Please accept this as your invitation to attend the 18th Annual Warrior Invitational at Oak Grove High School. We are pleased to represent as a NIETOC qualifier the weekend of November 19-20, 2021... It is the current plan to act as a traditional in-person tournament on our campus, however, we are monitoring the Covid-19 issue in our state and may have to transition to virtual tournament two weeks before the tournament takes place. If the tournament becomes virtual, all events will be performed live.

We will cap events at 5 for Debate Events and 8 for Individual Events to help limit the number of people inside our building. We will accept a waitlist only in NIETOC events, but we cannot guarantee they will be added. The Warrior Invitational is also happy to offer Novice categories in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, Prose, Poetry, and Extemporaneous Speaking.

Independent Entries

We do not accept independent entries. A school coach or adult must accompany students. A school-authorized adult must be in attendance at all times during the Warrior Invitational.

Covid Safety Protocols

We will utilize several added plans to make sure the tournament remains safe and sanitized throughout the weekend. Those will include:

Masks - While we cannot force a mask mandate on our participants, we highly recommend and encourage all competitors, coaches, and judges to wear masks during the tournament except when they are actively performing or eating. The Oak Grove Speech & Debate Team and its volunteers will be wearing masks regardless of our vaccination status.

Social Distancing - We will mark seats in competition rooms to best allow for social distancing of competitors, judges, and observers. We will limit room capacity to allow for safe social distancing. We ask all individuals on campus for the tournament to practice social distancing when navigating the hallways and shared social spaces. We know that it is very exciting to see friends face-to-face once again, but please remember to maintain social distancing as you interact. Tables will be assigned for schools in the cafeteria to allow for a "pod system". students should sit at their assigned tables when eating or drinking and should try to stay in their designated areas. Sanitation supplies will be provided at each table to help with sanitization throughout the tournament.

Food Distribution - Food will be sold at concessions and provided in the judges' lounge. Provided food will be individually packaged, such as box lunches, pre-packaged snacks, etc. We will not be distributing any buffet-style items to limit possible spread. Adult volunteers and students working in hospitality and concessions will be gloved and masked.

Sanitation - Student volunteers will wipe down surface areas in competition rooms after every round before the next round begins. Hand sanitizer will be provided throughout the school.

We are excited to have your return to our campus this September. It has been far too long since we have all been together! We wish we could snap our fingers and make everything like it was before 2020, but we will do everything within our power to make this a memorable transition back into in-person tournaments.

Sincerely,

Shane Cole, Director of Speech & Debate

shane.cole@lamark12.org