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NSDA Online Springboard Series

NSDA ONLINE Springboard Series: free events presented by the Julia Burke Foundation

Thanks to the generosity of The Julia Burke Foundation, the online Springboard Series will continue. The Springboard Series will again offer FREE speech and debate events. These events will provide a variety of free, online opportunities including after-school scrimmages and two weekend tournaments. We are grateful to continue offering these events for the 2023-2024 school year. 

The Julia Burke Foundation was established in memory of Julia Burke, a young woman of substance with a passion for debate. We are proud to partner with The Julia Burke Foundation to offer these opportunities in Julia’s memory. 

2023-2024 Springboard Series Details

In 2023-2024, we have a variety of free, after-school scrimmage opportunities.

Interested volunteering to judge for the Springboard Series? Learn More!

Person using a laptop to judge a tournament

2024

Registration for 2024 scrimmages opens November 1.

March
Scrimmage #21: Tuesday, March 5th: One round of live speech and one round of live debate beginning at 6:00 p.m. Central Time will be held.

Scrimmage #22: Thursday, March 7th: One round of live speech and one round of live debate beginning at 6:00 p.m. Central Time will be held.

Scrimmage #23: Tuesday, March 19th: One round of asynchronous speech and one round of live debate beginning at 6:00 p.m. Central Time will be held.

Scrimmage #24: Thursday, March 21st: One round of asynchronous speech and one round of live debate beginning at 6:00 p.m. Central Time will be held.

Debate:

    • All debate will be held live on NSDA Campus.
    • Congress, Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Big Questions, and World Schools will be offered. No double entry is permitted.
    • Each debate event will have two divisions: an open division that anyone can enter, and a rising stars division that is limited to any middle school competitor and any high school competitor in their first year of speech and debate competition.
    • Congress will do one two and half-hour session, and all other events will do one preset preliminary round.

Speech:

    • Speech events will have two divisions: an open division that anyone can enter, and a rising stars division that is limited to any middle school competitor and any high school competitor in their first year of speech and debate competition.
    • Live speech scrimmages will offer Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Program Oral Interp, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Prose, Poetry, Mixed Extemp, and Live Duo (competitors must perform in the same physical room).
    • No double entry is permitted in live speech events.
    • Asynchronous speech scrimmages will offer Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Program Oral Interp, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Prose, Poetry, Original Spoken Word Poetry, Pro Con Challenge, Storytelling, Declamation, and Duo (competitors must perform/record in the same physical room).
    • Unlimited cross entry is permitted in asynchronous speech events.
    • Prose and Poetry will use 7 minute time limits with a 30 second grace period.
    • In Pro Con Challenge, students will select the LD, PF, CX topics or an item from the Congressional Legislation packet for that scrimmage.
    • All competitors and judges must have a linked Tabroom.com account to compete.
    • To find an available judge for hire, please visit the NSDA’s Judge Board.
    • In debate, one judge is owed per 2 entries or fraction thereof in each event.
    • In speech, one judge is owed per 5 entries or fraction thereof in speech.
    • Judges in the rising stars division may be juniors or seniors in high school with at least 250 Honor Society points who have taken the required judge training course.
    • Judges in the open division must have graduated from high school.
    • Written feedback on ballots is required. Disclosure and oral feedback is optional. All judges will submit ranks and a decision at the conclusion of each round.
    • All judges must complete the Cultural Competency judge training course.
    • The Springboard Series is dedicated to helping students grow as speech and debate competitors and community members. Judges must be committed to providing constructive, culturally competent feedback and decisions that meet students where they are in order to create safe spaces, healthy competition, and encourage their growth in our activities.

Registration

    • There is no cost to attend the Springboard Scrimmages. All participation is free.
    • Students and schools do not need to be NSDA members to participate in Springboard Scrimmages.
    • There is an entry limit of 8 entries per event per school. Entries beyond this cap will be added to a waitlist.
    • Registration closes at 12:00 p.m. CT the day of competition.
    • Coaches must confirm their registration by 3:00 p.m. CT through Tabroom.com.
    • Coaches will agree to a disclaimer prior to registration that confirms they have permission from their school to compete, that all students attend the school they are registered under, that the NSDA has permission to use photos and videos obtained from this event, and that school administrators are aware and comfortable with the safety measures taken if students are competing from the same room.

Post-Tournament

    • There will be no formal awards ceremony.
    • All results will be made publicly available on Tabroom.com after the tournament.
    • All students will receive a digital certificate celebrating their participation via email after the tournament.
    • All coaches will receive a survey that they’ll be encouraged to share with their judges and students.

Springboard Participant Testimonials

I loved participating in this! It was really fun and amazing! It was cool to get people in debate who are out of the state of New Mexico. Thank you so much for doing this! I loved it.

Isabella, Competitor

Thank you so much Julia Burke Foundation! I am the coach of a new middle school team with high poverty and low funds! This opportunity allowed our students this year to compete in their first tournament! Without you, we likely would not have had a tournament this year. Thank you so much for the incredible generosity and treating our students so well!

Kelvin, Coach

We are very grateful to the Julia Burke Foundation. There is no way our students could have competed any other way. Many of our parents do not have the financial ability to

pay for their child to compete. This was their first chance to compete, and although they struggled, they learned a lot. By giving them this opportunity, the Foundation provided a stepping stone to a new experience. I believe our students will become leaders of our community in the future, the experience of debating and public speaking will best equip them for this.

Michelle, Coach

Springboard Learning Opportunities

Judge Training For Springboard Events

Judge Training

NSDA staff conduct a judge training focused on how to provide constructive feedback for speech and debate competitors during learning-focused scrimmage tournaments. 

Springboard For Opportunities

Springboard for Opportunities

NSDA staff describe the purpose and infrastructure of the Springboard Series at the August 2021 National Conference.

Rebuttal Basics In Debate

Rebuttal Basics in Debate

Chad Meadows, Director of Debate at Western Kentucky University, discusses how to structure, deliver, and generate arguments for a rebuttal speech in debate.

Springboard Capstone December 2021

NSDA Springboard December Capstone Tournament 2021 Livestream Rounds

Access the Archive for the NSDA Springboard December Capstone Tournament 2021 Livestream Rounds.

Low-Stakes, High-Impact Scrimmages and Tournaments

Low-Stakes, High-Impact Scrimmages and Tournaments

Catapult your team to success! Download this article to find out how other coaches are using the NSDA Springboard Series in unique and creative ways to engage with their students.

5 Tips For Beginning a New Speech and Debate Program

5 Tips For Beginning a New Speech and Debate Program

Learn how to start a speech and debate program. This FREE Springboard Series Webinar is presented by NSDA two-diamond Raymond Shay. Coach Shay distills his years of experience with both middle school and high school speech and debate programs into five tips that you can follow as you start, or grow, your speech and debate program.

How to Judge Congressional Debate for Beginners

How to Judge Congressional Debate for Beginners

Coaches, if your speech and debate program is new to Congress, or if you want to provide your program’s Congress judges with an additional opportunity for training and development, this is the webinar for you! Coach David Long has years of practical experience. In this webinar, he walks you through Congress basics and provides a thorough explanation of this exciting event.

Rhetorical Speech 101

Rhetorical Speech 101

Whether you’re just starting out or could use a refresher on the basics, Rhetorical Speech 101 is sure to get you up to speed! Learn more about Expository Speaking, Informative Speaking, and Original Oratory from a national champion.

How to Compete in Pro Con Challenge

How to Compete in Pro Con Challenge

Learn how to coach or compete in Pro Con Challenge, one of the most challenging and exciting events in speech and debate, from the coach of the 2021 Pro Con Challenge national champion!