Invitation as a PDF
Invitation as a Google Doc
Event Guidelines (PDF)
KO Public Speaking Ballots

Dear Members and Friends of DANEIS,

We cordially invite you to attend the 2021 Kingswood Oxford Public Speaking Tournament on Sunday, February 7 on Zoom. Each school may register up to eight speakers. Every speaker must compete in two rounds of two events, meaning that each speaker will compete in two events in a total of four rounds:

I) After Dinner Speaking or Persuasive Speaking
II) Impromptu Speaking or Ethical Dilemmas

Guidelines and ballots for all of the events are attached. If you require further information about any of the events, please do not hesitate to contact us. We ask that each school entering bring at least one adult judge for its first four entrants and one additional judge (who may be either an adult or a senior with public speaking experience) for any additional entrants. Student and adult judges will work together; neither will judge any speakers from their own schools.

Although there will not be separate advanced and novice divisions, we will award distinguished younger speakers competing in their first public speaking tournament. Awards will be given to the top three speakers in each individual category, the top three overall speakers, and the top three schools. In order to be eligible for a school award, a team must consist of at least four speakers.

Please RSVP as soon as possible by completing the form linked here. At that time, please let us know how many speakers you plan to bring, whether they will be entering After Dinner Speaking or Persuasive Speaking; Impromptu Speaking or Ethical Dilemmas, the names of your speakers, and email addresses for all competitors and judges.

Prior to the day of the tournament, you will receive an email with the Zoom details for the rounds as well as the team and judge codes for all participants. By 9:00am EST on the morning of the tournament, please email Heather Wayne to confirm your team names or to notify us of any changes. All relevant ballots and other materials will be shared during the Judges’ meeting at the start of the tournament.

The deadline for entering is January 29. We look forward to seeing you on February 7!

Sincerely,
Michelle Caswell and Heather Wayne, Forensic Union Coaches

Download Full Invitation as a PDF

2020 Tournament Distributed Packet
2019 Tournament Distributed Packet
2018 Tournament Distributed Packet

Greetings Fellow Debaters,

Please find attached the invitation to Loomis Chaffee’s 39th Annual Debate Tournament to be held online on January 17, 2021 (switch-side, cross-ex, policy resolution with a one-hour preparation period using a supplied packet of information). Details about the day and the style of debate are included in the invitation. As you are well aware, the pandemic forces our debates to be online which requires some subtle changes. You should, therefore, read very carefully the invitation which outlines how this tournament will run. In addition to the invitation I have also attached samples of information packets from previous Loomis Chaffee tournaments so that those who are considering attending for the first time can see the sort of information that will be supplied on the day of the tournament when the resolution is announced in our opening general assembly.

Briefly, our tournament will be, a cross-ex, switch side, policy debate, but where none of the participants will know the resolution prior to the day of the tournament. Shortly after some general announcements in the main zoom room (general assembly begins at 10 AM) we will release the resolution along with a 10 to 12 page research packet (given to each debater) to accompany that resolution. Debaters will have one hour to work together in teams (schools) in separate breakout rooms to prepare their cases using the packet (but no other research materials of any kind) before the rounds of debate begin. Thus, teams have access to exactly the same information, so the debates will be assessing how well you can work with that information to produce & defend cogent, persuasive arguments on both sides of the issue. After the one hour preparation period, the debate competition will begin with each team ultimately debating both sides of the resolution. The first two rounds will be assigned (one round on each side) – for the third round the side will be decided in the room by mutual agreement if the two teams, by chance, want different sides, or by coin flip if on that third round both teams had hoped to debate the same side.

We hope you share our enthusiasm for preserving this form of debate. We believe it includes some of the best features of the long tradition of DANEIS prepared cross-ex tournaments while eliminating the sometimes challenging research burden that was difficult for some in mid-January. Full details on the day, as well as guidelines for judges, are included in the attached invitation. I have also attached a sample ballot (with instructions) and a couple of examples of research packets from the three most recent debates we’ve held using this format.

Teams may enter up to two 4-person teams in total (no more than one in each division – Advanced & Novice). Schools must supply a judge for each 4-person team entered. Experienced advanced student debaters may judge in the novice divison, the advanced division is judged by adults. Please read the invitation to see further guidance/preparation that we ask of each judge. Please let us know whether or not your school will be participating by Jan 12 at the latest (earlier if possible) and you should supply the names of your debaters and judges by January 14 (earlier if possible). We hope to hear from many of you soon and look forward to welcoming you to our annual tournament on January 17th.

Curt Robison, Adviser to the Debate Society
The Loomis Chaffee School
Windsor, CT 06095

office phone: 860 687 6122 (feel free to leave a voice mail day or night)
cell phone: (860) 796 4120

e-mail: curt_robison@loomis.org (preferred form of communication)

Download Full Invitation as a PDF
Tournament Schedule and Format

The Choate Rosemary Hall Debate Team cordially invites you to the Choate Invitational Debate Tournament on January 10, 2021. In both the novice and advanced division, the event will feature three rounds of parliamentary extemporaneous debate with straight resolutions. Because we are a world qualifier, we will give priority to league members and keep a running list of additional schools who are interested. If we have enough space, these schools will be contacted and invited to attend the tournament.

Initial registration is limited to 2 four-person teams per school. Schools looking to enter 2 four-person teams must register at least one team in both the novice and advanced divisions. One judge must be provided per four-person team. To register, please RSVP to Kyra Jenney at kjenney@choate.edu, indicating how many teams (novice/advanced) you plan to bring, as well as providing the names and school email addresses of all debaters and judges. The deadline for registration is December 18th.

A full invitation with additional information is attached. Please let us know if you have any questions!

We look forward to seeing everyone at the tournament!

Sincerely,
Kyra Jenney, Debate Advisor
Neil Shimmield, Debate Adviser