how to join fasd

Eligibility

  • Competitors must be between 12 and 18 years old on September 1st of the competition season. 
  • Only homeschoolers and private-schooled students are eligible to join and compete. 
  • We compete with the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA). Member families need to affiliate with the national league at ncfca.org. 
  • Families must read and agree with the NCFCA Statement of Faith and position statements.
  • Juniors' Club may be offered for younger siblings.                                      

Membership Fees

We take pride in the fact that our fees have never been raised since FASD first began over 20 years ago.  

  • First Student: $120
  • Second Student: $70
  • Additional Students: $50 each, including Juniors
  • Fees are the same regardless of your participation in speech, debate, or both.
  • A $10 late fee per student will be applied for any payments made after August 21.
  • Each family must join NCFCA and pay the affiliation fee of approximately $160 per family.

Commitment

  • Attend Weekly Meetings:
    • Mondays at a local church in the Fredericksburg, VA area  (contact us for exact location) 
    • 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM: Speech Club.
    • 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Dinner break and fellowship time.  Please bring your own meal.
    • 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM: Debate Club.
    • Members can attend speech, debate, or both; most families choose to stay for both.
    • An additional optional meeting time for Apologetics is often offered for students wishing to compete in this category. This is usually at 4:00-4:30, before speech club begins.

  • Participation Requirements:

    • Students will regularly give speeches and practice debate rounds during club. They should be willing to accept constructive criticism with grace.
    • Students must compete in at least one tournament.
    • Parents are required to stay at each meeting and should expect to listen to students' presentations and offer feedback, with the goal of learning to judge at tournaments.                                                                          

Sign Up Process

Registration opens during the summer.  To join FASD outside of open registration, please contact us for more information.  

Volunteer As A Judge

We need community judges!

Community volunteers are vital to our mission of helping young people develop their communication skills.  Please consider offering your time to provide feedback on student presentations.

  • No experience required.  
  • Opportunities in both online and in-person tournaments.
  • Each judging round lasts approximately 3 hours.
  • Judges must be at least 18 years old, not currently enrolled in high school.