STARTING A TEAM

Are you a new coach or team manager interested in bringing a team to compete at one of our tournaments? Then check out our step-by-step guide for making sure your students can participate in BEST Foundation tournaments.

  1. Get a sense of what BEST is about – see some video stories and testimonials about the BEST experience.

  2. Learn about Competition Events and rules – Learn about the 5 different events that students can participate in at our tournaments.

  3. Send us an email by June 30 to inform us about your team name and dedicated coach contact information. Coach training is held early September and planning begins in August before the start of each academic year. If you wish to join mid academic school year, you are welcome to do so and we would send you coach training recordings if available.

  4. See coaching materials, handouts, and other resources in the Resources section.

  5. Figure out the logistics – Go to our homepage to see when and where our next tournament will be!

  6. Conduct Team Fundraising activities – This is an essential part of the speech and debate team experience. Please see our Fundraising section for help.

  7. Register your team for a tournament – Registration for each tournament lasts 2-6 weeks before the tournament date. All schools must make an account on Speechwire (if your school has participated in the past, your school already has an account; if not, you will have to make one) and fulfill all of the steps on the Registration Checklist, including fee payment, in order for registration to be complete.

  8. Apply for Financial Aid – Teams MUST apply for financial aid from BEST by the stated deadlines before each tournament in order to receive any reimbursements. Financial aid is limited and should be considered supplementary to fundraising efforts. Please read our Scholarships section thoroughly.

  9. Attend a Tournament!

  10. Appoint Student Leaders– After your school has participated in at least one tournament season, you may nominate up to 2 SLs each year to serve as leaders in your team, liaisons to BEST, and be empowered to lead projects to better their community. Nominations are accepted in May each academic school year and are advised for students who are going to be in 10th grade.