Bellingham United High School Tournament, Western Washington University
December 7th and 8th
Dear Debate Coaches,
You are cordially invited to the Bellingham United High School forensics tournament to be held on December 7th and 8th. We are pleased to host you at Western Washington University in conjunction with Western’s debate program. If you’re unfamiliar with Bellingham United, we are Squalicum, Sehome, and Bellingham- the three high schools of the Bellingham School District. This will be our first tournament, though some of you may remember that WWU used to host an annual high school tournament 10 years ago. We are glad to bring the high school debate community back to Bellingham and we hope you’ll get a chance to tour our beautiful campus while visiting.
Aly Horry
Debate Coach, Bellingham, Squalicum, Sehome High Schools
Cell: 360-620-9664
Steve Woods
Debate Coach, Associate Professor WWU
Debate Events
For all debate, novices are considered 1st year debaters who have not trophied in novice division more than twice at tournaments with 15 or more schools. Juniors are 2nd and 3rd year debaters who have not trophied more than twice in junior division at tournaments with 15 or more schools. Open competitors are all others. Debaters may move up early, so a first year debater could be in junior or open.
Cross Examination Debate
- We will offer three divisions: Novice, Junior, and Open unless numbers are low, in which case
Junior and Open will be collapsed.
- Novice teams must use the novice case areas approved by the WSFA
- Computers are allowed. Please have a paper case ready to hand to an opponent or use a viewing computer. Competitors who refuse to allow an opponent to view a case may forfeit the round at judge discretion. See state guidelines on computer use.
- To prevent damage, under NO circumstances are existing plugs to be pulled from walls to accommodate your laptop use, nor are any computers allowed to be plugged into our school computers to be plugged into wall sockets by judges or competitors.
Lincoln Douglas Debate
1. We will offer three divisions: Novice, Junior, and Open unless numbers are low, in which case
Junior and Open will be collapsed.
2. We will be using the November/December Lincoln Douglas Debate. See CX #3 and #4 above on computer use.
Public Forum
1. We will offer three divisions: Novice, Junior, and Open unless numbers are low, in which case Junior and open will be collapsed
2. We will be using the December topic.
3. See CX #3 and #4 above on computer use.
Individual Events
Two divisions will be offered in all I.E.'s: Novice and Open. Novices are 1st year competitors or those with less than 6 rounds (not tournaments, rounds) of competition in the previous year. Open levels are all others. Novices may move to open early. Should low numbers warrant it, we will collapse open and novice and tag novices for an appropriate number of awards to be determined by tournament officials. Opens may judge novices, but only if they are not themselves competing.
Speech events offered:
Pattern A Pattern B
Extemporaneous Impromptu
Expository Interpretive Reading
Dramatic Oratory
Dual Humorous
Congress
Please read the event rules synopsis carefully if you are unfamiliar with the events. For full rules, consult the WIAA website. Please note also that at this time of the year in events like duo, dramatic, humorous, and oratory we may have open-level competitors who are not memorized and novices who are. These events are intended to be memorized, and most judges will reward novices who are memorized and will penalize open-level competitors who are not.
Expository: a speech that is designed to be informative in nature. Visual aids and note cards are permitted, but are not required. Time: eight minutes (8) maximum, with thirty seconds (30) grace.
Dramatic interp:one or more cuttings from a published play, prose, poetry, tv, or radio script, which is serious in nature. Time: ten minutes maximum with no grace period.
Dual interp: a cutting from a published play, prose, poetry, tv or radio script, which may be either humorous or serious in nature. The selection must be memorized but given without props or costumes. Time: ten minutes (10) maximum with no grace period.
Oratory: an original speech designed to persuade—that is, to change or reinforce an existing belief, to eulogize, to cause agreement with speaker’s position, or to motivate to action. Time: ten minutes (10) maximum, with no grace period
Extemporaneous: thirty minutes before speaking time, each speaker will select a topic from a choice of four. Questions will be based on current events of the last three months. Speaker will be expected to organize and analyze material relevant to the subject area and answer the chosen question. One note card for novices only is permitted. Time: seven minutes (7) maximum, with thirty seconds (30) grace. Judges must give time signals.
Impromptu: student will enter the room and be given a choice of three topics. The student will choose a topic and have six minutes to prepare and speak on the chosen topic. Time may be used in any manner the speaker chooses (example-2 minutes prep and 4 speaking or 4 minutes prep and 2 minutes speaking). Time: six minutes (6) maximum, with thirty seconds (30) grace. Judges must give time signals.
Humorous interp: one or more cuttings from a published play, prose, poetry, tv, or radio script, which is humorous in nature. The presentation is memorized. Time: ten minutes with no grace.
Interpretive reading: at least one cutting of prose and one cutting of poetry linked thematically. A balance between the two is to be rewarded! We will follow wsfa rules. Time: eight minutes maximum with thirty seconds grace.
Student Congress:
If numbers warrant, we will run novice and open houses in congress, but if not, they will be mixed houses. We will track top novices for awards either way. Make sure to note any competitors who are novices in your entry (first year of any debate).Congress competitors may use any of the bills or resolutions in the WIAA packet, but please note that if the school who wrote that piece of legislation is present, they have first priority of authorship. The method of determining congress winners will be scorer ranks from all three scorers, unless we are short of judges, in which case we will use ballot. Students may use computers, but they are expected to be on task and to use them for congress and not for doing homework or playing games. Internet access is not available, and students should not expect to have an outlet available, so fresh batteries are a must.
Rules:
State rules apply to everything. Refer to W.I.A.A. handbook. Rules interpretations and decisions are at the direction of tab in consultation with the tournament director, so questions and interpretations should be referred to them, and you should not penalize a competitor unless you are absolutely certain of the rule.
Judging Quotas:
One judge for every three LDers and PF teams, and one per every two CX teams. Please specify event preference and level competency and we will do our best to make sure your judges get those events and levels. One judge for every five IE entries (not competitors---events entered). First- year-outs may judge anything. Open-level competitors may be used to judge novice only if they do not compete in any events. Judges will need to sign in at the lobby of Communications Facility.
Schools may hire judges for a fee:
$50 for every uncovered debate entry per day
$25 for every uncovered IE entry
Schools will be charged if your judge fails to pick up a ballot or no-shows.
Please arrange with Aly prior to the tournament to hire judges! We want to make sure there is enough coverage.
To keep tournaments on time we will stress that all judges are to check into the hospitality room prior to each round starting. We are assigning ballots.
Double Entering:
Double entering is allowed EXCEPT in Pattern A if the competitor is entered in Extemp. Students need to check in with both judges to let them know they are double entered.
Location of Important Rooms:
Tournament Registration, maps, schedules: In the lobby of Communications Facility
Tab: Communications Facility 2nd floor
Hospitality Room/Judges’ Lounge/Ballot pickup: Communications Facility 125
Ballot turn-in: Lobby of Communications Facility
Students’ area: Friday= Communications Facility, Saturday = Artzen Hall 100
Extemp Prep: Communications Facility 105
Awards: In Artzen 100
NOTE:Tab is restricted to tab personnel only and the judge lounge is for judges and coaches only.
Awards
Our trophies are top-notch, and we spend a lot each year on them. Great food and trophies are why our tournament might cost a few dollars more. Because it’s an early season tournament, we want the kids to go home with some bling and a reason to come to the next tournament. It is our intent to provide the maximum awards possible, but this varies depending on numbers entered, collapses, etc. , so we may make modifications with consultation of a number of tab staff. In all cases we will attempt to balance between healthy competition and a rational means of assuring maximum recognition. In general, given normal numbers, awards will be as follows:
Individual Events: Trophies/medals for top 3 in all divisions and events.
Debate: 1st, 2nd, 3rd in all divisions, all events. We do not offer speaker awards simply because they seem to either mirror top finish awards or be heavily influenced by one judge’s low or high score.
Student Congress: 1st speaker in each house, regardless of novice/open status, 2nd and 3rd of each house get speaker award trophies, top PO in each house receives PO award
Registration
All registration will be done through www.forensicstournament.net, so please do not fax in entries.
We are trying to provide you with the best tournament experience possible, so please keep drops/adds, and judge no-shows to a minimum, as they are usually what cause a delay. The final deadline for registration, changes, and drops is December 5th at 5:00 p.m. and the registration site will close and lock entries at that point. No refunds for drops after that date.
FEES: $30 team fee, $12 LD/Congress/I.E. entry, $20 for Public Forum or Policy Team. All entries are done via Forensicstournament.net, so please do not fax entries. Please make checks payable to: Bellingham High School Debate
SCHEDULE
Friday November 13th
We want to keep this tournament running on time! Judges/coaches, please make sure you have your ballot prior to start time of next round. A runner will be picking up ballots from judges at each building. Please fill out your ballot first and then give a short critique. Please do not exceed more than a few comments.
Registration 4pm to 4:45pm
Rd 1 Debate 5-7pm
Rd 2 Debate 7:15-9:15pm
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Registration will be in the Communications Facility lobby(see map)
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Saturday November 14th
Registration for teams not doing debate Friday night will be @ 8:00-9:30 Saturday ( in the Communications Facility Lobby). You can insure that the tournament runs on time by registering early and limiting drops and adds.
Rd 3 Debate 8am-10am
Rd 1 Flight A I.E.’s 10am-11am
Rd 2 Flight A I.E.’s 11am-12pm
Rd 3 Flight A I.E.’s 12pm-1pm
Rd 4 Debate 1pm-3pm
Rd 1 Flight B I.E.’s/Congress 3pm-4pm
Rd 2 Flight B I.E.’s/Congress 4pm-5pm
Rd 3 Flight B I.E.’s/Congress 5pm-6pm
Rd 5 Debate 6pm-8pm
Awards ASAP in Artzen 100/Debate Finals As Needed
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We will be able to located mostly around South Campus (Academic West, Communications Facility, Environmental Sciences, and Arntzen Hall).
South campus is close to parking lot 12A which is where you will want to park. NOTE—if you arrive before 5PM on Friday you will have to PAY at the Automated Kiosk in that lot ($2 an hour—it is FREE after 5pm, and free all Saturday/Sunday).
Directions to WWU:
From Interstate 5, take Exit #252 (Samish Way and WWU). Turn left onto Samish Way and follow the signs for Bill McDonald Parkway and the University Campus. Turn left onto Bill McDonald Parkway, following the road until you see gravel parking lots on either side of you (past Campus Services building on right). Parking lot 12A will be on your right.
Food:
We will have a hospitality room for judges and coaches Friday and Saturday. Coffee and tea service will be available throughout the tournament. Students can visit the local eateries around campus, though hours are limited Friday/Saturday.
The Viking Union Market will be open Friday/Saturday evening:
Zoe’s Bagels in the library will also be open until 5pm both Friday/Saturday:
Fairhaven Commons:
There are also numerous eating establishments near campus.
