Resources for Coaches

Welcome Coaches!

Welcome to a new year with SEDA! Whether you're returning or joining us for the first time, we’re thrilled to have you as part of our debate community. Your dedication helps students find their voices and think critically.

Debate club registration and benefits 

Why register?

  • Voting privileges at our Annual General Meeting
  • Access to lesson plans and tailored support
  • Access to a club view to track your clubs registrations
  • **NEW** Access to a $200 credit for your students towards tournament registrations
  • **NEW** There is no fee for club membership!

Student membership fees

Students who want to participate in SEDA events must register as a student member and pay the student membership fee of $50. Additional fees apply for:

  • Online tournaments ($20)
  • In-person tournaments ($40)
  • Workshops (variable pricing)

Financial assistance is available and can be requested on registration forms. A parent or legal guardian must fill in the student membership form.

SEDA will provide coaches with a handout for parents to introduce them to SEDA.

Tournament registration & Schedule

The Event Calendar shows upcoming tournaments. Each event has its own detail page and registration link. Please note:

  • Registration opens a minimum of two weeks before and closes one week before the event
  • Coaches or parents can complete tournament registration. Coaches must know the student’s financial aid preference if submitting
  • You’ll receive a link to track your club’s registrations

Volunteer Judges

Our tournaments depend on volunteer judges to support debaters.

  • Each team must provide one judge (parent, family, friend, teacher) at every event they compete in
  • No experience is needed
  • We offer judge training at every tournament

National Debate Opportunities 

If your students are highly competitive debaters who would like to participate in national debate opportunities, please refer to our qualifying criteria in the programs section of our website. This page will list the national opportunities and how to qualify for them.

 

Welcome Coaches!

 

This serves as an introduction on how to access resources on our website including what resources are available through SEDA. 

If you have not taught debate before, or looking for resources to print for your students, please check Debate Resources for Students. The resources cover a variety areas such as: building arguments, the basics of Nationals Style, and refutation. It also includes resources on how to prepare for debate, how to create models, how to manage POIs, and much more!

The Coaches Guide

Our comprehensive coaching guide is available for download below. The guide covers everything from what debate is, to how to craft lesson plans. It also covers the logistics fo running a club, fees, membership, and your responsibilities as a coach at debate tournaments. 

Our YouTube Channel

Our YouTube channel has useful resources including explanations of the basic debate styles, debaters demonstrating/explaining a variety of skills, and more! If you've never seen a debate or wonder what one might look like, the video below shows our alumni demonstrating a debate, 'This House Believes that Disney Princesses are Bad Role Models'. Check out our channel, Saskdebate!

Demo Debate: THBT Disney Princesses are Bad Role Models

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