2025-2026 Season
New teammates! New opportunities to travel! New styles of debate!
In 2024-25 we expanded our league and focused on team culture.
Next year we’re upping the rigor and focusing on educational outcomes.
Glidepath to Your Team’s Sustainability
Where are you going and how are you getting there?
States and Beyond
The Catholic Forensic League (and its cousin the NSDA) are primarily designed for well-resourced schools. Building sustainable teams at our schools will require innovative funding and programs, especially if those teams want to travel.
This is also an opportunity, as other debate leagues also fall short in several areas: judging quality, transferability of skills, tracking growth, integration between schools, and celebrating student leadership.
Last year, there were 30 BDL students with 80+% attendance, and half of them didn’t go to States.
25 students had 90+% attendance, and only 14 of them went to States.
States is something special that not everyone will earn, but we want everyone to have a capstone tournament.
Coolidge Cup
OCT - NOV
Adversarial debate. Get assigned AFF/NEG on a given resolution, then show the judge that you’re the most skilled at representing a contested idea. Practice and compete in both 1v1 and team versions, as well as spontaneous and prepared variations.
Learn the basics of argumentation, debate terminology, deep reading, competitive strategy, and the skills of convincing an audience while an opponent takes shots.
Compete in 3-5 online scrimmages, plus an in-person local tournament. The winners will compete at away tournaments in DC and/or at Yale University.
Mod Congress
DEC - JAN
Collaborative debate. Like in real Congress, you’ll get handed a dossier describing a real world issue and proposed responses. Take a stand and refine your position as your group crafts the values and policies that you can agree on.
Learn about Congress’s roles and responsibilities (not limited to legislation), how to address sensitive topics in mixed company, and how to work effectively as a group.
Compete in 6-8 online scrimmages and a local tournament. The winners will receive half-qualifications for the State Championship.
CFL Congress
FEB - APR
Adversarial-collaborative hybrid: another version of Congress that contains AFF/NEG volleys within a legislative group debate. Submit bills ahead of time, prepare both sides of other students’ bills, and argue them in round.
Learn about legislative capabilities and limitations, how to critique bills based on close reading, and how to navigate strictly moderated meetings that use Robert’s Rules of Order.
Compete in 6-8 online scrimmages and 3-5 local tournaments. The winners will receive half-qualifications for the State Championship.
Tentative Calendar
Qualifying for States
2024-25
29 full qualifications from BDL partner schools
7 online scrimmages ~4 local tournaments (depending on BQ- or NYCFL)
Piloted a Judge Lab to improve ballot quality
2025-26
Aiming for 30-40 full-qualifications. Most (20-25) will qualify at Congress scrimmages and locals, plus 10-15 will earn wild card spots based on other competitions.
~9 scrimmages and ~6 locals that offer half-quals in Student Congress
More half-qual opportunities than last season because the BDL is hosting TWO options each week! From October 16 through March 20,
each Thursday afternoon we’re hosting a single round of a two-round online tournament, just like last season
each Friday evening we’re hosting a complete two-round online tournament
Judge Lab expanded, feedback more clearly integrated into practice
Judge Lab expanded, feedback more clearly integrated into practice
We got a tech grant to improve the scrimmages! The last time we tried evening scrimmages, unstable wifi connections were disruptive for lots of kids. We have some ideas on how to improve that and some cash to make it happen!