I have updated the Summer Camps page on the PFDebate Wiki to reflect only those camps that are offering Public Forum Debate camps in 2008. If you know of others, please add them to the wiki or email us.

If you are looking for a camp in other events, Colloquy has updated their directory of summer camp programs.

• Docu A Compelling Portrait of High School Debaters. More talk about Resolved and the Los Angeles Film Festival.
• Complaints ‘Too Late’: California Scholastic Debate Tournament Still Set For First Night of Pesach. The California State Tournament conflicts with the first night of Passover.
• Roosevelt Debaters Get High Marks. The revival of debate at Des Moines Roosevelt.

IMG_4597, originally uploaded by concordiadebateinstitute.

Debate camp photos are starting to appear on Flickr.

We received confirmation from Carla Brown earlier this evening that the Midwest Debate Institute has been canceled. Letters were sent out today.

Linda Box, author of PF Difference, was scheduled to teach at the Midwest Debate Institute, but will now be teaching at the National Speakers’ Forum in Florida.

There are quality Public Forum Debate camps being held across the country. You should be attending camp this summer!

In response to demand, Midwest Debate Institute (MDI) is proud to offer two one-week sections for Public Forum Debate.

Session 1: July 9 through 14
Session 2: July 16 through 20

Our location in Kansas City, Missouri offers many convenient and economical options for students from across the country. MDI focuses on how Public Forum Debate is distinct from Lincoln-Douglas and policy debate. Just as extemp commentary is not sit-down extemp, Public Forum Debate is not abbreviated policy or value debate. Campers will learn communication with the citizen judge as well as with their partners and opponents. MDI emphasizes the nuances of this new format: how to use the various speeches most effectively, how to use the expanded crossfire approach to cross examination, etc. Debaters will look at the current headlines, phrase their own topics, analyze, research and debate them. Complete enrollment information is available at www.midwestdebate.us.

Why come to MDI? Our staff! Midwest Debate was founded on the principal that high school students learn best from experienced high school teachers. Our staff includes:

• David Watkins, coach of the 2005 NFL National Champs in Public Forum Debate.
• Linda Box, coach of the 2nd place Public Forum Debate team at the 2005 NFL National Tournament.
• Nancy Wedgeworth, coach of the 1st Place team in Public Forum Debate at the 2004 NFL Nationals.
• Randy Pierce, coach of the 3rd place team in Public Forum Debate at the NFL 2004 National Tournament.

A complete listing of the faculty and their backgrounds is available at www.midwestdebate.us.

CDE National Debate Institute 
The CDE National Debate Institute will be holding their 2007 Public Forum Debate Camp from July 15 to July 31, 2007. The Public Forum Debate Camp is under the direction of Mr. Sean Bennett (bio below) and will draw some of the nation’s best Public Forum Debaters to the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For the past two years, the Public Forum debaters from the camp have seen amazing success on the national circuit.  ALL of the last two years’ teams who competed at their district tournament qualified for the NFL National Tournament, and one of the teams in the final round at the 2006 NFL National Tournament were graduates of CDE. The classes include instruction in flowing, case construction, rebuttal strategies, global and national politics, advanced debate theory and rhetoric, and economics. Beyond the classwork, debaters will compete in 27 critiqued practice rounds judged by some of the nations’ most outstanding debate minds. This year the CDE staff will include Jennifer Goldstein, the 2006 NFL Public Forum Debate Finalist and CDE Alumnae. The two week camp only costs $1085 which covers food, room, tuition, and classroom materials.

Biography — Sean Bennett
Sean is the Director of Forensics at Starr’s Mill High School in Peachtree City, Georgia. He has been an instructor with CDE for over six years now, bringing both his prodigious skill and excellent sense of humor to our summer camp. Sean is currently serving as Vice-President of the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association and sits on the NFL District Committee for the Georgia Southern Peach District. In the last seven years of coaching, Sean has qualified seventy-two students for the NFL National Debate Tournament; qualifying sixteen competitors for the NFL Nationals held in Wichita this year. Mr. Bennett has coached students who broke at the NFL National Championship in Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum. Last year, Sean coached the third place contestant in Extemporaneous Commentary. For the last six years, Sean has coached the Georgia State Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking and currently holds twenty state championships in Georgia. Sean is a full-time instructor and the Director of the Public Forum Camp at the CDE National Debate Institute. He also publishes annually for the NFHS Speech, Debate, and Theatre Association’s LD Annual, The Rostrum, and maintains www.starrsmilldebate.com , a resource for Extemporaneous Speaking, Public Forum Debate, and Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

Dates: July 9–13, 2007
Location: North Carolina State University
Programs: Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, Extemp, and Congressional Debate
Cost: $750 for room & board; $500 for day campers

Transportation to and from RDU airport (12 minutes away) is provided. Dorms are supervised by adults and all instructors are adults with excellent credentials, assisted by successful student debaters who are talented, honorable, and happy to share their expertise.

The Public Forum Debate program will be directed by Jeff Welty. Jeff coaches at Durham Academy and practices law in Durham. An NFL finalist in high school and an All-American debater in college, he is a graduate of the University of California-Berkeley and Duke Law School. His students have won Public Forum Debate at Blue Key, The Crestian, and Harvard, and closed out the Tarheel East NFL district tournament last year. He will be assisted by Katherine Buse, a TOC qualifier who has won several national circuit tournaments and speaker awards this year.

For more information, visit the Research Triangle Summer Forensics Institute website.

The Show Me Forensics Institute was one of the first institutes nationally to introduce a Public Forum workshop, beginning in 2003. Housed in a comprehensive institute that includes individual events, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and a kick-starter program for beginning debaters, the Public Forum program plays an important part in our curriculum. The workshop is directed by Jacob Stutzman, a PhD student at the University of Kansas and a former national champion in parliamentary debate. Additional lectures are provided by Dr. Kevin Minch, Truman State University’s Director of Forensics and the President of the National Parliamentary Debate Association. The Associate Director of SMFI, Don Crabtree, is Vice-President of the National Forensic League and played a role in the initial implementation of Public Forum as a national event. His presence at the Institute exposes students to some valuable perspectives on the origin and development of the activity.

The two-week institute session in Public Forum Debate runs from July 8–22. Students wishing to enroll at cheaper rates should early register by June 11. Students registering after that date will see an increase in tuition. Nonetheless, students will find that the Truman option is one of the most economical Public Forum options for its combination of length, cost, and quality. Some scholarship opportunities are available. Students will be housed in a brand-new, state-of-the-art residence hall with air conditioned rooms.

Whitman National Debate Institute
Public Forum Program

Dates
August 3–9

Location
Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA 99362 (Southeast Washington state)

Staff
Candi Kissinger, Sam Allen, Nathan Cohn

Format
Preparation on Public Forum style topics, drills and practice debates with redos, individual attention with small, six person labs.

The Florida Forensic Institute Public Forum Division will be headed by Jonathan Peele of East Chapel Hill HS in North Carolina. Jonathan has coached Public Forum Debate teams to late elimination rounds at Wake Forest, George Mason, Crestian, Emory, NFL Nationals, and finals at Harvard; closed out Varsity Public Forum Debate at the 2005 North Carolina State Championship. Among his lab assistants is Amber Sasse, Emory Champion, now of Northwestern University.

We believe that Public Forum Debate camps should teach analysis of the resolution, backed by evidence. Debaters need to learn to reason about the conflicts, and write logical, well thought-out cases, with excellent, persuasive rhetoric. Research skills, strategic skills, cross-examination and delivery are all emphasized and practice rounds are thoroughly critiqued.

Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Dates: July 20 — August 3

Extension: August 3–6

Unique extension opportunities abound. Tuition varies by commuter, resident, etc.

For details please visit: www.ffi4n6.com