Mississippi State Cowbell Classic
2025 — Mississippi State, MS/US
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Event Description:
Topic: Jan/Feb 2023 NSDA Topic
LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE (VARSITY AND NOVICE DIVISIONS)
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Debates in this division will follow the standard 6-3-7-3-4-6-3 format.
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Each debater has four minutes of prep time to use as they wish.
- For Lincoln-Douglas, we will attempt to assign experienced judges wherever possible, but may be required to use newer judges in some cases. Debaters are encouraged to check Tabroom paradigms and/or respectfully ask for judge preference, and adapt their delivery accordingly.
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Five preliminary rounds will determine breaks to elimination rounds. We expect Rounds 4 and 5 will be power-matched based on the earlier preliminary record, but reserve the right to pair rounds as needed to ensure fairness and competitive rounds.
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We ask that NO DISCLOSURES be given during the rounds. Judges may elect to give brief (5 minutes or less) oral feedback after the round without disclosing the winner if they choose, but as a general rule most feedback should be via the ballot.
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A novice debater is a competitor in their first year of high-school competition in ANY event. If a student competed in middle school, but never competed against high-school competitors, they may be considered novice during their first high school season.
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Internet-connected laptop computers and tablet devices may be used by debaters, but may not be used to receive information for competitive advantage from non-competitors (coaches, assistant coaches, teammates, other students, etc.) inside or outside of the room in which the competition occurs. WiFi normally is readily available, but we make no assurances that no interruptions may occur. Thus, debaters are strongly encouraged to have necessary files printed in hard copy and/or stored on their devices.