As we enter this next school year, it’s time to begin preparing for debate. I remember preparing for my first year of LD debate not too long ago. I found evidence, googled definitions, and printed many briefs. In fact, pretty much all of my preparation time went into writing cases and finding evidence. Generally, this is what we think of when we want to prepare. In the debate round, we need cases and evidence, so that’s what we should gather before competition starts. Right? Well, in my opinion, that’s only partially right. It’s certainly important to be prepared with these materials before your first tournament, but I don’t think cases and evidence represent the most important aspect of a debate round…
We are excited to be part of your Lincoln Douglas Debate journey. If you know you want the 2021-22 NCFCA LD Guidebook fresh off the presses- click HERE!
Wondering why you might need the LD Guidebook this season? You may be reading our Guidebook for a multitude of purposes:
1. To learn how to do LD 2. To teach a club 3. To explore the LD resources 4. To get a head start on the season
No matter who you are or your level of experience, we hope this guide will be of tremendous benefit to you. This guide is different than most typical Sourcebooks. In addition to giving you LD cases, we wanted to help you understand the most important parts of Lincoln Douglas Debate and go through cases section by section.
There is no other Guidebook like it, specifically geared toward the NCFCA 2021-22 Season.
For new debaters or those teaching at a club:
We hope this will be your how-to guide for LD! Each section includes an explanation of that part of LD, why it is important and how to use it in a debate round. For instance, in the first section, definitions, there is an explanation of why definitions are important and how to argue them in a debate round. Following this summary is a brief of the most credible definitions we could find on the most important terms for this resolution. The same structure is used for the other sections, a summary of the topic and then a brief.
For experienced debaters:
In this resource, we have compiled a multitude of credible research and arguments for this resolution. The definitions brief has the most credible definitions for this resolution that we could find, the contentions briefs have scholarly evidence justifying and condemning each principle, the applications section has seventeen examples, more than you’ll use all year. In short, we want this resource to be beneficial and worthwhile. In addition to the summaries and descriptions, LD theory is also included.
Head to the SHOP, and go to BOOKS to purchase your LD Guide today!
Why haven’t you signed up yet? No more excuses- Do It TODAY! Perhaps you still have questions… perhaps you have excuses… let’s look them over…
How do sign up? Here’s the link. https://www.ziggyonlinedebate.us/sign-up/judge-signup.html
How much does it cost? Only $35!
I don’t have the money. Talk to us about a scholarship!
I don’t have the time. This is your typical Ziggy Tournament. You schedule your rounds, except for the Finals Round on June 18.
Isn’t registration closed? Nope! We extended registration until TODAY – May 16!
I didn’t qualify to Nationals. That’s ok! This is about GROWTH! Not all the best competitors make it through to the National Championship. Iron sharpens iron.
What are the prizes? We have scholarships to colleges, camps, including CASH!
Are the prizes just for winners? Nope! We will have drawings, as well!
Who is judging? We have excellent judges signing up to help you guys! This feedback is going to be the feedback you will want to propel you into next year or into The National Championship.
How do I sign up to judge? Alumni and parents can sign up HERE.
Still have more questions!? We would love to hear from you! We are excited to offer this opportunity and continue to see you dig deeper, grow, explore this 2021 debate season.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! National tournaments are just around the corner, Spring is in the air, and resolutions are out for next season! There’s a lot to be unpackaged in the new resolutions. Voting is open right now for both leagues and there is plenty to be discussed! Let’s cover some key observations for all 6 of the resolutions and provide a bit of analysis in order to supplement your vote…
Lasting Impact! and Ziggy are joining forces to create an epic Debate Championship to close out the 2021 season! I know you will have questions… so let’s get them started!
1. Why are Ziggy and Lasting Impact! teaming up? It’s always awesome to collaborate with like-minded organizations and friends. We love coming together and collaborating and giving families opportunities to engage in speech and debate opportunities.
2. What are your goals? We want to see students growing, and continuing to hone their debate skills whether they are attending NCFCA Nationals or not. This also continues to give judges the opportunity to fill out ballots and give more feedback.Essentially, it’s that feedback that can help students to think critically, analyze their thought process, and make decisions on what needs to be said, or what does not. And let’s not under estimate the power of practice!
3. Who is the Ziggy + Lasting Impact! National Championship for? You did not need to make it to Nationals to compete in this unique debate event. Not all of the top competitors will make it to Nationals. Iron sharpens iron. Use this for the opportunity to grow for next season, or use this as your last hoorah, or use this event to test out your cases!
4. Will there be a case list? Students will have the option to disclose the TP case they are running during signup, but do not have to do so. We encourage teams to share what case(s) they are running, though, as we believe this enhances the quality of rounds! Per Ziggy Rule 2(a)(ii), Aff TP teams will need to send a copy of their case to the Negative team upon request during the round.
5. Will there be prizes? Yes, of course! More details soon!
6. Why the weekly/5 day format? Easy. Flexibility!! We wanted something easy and flexible for you to commit to.
7. What is the cost? Early bird is only $30 per person. Sign up now!
Lasting Impact! is going to run a new series in 2021 called Impact Tips! Today’s tip comes from Caleb Sampson. He’s running an LD Workshop next week to help you bring your A-game to your Lincoln Douglas Debate. The workshop will discuss the relevance of this year’s NCFCA resolution and the proper use of philosophy, legislation, case law, historic examples, logic, and analogies. This is a Workshop LDers don’t want to miss! In fact, if you sign up now, we will throw in the Lasting Impact! LD Guide FREE. Sign up HERE or keep reading to see his Impact Tip!
What is the most essential yet underappreciated application in Lincoln Douglas Debate?
In 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas faced off in a series of 7 debates about the issue of slavery in the United States. While both men were esteemed politicians and policy makers, these Lincoln Douglas debates didn’t focus on the intricate details of legislation or the ins and outs of constitutional law. Fundamentally, these debates focused on the values of Americans and the underlying philosophies that led the American People to those value systems.
The most essential yet underappreciated application in Lincoln-Douglas Debate is philosophy…
I’ll never forget the moment when I told my best friend in Speech and Debate (a regionally ranked Team Policy debater) that I was going to compete in Lincoln Douglas debate my junior year of high school. “Olivia, that’s not real debate” she smiled as she spoke as if explaining simple addition to a kindergartner. “All you’re talking about is concepts that you can’t change, do TP, you can change policy.”
It’s that time of year, when the resolution research begins to get collected into books and distributed for all those conscientious coaches and students out there who are ready to start working on their debate material. There are plenty of sources out there to help you get started, here are some things to keep in mind as you start to consult those resources…
This summer the Lasting Impact Team and myself have been working hard on the 2020-2021 NCFCA Lincoln Douglas Debate Guidebook!
Through this process, I have discovered the difficulty level of this resolution – it isn’t an easy one. We want you to be as prepared as possible; we want you to reach your fullest potential.
The Guidebook is to do precisely as the name implies – guide you through the year. If you have never stepped foot in a round or if you are a seasoned pro looking to dominate your senior year, this book is for you.
For beginners, it contains thorough explanations and illustrations of each element of an LD case. Additionally, multiple cases are provided that can be used as-is or made into one’s own.
For advanced debaters, we have made sure that over 90% of the evidence found is from highly credible sources, that the briefs cover every major example you need to know about, and that inside contains everything you need to jumpstart your year.
Young or old, teacher or competitor, this Guidebook is for you.
As we launch into this 2020-21 unprecedented season of speech and debate, we are excited to see leagues and coaching organizations adapt.
Champions intuitively understand a foundational truth: mastery requires practice. In the face of last year’s canceled spring season, Lasting Impact! piloted an online tournament platform with a heart for providing a quality online tournament experience. The resulting tournament exceeded expectations. This got us thinking: why not provide a fall practice experience with the same level of quality? After all, we are not trying to replace in person tournaments, yet the art of communication needs to continue to grow and develop.
After lengthy brainstorming and planning, we’re incredibly excited to announce the Inaugural Lasting Impact Fall Circuit, hosted by Lasting Impact! and sponsored by DFW Speech and Debate. The Fall Circuit will provide lincoln value and team policy debate options for STOA and NCFCA students. It includes weekly rounds starting September 28th. After the six preliminary rounds finish, we will host a one-day outrounds experience November 7 (with awesome prizes). The entire experience will run on a seamless online platform. This will give students, parents, coaches, and clubs all the opportunity to check out a virtual tournament!
Registration opens at noon today!! Click this link to register! For the next two weeks, we will discount the registration price of $49.99. Without required affiliations, travel costs, and other associated costs of competing in person, this online fall experience provides high-level practice for preliminary and elimination rounds at a fraction of the cost. You won’t want to miss it. We’re excited!
The resolutions will be…
TP Stoa
Resolved: “The USFG should considerably decrease its military commitments.”
LD Stoa
Resolved: “Economic stability is more important than economic growth.”
LD NCFCA
Resolved: “In democratic elections, the public’s right to know ought to be valued above a candidate’s right to privacy.”
TP NCFCA
Resolved: “The European Union should substantially reform its immigration policy.”
We look forward to meeting with you, and experiencing debate in a wonderful new way! No affiliation necessary to compete.
Check out the Impact Tournament site at www.impacttournaments.com
We are excited to be uniting with DFW Speech and Debate. We are excited for the opportunities to still offer high quality competition and ways for our youth to grow. We are excited for what the Lord has in store. The question is – are you??
Arne Duncan, then Secretary of Education, said in 2010, “debate is uniquely suited to build skills required of a modern citizen, including critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.”
Most of us in the world of education would agree that competitive debate is a valuable activity for students of all skill levels, however, the style of debate preferred or which format a student new to debate should begin with, is, well, up for debate…
I have heard a number of concerns voiced by students and parents about the feasibility of arguing the affirmative side of the NCFCA’s 2019-2020 LD resolution. Granted, preventive war sounds like an ethically dubious activity on its face, and the resolution appears to make some ambitious claims. How can we reasonably make a blanket statement condoning what looks, from most angles, like blunt military aggression? If you don’t have the Lasting Impact! LD Guide, which has tons of ideas and an excellent resource, this article represents my attempt to put such concerns to rest and to show how this resolution can produce interesting and well-balanced debate rounds.
