Speech and debate coach Michael Ferguson is feeling a mixture of excitement and stress leading up to the first-ever speech and debate tournament hosted by Harding Charter Prep. Not only is it the first at HCP, the tournament will qualify competitors for NSDA nationals. The inaugural HCP tournament will feature a single event: Big Questions Debate. This tournament will be the only national qualifier for Big Questions in the state of Oklahoma.

Big Questions Debate is now in its second year as an official event. It combines the formats of policy, Lincoln Douglas, and public forum debate. Like public forum, Big questions involves questions back and forth. Like LD, it is one-on-one, and like policy, it uses the same resolution all year long. This year’s resolution is Resolved: Humans are fundamentally different from other animals.

‘The goal of Big Questions is to be, at the heart, a discussion of religion, philosophy, and science,” Ferguson said. “The hope is for more open-minded discussions and showing all sides of the issue for everyone, including the judges.”

Ferguson said he expects between five and 10 schools, and anywhere from 40 to 75 competitors, 17 to 30 of whom will likely be HCP students. He says that this tournament will be more intense than other district tournaments because while most events send two to three competitors to Nationals, only one person from this tournament will go to Nationals.

Ferguson is also looking for volunteers for timers, run concessions, present awards, run sound and lights, act as hall monitors and security. He will also need non-student judges.

The HCP tournament will be held on November 18 at the school. The final round will be held in the auditorium and will be open to all. If you are interested in being a volunteer, email Michael Ferguson at [email protected] or visit him at HCP in room 315.