Tips for Debate Camp

From labs to the camp tournament, debate camp can be a transformative experience that massively boosts debaters’ skill levels in a short period of time. This year, W.in is excited to announce the W.in Camp Scholarship for Gender Minorities, a full scholarship to one session of VBI, NSD, or TDI, to expand access to debate camp to as many people as possible. In light of the scholarship, we received a lot of questions on how debaters should navigate camp, so here are some tips!

#1: Write everything down

At camp, there is knowledge almost everywhere you turn, from planned lectures to your lab leader’s spontaneous tangents. It’s difficult and daunting to absorb all this knowledge in the moment which is why you should always be writing and taking notes. It’s useful to keep a lab diary, organized by day, to take notes on lectures, write down feedback from drills, and keep track of any tidbits of information. These notes are more useful than you think, and even if you don’t return to them later, the process of writing things down will help you fully absorb new information.

#2: Build a backfile

Camp is a great time to build up backfiles before the season starts. Focusing on creating a backfile also gives you a tangible camp goal, especially when you’re unsure what to work on. Choose 1-2 backfiles you want to focus on, such as a theory backfile, a impact turns file, or a specific kritik file, and dedicate some time each day to the file. For example, you may choose to work on a theory backfile, and write one new shell each day. Some camps have a rotation or dedicated time to go in-depth on types of arguments, which you can also use to build your file. Don’t hesitate to ask your lab leaders or other instructors to review your file and help you fill in gaps.

#3: Meet new people/drill

One instinct people have at camp is to cut as much prep as possible. While it is definitely a good idea to cut prep (see Tip #2 and #5), one of the unique benefits of debate camp is that you have dozens of extremely intelligent instructors within arm’s reach. Don’t skip lectures to cut prep; you have plenty of time to cut prep on your own, but you can only attend lectures at camp! Most camps have some variation of office hours that can be really useful to meet new people. Try to drill with as many instructors as possible and attend every office hours opportunity because they’re a great way to learn more and find coaching for the season.  

#4: Experiment

Camp is one of the best times to experiment with new arguments. If you’re a robust policy debater, try reading Kant! If you only read the Fem K on both sides, give a disad a try! Even if you don’t end up running the argument in the regular season, understanding it will also help you beat it in the future. Most camps have tons of practice debates and having one round where you try something totally obscure and new to you will always do more benefit than harm. The camp tournament isn’t a real tournament, so use it as an opportunity to explore without the pressure to compete.

#5: Write an aff ASAP

If your camp doesn’t give a prep packet, start research a few days before and get an aff written in the first few days of camp. Having prep as soon as possible will allow you to drill and have practice debates with that prep. It also gives you more time to try writing new, experimental arguments, knowing that you have at least one aff as a backup. If you’re stuck, collaboration with friends or lab mates is a great way to speed up prep and give you more time to use and practice with that prep.

#6: Don’t be afraid to talk in lab

Take advantage of opportunities in lab to volunteer and answer questions as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to answer questions incorrectly, because that’s how you learn! Volunteering to go first in drills will help you give speeches with less prep and increase the chances of getting to do a redo. Debate camp is your opportunity to learn as much as you can, so don’t let fear come in the way of your learning.

#7: Eat and sleep!

Around Tuesday of the second week, sleep schedules begin collapsing. Eating, sleeping, and staying healthy are the most important parts of debate camp. Camp is grueling and you may end up working from early in the morning to late at night, so eat meals to stay energized throughout the day. Even if it’s something small, like fruit or a cup of milk, try to force yourself to stay in the habit of eating breakfast every day before you fall into the trap of skipping it every day. Camp starts early in the morning, and you don’t want to miss out on an important lecture or lab session because you overslept. Try to take care of yourself and stay balanced, maybe even more than you do at home, to get the most of the camp experience.

#8: Do everything

Debate camp is an amazing, stressful, and overwhelming opportunity. It’s easy to feel unmotivated or skip events, but three weeks is shorter than you think! Try to attend every lecture, go to every lab session, meet with someone during every office hours, and get the most out of camp. Even if you’re in top lab and you’ve been debating for years, there’s always more to learn! If you think you already know the content of every lecture, attend a lecture anyway. If you’re at camp, you should make the most of it because ultimately, you will get what you put in.

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