Class Periods Offered
Debate is offered during 0 period (before official school hours, beginning at 7:35 a.m.), 2nd period, and 4th period for the 2026 - 2027 school year.
Orientation Period
First Few Weeks of School
The start of the school year is an exciting time for Bellaire Debate. During the first few weeks, students rotate through introductory units to get a feel for the different competitive styles we offer.
Congressional Debate
Lincoln Douglas
Informative Speaking
Public Forum
Extemporaneous Speaking
World Schools Debate
Each unit includes a general lesson presented by students who specialize in that activity, light homework focused on practicing the format and gaining exposure to it, followed by a quiz at the end of the unit. This allows students to discover which events they enjoy and may want to commit to.
Debate Circuits We Compete In
University Interscholastic League (UIL)
UIL is a circuit in which Bellaire Debate competes only in Congressional Debate and Policy (CX) debate.
Each event has its own regional tournament, which takes place on different dates during the week. Students who place high enough at their regional tournament qualify for the UIL State Tournament in Austin, Texas at the University of Texas at Austin. The states tournaments also differ depending the event.
Students who advance to the final round of UIL State Congress have the opportunity to compete inside the Texas State Capitol building.
National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA)
The National Speech and Debate Tournament is the largest academic competition in the United States, bringing together over 7,000 students from over 1,500 schools across the country.
To qualify, students must compete at their district tournament. For Bellaire Debate, this is the South Texas District tournament. For speech and debate events, the district tournament is typically held in February. Congressional Debate has a separate district tournament, which is typically held in March.
Students who do not qualify at their district tournament have one final opportunity to qualify by competing in the NSDA Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), an online tournament where students from across the country compete for the remaining spots at the national tournament.
The NSDA National Tournament takes place each June after our school year ends. The 2027 NSDA National Tournament will be held over a week in Phoenix, Arizona.
Texas Forensic Association (TFA)
TFA is the circuit where Bellaire Debate attends the most tournaments. The regular season begins in August and ends in February, with the team typically attending a local TFA tournament almost every weekend. Depending on how well a student performs in their respective event, they earn "state points" that count toward qualification for the TFA State Tournament in March. For the 2026–2027 school year, students must earn 14 state points to qualify.
The TFA State Tournament is widely considered the largest and most competitive state speech and debate tournament in the country. Students may qualify in multiple events and are free to attend as many TFA local tournaments as they believe they can manage. All Texas schools are eligible to compete at TFA tournaments.
Houston Urban Debate League (HUDL)
HUDL is a circuit exclusively for Houston-area public schools. Throughout the season, there are four HUDL local tournaments where students can compete.
The final local tournament, HUDL City Championship Prelims, serves as the qualifying tournament for the HUDL City Championship. Students who advance far enough in their event at City Championship Prelims qualify to compete at the HUDL City Championship, held at the Bob E. Casey Federal Courthouse, where students compete for scholarship money.
To be eligible for the HUDL City Championship, students must:
- Compete at a minimum of two HUDL local tournaments (in any event)
- Compete in City Championship Prelims, where they must advance in their chosen event to qualify for the HUDL City Championship
Tournament of Champions (TOC)
The TOC is regarded as the most prestigious and competitive speech and debate tournament in the world. It is held each April at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.
To qualify, students must earn a minimum of two TOC bids by placing highly at designated "bid tournaments." Refer to the Bellaire tournament calendar to see which tournaments award TOC bids, and visit a tournament's Tabroom page to determine the placement required in your event to earn a bid.
Team Procedures and Practice
The following section covers the essential operational guidelines for how our team runs tournament participation, transportation logistics, and our regular practice routines.
Tournament Participation
Minimum Requirement
All team members are required to attend at least six local tournaments over the school year. Refer to our calendar to see what local tournaments we will be attending!
Registration Deadlines
Students must sign up via the tournament sign-up form for a desired tournament by the deadline stated. Missing the deadline may result in being waitlisted and unable to compete in that tournament.
Tournament Transportation
- Friday: The team takes a school bus to the tournament. Students leave school at the beginning of lunch and must return on the bus after the tournament—no exceptions—once all team members have finished competing.
- Saturday: There is no bus transportation. Students are responsible for arranging their own rides to and from the tournament. They must fill out the Tournament Checkout Form before leaving the tournament with a parent or approved guardian.