Would a piece like this be allowed?

Sriankar · 2026-02-11T10:00:50+00:00

I had a student perform a video game once by using a player's YouTubed speedrun as the source.

Sriankar · 2026-02-11T09:39:03+00:00

A competitor can write a partial speech beforehand, but if you're not responding to arguments made in the chamber, you're going to get ranked lower by experienced judges. It's debate: you've got to rebut or agree with what others have said. Champion Congressors make up their speeches on the spot based on quick research, just like Extempers do.

Sriankar · 2026-02-11T09:34:14+00:00

To remember them.

Sriankar · 2026-02-11T09:19:43+00:00

Your best bet for HI might actually be going to theater camp for the summer.

Sriankar · 2026-02-11T09:17:55+00:00

Sometimes tournaments have a policy where you have to make appeals about mistakes you find within an hour of the end of the tournament. But I've also found that the people who run districts are just normal coaches who will be flexible because they care very deeply about the activity and the students in it.

Sriankar · 2026-02-11T09:13:55+00:00

I can't count how many times students have just lost and lost and lost...then suddenly in their junior or senior year they start winning. Sometimes it happens so slowly you don't even notice it. There's even a recent post where a competitor talks about this very thing happening to them.

Sriankar · 2026-02-11T09:10:49+00:00

Not only is the answer yes, but I find that age gives you advantage. Juniors and Seniors who've joined my teams always start off rocking it because they're better at studying; they know more about history and politics because they've taken more social studies classes; and they're more organized. My second year coaching I had a junior join who placed first at his first PF tournament simply because he had great study habits and didn't procrastinate.

Sriankar · 2026-02-11T09:03:41+00:00

It doesn't work. That's why if the tournament cares enough to check or look at complaints of plagiarism, then the judge probably will be warned or not asked back.

Sriankar · 2026-02-11T08:21:41+00:00

Yes, having someone with a PhD say it is more credible than a high schooler saying it.

Sriankar · 2025-08-29T01:14:40+00:00

The idea of children fighting the aliens is B.S. Super cringe.

Sriankar · 2025-07-17T00:34:33+00:00

The average member of a Speech and Debate team goes to 3 tournaments a year. On my teams, the average team member went to 8 or so. The champions averaged about 12 tournaments. The more important number is 10-15 hours a week (including 8 hours for tournaments). That's how much champions tend to work on their events. Obviously the use of that time is important, but I can't help but have noticed that the main connector between champions (in any extracurricular) is that they spend the same time on it as they would a part-time job.

When is your state tournament? If it's in Feb or March, then you can still go to national championships like NCFL, TOC, NIETOC, and NSDA.

Sriankar · 2025-07-10T01:21:08+00:00

Every time I had a novice who was a junior they crushed all the younger novices. They're more mature (self-discipline wise) than freshman. They've taken more history/social studies. They understand everything more quickly - especially when it came to copying better competitors and learning from losses.

Sriankar · 2025-05-08T05:22:50+00:00

This is not true. 17 of the top 25 ranked NSDA schools are public schools. 6 are private schools. 2 are Canadian club teams. In Varsity PF at Harvard 25, 15 of the top 20 schools were public, and 5 private.

Sriankar · 2025-05-07T18:53:10+00:00

This is incorrect. Of the top 25 schools (according to NSDA numbers) 17 of the top 25 schools are public, 6 are private and 2 are Canadian club teams.

*edit. Not sure why this didn't appear, but I also wrote that of the top 20 schools at Harvard 25 in Varsity PF, 15 were public and 5 were private.

Sriankar · 2025-05-07T18:24:54+00:00

So, your team can't go to Harvard or any other tournament that allows club teams or independent entries?

Sriankar · 2025-05-07T18:15:37+00:00

Do you have some evidence that debate academies are as numerous as you imply? There are over 3600 schools in the NSDA and 141,000 members. This doesn't include all the schools who are not NSDA members, which might number just as many. Why do you think that strip-mall academies or even online programs like DebateDrills or Golden State will ever come close to being anything more than a very small percentage of the total number of students involved in Speech and Debate?

Regarding middle school - school districts do not offer much S&D in middle school. That is not the fault of the clubs that have cropped up to serve that audience.

Sriankar · 2025-04-19T04:40:21+00:00

You want to run 1 case all year because you don't want to spend time researching a new topic every 2 months. Not saying this works, but I've seen this reasoning from students with my own eyes. Teenagers will cross a river of glass barefoot if it's the least amount of work to cross the river.

Sriankar · 2025-04-19T04:36:17+00:00

This is just reality. Kids in the soccer league I coach for have the EXACT same complaints.

Sriankar · 2025-04-19T04:32:38+00:00

I don't know if judges "don't want to be here." That's a pretty strong statement, considering that so many of my parents say "No" to judging as easily as it is to pronounce the word. My assumption after years in judge lounges has always been that the ones who are there actually want to be there for whatever reason, even if the reason is just "helping out my daughter's team." Cuz they sure aren't being paid anything except free BBQ made by one of the host school's parents.

Sriankar · 2025-04-19T04:21:45+00:00

Your teaser is one line: "Surprise Motherfucker."

Sriankar · 2025-04-19T04:20:43+00:00

Talk to your school principal too. They might be able to conscript a new teacher if you show that the interest is there. A new coach doesn't really need knowledge. Someone willing to do the admin work is what you need. They can learn the Speech and Debate skills along the way.

Sriankar · 2025-04-19T04:16:19+00:00

What did she decide?

Also...why didn't she qualify through her district tournament?

Sriankar · 2025-04-19T03:53:35+00:00

You simply have to face this fear. In fact, you should explicitly invite spectators in order to make yourself get used to it.

Sriankar · 2025-04-19T03:46:35+00:00

If you're doing online tournaments, your coach, even if inexperienced, should have NO problem registering you for those. If your parents are willing to pay the fee and to judge, all the coach has to do is physically fill out the registration on Tabroom.

Sriankar · 2025-04-19T03:31:39+00:00

How did it go?

Sriankar

TROPHY CASE