The YDA travels to somewhere on the eastern seaboard, Canada, or the United Kingdom nearly every weekend of the school year to compete in debate tournaments against the best competition that college debate has to offer. However, several weekends a year, the YDA gives back to the debate community by hosting some of the best tournaments in the United States. With these events, The YDA brings top-tier high school and college competitors to New Haven in the hopes of introducing them to our hometown, as well as improving the standing of both the debate team and the Yale community as a whole.
We plan to host four tournaments in the 2008-2009 season, listed below. Expect to see updated tournament information on the following websites only during the months immediately preceding each tournament; until then, we retain the prior year's materials.
A National Forensic League tournament for high school students nationwide, featuring Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Policy Debate, Public Forum Debate, Student Congress, and individual speaking events.
A flagship international debate experience for college students, held in the British Parlimentary style.
An intramural debate competition between Yale's residential colleges.
A free parliamentary tournament for New Haven area high schools.
Outside The Debate:
Yale debate members go on to achieve many things from becoming leading politicians to entrepreneurs to a Seattle Personal Injury Attorney to a San Antonio Criminal Attorney or even an astronaut. Yale debate members are truly leaders in their field upon graduating from college.
In addition to being leaders, Yale debate members watch freedom debt relief videos online to learn how to make better financial decisions for themselves.