Chris Theis
Director, Victory Briefs Institute, 2014-present · Lincoln-Douglas Debate Coach, Marlborough School (CA), 2022-present · Lincoln-Douglas Debate Coach, Lexington High School (MA), 2018-2021 · Lincoln-Douglas Debate Coach, Apple Valley High School (MN), 2009-2016 · Lincoln-Douglas Debate Coach, Peninsula High School (CA), 2011-2015
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Only person to ever win the Tournament of Champions twice
Coached students to championships at the TOC and nearly every major invitational tournament
Students are regularly in contention for the Dukes & Bailey Cup, including past winners
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Chris Theis, a founder of "Debate Matters," is one of the most accomplished and sought-after coaches in the history of Lincoln-Douglas debate. With 15 years of experience teaching debate, Chris has a proven track record of guiding students to success at the highest levels of competition.
Currently coaching at The Marlborough School in California, Chris's students earned more bids to the Tournament of Champions last year than any other school in the nation. He is also the Executive Director of the Victory Briefs Institute, one of the largest and most successful summer debate programs in the country. Chris has previously coached at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (CA), Lexington High School (MA), Apple Valley High School (MN), and Trinity Preparatory School (FL).
As a coach, Chris’s students have consistently advanced to the elimination rounds at the Tournament of Champions, the National Debate Coaches Association National Tournament, and the National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament. His students are also regularly in contention for the Dukes & Bailey Cup, awarded to the year’s top Lincoln-Douglas debater, including past winners.
His students have won nearly every major invitational tournament—many of them multiple times—including the Tournament of Champions, Harvard, Berkeley, Greenhill, St. Mark’s, Apple Valley, Emory, Blake, Stanford, CPS, Lexington, Loyola, Damus, Golden Desert, Alta, the Greenhill Round Robin, the MBA Round Robin, and more.
As a competitor, Chris is one of only three juniors to ever win the Tournament of Champions and remains the only person to have won it twice. He was the champion of tournaments including Blake, Emory, the Iowa Round Robin (twice), the Greenhill Round Robin (twice), and St. Marks (twice). Additionally, Chris was a semifinalist at Greenhill and the Glenbrooks, as well as a finalist at Berkeley. He was a four-time qualifier to the NSDA National Tournament in Lincoln-Douglas, U.S. Extemp Speaking, and Congressional Debate.
Chris currently serves on the Tournament of Champions Lincoln-Douglas Committee and the National Speech Association Lincoln-Douglas Wording Committee. He has also been a member of the National Debate Coaches Association’s Executive Committee.
Areas of Expertise
Lincoln-Douglas Debate · Public Forum Debate · Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP) · Classroom Prep
Teaching Interests
I have extensive experience coaching and judging both Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum debates.
I’ll be most helpful for students interested in developing core skills and crafting deeply researched, well-warranted arguments.
While I generally favor stock or policy-style argumentation, such as disadvantages, counterplans, kritiks, and topicality, I am also well-versed in the relevant philosophical literature.
Book an Appointment or Free Consultation
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