debating is a sport... alright?

Tonight I watched a great school sporting event, our schools 1st III debating against another private Sydney boys school. It was the biggest turnout in the history of the competition, 150 boys came to support our school. The topic was "that privitisation is the way to go." our team, the affirmative side debated very well and won.
I think that debating is so important, as it gives you two essential skills.
Working with and against others, and speaking in public.
Being a very enthusiastic debater myself, I think that being able to come up with a convincing argument in such a short amount of time is such a good thing to practice for later life.