Difference between revisions of "Introduction to Circuit Debate"

== **Under Construction** ==

This page is currently under construction by [[user:zsiegel|Zachary Siegel]].

Welcome to the world of Circuit Debate! The goal of this page is to briefly outline what exactly Circuit Debate is and introduce you to the most important things there are to know.

Despite the fact that Circuit debate occurs around the country, there is certainly a community forms within the group. There are probably no more than ~300 debaters who consistently attend multiple circuit tournaments each year, and as a result, it is easy to get to know people who you frequently see at tournaments. Back in the era before online debating, you would be dedicating your entire weekend to traveling and competing at tournaments, so people would form friendships within the circuit.

Circuit Debate can certainly feel overwhelming when you are first introduced to it – there are many things one has to learn to compete at the highest levels. So perhaps before figuring out how to learn circuit debate, it is worth considering whether you would like to learn circuit debate.  

Ultimately, you should not make your decision to debate based on this short paragraph but should highly consider consulting with debaters currently in the community to give context to your personal situation. Virtually all debaters will be willing to tell you their own personal experiences, and a good place to start asking questions might be the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165730540520021 Small School's Facebook debate group].

As mentioned before, getting introduced to Circuit Debate can feel overwhelming with all of the concepts there are to learn. Luckily, there are many in the community who are willing to help. Below is a table of resources that contain links to various documents and websites that are intended to help out. If you know of any resources that meet the criterion of being substantial, community-endorsed, and helpful, feel free to add it to the list.