Speech and debate is one of the largest academic activities in the country. The National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) reports more than 140,000 active student members each year. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), when coaches, judges, and support personnel are included, that number rises to more than 150,000 individuals annually.

At the center of the season is the NSDA National Speech & Debate Tournament - the capstone event where more than 23 competitive events across speech, debate and congressional categories crown national champions. In each event, dozens of students advance to elimination rounds, and specialized trophies are awarded to top finalists. Team honors include 10 Schools of Outstanding Distinction, the highest recognition, along with 20 Speech Schools of Excellence and 20 Debate Schools of Excellence.

The stage is bright. The awards are numerous. The competition is real. But inside programs across the country, coaches and students describe a different return on investment, one that cannot be polished and placed in a display case.

At the Lotus School for Excellence in Aurora (CO), head coach Soo Young Hudgen sees that reality every day. And while Lotus represents a single school in Colorado, its story mirrors what is unfolding in classrooms and tournament chambers nationwide.
 

Pushing Boundaries

“One skill that may not always be mentioned is pushing boundaries,” Hudgen says.

Each year, students join her program not because they are natural performers, but because they are uncomfortable speaking in front of others. Some admit they are terrified of public speaking. Others rarely raise their hands in class.

It takes courage, Hudgen explains, to recognize that discomfort and choose to confront it.

Speech and debate becomes a structured opportunity to do just that. Students prepare speeches, deliver arguments and respond to questions, all in an environment designed for growth. They receive feedback, revise and try again.

Hudgen emphasizes that the activity is for everyone. Some students thrive in the spotlight. Others prefer to blend in. Both can find space in the program.

At Lotus, which serves primarily first- and second-generation immigrant families, that growth often carries additional significance. Hudgen describes families who are deeply invested in opportunity and education. Students are navigating academics, identity and, in many cases, the responsibility of being cultural bridges within their households.

Providing them with a platform to develop their voices is not just about competition. It is about empowerment.

Across the country, programs in rural, suburban and urban schools tell similar stories: speech and debate attracts students who want to stretch themselves. The trophy may be the visible outcome, but the internal shift, from hesitation to confidence, is the more enduring one.
 

Belonging Before Brackets

With more than 23 national championship events and hundreds of awards presented each year, speech and debate is undeniably competitive. Rankings matter. Advancement matters.

Yet Hudgen reminds her students that “everybody’s journey is different.”

Some competitors pursue national titles. Others find value in the community - traveling with teammates, preparing on weekends, building friendships that extend beyond school walls.

That sense of belonging is not unique to Lotus. In communities across the country, speech and debate teams become academic homes for students who may not find connection in athletics or other activities.

For Abdullahi Adan, a senior at Lotus, that sense of belonging was immediate.

“I was never particularly good at sports,” Adan says. His mother used to tease him for talking too much,  and talking back. When his brother encouraged him to try speech and debate, he decided to see what it offered.

“It helped me find a voice,” he says.

That phrase, “find a voice,” echoes across programs nationwide. Students who once felt overlooked discover that their ideas carry weight. In events like Congressional Debate, they learn to speak with purpose and structure.

This year, Adan qualified for the NSDA National Tournament in Congressional Debate, earning his bid at a qualifier hosted by Cherry Creek High School. The accomplishment places him among the nation’s top competitors.

Yet when he reflects on the experience, he does not focus first on the national stage. He talks about diplomacy.

In congressional debate, students simulate the legislative process. They deliver affirmative and negative speeches, question one another and collaborate to move through a docket of bills.

“You have to work together so everybody can get their ideas across,” Adan explains.

That collaboration teaches students to advocate without dismissing. It requires listening, truly listening, to opposing arguments.
 

Learning to Listen

Adan’s first attempt at qualifying for nationals did not end in success. Competing in the Senate division, he encountered a deeper field of experienced debaters.

“At qualifiers, everybody wants a shot at nationals,” he says. “It pushes you outside your comfort zone.”

He did not advance that year. But he returned stronger, ultimately qualifying the following season.

More important than the bid, he says, was what he learned about perspective.

“You might think your side is right,” Adan explains, “but someone on the other side might point out something you missed. You have to recognize that.”

Before speech and debate, he admits he struggled with that humility. In arguments, even small ones, he resisted acknowledging when he was wrong. This activity changed that.

He describes a moment at a previous job when company downsizing eliminated his position. His initial reaction was to argue that his role was essential. But after stepping back, he considered the business perspective.

“So you walked away happy?” he was asked.

“I walked away understanding,” he replied.

Understanding is not an official award category. Yet it reflects a deeper goal shared by programs nationwide: helping students move beyond self-centered thinking toward empathy and analysis.
 

Integrity as Infrastructure

With more than 150,000 participants annually, speech and debate depends on trust. Hudgen emphasizes that integrity is the foundation of the activity.

Memorized speeches must be authentically prepared. Evidence must be credible. Arguments must be the product of a student’s own research and reasoning.

“If we can’t trust each other,” Hudgen says, “we can’t last as a program.”

Students at Lotus are reminded regularly that speech and debate is about expressing their own ideas. While technology may assist with research, the insight must be personal.

Adan agrees. “It might sound good,” he says of outsourced writing, “but it’s not personalized.”

Across the country, coaches echo that message. The credibility of rounds (and the educational value behind them) depends on honesty. Integrity is not a side lesson; it is the framework that allows competition to function.
 

Preparation for Life

Hudgen often explains the value of speech and debate in practical terms. “Everyone has to interview,” she says.

Students will defend theses, present proposals, meet admissions officers and apply for jobs. Speech and debate provides structured practice for those moments.

Competitors learn to think on their feet. They respond to questions under pressure. They receive critical feedback and adjust. When the stakes rise beyond high school, those experiences feel familiar rather than intimidating.

Adan hopes that years from now, he will carry forward the public speaking skills, the diplomacy and the relationships he built through the activity. He knows he will remember qualifying for nationals. But he believes the lessons from losing, and from listening, will matter more.

“You’re going to remember the wins,” he says. “But you also remember what you learned from losing.”
 

The Measure That Matters

Each year, national champions will be crowned in more than 23 events. Schools will earn distinctions and excellence awards. Students will stand on stages holding trophies.

The recognition is meaningful. It honors preparation and excellence.

But at Lotus School for Excellence, and in programs across the country, success is also measured differently.

It is measured in the student who conquers fear of public speaking. In the debater who learns to see both affirmation and negation. In the competitor who values integrity over shortcuts. In the senior who walks away from disappointment with understanding instead of resentment.

Speech and debate’s national scale reflects its impact. Its awards reflect achievement. Its true legacy, however, lies in who students become.

Beyond the trophy case, speech and debate cultivates courage, empathy, resilience and voice. And in schools from Aurora to every other part of the country, that lesson, more than any medal, is the one students carry forward.
 

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Rashaan Davis has been an assistant commissioner for the Colorado High School Activities Association since 2021 and oversees esports, music, speech and debate, and student leadership. Prior to coming to CHSAA, he spent 24 years working as a classroom teacher and campus administrator, including 17 years at Highlands Ranch High School and three years at Eaglecrest High School. Davis is a member of the NFHS High School Today Publications Committee.