Welcome to the Section 3AA, 4AA, 5AA and 6AA Registration page for 2024-2025 CX-LD-PF Debate Tournament to be held in-person at Eagan High School on January 10th and 11th, 2025.

Registration: Schools may register up to two (2) entries for the Section Tournament. STUDENTS MAY NOT DOUBLE ENTER in other debate events. So, if a student competes in the Congress Section Tournament in December they MAY NOT participate in the LD, PF or Policy Section Tournament.

Please remember there is NO ALTERNATE process for individual events. Please ensure students who are competing are available to debate on January 17th and 18th. Team events are allowed to name an alternate to the tournament, after qualification to the MSHSL State Tournament.

Schedule: The following schedule will be used:

Policy Debate (CX)

Friday - January 10th

• Round 1 - 4:00 PM
• Round 2 - 6:30 PM

Saturday - January 11th

• Round 3 - 8:30 AM
• Round 4 - 10:30 AM
• Round 5 - 1:00 PM
• Round 6 - 3:00 PM
• Awards: Approximately 5:30 PM

Lincoln-Douglas (LD) and Public Forum (PF)

Friday - January 10th

• Round 1 - 4:30 PM
• Round 2 - 5:30 PM
• Round 3 - 7:00 PM

Saturday - January 11th

• Round 4 - 9:30 AM
• Round 5 - 11:00 AM
• Round 6 - 12:30 PM
• Awards: Approximately 2:00 PM

Rules: For the official rules and processes please see the MSHSL Website - https://www.mshsl.org/sites/default/files/2023-07/2023-2024%20Debate%20Rules%20and%20Policies.pdf

Judges

Each entry will be allowed to strike one judge for the tournament. Regardless of if this judge is a one- or two-day judge.

Dates & Deadlines

November 27th – Registration is open

• Each school is allowed to send two students to the MSHSL Section Tournament in each event. Per the MSHSL Rules a student who competes in Congress Sections IS NOT ELIGIBLE to then compete in LD, Policy or Public Forum Sections.
• Although registration isn’t due until late December, we do need to get an idea if you plan on sending students to the tournament. You can register TODAY and, use the TBA Slots option. This will allow us to plan for the correct number of judges. Registering, even with TBA numbers, will allow us to plan for the correct number of judges.

December 18th - Registration Numbers Due

• We ask schools to indicate if they plan on attending by December 18th. You do not need to name who is attending, just the number of spots you plan to fill so we can correctly hire judges.

December 22nd – Judges Hired

• Our goal is to have all judges hired and list posted.

January 6th - Judge Strikes Due

• Each school is allowed to strike one judge per entry.

January 10th and 11th – Tournament to be held in-person at Eagan High School

Notes & FAQ

Q. Can a student who competed at Sections in Congress and failed to qualify, compete in LD/PF/Policy?

A. No. Per MSHSL rules the student can compete in a single event.

Q. Do I need to provide judges for sections?

A. No. They are covered by the MSHSL.

Q. What are the entry fees?

A. Yes, an entry fee will be assigned to your school and invoiced to your Activities Director. You have no specific action to take.

Q. If I register someone today, can I change my entry closer to the tournament?

A. Yes! We need to get a good estimate of who is coming so we can hire the correct number of judges.

Q. Are their alternates allowed to the MSHSL State Tournament?

A. A single student may be declared as the alternate in Policy and Public Forum debate after the completion of the Section Tournament. There are no alternates in Congressional and Lincoln-Douglas debate. It is CRITICAL that students who compete at sections are available to participate at the MSHSL State Tournament on January 17th and18th.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.