3 May 2018

Dear Fellow Coach, 

On behalf of the Pine Hill Debate Squad, it is my pleasure to invite you and your team to our online Lincoln-Douglas Debate tournament, to take place on the weekend of May 19th and 20th, on the Zoom teleconferencing platform.

The hope is that this tournament will provide a timely opportunity for debaters who have qualified for the NCFL Grand National Tournament, to be held in Washington, DC the following weekend. 

Please note that this tournament will have two distinctive features:

(a)  We plan to have only competitors' coaches and/or Double-Ruby former LD debaters as judges.  (To allow for meaningful feedback, fifteen minutes after each flight will be allocated for judges to offer post-decision feedback, either spoken or written on ballots.)  

(b)  Neither spreading nor semi-spreading will be allowed; debaters will be expected to deliver speeches at a natural speaking pace.

The competition will have one event--Lincoln Douglas Debate--on the NCFL Grand National Tournament resolution:  "Resolved:  Bystanders have a moral obligation to act in the face of injustice."  There will be a maximum of 40 debaters, to be seeded according to total NFL points.  The tournament will consist of four double-flighted preliminary rounds, as well as single-flighted semis, and a final round.  There will be a single, open division, and NCFL rules will generally apply. 

Registration will be managed at http://pinehill.tabroom.com .  You can also find more information at: https://sites.google.com/view/nationaldebateonline/online-debate-tournament.

Any changes after 5pm on 17 May should be emailed directly to jonathankendall@hotmail.com.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

NB:  All times are Eastern Daylight Time.  Please keep in mind that we may need to diverge somewhat from schedule, depending on in-round delays.

Saturday 19 May 2018

10:30 am - Main room open for early arrivals.  All competitors and judges are requested to be logged on no later than 10:55a

11:00 am - Welcome, opening remarks.  Assignments to breakout rooms; pairings for first two rounds.

11:15 am - Round 1 Flight A

12:15 pm - Round 1 Flight B

13:15 pm - Round 2 Flight A

14:15 pm - Round 2 Flight B

15:15 pm - Break

15:45 pm - Round 3 Flight A

16:45 pm - Round 3 Flight B

18:15 pm - Probable finish for the day, barring delays                       (continued)

Sunday 20 May 2018

12:40 pm - Main room open for early arrivals.  All competitors and judges are requested to be logged on no later than 12:55pm

13:00 pm - Welcome

13:15 pm - Round 4 Flight A

14:15 pm - Round 4 Flight B

15:45 pm - Semi-finals

17:00 pm - Final Round

18:00 pm - Awards Ceremony in main room, recognizing: semi-finalists, best speaker points, runner-up, and champion.

18:30 pm - Probable finish for the day, barring delays

TOURNAMENT FEES & JUDGING BURDENS   

Each LD Debate entry:  $50

Judging burden:  One judge for every four entries, or fraction thereof

Each judge must be available for both days, at least through the semifinal round, as well as a judges' orientation at 10:00am EDT on Saturday.

There will be no hiring of judges possible after 5pm Thursday 17 May. 

Judges for hire:  $180; for a half-time judge:  $100

Judging fee for each non-covered entry:  $60

Any additional entry after 5pm Monday 14 May:  $10

Any change after 5pm Wednesday 16 May:  $10

Any complete withdrawal after 5pm Thursday 17 May:  $40

Checks should be payable to Pine Hill Associates, 15 Vale Rd. Whippany NJ 07981.  Alternatively:  Chase QuickPay or PayPal, to Prep4Elite@gmail.com.  (With any method, please note the participant's full name and email.)

If you have any questions or concerns, please just ask!

Very best regards,

Jon Kendall, Coach and Instructor

Pine Hill Debate Squad

jonathankendall@hotmail.com