UPDATE ON FRIDAY DEBATE ROUNDS:  Registration begins at 1pm in Marshall Hall, Rounds will start at 1:30pm. 

On behalf of the administration, faculty, and staff of both Northern Oklahoma College and Cherokee Public Schools, welcome to the Bill West Memorial Tournament on the campus of Northern Oklahoma College the weekend of 11-12 November 2016.  In our second year of hosting this tournament, the Chief Speech Team is grateful for sponsorship of this year's tournament by Encompass FSI and several Cherokee Speech alumni who wish to honor Bill's memory. 

The tournament honors the memory of Bill West, who taught at Cherokee Public Schools for over two decades.  In addition to coaching the speech and debate team, Bill founded the Tomahawk school newsletter and sponsored various other activities during his tenure at the school.  Tragically, Bill died during the 2000-2001 school year.  

Offering all 13 OSSAA events for novice, 4A and 3A divisions, this year's tournament will be tabulated on tabroom.com.  Again we are grateful to have Cory Wilson oversee our tournament through tabroom.com.  Coaches must register through tabroom.com by creating a free account and creating a roster of students for this tournament.  If you need help with this process, please either email or call/text me at the contact info provided below.  Cherokee High School Speech students will not compete in 3A division (unless entering one debater/team who will not compete for regional qualification in order to make a bye unnecessary).  However, I have several junior high novice students who will compete in that division on Saturday, so if possible, consider selecting an upper-class speech student from your team with more than 150 NSDA points who would benefit from judging novice events.

In addition to awards in these event, again this year we will ask coaches to nominate one senior speech team member worthy of the Stephen Whiles Award, given in memory of my former collegiate colleague.  Former NOC debaters and Stephen's family consult and award the recipient with this honor.  More specific criteria for this award will be given to coaches who are interesting in making a nomination.

Finally, NOC-Enid does not have classes on Friday afternoons, leaving the campus and buildings open for us to start debate rounds as early as 1pm.  If you have a debate entry, please contact me, via email or cell, expressing your opinion on beginning rounds that early.  Of course, the advantage of ending rounds as early as 8:30-9pm on Friday is a reason to begin the tournament early, a reason that received positive feedback last year.

I look forward to seeing you on Friday and Saturday 11-12 November!

Lance Leslie

Cherokee Speech and Debate

620-655-7423

lesliel@cherokee.k12.ok.us