Tournament Decorum

Tournament Conventions and Decorum:

• Be on your best behavior at tournaments. Even when you are not competing. Adults walking around will notice your behavior; they may be your judges.
• Debaters must wait outside the room for the judge to arrive. Don't be loud. Don't cause problems. If it is 10 minutes past the start time and other debates around you seem to be starting, call your coach to report a missing judge or send one of the debaters to the judge's room to report.
• Be respectful of the classrooms. Stay out of the teachers' areas. Don't write on white boards. Don't leave any trash or papers in the room. Remember that some teacher is generously allowing strangers to use their room on a weekend and they are probably nervous about it.
• If you must move furniture to have the debate, do as little moving as possible. Put things back afterward.
• It is always best if the AFF/Proposition debaters sit on the right (judges left) because that's the way it appears on the judge's ballot. It helps avoid confusion.
• Confirm your names with the judge to make sure we have the right teams and the right judge in the room.
• Don't be overly friendly with judges before your opponent arrives, and don't stick around after the debate to chat with judges. It creates an impression of favoritism. If the judge is someone you have a close relationship with (a parent, your best friend's parent, mom's friend...) do not start the debate. Politely ask the judge to return to the judge's room and recuse themselves.
• In the COVID era it is best not to shake hands with judges. It is nice to say "Thank you for judging."
• Judges are not supposed to disclose at our tournaments, so don't ask. Don't ever argue with judges.
• If anything weird happens, if anything seems wrong, trust your instincts and speak up. Notify your coach.