Weekly Coach Newsletter — April 7, 2026
Check out what's new, Coach!
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Download Press Release Templates
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Our collection of press release templates has expanded! Use these tools to celebrate your team's successes and gain local media attention; it's a great way to get your administrator excited about the program.
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Meet the 2026-2027 Student Leadership Council Nominees
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Congratulations to next year's Student Leadership Council nominees! Students marked with a star are returning members. The final group will be selected later this month.
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Free Access to the Financial Times
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Did you know your school can access the Financial Times for free? In this video, two-time International Extemporaneous Speaking champion and USA Debate Team member Anthony Babu speaks with journalist Andrew Jack about how to use the Financial Times for debate research! Check it out to learn best practices.
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Submit Ideas for 2026 Nationals Extemp Questions
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Students, coaches, alumni, and Extemp enthusiasts are invited to submit questions for consideration at the 2026 National Tournament by April 20. Community contributions help ensure a relevant and engaging set of questions for the competition.
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Interested in getting more involved? You can also volunteer for the Extemp question editing team. Editors must be NSDA alumni, coaches, or adult community members and cannot have students competing in both International Extemp (IX) and United States Extemp (USX) at Nationals.
To participate, simply indicate your interest on the Topic Submission Form.
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Who on your team was most improved? Who was the spirit of the squad? Who had the best snacks? You or your students can use our team superlative certificate templates to celebrate your team at a team dinner, end of year banquet, or other senior send-off event.
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Apply for National Tournament Judge Grants
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The National Tournament Judge Grant helps cover costs for qualified judges. The application is open, so don’t miss your chance to mentor, evaluate, and inspire students. Apply and be part of the action or share the details with a fellow NSDA coach!
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all available funds are awarded. The latest grants will be awarded is May 30, 2026. Recipients may not receive checks until late May.
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Apply for Team Support to Attend Nationals
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Is your team planning to attend Nationals and in need of support to make it happen? Apply for a grant from the Road to Nationals Fund by April 22!
These grants support high school teams who need financial assistance and can be used for food, travel, and lodging expenses. Grants range from $100 to $1,000, with average grants of $500.
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Is Your Student the Next Member of the USA Debate Team?
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The USA Debate Team is a group of NSDA member students who represent the United States in World Schools Debate competitions around the world. Applications for the 2026-2027 USA Debate Team and USA Development Team are open until June 25! Learn more or share with a student »
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Register for the Last-Chance Qualifier
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Registration for the Last-Chance Qualifier is open through April 17! This free, online tournament is an opportunity for students who did not qualify through their district tournament to have a chance to attend the 2026 National Tournament. The Last-Chance Qualifier will be held April 23-25, 2026.
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