Skyhawk Smackdown Online

2021 — NSDA Campus, UT/US

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Policy--Varsity

Event Description:

Speaker points between 25-30 please. You can leave and save comments for each individual separately and then comments to team as a whole. Please make sure to leave something. You should enter your decision first and then you can update or put in comments later if needed or type as you go.

A two-on-two debate that focuses on a policy question for the duration of the academic year, this format tests a student’s research, analytical, and delivery skills. Policy debate involves the proposal of a plan by the affirmative team to enact a policy, while the negative team offers reasons to reject that proposal. Throughout the debate, students have the opportunity to cross-examine one another. A judge or panel of judges determines the winner based on the arguments presented.

Policy debate is a two-on-two debate where an affirmative team proposes a plan and the negative team argues why that plan should not be adopted. The topic for policy debate changes annually, so debaters throughout the course of the year will debate the same topic.

One member of each team will perform the ‘first’ speeches, the other the ‘second’ speeches. So the person who reads the 1AC wil also perform the 1AR, for example. Note that the debate begins with the affirmative speaking first, and then switches midway through the debate where the negative speaks first, thus giving the affirmative the ability to speak last.

Time Limits Speech Abbreviation Time Limit 1st Affirmative Constructive 1AC 8 minutes Negative Cross-Examination of Affirmative 3 minutes 1st Negative Constructive 1NC 8 minutes Affirmative Cross-Examination of Negative 3 minutes 2nd Affirmative Constructive 2AC 8 minutes Negative Cross-Examination of Affirmative 3 minutes 2nd Negative Constructive 2NC 8 minutes Affirmative Cross-Examination of Negative 3 minutes 1st Negative Rebuttal 1NR 5 minutes 1st Affirmative Rebuttal 1AR 5 minutes 2nd Negative Rebuttal 2NR 5 minutes 2nd Affirmative Rebuttal 2AR 5 minutes Prep Time (each team) 5 minutes