NPDL Tournament of Champions
2021 — NSDA Campus, CA/US
The Announcements Doc is live.
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April 14 Announcements:
1. All participants should sign the TOC Code of Conduct (in the sidebar), and upload the signed copy using this Google form. You can sign it using Adobe Acrobat Reader
2. All schools should have an adult contact listed in Tabroom. Not having one may inhibit communications about equity and protest complaints, and other tournament communications.
3. Updated schedule in sidebar.
4. The student forum directors are Drishti Gupta (Irvington) and Tenzin Gund-Morrow (Friends).
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April 12 Announcements:
Please enter your prefs by April 15 at 9 a.m. If you have already entered them, you should check them again before they close, as the judge pool has changed slightly. Any judge added after last Friday will be a free strike.
1 represents your most preferred judges. 5 is a strike, and 6 is a conflict. A marked conflict will be visible to the judge.
The jargon guide is now available.
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April 8 Announcements:
1. Judge prefs are now open. That is, all teams have the opportunity to rank the judges, and Tabroom will use those preferences in assigning judges during the tournament. If you would like assistance in navigating prefs entry, please contact Tab Director Rodda John npdl.board+web@gmail.com, Outreach Director Mikendra McCoy npdl.board+outreach@gmail.com, or TOC Director Joel Jacobs npdl.board+toc@gmail.com.
A guide to jargon found in judge paradigms is currently being developed, and will be distributed in the next few days. Prefs will close on April 15 at 9 a.m.
2. Maverick policy added below at the bottom of the invitation.
3. Please pay your fees if you have not done so already.
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Dear Qualified Competitors and Coaches,
We are delighted to invite you to the 2021 NPDL Tournament of Champions, which will feature seven preliminary rounds of parliamentary debate, followed by elimination rounds. We will bring together the most successful high school parliamentary debaters in the United States for the premier tournament of the year.
Qualification
Teams may autoqualify by earning 42 tournament points by March 1. If either or both members of a team have not autoqualified, they may earn a regional at-large bid by being one of the top teams from their region and/or apply for a wildcard at-large bid. See "Qualification" in the sidebar.
NOTE: A FULL LIST OF DEADLINES CAN BE FOUND IN THE SIDEBAR. EVERY COACH AND COMPETITOR SHOULD REVIEW IT. SOME KEY DEADLINES ARE NOTED BELOW, BUT THIS INVITATION SHOULD BE READ ALONG WITH THE DEADLINES LIST IN THE SIDEBAR.
Registration
Autoqual teams and regional at-large teams should register on Tabroom by March 3.
Teams that wish to apply for a wildcard at-large bid should complete the application. A team that receives a wildcard at-large bid may register on Tabroom after being notified.
Release Forms
A completed parent release form must be submitted for every competitor. One school consent form listing all students from a school who will attend the TOC, should be uploaded. Please upload the forms through Tabroom (edit the team as if you were substituting in a new student, and it will give you a button to upload forms).
Schedule
The tournament will be held on April 16, 17, and 18, 2021, and will be hosted on NSDA Campus. A detailed schedule is posted in the sidebar.
Round Rules
The tournament will follow NPDL Online Round Rules. Partner prep only. For details, see sidebar.
Entry Fees
The entry fee for one team will be $50. Payment information will be posted soon.
Judging
Each team must be covered by one judge, who must be an adult with at least one year of experience judging, coaching, or competing in parliamentary debate.
All judges are required to post paradigms by 5:00 PM Pacific Time on April 2, 2021.
Hired judges will cost $300 per judge. (Price increased to cover Friday afternoon.) You may request hired judges through Tabroom. Once a hired judge is assigned to you, you will be financially obligated for that hire even if you bring a judge.
Fee Waivers
If any of the above fees would be a hardship for you, please email the tournament director at npdl.board+toc@gmail.com by March 20, 2021.
Fines
All fines must be cleared before elimination rounds are announced.
$50 nuisance fine:
- Team does not submit entry fees or hired judge fees prior to the posted deadline (if applicable)
- Team has a judge add or change after the posted judge deadline
- Team’s judge is more than ten minutes late to a round
- Team’s judge requires tab staff intervention to set up or link a Tabroom.com account
$100 nuisance fine:
- Team’s judge misses a single round
- Team’s judge is missing a paradigm at the start of the tournament
$250 (judge bond)
- Team’s judge is missing for more than one round (does not stack on previous fine; $250 total fine)
Mutual Judging Preferences
We will use mutual judging preferences to assign judges. Please contact us if you need assistance entering prefs. Any changes in the tournament’s intention to use prefs, or the timing or procedures, will be announced on Tabroom.com in advance.
Topic Areas
At least one preliminary round will have resolutions related to labor unions.
At least one preliminary round will have resolutions related to cybersecurity.
Dress Code
The dress code for TOC is that there is no dress code. Casual attire encouraged.
Mavericks/Ironpersons
Ordinarily, both members of a team should debate for every round. In unusual circumstances where one team member is ill or otherwise unavailable, one member of a team may compete as a maverick for one preliminary round. The missing partner will be assigned 24 speaker points for the round. Mavericks may not compete in elimination rounds.
We look forward to seeing you in April!
Joel Jacobs, NPDL-TOC Director
The NPDL Board