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Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The Lincoln East Debate Team, parents, and coaches invite you to attend our 39th Samuelson Sweeps Debate Tournament on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

For nearly 4 decades the Samuelson Sweeps has provided challenging competition in a wide range of forensic events, and this year's tournament will be no exception. We offer competitive experiences in Baldwin-X (LD), Cross-Examination, Public Forum Debates, and Student Congress.

This year we will be continuing the East tradition of the Baldwin-X (LD) Round Robin. Many years ago, East had a tradition of hosting a round robin that featured the best debater from each school debating each other. When the team went on hiatus for a few years, that tradition unfortunately went away. However, we have been able to revive the BX Round Robin as a cap to the in-state regular season. Please note that each school gets 1 entry and is required to provide 1 judge for their round robin entry.

We will also continue the Student Congress tradition of themes legislative sessions and a finals session featuring the top debaters from the first 2 sessions.

We want to treat you and your students to the best overall tournament experience possible. We offer a well-run, on-time tournament with good judging. Plus, all award winners at our tournament will once again receive Nothing Bundt Cakes for awards!

If you have questions about the 2026 Samuelson Sweeps, please don't hesitate to contact us. Good luck as the season progresses, and we look forward to seeing you in February!

John Holen

Director of Debate

jholen@lps.org