We are pleased to invite you to attend the Bearcat Classic, hosted by McKendree University and/or Lebanon High School on Saturday, February 22! Proceeds from this tournament will support the Lebanon High School Debate Team’s State travel as the newest members of the Illinois debate community.

The Bearcat Classic will offer five preliminary rounds in six divisions of debate: Novice Public Forum, Junior Varsity Public Forum, Varsity Public Forum, Novice Lincoln-Douglas, Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas, and Varsity Lincoln-Douglas. The tournament will have a total entry cap of 100 entries across all divisions. A school’s first 16 entries will be accepted, while the rest will be waitlisted until the tournament size is capable of supporting additional entries from that school.

This is a warmup for the NSDA District and State tournaments. As such, we will use the March topics for every division of debate. Additionally, if a division has insufficient entries, divisions will be collapsed to create divisions that align with the state tournament divisions (JV/Novice and Varsity).

No student judging will be permitted.

All entries with winning records will be recognized, along with an appropriate number of speaker awards.

Tournament Schedule

8:30 Registration (TBD)

9:00 Round 1 LD/PF

10:00 Round 2 LD/PF

11:30 Round 3 LD/PF (power-matched)

12:30 Lunch provided

1:15 Round 4 LD/PF (power-matched)

2:45 Round 5 LD/PF (power-matched)

ASAP Awards (TBD)

Registration

We will use Tabroom for registration and tabulation:

Registration is currently open. Initial entries are due by Monday, February 17 at 6:00 p.m. Drops may be made without charge until Tuesday, February 18 at 6:00 p.m.

Entry fees are $30 per debater ($30 for LD, $60 for PF). This will cover lunch, awards, and snacks throughout the day.

Teams should provide one judge per two entries. (We can assist in finding judges if needed.)

Please make checks payable to:

McKendree University Debate Team

701 College Road

Lebanon, IL 62254

Judges

Judges must be 18 years of age or older and cannot be currently enrolled in high school. Judges must have a Tabroom account and a device for submitting ballots electronically. Judges should post a paradigm to Tabroom that includes their background in debate and stylistic preferences. AFTER submitting ballots, judges may disclose their decision and provide a brief oral critique.