How much time does debate take?

The time you invest in Wellington's program depends on how much you want to do and at what level. If you want to do well in many events at a national level, you will have to spend a great deal of time. Squad meetings, practice debates, and practice speeches are held regularly; potential tournaments are scheduled on many weekends. This is time well spent as an intellectual experience that reinforces coursework.

Thousands of students have distinguished themselves in forensics while maintaining their grades, their social lives, and other activities that interested them. Your classes must come first in time allocation, but if you are active in the program it could take the second greatest amount of your time during fall and winter. For the student who wants to engage in an exciting and intellectually challenging activity, the time commitment is extremely worthwhile.

That being said, the Wellington Debate Team is no less demanding or rigorous than athletics, band, drama, etc.. We expect students to attend practice and demonstrate the necessary commitment to attend tournaments. Because our season is virtually year-long, students who divide their extracurricular time will necessarily face occasional conflicts in schedules and availability. Parents should work with their students to determine priorities. A tentative tournament schedule will be available early in the fall, and commitments that are made to the speech and debate team should be honored. Students may have to make choices about their other activities and study loads.