Grady HS Carter/King Tournament

NIETOC Qualifier                          IE-TOC Qualifier

Notice: As conditions change and we learn more about what works and does not work at a virtual tournament, adjustments may be made. We reserve the right to make such adjustments to the schedule and the rules/expectations with full disclosure of those changes with participating schools . Thank you for your understanding.

Dear Speech and Debate Coaches,

The Jesters Speech and Debate Team at Grady HS is pleased to invite you to the 11^th annual Speech and Debate Tournament “at” Henry W. Grady HS in Atlanta, Ga. The tournament will be held on the NSDA Campus platform in a virtual setting. We are pleased to be a qualifying tournament for the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions as well as the individual Events Tournament of Champions (KY).

PLEASE NOTE: DUO INTERP WILL ASYNCHRONOUS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE TOURNAMENT

Debate Topics

Policy Debate:

Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, sentencing.

Public Forum Debate:

Resolved: The United States should adopt a declaratory nuclear policy of no first use.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate:

Resolved: The United States ought to provide a federal jobs guarantee.

Speech and Debate Divisions

All Speech events will be open divisions

Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum Debate: Novice and Varsity divisions

Policy Debate: Rookie, Novice, JV and Varsity divisions

Divisions explained

The Rookie division is for those debaters that have no previous debate experience, meaning they have no middle school debate experience, no debate camp experience, etc. We will follow the GFCA rules for novices. Packet information:  http://www.gaspeechanddebate.org/novice.  

The Novice division is for FIRST YEAR debaters. We will follow the GFCA rules for novices, meaning debaters must utilize and are limited by the approved state GFCA Packet information:  http://www.gaspeechanddebate.org/novice.

The JV division is for students in their first or second year of high school competition. If a student is competing in their third high school season or beyond, they are not eligible for this division.

Entry Caps

Schools are limited to 4 entries per debate division and 6 entries in each speech division. Entries will be waitlisted beyond the cap. We will release entries off the waitlist on Monday, November 30. The cap exists to assure as many schools who would like to enter may enter. While the tournament is virtual, a virtual setting creates its own… reality. We will keep the tournament entry numbers at a level where we feel we can run an efficient and competitive tournament.

Independent Entries

Independent entries are not allowed at the Carter/King Tournament. Should an entry manage to be accepted by mistake, the entry will be disqualified and the entry forfeits its entry fees. A school authorized adult must be in attendance at all times at the Carter/King Tournament.

Synchronous/Asynchronous Speech Entries

All Speech events are live EXCEPT Duo. Links must be uploaded by Tuesday, December 1. Any platform may be used to record as long as a live link is provided. 

Synchronous/Asynchronous Rules for Speech Events/Duo Interp:

No green screens, virtual backgrounds are allowed unless the background is a solid color with no patterns. No type of any on-screen text is allowed

No editing of any type is permissible. The recording must be non-stop footage from beginning to end, meaning the entire performance. No type of laughing, applause or off-screen acknowledgement of any type is allowed.

The camera may not change position- cameras must remain stationary through the entirety of the performance.

Duo partners much record their performance independently in a different space than their partner. They should not be in visual contact with each other. NOTE: ALL of Duo Interp will be virtual.

For live elimination rounds, NSDA rules will be followed- no costumes, no props, etc. Students must remain in the frame of their camera. Multiple cameras are not permissible. 

Judging Requirements

EVERY JUDGE IS OBLIGATED ONE ROUND PAST THE LAST ROUND IN WHICH THEY HAVE A COMPETITOR PER EVENT. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS OBLIGATION.

Speech: 1 judge for every 6 entries or portion thereof

Debate: 1 judge for 2 entries or portion thereof

We prefer you to provide judges!! Please do all you can to fulfill all judge obligation.  If you are unable to, we have a limited number of judges for hire. The cost for judges not provided is as follows 

Speech- $75

Public Forum- $100

Lincoln-Douglas- $125

Policy- $150

If you have questions or concerns, please reach out! We know these are trying times and we will do all we can to assist and provide you answers regarding judging obligations.

Hope you can join us in December!

Mario Herrera, Lucas Bailey, Susan Ramsey and Lisa Willoughby

The Jesters Coaches