National Christian Forensics and Communications Association
In 1996, the Home School Legal Defense Association Chairman, Michael P. Farris, and his daughter Cristy, formed a debate league. It soon began to grow, so much so, that in 2001 it formed its own league, the National Christian Forensic and Communication Association. In addition to becoming independent, NCFCA added Speech and Lincoln-Douglas debate to its competitions.
Goal
NCFCA states that its goal is to,
| “ | Provide a means for home schooled students to learn and exercise analytical and oratorical skills, addressing life issues from a Biblical world view in a manner that glorifies God. | ” |
Structure
Regions
NCFCA is split into ten different regions. Each region has region coordinators, which govern their region. The regions themselves are also split into state coordinators.
| Region | States | Coordinator |
|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Hawaii | Beth Vellalos |
| Region 2 | California | Lars Jorgensen |
| Region 3 | Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Western Canada, Wyoming | Kim Anderson |
| Region 4 | Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas | |
| Region 5 | Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska | Mark Russell |
| Region 6 | Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin | Diana Wolfson |
| Region 7 | Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee | Roger Smith |
| Region 8 | Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina | Lisa Kays |
| Region 9 | Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia | Herb Zick |
| Region 10 | Connecticut, Eastern Canada, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont | Darlene Rossi |
Tournaments
The tournament structure for NCFCA is similar to a sports season. There are three levels of tournament competition.
| Tournament Type | Eligibility | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Regional Invitational | Be Homeschooled | This would be seen as the regular season. There is no need to qualify to participate in this tournament level. Top finishers advance to the next level of tournament.There are usually many of these tournaments in each region. |
| Regionals | Top finishers at the regional Invitational | This level could also be known as the playoffs, top teams break to the next level. |
| Nationals | Top teams from regions (number of slots range by amount of competitors in region) | This is the final level of competition in NCFCA. |
Each region hosts its own tournaments which consist of only competitors from its region. There are only two exceptions to this. The first is a national open, this is a tournament that is open to all regions, and no prior qualification is needed to participate. National Opens give debaters the chance to qualify directly to Nationals (usually two to three slots are handed out for each speech or debate category). The second exception is nationals itself which is not held by any region and represents all ten.
The tournament structure is based on the amount of competitors. All tournaments have to two basic sections, "preliminary rounds"(6 rounds for debate) and "out rounds"( which can either be 3-4 rounds).
Resolutions
NCFCA members vote on the seasons debate topics and the winning resolution are announced at the end of the national tournament each year.
| Year | Team Policy | Lincoln-Douglas |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Resolved: That the United States should change its rules governing foreign military intervention. | n/a |
| 1997-1998 | Resolved: That Congress should enact laws which discourage the relocation of U.S. businesses to foreign countries. | n/a |
| 1998-1999 | Resolved: That the United States federal government should substantially change the rules governing federal campaign finances. | n/a |
| 1999-2000 | Resolved: That the 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution should be repealed and replaced with an alternate tax policy. | n/a |
| 2000-2001 | Resolved: That the United States should significantly change its immigration policy | n/a |
| 2001-2002 | Resolved: That the United States federal government should significantly change its agricultural policy. | Resolved: That the restriction of economic liberty for the sake of the general welfare is justified in the field of agriculture. |
| 2002-2003 | Resolved: That the United States federal government should significantly change its agricultural policy. | Resolved: That the restriction of economic liberty for the sake of the general welfare is justified in the field of agriculture. |
| 2003-2004 | Resolved: That the United States should significantly change its trade policy within one or more of the following areas: The Middle East and Africa. | Resolved: That human rights should be valued above national sovereignty. |
| 2004-2005 | Resolved: That the United States should change its energy policy to substantially reduce its dependence on foreign oil. | Resolved: That the restriction of civil rights for the sake of national security is justified. |
| 2005-2006 | Resolved: That medical malpractice law should be significantly reformed in the United States. | Resolved: That the media's right to protect confidential sources is more important than the public's right to know. |
| 2006-2007 | Resolved: That the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should be significantly reformed or abolished. | Resolved: Democracy is overvalued by the United States government. |
| 2007-2008 | Resolved: That the United States federal government should substantially change its approach to illegal immigration. | Resolved: That the United States of America ought to more highly value isolationism. |
