2022 VHSL Super Region INFO

Debate Tournament

Date:                           Saturday, April 2, 2022

Place:                         VIRTUAL (Tabroom/NSDA Campus)

4C Director:                    Sheryl Gusman, sgusman@lcps.org

4C Assistant Director:    Jim Dunning,  james.dunning@lcps.org                   

4C Assistant AD:             Anne Gasser, anne.gasser@lcps.org

6CD Director:                 Marie Bakke, mabakke@fcps.edu

6CD Assistant Director:  Stacey Kiggins

Events:                       Policy, Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Student Congress

Entries/Registration: Due by 5:00pm Friday, March 25. No entries will be accepted after deadline.

  Send 4C VHSL entry form to Sheryl Gusman at Dominion High School at sgusman@lcps.org.

  Send 6C VHSL entry form to Marie Bakke at Thomas Jefferson HSST at mabakke@fcps.edu

 Entry is also required on www.tabroom.com (“Tabroom”) If coaches do not have an account with www.tabroom.com, they will need to create one in order to register for the Super Region 4CD/6CD tournament.
Please email Jim Dunning with any questions regarding Tabroom. 

Entry Procedures:

In addition to the VHSL entry requirements above, the following are required:

1)      Competitors and judges must also be entered via Tabroom:

VHSL 4CD and 6CD Super Regional Debates: http://vhsldebate4cd6cd.tabroom.com/

Tabroom registration must also be completed by Friday, March 25 at 9:00 pm.
Make sure to register in the correct event - 4CD or 6CD

2)      Students are required to create Tabroom.com accounts and link them to your team’s Competitors Roster so they can compete on the Tabroom/NSDA Campus online platform.

3)      All Judges must have Tabroom accounts linked to the team’s Judges Roster so that they can also access the Tabroom/NSDA online competition platform.
We will be using Tabroom’s online balloting for Public Forum, Policy, and Lincoln-Douglas, so your judges must be trained in using them.
We will not be using Tabroom’s online ballots for Congress — instead, we will be using custom Google Forms; instructions in using them will be provided once registration closes.

4)      Please have all judges linked to your Judge Roster by Thursday, March 31 at 5:00 pm.

Email Jim Dunning with any questions concerning Tabroom.com.

Events:           Policy Debate

                       Public Forum Debate

                       Lincoln Douglas Debate

                       Student Congress       

Topics:           Policy Debate: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its protection of water resources in the United States.

                        Public Forum: (April topic): Resolved: Japan should revise Article 9 of its Constitution to develop offensive military capabilities. 

Lincoln Douglas: (March-April): Resolved: In a democracy, a free press ought to prioritize objectivity over advocacy.

Student Congress: Legislation must be submitted via the VHSL Student Congress website to ensure proper submission of legislation. Deadline for Submissions: 3/25/2022 @ 11:59:59 PM EST/EDT. A competitor whose legislation is not timely submitted through the Student Congress website will be ineligible to compete.

Super-Regional Topic Areas

Domestic                                             International                                      
1. Defamation Laws                            1. North Korea
2. Selective Service/Draft                   2. El Salvador

Economic                                            Virginia
1. Child Tax Credit                             1. School Staffing
2. Unemployment Benefits                 2. Fire/EMS Services

Schedule/Rounds: 

Onsite Registration is between 7:45–8:15 am.  A Coaches & Judges meeting will occur around 8:30 am and rounds are scheduled to begin at 8:45. The number of competitors will determine the schedule and number of rounds. All determinations will be in accordance with the VHSL Handbook and Regional Directors Kit.

Note that debaters will only compete within their division (4CD or 6CD).  While judges and resources will be shared for the tournament, debaters will be competing only within their own region.

Judges:       Due to the unique nature of virtual competition, schools are required to bring at least one qualified judge for each event entered, plus one additional judge qualified for at least two event areas. “Qualified judges” are trained in using Tabroom online ballots and NSDA Campus and completely familiar with the goals and round format/structure of the event; judges in Policy and Lincoln-Douglas must have prior experience in the event being judged.
For example, a team entering a Policy debate team, two LD debaters, and one PF team, must provide four judges (one in each event area, plus the additional judge).

Coaches may register as judges, and all judges will be paid a per diem VHSL stipend of $80.

Individual Awards:   First, Second, and Third place winners will receive recognition (and Fourth in LD).  A Fourth-place call-up (and Fifth in LD) will be announced. First, Second, and Third place (and Fourth in LD) will participate in the VHSL State Tournament.
No substitutions beyond Fourth place (and Fifth in LD) are allowed by VHSL rules. It is the responsibility of the school of the student dropping to contact Sheryl Gusman in a timely manner so that she may contact the school of the call-up student. The goal of Super Regionals is to provide a complete slate of competitors for the State Tournament.

Team Awards: The team with the greatest number of place points will be declared the Super Regional Champion. The team with the second greatest number of place points will be declared the Super Regional runner up.  First place earns 7 points, Second place earns 5 points, Third place earns 3 points, and Fourth place earns 1 point. If there is a tie, the team with greater number of First place winners will be declared the Super Regional Champion. If still tied, the total speaker points of the First-place winners will break the tie. 

 Final Results:  The results of the tournament will be official as posted unless challenged within one
hour (60 minutes) of the end of the tournament by any coach. The official results will be forwarded to the VHSL office in Charlottesville, VA within 24 hours of the end of the   tournament. Schools are responsible for registering for the VHSL State Tournament.

State Advancement: VHSL State Debate Tournament on April 22-23, 2022, in-person, at James Madison University.