What they are
Signing up
Transportation
Judging
What to bring
Form procedures
Who needs to complete a driver/rider form?
Sample Schedule
About Tournaments:
The available tournaments that we will be able to attend for the 2006-2007 season are listed to the right. Attending tournaments is the ultimate way to sharpen speaking skills. In a tournament, students from several schools across Washington state meet to compete in different forms of debate and individual speech events. For debate, there are usually 3 rounds on Friday and 3 rounds on Saturday (a sample schedule can be found here. There are 3 divisions-novice for first year debaters who have not placed first through fourth more than two times, junior for slightly more advanced debaters, and open for the most competitive and experienced debaters.
We normally leave after school on Friday, returning late Friday night, and then leave early Saturday morning, returning Saturday night. For individual speech events, rounds usually take place on a Saturday afternoon/evening. Trophies or plaques are awarded to those who achieve high honors.
In order to be a member of the National Forensics League, you MUST attend at least 1 tournament (either in debate or speech). However, you are not required to attend every tournament to be a member of our team.
Signing up:
Make sure that you attend meetings regularly so that you can catch our latest tournament updates. Signups will occur at the meeting before a tournament. If you must cancel for an emergency, you must contact the officers and Mr. Miller. All sign-ups are FINAL, and students who cancel after 7:00 AM the Tuesday before the tournament will be fined accordingly.
All tournaments will offer Lincoln-Douglas debate and individual events. In order to prevent conflicts, all events are organized into three separate slots:
Transportation:
Newport is a team of finite resources. Transportation to tournament depends entirely on the student and parent drivers. If you have a car, or if your parent is willing to drive, let us know, because the survival of our team depends on it.
Students will meet in the parking lot where the flagpole used to be when they leave, and will be dropped off there when they return. On Saturdays, you may have to wake up early. Please make sure that you leave your phone number with the team so we can reach you. The team may be forced to leave without you if you do not manage to show up on time. In that case, you will either need to arrange for transportation on your own, or you will be treated as a “no-show” and fined accordingly.
Part of the transportation policy requires filling out forms (see "Procedures" and "Who needs to complete a driver/rider form?" below).
Judging:
Each debate team is expected to provided to provide a minimum number of judges relative to the total number of entries. As such, our team is almost always looking for parent judges to help out our team. No experience is required. If you have a parent who might be willing to judge, let us know, because we could use the help.
Form Procedures:
Download the forms here
1. Students must have an "Emergency Information Card" on file before attending any tournament. This must be submitted by the Wednesday before the student's first tournament.
2. All student drivers must submit a photocopy of their valid Washington state driver's license the Wednesday before their first tournaments.
3. All transportation arrangements must be finalized in room 408 the Wednesday before each tournament. Students must register with the coach. "Rider/Driver" permission forms must be submitted to the coach at this time.
4. At the tournament site, before the tournament begins, the NHS team will convene with the Bellevue High School team. The teams should establish a "home base" in close proximity to one another.
5. It is the responsibility of each student to sign in with the coach.
6. Students may not leave the building without first signing out with the coach.
7. Each student must sign out with the coach before departing at the conclusion of each day of the tournament.
Who needs to complete a driver/rider form?
Q. What if I'm riding in a car with a parent? Do I need to complete a form?
A. Yes, your parent must sign a form releasing you to ride with that parent.
Q. If my parent is driving another student, does he/she have to sign a form?
A. Yes, your parent must sign a form accepting responsibility for the other students in the car.
Q. Do parents driving only their own student need to complete a form?
A. No.
Q. Do students being driving by their own parent need to complete a form?
A. No
Q. Can I ride with the coach?
A. No
Q. Who qualifies as a student driver?
A. Students who submit approved photocopies of an adult Washington State driver's license.
Q. Do 18 year-old students who are driving only themselves to a tournament need to complete a form?
A. Yes.
Q. Do 18 year-old students who are driving other students, regardless of age, need to complete a form?
A. Yes.
Q. Do students driving with other students need to complete a form?
A. Yes, if you driving with another student, your parent must sign a form allowing you to do so.
Sample Schedule (from Eastside Catholic 2007)
Friday:
Debate Round 1 - 4:00 PM
Debate Round 2 - 5:45 PM
Debate Round 3 - 7:45 PM
Saturday:
Pattern A* Round 1 - 8:00 AM
Pattern A Round 2 - 9:00 AM
Debate Round 4 - 11:30 AM
Pattern A Round 3 - 12:00 PM
Pattern B** Round 1 - 1:00 PM
Debate Round 5 - 2:00 PM
Pattern B Round 2 - 4:00 PM
Pattern B Round 3 - 5:00 PM
Debate Round 6 - 6:00 PM
Awards Ceremony - 8:30 PM
*Pattern A: Extemporaneous, Dramatic Interpretation, Expository, Dual Interpretation (see "Events" for more info)
**Pattern B: Impromptu, Humour Interpretation, Oratory, Oral Interpretation (see "Events" for more info)