Vance debated in National Forensic League debate while in high school from 1979-1982. In college, he judged at high school NFL tournaments in North Carolina. After college, he moved around the country for various jobs, including some time with the Defense Department in the Washington, D.C., area and several years at the headquarters of Wal-Mart in Arkansas.

After moving back to North Carolina, he once again got involved in debate by volunteering as an assistant coach for public school NFL debaters. A home schooling dad himself, he realized the growing potential and benefit of home school debate and switched over to coaching NCFCA students. In 2001, he first got involved with Blue Book to write the evidence briefs, and has been doing so ever since. In 2004, Vance put much of his expertise together for an advanced debate textbook called Strategic Debate: Reason, Argumentation, and Strategy for Winning Scholastic Debates.

Currently working in Charlotte as a computer programmer for a French engineering software company, Vance also volunteers as an instructor with the annual American Legion Boys State program. He and his wife, Bridget, have two daughters, Charlotte and Rebecca.

Coach Vance Trefethen is the tall one. From L to R: Bridget (Mrs. Trefethen), Rebecca, Vance and Charlotte.

Vance and his old debate partner, Rob Parks, have been teaching debate camps since 2002. The camps have become a Training Minds Ministry event that takes place in various parts of the country (click here for complete information).