Congressional Debate
What to Expect
Hello, and congrats on furthering your debate education by attending the MGC Debate Camp! Attending the MGC, will provide a quality education in Congressional Debate that will give you the edge when the competition season starts. Congress is, by nature, a group activity. You will be working in groups throughout the camp. I am a firm believer in collaboration, so the more I can get you all interacting with each other, the more engaging camp will be!
Participants will benefit from:
- Live lectures taught by Brian Alford and award-winning junior staff
- Personalized coaching feedback from one-on-one training sessions
- Explorative learning during office hours led by lab leaders
- Head start with research and speech prep for the fall TFA Congress docket
- Training on the fundamentals of being a Presiding Officer
All skill levels are welcome at the MGC. Whether you are a beginner or a 2nd/3rd year competitor, we can help you fine tune your skills and get you ready for competition. We will be focusing on research and writing skills, delivery skills, and optional PO workshops during some of the office hours. We will focus on the first 8 items on the TFA Docket, which will be released in June (www.txfa.org).
We are excited that that Allen Zhang will be joining us again this summer. Allen was a former competitor who taught at this camp last year and just finished his freshman year at Texas A&M University. Allen will be working with you on the rhetoric of your speeches as well as tricks and tips he has learned over his years as a competitor and as a judge.
We look forward to seeing you in person at the UTD Campus in July! Get some good pens and a legal pad, and we will see you in July!
Congressional Debate Schedule 2022
Director's Statement
Welcome to the world of Congressional Debate! Congressional debate takes aspects of both public speaking and debate and joins them with parliamentary procedure to give us a real-world applicable event. Congressional debate involves researching, critical thinking, analysis, and a knowledge of the world around you. Through congress, you will explore many different and unique aspects of a topic in a fast-paced, group environment. Whether you are new to the activity or whether you have some experience, this camp will challenge you and get you well on the road to success in the upcoming TFA season.
I invite you to join us this summer and rethink the way you debate.
Divisions, Date and Pricing
| Session | Dates | In-Person | Commuter | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Congressional Debate |
June 29 – July 6 |
$1,350 |
$1000 |
N/A |
|
Congressional Debate + Extemp |
June 29 – July 14 |
$2,350 |
$1,700 |
N/A |
Division Director
Brian Alford
Director of Speech and Debate, A&M Consolidated High School
Director of Speech and Debate at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station. Prior to this, he was the Assistant Director of Forensics at James Bowie High School in Austin. Over the past 8 years, Brian has qualified students to the TFA State Tournament, the UIL State Tournament, the NSDA National Tournament, and the University of Kentucky TOC. Brian has also coached students to UIL State Championships in Congressional Debate and NSDA national finalists in Congressional Debate. He has also had students compete in the finals of many national circuit tournaments. Brian currently serves as the Chair of the TFA Congressional Debate Committee.
Division Staff
Allen Zhang
Allen is a senior at A&M Consolidated High School, where he has been president of the Speech & Debate team for two years. He has participated in and won championships at various competitions on the local, state, and national levels. On the state level, he has placed third at UIL State for Congressional Debate and advanced to the semi-finals round in Extemp and final round in Congress at TFA state. He has also reached late outrounds at national tournaments like the 2020 NSDA nationals and the UK Tournament of Champions. In extemporaneous speaking, he currently is ranked 3rd in Texas and 11th in the nation by the NSDA. Outside of debate, Allen enjoys playing basketball and binge-watching Breaking Bad. He looks forward to working with everyone!
Enroll Now!
MGCDI in now open! Follow the link above to reserve your spot in our 2024 summer program. The final deadline for all registration is June 9th, 2024.