May 20, 2018 Smart Debate Tournament

Smart debate is half speech time of public forum debate.  Read here to understand more: https://asiandebateleague.com/programs-2/programs/smart-debate/

LOCATION: Asian Debate League

CITY, COUNTRY: Taipei, Taiwan

ADDRESS: https://asiandebateleague.com/about-3/adl-taipei/

SCHEDULE: https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/index.mhtml?webpage_id=4921&tourn_id=10130

GRADE LEVEL: 4 - 6

AM FLIGHT: 8:00 - 1:00 PM

PM FLIGHT: 1:00 - 6:00 PM

TOPIC: Taiwan Independence

REGISTRATION FEE: 1,500 NT

CONTACT EMAIL: rl@asiandebateleague.com, dl@asiandebateleague.com, zl@asiandebateleague.com

PHONE: 02-2876-1866

FUTURE TOURNAMENT: https://asiandebateleague.com/tournaments/invitation/

ALL ADL TOURNAMENTS: https://asiandebateleague.com/tournaments/2014-15-adl-tournaments/

HOW TO PREPARE: 

To help your child prepare well for this event, please do the following:

1. Print Extra Evidence. When you print extra for them, please print them one-sided, so that the back page is empty. That way, they can write notes on the evidence. 

2. How to Prepare: Don't staple the evidence together; Rather, separate them, and organize them in the accordion folder. And please read this. http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcd9396d66e5e5e4900321c57&id=794cb65ae1

3. How to do Summary & Final Speeches: http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcd9396d66e5e5e4900321c57&id=a411814b3b

4. Arrange time for them to practice together with their partners or with other teams.

5. If you feel your child needs extra help, you can also contact the high school tutors in this group - Allen, Brian, Brandon, and McKenzie - Jessie's official smart debate assistant coaches.

Debate Rules

1. Make copies of your case: Your opponent has the right to scrutinize your evidence, so please bring enough copies for your opponent.

2. If you don't speak loud or clear: Then, your opponent has the right to sit/stand near you to discern your arguments. 

3. Time your own speech: Contestants must time themselves; cannot entirely depend on the judges.

4. Open Crossfire: If both teams agree, partner assistance will be allowed during the crossfire.

5. Judge Adaptation: Before each round, debaters can read about how a particular judge decides by simply clicking the "judge's name" listed on the tabroom or clicking "DJ Paradigm." If for some reason, the judge has no paradigm in the tabroom, then you can simply ask the judge how s/he personally votes. A good debater can use different strategies to persuade judges of different backgrounds. Thus, be mindful that it is not the fault of the judge that s/he is not convinced, since the burden of proof and persuasion lies with the debater.

Code of Conduct

1. Punctuality: If you are not in the room on time, the debate will start without you. If your team is absent, your opponent wins automatically. Under pressure, a judge might decide to skip grand crossfire.

2. Electronic devices during the debate and speech rounds will be permitted, ONLY if they are disconnected from the internet and muted. One caught using the internet during the rounds, will be suspended from the tournament. But internet usage in between the rounds is allowed.

3. Judges' Decision is Final: A judge may disclose or close the decision, meaning for various reasons (usually due to time pressure), a judge may refrain from explaining the results in detail. However, it is the duty of the judge to write clearly the reasons for voting on the ballot.

4. Judges' Fairness: ADL has handpicked the very best judges available in Taiwan. However, if you feel that you were judged unfairly, please don’t complain to anyone on the day of the tournament, as no one will have the time to listen. Wait until you have received your ballot. Then address your concerns directly to your debate coach during the class time, so everyone can learn from the experience.

5. Grievances about unfairness: ADL will not listen to unsubstantiated grievances unless you have a video clip of the action in question.

6. Participants' code of conduct: Participants must not a) make insulting comments, jokes, insults, or insinuations about another person’s culture, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation whether in the presence of that person or not; or b) engage in any form of violence or uninvited physical contact with another individual.

7. Coaches' Code of Conduct:

a) coaches cannot confront judges in an aggressive manner after a debate;

b) feedback between teams and judges must be given and received in a constructive and non-confrontational manner. 

8. Parents' code of conduct:

a) Parents CANNOT video record the debate rounds, unless EVERYONE in the room give you the permission to do so;

b) during the contest, parents CANNOT TALK with their child via vocally, facially, or bodily; 

c) parents CANNOT COMMUNICATE with their child during the contest by means of showing notes, passing notes, or by texting via devices;

d) in addition, if parents see an issue, please report to the judge "at the end of round" in a respectful manner, and certainly do not raise ANY issue before nor during the round, unless it is invited to do so by the judge. Also, please do not speak directly to the other debaters in an accusatory manner at all times even after the round. 

9. Everyone's code of conduct: Any contestant or a judge leaving the tournament prematurely MUST first obtain permission to leave because you could have advanced to higher rounds or needed to judge in later rounds, but by you leaving prematurely creates a delay and chaos in later rounds.

10. Breach of code: If a participant believes that another participant has breached this Code of Conduct, s/he may report the breach to the tournament tab room officers. If found guilty, the violators will be disqualified from the tournament.