There are several ways to earn an invitation to compete in debate at the Coolidge Cup. One way to try to earn an invitation is to compete in the Coolidge Cup Qualifier for Debate #2, which is an online tournament run by the Coolidge Foundation. The top 20 finishers at this tournament will earn an invitation to the 2022 Coolidge Cup. Details are below.
Date: Saturday, May 7, 2022 Time: Check-in time 9:30am ET Format: 1v1 Coolidge Debate Format Location: Online Eligible: All U.S. high school students grade 9-12 Cost: Registration is free Register: Register via the form below or on Tabroom Deadline: Please register by Monday, May 2 at 11:59pm ET Register soon, as we may need to cap registrations! Judge Reqs: Each competitor please provide one judge Attire: Business Professional Schedule: Schedule for the Day Rules: Coolidge Debate Rules (1v1 Format)
Seminar: Pre-tournament seminar by Danny Heil (Hoover Institution)
on Monday, May 2nd at 8pm ET
Link to recording Passcode: H&kgA58*
Judge Training: We will have a virtual judge training session on Friday, May 6th at 8pm ET.
It will be recorded. If you cannot make it, please watch it later that night
or on Saturday morning before you judge. Details will be shared with registered
judges and coaches. Link is here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81888982467?pwd= Zjl5czdlWjBYV2hFUTA3RmlNQkdYUT 09 Meeting ID: 818 8898 2467 Passcode: 748939
Resolution
The resolution for this tournament is “Resolved: The United States federal government should make reducing the national debt a fiscal priority.”
Research Brief
The research brief for this tournament is available for download 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 Structure
One day; four rounds. Since the goal is to identify the top 20 students in order to award bids to the 2022 Coolidge Cup, there is no need to narrow the field all the way down to a single champion, we will not do outrounds.
Format and Style
Students will compete in the Coolidge 1v1 Debate Format. This is the same format that is used at the Coolidge Cup. 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.
Bids to the Coolidge Cup
This tournament is a qualifier for the 2022 Coolidge Cup, which will be held in July 2022. The Coolidge Cup is an expenses-paid national invitational speech and debate tournament sponsored by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. It is held in President Coolidge’s historic hometown of Plymouth, Vermont, and takes place each year during the week of the Fourth of July. More than $15,000 in scholarship prize money is awarded to the top finishers. Learn more about the Coolidge Cup.
Judges
To ensure that we have enough judges to run the tournament smoothly and efficiently, each competitor is asked to supply one judge (e.g., a parent, grandparent, teacher, coach, etc.). Since we also recruit volunteer community judges, this helps to keep the average judge burden low (i.e., about 2 rounds). Experience with debating or judging is not necessary. Register to judge in this tournament.
Questions
If you have any questions about the tournament, the Coolidge Cup, or about judging, please contact Coolidge Foundation Debate Director Jared Rhoads (jrhoads@coolidgefoundation.org).