Groves Falcon Invitational

The Groves Debate Team cordially invites you and your team to the 37th Annual Wylie E. Groves Falcon Debate Invitational to be held virtually on November 13-15, 2026.

Novice and Varsity Policy will run Friday-Sunday, Novice and Varsity Public Forum will run Saturday-Sunday, and Middle School Public Forum and Congressional Debate will run on Saturday only.

REGISTRATION:

Register on tabroom.com for all divisions by Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 5 P.M. (EST).

Registration will open Monday, September 28, 2026 at 10:00 A.M. (EST) for all divisions.

TOPICS:

The National High School Policy Debate Resolution for 2026-2027.

The November-December 2026 NSDA Public Forum Resolution.

PACKET:

We will be requiring that all novice policy teams use the National Debate Coaches Association's (NDCA) packet for novice debaters plus any official updates issued prior to the start of the tournament.

The packet is available at the following link: NDCA Novice Packet.

SCHEDULES:

All of the schedules are posted and are also included in the invite. Please note that all times in the invite are in Eastern Standard Time.

PAYMENT:

We are pleased to announce that once again we have the ability to accept online payments.

To submit your online payment, please complete the following steps:

1. Please click on: https://payments.efundsforschools.com/v3/districts/56264
2. Scroll down and select “Pay for Groves Debate Tournament”
3. Click on “Continue as Guest”
4. Enter the amount that you owe and complete the payment process. There will be a small convenience fee charged as checkout.

Please let Ryan Nierman know when you have paid via Credit Card (via ryannierman@gmail.com), so that it can be recorded. Please include the amount and name of the person who submitted the payment. In the past the name of the payer has not always matched the coach of a team, so we want to make sure everything is recorded accurately and efficiently.

If you unable to pay electronically, you may pay by check. Please make all checks payable to Groves Debate, NOT John Lawson or Ryan Nierman.

Please mail all checks to:
Attn: John Lawson
Wylie E. Groves High School
20500 W 13 Mile Rd
Beverly Hills, MI 48025

Fees must be paid or verification of check request/PO must be received by November 10, 2026. Please note that team and/or judge drops may result in an additional fee being due after original check has been received.

If you are a new program or are undergoing severe financial difficulties, please contact us regarding a reduced financial commitment. UDL debate programs do not have to pay entry fees, but they are responsible for meeting judging commitments or hiring judges.

We look forward to hosting you virtually on November 13-15, 2026. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Ryan Nierman, Ph.D.
Co-Director of Debate
Email: ryannierman@gmail.com
Cell: 248-892-7161

John Lawson, J.D.
Co-Director of Debate
Email: jlawson@birmingham.k12.mi.us
Cell: 248-310-5909

Brad Meloche
Assistant Director of Debate