Speech and Debate

The Concordia Speech and Debate program offers students the opportunity to participate in all eleven American Forensics Association events, parliamentary and Lincoln-Douglas debate. The team travels regionally and nationally with regular attendance at the National Parliamentary Debate Association, National Forensics Association, American Forensics Association and National Christian College Forensics Association National Tournaments. In select years, the team also competes at the International Forensics Association tournament and at the World Debating Championship tournament.

Concordia has sent students to national or international tournaments each of the last 15 years with students breaking into elimination rounds at the American Forensics Association and the National Parliamentary Debate Association tournaments in 9 of those years. In 1998, the winners of the NPDA national championship were Concordia University students. Concordia has finished in the top five of competition at the National Christian College Forensics Association Tournament for each of the last five years.

In addition to regular competition, the team sponsors multiple tournaments for both college and high school competition each year. In the fall, Concordia co-hosts the Nebraska Double Up with Creighton University in Omaha. In the spring, Concordia hosts the Sleet and Snow tournament in Seward. Also in the spring, the team hosts the Concordia High School and the Concordia Home School tournaments for high school students.

• Invitation and entry form for the Sleet and Sun Swing scheduled to take place Jan. 16-18, 2009.

• Entry form for the Concordia High School Speech Meet scheduled for Jan. 24, 2009.

To apply for a scholarship, please follow these steps:

1. List your speech team/debate team activities.

2. Write a statement of your intention to be involved in the forensics team.

3. Have your speech teacher or coach send a letter of recommendation to the address below.

4. Submit a short video or CD of a speech or another event in which you participate on your speech team. This can be done by a friend running a camera and it does not need to be filmed at an actual meet.

Materials in support of a forensic team scholarship should be sent to:

Bryan Moore, Director of Forensics
Concordia University
800 N. Columbia Ave.
Seward, NE 68434