Chesapeake District Qualifier

for the 2021 National Tournament

Chesapeake District Newsletter #4 (2/9)

NATIONAL SPEECH & DEBATE ASSOCIATION / CHESAPEAKE DISTRICT NEWSLETTER #4

2/9/2021

Dear colleagues,

The countdown is on!  We are now officially less than two weeks away from the Chesapeake District Tournament, which will take place on Saturday 2/20 and Sunday 2/21 on NSDA Campus and Tabroom.com.  Registration is now OPEN and will close on Saturday 2/13 at 8:00 PM.  The District is the qualifying tournament for the National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament in June, the largest academic competition in the country.  We hope that you and your students are able to join us.

The tournament web site, http://chesapeake.tabroom.com, is the registration site, and contains important information about the schedule and procedures for the day.   Please read it carefully!  For information on how to register, eligibility, and entering NSDA points on the website, refer to District Newsletter #3, which was sent two weeks ago, and is also posted on the tournament web site.

BONUS QUALIFIERS:   This year, ALL schools that enter the District Tournament will be able to enter TWO entries into the NSDA National Tournament that don’t otherwise qualify to attend NSDA Nationals!  These entries will be in supplemental events.  A student must participate in the District Tournament to be eligible.

AWARDS NOMINATIONS DUE AT CLOSE OF REGISTRATION:  Nominations are now being received for Student of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Communicator of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Coach of the Year, and New Coach of the Year.  These special awards will be presented at the District Tournament.  All nominations are due by the close of registration, on Saturday 2/13 at 8PM.  For more details and to submit nominations, visit https://www.tabroom.com/index/tourn/index.mhtml?webpage_id=12629&tourn_id=18850

ASYNCHRONOUS VIDEOS DUE AT CLOSE OF REGISTRATION:  All speech events other than extemp will be judged asynchronously using uploaded videos this year.  Links to all asynchronous videos must be entered in the appropriate box on Tabroom by the close of registration, at 8PM on Saturday 2/13.  This will give us sufficient time to handle any technical issues and get rounds properly set up.

CAN A STUDENT OR SCHOOL ATTEND DISTRICTS EVEN IF THEY CAN’T ATTEND NSDA NATIONALS?   YES!  Everyone is encouraged to attend the District Tournament.  It is meant to celebrate forensics across the district, names district champions in the varying events, and offers an opportunity to compete against students and schools you might not typically see.  The number of qualifiers Chesapeake sends to NSDA Nationals in each event is directly related to the number of students participating, and year-by-year participation at the District Tournament is also one metric that the NSDA uses to determine the maximum number of qualifiers a District may send to NSDA Nationals.  If a student qualifies for NSDA Nationals and can not attend, they may decline their bid and it will pass to the next student in the standings.

CONGRESS BILLS:  The bill packet is being compiled and should be published by Thursday afternoon.  Bills will be posted on the tournament website:  http://chesapeake.tabroom.com

REGISTRATION FEES:  Any school with an outstanding balance due to NSDA must pay it on the NSDA web site prior to the start of the District Tournament.  We can not include any schools with outstanding balances on schematics or the NSDA will disqualify our results!    District Tournament registration fees (the fees shown on the invoice on Tabroom) should be paid by check, payable to NSDA Chesapeake District.  The mailing address is on the Tabroom invoice.  Please arrange to send the check promptly following the close of registration.  Ideally we’d like to have the registration checks by the start of the tournament, but we recognize that business operations may be slower than desired during this hybrid or virtual time and we will be a little flexible, up to a point!  Please include the name of the school somewhere on the check. 

JUDGE REGISTRATION:  Since this tournament is the qualifier for the NSDA National Tournament, our students expect and deserve to be judged by folks with prior experience.  ALL judges who attend the tournament must be properly trained and have prior experience.  Please DO NOT register brand new judges.  Hired judges may be purchased at the cost of $100, subject to availability.  Entries not covered by judges will automatically be billed for hired judges when registration closes on 2/13 at 8:00 PM. 

We look forward to some great competition and hope to “see” you and your team at Districts on the 20th! 

Sincerely,

Charles Donovan, on behalf of the district committee

Tom Durkin

Teresa Needer

Steven Sprouse

Peter Susko