FAQs

Will Westwood student compete in the tournament?

We may choose to enter students in novice division to diversify the pool or for practice rounds in novice extemp. These students will not be eligible for advancing. The except to the above is in Policy Debate where Westwood student will compete for full TFA points.

Will the tournament break brackets?

We will not break brackets in any of the debate events.

Do you allow independent entries?

No, we do not allow students to compete that are not affiliated with an approved debate program at a school nor may they compete without a school supported sponsor present throughout their participation in the tournament.

Can I cross enter in events?

-Participants may compete in up to three Individual Events in addition to Congressional Debate.

-Competitors may only compete in one division of Extemporaneous Speaking.

-Competitors may only compete in one of the following: Cross-Examination debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate, Public Forum, World Schools, or Congress - double entry in Individual Events is possible for the aforementioned with the exception of Cross-Examination debate when the schedule allows.

What is a Novice?

A novice is a person in their first year of high school competition.

Will you collapse novice events?

We will always try to maintain novice divisions and when a collapse seems justified we will verify with coaches prior to any collapse. If a collapse is made it will be made due to two factors: there are less than 5 schools enter in the event; there are less than 10 contestants. Even if these are met, there must be a TFA point justification in varsity. We will not collapse simply due to small numbers. If there is no TFA point justification we will maintain novice division regardless of the numbers. This may cause students to debate their own school or debate the same opponents in prelims. The goal will be about getting them rounds with quality judges.

Awards?

We will provide awards for any student making it to the quarter-finals or higher in a debate event and the top six in individual events and congress. We will also award the top school with a sweepstakes award. Any awards not collect by the conclusion of the tournament will not be delivered, so please makes sure to check with us before departing.