Helpful Links and Sites
National Speech & Debate Association
The National Speech & Debate Association is our national level forensic association and one of the oldest honor societies in the United States. The NSDA district meet is held each year in March or April, qualifying students to attend the NSDA National meet in June. NSDA Qualifying Events include Policy Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, Congressional Debate, US Extemp, International Extemp, Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Original Oratory and Duo Interp.
The Texas Forensic Association is one of two Texas level forensic associations. TFA Individual Qualifying meets are held at schools around the state each year from late August until the second weekend in February. Students must earn 12 qualifying points in their event in order to qualify to attend TFA State, held on the first or the second weekend of March each year. TFA Qualifying Events include Policy Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, Congressional Debate, Domestic Extemp, Foreign Extemp, Original Oratory, Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Duo Interp and Duet Acting. The Hendrickson team typically attends 8-10 TFA qualifying meets each season.
University Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is the primary governing body of all Texas extracurricular competition, including sports, academic competitions, speech and debate. UIL practice meets are held typically in early Spring. Students compete at the UIL District, then the Regional Meet, then UIL State, provided that they advance at each level. (The exceptions are Policy Debate and Congressional Debate, which go straight from District to State level competition.) UIL Events include Policy Debate, Congressional Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Informative Extemp, Persuasive Extemp, Prose and Poetry. UIL District competition for Policy occurs in February, with the State meet during Spring Break. UIL District for LD, Speech events and Academics typically happens in March, with the Regional Meet in April and the State Meet in late May.