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.

Coaches should read the Welcome to 2024-25 document. It includes a series of questions which can be answered by fillng out this CDA Coach Google Form.

An email has been sent to all returning Coaches with information about the new season and links to the following:

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


November Tournament Invitation

CDA members and those interested in joining the CDA are invited to our second tournament of the year on Saturday, November 9 at Fitch High School in Groton, CT. We will follow our standard format of one hour for case preparation, four rounds of debate in Varsity and Novice divisions, and a final round between the top two Varsity teams.

You may download the Invitation for more details. Coaches are also asked to fill out this Google Attendance Form by the end of the day on Friday, November 1, to provide planning information. Registration opens on Monday, October 28 at 8AM, and entries must be in by end of day on Wednesday, November 6.

If you have any questions or comments please email us: CDA November Tournament.

October Tournament Results

We had 205 debaters from 26 schools compete in our first tournament of the year at Joel Barlow High School. The topic was:

THW match small donor contributions to political campaigns.

The Varsity final round was closed out by Stamford High School. The debate was won by the team of Ryan Khessibi and Sabrina Morency on Government over their schoolmates Meher Jain and Aryeh Pollack.

The Stamford team of Amelia Nandikesan and Brian Watson topped the Novice division.

Congratulations to all of our trophy winners! You may view or download the complete October Results, as well as the resolution package.

If you have any questions or comments please email us: CDA October Tournament.

Novice Scrimmage Results

We had 108 Novice debaters, 16 observers and 38 Varsity debaters as judges from 13 schools at our 15th annual Novice Scrimmage on September 28. Special thanks to all the Varsity debaters who took the day to help judge and coach this year's Novices.

The topic was: This House would require standardized tests for college admissions.

For results--box scores only--go to Novice Scrimmage Results. Ballots are all online on tabroom. If you have trouble accessing them please email us: CDA Scrimmage.


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, September20-22, 2024
  • 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:

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 October 21, 2024.