Important Announcements re the 2011 Allstate Varsity Invitational

These announcements are for coaches and debaters from the 14 participating teams in the 2011 Allstate Varsity Invitational.   You can find a list of those teams on the event page.

(i)

Check the event page for updates on the 2011 Allstate Varsity Invitational, and use it to send to parents, administrator, etc., for information about the event.

(ii)

The event location is Allstate Plaza West, 3100 Sanders Rd., Northbrook, IL.  The entire event will take place in this building.  The security desk in the front lobby will have a list of all attendees — debaters, coaches, judges, administrators, observers.  So be sure that you let Forrest — forrestsumlar@resources.chicagodebates.org — know by Wednesday, January 26th, of any additional attendees other than your team, coach, and (in instances where this is not the coach) judge.

(iii)

The event schedule has changed, so be sure you review it carefully. Round IV will begin at 8:30am, rather than 8:00am, on Saturday morning, though we will have a light breakfast served from 8:00am for those who are on site early enough.

(iv)

The CDC has arranged bus transportation with Jewel’s Bus Co. for each of the 14 schools, based on this bus schedule for both days. It is a very tight schedule, with each bus picking up from three or four school sites. The buses will not wait, even 5 minutes, for anyone. Anyone at all. The buses will leave from each site at the designated time on the bus schedule. You should tell your debaters to be ready to be picked up 15-20 minutes prior to the actual time of your pick-up. If you miss the bus because a student is late, particularly on Saturday morning, when the bus pick-up times are by necessity so early in the morning, you will be responsible for getting your students to Allstate on your own. Any team missing a significant portion of the event on Saturday will sacrifice the other half of its Allstate Incentive.

If you do not wish to take the bus, and you and your debaters will get to the event at Allstate Headquarters in Northbrook on your own, that’s fine BUT you need to let Forrest know this no later than Monday, January 24th, at 5pm. After this time, if you are scheduled to be transported by CDC bus, and you end up not taking the bus, your Allstate Incentive for this event will be reduced by a pro-rated amount for the cost to the CDC of your bus transportation (approximately $75 per school per day).

(v)

Attire for this event, both days, is business. That means coat or suit and tie for guys, dress or pants suit for girls. Coaches (and preferably judges) should dress in business attire too. Part of what this event is about is impressing our Premier Sponsor, Allstate, and the Allstate volunteers and executives who will be on site — and obviously given the location, and the fact that a portion of the event takes place during the work week, there will be many of these.

(vi)

Each school is responsible for having one judge. If you have not already done so, register your judge for both days with Forrest. Each round will have two judges in it: one CDL judge and one Allstate or other community volunteer.

(vii)

Seedings for the elimination rounds on Saturday will be based first on ballot count (out of the eight prelim round ballots that each team will have), next speaker points. Rounds III and IV will be power matched, III off of II, and IV off of III. Rounds I and II will be random, with one caveat: in Round I teams cannot debate another team from their own Conference.

There are no argument limitations and no previewing for this event.

(viii)

Everyone will be expected to stay at the event through its conclusion, at 4:00pm, on Saturday.

Those debaters not in the Semi-Finals will be expected to take part in a workshop entitled “Urban Debate and Professional Success,” where debaters will have the unique opportunity to hear from a panel of Allstate professionals describe their own path to success and how their path is relevant to urban debate and the experience our debaters are having in the CDL.

After the Final Round, and before the Awards Ceremony, Allstate will host a reception, honoring all 28 outstanding CDL debaters selected for this event, and at which we expect Allstate executives and other supporters of the CDL to be in attendance.

(ix)

These rounds count toward all participation reporting that the CDL does. And the event itself will be reported on and promoted by the Chicago Debate League as one of the year’s most important prestige events.

(x)

You should let us know if you have any questions — 312-427-0524 or cdc@resources.chicagodebates.org.

This event will show the CDL off at its very best. And it will feature very strong competition, with what we hope are new arguments and strategies and teams striving mightily to make the elimination rounds and take home the first-ever Allstate Varsity Invitational Debate Tournament Championship. Good luck to all.