Highlights
Welcome to the 2024-25 Season
A new school year means a new season of debate. We welcome returning members and are actively looking for new members and schools willing to host in-person tournaments.
An email will be sent to all returning Coaches in August with information about the new season. Additional information will be posted at that time.
Contents
- State Finals Results
- March Tournament Results
- Parliamentary Debate
- Online Debate
- Middle School Debate
- Other Debate News: Tournaments and Leagues
State Finals Information
155 debaters from 23 schools competed at State Finals on March 23. The topic was:
THW (This House would) implement a wealth tax.
Special thanks to Joel Barlow High School and Coach Randall Smith for hosting!
The Varsity final round was won by the Joel Barlow team of Fellows and Gupta on Government over the Blind Brook team of Mohapatra and Monvelisky.
The New Canaan team of Hassan and Dave won the Novice division.
Congratulations to all of our trophy winners! You may view or download the complete March Results, as well as the resolution package.
If you have any questions or comments about State Finals please email us: CDA State Finals.
March Tournament Results
We hoped to top December's attendance and set a new post-COVID record on Saturday, but with team changes the numbers were a bit lower with 286 debaters from 27 schools. Our thanks to Stamford High School for hosting a still quite respectable crowd.The topic was:
THW (This House would) require asylum applications be approved before entry into the US.
The Varsity final round was won by the St. Joseph team of Murano and Ingram on Opposition over the Ridgefield team of Cox-Donovan and Uceda-Sosa.
The Farmington team of Duvvuru and Babu topped the Novice division.
Congratulations to all of our trophy winners! You may view or download the complete March Results, as well as the resolution package.
If you have any questions or comments please email us: CDA March.
Parliamentary Debate
With the 2022-23 season the CDA moved to a Parliamentary debate format. This change:
- connects us with an international debate community;
- makes a wealth of training material available to debaters, coaches and judges;
- allows us to add a fourth preliminary round in the same amount of time; and
- is consistent with the format used by debaters coming up to CDA from the the Connecticut Middle School Debate League.
The Training Material has been updated to reflect the new format. However, Coaches, Judges, and Debaters unfamiliar with Parliamentary debate, or those interested in joining the CDA, will find these two items a good introduction:
- A one-page description of the format and changes, CDA Parli Brief.
- A style guide which presents CDA parliamentary debate in detail for debaters, coaches and judges, CDA Parli Style Guide
The Style Guide includes a "Resources" section with references to external material useful for teaching and learning Parliamentary debate More complete information can be found on the Training Material page.
Online Debate
We returned to in-person debate in 2022-23, using online debate only as a backup in case of inclement weather. If we do have to hold tournaments online, the CDA Online Procedures Guide provides detailed information. You should review this material with all of your debaters and judges prior to any online tournament.
Middle School Debate
The Connecticut Middle School Debate League is gearing up for its 2022-23 season. Five events are currently planned: a combined practice scrimmage and tournament in October; regular tournaments in December and February; and a championship tournament in April. All Connecticut middle schools and schools with middle grades are invited to join. We hope these will be in-person events.
The Middle School League encourages participation by high school debaters as coaches, mentors and judges. One of the best ways to improve a skill is to help teach it to others. Several CDA debaters have started and coach teams at their affiliated middle schools. Many CDA debaters attend CTMSDL events as judges.
For more information on the League and schedule details see the Middle School Debate web site or email CTMSDL Information.
Other Debate News
Parliamentary Debate Tournaments
Many colleges and universities across the country sponsor high school speech and debate tournaments. Usually they require travel and overnight stays, which make it difficult for Connecticut debaters to attend. This year most events are expected to be online, so only entry fees need be covered. The pandemic gives debaters the opportunity to debate against national competition if they choose.
Only a special few offer a parliamentary format that is compatible with CDA's extermporaneous style. We expect the following East Coast events to be offered again this year. We will post the dates as we become aware of them.
- Yale Invitational, September 29-October 1, 2023
- National Parliamentary Debate League Fall Tournament, October ??
- McGill British Parli, late October??
- Vassar College Invitational, November ??
- McGill Canadian Parli, early February??
- Columbia Ivy League Championship, February??
- Harvard World Schools Format, March??
- Yale Osterweis, April ??
A question mark indicates the tournament has not been announced or the dates have not been confirmed. The date indication is based on last year's schedule. We will try and post additional information here as it becomes available. Tournaments are often hosted and announced on tabroom.com, a good source for news about upcoming debate and speech events.
Parliamentary Debate Leagues
There are also several leagues in the Northeast which may be of interest to Connecticut debaters:
- New York Parliamentary Debate League, NYPDL websote
- East Coast High School Public Debate Program, Tri-State HSPDP website
- Debate Association of New England Independent Schools, DANEIS website
There is also a National Parliamentary Debate League that invites high schools and leagues to join, and runs an annual Tournament of Champions: NPDL website.
For information about these leagues, membership and schedules, please see their websites.
Last updated February 10, 2024.