Stoa USA


Stoa USA, also referred to as Stoa, is a Christian homeschool forensics organization in the United States. It is one of the four major national high school forensics organizations, National Catholic Forensic League, and the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association ).
Stoa is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “an ancient Greek portico usually walled at the back with a front colonnade designed to afford a sheltered promenade.” The Stoa was a common fixture of many towns in Ancient Greece and was used as a place where people could debate and discuss their ideas.

Overview

Stoa was created in 2009 to better serve the needs of the growing homeschool speech and debate community. Its website explains that its objective is “to train Christian home schooled youth in speech and debate in order to better communicate a Biblical worldview.”
Stoa USA is a non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers. It is governed by a Board of Directors who oversee its day to day operations and propose rule amendments which affect competitors nationwide. Members vote on important issues, such as debate resolutions and significant rule changes. Judges are usually parents, coaches, alumni, or members of the community.
Stoa sanctions only one tournament each year, the National Invitational Tournament of Champions .
Stoa exists to support state and local organizations in running tournaments, but recognizes the autonomy of those at the state and local level to operate in a manner that best serves their particular needs. Some locally-run tournaments attract hundreds of Stoa competitors each year, such as the one typically held in the spring at Concordia University in Irvine, CA.
Because homeschooled students are not typically associated with schools, most affiliates belong to member “Clubs.” Most club members live in the local area around where their club is based.

''Speechranks'' and the Point Recognition System

The National Christian Homeschool Speech and Debate Rankings, also known as , is a comprehensive website that ranks Christian homeschooled speakers and debaters around the country who are in high school or middle school. Speechranks was created in 2010 for promoting transparency and fairness in the Christian homeschool forensics community.
Results from Stoa tournaments are uploaded onto Speechranks by tournament administrators. Speechranks also allows students to enter their own information if they compete in other Christian homeschool tournaments. The website is monitored to ensure the integrity of the information entered. Viewers may also “Flag” results they believe to be in error.
According to its website, there were 1,946 active competitors on Speechranks during the 2016-2017 season.
There are two ways that Speechranks measures student participation: Points and Green Check Marks. Points are awarded to competitors based on the student’s percentile finish in each event. Students achieving the same percentile finish in any event and any tournament will be awarded the same number of Points. A student’s three best finishes in a particular event are used to sum their total Points for that event. Overall ranking on Speechranks is determined by the total number of Points a competitor has accumulated. Green Check Marks recognize consistent excellence throughout the competitive season. There is no limit to the number of Green Check Marks a student may earn. In general, Green Check Marks are awarded to any competitor who achieves a winning record in debate or finishes in the top 40% of an individual event. Green Check Marks are unique to each event and students may not transfer checkmarks from one event to another.
Speechranks requirements were drafted by Isaiah McPeak, with development chaired by Dr. Van Schalin and programmed by Connor McKay. It utilizes the Ruby Programming Language, the same language Stoa uses for membership and tournament registration.

National Invitational Tournament of Champions

Each year in late May or early June, the Stoa Board of Directors hosts the National Invitational Tournament of Champions, commonly referred to as NITOC.
There are two methods in which competitors may earn an invitation to NITOC. The first method, entitled the “National Invitational Model,” involves being awarded at least two Green Check Marks on Speechranks in one or more events.
In the second method, known as the “State Invitational Model,” the top speaker of each state in each individual event qualifies for an invitation, as well as the top two teams in Lincoln Douglas Debate and Team Policy Debate.
Participation at NITOC requires Stoa membership. Students may compete in as many events at NITOC in which they are invited by either of the two invitational models. The 2012 National Invitational Tournament of Champions, held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was regarded as the largest tournament in the history of homeschool speech and debate, where nearly 600 students competed across 13 different events.

Locations

Debate

Speech

Limited Preparation

. "In Apologetics, the competitor is given four minutes to prepare a persuasive and reasoned speech that defends a tenet of the Christian faith and explains why that principle matters."
Extemporaneous. "In Extemporaneous speaking, the competitor answers a given question based on recent events in the news. The competitor researches national and international current events and may create reference files of newsworthy information. Extemporaneous speech should be regarded as a demonstration of personal knowledge on the topic, as well as an original synthesis of numerous sources."
Mars Hill Impromptu. "In Mars Hill Impromptu, the competitor uses books, movies, and other genre to discuss the appeal and impact of the theme within the topic, holding them up in light of Christian truth found in the Bible. This event is intended for competitors 14 and older or with the consent of the parents due to mature themes in some topics."
Impromptu. While Stoa no longer recognizes impromptu as a NITOC qualifying event, some individual Stoa speech clubs choose to offer the event in the tournaments they host. The competitor receives three different topics and must choose one topic to speak about during a two minute prep time. When the prep time expires, the competitor is given a speaking time limit of minutes.

Platform

Expository. "An Expository is a prepared speech written by the competitor which explains and illustrates a topic through both words and visuals."
Original Oratory. "An Original Oratory is a prepared speech, written by the competitor, on a topic of the competitor’s choice. The purpose of this informative speech is to explain, describe, or expose the topic."
Persuasive. "A persuasive speech is a prepared speech, written by the competitor, which advocates a specific position or course of action."

Interpretive

Open Interpretation.
Duo Interpretation
Humorous Interpretation
Dramatic Interpretation

Wildcard

2020-2021: Oratory Analysis
2019-2020: Oratory Analysis
2018-2019: Demonstration
2017-2018: Cold Reading, Demonstration
2016-2017: Monologue, Cold Reading
2015-2016: Motivational, Monologue
2014-2015: Broadcasting, Motivational
2013-2014: Storytelling, Broadcasting
2012-2013: Mars Hill Impromptu, Storytelling
2011-2012: Original Interpretation

Debate Resolutions

2020-2021

Team Policy: Resolved: The United States Federal Government should considerably decrease its military commitments.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: Economic stability is more important than economic growth.

2019-2020

Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its banking, finance, and/or monetary policy.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: Culture ought to value assimilation over multiculturalism.

2018-2019

Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its foreign aid.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: In criminal procedure, truth-seeking ought to be valued above individual privacy.

2017-2018

Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its transportation policy.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: Preemptive warfare is morally justified.

2016-2017

Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its agriculture and/or food safety policy in the United States.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: The needs of the public ought to be valued above private property rights.

2015-2016

Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its trade policy with one or more of the following nations: China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: In formal education liberal arts ought to be valued above practical skills.
Resolved: Developing countries ought to prioritize economic growth over environmental protection.

2014-2015

Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its electronic surveillance law.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: When in conflict, an individual's freedom of speech should be valued above a community's moral standards.
Resolved: The United States federal jurisprudence, the letter of the law ought to have priority over the spirit of the law.

2013-2014

Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its marine natural resource policies.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: The United States has a moral obligation to mitigate international conflicts

2012-2013

Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its foreign military presence and/or foreign military commitments.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: Privacy is undervalued.

2011-2012

Team Policy: Resolved: That the United States federal government should substantially reform its revenue generation policies.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: When in conflict, personal freedom ought to be valued above economic security.

2010-2011

Team Policy: Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform its policy toward Russia.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: A government's legitimacy is determined more by its respect for popular sovereignty than individual rights.

2009-2010

Team Policy: Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform its environmental policy.
Lincoln-Douglas: Resolved: That competition is superior to cooperation as a means of achieving excellence.