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Welcome to the Tournament That Teaches!

The Salado Tournament That Teaches is a virtual, UIL-style tournament built around helping novice competitors learn and develop, while also providing Varsity CX and LD divisions for more experienced debaters looking for quality competition.

For our novice competitors, the idea is simple:

Learn in the morning. Compete in the afternoon. Leave a better competitor.

Novice students will begin the day with educational sessions led by some of the best instructors in the state. These sessions will focus on practical skills students can immediately put to use during their afternoon rounds.

In the afternoon, novice students will compete in educational rounds with an emphasis on feedback, learning, and helping newer students better understand their event and how to improve.

For Novice CX and Novice LD, students will also be provided with cases, briefs, and other materials. This allows newer competitors to spend less time worrying about developing a complete file and more time learning how to debate, use evidence effectively, and improve their skills.

IMPORTANT — NOVICE CX & LD

Because of the educational nature of the Tournament That Teaches, ALL students competing in Novice CX and Novice LD will be required to use the files provided by the tournament for those events.

This requirement applies to the Novice divisions only and does not apply to Varsity CX or Varsity LD.

Novice Files for CX & LD: Coming Soon!

Files will be uploaded by September 14.

NOTE: Students are typically unable to access the files using a school email address. Please plan accordingly.

Varsity CX & LD Divisions

We are also offering Varsity Cross-Examination Debate and Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

Varsity CX and LD competitors will participate in four competitive rounds.

The Varsity divisions are separate from the novice educational format. Varsity CX and LD competitors are not required to use the tournament-provided novice files.

Events Offered

We will offer the following UIL-style events and divisions:

• Novice Cross-Examination Debate (NCX)

• Varsity Cross-Examination Debate (VCX) — 4 Rounds

• Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate (NLD)

• Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate (VLD) — 4 Rounds

• Novice Extemporaneous Speaking

• Novice Interpretation

• Novice Congress

The Tournament That Teaches is intended for schools and programs looking for a UIL-style forensics experience, with the novice divisions placing a particular emphasis on instruction and student development.

Entry Fees

Novice Congress: $20 per competitor
Novice Extemp: $20 per competitor
Novice Interp: $20 per competitor
Novice LD: $30 per competitor
Varsity LD: $30 per competitor
Novice CX: $40 per team
Varsity CX: $40 per team

Judge Requirements

Schools are expected to provide qualified judges to meet their judging obligations.

Novice CX

1 judge for every 2 entries or portion thereof
Missing Judge Fee: $100

Novice LD

1 judge for every 4 entries or portion thereof
Missing Judge Fee: $100

Varsity CX

1 judge for every 2 entries or portion thereof
Missing Judge Fee: $150

Varsity LD

1 judge for every 4 entries or portion thereof
Missing Judge Fee: $150

Novice Interp / Extemp / Congress

1 judge for every 6 entries or portion thereof
Missing Judge Fee: $100

Please make every effort to provide your required judges. Missing judge fees are intended to cover situations in which a school is unable to fulfill its judging obligation and should not be viewed as an alternative to providing judges.

Registration & Tournament Communication

We will use Tabroom for registration, balloting, and tournament communication. Virtual competition will take place through NSDA Campus.

It is imperative that coaches and competitors check the email addresses associated with their Tabroom accounts. Important information leading up to the tournament, as well as day-of announcements and updates, will be distributed through Tabroom.

Need Help With Tabroom?

How to Create a Tabroom Account:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyTqMwhRJpo

How to Register for the Tournament:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc3pdZi5WXM

Students must have their own Tabroom account, linked to the school/institution they attend, with an email address attached to their account.

Technology Requirements — Please Read

If students will be competing from a school campus, please have your technology department review the NSDA Campus technology requirements well in advance of the tournament.

NSDA Campus Technology Requirements:
https://www.speechanddebate.org/campus-tech/

Schools are responsible for ensuring that the proper gateways and permissions are open to allow students to compete through NSDA Campus.

Failure to address school network restrictions may result in students being unable to participate. We will be unable to issue refunds for technology problems caused by school network restrictions.

Test Before Tournament Day

We strongly encourage competitors to test their audio, video, and connection before November 7.

NSDA Campus Test Room:
https://campus.speechanddebate.org/

Payment Policy

ALL SCHOOLS ARE REQUIRED TO PAY THEIR OUTSTANDING BALANCES ON OR BEFORE THE FRIDAY OF THE TOURNAMENT.

Failure to pay tournament fees may result in students being removed from the tournament.

If you need to request an exception, please contact Julian Erdmann at Julian.T.Erdmann@gmail.com.

If payment has not been received within 30 days following the completion of the tournament, we reserve the right to assess a $100 late fee.

For every additional seven days after the initial 30-day period that a balance remains unpaid, an additional $50 late fee may be assessed.

Payment Through the Salado Online Store

Tournament fees may be paid through the Salado Online Store:

https://www.saladoisd.org/online_store?p=WFZtNkVjRTgwcjBGRE1YUkw4Y2JJZz09&s=bWhSdW8ySW1uVi82S2RZZThtUk9YQT09

Select “Pay for Salado UIL Tournament Fees.”

Enter the invoice amount you are paying for the respective tournament and add it to your cart.

Proceed to checkout and either create an account or check out as a guest.

After entering your billing and payment information, proceed to the order details screen.

Under Additional Information, please include:

• Tournament Name

• Tournament Date

• School Name

Providing this information will help us properly identify and record your school's payment.

Questions?

For additional questions or concerns, please contact:

Vincent Crowson
vincent.crowson@saladoisd.org

Julian Erdmann
Julian.T.Erdmann@gmail.com

Learn. Compete. Improve.

For our novice competitors, the Tournament That Teaches is about providing instruction, resources, and an opportunity to immediately put new skills into practice.

For our varsity debaters, it's an opportunity to get four quality rounds of CX or LD competition in a UIL-style environment.

We look forward to welcoming you and your students to the Salado Tournament That Teaches on November 7!