<p>Hey. For those that do not remember me (considering that I have not posted here in almost a month and a half), I'm now a sophomore in high school who was having problems at home, yet has been holding it together when it comes to school. Fortunately, things on the homefront have improved, and I'm currently getting therapy, so things are drastically looking up for me. Consequently, my parents are more supportive of me, and things are going well. </p>
<p>However, I guess you can say that I'm a little bummed out, because my school does not seem to be really concerned with its students' needs when it concerns admission into more prestigious colleges. All last year, I put in some effort in recruiting people for the debate team, and after much persuasion, my counselor and speech teacher guaranteed that we were going to have a debate team this year. However, I guess that's all been forgotten, because when I went to school today to get my textbooks and my schedule, I discovered that they decided to drop debate. We just hired a new counselor, and I consulted with her about the matter. She knew about the whole thing. and lamented on how the debate team at her old school was a success. I asked her what other classes I could take as an aspiring lawyer, and because we don't have any other classes pertaining to that profession, she enlisted me in creative writing, which was the closest thing to what I wanted. Now, I love to write. I'm writing a novel and compiling a book of poetry. But I'm just so ****ed at the fact that all this hoping and preparation has lead to nothing. I can still compete in Texas U.I.L. Debate competitions, but I really would like to do NFL. Is it possible to do this independently, because if so, I will do it with all the might I have. If anyone can help me out here, I'd really, really appreciate it. Please reply.</p>
<p>YEs you can CERTAINLY participate in NFL debate without having school affiliation. The kids at Mission San Jose have been doing it for years (although they are school-sanctioned at some tournaments, at others they go under the "fake" name OHSODEF)
anyway, you can enter as an independent into all NFL tournaments. just call up the tournament directors and register yourself.
you can also hire a debate coach for yourself and attend summer institutes. you don't NEED a school team. in fact some of the most successful debaters in recent years have been independents. you're going to need $ though</p>
<p>Yeah, I know about the money thing, which sucks because my mom works at Subway for minimum wage. Anyway, maybe I can find scholarships? I turn sixteen soon, so driving and a job won't be much of a problem.</p>
<p>So I can just get contact information from going to a particular website? This is such a relief to know. Thank you so much.</p>
<p>joyoftournaments.com and victorybriefs.com should help you out some. good luck.
scholarships......don't know about those. if you lack money, debate is going to be really hard for you. NFL debate involves a lot of traveling...but on second thought, since you live in Texas, you might be luckier...because there are lots of national-level NFL tournaments (Greenhill, St. Mark's, Hockaday, Colleyville, etc.) held in TX every year. Your local debate circuit is pretty competitive. So you wouldn't need to travel out-of-state too much. But you will have to travel a bit in-state, and most debaters either pay out of pocket or through school. Good luck...</p>
<p>righteous, do what you love and try your best. but i don't know...if I were you I would try something else...certainly give it a shot, and keep trying to get debate going at your school, but it's going to be tough for you, especially if you don't have a coach.</p>
<p>Thanks, though. My speech teacher has told me on countless occasions (she used to be a debate coach. She even conducts debate meets in her spare time) that she'd be glad to meet up with me after school and help out, so I'll look up to her, but I know I'm eventually going to have to rely on myself in the long run. </p>
<p>But you see, I do love debate. I did it last year, except independently, so I didn't go that far, thanks to dropped arguments. I'm very passionate about it. I want to be a defense attorney, so it makes it all the more sensible. I want a career in politics, eventually. Wouldn't it look irksome for someone not to be involved in things pertinent to his or her fields of interest? </p>
<p>Are there any other websites that could help me out in terms of debating and writing good cases? Again, I'm glad you're taking the time to help.</p>
<p>those are the three that would help you out the most.
i think a really good thing for you would be to go to a debate camp over the summer, if you can raise the funds. there are lots of good camps out there--try yale's camp, iowa, or samford. i don't recommend VBI, it's by far the most popular camp, but you get less individual attention and a lot of the stuff they teach there is just current fads in debate. as you progress with debate this year, you'll learn more.
and yes, unfortunately, teachers can only do so much. the most valuable resources are college kids who were successful debaters in high school.</p>
<p>Alright. Thank you so much. But do you think, if it so happens that financial barricades will be a definite hindrance to this, that colleges would understand? I don't want to sound really uptight with an "OMG! Have I failed already?" attitude, but I partially see this as another annoying obstacle to doing what I love and being involved. I'm on cross country as well (along with some petty clubs, save for creative writing club), and I'm a summer law office intern, but I know I can handle one more thing, and debate seems so promising.</p>
<p>then definitely do it! of course colleges will be impressed that you were the only debater at your school and that you worked hard for it. definitely get a rec from your debate coach when it comes time to apply. in the end your success is less important than the skills you gained and the initiative you evinced.
debate is one of the most enriching, fulfilling activities there are.</p>
<p>Yup, I definitely agree. Winning a round sounds great, but really, it is not everything. What matters to me is that I know how to present a rational point of view in a way that makes it agreeable to the majority of whom it concerns, and that my analytical skills improve and I attain more conviction in what I say and believe in. Yes, it's certainly an amazing endeavor.</p>