I did it in primary school, and then in years 11 and 12, and I loved it. I'm going to an adjudicators' course next week, and hopefully helping out with the debating teams at my old school. And I'll definitely be doing it at Uni.
I would like to take up debating, what's it like? I've never done it. I'm in Yr 12, so would it be time consuming? How does it work, like the rules and stuff? I think it would be a great way to get my confidence up!
In answer to your questions, as I said, I did debating in the senior years, and I found it fine, time-wise. It really doesn't take up that much time, especially compared to things like rowing. And it teaches you how to think on your feet, and how to prepare a logical argument, which is great practice for subjects like English. Also, it's a great thing to do if you're not that sporty. I had a great time being part of a team and feeling like I contributed. Before, I'd been doing hockey, which I wasn't that good at, and never really felt a proper part of it all, but with debating, I was making a positive contribution, so it got my confidence up. It was also really good to be able to use the speaking skills I'd picked up in drama classes.
So, yeah, I think it's really worthwhile.