Upcoming Speech Events
Find Your Voice. Own the Room.
The Speech and Debate Team promotes the ability to speak with confidence and conviction. The team competes in an average of 25 tournaments throughout the school year and has traveled across the country and internationally to compete. The Bethany Speech and Debate Team motto is “Take the Room!” When you are speaking, everyone is there to listen to you. You have the power!
Any Student Can Compete!
The Bethany Speech Team is a co-curricular activity that uses what you learn in the classroom to make you a better speaker on the team. This highly educational activity is open to all students, regardless of experience.
Travel
The Speech Team travels to nearly 20 tournaments in a school year. The Bethany Speech Team has traveled to both the East and West coast, Florida to Washington state, and everywhere in between. The team has even traveled to Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, and China on debate trips. Where will you take the team?
Fun
We have a great time practicing, traveling, competing, and simply hanging out with each other. Whether it is playing in the ocean, seeing foreign countries, or outwitting your teammates in a game of trivia, you will enjoy your time on the team. The best times you will have in college will be in an extra-curricular activity. Make it the Speech Team!
Academic Credit
Students who participate in a certain number of tournaments and events can earn academic credit that can apply to graduation. Learn stuff and get the credits to prove it!
Scholarship
The Bethany Speech and Debate Team offers a performance scholarship to students who qualify. Read more about financial aid at Bethany or download the scholarship form.
Mission Statement
The Bethany Speech and Debate Team upholds the mission of Bethany Lutheran College, which is to provide a quality liberal arts education in a Christian atmosphere. As a co-curricular program complementing the Communication curriculum, the Speech and Debate Team promotes skills in communication, research, and leadership in order to fulfill the college’s goals of fostering spiritual development, intellectual and creative growth, self-understanding, and responsible citizenship.
“Being on the speech team has benefited me not only in public speaking skill, but confidence. When you are standing in front of a room full of people, it pays to know how to harness all that nervous energy into something manageable.”
Baylee Amy
Speech and Debate Tournaments
PLUM
PLUM stands for Parliamentary League of the Upper Midwest. PLUMs are an excellent way to refine debate skills and have fun doing it. Check out how you can join the fun!
2024-2025 Tournament Invitations
- PLUM #1 Invitation September 24, 2024
- PLUM #2 Invitation October 15, 2024
- PLUM #3 Invitation November 12, 2024
- PLUM #4 Invitation February 4, 2025
- PLUM #5 Invitation February 25, 2025
Each PLUM includes:
- 3 preliminary rounds with 2 eliminations rounds (Phi Rho Pi style)
- The Round 3 resolution will be a case study
- Tournaments begin at 2 pm and end around 9 pm
- Debaters’ evening meal is included in their tournament fees
- All teams with winning records will advance to the elimination rounds
- Attractive personalized and framed awards will be given to all breaking teams and the top five speakers in the tournament
- Season long school awards and individual speaker awards will be given at the end of the PLUM season.
Tournament Schedule:
- 1:30 – Registration (Honsey Hall 200)
- 2:00 – Round 1
- 3:15 – Round 2
- 4:30 – Round 3 (power matched)
- 5:30 – Evening meal in the Bethany Dining Center
- 6:30 – Bronze round
- 7:45 – Gold round
- 8:50 – Awards
Vocal Viking
Vocal Viking October 31-November 1, 2025
The annual Bethany speech and debate tournament. The Vocal Viking offers the 11 standard individual events and Parliamentary Debate. Enter up to 6 different events!
The Vocal Viking offers the 11 standard AFA events in 3 groupings. Groupings are as follows:
Group A: Duo Interp, Extemp., Persuasion, Program Oral Interp
Group B: Prose, Impromptu, Informative
Group C: After Dinner, Communication Analysis, Drama, Poetry, Parliamentary Debate
Parliamentary Debate
The Vocal Viking will have four rounds of Parliamentary Debate with appropriate elimination rounds. Two divisions will be created depending on entries. Students can enter debate and one other IE in Group C. Enjoy your rhetorical crit and debate it too!
Schedule
The tournament starts with two rounds of debate at 11:30 am on Friday, Oct. 31. Group A of IEs begin at 2 pm. Breakfast starts at 7:30 am on Saturday with awards scheduled for 6 pm or sooner.
Hotel Reservations
No hotel rooms have been blocked for this weekend. If you have questions about hotels, please contact Jon Loging.
Entry Deadline
Please enter the tournament on www.speechwire.com by 5 pm on Friday, Oct. 24. Fees will be assessed at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 28
BLC Debate Scrimmage
The Scrimmage consists of two parts:
- A training session in the morning for new debaters. This training session will include:
- Rules and procedures of Parliamentary Debate
- Basic case construction
- Debate Strategies
- Scrimmage debates
The training session will be designed for new debaters, but experienced debaters and coaches are encouraged to sit in and contribute to the education.
The scrimmages will be debates that are watched/judged by the rest of the debaters and coaches in the afternoon. A discussion will happen after each round. Depending on the numbers, participants may be divided into multiple rooms, each with experienced coaches, judges, and debaters. While not all debaters will get a chance to debate, much learning will happen!
If you are not attending the morning training session, you are still welcome to come to the scrimmages in the afternoon.
This event is free! There are no awards, judging fees, or food…just debate!
Schedule
- 9 am – Debate Training Session
- 1 pm – Debate Scrimmage #1
- 2:30 – Debate Scrimmage #2
- 4 pm – Debate Scrimmage #3
Please email Jon Loging to register for the Scrimmage by Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Interested in Speech and Debate?
Follow Bethany Speech & Debate
Next Steps
Interested in studying at Bethany? Scheduling a campus visit is a great way to see what we have to offer. You can meet professors or sit in on a class too! Contact our admissions office to learn more.
