CDL Monday Memo — vol. I, no. 4 — July 30, 2012

Happy Monday.

1. Prepared Flow Rebuttal Exercise

This week a set of teachers are getting trained in the Coaching Debate at the Varsity Level course at Loyola Law School, 25 E. Pearson St. (we’re very grateful to Loyola University Chicago already for their generosity in donating such wonderful, well-equipped classroom space). Coaches are engaged in a full agenda, acquiring instructional and coaching capacities that will help enable their Varsity debaters to attain the Varsity-level (Year Two and Three/Four) Debater Development Benchmarks.

Today, we did a close study of the Prepared Flow Rebuttal Drill, exercising flow-based refutation and analysis of evidence, and practicing and developing the 1AR, 2NR, and 2AR.

The CDL has developed prepared flows on the following SY2013 Core Files arguments (be sure to download them, by clicking on the arrow pointed downward in the lower-right corner of the screen after clicking on the link to the document):

Elections Disadvantage, positing the Public Service Employment Affirmative Case

Elections Disadvantage portion of the 2012/13 Core Files

Topicality Violation (“Traffic Infrastructure”), positing the Port Security Affirmative Case

Topicality Violation (“Traffic Infrastructure”) portion of the SY2013 Core Files

2. SpAr Debate Drill

Last week, ten new and relatively new coaches took our four-day Fundamentals of Competitive Academic Debate Coaching course, also held at Loyola Law School. We followed a similarly ambitious agenda.

One of the activities we reviewed and put into practice was the Spontaneous Argumentation (or SpAr) Debate Drill. One of the most important features of this drill, and the one essential to its alignment with the refutation skill and learning objectives in the CDL, is the use of Affirmative Case and the Negative Case SpAr flow sheets. Each side makes their case for or against the resolution in their side’s first speech — a speech of three contentions thought through and assembled in advance of the speeches — then the subsequent speeches are all refutational, having to answer (on the appropriate flow sheet) the arguments of the opponent’s previous speech.

3. Last Chance to Register Students for the 2012 Pre-Season Workshops

You have about 48 hours now to get your final student registrations in, along with the $15 per student registration fee, for the 2012 CDL Pre-Season Student Workshops next week, August 6th – 8th. Details on another page of the CDL programming site.

4. SY2013 CDL Coaches Council

Congratulations to the SY2013 CDL Coaches Council representatives:

Don Baumgartner, Marshall H.S. (“A”)
Robb Berry, Northside College Prep (RCC)
Scott Dodsworth, Thomas Kelly H.S. (LCC)
Robert Edwards, Phoenix Military Academy (LCC)
Adrienne Handelman, Williams H.S. (“A”)
April Mandusic, Power House Charter H.S. (“AA”)
Valerie Mason, Lane Technical H.S. (RCC)
Robert Wysocki, VOISE Academy (“AA”)

We’ll have our first meeting of the new school year, our Quarter One meeting, likely the week of August 27th.

5. SY2013 Core Files Update

For a variety of reasons we won’t bother you with, the SY2013 Core Files are a couple weeks behind schedule. As a result we will be posting draft portions of the Core Files — unofficial but largely complete sections of the files, e.g., the affirmative 1AC’s and affirmative case extension blocks — over the next two weeks. We will have a final published version of the SY2013 Core Files for the season posted here the week of August 20th, along with printing information, Core Files outlines, and Core Files labels. In the meantime, most of the arguments in close to final form will be posted in sections for you to use with your students in practice and preparation for the opening of the season.

We’ll also be posting links to other prepared files in the interim, along with curated links to sources on the transportation infrastructure topic. Here are two links to prepared (ready to run) files downloadable at no cost:

National Debate Coaches Association Open Evidence Project

National Association for Urban Debate Leagues

6. Registration for the 2012 Niles West Debate Tournament

Coaches interested in giving their ambitious Varsity debaters an early taste of National Circuit competition might consider attending the mid-September Niles West tournament, which has once again offered a 50% entry fee discount to CDL teams, reducing the entry fee to $30 per Varsity team. Niles West is now the first Tournament of Champions bid-qualifying tournament of the year in the Midwest — a certification of its NC status — and is likely to fill up quickly as a result, drawing a field from throughout the Midwest. Registration opens online this Wednesday, August 1st. More information and the registration link can be found on the CDL programming site’s National Circuit Program page, which will be updated with information throughout the coming year as a resource to coaches interested in additional, highly competitive policy debate tournaments.