NCFCA - share the nitty gritty, please

[johnandtinagilbert]

Hi. My son has an opportunity to participate in NCFCA. What kind of daily/weekly time commitment should we expect?

 

What are the general rules he would follow as a Debate team member?

 

What are your pros and cons?

 

Finally, please pray for this son. He has a chance to do this for FREE; a real life blessing for my household, as there is No Way we actually could do this otherwise. He's capable, but his "out of the box" personality sometimes reflects rebellion and laziness a bit too much. He'd really have to grow up a little, but I'm blown away at the opportunity.

 

Thank you for your thoughts and honesty!

Edited June 9, 2011 by johnandtinagilbert

[texasmel]

Hi Tina,

We are pretty much rookies to NCFCA, as this past school year was our first experience. My son prepared for and competed in only one event type (platform speech) so there are probably others here with more information. The time commitment really depends on how many events you prepare for, and how many tournaments you compete in. For us, it was pretty time consuming because ds had to come up with a topic, research it, revise it and memorize it. Then he had to learn basic speaking skills in order to present (which is taught in our club). I do believe this year will be easier for speech because he has a little experience in that area. This year he also wants to participate in debate and apologetics, which both require huge amounts of time. That being said, it is the most valuable thing we have participated in - ever. I noticed most of the guys lagged behind in research and preparation. It just seems to be common for this age, especially with the males. However, the competitions really push them to get with it and accomplish what they are supposed to. It's like they thrive on the deadlines - hahah. We will start working on this year's events as soon as he returns from summer camp, and are looking forward to a great year with NCFCA!

Edited June 9, 2011 by texasmel

[johnandtinagilbert]

Hi Tina,

We are pretty much rookies to NCFCA, as this past school year was our first experience. My son prepared for and competed in only one event type (platform speech) so there are probably others here with more information. The time commitment really depends on how many events you prepare for, and how many tournaments you compete in. For us, it was pretty time consuming because ds had to come up with a topic, research it, revise it and memorize it. Then he had to learn basic speaking skills in order to present (which is taught in our club). I do believe this year will be an easier for speech because he has a little experience in that area. This year he also wants to participate in debate and apologetics, which both require huge amounts of time. That being said, it is the most valuable thing we have participated in - ever. I noticed most of the guys lagged behind in research and preparation. It just seems to be common for this age, especially with the males. However, the competitions really push them to get with it and accomplish what they are supposed to. It's like they thrive on the deadlines - hahah. We will start working on this year's events as soon as he returns from summer camp, and are looking forward to a great year with NCFCA!

Thank you! He will participate in the Debate initially, then perhaps other areas is his interest is peaked. This can be something amazing for him, IF he can get his bum in gear!

[MommyThrice]

Speech & debate is the most important activity our family has ever done.

 

Time commitment: Are you asking about debate? or speech?

 

The time commitment really depends on what your son (and his debate partner) what to accomplish and what his club expects. When my son started at age 12, he spent very little time working on debate - maybe one to three hours per week plus Friday club meetings. Obviously, he didn't do well in competition, but he grew TREMENDOUSLY and loved every minute of it. Now my boys spend and hour or two per day during the busy tournament season. Your son will have some basic research responsibilities for the club - all the kids contribute to the evidence pool to help each other - but beyond that it is up to your family to decide.

 

I think there is a good chance that your son will step up to the plate in terms of "laziness and rebellion" if you get in with a good group of kids. Does he have friends in the club now? The biggest benefit we've received from debate is the positive peer pressure.

 

CONS:

Time commitment

Travel to tournaments

Stress

 

PROS:

Public speaking skills

Self-confidence

Positive peer-pressure

Critical thinking and argument formation

 

When my oldest started at age 12, his speeches were no longer than 30 seconds. He couldn't write well, had no critical thinking skills, and couldn't speak in front of a group. Now he has decided he wants to be an attorney; he enjoys current events and politics. He has taken Constitution Law, Economics and Logic by choice. His writing and critical thinking skills are greatly improved. He has competed at the national level and gone on to compete in mock trial. All of this was prompted by speech & debate. I highly recommend it.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Speech & debate is the most important activity our family has ever done.

 

Time commitment: Are you asking about debate? or speech?

 

The time commitment really depends on what your son (and his debate partner) what to accomplish and what his club expects. When my son started at age 12, he spent very little time working on debate - maybe one to three hours per week plus Friday club meetings. Obviously, he didn't do well in competition, but he grew TREMENDOUSLY and loved every minute of it. Now my boys spend and hour or two per day during the busy tournament season. Your son will have some basic research responsibilities for the club - all the kids contribute to the evidence pool to help each other - but beyond that it is up to your family to decide.

 

I think there is a good chance that your son will step up to the plate in terms of "laziness and rebellion" if you get in with a good group of kids. Does he have friends in the club now? The biggest benefit we've received from debate is the positive peer pressure.

 

CONS:

Time commitment

Travel to tournaments

Stress

 

PROS:

Public speaking skills

Self-confidence

Positive peer-pressure

Critical thinking and argument formation

 

When my oldest started at age 12, his speeches were no longer than 30 seconds. He couldn't write well, had no critical thinking skills, and couldn't speak in front of a group. Now he has decided he wants to be an attorney; he enjoys current events and politics. He has taken Constitution Law, Economics and Logic by choice. His writing and critical thinking skills are greatly improved. He has competed at the national level and gone on to compete in mock trial. All of this was prompted by speech & debate. I highly recommend it.

Thank you so much. Debate is the topic up for grabs. The club is just starting, so currently there will be 2 members; however, I think they'll travel to a Tampa club for some training. Still ironing out details. Thank you for the great review. These are the attributes I was hoping for!

[Maryalice]

We have been with NCFCA since 2001. I have to agree with what has been said, especially MommyThrice. It was the most valuable activity that my dc did during high school years. I wanted them firstly to serve our Lord, but learn to research anything, think logically, write persuasively, and speak articulately, with confidence. Debate did all that and more. We view everything else as secondary. All 5 of my dc have done debate. When they were younger, they started off on Interpretive speeches, but as they grew, we focused more on the debate and limited preparation speeches. They seem more meaningful as a life skill and more aligned with our goals.

 

The cost is not just the cost of the club and the cost of the NCFCA affiliate membership. There is a big cost in tournaments. I have to budget for this every year. A tournament can run a lot of money: registration (approx $25 for debate, $15 for each speech type), transportation (varies, but consider the gas), housing if tournament is more than an hour away (host housing is available, but sometimes you need hotels for 4 days), meals (yup, they eat a lot!). My dc do a few Qualifying tournaments each year. Then if the student does well at the first level Qualifier tournament, there are Invitational tournaments (Regionals and Nationals) which are even more expensive than Qualifiers. I am not trying to scare you; I just know that sometimes folks are caught without budgeting for NCFCA tournaments.

 

I have graduated #1 dc who is a lawyer, #2 dc is a grad math student (but NCFCA debate was her LIFE her last year of highschool), #3 dc pre-med, #4 and #5 still competing in NCFCA.

 

I run a club (75-100 students). The disappointment that I have is that these kids sometimes get so wrapped up in the competition that they (and their parents) lose perspective, taking it to the community. NCFCA should not be the end, but the beginning, the preparation stage. I often see that the goal is to get to the next higher tournament (eventually Nationals!). I would love to see NCFCA have more of a purpose, but I think that is up to the individual families. There was a great video of a young lady at the steps of WI capitol and I immediately said, "She's homeschooled and I'll betcha, NCFCA (and TeenPact, another of my fav organizations)". I was right. (Youtube - search Tricia Willoughby)

Enough rambling. Let me know if I prompted more questions.

[Photo Ninja]

Participating in Speech and Debate has been one of the most beneficial activities my dc have done. The skills they learned, such as public speaking, research, logic, analysis and thinking fast on their feet, have transferred into other areas. The learning process, preparation and tournaments are valuable in themselves, but eventually our dc start using the skills in daily life. My dc use what they learned while reading newspapers and book, watching tv, having difficult conversations, in interviews, college class presentations, at work, and at community events. My dc learned economics, political science and worldview as part of their club meetings alongside debate theory and practice and public speaking skills. So it is not just a short term value. What your ds can learn will benefit him for a lifetime.

 

Cons:

 

Cost (club & NCFCA fees, tournament entry fees, along with gas or airline tickets, hotel and food expenses during tournaments, many reams of paper and printer ink - plan ahead and budget!)

 

Time investment: How much time depends on your ds and his interest and commitment, his partner's expectations and commitment, and his club's expectations. My dc put anywhere from 30 minutes per day to 30 hours each week in research and writing briefs and cards, plus club meetings, meeting with debate partner, practice rounds, etc.)

 

Parent Commitment: I don't consider this a 'con', but some people consider it one. Personally, I enjoyed working at tournaments. Debate is not a 'drop off' activity. Parent participation is essential and expected, so you will be involved as well. You will be taking your ds to tournaments and judging during tournaments, along with other possible volunteer needs. If you can stay for debate club meetings it would be helpful because you will be learning what he is learning and know what he should be doing at home. Most the work of researching and writing happens at home, so if you know what he should be doing you can encourage him and help him if he gets stuck and doesn't know what to do.

 

Pros:

 

Skills they learn: research, writing, logic, analysis, world views, political science, economics, philosophy, current events, Biblical principles, public speaking, debate theory, commitment, working as a team, supporting one another, learning to win and lose with grace and humility, and many more I am forgetting. Along with this goes developing lasting friendships with debaters from all over the country.

 

Learning that losing can be more beneficial than winning. Some of my dc's favorite rounds ever were rounds where they lost and knew all along that they would lose, but they learned a lot during the round and enjoyed the challenge.

 

Public speaking: being comfortable speaking in front of a group. This benefit will be used the rest of their lives.

 

Formulating arguments backed by facts and being able to communicate those beliefs and arguments in a way that people with no background in the subject can understand, then being able to articulate responses to challenges to those arguments. Again, this does not stop at the debate topic for the year. It translates into daily, real life situations.

 

Friendly competition: Tournaments are competitive and some students are highly competitive, while others are not. That's okay. There is a wide range of commitment level. But one of the things I have most enjoyed is watching debaters debate each other, each doing their best to win, then watching them walk away together, laughing about the round and eating lunch together. Competition does not need to be cut-throat.

[johnandtinagilbert]

I just wanted to thank you for all the wonderful responses. I'm going to have my ds read them. I really want him to understand the deep value of this opportunity. Thank you all so much!

[ma23peas]

I just wanted to thank you for all the wonderful responses. I'm going to have my ds read them. I really want him to understand the deep value of this opportunity. Thank you all so much!

 

One more positive...we are going into our fourth year of debate..my son started in grade 7. We were with NCFCA the first two years and the last our club ventured out on their own...ideological concerns. The basic growth/development of their research skills and ability to think on their feet remains why we stick with it. What I was finding in some regional/national tournaments was that the 'winners' were often the slicker speakers but did not have the evidence to back up their positions. Even with my son's successes we try to focus more on the development of the argument not the delivery. Delivery is wonderful and a necessary skill but for me the content of the argument should be just as strong if not the primary criteria for success.

We really focus on the stock issues and knowing the evidence to support...I know our time in debate has been a great help for our son to be able to express his ideas and not rely upon his 'natural' slickness which has won him many rounds...that will only advance you so far in life, and not what we want for him. I really have found no negatives other than the time tournaments zaps out of our family...we commit to just two tournies a year and skip regionals/nationals unless they are geographically close...we will probably rejoin NCFCA his last year of school to let him go as far as he wants for the experience.

HTH!