by emilyerose | Mar 6, 2017 | Communication/Rhetoric, Strategy, Thinking Strategically
“Drew, this is TP. This isn’t LD. Morals don’t matter here.” I actually had a debater say this to me while discussing a neg strategy. My approach was to focus on how the US as a world leader has an obligation to act lawfully and obey international norms....
by Noah Farley | Mar 3, 2017 | DebateSmart, Lincoln-Douglas, Technique, Thinking Strategically
We all know how hard it is to debate those who have trouble structuring arguments and organizing them. Points are scattered all across the map. In contrast to your claim that they never responded to your case, they insist that they did, and take the opportunity to...
by Anna Johansen | Feb 27, 2017 | Technique, Top Drills
I never thought Goethe and Bruce Lee would have too much in common. But apparently I was wrong. Despite their diverse origins—one hailing from 18th century Frankfurt; the other from 20th-century pop culture—somehow, they managed to agree on one key point: “Knowing is...
by Noah Howard | Feb 21, 2017 | Coaching, From Intermediate to Advanced, Soapbox
This is it. This is what you’ve been waiting for. The stage is set. You’ve been wanting to debate in finals for two years, and now you finally get your chance. As you walk up the steps to take your place, you can’t help feeling like a champion already. Even though you...
by Giovanni Segar | Feb 19, 2017 | Communication/Rhetoric, Featured, Guest Posts, Soapbox
When I was fourteen, I was a computer nerd. I would grab 1,000-page behemoth books about programming and shred through them. My computery world went upside down when my mom met a fellow homeschool, Christian family at the YMCA: they had recently started up a speech...
by Noah Amedick | Feb 15, 2017 | From Advanced to National-Class, Strategy, Thinking Strategically
I’m never going to forget my eagle scout project. My team and I repaired antique fire ladders for the City of Chesapeake’s Fire Department – but we did it using the classical style: scraping the old varnish off of the ladders with shards of glass. The hardest...
