Rogue Valley Invitational 2026 at Crater High School
2026 — Central Point, OR/US
SpAr Debate
Event Description:
Speaker 1 and 2 will debate each other; speaker 3 and 4 will debate each other; speaker 5 and 6 will debate each other, etc.
You will ultimately rank all speakers against all of the speakers in the room, not just against the speaker they debated. Rank them in the order of the best debaters in the room.
SPAR is Spontaneous Argumentation. It is a 1 vs 1 debate of 10 minutes. The Proposition speaker receives two resolutions: one serious (e.g., It is time for Oregon to institute a sales tax.) and one not serious (e.g., Jello is superior to Play-Doh.) The Prop speaker selects the resolution and sets the tone. Will the debate be serious or absurdist? We love SPAR. It was originally created by our friends at Ridgefield High School. Here is a detailed description:
Spontaneous Argumentation (also known as SPAR): A 10 minute debate performed without advanced preparation. The format will be as follows: The affirmative and the negative will be given two topics and the AFF will select one. Both teams then have a one-minute prep period. The affirmative is allotted a two minute constructive speech followed by a two minute cross-examination. The negative will then give a two minute constructive speech which will be followed by a two minute cross-examination. Both speakers will then be allowed one minute for rebuttal without preparation time. The tone of the debate (serious or light-hearted) will be set by the first speaker. The second speaker should use the same tone.
Prop choose topic
Prep 1 minute
Prop Case 2 minutes
Opp Cross-Exam 2 minutes
Opp Case 2 minutes
Prop Cross-Exam 2 minutes
Prop Rebuttal 1 minute
Opp Rebuttal 1 minute
After listening to all six speakers, rank 1-6 with 1 being the best speaker.