2024-2025 Tournaments
2023-2024 Tournaments
TOPICS for the November tournament
– Abolish the Electoral College
– Washington D.C. should be granted statehood
The UN should have more power to enforce international laws and regulations.
– The United States should adopt a nationalized education system.
– The Biden Administration’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan does more harm than good.
– New York State should not ban the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035.
– End Presidential Executive Privilege!
– CRISPR/Cas9 will do more harm than good.
– All currently illegal drugs should be legalized, regulated, and taxed.
– The US federal government should regulate cryptocurrency.
Impose term limits on the US Congress
– Cancel culture does more good than harm.
– Abolish the CIA!
Additional impromptu topics will be selected from current events & enduring ethical controversies
The tournament consists of four rounds.
Two of the rounds will cover two pre-announced topics (usually announced about four weeks prior to the event) and two rounds will include two extemporaneous motions for debate. Impromptu topics, drawn from current events and notable public policy issues, are announced twenty minutes prior to debates. Pre-announced and impromptu topics can be in any round order.
Rounds three and four are power-matched and at some tournaments (time permitting) we will have a final public debate between the top two teams on a third extemporaneous topic.
Please note: East Coast tournaments start at 8am
| Time | Activity |
| 8AM – 9AM | Registration |
| 9AM – 9:30AM | General Assembly and Welcome |
| 9:30AM – 11AM | Round 1 |
| 11AM – 12:30PM | Round 2 |
| 12:30PM – 1:00PM | LUNCH |
| 1:00PM – 2:30PM | Round 3 |
| 2:30PM – 4:00PM | Round 4 |
| 4:00PM – 4:30PM | Break/Coaches Meeting |
| 4:30PM – 5:00PM | Publice Debate Finals |
| 5:00PM – 5:30PM | Awards |
Alice Uhl, Director of International Scholarship, Shakespeare & Debate
(212) 818-1200, ext. 212
Ahlam Yassin, M.A. Ed.
President, East Coast HSPDP
ahlyas@bergen.org
Steve Fitzpatrick
Founder, East Coast HSPDP
sfitzpatrick@hackleyschool.org
The ESU East Coast High School Public Debate Program features four debate tournaments over the course of the 2024-2025 academic year.
Like the Middle School Public Debate Program, it is a three-person team, parliamentary league that will include local schools across the East Coast in single day tournament competitions revolving around several debate topics.