Austin Rhetoric Club's 

  1. What is ARC?

  2. Statement of Faith:  is The Apostles' Creed

  3. Requirements of Austin Rhetoric Club (ARC) Membership

  4. Some General Suggestions, but Not Requirements, for ARC Members

  5. How to Pick Your Debate Partner or Duo Interp. Partner:

  6. ARC's Mission Statement

2.  The Apostles' Creed simply states:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.		  

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen.
 

*The word "catholic" with a lower case "c" refers to the universal Church of Jesus Christ, the Lord, not to the Roman Catholic Church.  Or as Communicators For Christ puts it in their statement of faith:  "We believe in the brotherhood of all believers who, through faith, have received the salvation provided by God's grace through the death of Jesus Christ."

 

3.  Requirements of Austin Rhetoric Club (ARC) Membership:

  1. Believe in our Statement of Faith (above).  This is an ARC requirement, not an NCFCA (our league) requirement.  Although, NCFCA (National Christian Forensics & Communication Association) is a Christian home school organization (viz. the leadership is distinctly Christian), one does not have to necessarily be a believer to compete in speech and debate.  If you do not believe that Jesus is Lord, ARC welcomes you to compete in NCFCA, attend our workshops, and visit our club meetings from time to time.  May we respectfully recommend another Austin Club, Podium Power (Marlene Yousef), mgyousef50@msn.com to you.  We feel that our club is still in its formative stages, and want to make it distinctly Christian.  Perhaps later we will consider opening the club up to all.

  2. Join NCFCA as an affiliate.  Although you may wait until the winter dead-line to register, you might miss out on the early bird discount.  Click here to register:  https://www.ncfca.org//sys/nl/ai.esp?iid=5368&cid=28105c149ae0488a54d9eb95ac5dfaf1&pid=543&aid=1&diid=5367&taf=0&lpm=Permission%20denied

  3. Be active in Apologetics all school year long (if you are over 12 years-old).  (If you are younger than 13, you may be active in apologetics, but it is not mandatory.)

  4. Besides Apologetics (above) enter in these individual events (IEs) at some time during the year (but enter in at least 1 IE per tournament):

4.  Some General Suggestions, but Not Requirements, for ARC Members:

     Although this is not a requirement of membership, you may enter as many as 5 different IEs in any particular tournament:  this is called a "marathoner."  Entering in 5 IEs plus either LD or Team Policy debate is called an "iron man."  (If you are a woman, you are still called an "iron man.")  In many tournaments marathoners and iron men receive special recognition and awards.  These designations are great honors.  It is a tremendous accomplishment to be such a well-rounded communicator.  If you achieve the marathoner or iron man status in the 5 State Region IV Tournament or at Nationals, and letter in the club, you will have a special designation on your letter or letter jacket.

  Although we encourage learning both types of debate (TP & LD), we advise trying to decide which one to compete in, in any given year.  For the best overall educational experience, we encourage debating in, for example, Team Policy Debate 1, 2 or perhaps 3 years, then change to LD, or vice versa for 1, 2 or perhaps 3  years.  We also encourage competing in a different mix of IEs in subsequent years.  In team policy debate and duo interpretation, we encourage teaming up with your brother or sister, if possible; and keeping the same partner for the entire year, beginning about September or October and ending in June.  We also encourage (but not require) our families to consider having a particular partner 1 year, then have a different partner the next. 

  Tournaments limit competitors to one or the other type of debate:  LD or Team Policy.  For a description of individual events click here.

 

5.  How to Pick Your Debate Partner or Duo Interp. Partner:

  Debate and duo partners are not picked or arranged by any debate or speech coach or the head coach.  We encourage our families to take the active part in helping their children pick their partners.  Furthermore, we feel that parents are the best experts in educating and raising their own children.  As you are considering partner choices for you or your children, please consider these criteria: