Greetings Coaches,

The registration for the Big Questions (BQ) Debate division of the GA Northern Mountain District Tournament  must take place here on tabroom.com. Entries for all other events for the district tournament should be entered on the Joy of Tournaments site.

What students can enter BQ?

A school can have as many students enter BQ as it likes. Big Questions entries will not count toward a school’s district entry limits. 

Coaches should feel free to pre-register students on tabroom.com right now if BQ is the only event that the student is interested in competing in at Districts. Also, if a student's only other event is participating in Congress on Friday night, he or she could also be pre-registered to participate in BQ the next day.

Because round 1 of BQ will be held on Saturday, February 3rd, after round two of LD/PF/CX/IEs has been completed, students who are down and out after the first two rounds are encouraged to have their coaches enter them in BQ at the tournament from 10:00am - 10:45am in the tabroom at Cherokee HS.

Please encourage your students to participate in this event. It is yet another opportunity to get a student to the national tournament this summer in Ft. Lauderdale!

Let us know if you have any questions or concerns!

Chair, Mario Herrera (Grady HS)
Steven Wang (North Hall HS)
Charity Wang (Johnson HS)
David Gay (Dunwoody HS)
Jamie Wills (Cherokee HS)

District Qualification Process for Big Questions Debates

Information is from page 89 of the NSDA HS Unified Manual. Go there to read additional info.

For additional information about debate rules and access to resources and judge training, visit the Big Questions website at www.speechanddebate.org/big-questions.

Entries/Qualification Process

• The top-placing student at each district’s Big Questions division will be invited to participate at Nationals.

• Big Questions entries will not count toward a school’s district entry limits.

•  The district event must meet the following requirements: • Minimum of 15 high school competitors. • All students must compete as individuals. • More than one school in attendance.

• The event will hold a minimum of four preliminary rounds, semifinals, and finals.

• The top-placing student will not be eligible to compete in the Big Questions Capstone Event if they have qualified in a main event.

• “At-large” invitations will also be sent to individual students who have performed well in the event throughout the season if they did not qualify at their district tournament. Invitations will be sent starting April 15, 2017.

• Only entries composed of individual debaters may compete at Nationals.