[eDebate] Shirley Classic Invitation

[Ross Smith]

Also available at debateresults.com, but to save some of you a 
click-thru . . . .
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Intercollegiate policy debate programs are invited to enter two teams in 
the 2007 Franklin R. Shirley Classic, November 10-12, 2007, hosted by 
Wake Forest University. Schools may enter more than two teams subject to 
the conditions listed below.

There is a bunch of new and nifty stuff, including a pre-tournament 
conference and a celebration in honor of Allan Louden. Read on.

ENTRIES:

Entries of two teams per school will be accepted until midnight October 
16 on a first come, first served basis until we have reached our 150 
team limit (this limit is necessary due to classroom and other facility 
limitations).

Schools may apply for more teams by adding them to the waitlist subject 
to the following:
As space permits, we will take additional teams, up to a total of four 
teams per school, as long as ALL THREE OR FOUR teams have cleared to 
elims in TWO varsity tournaments this fall. If both debaters on the team 
EITHER cleared twice this fall OR qualified for NDT in the past OR 
reached elimination rounds at CEDA Nationals in the past, the team is 
considered to have met the "cleared twice" requirement. No fourth team 
from a school will be accepted until all eligible third teams from other 
schools have been accepted.

Waivers of the entry rules may be granted at the discretion of the WFU 
coaching staff.

JUDGING (note, there are some new wrinkles here):
Each school must provide 4 rounds of prelim judging for each of their 
first two teams and 5 rounds of judging for each additional team.

If you are hiring judging from outside of your school’s staff/alumni, 
and the tournament cannot place your judges into the required number of 
rounds, the tournament reserves the right to: 1) adjust the judging 
obligations of your judges (adding rounds of commitment to those of your 
judges who are easier to place), and/or 2) charge your school $30.00 per 
round of unmet obligation.

As a norm, all coaches are expected to make themselves available for at 
least some judging.

Prelim rounds must be decided within two hours and forty-five minutes of 
the posted start time of the debate. The tab room will flip a coin to 
determine the winner when the judge cannot decide in time.

Judges must vote for one and only one team in each debate and must 
assign speaker points and ranks.

SPEAKER POINTS:
A 50 point scale will be used. Descriptions of the scale’s “meaning” 
will be provided (and contested, no doubt)

CASELIST and SCOUTING
Participating teams and schools are expected to contribute to 
http://opencaselist.wikispaces.com/ and should provide their most recent 
affirmative and negative information by the Tuesday before the 
tournament at latest. Teams and schools should cooperate with Wake 
Forest students and staff assigned to gather the material.

All debates are open to the public and observers are free to use audio 
or video recording of the debates for their own personal use and for 
inclusion in tournament caselist and scouting media.

TABULATION and PAIRING STUFF
We will use an ordinal MPJ system run on STA. Rounds one and two preset. 
All other prelims power paired hi-low within brackets. Round 6 paired 
off results of 1-4. No other powered rounds are lag paired. Top 32 teams 
clear on basis of adjusted points, opp wins, total points, twice 
adjusted points, ranks, random number. Brackets broken in elims. Side 
equalization procedure used for elims.

FEES:
Tournament fees are $60.00 per person (debaters, coaches, judges, scouts).

TOURNAMENT HOTEL:
The Sundance, 3050 University Parkway, Winston-Salem, NC 27105 
(336-723-2911)

Flat rate: 79.99 per room per night plus taxes and fees

Includes wireless internet (they have increased their capacity), 
parking, and continental breakfast daily.

All elims will be held here.

Deadline: rates available until 10-16-2007.

Special needs or problems re hotel? Sales contact there is Sheila Small, 
shefaysmall at yahoo.com <mailto:shefaysmall at yahoo.com>

RENTAL VANS

For vans of all sizes, ask for the Wake Forest Debate rate at Triangle, 
http://www.trianglerentacar.com/

HOSPITALITY
Krispy Kreme, coffee, juice, bagels in the mornings. Water, sodas, 
aspirin, snacks throughout. Lunch on Sunday. Banquet Sunday night. 
Special party to honor Allan Louden (see below) plus the usual Survivors 
Party™ on Monday night after the start of the final round.

SPECIAL RECEPTION HONORING ALLAN LOUDEN
Allan Louden deserves a good party and he’ll get one. He came to Wake in 
the fall of 1977. He was Director of Debate until July of 2007. All 
coaches are invited to a party in Allan’s honor from 7 to 9 pm on 
Friday, November 9. No pairings will be released until 9 pm.

PRE-TOURNAMENT (UN)CONFERENCE
Join us for the pre-tournament “(Un)conference” with sessions Friday 
from 10 until noon, and 1 pm to 3 pm. Both debaters and coaches are 
welcome to participate at no charge.

A public debate will be held at 4 pm (subject to schedule/travel 
glitches, Glenn Greenwald will debate Daveed Gartenstein-Ross on the 
subject of civil liberties and the “war on terrorism”).

The conference will have a wiki where participants can brainstorm ideas 
for break out “panels” and create supply and demand for talks and small 
group sessions.

Some ideas for sessions: 2008-9 topic proposals, tournament management 
and hosting best practices, how to save money on travel, innovative use 
of web and internet technology, how to publicize debate, how grow your 
budget, open source evidence and briefs, what works (and doesn’t) in 
outreach efforts to middle and high schools, how to grow and groom your 
alumni base, building bridges to local and national politics.

Ultimately, the sessions will be shaped by the participants. The 
(un)conference is motivated by the belief that debaters and coaches get 
too little time to step back and share ideas, questions, and concerns 
with one another.

SCHEDULE:
Friday, November 9
Pre-tournament conference morning and afternoon sessions
Public Debate, 4 pm
Registration 6-9 pm
Party honoring Allan Louden, 7-9 pm
Pairings, rounds 1 and 2, 9 pm

Saturday, November 10, 2007
Four debates, rounds begin at 8 am
Rounds 1 and 2 are pre-set.
Rounds 3 and 4 are individually paired, high-low.

Sunday
Four debates, rounds begin at 8 am
Rounds 5 and 6 are lag paired high-low.
Rounds 7 and 8 are individually paired, high-low.
Banquet, 8:30 pm

Monday
Elims (side equalized, brackets broken) begin with double octas at 8 am

LOOK FOR MORE DETAILS coming soon at http://groups.wfu.edu/debate/

-- 
Ross K. Smith
Director of Debate
Wake Forest University

336-251-2076 (c)
336-758-5268 (o)

http://groups.wfu.edu/debate/
http://www.DebateScoop.org