Let's be honest. The colloquial phrase, "like a girl," hasn't been a terribly flattering one. As a kid, it was a sneering insult that made an otherwise innocuous term sound like a four-letter word.

You hit like a girl.

You run like a girl.

You fight like a girl.

It is as if doing something "like a girl," meant that the effort was less than ideal. This brilliant video from Always was recently launched tackling this rhetoric.

 Similarly, Verizon paired up with Makers to illustrate the subtle ways in which girls and young women are discouraged from expressing their curiosity and critical thinking skills. 

Many people will contend that the necessity for gender equality has passed. There aren't any rules preventing women from becoming doctors, astronauts, mothers, teachers, artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, or politicians. Some may point out statistics that show a greater percentage of women enrolling in college to illustrate that everything is going great.

Except when it comes to representation in politics. Or only 3% serving as Chief Executive Officers. Oh, what about the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields? Nope, that's not too hot either.

One would think that being a highly influential leader in a public debate would mean that the content and quality of one's arguments would be the most important factor. They are, unless you happen to demonstrate some semblance emotion. Then journalists will pose the question, "Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back into the White House?"

So let's start reclaiming what it means to do things like a girl. Young women and girls can be as passionate, critical, articulate, argumentative, competitive, and successful as they want to be. There is no shortage of desire, curiosity, or talent among today's young women. That's why we're selling our "Debate Like a Girl" shirts and donating the proceeds to the Women's Debate Institute. The funds will help cover the cost of their tuition-free debate camp for high school and college aged girls. 

The shirts also give you the opportunity to start discussing the power and potential of young women in forensics and debate. Though it isn't perfect, this activity celebrates the accomplishments, intelligence, passion, charisma, and efforts of a diverse community of individuals. If someone asks you what it means to "Debate like a girl," you have your answer. 

Debating like a girl means using passion, critical thinking, logic, and strategy. How else would they do it?  

For a limited time only, we're selling "Debate Like a Girl" t-shirts and donating the proceeds to the Women's Debate Institute.

The WDI hosts a tuition-free summer camp for young women in high school and college who are interested in debate. If we sell at least 100 t-shirts, it will help to cover the cost of two campers, but we'd love to sell even more! We're taking pre-orders until July 16th and the shirts will begin shipping around August 4th.

We'll update our progress bar once a day. Help us move that bar across the screen by purchasing a shirt and spreading the word to coaches, teammates, and alumni!

The Ball State University Forensic Team at AFA-NIET 2014 (@bsuspeech)

Chances are, if you follow SpeechGeek on Twitter or Facebook, you may have noticed a lot action surrounding the 2014 AFA-NIET earlier this month. If you don't follow SpeechGeek (on Twitter or Facebook or on Pinterest or Tumblr), take a moment to stop reading this blog post and add us now. It's cool, we'll wait.

Some of our more recent followers may have thought, "Where are my memes, SpeechGeek? I'm here for the LOLZ." Some follow SpeechGeek only for the annual coverage of these tournaments. Others shrug and think, "Eh, it doesn't really matter to me."

Don't get us wrong: we get giddy when folks enjoy and share our more humorous posts. But the geeks here feel like we need to make a contribution to the activity beyond pictures of bears wearing bow ties with the caption "#CrossExProbs." We love being silly - but we love forensics a bit more.

That's why hearing people say, "Huh? They have speech in college?" seems like a tiny imaginary foot is stomping on our hearts. YES! Not only is there speech and debate in college, but it is totally awesome!

Sometimes folks who are competing in high school may get told from coaches or alumni that college forensics "isn't for them." Maybe the coach or alum competed in college forensics for a while and really didn't like it. That's okay. The style of performances and speeches that shine in high school may struggle to be rewarded on the college circuit. Maybe they didn't like all of the travel. Maybe there was too much travel for them to balance speech, school, having a job, and experiencing the fifty billion other activities available on a college campus.

But here's the great thing about college: you get the chance to become a different person and try different things. Maybe you're happy to finish your four years in high school. Hey - you do you. You might, however, want another four years of speech before giving it up for good. (Or at least until being a professional interper is an option.) There are people who never clicked in high school who go on to achieve awesome success in college. There are people who have success in both high school AND college. You don't know unless you try.

The University of Alabama Forensic Team at AFA-NIET 2014 (@BamaForensics)

The things that make high school speech so amazing are still there on the collegiate circuit. It is an important and enriching activity that makes you a stand out candidate for graduate schools or jobs later on. Despite what you may think, your critical thinking and argumentation skills have only just scratched the surface. College forensics opens you up to new concepts, ideas, arguments, and literature. You're not only exploring new ways of thinking, but you're discovering more about yourself in the process. You'll get the opportunity to travel out of state -- and in some cases -- out of the country. Some collegiate teams offer full or partial scholarships in an effort to recruit students to their teams. (If you see someone at the National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament with laser focus and a fistful of business cards, it's probably a college coach.) Perhaps the most valuable aspect of college forensics is finding a network of people with a shared interest in what may be a big (and lonely) new campus.

For five years now, SpeechGeek has covered the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament and the National Forensic Association National Tournament. Initially, we covered the tournaments because we were already in attendance as coaches. But even as we transitioned to working on SpeechGeek full-time, we continued to share the information and results.

We continue to do this to not only serve the friends, family, and alumni of college competitors - but to serve you as well. The college competitors are often alumni of your schools or people whom you competed against in the past. The alums of high school competition are often among the most enthusiastic volunteers, judges, and camp counselors. They frequently return after their semester wraps up to help their alma maters prepare for competition in July. Is there anything more inspiring as you prep for summer competition than watching others feel the hype and joy of national tournaments in the spring?

As we prepare to pack up and head to the NFA National Tournament in Ypsilanti, Michigan, we'll be posting articles that give you insight to the different events available in collegiate forensics. If you have questions, suggestions, or contributions, you're always welcome to send them via e-mail to stephanie (at) speechgeek (dot) com.

To get you started, here's a list of links that will help introduce to the teams, organizations, and tournaments you'll find on the collegiate circuit:

Council of Forensic Organization's List of College Programs

American Forensic Association

National Forensic Association

Phi Rho Pi National Forensic Organization

Pi Kappa Delta National Honorary Society

Delta Sigma Rho - Tau Kappa Alpha

National Parliamentary Debate Association

National Debate Tournament

Cross-Examination Debate Association

American Debate Association

International Public Debate Association

Novice Nationals

American Parliamentary Debate Association

Follow us on your favorite social media outlets for live updates, posts, new additions to the store, and general forensics fun. (Oh, here's the bear in a bow tie we promised.)

SpeechGeek is happy to help you prepare for UIL. From extemp subscriptions to help fill out your files, LD briefs to strengthen your cases, to author verification letters for your interp selections, we've got everything you need to make competing this spring a breeze! Simply click the links provided to find the products and information that best meet your needs.

Extemporaneous Speaking Subscriptions

2012-13 UIL Lincoln-Douglas Files

2012-3 UIL Documentation Letter for SpeechGeek Prose and Poetry Interp Selections

It's easy to get tunnel-vision in forensics. You've got a tournament on the horizon. You need to research, write, memorize, and practice. You have work sessions with your coach. You show your events to alumni who competed a year or two ago. At tournaments, your head is in the game. Outside of tournaments, you're dissecting speech and debate with the people who know it best.

It's easy to focus on the people who understand forensics the most. Your coaches, teammates, and alumni understand the minutia about the activity that may get lost on other people. Topicality? Inherency? Character pops versus character melds? It sounds like gibberish to many, but the people who speak this language help you improve. They're in the center of the activity, the center of the human pyramid. Without them, it seems, you wouldn't be able to excel in the activity.

It's easy to forget that there are a lot of people who don't necessarily "speak speech" but are crucial to its existence. They're on the outside of the pyramid, but they actively support the whole thing.

Columnist Mike Pound of Joplin, Missouri, reflected on being a parent judge at his daughter's debate tournament. Calling it a "risky venture," Pound's column offers a third party viewpoint of forensics that we aren't often provided. The article is rife with references to his own perceptions of intellectual inadequacy when judging the "smart" kids. His daughter reminds him to tell debaters that he is a parent judge so they will "dumb down" their arguments. He judges some interp events and largely enjoys the experience. There is an undercurrent of exclusivity in the article. Pound paints himself as an outsider willing to sacrifice a Saturday to help his daughter's team.

It's easy to lament lay judges - the parents, teachers, and volunteers who never competed or coached but are willing to help. We spend our weekdays working on nuanced performances and arguments that we hope experienced judges will appreciate. Then, we get disappointed or angry when they go unnoticed by volunteers. (We're just as guilty at poking fun of ballots that provide little criticism or justification for ranks.) We forget, sometimes, that the forensics community is more than just coaches, competitors, and alumni. Tournaments cannot run without judges. Teams cannot exist without administrative support. Supplies cannot get purchased without budgets. The knowledge you bring to competition is built upon the knowledge of your coach(es), but also the teachers you've had in other subjects throughout the years.

Speakers need supporters. We need volunteers who are willing to sell concessions, judge rounds, raise funds, sign forms, and organize team functions. Sometimes these supporters can't give us the critical feedback we would like on our ballots. But it is worth remembering that without their help, there may not even be a tournament to attend. 

The phrase, "Thank you for judging," shouldn't just be a formality - but a sincere expression of gratitude. Take some time this month to thank your supporters. If you haven't, maybe your team could sign thank you notes to put in the mail. 

The smallest act of appreciation can go a long way in getting other people interested in forensics.