Championship Debate is a company dedicated to producing National Champion Debaters and Speakers. They are primarily a publishing company, releasing Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas Debate Briefs. They also offer video consulting, case critiques, and a PreNationals Camp. All of our briefs are written by national finalists and coaches of national finalists.

None of their briefs cost more than $10. They want to help you get the championship edge without having to break the bank.

Check out their February 2011 PF brief on Wikileaks for the insanely low price of $10.

Get ready to look to the stars in the coming season, as the 2011-12 policy debate topic has been announced.

Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its exploration and/or development of space beyond the Earth’s mesosphere.

The following statement was released by the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS):

Space exploration fires people’s imaginations. The 1969 moon landings rank as one of the highest achievements of modern civilization. There is something uncanny about the human need to explore the universe. Discussing space exploration and development would have the same effect. A topic like this could spark the imagination of potential debaters, and the easy accessibility of materials would make the learning curve on the subject manageable. This is a critical time in the United States space program. The status of the National Aeronautics and Space and Administration is in limbo, especially concerning human spaceflight. The Space Shuttle is retiring in the fall of 2010, with no possible US replacement available before 2015. In addition, NASA has an unclear mandate/direction to explore either the Moon or Mars. This is balanced against NASA’s recent success with robotic exploration, such as the Mars rovers and the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as increased private sector growth. Affirmative cases could include astronomical surveys, setting new goals for human spaceflight, using new probes to examine celestial bodies in our solar system or beyond, and developing space economies. The technological and economic benefits of the space program are well documented. Negative arguments could include the increased militarization of space, the significant cost in money and resources, timeframe arguments and the need to focus more on problems concerning the Earth, such as climate change.

Let us know what you think about the topic!

With the wealth of speech and debate websites available, it’s often hard to keep up-to-date on all the latest news, results, and commentary. SpeechGeek is excited to share the 4n6 app for mobile phones! The app is a free download available in the Apple iTunes App Store and Google Android Market.

Combining news and social content from the most popular forensics websites, 4n6 is the one-stop resource for high school speech and debate. News, tweets, and other social content is just a tap away. We are proud to partner with websites such as PFDebate, Victory Briefs Daily, Global Debate, The National Forensic League, Extemp Central, Forensics Community, The Forensics Posting Weekly, and RupeScholars.org to provide you with a tool for easy access to the best forensics content online.

We encourage users who also tweet to use the #4n6 hashtag in forensics-related tweets.  This helps to build a community of users and participants in the forensics discussion.

From your first prep to the final round at Nationals, 4n6 is the app for the true Speech Geek!

In a football crazy state like Texas, it comes as little surprise that some individuals might not view competitive forensics on the same level as athletics.

Maybe not. Rolando Valeasquez offers some compelling commentary in theDallas Morning News‘ editorial section.

Like football players, debaters have to have quick reflexes. When debating and listening to our opponent’s arguments, we have seconds to process the information and develop counter-arguments. A few weeks ago, I debated at the nationally renowned debate hosted by St. Marks School of Texas, going up against some of the best debate teams in the nation. I was thoroughly exhausted, my brain and body drained of energy.

Like football, debate is intensively competitive. Rivalries develop, just like in any other sport. You know which teams you want to beat, yet you develop a begrudging admiration for their tactics and strategies.

Like in other sports, we debaters are scouted out and recruited by some of the most prestigious colleges and universities. Scouts frequently attend the high-profile tournaments to identify debaters. Scholarships are offered to those lucky and gifted debaters.

What do you think?