Dear Friends,
The University of Rochester Debate Union is pleased to invite you to the 2015 Brad Smith Debate
Tournament. The tournament will be held this November 21st and 22nd. Our tournament is named in honor
of H. Brad Smith, a long invaluable University of Rochester Debate Union supporter. We are lucky to
have both Brad and Jane Smith joining us to help with judging and hospitality. The tournament will be
CEDA and SAMBA sanctioned. As always, we will offer competition in the World Universities and
Policy Debate formats.
For World’s:
Announcement of Adjudication team is forthcoming. We will use the SAMBA rules, and will run 6
preliminary debates with appropriate elimination rounds to follow based on the size of entries. We will
have a novice breakout final (semi-finals if entries warrant.) A team is eligible for Novice if they have
entered four or fewer World’s format or APDA tournaments during their enrollment in college. PLEASE
specify novice/open in your entry so we can have a good record to determine appropriate divisions.
Please email entries to Gordie Miller (jmill12@ur.rochester.edu) and I (brady.fletcher@rochester.edu).
You need to supply one judge for every two teams entered. Undergraduates are welcome to serve as
judges as per SAMBA rules. Of course, it would be ideal for you to supply N-1 judges to help our pool
become as deep as possible. Our judge pool will only be as strong as your judges, so please be good
community members and bring your extraordinary critics. Please enter your teams no later than 5:00pm
on Tuesday, November 17th.
For Policy:
We will offer 5 rounds of novice & JV prelims, and 6 prelims in the open division. We will clear half of
all teams entered, up to the limit of Octafinals for Novice and JV. Open will clear to a maximum of
quarterfinals. Please note, we will not have a round “5” on Saturday Night. We will use the CEDA
definition of "novice" and will use the 2015-2016 CEDA/NDT topic. The time limits will be 9-3-6 with
10 minutes of prep time.
Please enter your teams on tabroom.com no later than 5:00 pm on Tuesday, November 17th. We will
attempt to release pairings for rounds 1 and 2 on Friday night, subject to last minute changes and judge
placement.
General:
As is the longstanding tradition of our tournament, University of Rochester students may be entered, but
they will not advance to elimination rounds. They will be eligible to receive speaking awards.
The remainder of the invitation includes all the necessary information for registration and lodging, as well
as the schedule. We hope to see you at our tournament in November – please let me know if we can do
anything special to make that happen. I (Brady) can be reached at (585) 755-5156. Any last minute
questions or concerns should be addressed to Gordie Miller at (585) 727-6746.
Sincerely,
Brady Fletcher
Director, University of Rochester Debate Union
Registration
Entry fees will be $100 per two-person team. There is no participant fee. That fee will cover breakfast and
lunch on both days.
One judge covers two teams. There will be a $125 fee for each uncovered team, but as hired judges are
limited, we would rather have your judges than your money! If you have extra judging please make us
aware when you register, as we may be willing to hire your extra critics.
Please make all checks payable to “University of Rochester.”
Lodging
Please reserve your rooms today! There is a lot going on in Rochester this weekend and rooms are in
short supply.
There is no “tournament hotel,” but we called around and found these deals.
Days Inn Rochester Thruway
4853 West Henrietta Road in Henrietta, NY14467
(585) 334-9300
Double doubles for $67.99; single king for $59.49; and single queen for $55.25.
The Red Roof Inn
4820 W Henrietta Rd, Henrietta, NY 14467
(585-359-1100)
$59.99 for doubles and $54.99 for kings.
Best Western
940 Jefferson Rd, Rochester, NY 14623
(585) 427-2700
Doubles for $109.99 and kings for $114.99.
Sexual Harassment and Discrimination: The University of Rochester will uphold the principle of debate
in the atmosphere of civility and mutual respect. All our guests should be treated fairly without regard to
race, creed, age, sex, national origin, and sexual preference. Any incidences of harassment or
discrimination should be reported to the tournament staff immediately.
Announcement of Equity Chair is forthcoming.
Schedule
Policy
Worlds
Saturday
7:30-8:30: Registration
and Breakfast
9:00:
11:30:
Round 1 Start
Round 2 Start
9:00:
Briefing in GA
9:30:
Round 1 Draw
11:30: Round 2 Draw
1:30-2:30: Lunch
3:00:
Round 3 Start
3:00:
Round 3 Draw
5:30:
Round 4 Start
5:30:
Round 4 Draw
8:00:
Check-in
8:30:
Round 5 Draw
Sunday
7:00-8:00: Breakfast
8:00:
10:30:
Round 5 Start
O Round 6/N Octs
10:30: Round 6 Draw
12:30-1:30: Lunch
2:00: Awards
2:30:
Quarters Start
2:30:
Quarters Draw
5:00:
Semis Start
4:30:
Semis Draw
7:30:
Finals Start
6:30:
Finals Draw