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Buffalo Tournament That Teaches — October 3, 2026

Welcome to the Tournament That Teaches!

The Buffalo Tournament That Teaches is an in-person, UIL-style tournament built around helping novice competitors learn and develop, while also providing Varsity CX and LD teaching sessions for more experienced debaters looking to continue developing their skills.

The tournament will be held in person at Buffalo High School on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

For our novice competitors, the idea is simple:

Learn in the morning. Compete in the afternoon. Leave a better competitor.

Novice students will begin the day with educational sessions led by experienced instructors. These sessions will focus on practical skills students can immediately put to use during their afternoon rounds.

In the afternoon, novice students will compete in educational rounds with an emphasis on feedback, learning, and helping newer students better understand their event and how to improve.

For Novice CX and Novice LD, students will also be provided with cases, briefs, evidence, and other materials. This allows newer competitors to spend less time worrying about developing a complete file and more time learning how to debate, use evidence effectively, and improve their skills.

IMPORTANT — NOVICE CX & LD

Because of the educational nature of the Tournament That Teaches, ALL students competing in Novice CX and Novice LD will be required to use the files provided by the tournament for those events.

Evidence and arguments outside of the tournament-provided files will not be permitted.

The goal is to create a more level playing field for novice competitors and allow instructors and judges to focus on teaching students how to debate rather than rewarding which program has developed the largest or most sophisticated file.

Novice Files for CX & LD

Tournament-provided files will be made available prior to the tournament. Additional information regarding the release date and access to those materials will be posted on Tabroom.

NOTE: Students may be unable to access shared tournament files using some school-issued email addresses. Please plan accordingly.

Novice CX Preparation

We strongly encourage all Novice CX competitors attending the Tournament That Teaches to review the curriculum linked below before the tournament to familiarize themselves with the arguments in the novice debate files. Students should focus particularly on the ACA Subsidies Course, Interest Rates Course, Doctors Course, and Intro to Topicality. Please note that tournament-day instruction will focus on developing the skills students need to be successful in debate—not on teaching the specific arguments or content of the files themselves. Reviewing these materials in advance will help students get the most out of the educational sessions and feel more prepared and confident when they begin their rounds.

Click here to access the Novice CX curriculum and videos.

Events Offered

We will offer the following UIL-style novice events:

• Novice Cross-Examination Debate (NCX)
• Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate (NLD)
• Novice Extemporaneous Speaking
• Novice Interpretation
• Novice Congress

The Tournament That Teaches is intended for schools and programs looking for a UIL-style forensics experience, with an emphasis on instruction, constructive feedback, and student development.

Varsity CX & LD Teaching Sessions

We will also offer special Varsity CX and Varsity LD Teaching Sessions during the morning.

These sessions are intended for experienced debaters who want focused instruction and an opportunity to continue developing their skills. There will not be a competitive Varsity CX or Varsity LD division.

Following the morning teaching sessions, participating varsity students will serve as judges for Novice CX and Novice LD rounds during the afternoon.

This gives varsity students an opportunity to apply what they have learned, experience debate from the judge's perspective, and provide our novice competitors with knowledgeable judges who understand the educational purpose of the tournament.

The cost to attend either Varsity CX or Varsity LD teaching sessions is $30 per student.

Entry Fees

Novice Events

Novice CX: $50 per entry/team

Novice LD: $30 per entry

Novice Extemp: $30 per entry

Novice Interpretation: $30 per entry

Novice Congress: $30 per entry

Varsity Teaching Sessions

Varsity CX: $30 per student

Varsity LD: $30 per student

Judge Requirements

Schools are expected to provide qualified judges to meet their judging obligations.

Novice CX

1 judge for every 2 entries or portion thereof

Missing Judge Fee: $100

Novice LD

1 judge for every 4 entries or portion thereof

Missing Judge Fee: $100

Novice Interp / Extemp / Congress

1 judge for every 6 entries or portion thereof

Missing Judge Fee: $100

Please make every effort to provide your required judges. Missing judge fees are intended to cover situations in which a school is unable to fulfill its judging obligation and should not be viewed as an alternative to providing judges.

Varsity CX and LD students participating in the morning teaching sessions will be assigned to judge novice debate rounds during the afternoon.

Schools should not assume that registering varsity students eliminates their school's normal judging obligation unless otherwise notified by tournament management.

Debate Topics

Novice Lincoln-Douglas

Novice LD will use the Fall 2026 UIL Lincoln-Douglas Debate topic:

Resolved: The use of nuclear energy is compatible with environmental stewardship.

All competitors must use the tournament-provided Novice LD materials. Evidence and arguments outside of the tournament-provided files are not permitted.

Novice Cross-Examination Debate

Novice CX will use the 2026–2027 UIL Cross-Examination Debate topic.

All competitors must use the tournament-provided Novice CX materials. Evidence and arguments outside of the tournament-provided files are not permitted.

Registration & Tournament Communication

We will use Tabroom for registration, balloting, and tournament communication.

Because this tournament will be hosted in person at Buffalo High School, all competitors, judges, and participating coaches should plan to be on campus for their scheduled teaching sessions and rounds.

It is imperative that coaches, judges, and competitors check the email addresses associated with their Tabroom accounts. Important information leading up to the tournament, as well as day-of announcements and updates, will be distributed through Tabroom.

Need Help With Tabroom?

How to Create a Tabroom Account:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyTqMwhRJpo

How to Register for the Tournament:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc3pdZi5WXM

Students must have their own Tabroom account, linked to the school/institution they attend, with an email address attached to their account.

Payment Policy

ALL SCHOOLS ARE REQUIRED TO PAY THEIR OUTSTANDING BALANCES ON OR BEFORE THE FRIDAY OF THE TOURNAMENT.

Failure to pay tournament fees may result in students being removed from the tournament.

If you need to request an exception, please contact Julian Erdmann at Julian.T.Erdmann@gmail.com.

If payment has not been received within 30 days following the completion of the tournament, we reserve the right to assess a $100 late fee.

For every additional seven days after the initial 30-day period that a balance remains unpaid, an additional $50 late fee may be assessed.

Questions?

For additional questions or concerns, please contact:

Julian Erdmann
Julian.T.Erdmann@gmail.com

Learn. Compete. Improve.