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Flint Hills Novice Online After School Special Series

(TLDR for judges: We are not hiring judges for this event)

What is this tournament series?

The Flint Hills Novice series is an opportunity for first year debaters who are either unable or unwilling to fulfill their course requirements for competition at weekend tournaments, and an opportunity for very green debaters to get some high quality feedback from what are essentially practice rounds against other schools. The tournaments will be held online, and a link will be sent to participating schools on the day of the event. There are no fees or awards.

While this is not intended to be a competitive experience for your more promising novices, the only parameters for participation is that you enter two-person teams, all teams are composed of novice debaters (i.e. debaters in their first year of competition), and that you provide 1 judge (or 1 panel of 3 judges) for every two teams, or fraction thereof. See more information below under the Judge Expectations heading.

Registration will take place through Tabroom.com. In order to enter the tournament, you will need a Tabroom.com account AND each debater's name must appear on the list of names associated with your NSDA Chapter.

Mavericks

If an unavoidable last minute emergency occurs, every effort will be made to allow "mavericks" to participate, but schools should do everything possible to ensure that teams entered will be composed of 2 debaters.

Evidence Limitations

Teams are limited to the 2025 NDCA Novice Packet.

Judge Expectations

Coaches or assistants are welcome to judge; 3rd and 4th year debaters are the most typical type of judge at these tournaments. Use your discretion if you think you might have a 2nd year debater who would make an excellent judge.There is no “community pool” for this tournament series. If you have the ability to bring additional judges beyond your required ones, that is always welcome.

Judges should come prepared to enforce the modified format of these shortened rounds, and, potentially, to help guide the debaters through the process. This tournament is for learning, not glories and accolades.

Round Format

Each round is scheduled for 55 minutes. Teams should come to this practice tournament PREPARED to give shortened speeches. Judges should come EXPECTING TO do things like shorten speech times and enforce prep time in order to enforce shortened round times. The following in-round times will be in effect:

1AC 8 min, CX 2 min

1NC 6 min, CX 2 min

2AC 6 min, CX 2 min

2NC 6 min, CX 2 min

1NR 4 min

1AR 4 min

2NR 4 min

2AR 4 min

Prep Time AFF 5 min, Prep Time NEG 5 min

Schedule:

Tournament Link Emailed to coaches - 3:15

CHECK IN online by 3:30 pm

Rd. 1 at 3:45 - 4:45 pm

Rd. 2 at 5:00 - 6:00 pm

Rd. 3 at 6:15 - 7:15 pm

Rounds that start late, MUST still end at the scheduled time. Speeches will just have to be even shorter.

Rounds 1-2 will be scheduled randomly. Round 3 will be power-matched off Round 1 results.