Dear Coach:

You and your debaters are cordially invited to the annual Wichita East High School Invitational Debate Tournament, to be held on Friday and Saturday, October 6-7, 2017.  This year we will have a DCI division, a Kansas Debate Classic (KDC) division (formerly open), and a novice divisions at our tournament.  The DCI and KDC divisions will compete on both Friday and Saturday.  The novices will compete on Saturday only.

DCI is a varsity division meant for your top teams and those teams whom compete on the DCI circuit.  We will put our best and most-experienced judges in this division.  All teams entering this division are asked to provide one experienced judge for every two teams.  There will also be an all-coaches round during round four in this division.  There will be six preliminary rounds of debate in this division, and we will break to quarterfinals.  JV teams (both second year) who do not break will be eligible for a breakout into a semifinal bracket.  Please mark these entries when you register.  Medals and trophies will be awarded to the top 8 teams and top 10 speakers in this division.  The top 16 teams will receive bid points toward qualifying for the Debate Coaches Invitational in January.

 The KDC division is meant for those students who prefer a traditional style of debate, and will be judged primarily by community members.  This division has traditionally been labeled “open” at our tournament, but this year we wish to accommodate all students who wish to engage in a less technical debate than the varsity division.  There will be six preliminary rounds of debate in this division, and we will break to quarterfinals.  Medals and trophies will be awarded to the top 8 teams and top 10 speakers in this division.  The top 16 teams will receive bid points toward qualifying for the Kansas Debate Classic in January.

Novice Division will take place on Saturday only and will be limited to teams that have not participated in debate prior to this season.  It will feature five rounds.  The top three teams will receive trophies, and the top eight teams and speakers will receive medals. 

All divisions will be direct power-matched, with two preset rounds.  Sweepstakes will be based on the school with the best four team record, with no more than three entries counted in each event.  Each school may be represented by a maximum of four entries in any division.  All registration is available on Tabroom.com and will open Friday, August 25^th at 5:00 pm.  All new entries must be made no later than Monday, October 2 at 5:00 pm.  Fees will be frozen at this time.  Name changes will be allowed until October 5^th at 5:00 and any adjustments after this time are subject to a penalty fee.  All entries will be waitlisted at registration, and you will receive a timely email when we have accepted them from the waitlist.  If you would like extras we should be able to accommodate them.  Please indicate via email to me which four teams are your first four to be admitted from the waitlist. 

On Friday, the ONLY entrance to the building is Door #4 on the south side of the building.  Park in the south parking lot—not the circle drive.  Registration will be just inside this Door #4; you and your students will be directed to the dining room where you MUST stay until school is dismissed.  If you arrive between 3:30 and 3:45, our parking lot is a mess. 

We sincerely hope that your school will be represented at our tournament, and look forward to seeing you all in a few short weeks!

Sincerely,

Mike Harris

Director of Debate and Forensics