Hello,

Welcome to the Marlborough Middle School and Novice Tournament. This tournament will be hosted in-person.

Divisions

The middle school divisions are for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who don't normally compete in high school tournaments.

The Novice divisions are for students that compete in High School tournament novice divisions.

If you have questions about which division a student should be entered in, don't hesitate to ask.

LD & PF Schedule (Single-Flighted, Times PST)

9:00 Round 1

10:15 Round 2

11:30 Round 3

1:15 Round 4

2:30 Awards

Policy Schedule (PST)

9:00 Round 1

11:00 Round 2

1:30 Round 3

3:30 Awards

Topics

In LD, we will be using the *January/February topic*: Resolved: Justice requires open borders for human migration.

In PF, we will be using the the February topic: Resolved: In the United States, right-to-work laws do more harm than good.

In Policy, we will be using the topic: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in one or more of the following areas: artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity.

Location and Parking

Our address is Marlborough School, 250 South Rossmore Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90004.

Please enter campus through the gate on 3rd Street. Security will direct you where to park or drop off students.

Saturday Parking

Please adhere to the School’s Conditional Use Permit and agreement with its neighbors by parking on campus, on the west side (adjacent to the School) of Arden Boulevard between Second and Third Streets, or west of the School. Please do not park south or east of Arden Boulevard; this includes the east side of Arden Boulevard.

Thank you for adhering to our parking requirements.

Food Options

TBA

Internet Access

Please use the "Guest" network, and log in using the password "guestmustangs".

Debate Style

The students and judges participating in our tournament will generally be from schools that practice a progressive, technical style of debate. In Lincoln-Douglas, this will include policy crossover arguments like plans, counterplans, and disadvantages. If you prefer that your students learn a more traditional, rhetorically-oriented style, attending our tournament may not be the best choice for your team.

Judges

We welcome Varsity debaters as judges for the tournament. The expectation is that any parent volunteer judges will be trained by their school's coach prior to judging at the tournament. Untrained parent volunteers do not cover a school's judging obligation. Judges are expected to provide constructive and encouraging oral feedback in every debate, and to disclose the winner of each debate. Judges are expected to make every debate welcoming and be mindful of the age of student competitors. Judges may not use profanity, may not comment on students' appearance, and should give every student positive feedback alongside suggestions for improvement. Inappropriate comments or actions toward students will result in judges being dismissed from the tournament.

Entry Fees

There are two options to pay your entry fees:

1. You may mail a check payable to "Marlborough School" to the following address: Marlborough School, Attn: Adam Torson, 250 South Rossmore Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90004.

2. I can send you a link to pay by credit card. To request that link, please email me at adam.torson@marlborough.org.