We’re Debate Matters
“Your Ideas. The Marketplace.”
We Love
We love watching the transformational power of debate unfolds for both students and instructors.
We Know
We know how to build debate programs, collaborate with instructors, and run debate at the highest level—with the results to prove it.
We Believe
We believe debate should be for everyone, and that passing on expertise should be easy, accessible, and ongoing.
What We Stand For
Independent
Thinking
Debate should teach students how to think—not what to think. We help young people develop the confidence and clarity to form their own ideas, make their own decisions, and defend them with purpose.
Schools Should Support Debate
We believe every student deserves access to debate through their school. That’s the most equitable, scalable, and community-driven way to grow the activity. We work to support and expand school-based programs—not replace them.
Who We Are
Debate Builds Citizens
When students learn how to argue with evidence, listen with care, and respond with clarity, they’re better equipped for the world beyond high school. Debate prepares them not just for college—but for citizenship.
Coaching Is Human Work
Great coaching is more than strategy and drills. It’s mentorship. It’s listening. It’s helping students discover what they care about and how to fight for it. We partner with coaches who see students as people first, debaters second.
We’re In This Together
Debate is a shared pursuit. The best programs are built on trust, collaboration, and mutual respect—between students, coaches, parents, and schools. We’re here to support that kind of community, one connection at a time.
Mike Bietz is one of the most accomplished debate educators in history, known for combining competitive excellence with a deep commitment to mentorship and community leadership.
Over the course of his career, he has coached 98 Lincoln-Douglas entries to the Tournament of Champions—more than any other program head during that period—including three seasons with over ten qualifiers. His students have earned national titles across the Tournament of Champions (TOC), NSDA Nationals, NDCA Nationals, and Novice Nationals.
He is the only coach in history to win both the NSDA and TOC national championships in the same season with two different debaters, a feat achieved while building the Lincoln-Douglas program at Edina High School from scratch. At Harvard-Westlake, he established one of the most dominant debate programs in the country, leading the team to sustained national success and a culture of intellectual rigor and integrity, where he coached 12 national champions.
Mike also served as Director of Victory Briefs, where he expanded the summer institute from 90 to over 600 attendees and helped create VictoryBriefsDaily.com—the most visited debate blog of its time. His leadership extended beyond coaching, serving as President of the National Debate Coaches Association (NDCA), advising the TOC, and directing major national tournaments at Berkeley, Stanford, and USC.
His contributions have been recognized with induction into the TOC Hall of Fame (as the first Southern Californian and first Asian American coach to receive the honor) and the Barkley Forum Gold Key Society at Emory University. More than accolades, however, Mike is known for his mentorship. His students and assistant coaches have gone on to become program directors, and educators in their own right, carrying forward a legacy of excellence and purpose-driven debate education.
Chris Theis ranks as one of the most accomplished combined competitor-coaches in Lincoln-Douglas debate this millennium, coupling sustained competitive excellence with disciplined mentorship and community leadership.
Now, as a part-time coach at The Marlborough School he has help build a national powerhouse, mirroring the success he achieved at Palos Verdes Peninsula, Lexington, Apple Valley, and Trinity Prep—sending debaters deep into elimination rounds at nearly every major invitational on the circuit, including Harvard, Berkeley, Greenhill, St. Mark’s, the TOC, NDCA Nationals, and often contending, and winning the Dukes & Baily Cup.
Theis’s competitive résumé remains singular: one of only three juniors ever to win the TOC and the contest’s only two-time champion, he also claimed titles at Blake, Emory, the Iowa and Greenhill Round Robins, and St. Mark’s, qualifying four times to NSDA Nationals across three events.
As Executive Director of Victory Briefs, he has guided its summer institutes to nationwide expansion while broadening the organization’s portfolio—overseeing the publication of widely used textbooks and topic analyses and launching products that help schools and teams strengthen their debate instruction. He also serves on the TOC Lincoln-Douglas Committee, the NSDA Lincoln-Douglas Wording Committee, and the NDCA Executive Committee, shaping national standards for the activity.
Former students and assistant coaches now direct programs of their own, extending a legacy of meticulous preparation, integrity, and purpose-driven debate education.
Skills That Outlast the Season
Debate is about more than trophies. The real payoff is better thinking, better writing, and the ability to speak up—in class, in interviews, in life. Our focus is on long-term growth, not short-term status.
Our Mission
To make high-quality debate instruction accessible to more students by connecting experienced debate experts with schools, families, and programs in order to create a sustainable, meaningful path for instructors to share their expertise.