Dear State Coaches,

Hello and welcome to the two weeks before State. It’s nuts that we are already at this point in the year and that the season is coming to a close, but I think we can end it on a positive note. (State last year seemed like it was good one, so I’m going for the same vibe this year.) For those of you that have been doing this a long time and for those of you that are new to this, no matter your level of experience, getting to State is a real accomplishment and you and your team should be proud of yourselves. From your State advisory/tabroom committee, congratulations and good luck!

I am Kelly McCracken (BTW, Sapulpa c/o 97), your outgoing State Tournament Director, and it has been an honor and privilege working with you all and competing against you and your students. It’s truly been a life-changing experience. Thanks for letting me be in your orbit for the last 20 years.

Your State staff for this year:

TAB/DECISION MAKERS

Kasey Harrison (Ed Santa Fe) and David Galoob (McLain/TDL) 6A

Jennifer Denslow (Oologah-Talala) and Brett Young (B McGuinnes) 5A

TECH HELP/HELP DESK/JUDGE HELP

Morgan Brown (Norman North), Robert Walters (BA, Sapulpa c/o 95)

EXTEMP DRAW

Ish Kissinger (Moore), Erin Clark (B Kelley)

Here is the most important stuff to know:

· State is at the University of Tulsa, April 11-13, 2024

· Debate will be on April 11 (all day), semis/finals will be April 12 in the morning.

· Speech will start mid-day April 12 and end early evening April 13.

· The main hub of the tournament will take place in the Allen Chapman Student Union (ACSTU). For us old TU graduates….it will always be ACAC.

· We will have a Coaches Meeting at 10:45 am, second floor of the ACSTU.

· Paper postings will be in the Union, but we will be running the tournament through tabroom—just like last year. There will be blasts for judges and competitors and ALL BALLOTS WILL BE ONLINE.

· We will take judge adds all the way until the day before the tournament. Add them to tabroom and they will get rounds!

· Every judge must have a tabroom account. And on the subject of judges, both East and West regionals saw a large number of under-qualified/new/first time judges. I am not here to talk about the ability or quality of judges—please use your discretion. But, this is the most important tournament of the year and it running efficiently is important for our students. New judges/first time judges cause a drag on the tournament that hurts the overall quality of our product, and we are always on a tight schedule. Please fulfill your judge obligations with experienced, high-quality judges that know this activity and understand the magnitude of the competition. No kid at State wants to hear this when they walk in the room, “this is my first time judging, what event is this and what are the rules?” That shouldn’t be a thing that happens, especially at this tournament. At one of the Regional tournaments this year someone was explaining CX debate to a judge as that judge was walking into the room…to judge CX. Our kids deserve better.

· We will be monitoring the tournament from our computers and (like last year) there will be a better tracking system for missed rounds. The most important thing to remember is to HIT START on your ballot as soon as you get the ballot and you know that you will be able to judge it.

· Parking for larger vehicles and buses: I am still talking with TU and will get that to you soon. TBD

· Parking for normal sized vehicles: Please use the parking lot across from the Law School or the “Keplinger Lot” at or near 4^th and Harvard.

· Food: Thursday and Friday the ACSTU will be open and it has 7 or so restaurants. Within one mile of campus are numerous food options. Saturday the ACSTU will have some restaurants open, but not all of them.

· The TU campus is small, but you’ll still have to walk a bit, outside to get your rounds. EAST OK had their district here and the school knows we are going to be there and how to handle us.

· If you or any student has any specific physical limitations, religious needs, or other needs, please let us know so we can make accommodations where possible to make their experience as welcoming as we can.

· EAST SIDE COACHES: if you can bring more judges, please do so. This is the first year we are having the tournament in the Tulsa area in decades. We need all the judging help we can get. We asked for this tournament to be hosted in Tulsa for years and now that it is happening, we need to do our part and get all the good judges in the area. You know how hard it is to get judges when you are two hours from home. Please help us out.

Peace, Love, and Speech and Debate,

Kelly R. McCracken, Tulsa Public Schools

Director--BTW Speech and Debate Activities

BTWFineArtsDepartmentChair

OSSAA Speech State Tournament Director

NSDA East OK Committee Member