The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Victory Briefs. Jake Nebel is a PhD candidate in philosophy at New York University, executive director at Victory Briefs, and (starting fall 2019) assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California. Let’s […]
OpinionCategory: Opinion
The Case for Orally Disclosing Decisions by Lawrence Zhou
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Victory Briefs. Lawrence Zhou was the 2014 NSDA National Champion in LD. He now attends the University of Oklahoma where he is an assistant coach at the Harker School and the Director of Publishing […]
Opinion, ResourcesTheis T(h)ursday: Changing Affirmative Speech Times
As you may know, the NSDA is currently considering a number of rule changes for Public Forum. The proposals include changing evidence rules, eliminating cross-fire, and adding time to speeches. Regardless of the merits of any of these specific changes, I think the Lincoln-Douglas community can learn from Public Forum and begin to re-examine our rules.
Briefly, Community, OpinionThe Importance of Being Inclusive by David McKay
David McKay Director, Voices Foundation My son John was passionate about high school debate, feeling it was (in his words) “the most valuable activity a high school student can partake in”. During his freshman year at college, he became chagrined with what he saw as “…[financial] barriers preventing individuals from fully actualizing their desire […]
OpinionPreparing for the Season: An Interview with Sekou Cisse
Check out our interview with VBI staffer Sekou Cisse. Sekou debated for Success Academy HS in NY and had 9 career TOC bids, winning the Byram Hills Invitational + RR, the Beltway fall classic, the Newark RR, the Berkeley RR, NYC Policy RR, Kandi King RR, the Harrison RR, and Harvard. Sekou currently attends and […]
Opinion, ResourcesPreparing for Nationals: An Interview with a National Champion
With NSDA Nationals quickly approaching in just over a week, we thought we’d sit down and ask the most recent NSDA National Champion, Natalie Schaller, about preparing and competing at NSDA Nationals. This continues from an interview we did last year with the 2016 and 2014 NSDA National Champions, which you can find here. Natalie […]
Opinion, ResourcesPacking For Debate Camp: An Interview with VBI Staffers
One of the most frequently asked questions we get is, “What should I pack for camp?” We were asked this last year on our VBI AMA on Reddit (which you can find here) and we responded with a few different answers. “As for packing, you can find our packing list here. My personal suitcase for […]
Curriculum Corner, OpinionHow to Prep for Tournaments: Before, During, and After By Raffi Piliero
Raffi Piliero debated for Harrison High School for 4 years, clearing at the TOC twice, and finishing as bid leader his senior year. He also won several national tournaments and several top speaker awards, and now debates for Georgetown University. Introduction: Previously, I’d written an article about what to do to get ready or the season […]
Opinion, ResourcesNegative Strategy – How to Make the 1AR a Nightmare by Raffi Piliero
Raffi Piliero debated for Harrison High School for 4 years, clearing at the TOC twice, and finishing as bid leader his senior year. He also won several national tournaments and several top speaker awards, and now debates for Georgetown University. Introduction: One of the first things that even the youngest of debaters realize upon giving […]
Opinion, Resources