Several Announcements About MS T1

(i)

Please use the current MS T1 Official Registration from which to make any changes between now and Saturday morning at 8:30am. Email (CDL@urbandebate.org) or call (312-848-2271) changes in before you arrive at Phillips on Saturday morning, please.

(ii)

The Varsity and JV Divisions will be combined for the three debate rounds on Saturday, but we will break out the top ten speakers in both Divisions for the Awards Ceremony, as well as the top teams in each Division, up to 50% (but no more) of the field in each Division. So, for example, there are currently 10 JV teams registered. If we stay at 10 JV teams we will give awards to the top 5 teams during the Awards Ceremony. That’s teams. We’ll give top ten individual speaker awards too.

All Novice teams will debate together in their own Novice Division — no beginning debaters will debate returning debaters.

(iii)

The Chicago Debate League will be helping the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues get out its annual donor mailing at Phillips Academy on Saturday. Any judge not on a round pairing should stand by the Judge Table for the first 10 minutes of the round, to be sure that we have all rounds covered. Then if you are not judging, you will be asked to please go to Room 105 to help the NAUDL do its mailing — apply address labels, fold letters to stuff envelopes, etc. We appreciate your support for the broader national urban debate movement, and we do expect it in this instance (as judges will be receiving $40 stipends for their time that day).

(iv)

We will be giving most of the MS coaches one round to judge, not because we anticipate we will need to, but rather because limited judging is an important way that coaches develop professionally.

(v)

Debaters are going to be nervous and will be getting cold feet right about now. Do all that you can to encourage them and affirm them and get them to the tournament on Saturday. It will be much more of a learning experience than a competition, and there is no better place to learn how to debate than at the season’s first debate tournament. We’ll all be learning together.

Let us know if you have any questions or concerns — CDL@urbandebate.org or 312-427-0524.

We’re looking forward to a great kick-off to the fourth year of the Chicago Middle School Debate League!