Dear Colleague, 

You are cordially invited to enter the Crowe-Warken Debates at the United States Naval Academy. The tournament will take place in historic Annapolis, Maryland on January 14-16, 2017. Join us for a weekend of exceptional team policy debate competition between some of the nation’s premier forensic programs. 

Competitors will debate the CEDA/NDT/ADA topic.

 
The tournament will include Varsity, Junior Varsity and Novice level competition and feature eight preliminary rounds of debate followed by elimination rounds. 

Fees will be $65 per person, which covers our food expenses.  Hired judging will be $225 per uncovered team.  A very limited amount of hired judging is available so please notify us in advance if it will be required.  We encourage entries from schools with new programs or schools with budget limitations.  Please let us know how we can assist you in attending the tournament.  In the past, we have been able to arrange accommodations and cover judging.  If you can make it to Annapolis, we are committed to ensuring you can debate!

Trophies will be awarded to all teams advancing to the octofinal round.  Trophies will also be awarded to the top ten individual speakers in each division of debate.  The Frank Harrison Award for Excellence in Coaching will be awarded to the coaches of the winners of each division.  The John Jay Pierpont Trophy, an eighteenth-century silver cup, will be presented to the winning Varsity team. The Pierpont Trophy may be displayed at the winning school for one calendar year. 

Tournament accommodations are available at the Best Western in Annapolis, located at 2520 Riva Road, Annapolis, MD.   Their telephone number is 410.224.2800.  Please request the USNA Debate Tournament Block.  
  A special double room rate is available--$74.00 per night. The Best Western has guaranteed room rate and availability for tournament participants until January 3rd. After January 3, the Best Western will only offer rooms subject to availability and only at the going rate.  Tournament registration will be held at the Best Western on Friday January 16.  Additionally, as the Best Western provides a continental breakfast beginning at 6 am, only coffee will be provided at the tournament in the morning.  Lunch will be provided at the tournament on all three days. 

To ensure a pleasant experience at the Crowe-Warken Debates, please inform your participants of the following: 
1.   The Tournament will be governed by ADA rules.  Mutual preference judging will be applied in all three divisions.  Hybrid teams may clear.  The tab room will be directed by an outside committee, so in accordance with ADA rules, USNA teams may clear and receive speaker awards.
2.   The tournament will be conducted in academic facilities that will be used for classes shortly after the conclusion of the event.  Please respect the room and the materials within it.  
3.    There is absolutely no smoking in any Naval Academy building. Smoking areas are located outside some USNA buildings. Please dispose of smoking materials responsibly. 
4.   The Fifteen-Minute Forfeit rule will be in effect. If a team is not ready to debate 15 minutes after the announced start time of a debate, they forfeit the round. All judges are asked to finish coaching their team 5 minutes before round start time and get to the rounds they are judging. Judges who are fifteen or more minutes late to their rounds will cause the top team of the school (as determined by the tab room) they are representing to forfeit a debate. 
5.   We will need security information for each person driving onto the Yard.  This year that information is only the driver’s name and cell phone number.  We will need this information by January 1.
6.   If you have any questions, please contact Danielle Verney O’Gorman at 410.293.6853 or 443-462-2891.

We look forward to enjoying the fine Annapolis-in-January weather with you this year!

Sincerely, 
Danielle Verney O’Gorman              LCDR Jessica Cleary                         LCDR Michael Sturm
Director of Debate                                    Officer Representative             Officer Representative                   


Naval Academy Debate Tournament 
Tentative Tournament Schedule 
January 14-16 2017

Friday, January 13
2000-2300 PM: Early Registration, Best Western Hotel, Annapolis (teams who do not arrive for early registration should contact Danielle and we will arrange for registration and vehicle access on Saturday morning)

1900-2100 (tentative): Public debate between USMA and USNA.  More specific details to come!

Saturday, January 14
0730 Pairings for Round 1 and 2 released
0745 USNA Buildings Open to debaters
0830-1100 Round I 
1100-1330 Round II 
1330 Lunch 
1400 Round 3 and 4 pairing released
1430-1700 Round III 
1700-1930 Round IV 


Sunday, January 15
0730 Pairings for Round 5 and 6 released
0745 USNA Buildings Open to debaters
0830-1100 Round V 
1100-1330 Round VI 
1330 Lunch - Mahan Lobby 
1400 Round 7 pairing released
1430-1700 Round VII 
1715 Round 8 pairing released
1745-2015 Round VIII


Monday, January 16
0730 USNA Buildings Open
0800 Coin Flip Deadline per ADA Rules
0815-1100 Octofinals 
1115 Awards Ceremony—Mahan Lobby
1145-1415 Quarterfinals
1400 Lunch
1445-1730 Semifinals
1800-2045 Finals