FAQs

Are there any exceptions to the age restrictions for competing in NCFCA?

There are no exceptions made to the age requirements for NCFCA competition. Students must be 12 years old by January 1 in order to compete during the next competition season which begins in January.

How much does it cost to be a part of your club?

We require all families to affiliate with NCFCA each year which costs $135 per family if done by July 31, and $160 if done after that. We also have yearly club dues which vary from $50-$100 per family, depending on the needs of the club for that year. Additional costs may include purchasing tournament attire for students, hotel and food costs associated with attending in-person tournaments, and tournament fees (usually about $65 if a student participates in debate and one speech category). Many families in our club have taken advantage of host housing at tournaments, shopped at Goodwill for tournament attire, and creatively taken along their own meals to reduce the cost of being involved.

Is this a Christian club?

Yes. We ask all potential members to sign a Statement of Faith that aligns with the NCFCA position as outlined in the League Handbook. We also speak openly and often about how a biblical worldview applies to the issues and topics we encounter in our speech and debate activities. Our goal is to create compelling communicators for Christ who are well prepared to influence our culture. To that end, Christian beliefs according to a biblical worldview are not just a tacked-on sentiment we occasionally mention, but are at the core of everything that we do as a club.

Are there any activities for younger siblings during club time?

Some years we are able to provide a more structured Juniors Program for younger siblings (ages 7-11) which includes fun activities indoors and outdoors (weather permitting). This always depends partly on the number of children involved and the number of parent volunteers who are willing to lead, so this varies from year to year, but our goal would be to remove that as an obstacle to participation for families. Siblings younger than 7 would need to remain with the parent and under close supervision for the duration of club time.

Do I have to attend club with my student(s)?

We are not a drop-off club and require that at least one parent (or adult-aged sibling) be actively involved in club time. In years where we have enough families, we do work to create a parent schedule that will allow occasional weeks off for each parent, but the up-front expectation would be that a parent would attend every week. The success and the beneficial value of our club time depends on parents who are willing to learn alongside their students, lead small groups, provide feedback for debates and speeches, etc. Over many years we have seen parental involvement as one of the greatest contributors to student success and enjoyment.

What are the club requirements for tournament participation?

We cannot stress strongly enough the impact that participating in an in-person tournament makes on the beginning speech and debate student. Every year we see light bulbs go off for new students once they have been to a tournament and experienced all that tournaments offer. To that end, we do require that each student attend at least one in-person tournament during the spring competition season, and we strongly recommend this would be as close to the beginning of the season as possible (Jan or Feb).

Is a parent required to attend the tournament with students? Where are the tournaments located?

One parent or guardian is required to be on site for every family that participates in a tournament, no matter how many children from that family are participating. The parent is expected to be actively involved during the entire tournament, assisting with judging speech and debate rounds (which we prepare you to do - it’s not as scary as it sounds!). Our club is in Region VIII of NCFCA, which includes FL, GA, and SC, so there are tournaments scheduled in all three states most years. We have hosted a tournament in Augusta for 3 out of the last 4 years (the exception being 2021…Covid) and will be hosting again in the 2024 competition season. Typical tournament locations in the past have been Charleston, Savannah, Orlando, Columbia, Atlanta, Rome, and as far away as Sarasota. Most families who are new to our club pick the tournament location which is best for them, but as students advance they tend to want to attend more and more tournaments because it’s so much fun - for both the students and the parents!

My student has never done speech or debate. Will he be lost at club meetings?

Every year we work to get beginning students up to speed as quickly as possible with the basics of speech and debate. We typically separate beginning students from returning students in the first several weeks for this purpose.

Does the club meet every Friday throughout the school year?

Beginning in late August, we meet every Friday during the fall except the Fridays before Labor Day and after Thanksgiving. This is in order to give students the best preparation for tournament season, which begins in January. Once tournaments begin, our schedule is more fluid and we don’t meet every single Friday, but this is dependent on the tournament schedule for the spring.

How large is your club?

We usually have between 15-25 students who continue throughout the entire school year. Our club has grown in recent years and continues to experience growth through word of mouth testimonies as families share the incredible benefits to their teens of participating in speech and debate.

What kinds of speeches do students learn how to present?

Each year there are 10 different speech categories for students to choose from which fall into three broader categories: Limited Preparation Speeches, Platform Speeches, and Interpretation Speeches. There are many excellent examples that can be viewed on the NCFCA YouTube channel to give a sense of how these speeches differ.

Which style of debate does your club do?

In the past, we focused almost exclusively on Lincoln Douglas debate in our club time, but over the past 2-3 years interest has grown in Team Policy debate. After hosting a Debate Camp in the summer of 2023 which saw 28 new Team Policy participants, we anticipate that this will be a big part of our club as well. We now consider ourselves a club that does both styles of debate! Older students may also choose to compete in Moot Court (which we strongly recommend!), but we typically do not devote club time to that activity since students have to be 15 in order to compete.