verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . december 2012 learn how and when to remove this template message stoa usa type non profit organization 1 founded 2009 2 key people scott york founding president 3 mark russell current president 4 lars jorgensen founding member website http www.stoausa.org stoa usa also referred to as stoa is a christian homeschool forensics organization in the united states . 5 it is one of the four major national high school forensics organizations the others are the national forensic league nfl national catholic forensic league ncfl and the national christian forensics and communications association ncfca . 6 stoa is defined by the merriam webster dictionary as an ancient greek portico usually walled at the back with a front colonnade designed to afford a sheltered promenade . 7 the stoa was a common fixture of many towns in ancient greece and was used as a place where people could debate and discuss their ideas . 8 contents 1 overview 2 speechranks and the point recognition system 3 national invitational tournament of champions 3.1 locations 4 events 4.1 debate 43 4.2 speech 45 5 debate resolutions 6 see also 7 references 8 external links overview edit a stoa in athens . stoa usa derives its name from this common feature of ancient greek architecture . 9 stoa was created in 2009 to better serve the needs of the growing homeschool speech and debate community . 10 its website explains that its objective is to train christian home schooled youth in speech and debate in order to better communicate a biblical worldview . 11 stoa usa is a non profit organization run entirely by volunteers . it is governed by a board of directors who oversee its day to day operations and propose rule amendments which affect competitors nationwide . 12 members vote on important issues such as debate resolutions and significant rule changes . 13 judges are usually parents coaches alumni or members of the community . 14 stoa sanctions only one tournament each year the national invitational tournament of champions nitoc referenced below . 15 stoa exists to support state and local organizations in running tournaments but recognizes the autonomy of those at the state and local level to operate in a manner that best serves their particular needs . 16 because homeschooled students are not typically associated with schools most affiliates belong to member clubs . most club members live in the local area around where their club is based . 17 speechranks and the point recognition system edit the national christian homeschool speech and debate rankings also known as speechranks is a comprehensive website that ranks christian homeschooled speakers and debaters around the country who are in high school or middle school . 18 speechranks was created in 2010 for promoting transparency and fairness in the christian homeschool forensics community . 19 results from stoa tournaments are uploaded onto speechranks by tournament administrators . 20 speechranks also allows students to enter their own information if they compete in other christian homeschool tournaments . 21 the website is monitored to ensure the integrity of the information entered . viewers may also flag results they believe to be in error . 22 according to its website there were 1864 active competitors on speechranks during the 2011 2012 season . 23 there are two ways that speechranks measures student participation points and green check marks . 24 points are awarded to competitors based on the student s percentile finish in each event . students achieving the same percentile finish in any event and any tournament will be awarded the same number of points . 25 a student s three best finishes in a particular event are used to sum their total points for that event . 26 overall ranking on speechranks is determined by the total number of points a competitor has accumulated . 27 green check marks recognize consistent excellence throughout the competitive season . there is no limit to the number of green check marks a student may earn . in general green check marks are awarded to any competitor who achieves a winning record in debate or finishes in the top 40 % of an individual event ie . 28 green check marks are unique to each event and students may not transfer checkmarks from one event to another . 29 speechranks requirements were drafted by isaiah mcpeak with development chaired by dr. van schalin and programmed by connor mckay . 30 it utilizes the ruby programming language the same language stoa uses for membership and tournament registration . 31 national invitational tournament of champions edit each year in late may or early june the stoa board of directors hosts the national invitational tournament of champions commonly referred to as nitoc . 32 there are two methods in which competitors may earn an invitation to nitoc . the first method entitled the national invitational model involves being awarded at least two green check marks on speechranks in one or more events . 33 in the second method known as the state invitational model the top speaker of each state in each individual event qualifies for an invitation as well as the top two teams in lincoln douglas debate and team policy debate . 34 participation at nitoc requires stoa membership . 35 students may compete in as many events at nitoc in which they are invited by either of the two invitational models . 36 the 2012 national invitational tournament of champions held in colorado springs colorado was regarded as the largest tournament in the history of homeschool speech and debate where nearly 600 students competed across 13 different events . 37 locations edit 2016 drury university springfield missouri 2015 bob jones university greenville south carolina 2014 california state university san marcos california 38 due to a wildfire that broke out near the university and the school s subsequent evacuation this tournament was held in multiple locations across san diego county including point loma nazarene university and san diego state university . 2013 john brown university siloam springs arkansas 39 2012 focus on the family headquarters colorado springs colorado 40 2011 point loma nazarene university san diego california 41 2010 university of san diego san diego california 42 events edit debate 43 edit lincoln douglas value debate team policy debate american parliamentary debate 44 speech 45 edit break out event impromptu speaking limited preparation extemporaneous apologetics mars hill impromptu . platform expository original oratory persuasive interpretive open interpretation duo interpretation humorous interpretation dramatic interpretation wildcard 46 47 2015 2016 motivational monologue 2014 2015 broadcasting motivational 2013 2014 storytelling broadcasting 2012 2013 mars hill impromptu storytelling 2011 2012 original interpretation debate resolutions edit 2015 2016 team policy resolved the united states federal government should substantially reform its trade policy with one or more of the following nations china japan south korea taiwan . lincoln douglas resolved in formal education liberal arts ought to be valued above practical skills . from october 1 2015 to january 30 2016 resolved developing countries ought to prioritize economic growth over environmental protection . from february 1 2016 to april 30 2016 2014 2015 team policy resolved the united states federal government should substantially reform its electronic surveillance law . lincoln douglas resolved when in conflict an individual s freedom of speech should be valued above a community s moral standards . from october 1 2014 to january 30 2015 resolved the united states federal jurisprudence the letter of the law ought to have priority over the spirit of the law . from february 1 2015 to april 30 2015 2013 2014 48 team policy resolved the united states federal government should substantially reform its marine natural resource policies . lincoln douglas resolved the united states has a moral obligation to mitigate international conflicts 2012 2013 49 team policy resolved the united states federal government should substantially reform its foreign military presence and or foreign military commitments . lincoln douglas resolved privacy is undervauled . logo of stoa usa 2009 2012 . 50 2011 2012 51 team policy resolved that the united states federal government should substantially reform its revenue generation policies . lincoln douglas resolved when in conflict personal freedom ought to be valued above economic security . 2010 2011 52 53 team policy resolved that the united states federal government should significantly reform its policy toward russia . lincoln douglas resolved a government s legitimacy is determined more by its respect for popular sovereignty than individual rights . 2009 2010 54 team policy resolved that the united states federal government should significantly reform its environmental policy . lincoln douglas resolved that competition is superior to cooperation as a means of achieving excellence . see also edit national christian forensics and communications association national forensic league national catholic forensic league references edit bylaws of stoa . . stoa usa . 2010 07 10 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . letter to california affiliates . . stoa california . 2009 08 10 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . meet those serving stoa . stoa usa . 2014 . retrieved 2014 04 18 . meet those serving stoa . stoa usa . 2014 . retrieved 2014 04 18 . home . stoa usa . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . note to parents and coaches . stoa usa . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 22 . stoa . merriam webster dictionary . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . stoa what does that mean . stoa usa . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . stoa what does that mean . stoa usa . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . letter to california affiliates . . stoa california . 2009 08 10 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . bylaws of stoa . . stoa usa . 2010 07 10 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . bylaws of stoa . . stoa usa . 2010 07 10 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . bylaws of stoa . . stoa usa . 2010 07 10 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . debate judges orientation . google docs . 2011 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . nitoc 2013 . stoa usa . 2013 . retrieved 2013 06 02 . tournament tabulation . stoa usa . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 22 . state organizations . stoa usa . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 22 . about this site . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . about this site . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . tournaments . stoa usa . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . tournaments . stoa usa . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . what if i see an error flagging results . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . combined speech and debate rankings . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 06 14 . the national christian homeschool speech and debate rankings point and recognition green check mark system . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . the national christian homeschool speech and debate rankings point and recognition green check mark system . google docs . 2011 12 22 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . the national christian homeschool speech and debate rankings point and recognition green check mark system . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . the national christian homeschool speech and debate rankings point and recognition green check mark system . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . the national christian homeschool speech and debate rankings point and recognition green check mark system . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . the national christian homeschool speech and debate rankings point and recognition green check mark system . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . about this site . speechranks . 2012 . retrieved 2012 02 15 . about the developer