Arise Speech & Debate FAQs
What if we have to miss a class due to illness or planned event?
Since we are all homeschoolers, we understand that our schedules aren’t always the same as our public school counterparts. It is expected that any club member make attending club a priority, however, there are times when that just can’t happen. If you know in advance, check to make sure you’re not on snack duty for that day or arrange to switch with someone else. If it’s the last minute (usually due to illness), just text Sharma so she knows not to expect you. If there’s anything she needs to be aware of, let her know.
I don’t understand all the fees. What’s included with what?
Local Club Dues
Club dues are for the club meetings portion of our club. This provides for all the curriculum that we use to get tournament ready, hire outside coaches, and provide anything that the club as a whole needs to pay for.
Stoa National League Dues
Stoa national dues are to allow club members to compete in our nationwide league. These funds go to pay for the National invitation only tournament preparation and to run the league as a whole. This involves a lot of behind the scenes activity, including advertising, literature, and club support.
Tournament Fees
Each tournament (the people who run it) gets to decide what they will charge for their event. For example, in our tournament last year we charged $25 per event. There are a variety of models, so you’ll need to check the tournament website to confirm any payments necessary. In addition, there is often an opportunity to pre-buy food for the competitors. Not every tournament does this, so check their website! These fees are in addition to your club dues and the league dues.
Why do I HAVE to compete in a tournament?
As a speech and debate club, we believe that tournaments change everything when considering speech and debate as an activity. Iron really does sharpen iron, so testing your skills at tournament is invaluable. Because we believe so strongly, we have made this a requirement of being part of our team.
What Ages are allowed
Juniors
Our club accepts students from 8-11 years old (as of October 1st). These kids will compete in juniors tournaments. Not every tournament has a juniors tournament, however, all of our local clubs do. The questions for juniors are not “dumbed down” for the younger kids, however, the maximum speaking time is less.
Seniors
In order to compete in our senior division, the student will need to be 12 -18 years old (as of October 1st). They have to still be considered a high school student.
My student is “Clepping” some college courses. Can he still qualify?
As long as your student is not a full-time college student, has not formally graduated from high school, and meets all the other Stoa requirements, then “Clepping” for college credit will not affect him in our club.