About Us
The Connecticut Debate Association (CDA) is the State's premiere high school debate league. We have been providing a regular program of competition for over thirty years, and our roots go back to 1960's.
We work to provide an educational competitive experience for the students. We believe that debate and other forms of forensic competition develop skills which transfer well into school, career and personal life. Debate helps student develop valuable speaking, listening and analytic skills. It places a premium on quick thought and precise expression. Many noted public figures are former high school and college debaters. We approach this task in a cooperative spirit that recognizes the overriding goal is to benefit the students.
The CDA provides a complete debate experience close to home and at low cost. Annual dues include all tournaments for as many debaters as a school cares to bring, limited only by the capacity of the site and the availability of judges. There are no additional fees for attendance, though schools are responsible for their own transportation and providing judges in proportion to the number of teams they bring.
We hold a scrimmage for new debaters in September and tournaments monthly from October through March, followed by a State Championship meet for qualifying teams. Tournaments are held on Saturday from 8AM to 5:30PM. We typically run simultaneous events at 2 or 3 high schools in order to accommodate all who wish to attend. Tournaments have a novice and varsity division to accommodate different levels of skill and experience.
During the 2022-23 season--our first back to in-person debate after COVID--we had 34 member schools. At our monthly tournaments, an average of 22 schools and 192 debaters competed. One tournament was held online due to inclement weather.
Our format follows the college American Parliamentary Debate Association. It is extemporaneous, as the topics change for each tournament. Debaters receive the resolution and a 5-10 page research packet at the start of the tournament and have one hour to prepare. Debaters may also refer to a dictionary, an almanac, and a copy of the US Constitution. No other research matereials are permitted. During the day students are expected to argue for both sides of the resolution in different rounds.
For many students, the CDA provides an entry point to debating in other leagues and styles of debate. Many CDA members participate in tournaments sponsored by colleges such as Yale, Vassar, Columbia, and elsewhere. CDA teams have won or placed in the Parliamentary Divison of the Yale Invitational, the Vassar Invitational, Columbia's Ivy League Championship, the UPenn Liberty Bell Classic and the Yale Osterweis Tournament. Many CDA members also participate in model congress, model UN and mock trial competitions.
We are always open to new schools joining the league, but wish to emphasize it is a league, not a series of open tournaments. The CDA operates under the authority of the Connecticut Association of Schools, which regulates interscholastic competition in the State. Our montly regular tournaments are essentially qualifiers for our State Finals tournament at year end. The expectation is that member schools will attend most, if not all, of the regular tournaments during the year. Our model also depends on schools volunteering to host tournaments, so there is some expectation that schools with sufficient classrooms will host at some point over the years of their membership.
For a more extended description of the league and how to join, please read or download our Brochure.
For information on starting a team, coaching, our debate formats, our past topics and tournaments and much more, please see our Training Material page.