Do you still get a bit of a thrill out of new school supplies? Whether it’s an unopened box of crayons or a shrink-wrapped calculus textbook, the image evokes a bit of a dream – the hope of the things to come and a reflection of what has gone before. Each summer, the turning of NCFCA’s organizational calendar does that for me. It provides an opportunity to look back and see what the Lord has done through the work of his people all over the country and to continue looking over the horizon at the things to come. Goals we’ve met, leaders coming and going, new projects, and Nationals 2025; grab a cup of your favorite beverage and flip through the pages with me.
State of the League
NCFCA has closed the books on the 2024 season! While we know that our success is not defined solely by numbers or “wins”, we are excited to share several key metrics. Affiliate and event participation numbers have increased, fundraising goals have been met, and a number of new resources designed to help parents and coaches have been launched. For us, these numbers and accomplishments represent the impact the league can have on the ability of Christ’s ambassadors to communicate truth with integrity and grace.
This year’s National Championship at Anderson University in South Carolina gave us the opportunity to see the mission in action! Our current competitors blessed us with invigorating, thoughtful debates and relevant, winsome speeches, as well as a fantastic turnout of alumni parents and students who told us about where and how they’re using their skills. You’ll want to be sure you watch the recordings of key sessions, including the annual Showcase of Excellence, now available on our YouTube channel!
Another highlight from Nationals was the opportunity to recognize and thank all our leaders who served so faithfully this season, and with special acknowledgement to those who are moving on to the next stop on their journey. Because of their passionate pursuit of fulfilling their commitment to God’s calling, these four delightful people have left indelible marks on our league. Please join me in thanking them for their extensive service and wishing them all the best as they continue to serve the Lord in other places.
- Danny Wenzel, Region 5 (MN), Director of Technology (14 years)
- Mead Vest, Region 7 Director (TN-10 years) and Club Support Coordinator (3 years)
- Amy Joy Tofte, Region 6 Director (IL-3 years) and Director of Education (6 years)
- Starr van Dalen, Region 3 and 4 Director (MT-10 years) and National Judge Coordinator (2 years)
There’s also a lot to look forward to as we move into a new season!
Multiplication is becoming a way of life! Significant growth in certain areas of the country has blessed us with opportunities to bring excellent regional competition a little closer to home and, quite frankly, to reasonably fit into facilities! For the 2025 season, we are excited to welcome Kathleen Batchelder as our recently redesignated Region 3’s new Regional Director as the former director, Jen Frater, steps into a new role. Region 6 will become Regions 13 (WI, northern IL) and 14 (central and southern IL, IN, MI, OH, KY). We are blessed beyond measure to have two amazing volunteers, Sara Wiesner (WI) and Vickie DuFault (IN), step in as Regional Directors!
Regional Qualifier scheduling is well underway, but most of you know this is a HUGE task that requires many contacts. If you know of a potential tournament site, please contact your Regional Director right away. We have new print and video resources available to help you as you interact with potential hosts, so reach out to get those tools!
Nationals 2025 will be hosted at one of our favorite venues, the University of Northwestern St. Paul, from June 7-13. Moot Court preliminary rounds will take place on Saturday, Opening Ceremony on Sunday evening, and competition running from Monday through Friday. Watch your dashboard and upcoming newsletters for additional information.
Watch for a new website launch! Like the fresh new school supplies, it’ll be exciting to see all the new functionality. This overhaul will aim to help you find exactly what you need at the click of a button. Coming soon!
Behind the scenes, we’ve updated our org chart to serve you better!
NCFCA has always run on amazing volunteer power to meet its mission. I’ve often said that I would put our volunteer base up against any Fortune 500 company and expect to come out on top! We take the responsibility of excellence in stewarding this most valuable resource very seriously, so our goal as an organization is to make the volunteer experience as simple and streamlined as possible. Every parent, club leader, community judge, facility contact, and donor needs and deserves special attention and the necessary resources to serve well. In order to accomplish this goal, we have done some rearrangement and made several adjustments to our < organizational chart. >
Forensics
Without a doubt, competition and its associated tournaments are NCFCA’s niche. That’s why more than 80% of our resources are funneled to the forensics team.
NCFCA hosts 55-60 competitions within 7 months each year and for more than a decade, one person was ultimately responsible for those. That means one person overseeing event selection and rules, qualification, registration, judge recruitment, online platform development decision-making, training for tournament staff, tournament meals and judge hospitality, and then we actually get to the tournament! To help widen the funnel and provide a sustainable support team for all the volunteers who serve in these areas without overburdening our small staff, we are adding three Assistant Directors of Forensics. These roles will support key areas of focus including Education and Training, Online Platform Support and Online Competition, and In-Person Competition.
Education
With the retirement of Director of Education, Amy Joy Tofte, we took the opportunity to align our educational efforts directly with competition. We are thrilled to announce that Ann Marie Gray, Region 12 (TX), will fill this newly named role of Assistant Director of Forensics; Education and Training. Ann Marie has previously served as our Speech Committee Chair and brings a wealth of training experience from serving on compliance teams both regionally and nationally, as well as on our National Adjudication Team.
Excellent clubs → well-trained students →positive tournament experiences! While every club that exists is independently run, the league wants to provide tools and support to clubs in any way possible. As such, we have expanded our resource commitment to include a part-time Club Support Manager. We are delighted that Lisa Krug, Region 13 (WI), with her graceful and diligent approach, has agreed to serve in this role. She brings with her years of experience in both starting and running clubs and as a Regional Director. This combination brings together the critical pieces required to be an effective club leader and run a successful club.
We are also blessed that Melinda Speece, Region 7 (AL), will join our team this month as our Educational Resource Manager. Melinda brings a synthesis of years of NCFCA participation and a background in education and curriculum development with her in order to oversee our vast repository of educational resources and to apply that knowledge to help develop necessary new tools!
Platform Support and Online Competition
NCFCA’s state of the art online platform came about as a result of adversity, but certainly has proven its worth over and over again. While the online and electronic facets of our overall programming don’t fully represent the soul and community of the league, they have added a component that allows us to offer options previously impossible and to serve all our volunteers in a more streamlined manner. This reliance on technology does come with a significant workload though, and we are excited to have Jen Frater, Region 3 (WA), join us as an Assistant Director of Forensics, specializing in Platform Support and Online Competition. We believe Jen’s technical skills and deep understanding of competition from her years as Regional Director will pay serious dividends in service to everyone who touches that online platform.
In-Person Competition
Just the sheer number of events we host is enough to keep a not-so-small army busy, and as it turns out, the army needs a great deal of individualized support. That is the purpose of the third Assistant Director of Forensics role. Krista Lopez, Region 8 (FL), will serve In-Person Competition by overseeing national and regional events as well as the amazing team of volunteer Regional Directors. She has served as a Regional Director (through COVID, no less), as the Director of Online Competition, and as the flag-bearer for Moot Court for the last three seasons. Her attention to detail, organizational skill, and passion for our mission will combine to be a powerful force in our leadership structure.
“Remaining” Good News
No, the good news is not running out! Rather, the good news is that our Board of Directors, Communications and Marketing, Finance, and Technology, and Regional Director teams are all still here! As mentioned, we’ve rearranged a few operational pieces, but you will continue to be faithfully served by leadership who understands the importance of what we do and those we serve, all to the glory of God. We will continue to pray for you regularly and to look forward to working with you and your family this season.
Now it’s time to open the box and take off the shrink-wrap; Kingdom work awaits!
