In its second year at the National Debate Forum, the Junior Varsity Program exists to give specialized attention to students who have competed for one year or less after their novice season. The year following the novice season can be especially challenging for debaters because of the transition from debating students with the same experience to debating students who may end up winning Nationals that same year.

The program is designed to ensure that students do not continue to face the same transition issues and are prepared to compete successfully anywhere in the nation.

Why the Junior Varsity Program?

• An amazing staff of teachers and coaches dedicated to the educational growth of students in LD Debate – Dario Camara, Tanya Choudhury, Steffany Oravetz-Batik and Steve Schappaugh. We feel the institute’s staff is the best in the country when it comes to preparing young debaters for success in varsity competition!
• Students do not get lost in the numbers
• Focus on building a skill set that is accessible to any judge and effective
• Curriculum that is designed to ensure every student is challenged but not overwhelmed
• A fluid curriculum to ensure that the varied needs of students are addressed
• An opportunity to push themselves and those around them
• Students get the opportunity to work on the process of case writing, improving rebuttals and developing better crystallization skills by debating one topic during the two weeks. This is done to teach them how to go through the season and efficiently and effectively manage the processes in getting ready for a topic.

The lecture series for Junior Varsity includes:

• Research Strategies
• Case Construction
• First Rebuttal Strategies
• Second Rebuttal Strategies
• Cross Examination
• Weighing
• Legal Issues in LD
• Framework (Extensions/Spikes/Under and Overviews)
• Critical Legal Studies/Critical Race Studies
• Introduction to Theory Debate
• Being a Champion
• Judge Adaptation

Like our other programs, the Junior Varsity Program will ensure every student gets the most out of their institute experience:

• An experienced staff that is actively coaching
• Limited enrollment to ensure a collegial and positive learning experience
• Outstanding student/faculty ratio that ensures every attendee the “top lab” experience
• One-on-one office hours with access to EVERY staff member at the institute
• A minimum of 12 fully critiqued practice rounds
• Access to top-notch research facilities

Students, at times, are taken back by the name Junior Varsity; however, students with only novice debate experience are in that stage of their debate career. Just like math – it would be silly to try being in a more advanced level of instruction for the sake of being in a higher level of instruction. The risk of being left behind or overwhelmed is too great! Every student who leaves the program will be pushed, challenged and will grow at developmentally appropriate rate so that they can have success in Varsity sooner rather than later.