Frequently Asked Questions

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  • The Connecticut Debate Association (CDA) is the state’s premier high school debate league. It has provided a regular program of competition for over thirty years, with roots going back to the 1960s. The CDA works to provide an educational competitive experience for students and emphasizes skills that transfer to school, career, and personal life.

  • The CDA uses parliamentary debate, following a format based on the American Parliamentary Debate Association. It is extemporaneous: students receive the resolution and a research packet at the tournament, then have one hour to prepare. Teams debate both sides of the topic during the day.

  • Membership is open to any public or private high school. Schools do not need to be members of CAS to participate, but they must meet CAS eligibility criteria.

  • Schools may join at any time during the school year: contact the CDA, register for a tournament, and just show up. Potential new members may participate in one tournament at no cost and with no further obligation, and interested schools may also observe a tournament.

  • No, the CDA is a league, and that distinction matters. Monthly tournaments serve as qualifiers for the year-end State Finals, so consistent attendance throughout the season is part of the commitment. That said, the league model is what makes CDA special. Your students compete alongside the same peers all year, building relationships and improving together.

  • Membership allows a school to attend the Novice Scrimmage and all regular tournaments, with State Finals open to teams that qualify through earlier tournaments. Schools may bring as many debaters as they wish, limited by site capacity and the availability of judges.

  • CDA membership is $250 per school per year. Membership allows schools to participate in the Novice Scrimmage and all regular season tournaments, with State Finals open to qualifying teams.

  • The CDA holds a scrimmage for new debaters in September and tournaments monthly from October through March, followed by a State Championship for qualified debaters. Tournaments are generally held on Saturdays from about 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

  • The CDA is an in-person debate league. It returned to in-person debate for the 2022–23 school year following the COVID-19 pandemic, but online debate may still be used in the event of bad weather or other circumstances that prevent in-person competition.

  • The current format connects the league with an international debate community, makes abundant training material available to debaters, coaches, and judges, allows a fourth preliminary round in the same amount of time, and matches the format used by students coming up from the Connecticut Middle School Debate League.

  • Students do not prepare cases in advance. They receive the motion and packet on tournament morning, may use only limited reference materials, and are expected to debate both sides of the resolution over the course of the tournament. This places a premium on listening, analysis, quick thought, and precise expression.

General Questions

Questions for Debaters

  • You will receive the motion and a research packet at the start of the day, then have one hour to prepare. There are four preliminary rounds, with teams debating twice in favor and twice against the motion. The top varsity teams then meet in a public final round.

  • No. CDA parliamentary debate is extemporaneous. Students do not research or prepare their cases in advance of the tournament.

  • You may use the tournament packet, a dictionary, an almanac, and a copy of the U.S. Constitution. No other research materials are permitted.

  • There are introductory materials on our Resources page for how to prepare for debate, what happens during a debate, and templates to help organize definitions, contentions, and arguments during prep time. It also points students to videos, textbooks, and outside parliamentary debate resources.

  • Bring paper, writing utensils, highlighters, a timing device or phone, a charger, and water. Some debaters also bring allowed reference materials and printed prep templates. Food is usually available, but students with dietary needs should bring their own.

  • There's no formal dress code, but presenting a neat, put-together appearance never hurts. Judges are instructed to evaluate you on your arguments, not your outfit, though first impressions still matter in any public speaking setting.

  • Yes. All the debaters from a school may work together during the case preparation period, and novice debaters often benefit from working with varsity teammates.

  • You're welcome to leave after your last round, but we strongly encourage staying to watch the finals. It's one of the best learning opportunities of the day. Seeing the top teams clash in a public round teaches more about high-level debate than any practice session can.

  • That is normal. At early tournaments, many novices have never debated before, and the CDA notes that students often start off even. The Novice Scrimmage is designed specifically to introduce new debaters to the activity. You may also observe your peers if you want to get a feel for how a standard round works.

  • The CDA holds a scrimmage for new debaters in September and tournaments monthly from October through March, followed by a State Championship for qualified debaters. Tournaments are generally held on Saturdays from about 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

  • The CDA is an in-person debate league. It returned to in-person debate for the 2022–23 school year following the COVID-19 pandemic, but online debate may still be used in the event of bad weather or other circumstances that prevent in-person competition.

  • The current format connects the league with an international debate community, makes abundant training material available to debaters, coaches, and judges, allows a fourth preliminary round in the same amount of time, and matches the format used by students coming up from the Connecticut Middle School Debate League.

  • Students do not prepare cases in advance. They receive the motion and packet on tournament morning, may use only limited reference materials, and are expected to debate both sides of the resolution over the course of the tournament. This places a premium on listening, analysis, quick thought, and precise expression.

  • Reach out to the Executive Director and let us know you're interested. All we need to get you started is your school name, your name, and an email address so you receive tournament announcements. From there, just show up, and we'll take care of the rest.

  • No. Very few current or past CDA coaches were high school or college debaters. Many learned along with their students, and the CDA provides training materials to help.

  • You may bring as many teams as you like to each regular tournament, limited by your ability to find sufficient judges and the league’s ability to find enough classrooms.

  • The CDA Training Materials page includes resources for coaches, debaters, and judges, including materials for new coaches, preparation guides for debaters, templates for definitions and contentions, and suggestions for ongoing team meetings.

  • Set up your team on Tabroom, and once you are linked to CDA, you will be able to register for competitions. Be sure to:

    1. Set up profiles for each of your debaters and judges.

    2. Link all debaters and judges using their email addresses.

    If you struggle with entering teams, please reach out to us and we will assist!

  • Ideally, yes. The CDA strongly recommends attending the pre-season Novice Scrimmage. It is the best introduction to live debate the league can provide and gives new debaters practice before the regular season begins.

  • Schools are asked to bring one judge for every four debaters or fraction thereof, plus one additional judge. This extra judge helps with scheduling and supports the tournament as a whole.

  • Most judges are parents of debaters, but former students, college students, and other adult volunteers may also judge. Current students do not judge, except that experienced varsity debaters may judge novices at the Novice Scrimmage.

  • Tournaments begin promptly at 9:00 AM, when the resolution and information packet are distributed. Coaches should plan to arrive at the host school no later than 8:30 AM. The CDA aims to finish by 5:30 PM, and pickup can usually be planned for about 5:45 PM.

  • Absolutely, and many coaches do, especially early in the season when students are still learning how to break down a packet. Over time, most students naturally become more independent, which is one of the best parts of watching them grow. There's no rule against coaching during prep. Use your judgment about when to guide and when to step back.

  • Bring any concerns to the Tab Director and let them handle it. That's what they're there for. Addressing issues through Tab keeps things professional and ensures the right people are involved.

  • No, but we hope you consider it. We understand that there may be certain variables that limit a school’s ability to host competitions. The league depends on member schools opening their doors, and hosting is one of the most valuable contributions a school can make. If your school has the classroom space, we hope you'll consider hosting at some point during your years of membership. We provide a hosting guide to make the process as smooth as possible. We encourage you to discuss hosting with your students and administrators. More host schools allow for debaters in different parts of the state to compete without having to travel long distances.

  • Students do not prepare cases in advance. They receive the motion and packet on tournament morning, may use only limited reference materials, and are expected to debate both sides of the resolution over the course of the tournament. This places a premium on listening, analysis, quick thought, and precise expression.

Questions for Coaches

Questions for judges

  • Bring writing materials, a phone with a timer app or a stopwatch and a laptop or tablet for submitting ballots. Judges are also given a handout, sample ballot, and a flow chart for taking notes.

  • During the debaters’ preparation time, the CDA holds a judges workshop to orient judges to the process, ballots, note-taking, and expectations. Judges should still review training materials in advance, because one hour cannot cover everything.

  • After one hour of student preparation, there are two rounds before lunch and two after. Each team debates twice in favor and twice against the motion. The top two varsity teams meet in a public final round, followed by awards.

  • Listen carefully and judge fairly. Beyond that, the mechanics are straightforward. Keep time, take notes, decide a winner, rank and score the speakers, write a brief critique explaining your decision, and enter your ballot online promptly. The judges workshop before the first round will walk you through all of this.

  • Judge primarily on what the debaters say, how well they support their side, and the clash between the teams’ arguments.

  • The Tab director is the go-to person for any questions.

  • No. To keep things fair, judges do not evaluate teams from their own school. You also won't be assigned to judge any team you've already seen earlier that day. Tab handles all of this, and you'll receive your assignment before each round.