In high school debate, the preeminent event is the Tournament of Champions. Also known as TOC,  it is hosted by the University of Kentucky and is THE tournament for national circuit debaters. In this blog post, we are going to go over the qualifications to enter the TOC as well as how to qualify as an independent.

How do you Qualify for the Tournament of Champions? 

The Tournament of Champions runs on a bid system. To put it simply, there are a select number of tournaments that offer “bids” and these are then given out at certain tournaments. The bigger and more prestigious the tournament the sooner in eliminations you get the bid. For instance, the Harvard tournament is an Octo-finals bid, meaning the top 16 teams receive a bid to the TOC. Here is the official list of bit tournaments in Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas. 

How to Qualify for the TOC in Lincoln Douglas

To be guaranteed qualification to the TOC in Lincoln Douglas you must receive two bids. If you have one bid you can apply for an At-large acceptance. 

How to Qualify for the TOC in Public Forum 

Public Forum (PF) has a similar qualification process to Lincoln Douglas, with some differences. In PF, the TOC offers a Gold and Silver division. The Gold division requires two Gold bids, while the Silver division necessitates one Gold or two Silvers. Silver bids are awarded one elimination round before the gold bid. For instance, if a tournament has a Gold bid in the quarterfinals, then the Silver bid would be earned in the octa finals. 

It is worth noting that the Gold division is significantly harder to get into and houses the best competition. 

How do you Qualify for the Tournament of Champions Without a School? 

To attend the Tournament of Champions you cannot compete as an independent.  Their 2024 policy reads: 

All competitors at the 2024 Tournament of Champions must represent the degree-granting school at which they are currently enrolled. Independent entries are not allowed. Competitors must obtain prior approval from their principal or head of school to participate. For Duo Interpretation, Policy, Public Forum, and World Schools Debate, all students must be enrolled at the same degree-granting institution, except for international World Schools entries. Hybrid entries are also not allowed.

The rules are incredibly clear, you must represent the degree-granting school that you attend. That makes students from two different schools a non-starter. However, qualifying for bids is still possible as independents, and as long as your school is willing to approve an adult and sign the school approval letter you can still attend the TOC. 

Qualifying as Independents 

One route students take to qualify is competing as “independents.” While there are different variations of independents, these students don’t represent their school or do so in name only when competing at bid tournaments. Fair warning, a large number of tournaments will not accept independent entries of any kind, so make sure to read each tournament’s policies and follow them.  

How to Qualify as an Independent 

Create a schedule: Competing without school affiliation significantly narrows the possible tournaments you can attend. That’s why it’s so critical you plan your tournaments. Debate Land has a great calendar for Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas. 

Obtain a school letter: After creating a schedule independent entries should obtain a school letter. While these will be necessary for a lot of tournaments, the process is also important for building support within your school administration. Schools take a long time to wind through their bureaucracy and there are usually roadblocks along the way. If you want to attend the TOC,  then you need to work on a plan that both the school administration and yourself can agree on. 

Build connections on the circuit: Competing as an independent can be a lonely experience. There is almost no support system and it can be intimidating to ask people for help. As you attend tournaments it’s important to talk to other teams in your situation and begin to build your own network. 

There is no easy way of being an independent entry. You will have less prep, no institutional knowledge, and at the beginning somewhat lonely. However, there have been successful cases and if you work hard you can be one too. 

Join a Debate Club Team

While going through the process alone is possible, it’s a tough road to travel. Joining a travel team like Civic Debate Academy’s National Debate Club is a way to become a part of a community looking to achieve the same goals as you. 

Benefits of a Club Team 

Logistics: Debate teams like Civic Debate Academy have taken teams to dozens of tournaments and know how to navigate the complexities of the national circuit. Our students always have numerous tournament opportunities on a topic and consistently take advantage of them.

Expert coaching: Replicating an expert coach is an impossible task. At Civic Debate Academy,  our faculty not only go through dozens of hours of training but have competed and championed countless bid tournaments and racked up over 100 bids to the Tournament of Champions.

Prep: To be a top debater requires a lot of prep. As only one team, thinking of every argument on a topic, cutting an entire block file, and then producing multiple cases is incredibly time-consuming and often infeasible. By joining a program, you become part of a prep ecosystem allowing you to go deeper on arguments and feel more confident walking into rounds. 

Community: One of the most difficult parts of being a truly independent team is that you are just that, independent. By joining Civic Debate Academy you will become a part of a like-minded community sharing the same goals as you. 

How do I Afford a Travel Debate Team?

Debate is an expensive activity, but at Civic Debate Academy we attempt to make it as affordable as possible. 

Financial aid: Our National Debate Club meets 100% of student’s demonstrated need. You can find more information about the program here. 

Tournaments at cost: While a lot of travel teams add large markups to tournaments, we only charge what it costs us and no more, advancing accessibility. 

How do I Join Civic Debate Academy?

Joining Civic Debate Academy is easy! Schedule a free consultation with us.  We would love to walk you through our travel team and the registration process.