Friday, October 22nd - Saturday, October 23rd

Welcome to the Midwest Congressional Debate Classic, hosted by Neenah High School in Neenah,  Wisconsin. We are excited that you are joining us for our two-day online tournament specifically for Congressional Debate. 

While the COVID-19 Pandemic had its less-favorable qualities, students’ opportunity to compete with one another from all around the country was a fantastic experience for student Debaters. Whereas previous to the Pandemic, Debate Teams would’ve paid to travel to out-of-state tournaments, the virtual environment removes these additional expenses.

This tournament will be hosted over Zoom in coordination with NSDA Campus to facilitate rounds for students to compete, and tournament information will be distributed on Tabroom.com. All-time for this tournament will be in Central Standard Time (CST).

Schools wishing to submit legislation for the Tournament should email their legislation in .docx format to andrea.peterson-long@neenah.k12.wi.us by Friday, October 15th. Whether it be a Bill, Resolution, or Amendment, all legislation must follow the NSDA Legislation Guidelines outlined on pages 18-21 of the NSDA Congressional Debate Guide.

Round Information:

Students will compete in three preliminary rounds on Friday, October 22nd, beginning at 10:00 A.M. CST and ending at 8:00 P.M. CST. By 10:00 P.M. that evening, students will be notified if they have advanced to Semifinal rounds taking place on Saturday, October 23rd, beginning at 10:00 A.M. CST. Those who move on from the semifinals will compete in a final round supersession beginning at 4:30 P.M. CST. The tournament’s awards ceremony will take place Saturday evening in the Zoom Antechamber at 7:00 P.M. CST. A more detailed schedule will be outlined below.

Rounds will be divided between House Chambers and Senate Chambers. Senate entries are limited to two for every competing school, whereas House entries are not limited.

Tournament Schedule:

Friday, October 22nd

Introductory Meeting 9 AM - 9:30 AM

Rounds Released 9:35 AM

Session 1  10 AM - 12:45 PM

Session 2  2-4:30 PM

Session 3  5:30-8 PM

Breaks Announced 8:30 PM

Saturday 12/19

Semifinals 1 10AM - 12:00

Semifinals 2 1 - 1:30-3:30 PM

Finals Supersession - 4:30-6:30 PM

Awards - 7:00 PM

Rules & Regulations: 

The Midwest Congressional Debate Classic will follow strict adherence to the Rules and Regulations outlined in the NSDA Unified Manual, and teams competing are fully expected to comply with these rules and regulations.

Students competing in rounds are expected to follow the procedural decorum of Congressional Debate and do their best to emanate the roles of actual members of Congress through proper vocabulary and processes. 

It is recommended that students keep their cameras on during the rounds to display engagement within the session; however, students are not required to do so. It is also recommended that those adjudicating the rounds keep their cameras on, but this is not required once again.

Before competing, teams must acknowledge and sign an inclusion and diversity agreement that recognizes the strict prohibiting of sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and other non-acceptable harassment and bullying during rounds. Students that violate such policy may be asked to leave the chamber and may-be expelled from the tournament as a whole. This tournament follows the principles of inclusivity and respecting diversity, and it is the responsibility of teams competing to respect fellow team members and other students competing.

Judging: For every 5 students, a coach must supply an adjudicator to judge rounds during the competition. If a judge cannot be supplied, the school/team will be charged a $150 fee to cover the cost of hiring a replacement judge. Hired judge fees will be added to the invoice.

*Because this is a virtual competition, Judges will need registered Tabroom accounts, and we ask that they outline their expectations for Congress in their paradigm.

Fees: A single student entry into the tournament costs $20 per student. Competitor fees will be added to your school’s competition invoice.

Regards:

The Midwest Congressional Debate Classic Staff is excited to welcome you to the tournament. Suppose any registration questions arise email andrea.peterson-long@neenah.k12.wi.us. Any other inquiries can be directed to mw.congressclassic@gmail.com.