Yale wins the 2009 North American Championships.
The Yale Debate Association (YDA) is the most successful collegiate debate team in the United States. Over the past ten seasons, the YDA has won the American Parliamentary Debate Association's Team of the Year award four times, more than any other school: in 2008, 2007, 2003, and 2001. The team also boasts the 2009, 2007, 2003, and 2001 National Champions, the 2009, 2007, and 2006 North American Champions, and in 2006, the first team from the United States to reach the final round of the modern World Championships. Most recently, the YDA was crowned the 2009 Club of the Year--a prestigious award highlighting consistency of each member on the team.
One of the oldest college debate teams in the U.S., the Yale Debate Association celebrated its centennial in October 2008. Past members range from President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft to publisher and journalist William F. Buckley and 2004 Presidential candidate John Kerry.
In addition to competing in dozens of tournaments around the country and the world each year, the YDA hosts several tournaments here at Yale. In the fall, we invite debaters from across the world to the Yale IV, an international collegiate competition in the British Parliamentary debating style, and draw over 1,000 high school students from across the United States to the Yale Invitational, our high school tournament. In the spring, we host the Osterweis Tournament, a free charity tournament for New Haven area high school students, and the Adams Cup, an intramural debate competition between Yale's residential colleges.
The YDA welcomes the Class of 2013!
Mostafa Al-Alusi
Alyssa Bilinski
Stacey Chen
Robert Colonel
Andrew Connery
Nicholas Cugini
Max Dovala
Jacob Effron
Paul Gu
Aaron Hakim
Josh Kalla
Ben Kornfeld
Michael Magdzik
Anna Moore
Ila Nimgaonkar
Meredith Potter
David Trinh
Nate Zelinsky
Streaming recordings of YDA rounds are now available here. |
You can download the Fall 2009 YDA newsletter here. |
Outside the Debate:
Yale debate team members carry custom coffee mugs to and from debate meets at other college campuses in New Haven and throughout the Northeast.
Yale debate team members interested in staying fit can utilize an ab workout to tone their muscles and keep a peaceful state of mind, which is important to have before a big election year.
Debate team participants that are pre-law majors can learn how identity theft lawyers are able to provide help to college students whose personal information has been compromised.
The Yale Debate team consists of students from all different majors, including accounting majors who are prepping for the CPA Exam and other accounting exams.