Frequently asked questions

NCFCA's YouTube channel has lots of great content, including examples of each competitive event from national champions. We also encourage you tosign up tojudge at an online tournament. Committing to judge at least one round will give you access to the rest of the tournament as an observer. The 2021 National Championship (June 21-26) is online this year.

Students will need to choose between Team Policy or Lincoln-Douglas debate because these run concurrently during club meetings and at tournaments. Debaters may also choose to compete in moot court at national tournaments without conflict, but we do not offer moot court instruction or practice during club meetings at this time.

Team Policy is a good fit for concrete thinkers who like to debate the practical application of ideas in political issues. Lincoln-Douglas is a good fit for abstract thinkers who like to debate the philosophical value of ideas affecting society. 25 While both styles of debate will require research and writing, be prepared for a higher workload in Team Policy. Team Policy rounds are twice as long, but speaking time is shared with a partner, unlike the 1:1 debate in Lincoln-Douglas. Debaters should consider the benefits and challenges of working with a partner before deciding. As an example, if the resolutions were regarding immigration, Team Policy students would affirm or negate specific immigration policies, while Lincoln- Douglas competitors might debate whether immigration is a human right.

Yes! Students are able to compete in up to 5 speech events per tournament. Before they graduate, we encourage students to try at least one speech from each category: platform, interpretation, and limited preparation.

Students may participate and compete in either speech or debate alone, but we highly encourage both! At a minimum, we recommend debaters compete in impromptu speech. Since debate consists of both prepared (i.e., constructive) and limited preparation (i.e., rebuttal) speeches, impromptu provides additional practice in thinking quickly on your feet!

Parental involvement is vital to our program! We want to equip students and parents. Our students depend upon your feedback in club meetings in order to benefit from regular practice in speech and debate. Parents are far better prepared to help their students, to provide valuable feedback, and to confidently judge at tournaments when they participate in club discussions.

Bring them with you! If you do not have alternate childcare, please know that TRC is a family-friendly environment. For younger school-age siblings, we are considering starting a juniors program to teach younger siblings the basics of public speaking. Your pre-school children will need to stay with you.

We're sorry, but no. Space in the juniors program is limited, so we reserve that for siblings of older competitors. We hope you'll reach out when your student turns 12!

What you wear is part of what you are communicating to others, as well as yourself. Because delivery is an essential aspect of speech and debate, parents and students will dress modestly at club meetings.. To learn more click here!

Tournaments are typically 3-4 days in length, with each day of competition running about 12 hours long. Rounds alternate between debate and speech. There are 6 preliminary rounds of debate and 3 preliminary rounds of speech (divided into 2 alternating "patterns" of 5 speech events each) before elimination rounds begin. Qualifying tournament season runs January-April. In the 2021 season, there were 7 qualifying opportunities. TRC members are required to commit to participating in at least 1 qualifying tournament per year.

A qualifying tournament is one in which students may qualify for their Regional Championship by making it to elimination rounds in speech or debate. Marathons (i.e., practice tournaments) and third-party tournaments (e.g.,Ziggy) provide helpful practice, but students cannot qualify for the Regional Championship by their participation in these events.

If the tournament is online, you may not have to leave your home! For in-person tournaments within our region, you are most likely to travel to Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania. The location of the National Championship varies.