Dear Coaches and Friends,

The Parkersburg South Speaking Patriots are excited to host you on Saturday, January 27, 2018‬, for a fun filled day of academic competition! This will be a NO ENTRY FEE TOURNAMENT! Because we are aiming to increase the amount of academic competition, we will not be charging any entry fees. We will be offering competition in ten Individual Events (Impromptu, Prose, Poetry, POI, Declamation, Informative, OO, Duo, DI/HI, and Extemporaneous) and three Debates (Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, and Big Questions). We will be using the following resolutions for debate:

Public Forum Debate – 2018 January Topic Area: Europe

Resolved: Spain should grant Catalonia its independence.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate – 2018 January/February Topic

Resolved: Plea bargaining ought to be abolished in the United States criminal justice system.

Big Questions – 2017-2018 Topic

Resolved: Humans are fundamentally different from other animals.

Registration must be completed online at:

The competition will be divided in the following manner, all speech events will be single flighted. Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum will be in the same flight as Speech. We do require that every team have at least 3 teams participate in the Big Questions event. Students may enter Big Questions in addition to their event(s) in the other flight. Because of this, Big Questions runs in its own flight. Students may enter up to three Speech events, but are responsible for making it to each round on time. Please note the following stipulations on entries

1. Students may not enter L.D. /Public Forum and Speech

2. Students may only enter Lincoln Douglas OR Public Forum. They may not enter both.

3. Students may not enter Big Questions and Extemporaneous since prep time interferes with Big Questions competition.

4. Our Big Questions is run as a team debate. See the NSDA website for the rules of the event.

We will offer three rounds of preliminary competition and finals in all Speech events, providing there are 7 or more entries, and semifinals and finals in Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum. There will be no final round of Big Questions. NSDA rules will be observed in all events. Please note: this means in Prose, Poetry and POI, the book CAN be used as a prop. Time signals may be given in interpretation events. We will also utilize the cumulative tabulation method for final placings. Debate will be Power ranked high-high after round 1.

We really hope you will be joining us for the first annual Speaking Patriot Classic! It will be a day full of great competition!

Sincerely,

Michelle Talbott

Head Coach

Parkersburg South Speaking Patriots

Schedule

7:00-8:00 registration‬

8:00-8:30 Judges Meeting

8:00-8:30 Extemp Prep

8:30-10:00 Speech Round 1, LD Round 1, PF Round 1

10:00-11:00 Big Questions Round 1

10:30-11:00 Extemp Prep

11:00-12:30 Speech Round 2, LD Round 2, PF Round 2

12:30-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:00 Big Questions Round 2

1:30 Extemp Prep

2:00-3:30 Speech Round 3, LD Round 3, PF Round 3.

3:30-4:30 Big Questions Round 3

4:00 Extemp Prep

4:30 Finals Speech/Semifinals Debate

5:30 Finals Debate

6:45 Awards

Big Questions

Big Questions debating format involves opposing contestants debating a topic concerning the intersection of science, philosophy, and religion. Students can compete as individuals or as a team, this means rounds will be 2 vs. 2. Topics will address deeply held beliefs that often go unexamined. Students are assigned a side of the topic before each round and present cases, engage in rebuttal and refutation, and participate in a question period. Often, average members of the public are recruited to judge and observe this event. (NSDA website)

Judging

Judging Obligations

Each school must provide one qualified judge for every:

• 3 teams in Public Forum Debate

• 3 entries in Lincoln-Douglas Debate

• 6 entries in Speech

• 1 qualified judge, if a school has any entries in Big Questions

In the case of fractional obligations, judging obligation is rounded up. For example, if your school has 5 teams entered in PF, you will be obligated to provide 2 PF judges.

Debate judges need to be able to judge all three kinds of debate.You must provide the cell phone numbers for all judges. Please collect as many as you can and enter these in on Tabroom.

Lodging Info

For those teams traveling a long distance to Parkersburg, We have contacted Townplace Suites by Marriott and they are holding a block for this tournament at the rate of $85 plus taxes a night. This block is limited and is on a first reserve- first get basis.

Contact: Michelle Talbott- contact anytime via email ‬

Thank you for adding the Speaking Patriot Classic Tournament to your competition schedule! We can’t wait to see you in Parkersburg on January 27, 2018‬!