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Free Trial/Tryout Registration
Saturday, February 3rd
Select a time and complete the form for a free Zoom link. No experience needed.
for Nationally Ranked Debate Program
No Experience Necessary!
HELP YOUR CHILD REALIZE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL
- Improved public speaking skills
- Stronger academic performance
- Better standardized test scores
- Higher college admission chances
Can’t make tryouts? Students can sign up for beginner debate teams here!
Benefits of Debate
Public Speaking & Logical Reasoning Skills
Debate allows students the opportunity to improve on a wide variety of skills, including interpersonal communication, critical thinking, research and writing, as well as many others.
Better Standardized Test Scores
Studies also show that students engaged in debate do better on standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT.
Stronger Academic Performance
Studies show that students who participate in debate have, on average, higher grades in school.
Higher College Admission Chances
Colleges love to see debate on students’ applications! Debate shows that the applicant is passionate about something outside of school, has strong public speaking skills, and is well versed in current events.
A note on student growth
from our founder
One of the most heartwarming things to see as a debate coach is the growth of a student who transforms as someone who was previously shy or unconfident to someone who is more than willing to advocate for themselves.
Elisa Chen Sukhobok
Co-FounderHome of the 2020 Harvard Middle School
Champions & High School Varsity Finalists
Since the start of the school year, we have:
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Competed in 46 debate tournaments in 20 states
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Won 294 team awards
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Won 140 individual speaker awards
Coach's Spotlight
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Elisa S.
- President
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See Bio
Coach Elisa founded Potomac Debate Academy in 2014. She was motivated to spread the joys of competitive debate to students because public speaking and debate bolsters students’ critical thinking, logical reasoning, and presentation skills, all of which will serve students well regardless of their future pursuits. Her love and passion for debate started in high school, where she participated in Lincoln Douglas, Policy, and Public Forum competitions. In college, she was a member of the New York University Parliamentary Debate Team and an active participant of the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA). In 2010, she had the honor of representing both New York University and the United States in the World Debate Championships, in Antalya, Turkey. Coach Elisa holds a B.A. in Political Science from New York University, a J.D. from University of Virginia School of Law, and a M.S.Ed. from University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Coach Elisa is also an attorney, specializing in issues affecting higher education. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and two dogs.
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Noah M.
- Classroom Coach
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See Bio
Coach Noah has been involved in speech & debate for over 10 years. He joined Potomac Debate as a travel coach in spring 2018 and now coaches in the classroom, teaching both public speaking and public forum debate. As a competitor, Noah reached late out-rounds at major national tournaments, qualifying to NFL Nationals and the Tournament of Champions twice. In 2016, he championed the Texas state tournament in parliamentary debate. His students have experienced great success, championing Harvard multiple times, over a dozen qualifiers to the Tournament of Champions, and reaching late out-rounds at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and more. Noah believes that his success as a coach is measured by how much my students believe I care about their success. Each day, he strives to teach speech and debate to the best of his ability, but also to demonstrate that he cares about each student’s path and success outside of speech and debate. Outside of coaching, he enjoys camping and learning Japanese.
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