The Atlanta Urban Debate League is committed to providing excellent debate education programs, services, and opportunities to diverse students, educators, and members of the community!
Middle School Novice Curriculum Guide
Your First Debate Round
You’ve learned the basics of policy debate and have prepared for your first tournament. Now, you’ll get ready for your first debate round.
At an AUDL debate tournament, you will debate four debate rounds, with two affirmative debates and negative debates. Before any given debate round, you will receive what is called a “pairing” from your coach or from tournament staff. The pairing is your assignment for the round. The pairing will tell you what room you are debating in, who you are debating and being judged by, and your side. You should go the room listed on your pairing and be prepared to debate the side you are given. You should try to get the debate started by the time on the pairing.
Once your both you judge and opponents have appeared and have said they are ready to begin the debate, the first affirmative speaker (the 1A) for the round should begin to read the 1AC. From there, you should follow the speech order you have learned. Here it is again for convenience:
Once the debate has concluded, the judge will give verbal feedback to all the debaters. They are not to disclose their decision, or for whom they voted; instead, the judge gives the debaters notes and suggestions for future debates. You should make to write them all down!
There will be a break between rounds two and three for lunch. After the conclusion of all debates in all divisions, there will be a short awards ceremony honoring the best of the teams and of the individual speakers. This marks the end of the tournament.