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.
In 2025-26, we’re upping the rigor and focusing on educational outcomes.
Coolidge Cup
OCT - DEC
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 two in-person local tournaments. The winners will compete at away tournaments in DC and/or at Yale University.
CFL Congress
DEC - 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.
Calendar
Coolidge Online Scrimmages, Fall 2025
| Date | Time (EST) | Style | # of Rounds | Registration Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurs 10/16 | 3:30-5pm | 1v1 | 1 | Click here |
| Fri 10/17 | 6:15-9pm | 1v1 | 2 | Click here |
| Thurs 10/23 | 3:30-5pm | 1v1 | 1 | Click here |
| Fri 10/24 | 6:15-9pm | 1v1 | 2 | Click here |
| Thurs 11/6 | 3:30-5pm | 2v2 | 1 | Click here |
| Fri 11/7 | 6:15-9pm | 2v2 | 2 | Click here |
| Thurs 11/13 | 3:30-5pm | 2v2 | 1 | Click here |
| Thurs 11/20 | 3:30-5pm | 1v1 | 1 | Click here |
| Fri 11/21 | 6:15-9pm | 1v1 | 2 | Click here |
| Thurs 12/4 | 3:30-5pm | 1v1 | 1 | Click here |
Full Calendar for Year
FAQ
Q: I’m seeing an online class for high school students Tuesday nights. Is that open to everyone?
A: Everyone is welcome, but you do need to register. More details here. As always, need-based financial aid will be available for anyone who needs it.
Q: What about the online tournaments? Can anyone sign up for those?
A: Yes, students outside of BDL partner schools are welcome to sign up for our online tournaments (all available at tabroom.com, you can view the links by clicking on the tournaments here). Everyone will be waitlisted upon registering until we ensure that we have enough judges.
Q: Wait, does that mean I’m not required to provide a judge?
A: That’s correct. BDL is committed to making tournaments educational experiences for students by providing experienced judges who are able to give strong feedback.
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.
Qualifying for States
2024-25 Priorities
Partner schools earned 29 full quals for States
BDL hosted 7 online scrimmages and sent partner schools to 3-4 local tournaments
Piloted a Judge Lab to improve ballot quality
2025-26 Goals
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
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!
Glidepath to Your Team’s Sustainability
Where are you going and how are you getting there?
