TCFL Fall Open Speech & Debate Tournament
& TCFL Annual Workshop

Saturday, October 10th - Sunday, October 11th, 2026

Burbank High School

902 N. Third St.

Burbank, CA 91502

Entry Fees: $20 per Speech (excluding DUO/Improv DUO) and LD entry, $40 per Debate (excluding LD) and DUO/Improv DUO entry. Please pay your TCFL and CHSSA Dues if this is your first tournament of the season. Make checks payable to Tri-County Forensic League. $40 per WSD for TCFL member schools, $50 per WSD entry for non-TCFL members.

World Schools Debate: TCFL will continue to offer World Schools Debate at our Debate tournaments. In addition, registration for WSD (and ONLY WSD) will be open to non-TCFL member schools. Hybrid teams WILL be allowed. For TCFL members, the entry fee for WSD will be $40 (the same for all team entries), and for non-TCFL members, the entry fee for WSD will be $50.

Tentative Schedules

Saturday, October 10th - Speech

08:00am - 08:30am - Registration (Coaches & Judges)

08:30am - 9:30am - Judge Orientation

09:30am - 11:30am - Round 1

11:30am - 01:30pm - Round 2

01:30pm - 02:00pm - Lunch Break

02:00pm - 04:00pm - Round 3

05:00pm - 06:30pm - Final Round

Awards to follow immediately after in the Cafeteria!

Sunday, October 11th - Debate

08:00am - 08:30am - Registration (Coaches & Judges)

08:30am - 9:30am - Judge Orientation

09:30am - 11:30am - Round I

11:30am - 01:30pm - Rd II

01:30pm - 02:00pm - Lunch Break

02:00pm - 04:00pm - Rd III (Hi-Low Power Match within brackets)

04:30pm - 06:30pm - Round IV (Hi-Low Power Match within brackets)

Awards to follow immediately after in the Cafeteria!

Debate Topics

2026-2027 Policy Debate Topic: Resolved: The United States federal government should establish national health insurance in the United States.

September/October Lincoln Douglas Debate Topic: Resolved: Outer space colonization is a moral imperative.

September/October Public Forum Debate Topic: Resolved: The United States federal government should enact a moratorium on hyperscale data center construction.

Parliamentary Debate: Topics announced 20 minutes before round.

World Schools Debate: Round 1 & 2 Prepared Motion (teams debate both sides): This House believes that developing countries should nationalize their natural resource industries, specifically those based on resource extraction. Rounds 3 & 4 Impromptu Motions announced one hour before each debate.

Judges: Judges ARE allowed to be entered in both judge categories (Speech on Saturday, Debate on Sunday). Judges are encouraged to complete the judge accreditation process provided by the NSDA prior to the beginning of the event.

Speech Judges: Each school is obligated to provide one qualified judge per every 5 Speech entries, or fraction thereof.

Debate Judges: Each school is obligated to provide one qualified judge per every 2 Policy, Parli, PF, and WSD teams,* and one qualified judge per every 4 LD entries.* If your judging quota is not met, your entries may be dropped. Judges should have pens, flow pads, and laptops.

* or fraction thereof

Entry Deadline: Entries must be registered no later than Friday, October 2nd, 2026, by 11:55pm. Register at Tabroom.com. E-mail Chris Ryan at chris.ryan@lmusd.org for any questions. Entries will only be accepted by coaches on contact sheet.

TCFL Novice Debate Tournament

Saturday, October 24th, 2026

(Updated Host) Castaic High School

31575 Valley Creek Rd, Castaic, CA 91384

Novice Debater

A student who is in their first year of competition in high school speech and debate. If it is a team event, all students must be novices. If a student has competed in any speech and debate activity in high school, they are no longer a novice.

Policy Debate
We are using the NDCA Novice Packet for Policy Debate

Cases MUST be constructed using the Novice Packet and should only be running on-case and Disadvantage Negative strategies.

World Schools Debate

TCFL will continue to offer World Schools Debate at our Novice Debate tournament. In addition, registration for WSD (and ONLY WSD) will be open to non-TCFL member schools. Hybrid teams WILL be allowed. For TCFL members, the entry fee for WSD will be $40 (the same for all team entries), and for non-TCFL members, the entry fee for WSD will be $50.

Tentative Schedule

08:00am - 08:30am - Registration (Coaches & Judges)

08:30am - 9:30am - Judge Orientation

09:30am - 11:30am - Round 1

11:30am - 01:30pm - Round 2

01:30pm - 02:00pm - Lunch Break

02:00pm - 04:00pm - Round 3 (Hi-Low Power Match within brackets)

04:00pm - 06:00pm - Round 4 (Hi-Low Power Match within brackets)

Awards to follow immediately after last round in Cafeteria!

Debate Topics

2026-2027 Policy Debate Topic: "Resolved: The United States federal government should establish national health insurance in the United States."

October/November Lincoln Douglas Debate Topic: "Resolved: Outer space colonization is a moral imperative."

October/November Public Forum Debate Topic: "Resolved: The United States federal government should enact a moratorium on hyperscale data center construction."

Parli topics announced 20 minutes before round.

World Schools Debate: Round 1 & 2 Prepared Motion: ThisHouse would prioritize adapting human societies to climate change over preventing further climate change.(teams debate both sides); Rounds 3 & 4 Impromptu Motions

Judges

Each school is obligated to provide one qualified judge per every 2 Policy, Parli, PF, and WSD teams, and one qualified judge per every 4 LD entries. Varsity students can judge. If your judging quota is not met, your entries may be dropped. Judges should have pens, flow pads, and laptops. Judges are encouraged to complete thejudge accreditation process provided by the NSDA prior to the beginning of the event.

* or fraction thereof

Entry Fees

$20 per LD, $40 per team. (Pay TCFL Dues with first entry) Make checks payable to Tri-County Forensic League. $40 per WSD for TCFL member schools, $50 per WSD entry for non-TCFL members.

Entry Deadline

Entries must be registered no later than Friday, October 16, 2026, by 11:55pm. Register at Tabroom.com. E-mail Chris Ryan at chris.ryan@lmusd.org for any questions. Entries will only be accepted by coaches on contact sheet. PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DON'T SEE YOUR SCHOOL LISTED ON THE ENTRIES PAGE, YOU'RE NOT ENTERED.