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Company type | Non Profit Organization |
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Founded | 1951 |
Key people | Susan Peebles President Ann Marie Duffy, First Vice President Thomas Beck, Second Vice President Michael Colletti, Executive Secretary – Treasurer Katy Cecil, Publicity Director / Recording Secretary Roland Burdett, National Tournament Director |
Website | http://ncfl.org |
The National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) is a nonprofit speech and debate league that was formed in 1951. It is organized into regions that correspond to Latin Catholic dioceses. Member schools include both public and parochial high schools. The NCFL recruits member schools in both the United States and Canada. As of January, 2011, there were 65 active dioceses with NCFL leagues.
The NCFL sponsors the Grand National Speech and Debate Tournament held each year over Memorial Day weekend. It offers an array of events similar but not identical to those of the National Speech and Debate Association.
Due to the Coronavirus, the organisation was forced to not host their national tournament. This was incredibly historic as it was the first time in history the NCFL was unable to do so. After virtually hosting the tournament online in 2021, normal operation procedures followed in the time since then, as of March 2024. [1]
Past National Tournament Directors
Director | Years |
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Br. Rene Sterner, F.S.C. | 1972–1992 |
James Lyness New York, New York | 1992–2002 |
Ron Steinhorst New London, Wisconsin | 2002–2006 |
Roland Burdett Washington Arlington Catholic Forensic League Arlington, Virginia | 2006–present |