Franklin R. Shirley Classic at Wake Forest University – 2012 Tournament Invitation

Intercollegiate policy debate programs are invited to enter two teams in the 2012 Franklin R. Shirley Classic, November 9-12, 2012, hosted by Wake Forest University. Schools may enter more than two teams subject to the conditions listed below.

FEATURED THIS YEAR (see relevant sections below for details):

1) New Waitlist Procedure: In an effort to help programs make effective travel arrangements we have moved up the two team entry deadline to the Tuesday after Kentucky. At 5pm on Tuesday October 9, 2012 we will let our first wave of qualified teams off the waitlist. We will then proceed with letting teams off the waitlist every Tuesday after that as space permits. In order to ensure that your first two teams are accepted, squads must enter them before 5pm on October 9, 2012.

2) New Schedule: We have tweaked the schedule to ensure that the pairing is not released during a meal slot so that the debaters do not feel pressure to skip food to prepare for their debates.  We will continue to release the pairing as soon as possible for the other time slots.

3) We will continue to use Gary Larson’s hybrid pairing procedure. This system eliminates the need for a round 5 high/high debate.

4) We will begin charging a $50 drop fee per team for drops after 5:00 PM on Wednesday, 11/7/2012.  Since we provide all meals during the tournament and must commit to numbers, we need a drop fee to cover these food costs.  

SAME AS BEFORE:

1) Friendly and efficient.

2) Entry process and qualifications.

3) Hospitality.

4) Scouting.

5) We will be providing lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday. The Sundance will have to go breakfast bags and we will also provide fruit and granola bars on campus.

ENTRIES:

Entries of two teams per school will be accepted until 5pm EST on October 9, 2012 on a first come, first served basis until we have reached our 140 team limit (this limit is necessary due to classroom and other facility limitations).

Schools may apply for more teams by adding them to the waitlist subject to the following:
As space permits, we will take additional teams, up to a total of four teams per school, as long as ALL THREE OR FOUR teams have cleared to elims in TWO varsity tournaments this fall. If both debaters on the team EITHER cleared twice this fall OR qualified for the NDT in the past OR reached elimination rounds at CEDA Nationals in the past, the team is considered to have met the "cleared twice" requirement. No fourth team from a school will be accepted until all eligible third teams from other schools have been accepted.

Waivers of the entry rules may be granted at the discretion of the WFU coaching staff.

WAITLIST PROCEDURE:
In an effort to help programs make effective travel arrangements we have moved up the two team entry to the Tuesday after Kentucky. At 5pm on Tuesday October 9, 2012 we will let our first wave of qualified teams off the waitlist. We will then proceed with letting teams off the waitlist every Tuesday after that as space permits. In order to ensure that your first two teams are accepted, squads must enter them before 5pm on October 9, 2012.

If you need to drop a team from the tournament, we ask that you do so as soon as possible to give time for a waitlisted team to make travel arrangements.

JUDGING:
Each school must provide 4 rounds of prelim judging for each of their first two teams and 5 rounds of judging for each additional team.

If you are hiring judging from outside of your school’s staff/alumni, and the tournament cannot place your judges into the required number of rounds, the tournament reserves the right to: 1) adjust the judging obligations of your other judges (adding rounds of commitment to those of your judges who are easier to place), and/or 2) charge your school $30.00 per round of unmet obligation.

As a normative rule, all coaches are expected to make themselves available for at least some judging and will be on the pref sheet.

Prelim rounds must be decided within two hours and thirty minutes of the posted start time of the debate. The tab room will flip a coin to determine the winner when the judge cannot decide in time.

Elim rounds must be decided within two hours and forty five minutes of the posted/announced start time of the debate. The tab room will flip a coin to determine the winner when the judge(s) cannot decide in time.

Judges must vote for one and only one team in each debate and must assign speaker points and ranks in prelim rounds.

Fifteen minutes will be allocated to post round discussion of the decision, but we must ask that the post-round cease 15 minutes after the decision deadline so debaters can move on to their next debate with adequate and fair time.

SPEAKER POINTS:
A 30 point scale with tenths, no ties will be used.

CASELIST and SCOUTING:
Participating teams and schools are expected to contribute to http://opencaselist.paperlessdebate.com/ and should provide their most recent affirmative and negative information by the Tuesday before the tournament at latest. Teams and schools should cooperate with Wake Forest students and staff assigned to gather material.

AUDIO and VIDEO RECORDING:
All rounds (defined as the speeches and judge critiques) are open to the public and may be electronically recorded.

TABULATION and PAIRING STUFF:
We will use an ordinal MPJ system run on STA. Rounds one and two preset. Top 32 teams clear on basis of adjusted points, opp wins, total points, twice adjusted points, ranks, random number. Brackets broken in elims. Side equalization procedure used for elims.

FEES:
Tournament fees are $70.00 per person (debaters, coaches, judges, scouts).

Drop fees are $50.00 per team dropped after 5:00 PM on Wednesday, 11/7/2012.

TOURNAMENT HOTEL:
Sundance Plaza Hotel and Suites
3050 University Parkway
Winston Salem, NC 27105
336-723-2911

Group Code: WFU Shirley Debate

Room rate is $105.99 for doubles. Our block expires on October 9th. Individual reservation cancellations must be made no later than 72 hours in advance to avoid charges.

Includes wireless internet (there should be no confusion about that this year), parking, and continental breakfast daily.  

All elims, including the Appalachian State elims, will be held here.

Special needs or problems re hotel? Sales contact there is Sheila Small, shefaysmall@yahoo.com

RENTAL VANS:
For vans of all sizes, ask for the Wake Forest Debate rate at Triangle, http://www.trianglerentacar.com/

HOSPITALITY:
Coffee in the mornings. Lunch & dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Coach of the Year award Friday night, plus the usual Survivors Party™ on Monday night after the conclusion of the final round.

CONDUCT:
All participants debate at the invitation of Wake Forest University according to its tournament rules as well as any rules of their sponsoring institutions. We abide by all rules and norms of CEDA and the AFA, including but not limited to CEDA's sexual harassment policy.

SCHEDULE:

Friday, November 9
4:30 Demo Debate: Scott Odekirk/Jack Ewing v. Sarah Lundeen/jon sharp at the Sundance.
7:30 PM Public Debate: British National Debate Team v. Calum Matheson. Topic is “Resolved: Scotland should be an independent state.”
6:00 – 9:00 PM  Registration – Sundance Plaza
8:30 – 10:00 PM  Opening Reception. Heavy appetizers, Coach of the Year award presentation
10:00 PM  Round 1 and 2 Pairings

Saturday, November 10
8:00 AM  Round 1 Start
10:30 AM  Round 1 Decision Deadline
10:30 AM  Lunch served on campus
11:00 AM  Round 2 Start
1:30 PM  Round 2 Decision Deadline
2:00 PM  Round 3 Pairings
2:30 PM  Round 3 Start
5:00 PM  Round 3 Decision Deadline
5:00 PM  Dinner served on campus
5:45 PM  Round 4 Pairings
6:15 PM  Round 4 Start
8:45 PM  Round 4 Decision Deadline

Sunday, November 11
7:00 AM  Round 5 Pairings online and on campus
7:45 AM  Round 5 Start
10:15 AM  Round 5 Decision Deadline
10:15 AM  Lunch served on campus
10:45 AM  Round 6 Pairings (powered)
11:30 AM  Round 6 Start
2:00 PM  Round 6 Decision Deadline
2:15 PM  Round 7 Pairing (powered)
3:00 PM  Round 7 Start
5:30 PM  Round 7 Decision Deadline
5:30 PM  Dinner served on campus
5:30 PM  Travel Distribution Discussion in Carswell 111
6:15 PM  Round 8 Pairing (powered)
7:00 PM  Round 8 Start
9:30 PM  Round 8 Decision Deadline
ASAP  Tab releases full bracket and pairing for doubles

Monday, November 12
8:00 AM  Doubles Start
10:45 AM  Doubles Decision Deadline
11:00 AM  Doubles Postround Ends
11:00 AM  Awards Ceremony
11:45 AM  Octas Start
2:30 PM  Octas Decision Deadline
2:45 PM  Octas Postround Ends

Elims will proceed with a 2:45 decision deadline, :15 max decision time, and :30 prep time from the end of decision time to the beginning of the next elim round.

Topic: the 2012-2013 CEDA resolution,
Time limits: 9-3-6,
Judges should post their judge philosophy at tabroom.com,
Judges should be sure all conflicts of interest are noted at tabroom.com,

Judge obligation is through octafinals or one round beyond the elimination of your school's team(s), whichever is later.