Events, Judging, and Payment Info

**You may mail checks ahead of time or stop by in person registration at the tournament hotel Friday to drop off your payment and pick up meal tickets***

Judge Requirements: All judges in varsity policy and LD debate must have a judge philosophy on tabroom.  Both divisions will be using a preference system so it is very important that judges entered in those events have philosophies listed.  This is a requirement for participation, not a request.

Public Forum Debate, Entry Fee $50 per team

PF will use the 2018 September/October topic:

Resolved: The United States should accede to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea without reservations.

PF will use the standard times and each team will have 2 minutes of prep time per round.

PF Judging: 1 judge covers 4 entries, the fee for each missing judge is $100

Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Entry Fee $50 per debater

LD will use the 2018 September/October topic:

Resolved: In the United States, reporters ought to have the right to protect the identity of confidential sources.

LD will use the standard 6-3-7-3-4-6-3 speech times with 4 minutes of prep time. 

LD Judging: 1 judge covers 4 entries, the fee for each missing judge is $175

Varsity Policy Debate, Entry Fee $100 per team

All policy debate events will use the 2018-19 topic:

Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce its restrictions on legal immigration to the United States.

Varsity and Novice Policy will use the standard 8-3-5 format with 8 minutes of prep time.

Varsity Policy Judging: 1 judge covers 2 entries, the fee for each missing judge is $175

We will accept four entries from each school, entries after that will be waitlisted.  I anticipate being able to allow many teams from the waitlist in the tournament and will start that process 1 week after registration opens (to give all schools a chance to enter). 

Novice Policy Debate, Entry Fee $50 per team

Novice Policy Judging: 1 judge covers 2 entries, the fee for each missing judge is $100

Who is eligible for novice debate?

At the JW Patterson Invitational Debates a policy team may enter the novice division if they meet one of the following criteria:

1.  It is the first full year of debate competition for both debaters. 

2.  Both debaters are still in middle school.  They have not entered 9th grade.

*Note: For a year of debate competition to count towards the novice quota the debater should have competed in at least 3 tournaments.

Clarification?

1.  If my team 9th-grade debater competed in middle school debate and attended at least 3 debate tournaments they have to compete in the varsity division?  Yes, we do not consider this team a novice. 

2.  If I have 8th-grade students who debated all 7th-grade year and attend 3 or more tournaments do they have to compete in varsity?  No, they are currently in middle school so they may stay in the novice division.

3.  If my 9th-grade debater debated in middle school but only attended two tournaments do they have to debate in varsity? No, they did not meet the 3 tournament threshold to qualify for a year of novice debate so they may stay in the novice division. 

4.  If my 9th-grade debater attended 1 tournament in 7th grade and 2 tournaments in 8th grade do they have to compete in the varsity division?  Yes, they have competed in 3 total tournaments during middle school so that counts as a full year of competition.

5.  Does attending a tournament in LD or Public Forum count towards my novice policy experience?  Yes, debate is debate.  While the events are different they share many of the same skill sets: flowing, line-by-line argumentation, calculating impacts, etc.  

**Due to teams from multiple states attending there will be no "novice packet" enforcement at this tournament.**