From Jan. 7-8 2026, congressional debaters competed in one of the most demanding tournaments of the season at the UIL State Tournament taking place in Austin, Texas. Competitors Ishaan Singh, Quazi Ishaan, and Colin Stuckey made it to the final round, placing 4th, 9th, and 11th respectively.
The setup of congressional debate is different from traditional formats of debate. In this event, 12-16 students are placed in one “congressional chamber” and debate about legislation, paralleling how the United States Congress operates.
“Debaters are given a legislation or a resolution which basically tasks this mock U.S. government to do a certain thing for example funding the military or funding Healthcare,” Speech and Debate President Quazi Ishaan said.
Recently, three competitors from the congressional debate team qualified to the UIL State Tournament which took place in the Texas State Capitol. In order to qualify to the State Tournament, debaters first have to compete at the UIL District tournament and place within the top 10.
“The biggest difference of UIL is that you’re not allowed to use the internet during the round,” Ishaan said. “[This] limits the capability of being able to come up with new information on the fly,but [it] also forces people to read more beforehand and understand more about what they’re saying.”
The struggle that most competitors face when it comes to UIL tournaments is the increased workload that comes with having to prepare speeches with in-depth research on every piece of legislation. This preparation usually happens during the winter break due to the timing of the tournament in early January.
“I was preparing during all of winter break and I prepared every single bill that would be debated,” Singh, the congressional debate captain said.
In congressional debate, cross examination ,also known as questioning, often highlights the main clash in rounds. For Stuckey, a varsity competitor, the questioning blocks were some of the most defining parts of the round.
“I gave an amazing first speech but the best part after that was questioning,” Stuckey said. “ I refuted the other side extremely well and I got comments on my feedback about how well I did there.”
During the second half of the school year, a large number of nationwide tournaments take place following the UIL state tournament. The team travels to different locations in order to compete, and apart from looking forward to competitive success, they also look forward to the experiences traveling together provides.
“I really enjoy traveling with my friends and experiencing the new cities where we compete,” Singh said.
Congressional debate is rooted in advocacy for the American people, therefore the principle of hosting tournaments such as UIL congressional debate is to provide a platform for students, not just compete, but also speak up about their views.
“The biggest thing I’m looking forward to is just getting the opportunity to go back to the tournaments that I’ve been going to for the past few years,” Ishaan said. “It’s all about being able to leave a legacy in my own style, in the way I enjoy doing debate, and advocating for things I care about.”
