyes, he was the perfect person. He was a genius, endlessly witty, and constantly kind. I wanted to be just like him. Through a discord DM, I begged him to teach me to debate and somehow he agreed. I hoped, in enough time, maybe he’d want to become my friend too.

I’m not sure I can say he coached me given no matter how hard I tried (and trust me I tried) he wouldn’t take my money. But I can say, with enough practice rounds and some hand holding he taught me how to debate so that I could do a little better than 2-3 at NYPDL tournaments. The real win, though, was that somehow, Ryan agreed to be my friend. To this day, I have no idea what about my boy obsessing, reality TV watching, cookie baking teenage self made him decide he wanted to be my friend, but I am so grateful he did.

Ryan’s friendship has changed every aspect of who I am. He has taught me to be kind to others, to judge people less, to enjoy the process more. He has taught me to stand up for what I believe in and be a voice for those who can’t. Ryan believed in me more than I ever believed in myself.

While I would like to think that my friendship with Ryan was special, and in many ways it was, Ryan treated everyone with the same type of kindness he showed his closest friends. He believed that everyone had something special to offer the world. He wanted to learn what you cared about. He wanted to answer your questions. He was generous. He was approachable. And in every conversation, Ryan made sure we all saw the best versions of ourselves.

I sit here trying to process that Ryan is gone. That he will never hug me again. He won’t call me Soph. He won’t try to convince be JIF peanut butter is better than Skippy. He won’t help me reason through my relationships by comparing them to foreign conflicts. He won’t tell me he’s proud of me. He won’t be at my wedding. He won’t meet my kids. We won’t reminisce on our memories when we are old.

As I read through our thousands of texts and far too few pictures I feel so devastatingly alone. Five years was nowhere near long enough. I am not ready to say goodbye. But I take some solace in seeing messages like the ones on this padlet and knowing how much he impacted all of your lives. In knowing I will always be able to hear his voice and see his face, even if it’s forever frozen in his early 20s. In knowing that he will live on in his friends and family who he had such an impact on. While it is nowhere near enough, it makes this pain I feel maybe just a little bit lighter.

I love you so very much Ryan Michael Lafferty. I hope to see you in my dreams.

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I didn’t know Ryan very well, but I knew him to be a super benevolent and friendly individual. He freely gave and seemed keen on largesse. But it was the small things that had an impression on me. His few but kind words went a mile for me and others, despite being, at first, strangers. I wish his friends and family peace.

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Over just the last few months, I had the honor of being judged by Ryan at Northeastern ProAms, NorthAms, and McGill IV, and met him numerous times at other tournaments. He was consistently generous with his time and feedback, and was invested in our learning, learning not just to be better debaters but world citizens, critical thinkers, and human beings. He was someone I was always genuinely excited to see. His love for knowledge and sense of wonder were infectious. He embodied many of the values that are core to the debating community, and the effort and energy he dedicated to it will never be in vain.

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I have known Ryan since I was twelve years old, and he has had the most tremendous impact on me. Not only was he my mentor who taught me everything I know about debate, but more importantly, he was also my friend and someone I grew up with. While I’m still trying to process everything and come to terms with the fact that I won’t be able to talk to Ryan again, I wanted to share this because Ryan was truly one of the most giving and extraordinary people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.

The first time I met Ryan at Westfield practice, he had the biggest, most genuine smile on his face and went out of his way to introduce himself to me when I truly didn’t know anyone. It didn’t take long for me to realize how special he was. He had a way of making me laugh no matter what, whether he was cracking a witty joke that he was constantly refining, or trying (and failing) to convince me that peanut butter was the best snack in the world.

I have always looked up to Ryan immensely. I wanted so badly to learn even a fraction of what he knew, but more than that, I cherished every conversation we had. I always found myself wondering how someone so accomplished could also be so genuinely humble and kind, but that was just who Ryan was. He carried his brilliance so lightly, and made me feel so seen and valued. He was exceptional in every sense, and knowing him has made me a better person.

Ryan spent hours with me and my two teammates every single day for weeks leading up to the middle school debate championship. He did not have to take the time to coach three tiny middle schoolers who knew nothing, but he chose to anyway--which speaks tremendously to who he was. After I had taken a long break from debate, it was a conversation with Ryan that brought me back. He encouraged me to compete in a BP tournament during my senior year of high school, and his insight meant so much to me, reminding me why I fell in love with the activity in the first place. Ryan played such a big role in why I chose to join APDA as well. He believed in me in a way that helped me believe in myself.

I will always be grateful to be part of a community that Ryan helped shape and gave so much of himself to. I miss you Ryan.

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I've written and deleted and rewritten this message dozens of times. I don't know how to express what this loss means, or what Ryan meant to me and to this community. I don't have the words for the big things, so I'll start with the small things.

Ryan would never hesitate to share with me an interesting article he had found. My texts are full of ideas ranging from Putin’s fear of the Russia-Ukraine war ending because of veteran backlash to the resistance of linguistic feudalism in Africa. He loved debate, not because of the potential to win, but because of its ability to bring together arguments and ideas. He was the debater I knew who most viewed debate as an exercise to funnel those ideas into something meaningful. I always learned something from debating him, and that is a truly special trait. He had an unquenchable curiosity and a true generosity to share with others.

Beyond his intellect (truly off the charts), he was a kind soul. After I didn’t break at Worlds this year, he came up to me and gave me the words of encouragement I needed in that moment. In a community that had frequently felt isolating, Ryan always treated me as if I belonged there. He took every loss and every win with grace (and he won damn near every time). In circuits that can so often run on negativity, he’s been nothing but kind to me. I always called him Laffergoat, and in return, he’d coined Na-a-a-a-a-a-z (to mimic the bleating of a goat). I could only hope to one day have an ounce of the talent in his pinky finger, but he always made me feel like he cared about what I had to say.

Ryan and I had a running joke at the start of this year that his sole purpose in going to tournaments was to OTY-block me (but he always told me not to worry, because he was supremely confident in me). I had promised him back in July that once TOTY was settled one way or another, I would love to go to a tournament with him, and one day after that did indeed happen, he was gone forever. A thousand regrets I have about not telling him how special he was, how much his words changed the way I thought about debate, or how I cherished each of our conversations, whether about Turkey/Kurdish international relations or the newest meme he’d created. I was lucky to meet him, and I will miss him dearly.

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I first met Ryan after debating him in the outrounds of Panama Worlds. Even from a brief post-round conversation, I was struck by his humour, humility, and all-round genuineness as he shared his thoughts with a debater from Australia he had never spoken to before.

When he later went on to win the competition, I remember thinking that Ryan was the perfect role model for this community: brilliant, but also unabashedly hardworking and kind. Reading through all these messages, it brings me some comfort to know I’m not alone in feeling that.

It feels so surreal writing this. My thoughts are with everyone who knew Ryan — his friends, loved ones, and all those whose lives were made better by his presence.

Rest in peace, Ryan. You are deeply missed.

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I wish I had more words, but they continue to elude me, so this is all I’ve managed.

Although we resided on opposite sides of APDA’s East Coast circuit, I met Ryan at quite a few tournaments (both in APDA and abroad doing BP) over the three-ish years we were on the league together. He was a towering community member and excellent debater. I think, with Ryan, the small moments became meaningful; a conversation or joke we shared stood out after every tournament.

The last time I spoke to Ryan was at Amherst ProAms this past February, where he shared my intense desire for coffee before quarterfinals. Fifteen minutes of frantic searching later, cracking jokes the entire time, we were left with no caffeine and rooms waiting because of our delay. I did not see him again after leaving for quarterfinals. Ryan turned these mundane tournament encounters into exchanges worth remembering through his relentless sense of humor and desire to genuinely engage with everyone. While abroad, he was the first friendly face I encountered and helped me tremendously, without me ever having to ask. I will miss him dearly.

Rest in peace, Ryan.

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I didn't know Ryan personally, but his YouTube videos were the best, most funniest, and interesting ways to learn debate. I miss him dearly, may his soul rest in peace.

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Ryan was, in the truest sense, my greatest inspiration in debating and critical thinking. As someone who would read his matter file each day in class, I found in his work something rare and deeply personal: the sense of a kind, patient friend who had taken the time to explain what the world was truly like. My worldview and the body of knowledge I carry today are shaped in no small part by him. His matter file and lectures gave me a framework through which I could finally make sense of a confusing and complicated world in a way that felt structured, meaningful, and alive.

Whenever I returned to his work, I found myself captivated equally by his intellectual rigour and his extraordinary sense of humour. What moved me most was the realisation that behind all of it was a person who genuinely loved what he was doing, who took real pleasure in the craft of explanation and in making difficult ideas feel accessible and exciting.

His work had a quiet generosity to it. He gave freely of his knowledge and his time, inspiring debaters across the world who found their footing through his material and learned to think more clearly and argue more persuasively because of him. That is a remarkable thing to leave behind.

I consider myself fortunate to have spoken with him briefly at the Sofia Worlds this year. We had a warm conversation in which I was able to convey a small measure of my gratitude for everything his work had given me. I was struck by his humility and the genuine care with which he handled that exchange.

I find solace in the knowledge that what he created will outlast all of us. The ideas he spread through his writing and videos will live on to inspire many generations of debaters to come. I offer my sincerest condolences to his family and friends, and I hope with all my heart that he rests in peace.

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His speech on the Sudan conflict in WUDC 2025 semi finals has always been such an amazing work of art for me, I can't believe the deliverer of that speech is no more. His slides on moral philosophy made me fall in love with philosophy in debates. May His Soul Rest in Peace😓

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Thank you Ryan Lafferty for some of the most thought-provoking, funny yet informative videos on the art of debating. I will surely take all his advice and lessons into consideration and excel in the debating bracket in the coming months and years. Rest in peace to a good soul and prayers and peaceful thoughts to his close family and friends. Darmouth will be indeed be missing a Legend. Thank you, Ryan

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I never interacted with Ryan in person, yet the impact he had on my debating journey and that of many of my peers in the Indian circuit is unparalleled. Ryan's matter file is a staple in every debater's journey of learning, and it takes a special person to compile such a huge resource and to so generously give it away for free to the world. People like Ryan are rare, and they make this world a better place. I am deeply saddened by his untimely death

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I feel so sad. It is unbearable.

I don't really know how to describe him, so I'll just tell a story about him and leave it to you to take from it what you will.

Dartmouth usudc was not a competition Ryan originally was sure about running. I believe he took some convincing that he could do it. But run it he did. And he did it so well. People know him as a brilliant and smart debater, which is true, but I know him as an energetic, selfless man.

After staying up till 5 am driving in the cold to Princeton whose van had broken down and driving them back, one would forgive him for being a little tired. But he remained ever cheerful with his jokes the next day, his face red with exertion as he ran everywhere, talking, helping some young novice out, driving people up and down, running running, always running.

On Saturday night, several of us went to dinner at Applebee's. He was requested to talk about his opinions on some IR topic. Bot did he deliver. He enthusiastically spoke for hours about how hiroshima and Nagasaki went and what all little, crazy and silly facts he knew about military history at the time. How the Japanese ambassador cried when the Soviet union made their declaration of war, or how depressed Stalin was when he first heard the bomb dropped. And I remember thinking, as I ate my caramel apple pie, that this feels like the best part of life.

I never told him, but whenever I went to debate competitions from then on, it was rarely with the goal of doing well competitively. I just wanted to see my friends.

What a crazy, wonderful man he is. Or was, I suppose. I wish I could've told him that one last time.

Take care Ryan. I don't even know how to miss you, but I'll try

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in our debate discourse, passing around of debate tabs, and recording and rewatching of the best debate speeches, it is easy for great debaters to start feeling larger than life to us. the few times I talked with Ryan, it reminded me that beyond his enormous intellect he was perfectly human sized—a tiny bit awkward, kind, curious, and extraordinarily generous. Ryan carried the best of debate and the best of humanity. his loss has left a hole in our hearts. it is human sized, but it feels larger than life.

rest in peace <3

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Ryan and I started on the journey of debate at the same time - me as a quiet and timid ninth grader and him as a bright eighth grader. Monday nights were riddled with random debate questions, fun world facts, and a sense of belonging.

In a space (Westfield) where those who had done well had been debating for decades, Ryan was one of those individuals who felt so similar to me - two kids who wanted to just be good at an activity that they had just started. And man, did Ryan just run with it. From coast to coast, Ryan's dedication to the activity shone from day one. He was one of the youngest in our cohort, but he really took on every debate activity with such gusto and such care. He coached the middle schoolers, no matter the skill, with such precision and care, taking every question with such earnest attention and value. Nothing and nobody was too small for Ryan.

But he was also a place of solace - to come to after rounds or after a bad day in school and just complain. A place where judgment felt unnecessary - where we could chat over some whole grain goldfish and just ride the struggle that was high school. I find myself remembering those moments more, the ones where we huddled in the corners of the room trying to talk without getting in trouble. The moments of talking about our students - discussing our different training lessons while also trying to find time to get better ourselves. It translated into quiet car rides to and from tournaments, the classic angry rants post rounds, but also the random moments as we got older, where debate felt like our place to shine.

Ryan's impact in college is one that is so well known - and filled me with honor to have always been able to say "I knew him when he started". Success is one of those immeasurable activities that are dotted with awards and recognition to help try to chart a path. And man, oh man, did he succeed.

But for me, Ryan's impact strikes the most at the heart of 14-year-old me, uncertain of who I was and what speaking meant to me. He was pivotal in my finding a place and the person I am today.

Digging through my camera roll for these photos was a striking walk down memory lane - one that surely is filled with a little bit of cringe and absolute sadness that I didn't get more.

But it also reminds me of the ways he intertwined in my life - and the pieces I will always carry.

I can't find a way to end this post - ending it feels a bit too surreal. So to this, I'll say thank you, Ryan. Thank you for everything you've done and the ways you have touched my life. I miss you, and I aim to be a shadow of the person you were.

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Since the founding of debate as a collegiate activity, there has always been a cesspool of discourse regarding what it means to "do debate for the right reasons" that never seems to reach any kind of broad agreement. The reason this discourse never gets neatly resolved, of course, is because what it means to "do debate for the right reasons" is subjective and means something different to each of us. That said, I earnestly believe the existence of Ryan Lafferty is the closest we will ever come to a universal answer to that question. When I think of him it is almost hard to comprehend just how much one person could maximally embody almost all of the ideals we, as a debating community, care most about. The tragedy of his loss is beyond my words.

There isn't really much more I can say at this time about Ryan. The enormity of his influence on this community cannot be reasonably assessed or summarized in any number of paragraphs (and there are people who knew him far better who can speak far better to that). I'll just leave here one small speck of a memory that I will never forget:

Before APDA Nationals last year I formally met Ryan after he agreed to do a couple practice rounds against me (largely due to the fact that our partners, Joann and Maeve, were best friends from high school and coordinated these rounds). I had a great time debating against him in those rounds. Getting to hear him come up with Opps to my cases was a privilege. Ryan was, of course, a titan of the debate world who was expected to break at the tournament. I was still making a name for myself on APDA and did not have high hopes. We both had novice partners.

When Nats came around, Ryan and Maeve lost their first two rounds and had to battle back through the silent rounds to have any shot at breaking. Joann and I also found ourselves on the bubble. At the banquet, right after it was announced that both of our teams had, indeed, managed to get into the break, Ryan came up to me with a huge grin on his face. He vigorously shook my hand, said words of congratulations, and then said "I guess we didn't let Joann and Maeve down." The joy and relief in his voice was so palpable. I will never forget his happiness for me, essentially a complete stranger to him, and his gratefulness that he had not let his partner down. I truly felt in that moment, seeing his face and hearing his voice, that he wanted nothing more than to be the debater everyone thought he was. Not for himself, but for those around him, for all the people he educated and partnered with, who viewed him as something of a debate superhero, because that's what he was. To mix metaphors, it was easy for me to internally view Ryan as a larger than life God of debating compared to mere mortals like myself. In that moment I realized how silly that truly was. He was just a college kid in his early twenties trying his best to engage in the things he was passionate about. In the past few days I have often wondered if we all put too much pressure on him. I hope he knows that he exceeded even our wildest expectations for what one could achieve, not just as a competitor, but as a member of this community. The fact that the reigning world champ took the time to seek me out, a guy he barely knew, to shake my hand and tell me how happy for me and my partner he was is something that will stick with me forever.

He went on to win the whole tournament in stunning fashion, but I'll always remember that moment more than anything else. I'll remember his glowing face, the joyful relief in his voice, and his genuine happiness for those around him more than any argument I ever saw him deliver. RIP.

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I first heard of Ryan the same way most people did: through the legendary stories of him being an incredibly talented, intelligent debater. And while those stories are definitively true, what I will remember most about him was his genuine kindness.

I wasn't a close personal friend of Ryan’s, but every interaction I had with him was a positive one. We judged at several tournaments together earlier this year, and he was easily one of the most helpful and welcoming people I’ve met at debate tournaments. Despite the fact that I didn't have an extensive debate resume and I'm not from a super competitive school, he treated me with complete respect, listened to my thoughts, and was always so open to sharing his insights with debaters for nothing in return.

Ryan cared deeply about making the debate community a better, more inclusive space. He gave so much of his time and energy to others, fueled by his own goodwill and a sincere desire to help people grow. Countless debaters have been helped by the resources he helped create. He was a remarkable, talented debater, but an even better person. I will miss him, and I know many others in the debating community will also miss him dearly.

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at NAUDC Mexico, my freshman year of college, I had the privilege of meeting Ryan for the first time by debating him. there aren't things to say about the experience that haven't already been said by the hundreds of people Ryan was able to impact in this activity, but the thing I appreciated the most about him was his confounding ability to make you feel as though you were engaged in a conversation between equals when you were talking to him. it is indisputable that his talent, his knowledge, and his work ethic were 10 times the size of mine, and yet i never actually felt inferior when I talked to him. i remember delivering a closing opp whip in one of the scariest rooms I've ever debated in as a novice, and I remember Ryan's attitude towards me wasn't just mere reassurance to make me feel better, but an actual good-faith engagement with my arguments, with the impact he genuinely thought they had on the round, and more. that, for me, was Ryan's impact in the circuit. It is incredibly easy in a competitive activity that directly compares a team's intellectual abilities against another for us to make each other feel stupid, whether intentionally or not. we can rarely feel truly equal, as people, to someone who could have spent their debating career rising above the clouds and not engaging with anyone below his competitive stature. ryan had a unique ability to inspire that feeling, and it is that gift he gave me that i want to keep with me more than the enormous impact he had on my actual debating.

there was so much of his presence i took for granted, and i never anticipated that in the 3 year overlap we would have debating at the collegiate level, he would never get a chance to see it through. i assumed that there would always be another chat, or a round, or a debrief, or a hybrid request lingering in the future. i regret not telling him more frequently how much i appreciated him. i regret small moments of thoughtless indulging in the competitiveness of this circuit without remembering to put kindness and respect first. to honor what he tried so hard to do for debaters every day, i'll carry that example with me for the rest of my debating career, and probably for the rest of my life.

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The first time I debated Ryan, he wasn’t in college yet. I was a novice at my second online tournament, debating from a UChicago classroom. I read some terrible meta-debate case on him and he defeated it with aplomb (he also gave a 5:30 LOR, but I was not myself sufficiently comfortable with APDA timing to correct him).

What struck me from that first time– and it was reaffirmed each and every time I debated him afterwards– was how honestly and charitably he engaged with the ideas of the round. He could bring levity when it was merited, but he also possessed a unique ability to bring the moral weight of the topic into the debate. His PMR in Harvard semifinals, advocating for a peace deal in Ukraine, effortlessly combined the artistry and craftsmanship of rhetoric and technical skill with a genuine concern for the human lives at stake in frozen fields and besieged cities that were physically and emotionally far, far outside the classroom to that point. It is to this day one of the best speeches I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. I am glad that I at least got the chance to convey my deep admiration for his style.

And while I do not personally believe that our in-round comportment predicts much about personality, it soon became obvious that Ryan was an exception. His curiosity extended far beyond the confines of the debate round, as did his generosity of spirit. I didn’t speak to Ryan as much as I would’ve liked to, but he never had a bad word to say about anyone, and he had plenty of good ones. He seemed to naturally see the best in people, or at the very least dwell there instead of in the incessant observations of flaw and peccadillo that make up so much of social conversation. It felt like he hovered above all of that.

I still remember Ryan sending me a message after my junior year Nats ended in disappointment. I can find my reply to it, but not what he initially sent. From what I recall, they were some of the kindest words I had received in this activity, all the more so because they came from someone with whom I had only a friendly acquaintance. I very much wanted to become friends with Ryan. I will regret not having done so forever.

This is a profound loss for our community and for the world. Ryan was one of the most intelligent and hardworking people I’ve ever met, and there are surely many people whose lives have been made poorer by never getting a chance to meet him. I hope his friends and loved ones can find some measure of peace and comfort in how much he mattered to so many and the immense legacy he left. And I myself will endeavor to learn from the person he was and the example he set.

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I don’t know Ryan personally, I never met him, and he probably didn’t know that I existed. I first heard about him through the iconic WUDC Matter file shared on the Global Debating Facebook group. That file has done a great service not only to me, but also to my local debating community. From there, I came across Ryan’s performance record, his speeches and lectures on YouTube, and the many valuable insights he shared. Not just for debate purposes, but ideas strong enough to spark intellectual inspiration beyond just debating.

The news of his passing came as a shock to me because of that. Ryan contributed so much to the community, not just in the States, but across the world. Reading other memorials, it’s comforting to see that many others share similar sentiments.

I didn’t know his whole story, and I don’t need to. Because what matters was that he was smart, hardworking, and dedicated that’s already more than enough. There was something special in that, especially in how he chose to pay it forward by sharing such broad insights with people halfway across the world, people who wouldn’t directly benefit him in any way.

Ryan served his role well, not just as a great debater, but as a person who became a notable inspirational intellectual nodes for many. He worked very, very hard, and it showed.

Rest easy now, Ryan 🪽

You don’t have to think or figure anything out anymore.

You’ve done more than enough ✨

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I write this having not fully processed or accepted Ryan is gone. After staring at what everyone else has written hundreds of times, I don’t even know where to start. So I’ll start with the first time I met him. He judged a round when I was a sophomore in high school and sent 7 pages of thoughts after the round. I started looking up to him as a member of the debate community then, but it was months later that I actually got to know him as a person

Ryan has been the ultimate role model for me since the very first time I saw him outside a round over a zoom screen years ago. He joked with me, made me feel heard, and asked me about what I cared about. He is one of the few people I have met who listened not to show that he was listening, but because he truly cared.

Ryan showed me what selflessness looks like. He would help others with their calculus homework. He would sit on a zoom call talking to me about life when he certainly had better things to do. He believed in me when nobody else did. He supported me when things were tough and not only when they were good. He showed me how to engage in a competitive community with the utmost humility and grace. Everything I do in the way I approach this space is inspired by Ryan. I hope one day to be even half the member of this community that he was.

It is almost unfathomable to me that I will never hear Ryan’s enthusiasm about the world again. I will never be able to reminisce about the time we GOVed "THW not apply to Harvard” when I was high school. I will never be able to talk with him about our thoughts on burgers or peanut butter. I am not ready or prepared to know what a world without Ryan is, but I know he will live with me and so many others.

Ryan—thank you for everything. You mean more to me than you knew. You will always inspire me to be the vest version of myself. Thank you to everything you gave to me, this community, and everyone you interacted with. You will be dearly missed!

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The first time I ever got to meet Ryan substantively was when he and Maeve retired me at NYU Nationals last year. That round will always have a special place in my heart, in no small part because of Ryan.

When Shenan and I learned that we were about to fold into Ryan and Maeve, we knew it meant we were about to debate our last round together. Given that, we decided to run something fun. I was slightly concerned that Ryan would find our case about an entirely unworkable made-up sport to be a complete insult to his intelligence, which tells you how little I knew about his personality at the time.

Within a few minutes of POCs it became quite clear that he planned to take the case entirely seriously. Yet, at the same time, he managed to deliver some of the funniest speeches I've ever heard. He started both PM speeches with a rhyme-scheme-compliant overview. After the round, he confessed that both were made up on the fly. I've never had so much fun losing so, so brutally. I will forever regret not expressing to him how much that round continues to mean to me.

Ryan was a remarkable reminder of how powerful the simple act of earnest engagement can be (both in debate and beyond). Like so many others, I'm both incredibly grateful to have known him and devastated that we all couldn't have more time with him. May he rest in peace.

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I first encountered Ryan as a pre-college student who had finessed his way into university Zoom debate. The prominent emotions rounds with him evoked were fear and insecurity. I had the fortune of losing countless rounds to Ryan, a prolific debater junior to me in age and senior — by a wide margin — in capability. Two things stood out to me about Ryan. First, Ryan's encyclopedic knowledge of every conceivable topic. Second, and even more impressively, Ryan's ability to be unabashedly himself — silly, curious, down-to-earth — in even the most intense, white-knuckle outrounds. I remember him as a debater who never took the easy route, who chased not victory in a round but the victory of a beautiful speech that changed your perspective on the mechanics of the world. He was a debater I loved to lose to. He became a force that drove me for the rest of my debate career.

I never had the privilege of becoming close with Ryan. But despite not having a substantial personal relationship, he nourished every interaction we had with overflowing intellectual and emotional energy. I messaged him once about his approach to matter filing (pre the release of the Lafferty Tome) and received six paragraphs to a one-line inquiry. To Ryan, there was no question or argument that did not merit a response of epic proportions. I remember him as someone who did not care about your record, your status, or how well he know you. If you had a question, he would respond and you would build something together. No discussion was beneath him.

I'll always remember one detail he emphasized in his philosophy on matterfiling on social movements: the importance of reading the missives of leaders of those movements themselves. It's a minor detail from a complete life filled with so much joy, care, and accomplishment, but I recall it now as something marked with much greater import. Never before that time had I heard anyone — even the exemplary titans of debate so many tried to emulate — underscore the importance of studying the perspectives of real-world people enmeshed the issues we discussed. Ryan wasn't just a great debater because he understood the socioeconomic and religious dynamics at play in Iran in 2022, he read op-eds and pamphlets from leaders of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests. He certainly wasn't the only one to take this approach, and there are far more debaters doing this now, but it was novel and explosive when he first described it.

Ryan was so impressive in large part of his drive to listen, to understand, to engage with, and distill countless perspectives on the world. This included the support he provided to his closest his friends, the unsolicited queries he received from near-strangers, and the words of those half a world away from him. His loss opened an immense hole in this community and the world. I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with him and for any parts of him I will be lucky enough to carry with me. Ryan reshaped debate in countless positive ways, and I have no doubt that the brilliant compassion he emanated continues to shine today.

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I was part of the NYPDL from 2020-2023, and I haven’t spoken to Ryan since then. I’m heartbroken to hear this news, but glad to see he is remembered with so much love and respect from my old friends and peers. I remember joining the NYPDL as a sophomore, and from the first time I heard Ryan speak, I was absolutely terrified of facing him in a round. Then somehow I found myself in a practice round against him—I lost miserably, but after truly speaking with him for the first time, I realized Ryan was exceedingly kind and down to earth. He was the most skilled debater I’ve ever known, yet he was incredibly humble, approachable, and funny. Eventually I found myself speaking to him more and more; I sat through many thirty minute long RFDs, got my butt kicked by him in practice rounds, and watched him obliterate other people in NYPDL elims. I loved the ridiculous motions he wrote, his hilarious debate memes, and how often he made people laugh. There was no debater I looked up to more than Ryan. As an opponent, he could leave your case in shambles, but with so much humor, candidness and good spirit that you’d always find yourself smiling at the end of the round. When judging, Ryan took every opportunity as a teaching moment. Even at 10PM on a Saturday, Ryan was happy to explain his ballot on detail, answer questions, and give other debaters any advice he could offer. Ryan had a gift for teaching, and I am incredibly sad the next generations of debaters won’t get the opportunity to learn from him. He will be remembered with the awe and respect he deserved from the many recordings of him debating on the internet, his thousands of pages of debate resources and his long, long list of accomplishments, but I think above all he will be remembered as a kind and selfless person who brought so much laughter into his community. Ryan truly truly made the world a better place and this community has lost so much with his passing. To my old friends I see here, please take care ❤️

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I first met Ryan at just 14 years old, when I started debating for Westfield. Even at that age, it was clear to me that Ryan was unlike anyone I had ever met or would ever meet.

When I met him, Ryan was a junior in high school and probably the most successful high school parliamentary debater in the country. Everyone at Westfield had our own perverse reasons for wanting to be like Ryan: some just wanted to win, some wanted the clout from being successful, some thought it would look good on our college applications. Unlike the rest of us, Ryan didn’t debate for those perverse reasons. Instead, he debated because he thought there was real value in the discourse debate created.

I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of Ryan’s endless generosity: hours of discord calls, his lengthy feedback on practice rounds, and seemingly endless matter files. Later, I was luckier still to get to know him personally. In every interaction, it was clear Ryan was incomparably intelligent, but he was humble in a way that made it impossible to feel dumb around him. He would, in ways that no rational self-interested person would, massively inconvenience himself to provide small amounts of help to others. I remember initially thinking his altruism had to be performative, but I eventually realized that was somehow who Ryan actually was.

I was never optimistic enough to find the genuine joy and meaning in debate that Ryan did. I remember watching Tin Puljic debate live at WUDC 2021 with Ryan and seeing his genuine excitement at the quality and thought-provoking nature of the arguments made in the rounds. At the time, I thought his genuine interest was silly.

Midway through my junior year of high school, I quit debate to focus on my mental health. Ryan repeatedly reached out to check on me and offer help. Even so, as I grew more and more disconnected from debate, I lost touch with Ryan. I didn't seriously debate again for almost three years. By that time, Ryan had already made finals of NAUDC, top-spoke Northams, and was #1 on the SOTY board. More impressive than any of his competitive success was the fact that almost everyone I spoke to had their own story about being on the receiving end of his kindness. Countless others, like me, also had the trajectory of their lives and the way they think about the world altered by him.

The world and our community is far worse off without Ryan. I hope, wherever he is, he knows how many of our lives he changed for the better.

Rest in Peace Ryan Lafferty

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Before I came to Dartmouth, Ryan was already one of the best debaters in the country: I’d debated him plenty of times, and lost to him more often than I’d won. Even then, he’d stood out to me as one of the humblest people I knew in the circuit. He always thought he lost the round, even if it had been his best performance. One of my favourite rounds against him involved me making some arguments about Rwanda, and he reached out to me after with a lot of context and research he had done on the country, which led to us talking in depth about the country. He was one of the few people who shared my stupid passion for watching and discussing every debate video in existence.

When I moved to Dartmouth for grad school, I became lucky enough to call Ryan a friend. We organized Dartmouth’s first in-person tournament in 5 years together, and he bore the brunt of the logistical work, and slept very little for a full weekend. A day after the tournament, I saw him asleep on the bench outside Summit while waiting for the bus to campus. Almost precisely an year ago to today, we both spent 20 hours in a car together: we were the only two people from Dartmouth attending the HWS RR and Princeton. I remember thinking that this was too long to spend with anyone, particularly someone I didn’t know too well. Despite this, we spoke almost non-stop for the entire 20 hours. We discussed nuclear weapons, just war theory, and a podcast episode by Sarah Paine on World War 2 history. We spent a long time describing (and bragging) about the achievements of the debate kids we’d coached: he used to coach Team Mexico WSDC. He knew a lot more about these topics than I did, and yet he spoke to me as an equal, and patiently answered every objection I had to his takes.

I’ll miss seeing Ryan walk around campus and smile, or joke about not needing a jacket, or taking wonderful care of everyone on the Dartmouth team at tournaments or practices or in life. I’ll miss his analyses of world events in the groupchats. I wish I didn’t have to write this, or could write something better without bursting into tears.

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I met Ryan about a decade ago, and for the whole time I had the privilege of knowing him, I was always in awe of him. When I met him, I think he was in eighth or ninth grade. I was a few years older and had just finished my first season of high school debate, where I consistently got awarded. I will never forget the first time I was in his room for a practice debate. I remember thinking to myself, it won’t be long before he’s better than I am—it ended up not taking long at all. As so many people have posted about, Ryan was an absolute pillar of the debate community in both high school and college. Of course, he was one of the smartest, most talented, and hardest-working people I ever met, both in the context of debate and in every other environment I saw him in. But it takes a lot more than that to be a pillar of a community. It takes a lack of ego and entitlement, it takes someone who cares more about seeing others succeed than seeing themselves succeed, and it takes someone who strengthens a community and makes people feel comfortable and at home. But more than these positive qualities, there is something else I have been thinking about for the past few days. I have been remembering how for how hardworking he was and serious about the things for which he was passionate, he was also funny, silly, goofy, he was just one of the boys—he was my friend. When I think of him, the first things I think of are jamming out to music on long debate car trips or staying in hotel rooms together. I think about sneaking out of those hotel rooms to try to find pizza in Toronto at midnight, or about creating and sending each other memes when we were supposed to be paying attention during debate practice. I feel such a profound sense of loss not just for me, but for the world.

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I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan when we hit in my junior year at APDA nationals. He ran one of his Syria cases and it is still one of my favorite rounds.

After we hit (and he would go on to win APDA nationals in what I would argue is the greatest come from behind in a single tournament ever), I quickly became familiar with Ryan’s accomplishments in debate and found his shared resources including online lectures, his publicly available matter file, and suggested reading list. Over the period of the next summer and season, I used these resources to help achieve my greatest improvement to date and share with my team, which was actively reemerging in the APDA circuit at the time. The resources he provided to the debate community for free are truly remarkable and incredibly detailed, we are fortunate to have them.

Ryan’s love of learning, kindness, and brilliance reminded me of why I stuck with debate. He was truly one of the greatest role models the activity could have and I miss him deeply.

Rest in peace Ryan

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I'm sure anyone who ever met Ryan was in awe of his intellect and capacity to learn, but his brilliance and intelligence were only ever surpassed by his kindness, generosity, humility, and sense of humor.

Ryan and I went to middle school and high school together. Some of my first memories with him are from riding the bus together in eighth grade, where we first became friends through our conversations over the NFL and NBA. Every Monday, we would talk about the weekend’s games, and over time that friendship grew into discussions about our other interests, like history and government. Even at a young age, Ryan was incredibly approachable, friendly, and caring. He had a natural way of making people feel comfortable and included.

It was Ryan who inspired me, during my freshman year of high school, to join the debate team at Westfield. I will always be grateful to him for giving me that. It was clear that Ryan was someone who always wanted the best for others and was always looking out for those around him.

Ryan, of course, was incredible at debate. Anyone who listened to his speeches could recognize that immediately. His preparation, work ethic, and drive to acquire information were unmatched in so many ways. But what stood out most was that Ryan’s thirst for learning was never just for himself. He saw learning and knowledge as things to be shared. Even in high school, he was always focused on mentoring others and lifting people up, no matter their skill level. When mentoring others in debate, he treated every comment and every question as meaningful. He responded with respect for your perspective, and that made it so easy to feel welcomed and comfortable around him.

I was lucky to know Ryan outside of debate. We took many classes together in high school, and it was obvious that his love of learning extended beyond any single activity. Even in science classes, he was always eager to learn and just as eager to help others learn too. I remember when we took AP Chemistry together during junior year, he made hour-long lecture videos and practice tests for the class to help us prepare for exams. Ryan loved to teach and loved to share what he had learned. He was always in service of others, always trying to make sure that everyone could succeed alongside him.

Beyond the classroom, Ryan was also a very talented saxophone and clarinet player, and we were in band together. I have so many memories of us waiting before concerts, joking around, making memes, and laughing. Ryan had such an infectious sense of humor, and he always knew how to put a smile on your face. Those are memories I will always cherish.

Although my own debate journey ended in high school, it was such a joy to watch Ryan’s success from afar. I loved watching the lectures he posted, and it made me so happy to see the impact he was having —not just on people like me who knew him growing up, but on people across the world and throughout the debate community.

The last time I spoke with Ryan was this past June, at his sister’s and my brother’s high school graduation. We caught up on our experiences college, our future goals, and the hopes we had for what lay ahead. It is absolutely tragic that things will not unfold in the way we had hoped, but I feel so blessed to have known Ryan and to have been touched by his presence. I am grateful for the impact he had on my life and on the lives of so many others. His loss is heartbreaking, and his kindness, generosity, and spirit are something I will try to carry forward.

Thank you for everything Ryan, I will miss you dearly.

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I had the privilege of debating against Ryan one time, about a year ago, at nationals. He (of course) wiped the floor with us. That said, I remember the judge commented that it was among the better rounds she had ever seen. That was the first thing that struck me about Ryan. He debated in a way that made his opponents better. He brought out the best of me in that round and in general. After the round, instead of leaving us to mope, he stayed to chat and to joke and to give us feedback. He was so humble and generous in that moment, I still remember that round positively. It was competitive, and it was fun, a balance he struck so well.

I wish I had the opportunity to get to know Ryan better. He was an incredibly special person, and I have so much admiration and respect for him. In the future, when I think back on my time debating, I know I will keep coming back to that round, which, to me, represents everything debate should be. In that way, his memory is a blessing to me.

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I had the honor of debating Ryan a few times. Whenever we saw each other at tournaments, I was always struck by how he went out of his way to say hi and be kind to me, even though we didn’t know each other that well. It was clear how much Ryan loved debate and how curious he was about the world.

Ryan was of course extremely talented, but he was also an incredible mentor to novices and younger debaters. After the times when we debated, he was generous with his time and advice. He always spoke with kindness and never in a way that made me feel stupid. Ryan put so much time into our community and left behind so many incredible resources for younger and future debaters. I hope by watching his lectures and engaging with what he left behind, we can keep his memory alive.

Ryan really was a pillar of the college debate community, and we will all miss him.

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I met Ryan in 2020 when the debate community moved online due to Covid. Somehow, I found myself lucky enough to be in group chats and Discord servers with some of the best parli debaters across the country, one of whom was Ryan. Those groups really pushed me to love the activity and Ryan was at the core of it all. I haven't debated since graduating high school, but have coached high schoolers for the past few years. I frequently turn my students towards Ryan's lectures, matter files, and even his blog from the Covid era. I wish I could tell Ryan how much I admired him. To me, my students who love perusing his blog, and countless others, he was truly such a light in this community.

PS I don't think he has updated this blog for at least a couple of years. It's a relic of the covid debating days. He has some fun articles and tons of motions he wrote himself. Please check it out, "We Concede"

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Ryan was so much more than just a once in a generation debate talent. Ryan was so much more than just the funny guy that showed up, spammed a shitposting and took some wins. Ryan was the beating heart and soul of every single community that he’d ever had a chance to be a part of. While tainted by the memory of COVID-19, I first met Ryan when I was 14, some shit-stomping novice who thought i was good at american parli who happened to be judged by Ryan. I had heard from my friends who had been lucky enough to have been coached by him that he truly cared about debate, that some people viewed debate as a game and some people as something that made the world a more beautiful and full place. That day i learned not only did that was a beautiful way to see debate, but discord messages had a word cap (a few thousand of them), but for someone like ryan, that wasn’t even an obstacle, as he'd just type and send a few thousands more words. Ryan had the time and the energy to help every single person who was in any shoes in any way he possibly could.  Sadly, like all things in life, Ryan’s time with the NYPDL came to a close, and despite the occasional lecture or volunteer judging weekend, the impact of that change was transparent. While we may not have all instantly became shit at debate overnight, it truly is because of ryan and who he worked with and taught that kept the format alive but many of the things which made it magical died. There were no more streams of shitposts after every round to keep everyone entertained no matter how hard joel tried, there was no longer the perfectly timed factual clarifications to infoslides that made everyone chuckle, debate became cliquier, and there was a whole generation of debaters who never even knew Ryan’s name, who never realised that everyone truly does need someone like Ryan, someone to connect, and laugh, and bring people together.

It’s no coincidence that 3 years, upon my own graduation, freshly off of moving to the UK and attending my first in-person BP competition but who else do I see, but Ryan, sitting at his laptop getting god knows what work done at 6:30 in the morning. In a strange country, full of strange people, Ryan gave me a hug and said, “you’re going to love it here” and a year and a half later I still haven’t looked back. While he may no longer be with us, I truly hope we all hold him together in our hearts, and not just Panama Champion, APDA whatever OTY thing Ryan Lafferty, but the Ryan Lafferty that made each and every one of us feel valuable in our own way. Thank you Ryan, may you rest in peace.