Coolidge Cup Online Qualifier
2024 — Online, VT/US
There areseveral waysto earn an invitation to compete in debate at the Coolidge Cup. One way to try to earn an invitation is to compete in theCoolidge Cup Online Qualifier for Debate, which is an online tournament run by the Coolidge Foundation. Top finishers at this tournament will earn an invitation to the 2024 Coolidge Cup. Details are below.
Date: Saturday, March 16, 2024 Time: Check-in time 9:30am ET Format: 1v1 Coolidge Debate Format Location: Online via Zoom Eligible: All U.S. high school students grade 9-12 Cost: Registration is free Register: Register via the form at the bottom of this page Deadline: Please register by Tuesday, March 12 at 11:59pm ET Judge Reqs: Please provide a judge if you can, but if you cannot, do not let that be a barrier to participating Attire: Business Professional Schedule: Schedule for the day (PDF) Rules: Coolidge Debate Rules (1v1 Format) Training: Judge training video to be sent to all registered judges Tournament: The Zoom link for the tournament will be emailed to registered competitors and judges, as well as posted here.Resolution
The resolution for the tournament isResolved: The United States should adopt a balanced budget amendment.
Research Brief
Theresearch brief can be downloaded here. The purpose of the brief is to help you get started on your case preparation. You are welcome and encouraged to use the brief as a starting point and build upon it by doing your own research and case-writing. You are not limited to the arguments and sources in the brief.
Tournament Structure
One day; four rounds. Since the goal is to identify the top 12 students in order to award bids to the 2024 Coolidge Cup, there is no need to narrow the field all the way down to a single champion, we will not do outrounds.
Format and Style
Students will compete in the Coolidge 1v1 Debate Format. This is the same format that is used at the Coolidge Cup. If you are new to debating in this league, we highly recommend you review ourDebate Guide, which provides information about this particular format, style, and rules.
Bids to the Coolidge Cup
This tournament is a qualifier for the 2024 Coolidge Cup, which will be held July 2-4, 2024. The Coolidge Cup is an expenses-paid national invitational speech and debate tournament sponsored by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. It is held in President Coolidge’s historic hometown of Plymouth, Vermont, and takes place each year during the week of the Fourth of July. More than $15,000 in scholarship prize money is awarded to the top finishers.Learn more about the Coolidge Cup.
Judges
We ask each competitor to supply one judge if possible (e.g., a parent, grandparent, teacher, coach, etc.). However, if you cannot supply a judge, please do not let this be a barrier to your participation. Experience with debating or judging is not necessary.Register to judge in this tournament. Note: the Coolidge Foundation uses only volunteer citizen judges; we do not hire judges for pay.
Questions
If you have any questions about the tournament, the Coolidge Cup, or about judging, please contact Coolidge Foundation Debate Director Jared Rhoads (jrhoads@coolidgefoundation.org).