The Coolidge Debate League at the Luddy Schools is a debate league for high schoolers and middle schoolers in the greater Raleigh region of North Carolina. It is jointly run by the Coolidge Foundation and the schools founded by Robert L. Luddy (Thales Academy Apex, Thales Academy Rolesville, Franklin Academy, and St. Thomas More Academy), but is open to students attending any school (public, private, homeschool, or otherwise) in the general region. These tournaments are open to students grades 6 through 12.

The 2021-2022 Season

There are four tournaments scheduled for the 2021-2022 season:

1. August 28, 2021, at Thales Academy Apex
2. November 13, 2021, at Thales Academy Rolesville
3. January 29, 2022, at Franklin Academy
4. April 30, 2022, at St. Thomas More Academy

Information About Our Next Tournament

Date:      Saturday, November 13, 2021
Time:      Check-in starts at 8:30am
           Tournament day goes until about 5pm 
Location:  Thales Academy Rolesville
Eligible:  All students grade 6 through 12
Cost:      FREE for Luddy schools (Apex, Rolesville, Franklin, STMA, Waxhaw)
           $10 for teams from other schools and homeschools
Register:  Luddy schools: your coach will register you on Tabroom.
           Non-Luddy school teams please register below.
           Registration closes Monday, November 8 at 11:59pm ET.
Attire:    Business Professional 
Schedule:  Schedule for the Day
Rules:     Coolidge Debate Basic Rules (2v2 Format)

Resolution and Research Brief

The resolution for this tournament is "Resolved: United States antitrust laws should be abolished." The research brief for this tournament is available here. The purpose of the brief is to help you get started on your case preparation. You are welcome and encouraged to use the brief as a starting point and build upon it by doing your own research and case-writing. You are not limited to the arguments and sources in the brief.

Tournament Overview

You will begin the day with a seminar on the debate topic delivered by a subject matter expert. Then you and your partner will debate against other teams in multiple rounds throughout the day, getting a chance to argue both sides of the resolution. We ask that you find a partner in advance and and register as a team. If you do not have a debate partner, you may register solo and we will attempt to pair you with another solo debater, but we cannot guarantee that there will be someone to match you with.

All students grades 6 to 12 from any school are eligible to compete, including homeschool students and students from schools other than the ones named above.

Format and Style

Students will compete in the Coolidge 2v2 Debate Format. If you are new to debating in this league, we highly recommend you review our Debate Guide, which provides information about this particular format, style, and rules.

Divisions

The tournament will have three divisions: middle school, high school novice, and high school varsity. High school teams with no experience or minimal experience may elect to participate in the novice division. (We define a novice as a debater who has participated in no more than two tournaments in his or her lifetime.) Teams with experience debating in either the Coolidge Debate League or other leagues should participate in the varsity division.

Judges

We need volunteer judges for our debate tournaments! We welcome citizen judges of all types, including parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and other members of the community. Experience with debating or judging is not necessary. If you are interested, please take a look at our Information for Judges. On the morning of the tournament, we will hold a brief judge training session, where we will give you all the guidance you need for the day and will answer all of your questions. To volunteer as a judge, Register to Judge.

Relation to the Coolidge Cup

For 2021-2022, the Coolidge Debate League tournament that will serve as a direct qualifier for the Coolidge Cup will be the fourth tournament at St. Thomas More Academy in the spring. The other tournaments in this league throughout the year are not direct qualifiers for the Coolidge Cup. In order to receive a bid to the Coolidge Cup from the qualifier tournament, a debater must have participated in at least one other Coolidge Debate League tournament this season. If a debater is a top placer at the qualifier tournament but has not participated in any other of our tournaments that season, the bid will go to the next-highest-placing eligible student.

Questions

If you have any questions about the tournament, the league, or about judging, please contact Coolidge Foundation Debate Director Jared Rhoads (jrhoads@coolidgefoundation.org).

Students compete in a tournament at Thales Academy Rolesville, August 2018