Parent questions

Families pay for entry fees, travel, food and camp. Wisconsin tournament entry fees are typically between $10 and $20 per tournament. The activity fund covers the team's debate evidence packets and its school membership costs.

The team is raising money to offset those family costs, and eventually to fund camp scholarships for families who need them.

Financial support is available. If cost is a barrier, contact Coach Clark at charles.clark@wfbschools.com. Coach Clark donates his entire debate coaching stipend back to the team.

It depends on how many students are going. School vehicles are provided when they are needed, and parent drivers are welcome when a lot of students travel.

Most tournaments are Wisconsin tournaments at a host high school: students arrive around 8:00 AM and compete into the afternoon. Students choose which tournaments they attend. To qualify for the state tournament, a student needs to attend at least two tournaments and post a record of three wins and two losses.

If there is enough interest this season, the team hopes to add a couple of overnight trips to Chicago, Minneapolis or Iowa to compete on the national circuit, which debaters call the Tournament of Champions circuit.

About one to two hours a week at practice. Students who want to be competitive should expect to put in additional hours outside practice, researching and writing cases.

The season starts in early October and runs through Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in January. Students pursuing national qualification carry on into the summer, with a much lighter travel schedule in the second semester.

Yes, it does conflict, and students and families decide the right balance for themselves. Coach Clark is very flexible about accommodating schedules. Talk to him about what a student is already committed to, before deciding debate will not fit.

Research is an important part of debate, particularly in Policy debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and Public Forum debate. Coaches provide guidance on finding credible sources, evaluating evidence, organizing research, and using it ethically.

Parent judging is not expected, but it is very welcome. The team has to supply judges in order to compete at tournaments. Coach Clark covers some rounds, but without volunteers the team still has to find judges from somewhere.

You do not need to know anything about debate to judge. Judges are given the resolution and told what to do. What the job involves is described on what the events are: you take notes during the round, decide which side gave the better reasons to vote for it, write a short reason for your decision, and submit a ballot. A ballot is the form the decision goes on, and the reason for decision is the paragraph explaining why you voted the way you did.

Judges evaluate students based on factors such as argument quality, use of evidence, responsiveness to the opposing side, organization, strategy, and communication. Standards can vary somewhat depending on the debate format and the judge.

Encourage preparation, ask about what they are researching, help them manage tournament schedules, and celebrate improvement rather than focusing only on wins and losses. One of the most valuable things parents can do is simply show interest in what their student is learning.

Within the first month, parents should expect their student to spend time learning the fundamentals of debate, including argument structure, research, evidence use, speaking, flowing, and cross-examination. New debaters will begin practicing with teammates and coaches, learning the expectations of their event, and becoming more comfortable speaking in a competitive setting. They may also attend their first tournament or prepare for one, which can feel fast-paced at first but is an important part of the learning process. The goal of the first month is not perfection: it is to help students build confidence, develop good habits, and begin understanding how preparation, teamwork, and critical thinking come together in debate.

Not at all. Debate is one of the best activities for developing speaking confidence. Many students begin feeling nervous or inexperienced and improve considerably through practice and competition.

No. Competitive debate is about researching important questions, constructing evidence-based arguments, listening carefully, responding thoughtfully, and communicating persuasively. Students learn how to disagree respectfully and analytically.

Coaches can help students explore the different formats and determine which best fits their interests, personality, speaking style, and competitive goals. Students may have opportunities to try more than one event.

What the events are explains all three formats in plain language.

Debate develops research skills, critical thinking, public speaking, writing, teamwork, time management, and the ability to evaluate competing perspectives. Those skills transfer well to academics, college, careers, and civic life.

Students compete in several rounds against teams from other schools. A judge listens to the debate, decides which side was more persuasive, and often provides written feedback. Students typically alternate between affirmative and negative positions depending on the format.

Once the rounds are over, the tournament gives awards to the top teams, along with speaker awards recognising the strongest individual speakers.

Common items include a laptop and charger, debate materials, pens and paper, water, snacks, appropriate clothing, and anything specifically requested by coaches. The team can provide a more detailed tournament checklist.

Wisconsin tournaments run two divisions. Junior varsity is for students in their first two years of competition. Varsity is for students beyond those two years, and for students competing at a higher level who are ready for a stronger field sooner.

Coaches decide which division fits a student, and a student who starts in junior varsity moves up as their experience grows.

Maybe, but that is not the primary expectation. Debate has a significant learning curve, and early tournaments are often about gaining experience, becoming comfortable with the format, and learning from feedback.