FAQ

How can I contact the Helpdesk?

Email hdshcforensics@gmail.com, or text 480.382.9647, or see the desk in person in the Social Sciences Building (SS 218).

As a judge, how long should I wait for competitors to appear

For debate events, teams need to show up within 20 minutes of the start time or it is a forfeit. For speech events, please wait 75 minutes from the designated start time as students may be double entered.

Wait, I already judged this debate(r) team in prelims!

That's fine, in elimination rounds you can judge them again, really an unlimited number of times.

I'm a competitor and Flight 2 of LD or PF and my judge is missing, help!

Don't worry, in the vast majority of cases, your judge is still wrapping up with their first flight. If you are 75 minutes past the flight 1 start time of your debate and still don't have a judge, then you should email the helpdesk (email hdshcforensics@gmail.com or text 480.382.9647). Any time before that is generally the system working as expected.

What should I do if a competitor / judge is missing

If it's past start time and you're missing someone, email hdshcforensics@gmail.com and let us know.

How do we get on the internet?

Use the "asu guest" net work, then open a browser. At the bottom of the page is a link to sign in as a guest. This just requires an email address.

How can I find my buildings on this campus?

We recommend the Arizona State University mobile app for walking directions. Also, there's this interactive map: https://www.asu.edu/map/interactive/

I am scheduled to judge, but I have not received a ballot what do I do?

Check your email for a ballot. If you don't have one, login to tabroom.com and click Upcoming under Judging Hang tight, we often need to replace judges

Where can we park?

Standard vehicles will need to park in one of the visitor lots, at a rate between $10-12 a day.

Busses can park in Lot 59 North (Northeast corner of Rural and Rio Salado)

Where are IE Breaks posted?

asu.tabroom.com look under PAIRINGS then pick the event you want in the dropdown menu in the right hand column. Look for the "ADVANCING STUDENTS" link below the dropdown

How many teams break in debate?

In all debate events, all teams with 4 or more wins will clear, up to 64 teams per division. This means we will never go beyond a Triple Octafinal round.

How many competitors break in speech events?

Events with 111+ entries clear to Octafinals, 55-110 entries clear to Quarterfinals (24 students), 25-54 entries clear to Semifinals (12 students), 0-24 entries clear directly to Finals (6 students). We have some wiggle room and may have as many 7 per room in elimination rounds if the breaks are close.

How many competitors break in Congressional Debate?

We anticipate 3 Semifinal chambers of 18 students each, for a total of 54 breaks. Top 6 from each Semifinal chamber should break to the Final Session.

What bids were awarded at this year's tournament?

For Congressional debate, top 16 for the TOC
For Lincoln-Douglas debate, Finals for the TOC
For Policy debate, Quarterfinals for the TOC
For Public Forum debate, for SILVER PF Double Octafinals is a bid to the TOC, for GOLD PF Octafinals bid to the TOC
The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication Invitational is a bid tournament for both the NIETOC and TOC in Speech events.

Are independent entries allowed? How do we do that?

Independent entries are allowed provided that two conditions are met: (1) There must be an adult chaperone (2) Entries must be approved by either the coach or another district official. In that case, independent entries may enter under a school name of their choosing.

Are Middle School entries allowed?

Unfortunately, they are not. Arizona rules governing high school competition expressly prohibit any local high schools from competing against students that are not in high school. As long as this rule exists, we do not want to risk sanctions on those programs. We are considering adding a Middle School only tournament on a separate weekend in the future.

Are Hybrid entries allowed?

We do not allow hybrid entries (students from different schools) in team events.

What is a "novice"?

Any student that is in their first academic calendar year of competition. So any student whose first competition takes place between August 2022 and the start of our tournament is a novice.

Are there trophies?

There are not. We invest the money in substantial tuition breaks for students attending the SWSDI, including fully transferrable tuition reduction awards for the institute for every student in elimination arounds at the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication Invitational. Elim participants receive 15% reduction and Finalists receive 30% reduction in costs.

We will also be making donations to groups that work to expand access to forensics throughout high school and college. This means groups like the Women's Debate Institute and Urban Debate Leagues.

How can we get a refund?

Please check the Refunds tab

Can I debate maverick if my partner is sick?

Yes, but teams have to debate 4 out of 6 debates together to be eligible for elimination rounds.

What are the NIETOC bids for speech?

Quarterfinals bid events: Oratory, Informative, Extemp,
Semifinals bid events: Drama, Duo
Final round bid events: HI
First, Second, & Third place bid events: POI

What are the Kentucky TOC bids for speech?

Semifinalist bid events: Extemp, Info, Oratory
Top 7 Finalist bid events: Drama, Humor, POI
Top 3 bid events: DUO