Athens Spring In Person Tournament
2024 — San Francisco, CA/US
Open SPAR
Event Description:
About the Event
SPAR Debate challenges competitors to think of, organize, and deliver arguments with limited preparation. A SPAR round consists of six competitors, who will take turns debating 1v1 in 3 total debates per round. Speaker number and side (affirmative/negative) will be indicated on the ballot for each student. Each 1v1 “debate” takes about 15 minutes, and a full round (3 debates) takes 45 minutes to an hour. At the beginning of each debate, the Judge will give each pair of debaters 3 topics (provided by tournament). Each debater will strike a topic from the list, and the remaining topic will be debated. Internet research is not permitted at any point during SPAR debate.
Event Format
3 debates: In each round, there will be 3 mini-debates. In rounds with fewer than 6 competitors, students may debate twice to give all participants a chance to debate.
Topic Selection/Strikes: For each debate, the two debaters will be given a list of 3 (tournament-provided) topics. The affirmative debater will strike one topic from the list, then the negative debater will strike one of the remaining topics. The topic that remains will be debated.
2 minutes prep: Once the topic is known, the two debaters have 2 minutes to prepare their arguments. They may prepare on paper or computer.
Note: Use of the internet is expressly forbidden at any point during SPAR debate. To avoid honest mistakes, judges should remind students of this before the round begins.
2 minute Aff Constructive Speech: During this time, the affirmative speaker will present their arguments. The goal of their speech will be to present why the debate resolution/topic is right or true.
2 minute Neg Constructive: During this time, the negative speaker will present their arguments. The goal of their speech will be to present why the debate resolution/topic is wrong or false.
4 minute Cross-Examination: During this time, the students will ask each other questions and answer the questions they are asked in a self-guided back-and-forth discussion. Audience members are allowed to ask questions if they raise their hand during cross examination and are called on by one of the active debaters.
Note: Students should prioritize asking questions during cross-examination, rather than making arguments.
2 minute Aff Rebuttal: During this time, the Aff speaker will respond to the Neg speaker’s key arguments and reinforce their own key arguments, as well as summarizing the round and telling the judge why they believe they won the debate.
2 minute Neg Rebuttal: During this time, the Neg speaker will respond to the Aff speaker’s key arguments and reinforce their own key arguments, as well as summarizing the round and telling the judge why they believe they won the debate.
Round Procedure
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Each preliminary round will consist of one judge and 4-6 competitors.
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If the number of competitors is odd, a volunteer will be asked to debate twice. If nobody volunteers, the judge will assign someone to debate twice.
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The contestants are assigned speaker numbers - this is the order in which they will take their turn debating.
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I.e. 1 will debate 2. 3 will debate 4, etc.
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At the beginning of each pair’s debate, the judge will give the debaters 3 tournament-provided topics. The students will have 30 seconds to strike a topic in order of the aff, then the neg. A topic that is struck will not be debated. The final remaining topic of the three will be debated. Debaters should be called on to start preparing as soon as a topic is selected and announced.
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After the topic is selected, the debaters are given 2 total minutes to prepare their arguments.
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Internet research may not be used during this time.
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Upon the conclusion of the prep time, students are given a 10 second grace period if necessary to get themselves situated before they begin speaking.
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Judges should give debaters time-signals to indicate how much time they have left.
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Non-debating round participants should quietly observe, and may take notes. They may also volunteer to ask questions during cross-fire, though it’s not guaranteed they’ll be called on.
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Judge should take notes during the speech, paying close attention to the speaker’s time management, content, structure, and delivery. Good notes make for good feedback - writing down or typing down the arguments a student makes goes a long way to giving students the best feedback possible!
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Non-debating contestants should stay quiet and respectful at all times during others’ debates. Students should remain in the competition room until dismissed by the judge at the end of the round, unless the student is double-entered and needs to get to another event.
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To keep the tournament running in a timely manner, judges should dismiss students immediately after the final debate. If a judge has feedback for students, it is best to put it on the ballot. If it absolutely must be shared verbally, please wait until every competitor has debated and ballots are filled out and submitted on Tabroom prior to giving verbal feedback. This is vital to keeping the tournament running on time.
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After all students have spoken and been dismissed, the judge should immediately fill out and submit their ballot on Tabroom.com. It’s vital that judges submit their ballot before providing any verbal feedback to students.
Judging Criteria
Judges should evaluate each debater based on the following criteria:
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Time Management: Students should work swiftly to organize their arguments, and manage their time effectively.
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Structure: Speeches should be well-structured, clear, and easy to follow.
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Cross-Examination: Students should be graded on asking tough, pointed questions and answering the questions they receive clearly and effectively.
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Content: The speech contents should be relevant to the topic, engaging, persuasive, and well-organized. Originality, nuance, clash (responding directly to opposing arguments), and use of warrants (such as logic and supporting examples) should be rewarded.
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Delivery: The speaker should deliver the speech clearly and effectively, using appropriate projection, vocal variety, body language, eye contact, and other presentation skills.
Scoring Procedure
Once all debates are completed, the judge will use a ranking system to score the round. The overall “best” debater in the round should be ranked 1, the 2nd best speaker should be ranked 2, and so on. Every speaker should be given a rank; Ties are not permitted.
DO NOT VERBALLY DISCLOSE RANKINGS TO COMPETITORS.
Note: SPAR debates are not Win/Loss; It is possible for a great debater to “lose” their round and still be the 2nd best debater in the round.
Feedback Writing
For students, feedback is one of the most educationally valuable resources at a tournament. Judges must provide each competitor with written feedback on their performance. Feedback should be positive and encouraging, but should also include clear, actionable constructive suggestions for student improvement - particularly as it relates to the judging criteria above. To keep the tournament running on schedule, please keep feedback concise.
Example Feedback:
“Overall, great job! You made some really smart arguments! One area for improvement is clash. Instead of focusing only on your own arguments, don’t forget to respond to your opponent’s arguments directly. Furthermore, work on your signposting (clearly labeling your arguments and signaling to your judge where you are in your speech). Keep up the great work!”