Seattle Academy Speech and Debate FAQs
How many tournaments are there, and when are they?
There is a schedule link to click to the left. Speech and Debate is unlike being on a sports team in that you pick and choose which meets you want to go to and sign up for them in advance. You are encouraged and welcome to attend as many as you like, but it has absolutely no effect on your grade, nor does your ranking at the tournament you attend. A tournament will generally occur on Friday evenings and Saturday for most of the day. We do leave early and sometimes come back late, depending on the location of the tourney.
What kinds of speeches do the students do?
-Original Oratory – 10 minutes on topic of student’s choice, memorized.
-Expository - 8 minute speech educating the audience on a topic of the student's choice using a visual aid.
-Dramatic/Humorous Interp - 10 minutes from a play, memorized, student playing all parts.
-Dual Interp – Two man version of the same event.
-Prose/Poetry Interp - sections of text, both prose and verse, prepared on a central theme and read by the student with prepared introduction.
-Extemporaneous – Student has choice of two current event topics, then is given 30 minutes to prepare a 5 to 7 minute speech, researched from the team’s files constructed in class.-Impromptu - Student has choice of three random topics, then is given 6 minutes to both prepare and speak.
-Public Forum debate - a 2-person team that debates either side of a current events resolution, including supporting alternating speeches and crossfire questioning.
The team budget eats the lion’s share of the fees for each tournament, but we do ask the students to pay any hotel or airfare costs in the event of an extreme “away” meet, such as Nationals, TOC, or UCBerkeley.
Absolutely! Parents are welcomed and downright encouraged to come and visit tournaments and watch rounds! As long as you bring us snacks. Seriously, Saturdays can get long and kids need to either bring food with them or have money for buying food at the concession areas provided as most tournaments do not allow students to leave the campus. Be warned: If you do come, there is a good chance I will put you to work! I NEED JUDGES! I do not have much of a judging pool and I generally have to provide one judge for every 5 or 6 kids I take to a tournament. We are at the point right now where I and one or two other teachers or staff members can cover the amount of kids I take, but we are getting bigger fast! You can learn everything you need to know to get started in about an hour and I will teach you!
What am I gaining from all this?
Ability to research, write, and present. Confidence and training in the art of oral communication. A constant education in current events both political and otherwise. And of course, on the tangible side: Colleges LOVE debate! It’s an old story, but it bears repeating: Colleges LOVE debate! (Trust me on this one. Speech and Debate got me into Northwestern, a school I very frankly had no chance of getting into if they had based things only on GPA and SATs!)
Joel Underwood junderwood@seattleacademy.orgor just use the link to the left