Statement from the DirectorThe University of Kentucky has been closely following the latest updates regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), federal, state, and local health organizations. Based on the best available information we have made the decision to move the 2020 Tournament of Champions onto a virtual platform. For so many of our participants, the TOC is a capstone experience and one that we are going to work vigorously to protect. We are not alone. This effort will be executed with direct assistance and partnership with the National Speech and Debate Association. This invitation provides important information and an action plan for when various things will be released regarding the registration process, online platform, procedures, best practices, practice opportunities, etc. I want to thank the NSDA, our committees, and countless other individuals who have been working tirelessly to make this experience a tournament that we can all be proud of. This will be an enormous challenge, but it is also an opportunity to protect speech and debate at an important time.

Best,Dave ArnettDirector, Tournament of Champions

How to Register + Important Dates

Summary:March 18th: Live Webinar of Online Platform (6PM CST)March 20th: Entry DeadlineMarch 23rd: At Large AnnouncementsMarch 25th: Fees Freeze/Drop Deadline for refund.April 1st: Submit principal letter and entry feesApril 17-20: The Tournament of Champions.

The dates of the tournament will be Friday through Monday April 17 th through 20 th . We are using Friday for competition to increase scheduling flexibility and accommodate online competition. We hope because squads use this for traveling anyway this will prove minimally disruptive.

There will be a live webinar with the creator of the online platform at 6PM CST on Wednesday March 18 th .

The Tabroom website will be reopened. You have until Friday March 20 th at 11:55PM EST to adjust your entries. Everyone who wants to participate in an online TOC (fully qualified or seeking an at large bid) needs to be on the website by this time.

For folks who have already submitted an at-large application, no further action is required. At-large entries need to withdraw their applications as soon as possible if they do not desire to be considered. If you have a pending at-large entry, you can withdraw your application for a refund.

IMPORTANT – If you have a one bid student who would like to seek an at-large given the change in circumstance (i.e. they did not submit an application, they have not signed up on Tabroom previously) we are going to put them at the bottom of the waitlist.

We will seek to announce at-large bids no later than March 23 rd pending logistical complications. We will update folks if the situation evolves.

Fees will freeze on March 25th. Any entries that are dropped prior to March 25th will have fees refunded if you already paid any amount.

You have to pay your fees by April 1 st . This is the same date as the original invitation.

You have to submit a principal letter by April 1 st as well. This is also the same as the original invitation.

The Online PlatformThere will be a live webinar with the creator of the online platform at 6PM CST on Wednesday March 18 th .

Here is a screenshot of the basic home screen:

In the Wings dropdown menu, in the upper right-hand corner, you will find each event come tournament time. So “Gold PF” for example.

The next screen looks like this:

We will be giving each event a password to access their rooms. Once you enter the password you will find this:

All you need to do is navigate to the room you are competing in or judging in. This room number will be included on a Tabroom pairing and blasted out like a regular tournament.

Once you click a room you see:

You just need to type your name and join. In this instance we are going to instruct the competitors or judge to include a marker before their name. So, for example: Judge—Jane Doe, Debater/Competitor—John Smith, etc.

After you click “join” you are part of a Zoom meeting and that is where the competition will take place:

How to Compete OnlineWe are putting together a series of instructional/training materials, guides and best practices for how to participate in each event online. We will roll out these materials by March 20 th .

This is when to expect guidelines about event-specific idiosyncrasies and the online format.

Here are some responses to common concerns, by no means exhaustive, with more information in the coming week:

AccessibilityAll tournaments have accessibility issues. We are working our hardest with working groups to minimize the unique challenges the online format presents to some competitors. We are continuing our policy of financial assistance to help mitigate these issues.

Not all issues will have perfect solutions. However, we believe that the online format will create unique openings for participants to compete that would not otherwise be able to make it to Lexington for a variety of reasons.

Best locationIt is advised to use your school as a first resort. If circumstances make your school inaccessible, a second-best option is a library or hotel conference room. If those prove untenable, debating at home via ethernet is next best. Your last resort should be to have folks separated relying on home wifi.

TechnologyWhat technology is necessary will depend on what computer one currently possesses and testing it. Acquiring some technology may prove necessary. However, your school AV department might have things you can borrow that can dramatically improve your experience.

Camera, listening device and microphones are the three genres of technology that matter for online debating. A headset with a microphone is a very efficient solution to improve performance.

We are still doing research and tests before we make an official recommendation to the community and there is a massive run on particular brands of devices. We don’t want to make that recommendation lightly.

ProtocolsWe will have protocols to help with disclosure, evidence exchange and the like to help smooth the transition to the online platform. Things that are normally simply worked out in the pre-round amongst teams face-to-face may require more ex-ante guidance in the online format. We will release those details next week.

We will have staff on hand and a procedure to help troubleshoot issues during the tournament. The ratio of staff to competitors will be such that response rates are very timely.

CheatingWe appreciate concerns about potential misuse of the online format to facilitate cheating that might be more easily observed and deterred in a traditional brick and mortar context. The Tournament of Champions takes those concerns very seriously and will be working to establish reasonable safeguards to promote the integrity of competition in an online venue. This will include procedures reinforcing prohibitions on outside assistance during rounds and detailing substantial penalties for participants and their schools for cheating, a code of conduct all participants will be expected to review and adhere to, a request that coaches review their schools’ honor and integrity policies with their judges and squads;

and an expectation that teams entering and attending have the requisite level of respect for speech and debate as an institution that will deter them from undermining the integrity of that institution. We are asking all competitors, judges, and coaches to participate and act in good faith to preserve the competitive integrity of the tournament.

How to Practice OnlineThe most important thing to practice before the tournament is to make sure your competitors have a reliable technology setup and they have practiced effectively communicating to someone listening to them electronically.

There are three main ways to do this:

1. Free Zoom session – These are unlimited 1 on 1 and 40 minutes in a group meeting (which is what a speech/debate competition would be). This is a great way to check your microphone/webcam/computer setup and test internet reliability in various locations.

2. Pro Zoom account – For $15 you can get a pro Zoom account between now and the TOC. Only one person on your squad needs such an account. This will let you have group meetings that are untimed. So, you can practice having full debates by having the pro account holder setup a meeting and invite other participants.

3. Practice weekends – After we determine total entries, we will have practice weekends. The idea is we want folks to have a chance to try the platform prior to the tournament. The platform is primarily a streamlined way to access Zoom meeting rooms with additional functionality for helping a tournament run on time. The platform won’t negatively impact performance if practice method 1 and 2 are used. We want each squad participating in the TOC to have a window to familiarize themselves.

We are likely to create these windows on two of the three weekends prior to the tournament (March 28, April 4, April 11).

More details on coordinating your squad’s specific window will come out as quickly as possible after we know how many squads are in the tournament.

Eligibility for the TournamentIn all events participants must have two or more “bids ” to be fully qualified for the TOC. A “bid” is earned when a participant achieves a designated result at a TOC-approved bid tournament.

If a participant has only one bid, they may apply for an At-large spot to compete at the tournament. At-large spots will be awarded on a merit basis, until we have reached the entry capacity for each event. While we strive to accept a handful of at-large entries in each event, please understand that given the natural variation in the number of fully-qualified entries each year, we cannot guarantee that any specific number of slots will be available.

In Policy Debate, Public Forum Debate and Duo Interpretation, all qualifying bids must be earned by intact teams. This means that the two students must have been competing together when they earned their qualifying bids, both for purposes of their fully-qualified team application and for purposes of applying for an at-large bid.

All students competing at the TOC must be representing their enrolled high school. No independent entries are allowed. Each entry must be authorized to compete for their school by their principal. In Policy Debate, Public Forum Debate, and Duo Interpretation, both team members must be from the same degree-granting institution; no hybrid entries are allowed.

Entry Fees and Payment InstructionsFee Due DateEntry fees must be paid in full by Wednesday, April 1st, 2020.

Tabroom invoices currently show an $18 per judge fee for meals, which will be removed.

Any entries that are dropped prior to March 20th will have any paid entry fees refunded.

Methods of Payment

1. Paying by Credit Card-- To pay your entry fees by credit card, please use this link http://ci.uky.edu/UKDebate/pay-fees-online-0. Please contact Linda Barker (Linda.Barker@uky.edu) with any questions regarding how much you owe.

2. Paying by Check – Please make checks payable to “UK Debate Tournaments”.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept cash.

Mail checks to:Tournament of Championsc/o Linda Barker225 Funkhouser Bldg.Lexington, KY 40506-0054

School/Administrative fee: $75 – 1 per schoolPer Policy entry: $175Per Lincoln-Douglas entry: $150Per Congress entry: $150Per Public Forum entry: $175Per Speech entry: $100Per Duo Entry: $140Per Double Entry: $50At-Large Application fee: $50*TOC T-shirts $25**

*The at-large application fee is applied to your entry fees if your application is accepted (for example, if you are applying for an at-large in Congress, you will pay $50 due with the at-large application, and if it’s accepted, your remaining entry fees would be $100).

**T-shirts can be pre-ordered by contacting Lincoln Garrett at lincolngarrett49@gmail.com. Please include total number and the sizes desired. The total will be added to your invoice on Tabroom.

We have battled to keep the fees essentially unchanged for the 2020 TOC. The only increase is for T-shirts (by $5 each, to cover the cost of shipping), all other fees remain the same. The technological and administrative costs of running a virtual tournament of this scale are significant and, to an extent, uncertain. Our intent is to invest in our community by producing a flagship virtual experience that replicates as closely as possible the in-person experience and are contracting with industry professionals in order to make that possible. We will be fully staffing the tournament to ensure the highest-quality experience possible. We will be awarding, packing, and shipping physical trophies and participant awards for all attendees.

Financial AssistanceThe Tournament of Champions in cooperation with the JW Patterson Foundation will continue to provide financial aid to help offset the cost of participating in the Tournament of Champions. More information will be provided in the next few days and circulated among participating schools.

Principal Permission to CompeteEach school must submit a signed letter by the school’s Principal, on official letterhead, indicating that:

All the applying students are enrolled at the school, Those students have the school’s permission to compete at the Tournament of Champions representing

their school name

You may submit one letter for your entire squad as long as the letter contains all the applying students’ names and the requisite adult names.

This letter should be signed by the Principal and submitted by mail to UK Debate. (You may also scan and email to Linda.Barker@uky.edu).

Our mailing address is:

Tournament of Championsc/o Linda Barker225 Funkhouser BuildingLexington, KY 40506-0054

Sample Language for the Letter (must contain all of this information, and appear on school letterhead):

The following students are enrolled at ____ (insert high school name) ____ and have permission to compete in the 2020 Tournament of Champions National High School Debate Tournament, representing the school:

<list all students applying>.

Signed,

<Insert Principal signature>

Topics and Formats

Important Note:Some events may require slight modifications to normal proceedings to adapt to an online format. We don’t anticipate these will dramatically change the events and we will blast the information as soon as available.

Lincoln-DouglasFebruary NSDA topic. 6-3-7-3-4-6-3 with five minutes of preparation.

Public ForumApril NSDA topic. NSDA rules for speech, preparation times and the coin toss. This includes recent 2019 changes to speech times, Grand Crossfire format, and evidence paraphrasing. For more details see pages 24 and 29 in the HS Unified Manual 2019-2020 (https://www.speechanddebate.org/wp-content/uploads/HS-Unified-Manual-2019-2020.pdf).

Policy2019-2020 national high school topic. 8-3-5 speech times and 10 minutes of preparation.

Congressional DebateLegislation will be released several weeks before the tournament and will be announced by the tab director. NSDA rules for speech and preparation times.

Speech EventsWill follow NSDA rules except for OI, which will follow NCFL rules.

Speech EventsDue to the online format we are allowing participants to enter two events if they are in opposite flights.

Please note that all Speech judges will need to have Tabroom.com accounts to facilitate online balloting.

Flight InformationFlight A Flight BExtemporaneous Speaking Original OratoryHumorous Interpretation Oral InterpretationInformative Speaking Dramatic InterpretationProgram Oral Interpretation Duo Interpretation

Pre-Tournament RegistrationThere will be a form of electronic check-in on the Thursday prior to the tournament. More details about what will be required will be distributed in April. But it will mainly involve sending an email or confirming your details are still accurate via a form, etc.

JudgingJudging obligations depend on the size of the tournament. We expect them to be typical in number for a regular tournament (6 round event, one judge can cover two teams by judging 6 debates etc.). We will announce specific judging obligations shortly after we know the size of a given event. One Congress or Speech judge will be able to cover many entries.

We do ask schools to please enter any person helping your team competitively during the tournament be included in the judge pool for a minimum of two rounds. This will greatly help with scheduling flexibility and preference. Similar to past TOCs, being included in a judge pool of this scale doesn’t guarantee you will judge those rounds, but it does help the tournament immensely.

Judge training materials for the online format are being produced. They may include certification that has a judge recognize they are aware of changes to the online format that are necessary for successful judging.

The tournament will seek qualified hired judging to add expertise and flexibility to improve the experience for all competitors.

First-Year-Out Judges

PolicyFirst year out judges count in policy debate. They are not free strikes and can provide rounds for a school’s judging obligations.

LD/PFFirst year outs are free strikes and DO NOT count toward a school’s judging obligation. They must be entered a minimum of two rounds like all other judges.

Judge QualificationsFor LD and Congressional debate, any judge who has judged at a tournament this season in the event they wish to enter the pool at the TOC will be considered a qualified judge. Any judge who has not met this qualification may ask for an exception on a case by case basis. Such exceptions would be granted only to people who have significant prior experience with the event. In all other cases judges who wanted to be added to the pool, will be added as “free strikes”.

For Policy Debate – For judges to count toward the commitment, they must have judged at least four rounds during the regular season at varsity high school tournaments. Exemptions will be made for those that have made a good faith effort to fulfill the requirement, e.g. putting yourself in for a full commitment at a tournament. Judges who do not meet the requirement are considered a free strike and do not count toward the commitment.

Judge Philosophies:For Policy. Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum, all judges must submit a judging philosophy to Tabroom.No Policy, LD or PF entry will be considered complete until all affiliated judges have submitted a judge philosophy.For Public Forum judges you can find a judge philosophy template here: http://ci.uky.edu/UKDebate/tournament-procedures

Judge Preclusions:Please indicate on the tournament entry website all preclusions for all judges. Judges should preclude themselves from any debater who they have previously coached, had a close, personal relationship with, or for any other reason

the judge believes they cannot be objective towards them if assigned. This includes any judge who has done any paid or volunteer coaching, even if conducted digitally or otherwise-remotely. Any college debater or coach should preclude herself or himself from any debater whom they have seriously recruited to attend their school. Judges should preclude themselves from judging their alma matter.

In the event a pairing is distributed, and a judge reports a conflict after the fact, resulting in a changing of the pairing that school will be charged a $200 fine.

A separate TOC Procedures document that will be posted to the Tabroom website and TOC website will have more detailed guidelines about what constitutes a preclusion for a given event.

Hired JudgingThe tournament will provide, and coordinate hired judging, upon request.

To cover one Policy/PF/LD entry is $250. To cover two is $450. To cover a Congress or Speech entry is $75. Hired judging fees are not refundable.

You are welcome to arrange your own judging arrangements. No obligation to go through the tournament.

All judging requests need to be communicated to lincolngarrett49@gmail.com. You will receive an email either confirming your request will be honored or letting you know we cannot accommodate it.

Canceling Hotel ReservationsIf you had a reservation at the Clarion hotel, those reservations are cancelled. You do not need to take further action.

If you had a reservation at the Embassy Suites, you need to call (859) 455-5000 and cancel your reservation.

AwardsWe will be securing participant awards, stickers and trophies for the event. These items will be shipped after the tournament is completed. We will also ship pre-ordered TOC t-shirts.

We plan to do something online, similar to an in-person award ceremony, that people can watch and share that recognizes all the award winners at the TOC.

The Julia Burke AwardThe Julia Burke Flame for Character and Excellence in National High School Policy Debate

A national high school annual debate award has been established and was presented for the first time at the national Tournament of Champions, held at the University of Kentucky on May 6-8, 2000. The purpose of this award is to recognize a high school policy debater who achieves competitive excellence in high school policy debate on the national circuit, and who demonstrates goodness of heart despite the pressures of competition at the highest level. The award includes a perpetual and an individual trophy, a $2,000 college scholarship, and a $2,000 contribution to the charity designated by the recipient.

To submit a nomination for the Award, please visit the Burke Award website: http://juliaburkefoundation.com/toc-nomination.php

Video ReleaseThere will be video releases that have to be signed prior to participating in the tournament. Given the dynamic situation we are working with UK legal and will release those forms as soon as we have them.

Contact InformationTournament of Champions website: http://ci.uky.edu/UKDebate/

Please direct any administrative questions to:Lincoln Garrett, UK Head Debate Coachlincolngarrett49@gmail.com719-565-9528

Mailing address:Tournament of Championsc/o Linda Barker225 Funkhouser BuildingLexington, KY 40506-0054

Please direct any questions regarding TOC procedures (or for interpretation or clarification of any language in the invitation) should be directed to:Lincoln Garrett at lincoln.garrett@uky.edu

Please direct any questions about speech events to:Chris McDonald, Assistant Tournament Director for Speech at chris.mcdonald@district196.org