Tools
For Debate
Tournament Coordinator’s
Handbook
V2.3
Compiled by Suzanne Nasser
www.dfwspeechdebate.com
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 1 of 96
Table of Contents
1.
TOURNAMENT LEADERSHIP ROLES.................................................................................................................. 4
2.
TOURNAMENT COORDINATOR/PLANNER (TC)................................................................................................. 5
3.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR (TD) ...................................................................................................................... 13
4.
ADMIN COORDINATOR ................................................................................................................................. 15
5.
ADJUDICATION COMMITTEE ......................................................................................................................... 18
6.
AWARDS COORDINATOR .............................................................................................................................. 20
7.
BANQUET COORDINATOR (OPTIONAL) .......................................................................................................... 29
8.
CHECK-IN COORDINATOR.............................................................................................................................. 30
9.
EXTEMP ROOM PROCTOR ............................................................................................................................. 32
10.
FACILITY COORDINATOR ............................................................................................................................. 36
11.
HALL MONITOR COORDINATOR .................................................................................................................. 41
12.
HOUSING COORDINATOR ........................................................................................................................... 44
13.
JUDGE RECRUITING COORDINATOR ............................................................................................................ 46
14.
JUDGES ROOM ........................................................................................................................................... 49
15.
JUDGES HOSPITALITY COORDINATOR ......................................................................................................... 56
16.
LUNCH/DINNER COORDINATOR.................................................................................................................. 60
17.
PARLI COORDINATOR ................................................................................................................................. 61
18.
REGISTRATION COORDINATOR ................................................................................................................... 64
19.
SCRIPT SUBMISSION COORDINATOR ........................................................................................................... 66
20.
TAB DIRECTOR............................................................................................................................................ 69
21.
TIMER COORDINATOR ................................................................................................................................ 79
22.
APPENDIX: SAMPLE TOURNAMENT BUDGET ............................................................................................... 84
23.
APPENDIX: SAMPLE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES .......................................................................................... 85
24.
APPENDIX: LIMITED PREP TIMER SHEET ...................................................................................................... 89
25.
APPENDIX: SAMPLE ROOM ASSIGNMENT SHEET ......................................................................................... 90
26.
APPENDIX: SAMPLE TIMER ASSIGNMENT SHEET.......................................................................................... 91
27.
APPENDIX: JUDGE TRACKING CARD ............................................................................................................ 93
28.
APPENDIX: SAMPLE NAMETAG TEMPLATE .................................................................................................. 94
29.
APPENDIX: NAMETAG SCHEDULE ................................................................................................................ 95
30.
APPENDIX: SAMPLE TENT-CARD .................................................................................................................. 96
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 2 of 96
Introduction
Local tournaments provide opportunities for students to compete and grow their thinking and speaking skills, with
less travel and more access for families that might otherwise be priced out of the valuable training that
speech/debate offers. Local clubs are encouraged to host tournaments, employing the gifts and talents of local
families who are committed to this Kingdom work and want to do their part in providing a quality tournament
experience for attending families.
The purpose of this Handbook is to provide a guide for local clubs who wish to host a tournament. A description of the
tournament roles and responsibilities, as well as sample forms/documents are enclosed.
This document is intended to be a “work in progress” and will be updated as new methods are tested and proven to
work better than the methods of the past. New ideas are welcome! If you have additional tips/expertise you’d like to
contribute to this work, please send them to Suzanne Nasser (dfwspeechdebate@gmail.com).
The term “league” is this Handbook, refers to whatever league your club is affiliated with.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to all who contributed their expertise to this resource!
TAB Room – Van & Susan Schalin
Timer Table – Sherri Heinzman
How to Stage Awards – Melrae Ambs
Hall Monitor - Lee Ann Crockett
Judges Hospitality – Leslie Lechner, Melinda Craig
Extemp Prep Room Proctor – Melanie Burchfiel
Tournament-in-a-box – Gregory Escobar
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 3 of 96
1. Tournament Leadership Roles
ROLE
Tournament Director
Role Responsibility
Keep the tournament running on time - oversight for all areas
Tournament Coordinator
Plan the tournament - the coordinator of the coordinators. Assign each of the coordinator positions below
and track all the action items to completion. Collect limite prep topics & submit them to the TAB director.
Admin Coordinator
Copies, supplies, signs, nametags, Student packets
Adjudication Committee
Resolve issues that come up during the tournament
Awards Coordinator
Order, pickup & verify the medals and trophies before the tournament. Setup Awards before the Awards
Ceremony
Banquet Coordinator (optional)
Coordinate the Banquet (food & entertainment) – typically the 2nd evening of the tournament before Breaks
are announced.
Check-in Coordinator
Coordinate a team of 3-4 people to check-in students quickly the first morning of the tournament. Document
last-minute drops & pass that info to Tab before 1st round
Extemp Room Proctor
Conduct Extemp orientation before the first Extemp draw time of the tournament. Check competitor's into the
prep room a minute or two before their draw time, monitor the 30min prep and ensure quiet in the room.
Facility Coordinator
Liaison to the hosting facility’s staff. Coordinate room assignments, setup, cleanup, reset rooms, furniture
requirements (tables, chairs, podiums, restroom supplies etc)
Hall monitor Coordinator
Coordinate a team of Hall Monitors to keep the hallways quiet, verify that the competitors, judge(s) and
timekeeper are in their assigned rooms and get the rounds started on time. Keep food out of restricted
areas.
Housing Coordinator
Arrange a discounted rate at 2-3 local hotels (w/ varying amenities) and arrange host homes for out of town
families.
Judge Recruiting Coordinator
Coordinate Community judge recruiting effort (Goal: community judge count = 3/4ths the # of competitors)
Judges Room
Ballot Admin Coordinator
Push ballots in timely manner during the tournament to get rounds off on time
Ballot Collection Coordinator
Collect, check & double-check completed ballots that judges turn in and give to Tab in timely manner
Judges Orientation Coordinator
Coordinate the 20min Judges Orientations before every round
Judge Greeter
Welcome community judges, sign them in, help them find their nametag & usher them to JO
Judges Hospitality Coordinator
Coordinate food for the judges room (assign meals among hosting clubs)
Lunch/Dinner Coordinator
Arrange lunch & dinner selections for attending families to purchase, and coordinate a serving team for each
meal.
Parli Coordinator
Responsible for providing parli resolutions which offer solid education value for all prelim and elimination
parli rounds. Conduct Parli Orientation for all parli competitors before the first parli round of the tournament.
Announce resolutions, provide time signals during 15-minute prep time before Parli rounds and handle late
arrivals.
Registration Coordinator
Online registration (preferred), collect forms/fees and provide registration data to Tab, Food coordinators,
Admin etc.
Script Submission Coord
Collect scripts & script submission forms during check-in, ensuring that credit is appropriately given to author
for their work. Ensure script submission forms are completed correctly & signed by student, parent/coach
TAB Director
Automated process to schedule rounds: first two debate rounds are random, round 3-6 power-match within
brackets. First 3 prelim IE rounds randomly set. Tally ballots with a minimum of one shadow computer for
debate and IEs. Print participation & Award certificates. Sort ballots by student & package them for
distribution at the close of the tournament. Designate/assign Extemp/IMP topics submitted by Tournament
Coordinators and select Apologetics questions for prelim/elim round.
Timer Coordinator
Recruit, train & assign time-keepers for all rounds. Ensure well-trained timekeepers are in their rooms
10mins before round starts.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 4 of 96
2. Tournament Coordinator/Planner (TC)
The Tournament Coordinator plans the tournament from start to finish. Responsibilities include:







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Facility search
Adherence to Leagues Rules & protocol
Tournament Finances/Budget
Track the Planning Process
Tournament Schedule
Tournament size
Staffing – staff all Leadership roles
Supervision of area leads/coordinators
Adjudication committee
A well-run tournament is typically the fruit of a well-planned tournament, thus the Tournament Coordinator (TC) is
the most crucial position of all the Tournament roles. The TC is the coordinator of all the area coordinators.
Tournament Rules & protocol
The Tournament Coordinator should be very familiar with the proper Tournament flow which is best learned from
attending tournaments. The TC should also study the event rules of the League (if applicable).
Facility Search
Facility searches should begin during the summer months or early in the school year since most large
churches/schools book up quickly. The ideal facility would be any large building (e.g. church, school) that meets the
following requirements:

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Day/Hours: Available Thursday – Saturday, 7:00am - 11:00 pm (or any 3 consecutive days) and open the day
before the tournament for ~3hours for setup (competition rooms, Judges Hospitality, JO, kitchen etc).
Rooms
o 35-50 competition rooms
o Large fellowship area/gym for families to gather before & between rounds (should seat ~200)
o Large room for judges (should seat about ~80)
Tournament Finances/Budget

Each tournament should stand on its own financially.

Tournament Fees: Tournament fees are not standardized, however standardizing on the same fees as other
qualifying tournaments in your State should help your tournament break even. If you charge too much people will
decide to go elsewhere but if you charge too little, you will know better next time.
The cost of the facility is typically the largest expense. Depending on the # of participants you can accommodate
(based on # of competition rooms) and tournament participation during previous seasons, try to estimate # of
attendees. Use the Sample Budget in the Appendix at the end of this document to estimate expenses and base
the tournament fees of the income needed for your tournament to break even. $25-35/debater and $1015/speech event is reasonable.

Multi-club sponsorships: As tournaments get larger it becomes more challenging for a single club to host them,
therefore multi-club sponsorships are recommended. Clubs work out profit sharing among themselves.

Donations: Try to secure donations from area wholesale stores for food and paper goods. Divide Judges
Hospitality meal slots among area club families to provide home-cooked meals to bless community judges and
lower tournament cost.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 5 of 96

Thank You Gifts: a Thank You gift of $500 to the Tournament Coordinator for a large tournament isn’t near
enough to pay him/her for their work, but it is enough to say thank you.
Tracking the Planning Process
The primary job of the Tournament Coordinator is the track the planning process during the 48-day cycle of a
tournament. Use the Tournament Checklist below to track the completion of each action item.
Tournament Checklist:
Day #
Status
ASSIGNED TO
ACTION ITEMS
Facility walkthrough: count tables, chairs, podium count, rooms and do initial
room assignments (Student gathering area, Judges Hosp etc)
1
Tourn Coord & Facility Coord
2
Facility Coord
Assess furniture & sound equipment needs – how much the facility can provide
and what needs to be brought in
2
Tourn Coord
Post Tentative Tourn Schedule
2
Tourn Coord
Staffing: area coordinator assignments (roles)
3
Tourn Coord
Recruit limited prep topic writers (preferably out of state or alum)
3
Parli Coord
Recruit parli resolution writers (preferably out of state or alum)
3
Judge Recruit Coord
Post an online Volunteer Community Judge Signup for families to start
recruiting community judges
3
Judge Recruit Coord
Send a Judge invitation template to area families to use to recruit community
judges
4
Student/Lunch Dinner coord
Submit Lunch/Dinner menu/pricing for the Registration Form to Registration
Coord
4
Banquet Coord
Submit Banquet menu & pricing for the Registration Form to Registration Coord
4
Housing Coord
Send hotel info to Registration Coord (for registration form)
5
Registration Coord
Online Registration information finalized (include event registration, family food
orders, hotel info & host housing contact info)
6
Registration Coord
REGISTRATION OPENS
7
Hosp Coord
Divide Judge Hospitality meal slots among area clubs
7
Hosp Coord
Start working on donations from area retailers (Wal-mart, Sam's, Costco etc)
7
Facility Coord
7
Timer Coord
7
Facility Coord
Check w/ clubs to get a timepiece count (how many timepieces can each club
contribute?)
Check w/ area clubs to get a furniture & equipment count - how tables, chairs,
podiums etc each club contribute vs what needs to be rented
7
all coordinators
Area Coordinators finalize their teams. Coordinators submit the names/email
addr of the people staffing their team to the Tourn Coord
7
Registration Coord
Process waitlisted families
8
Registration Coord
Post Registration checklist - update daily
20
Registration Coord
REGISTRATION CLOSES
21
Registration Coord
Send registration data to the Tournament Coord (TC)
21
Registration Coord
Send student club and event info to TAB (& parent names for judges)
21
Registration Coord
Send Lunch & dinner orders to Lunch Coord
21
Registration Coord
Send Banquet orders to Banquet Coord
21
Registration Coord
Send registration info (incl student/parent name, club & meal info) to Admin
Coord to make nametags, meal tickets & participation certificates
21
Registration Coord
Send participant names & event info to Check-in & Script Submission Coords
21
Registration Coord
Send list of area club families attending to Facility Coord for cleanup
assignments
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Distribute Facility map w/ room #'s to coordinators
Page 6 of 96
Day #
Status
ASSIGNED TO
ACTION ITEMS
Send list of parli teams to the Parli Coord
21
Registration Coord
21
Parli Coord
22
Tourn Coord, Facility Coord,
Parli Coord
22
Awards Coord
22
Tourn Coord
22
Registration Coord
23
Judge Recruit Coord
23
Tourn Coord
Email staffing list to entire tourn staff for verification
24
Hosp Coord
Submit the compiled meal schedule (w/ names of servers from each club
scheduled in each time slot) to TC
24
Tourn Coord
Impromptu topic reminders
24
Hall Monitor coord
24
all coordinators
Submit estimated expenses.
27
Awards Coord
Finalize Awards counts per event with Tourn Coord & place the order (submit
cost estimate to Tourn Coord)
27
Facility Coord
Distribute facility setup/cleanup assignments to families
30
Tourn Coord
Send IMP topics to TAB Director
30
Tourn Coord & TAB Director
30
Tourn Coord
Send room assignment sheet to TAB, Facility, Timer & Hall Monitor coord
30
Admin Coord
Copies: Ballots, Tourn sched, maps, flow sheets, time sheets, judge "dance"
cards etc
30
Admin Coord
Supplies: paper clips, case white paper, sharpies, manilla envelopes, avery
addr labels, pens etc for Judges room etc
30
Tab Director
Compile Apol topics per round (each round is a mix from each category)
30
Tab Director
Setup JOT software w/ competitors, rooms, judges
32
Facility Coord
Complete Indoor & outdoor signs for tournament
32
Timer Coord
Put together Timer Assignment sheets for each round
32
Timer Coord
Assemble Timer packets for each room (timepiece, timer sheet, pencil,
sanitizer)
32
Admin Coord
Student packets completed + Nametags: students, staff
33
Facility Coord
Notify club families of the Facility setup day/time
33
Tourn Coord
Notify coordinators of the arrival time at the facility on Tournament Day
33
Tourn Coord
Send conference call reminder to all area coordinators
33
Tourn Coord
Send Extemp topics reminder to Extemp topics team
33
Tourn Coord
Send parli topics reminder to parli topics team
33
Hall Monitor coord
33
Facility Coord
33
all coordinators
34
Judge Recruit Coord
send comm judge round sheet (judges per round) to TAB & Ballot Admin
34
Judge Recruit Coord
Send judges cell#'s to Ballot Collection Coordinator
34
Awards Coord
35
Parli Coord
35
Extemp topics team
35
Housing Coord
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Coord parli process w/ Tourn Coord (Room assignments, postings, topic
announ, open prep, hall monitoring etc)
Preliminary event room assignments
Get prelim award counts from Tourn Coord, shop for best trophy prices
Setup TD meeting w/ all coordinators (free Tele-conference#: (605) 475-4800,
Access Code: 528488#)
Deposit tournament fees - track budget
Set community judge recruiting target based on # of events per round. Update
area families weekly on recruiting progress
Send out walkie-talkie request to area club leaders (need 12-15)
Finalize event room assignments (TAB)
Send walkie talkie reminder to families bringing them
Send sound equipment and furniture reminder to those bringing them (tables,
chairs, podiums)
STAFF Meeting (Tele-conference) - step thru the tournament day 1-3 process
Pickup & verify awards (counts per each)
Submit parli topics to Tab
Submit Extemp topics to Tab
Complete host housing arrangements/matchups
Page 7 of 96
Day #
Status
ASSIGNED TO
ACTION ITEMS
35
Judge Recruit Coord
Send Judges reminders
35
Judge Recruit Coord
Print Judge signin sheets
35
Tourn Coord
36
Judge Recruit or Admin Coord
36
Tourn Coord
37
Lunch/Dinner coord
37
Hosp Coord
39
all coordinators
39
Facility Coord & area clubs
39
Extemp Room Proctor
39
Admin & Tab Coord
39
Facility, Hospitality, Hall
Monitor Coord
39
Admin Coord
39
Check-in Coord
39
Script Submission Coord
Setup script submission table & Education table (w/ bins for speech scripts)
beside Check-in
39
Timer Coord
Put timer Packets (w/ timepiece, Timesheets, pencil) in each event room (TP
pkts in TP rooms, LD pkts in LD rooms etc)
39
Tab Director
Setup Tab room (see Tab Logistics section of the Handbook)
39
Tab Director
Pre-set first 2 Debate & prelim IE rounds & enter judges info into JOT
Awards Coord
Send Morning Announcements, complete staffing sheet w/ cell#s, room
assignments, maps etc to TD
Print/assemble nametags for parent & comm judges
Send final meal order counts to Lunch/Dinner coord
Lunch/dinner & banquet purchases (can drinks, chips, napkins etc)
Judges Hosp purchases (coffee, water, food basics)
SETUP - Day before the Tournament
setup all rooms
Setup Extemp room - need white board & clock
BRING copies (ballots etc), food, supplies, ballot sorter etc to church/setup
BRING Tables, podiums, timepieces, food for hospitality & walkie-talkies!
Deliver Student packets to Check-in Coord
Setup Check-in stations by lastnames - need a "Drops/Money Issues" line
Store awards in the TAB room
39
Tourn Coord
Put refund checks in Student packets
39
Tourn Coord
Facility payment to church
40-43
all staff
40-43
Tourn Dir
40-43
Check-in Coord team
40-43
Check-in Coord
40-43
Script Submission Coord
40-43
Tourn Dir
40-43
Timer Table
Last minute lunch/dinner and Banquet orders
40-43
Hosp Coord
Oversee club hospitality teams during tournament
40-43
Timer Coord
Recruit timekeepers, conduct timer orientations & assignments before each
round
40-43
TAB team
40-43
Judge Greeter
40-43
Parli Coord
40-43
Tourn Dir
40-43
Ballot Admin
40-43
Ballot Collect
Tournament Day
Keep tourn on schedule, enforce facility rules etc
Greet students! Students pick up their Student Packet, verify the events they
are competing & initial beside their name.
Notify Tab of last minute drops
Review interp & platform scripts according to checklist. Direct students w/
incomplete scripts to the education table
Greet families! Morning Prayer & Announcements
Put up postings, tally results, ballot copies/packets
Greet judges: sign them in, give them their nametag & usher to JO
Conduct Parli Orientation, announce parli topics before each round, oversee
enire parli process
Signal the start of the next round
Assign/distribute ballots in a timely manner while verifying judge constraints
Collect & check ballots for accuracy, submit double-checked ballots to Tab in a
timely manner. Turnaround comm judges for next round asap
Check rooms for judge/timer/competitors before each round to help rounds start
on time. Keep hallways clear during rounds. Empty rooms after rounds etc
40-43
Hall Monitor coord
40-43
Lunch/Dinner coord
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Distribute Lunch & dinner orders to attending families at meal time
Page 8 of 96
Day #
Status
ASSIGNED TO
ACTION ITEMS
Keep a variety of food well-stocked in the Judges Hospitality Room
40-43
Hosp team
40-43
JO team
40-43
Facility Coord
40-43
Extemp Room Proctor
40-43
Adjudication Committee
40-43
all coordinators
Turn in receipts for tourn expense reimbursement to Tourn Coord
42
Banquet Coord
Banquet: setup, food, décor & entertainment
42-43
Tourn Dir
Announce outround breaks
42-43
Tourn Dir
Award ceremony
43
Awards Coord
Setup awards
43
all club families
Cleanup - all area club families per cleanup assignments
44
Tab Director
Post results to www.speechranks.com
46
Judge Recruit Coord
Thank you letters to community judges
48
Tourn Coord
Thank you letters to staff
48
Tourn Coord
Budget reconciliation/wrap-up
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Conduct the 20 min. Judges Orientation before each round
Facility maintenance (restrooms etc), check bathroom supplies, enforce facility
rules
Conduct Extemp Orientation and Monitor the Extemp Prep room
Resolve issues that come up during the tournament
Page 9 of 96
Tournament Schedule
The Tournament Coordinator will determine which speech and debate events will be offered (e.g. TP, LD, parli, IE’s)
and the number of prelim and elimination rounds that can fit within the hours the facility is available each day. The TC
will put together a Tournament Schedule staging rounds with enough buffer to allow for unexpected delays (e.g. 2hrs
per speech round, 1.75hrs per double-flighted debate round).
A draft version of the Tournament Schedule should be sent to the Tab Director for review, and then the schedule can
be published on the Tournament website so families can begin to make travel plans. Sample Tournament Schedules
are available in the Appendix at the end of this document.
Tournament Size
The # of students a Tournament can accommodate is directly proportional to the # of competition rooms available for
each round. For example, a tournament with 30 competition rooms could be divided as follows:
TP/LD rounds:
TP 20 rooms = 40 teams (80 TP debaters)
LD 10 rooms (double-flighted) = 40 LDers
PattA/Parli rounds:
15 rooms = 30 parli teams (60 debaters)
7 rooms = IMP (56 speakers)
2 rooms = HI (16 speakers)
2 rooms = DI (16 speakers)
4 rooms = Pers (32 speakers)
PattB:
9 rooms = Apol (72 speakers)
4 rooms = OI (32 speakers)
3 rooms = OO (24 speakers)
7 rooms = Ext (35 speakers)
3 rooms = DUO (24 speakers)
2 rooms = Expos (16 speakers)
Assuming most competitors participate in 2-3 events, thirty rooms could accommodate ~200 competitors.
Staffing
Early in the planning process, the TC recruits experienced parents to staff each of the Leadership Roles. Staffing is one
of the most important factors in providing an excellent tournament experience for participating families. Area
coordinators must be trustworthy, committed individuals with a strong organizational gifting who are capable of
completing their responsibilities with minimal oversight.
Encourage area leaders to recruit volunteers from a variety of clubs for their teams, especially teams that handle
ballots such as Tab, Ballot Administration, Ballot Collection and Judges Orientation. When multiple clubs are
represented on each of these teams, it avoids the appearance of evil or the sense that one club is dominating a key
area of the tournament.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 10 of 96
Limited Prep Topics
Impromptu - the Tournament Coordinator will collect impromptu topics from 2-3 outside sources (e.g. books of
famous quotes, websites, English teachers, speech coaches in other States, impromptu speaking alumni). The
Tournament Coordinator will combine the topics submitted and divide them into 12 questions for each prelim and
elimination round. Submit the topics to the Tab Director a couple weeks before the tournament, who will prepare the
envelopes for each round.
Extemp - the Tournament Coordinator will accumulate 15-18 Extemp questions (3 per speaker) for each prelim and
elimination round from 2-3 outside sources (e.g. out-of-State Extemp coaches, proven Extemp alumni). Extemp
questions should be recent (current events within the last 90 days) and relevant. Questions should be worded in a
way that reflects recent developments about the topic. The Tournament Coordinator will format the questions
submitted (3 per speaker) and send them the Tab Director a week before the tournament.
Note: The Extemp Room Proctor will need a copy of the Extemp questions and Extemp postings before each round to
prep for Extemp check-in in the Prep room.
Apologetics: The Apologetics topics for each round should be a mixture from all 5 categories listed on the usa website
(not just one category per round). Since the topics are already written, the Tournament Coordinator may ask the Tab
Director (or out-of-state Apologetic coaches) to select 12 questions for each prelim and elimination round. Submit the
topics to the Tab Director a couple weeks before the tournament, who will prepare the envelopes for each round.
Adjudication committee
Prior to the tournament, the Tournament Coordinator invites the TD and ~3 other experienced tournament
administrators from other clubs to serve on the Adjudication committee (for a total of 5). When multiple clubs are
represented, it avoids the sense that one club is dominating a key area of the tournament.
The responsibility of the Adjudication committee is to handle and resolve disputes or rule violations that occur during
the tournament. Having other experienced Tournament Coordinators/Directors sit on the Adjudication committee
provides consistency in the resolution of issues from tournament to tournament. Not all committee members need
to be present for the committee to discuss & reach resolution (e.g. the TAB Director may not be available during
tabulation crunch periods).
Adjudication committee discussions and resolution should be documented by the Tournament Coordinator and kept
confidential to protect the privacy of the families involved.
Tab files
The Tournament Coordinator ensures that the Tab files/results are sent to league officials within 2 days of the
completion of the tournament, to be posted on Speechranks (if applicable). Speechranks publishes the top 85%,
keeping private the results of novice competitors that may not have done well.
Thank You Cards
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 11 of 96
The TC is encouraged to send Thank You cards to area coordinators for their time and leadership that made the
tournament a success. Below is a sample card:
2010 Alamo Qualifier
Oct. 21-23
For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the
same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members
one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of
us is to exercise them accordingly.
Rom 12:4-6
Thank you for serving!
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 12 of 96
3. Tournament Director (TD)
Responsibilities:
 Keep the tournament running on time!
 Oversee/Direct all areas during the tournament
 Greet families!
 Answer Tab questions
 Adjudication
 Approve judge panels for outrounds
Qualifications
The TD should be a dad who has attended tournaments in the past and is very familiar with the process. He is
responsible for the integrity of the tournament process (esp. Tab, Ballot Admin, Ballot collect), must be committed to
providing an excellent experience for the attending families and staying on schedule.
Greet families! The Tournament Director welcomes attending families and seeks to create an environment for each
family to enjoy a quality competitive experience. He is accessible and ready to answer questions that parents and
students have during the tournament.
Tournament Director vs Tournament Coordinator
The Tournament Coordinator (TC) plans the tournament and the Tournament Director (TD) executes the plan. The
week before the tournament, the TC gathers all the area leads/coordinators (via conference call or online meeting) to
run through the tournament process from beginning (check-in) to end (Awards & cleanup) with the Tournament
Director. This meeting marks the beginning of the TD’s role.
The TD is the leader of the tournament staff – he oversees the entire process to ensure each part is functioning well.
He does announcements each day to provide direction to attending families, signals when each round is to start and
makes key decisions affecting the overall process.
During the tournament, the job of the Tournament Coordinator (TC) is to assist the TD wherever he/she can and serve
on the Adjudication committee. After the tournament is over, the TC wraps up remaining loose ends (budget,
reimbursements, posting results etc).
Keep the tournament running on time!
All areas of the tournament are essential, however, the following areas must function with a high degree of excellence
for the tournament to run on-time:
1. Judges Room (JO, Ballot admin, Ballot collect)
2. TAB
3. Timer Table
4. Hall Monitors
The TD has the big picture in mind – he knows what time rounds got started, what rooms started late, what issues Tab
is working on etc. He works closely with area coordinators to make adjustments as needed to ensure a quality
experience for participating families. For example, there may be times when the TD asks Tab to post the next round a
few minutes early or the JO team to clip through the Orientation a little faster or Ballot Admin to hold the
ballots/judges a few extra minutes or Hall Monitors to escort judge panels to the Judge’s Room after a round etc.
Each of these area leads must be flexible and ready to respond to TD cues to keep the tournament running smoothly!
Another key factor in keeping the tournament running on time is judges! See Judge Recruiting for guidelines on the
number of judges to recruit in order to keep the tournament running on time!
Openness & Transparency
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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During the course of the tournament, the Tournament Director should be forthcoming with information he thinks may
be of interest to attending families including:
 # of competitors in each debate event
 Special considerations for highly ranked competitors
 What Tab software is being used
 How pairings are done for each round – random, power-matched within brackets, high-low etc.
 Records breaking to outrounds
Tab Questions
Occasionally, the Tournament Director may be called upon by the Tab Director to make decisions concerning Tab
options. Decisions should be made “blind” whenever possible, meaning the TD is not aware of the names of the
students affected by his decision in order to assure fairness and integrity in the Tab process.
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4. Admin Coordinator
The Administrative Coordinator is responsible for the following:
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Office supplies
Student Packets – nametag (with Tournament schedule on back), tent card, lunch/dinner tickets
Lunch/dinner Tickets
Nametags - students, parents, judges
Copies – Debate & IE ballots, flow sheets, time sheets
Signs – including facility maps posted around building
Supplies
The Admin Coordinator should get a list of the needed supplies from the Tab Director, Judge Coordinator and Timer
Coordinator and purchase them before the tournament. Office supplies include copier paper (case), legal size copy
paper, cardstock, manila envelopes, plastic nametag holders, paper clips, toner, pens, sharpies, staples/stapler,
colored markers, masking tape, blue painter’s tape, Calculator, ballot sorters/bins,
The Tournament Coordinator should approve the shopping list. Be sure to submit your receipts to the Tournament
Coordinator for reimbursement.
Note: The Judges Room should have ample supply of pens for judges (no pencils!).
Nametags
Supplies needed: printer, cardstock and plastic badge holders
Color-coded Nametags are needed for:
Competitors (white) – names provided by the Registration Coordinator
Parent judges (blue) – names & club affiliation provided by the Registration Coordinator
Community judges (green) – names provided by the Judges Recruiting Coordinator
Tournament staff (gold) – names, title & club affiliation provided by the Tournament Coordinator
After Registration closes, the Registration Coordinator will provide an excel sheet with the name and club affiliation of
all the participants & parent judges. The Judge Recruiting Coordinator will provide a list of the community judges and
the Tournament Coordinator will provide a list of tournament staff.
The Admin Coordinator should print participant, parent, staff and community judge nametags. The nametags should
be double-sided with the information below on the front and the Tournament Schedule on the back:
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Name of individual
Position of the individual (Judge/Competitor/Tournament Staff)
Name, date, and location of the Tournament
A small graphic (a unique logo can be added to the front of the nametag representing the tournament theme)
A sample nametag template is included in the Appendix at the end of this document. The nametag template can be
setup to mail merge student, parent & judge names from the spreadsheet for printing nametags. Note: in some cases
the Judge Recruiter may prefer to print the judge’s nametags since that data tends to be fluid.
Once the nametags are printed, they are cut and inserted in the plastic badge holders.
Student nametags are then placed in the Student Packets (mentioned below). Staff and Judge nametags are placed in
the Judge’s Room the day before the tournament where parent/community judges check-in the first day of the
tournament.
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Tent-cards
Tent-cards (or name placards) are for debaters to use during their rounds and should be placed in each debater’s
Student Packet. The Admin Coordinator receives the list of registered debaters from the Registration coordinator and
prints a tent-card for each debater (see Sample in the Appendix at the end of this document).
Meal Tickets
Supplies needed: Printer and colored paper
Families will purchase meal tickets when they register for the tournament online. The Registration Coordinator will
provide a list of families who ordered lunch/dinner tickets and the quantity of each. Include family meal tickets in one
family member’s Student Packet. Please use bright colored paper for meal tickets, so they will be easy to find inside
the Student Packet.
Student Packets
The Admin Coordinator is responsible for making the Student Packets which include Student nametags, tent-cards,
and meal tickets for the tournament.
Supplies needed: Manila Envelopes, nametags in plastic holders, tent-cards, meal tickets
The first morning of the tournament, participants will receive their Student Packets (in a manila envelope) containing:
1. Nametag
2. Tent card (for debaters only)
3. Meal tickets
Student packets can be sorted alphabetically or by club and labeled with the Student’s name & Club Affiliation. The
packets should be delivered to the Check-in Coordinator the day before the Tournament begins, during facility setup.
Copies
Supplies needed: laser printer, copier paper
Most of the tournament forms to be copied are located on the league’s website. A sample tent-card and Judge
Tracking card (dance card) are located in the Appendix at the end of this document.
After registration closes, the Registration Coordinator will send the list of debate and IE competitors to the Tab
Director so the The Tab Director can determine the # of ballots needed for each event. The Tab Director will send the
# of ballot copies needed for each event and an estimate of the number of Timer sheets and Flow-sheets needed.
Debate Ballots: Lincoln-Douglas, Parliamentary and Team Policy
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Ballot PDFs are on the league’s website.
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There are several versions of the ballots, so check with your Tab Director to be sure to print the correct ballots.
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All LD, Parli and TP ballots should be printed on white 8.5” X 11” paper before the tournament begins.
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Store each kind of ballot in a separate, labeled box.
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Label the boxes “LD Ballots,” “Parli Ballots,” and “TP Ballots”
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Debate Ballots should be stored in the Tab Room before the tournament begins.
Debate Flowsheets for Judges: Lincoln-Douglas, Parliamentary and Team Policy
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These documents are on the league’s website
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Print on white 8 ½ x 11 inch paper (parli, LD) or 8 ½ x 14 inch paper (TP) before the tournament
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Flowsheets should be stored at the Ballot Administration Table and the Judge Orientation Room during the
tournament.
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Debate Timer Sheets: Lincoln-Douglas and Team Policy
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Print these from the league’s website
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Print these on white 8 ½ x 11 inch paper
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Print enough of these for each preliminary debate round and all out-rounds
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Print these in Black & White, whether or not they are color or black and white on the website
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Timer Sheets should be stored at the Timer Table during the tournament
Speech ballots
Speech ballots should be printed on colored paper by individual event (see Sample copy list below). All speech ballots
need to be sorted into packets of 8 individual ballots, except Extemp ballots. Extemp ballots need to be sorted into
packets of 5 or 6 individual ballots. Check with the TC or Tab Director to find out if extemp will have 5 or 6
competitors per room.
Do not attach the Judges worksheet to the Individual ballots. The Tab Director will print these separately with the
student names on the Judges Worksheet.
Copies of ballots are to be delivered to the Tab Director and Time Sheets to the Timer Coordinator a couple weeks
before the tournament. The Judge’s Room copies are to be delivered to the Judges Room during setup the day before
the tournament.
Reminders
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Paper Size and Color
IE: colors, 8 ½ x 11
LD: white, 8 ½ x 11 for ballots
Parli: white, 8 ½ x 11 for ballots
TP: white, 8 ½ x 11 for ballots
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If Tournament Coordinator wants to print up 8 ½ x 14 flowsheets for debate judges, this needs to be done BEFORE
the tournament. The printers and copier in TAB may not be able to print 8 ½ x 14 sized paper.
See Tab Logistics located in the TAB Director role description of this Handbook for additional details on copying and
organizing ballots
Sample Copy List
The following is a list of estimated copy counts for events given the sample Tournament with 30 events rooms
described in the Tournament Coordinator chapter.
Paper
Color
AREA
IE Timer sheet/cards
White
Timer Table
Debate Timesheet - TP
White
Timer Table
Debate Timesheet - LD
White
Timer Table
FORM
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Flow sheets - TP
White
Judges Room
Flow sheets - LD
White
Judges Room
Flow sheets - Parli
White
Judges Room
Cardstock
Judges Room
Tournament Schedules
White
Judges Room
Speaker point guide
White
Judges Room
TP Debate Ballots
White
Tab
LD Debate Ballots
White
Tab
Parli Debate Ballots
White
Tab
Apologetics
Gold
Tab
Dramatic Interpretation
Blue
Tab
Duo Interpretation
Green
Tab
Expository
Aqua
Tab
Extemp
Pink
Tab
Humorous Interpretation
Gray
Tab
Off White
Tab
Purple
Tab
Original Oratory
Yellow
Tab
Persuasive
Orange
Tab
Judge Tracking card (dance card)
Impromptu
Open Interpretation
Signs
Depending on the size and layout of the facility, signs will be used to help everyone (esp. judges) find their way
around the facility. Specifically, signs will be needed in the following areas:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Speech Rooms (Extemp Prep, Expos staging, IE event rooms)
Hallways – specifying the direction of hard to find room #’s
Quiet in the Hallways
Tab Room – Authorized Personnel ONLY
Judges Room – directing judges from the parking lot to the Judges Room
Parking Lot – welcoming families and directing community judges to the Judges Room
Work with the Facility Coordinator to mount signs the day before the tournament during facility setup.
5. Adjudication Committee
Prior to the tournament, the Tournament Coordinator invites the TD and ~3 other experienced tournament
administrators from other clubs to serve on the Adjudication committee (for a total of 5). When multiple clubs are
represented, it avoids the sense that one club is dominating a key area of the tournament.
The responsibility of the Adjudication committee is to handle and resolve disputes or rule violations that occur during
the tournament. Having other experienced Tournament Coordinators/Directors sit on the Adjudication committee
provides consistency in the resolution of issues from tournament to tournament. Not all committee members need
to be present for the committee to discuss & reach resolution (e.g. the TAB Director may not be available during
tabulation crunch periods).
Adjudication committee discussions and resolution should be documented by the Tournament Coordinator kept
confidential to protect the privacy of the families involved.
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Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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6. Awards Coordinator
The Awards Coordinator selects and purchases the awards for the tournament. The Awards Coordinator is responsible
for:
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Working with the TC to decide what awards to buy
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Ordering & verifying the Awards
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Setting up the awards before the Award Ceremony
Budget: allocated by the Tournament Coordinator (~$300-$1000 depending on # of competitors)
All competitors that make it into the elimination rounds will be recognized with a trophy and/or certificate. The
Tournament Coordinator (TC) will provide direction on the type and estimated number of awards for each level of
achievement. For example students that break to elimination rounds might receive a certificate, students that
advance to the top 8 might receive a medal and the top 3 finishers might receive cups, plaques or gavels. The TC will
also provide the content of the engraving on the awards.
Shop around to find pricing information from 2-3 vendors. Select trophies & medals with distinction given to higher
placements (e.g. 1st place trophy nicer than 2nd or 3rd place). Samples are typically available at Trophy shops and most
stationary or office supply stores. Avoid trophies that have male or female characteristics as there is no way to predict
how many of each type will be needed.
Crown Trophy has done a great job in previous years and is usually a good choice (www.crowntrophy.com).
Order the awards: Depending on the prices, the TC may adjust the type of trophy and/or placements awarded. Get
the final counts of each type of award (cups, gavels, medals etc) from the TC then place the order with the selected
vendor 3- 5 weeks before the tournament. Remember to order two awards per Parliamentary, Team Policy and DUO
team. Notify the Tournament Coordinator of the actual cost - to be added to the Tournament Budget.
Pick up the awards at least a week before the tournament to allow time to correct mistakes. Count and check each
trophy for accuracy to verify that the delivery matches the order. Ensure that they include the name of the
sponsoring organization, the date of the tournament and the placement. For example:
First Place Team Policy Speaker
DFW National Open
March 16-19, 2011
Bring the awards to the tournament facility the first day of the tournament and store them in the Tab room until it’s
time to setup for the Awards ceremony.
Display the awards attractively on tables in the room designated for the Awards ceremony before the final debate
rounds are scheduled to begin.
Note: Certificates are handled by the TAB room
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HOW TO STAGE AN AWARDS CEREMONY
By Melrae Ambs
The awards coordinator has the fun job of creating an awards ceremony that fits the theme of the tournament, the
vision of the coordinator, and the budget of the home-school community.  From extravagant to simple, strive to
create a memorable awards ceremony.
ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS
Early in the process, visit with the Tournament coordinator. Ask questions to determine the ‘flavor’ of the ceremony.
Here are some starters:
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What is the name, date, and location of the tournament? (e.g. Lonestar National Tournament of Champions,
Keller TX, March 16-19th) – you need this for inscribing the awards.
What events are you offering? (Debate only? Speech only? Debate plus limited speech? Everything?)
How many students are you expecting? How many rooms are available?
Do you have a tentative schedule? May I see it? Where does the award ceremony occur?
What is the location of the facility? What is the facility like? (Church, university, one large building, several
disconnected buildings?)
Where will the awards ceremony take place? (in the common gathering area, in a separate area only used at
awards time)
Is there anything special to note about the facility? (Sound system available, power point projection possible,
stage, no students allowed in awards room until awards, must be out by 9 pm, etc.)
When would you like the awards setup? (Usually the awards are setup the last day of the tournament, in a
safe-from-small-hands, but visible location.)
Do you have a theme or colors? (e.g. Lonestar, western, bluebonnets, red bandanas; Winter, snowflakes,
angels; Formal, stars, navy, silver, and black)
Are there any special awards or recognition? (timers, green team, character awards, tournament
director/coordinator thank you) If so, who is the contact person for those awards? (Timer coordinator, etc.)
Do you already have ideas for the awards? (trophies, medals, plaques, gavels, or a combination)
Do you have a budget in mind? (Either a total or per award price)
What places will be awarded?
Find out from the Tournament Coordinator what places will be recognized. A simple chart can help track this
information.
Here’s an example:
Event
# Students
Trophies
Medals
Certificates
Parli
24
1-4 (order two)
5-8 (order two)
9-12 (print two)
Parli Speaker
24
1 plaque, 2-3 trophy
5-8
9-16
LD
20
1-4
5-8
9-10
LD Speaker
20
1 plaque, 2-3 trophy
5-8
9-12
TP
52
1-4 (order two)
5-8 (order two)
9-16 (print two)
TP Speaker
52
1 plaque, 2-3 trophy
5-8
9-24
Apologetics
36
1-4
5-8
9-12
Dramatic
20
1-4
5-8
9-10
Duo
24
1-4 (order two)
5-8 (order two)
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The numbers all come from the tournament coordinator, and the numbers are estimates until you place the final
order. This estimation is necessary to put together a price quote. More on that in the next section. 
GETTING AN ESTIMATE
Put your information together in a simple chart or list. Search online to get ideas for medals and trophies that fit the
theme and fit speech and debate. Avoid male or female, unless you can find a medal that has both. Try to find a
medal or trophy topper that will be unique to this tournament. Go to two or three local vendors and discuss the
awards needs. They will often have good suggestions to save money or make the event extra special. I like to use a
local company so that I’m sure we are communicating clearly about the order (this is a rather large, custom order to
place online), and so that corrections can be made easily without the hassle and time crunch of shipping. Here are
some points to consider:
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The taller the trophy, the more the cost. Extra features like a second trim column with 1st place also cost
more, but look really nice.
You can vary the color of the trophy base or the medal’s ribbon to coordinate with the tournament
colors/theme.
Ribbons can have different colors. Consider blue for first place medals, red for second, etc. If you have a
‘silver bracket’ you can have ribbons that are silver and blue, silver and red, etc. Juniors medals could have
their own color. (See App 1 Photos)
Depending on the company and the season, you may need a 2-3 week turn-around time on the order. Set the
deadline for one week before the tournament, so you have time to get any corrections made. Ask the vendor
if they can work in your time frame, and when they need final numbers from you.
Once you have estimates, have a phone meeting with the tournament coordinator. The TC may change the awards to
fit within the budget. Update the student numbers and awards needed accordingly. This phone call is a good time to
discuss the order of the award ceremony, and the TC’s vision for the awards ceremony. Type up a draft based on your
conversation, then send it back to the TC via email for further clarification. (See App B and C for samples of the Order
of Ceremony.)
Ask someone else to look over the order you will place, explaining the awards. This can help find any missing pieces –
be sure you order two sets of awards for parli, tp, and duo. If you have Juniors, ask the Juniors coordinator if any
students registered with a duo in interp. Discuss how to handle that potential award need. Place the order as late as
you can to ensure the most up-to-date student registration, yet allow the awards to arrive in a timely manner.
When the awards are ready, take them home and lay them out in an orderly fashion, double checking them against
your order and award chart. Read every inscription! Re-pack the awards carefully so they don’t get misplaced or
damaged en route to the tournament. Keep your receipt in an envelope with other awards receipts to submit to the
tournament staff for reimbursement.
SETTING THE STAGE
There are three areas to consider when ‘setting the stage’: the presentation area, the awards table, and the flow of
the ceremony.
PRESENTATION AREA
Before you start setting up the awards table, take a look at the stage, or the backdrop of the awards ceremony. Is it
attractive? Are there bulky or unsightly items that you can move before the presentation? Is there anything you can
incorporate for a nice backdrop? What can you do to create a memorable picture? At one tournament, we
positioned the table so there was a Christmas tree nearby. You can move free-standing flags or tall potted plants into
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the background. Often just adjusting the angle of a table or draping a tablecloth over a mess will create a cleaner
look.
Position the awards table(s) so the awards are highlighted, yet there is still a clear path for the students. The awards
coordinator needs to be able to move around the table yet not be blocking or bumping the students. Once a student
is receiving an award, he is the main focus. I like to put the table near the center back of the stage. This allows the
awards to show attractively before the ceremony, and gives room for students to walk in front of the table during the
ceremony. Smaller tournaments may put the awards table on one side of the stage, the announcer on the opposite
side, and arrange the students to stand center stage.
Take a step back and look critically at your setup. Is it centered? Or balanced? Consider how the students will
approach and leave the awards area. Is there a clear path? Do you have a place for the students to stand as a group
until their names are called? Is there a good place for a group picture or parents’ candid shots? Does the announcer
appear to have a pole coming out the back of his head? If so, can you move the podium to a better location?
AWARDS TABLE
The awards table can have some extra touches that continue the theme of the tournament. You can build from the
hospitality coordinators’ theme in the judge’s lounge and from your early discussion with the tournament director.
Use a tablecloth to create the base of your display, and hide the table (and boxes underneath). You may need more
than one table, depending on the number of awards for display. Tournaments offering only limited speech events, or
debate only may use one table. The January Classic, with all events offered, plus Juniors, required three six foot
display tables.
Decoration ideas: (See Appendix A: Photos)
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Alamo Area: casual style, red tablecloth (red, white, and blue tournament theme), baskets to hold the gifts for
green team, character awards, and first tournament recognition
Brenham Winter Meltdown: formal style, red velvet tablecloth, faux diamonds sprinkled among awards, silver
glitter angels decorated table, then given as awards for character
January Classic: formal style, white satin floor-length tablecloths, royal blue pintuck table-runner, and tall flower
arrangements in silver and blue to soften all the metal 
Boerne Tourney: casual style, navy blue tablecloth with burlap bags and red bandanas, large teddy bears to
wear/display tshirt awards, red boots as ‘vase’ for bluebonnets.
Laying Out Awards:
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Lay out the events in order of presentation. Here is one order:
o Timers, Green Team, Juniors, Speech Events in alphabetical order (Apologetics through Persuasive),
Lincoln Douglas Debate, Lincoln Douglas Speaker, Team Policy Debate, Team Policy Speaker, Parli Debate,
Parli Speaker. (See App B & C for suggested order)
o Always announce TP as late as possible, because this is the most time consuming event to tab.
Lay out the places in order of presentation. (See App A Photos)
o 1st place trophy at the back of the row, 2nd place trophy in front of 1st, 3rd place in front of 2nd, etc.
o With medals, pay attention to the ribbon attached to the medal. If an 8th place medal is the last place you
will award, that medal should be at the front of the table, with the ribbon laying above all the other
medals. That way, when you pick up the 8th place medal, it does not tangle in the other medals or
trophies.
o If you are awarding certificates for lower ranks, you can place the certificates on top of the medals at the
front of the table. Put the lowest place certificate (like 12th) on the top of the stack. (12, 11, 10, 9, etc.)
Now it’s a simple process of moving down the row, picking up the next award and handing it to the presenter. It’s
best to have the person who is setting up the awards table present during the ceremony. She can hand each
award to the presenter, who gives the award to the student. Depending on the size of the tournament, two
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presenters can add efficiency to the ceremony. The fourth person is the announcer, who will call out each event,
place, and winner.
REHEARSAL
After you have set the stage and the awards, find a quiet moment to walk the announcer (tournament director) and
presenters (tournament coordinators) through the ceremony. Give the tournament director a copy of the order of
ceremony (discussed later), and keep a copy for yourself. Show each person where they will stand, and walk them
through a sample presentation. Make changes as needed to the order of ceremony. You already set up the order
with the Tournament Coordinator in your preparation phone calls before the tournament.
COMMUNICATING WITH TAB
Once the first rounds are going smoothly, say hello to the tab team. Talk about what your needs for the ceremony,
and get a strong start to the tournament. Things can get really hectic in the tab room, so try to wait thoughtfully to
make requests and take as little space in the tab room as possible. I bring a laptop and flash drive to set up in a little
corner of the tab room. Then, as breaks occur, I can update any information I have, or make changes as needed.
Sometimes when students drop at a tournament, it changes how many awards are given. Work closely with the Tab
Team and the Tournament Coordinator on these numbers.
Tab Requests:
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LD, TP, and Parli speaker awards lists as soon as possible. (separate papers)
Certificates:
o Let the Tab Team know how many certificates you need for each event. For example:
 LD Debate: 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th (perhaps medals are given for 4th-1st)
 LD Speaker: 12th, 11th, 10th, 9th, 8th, 7th (perhaps medals are given for 6th-1st)
 Give tab a simple list like this, so they can have a quick reference.
o Once Tab gives you the certificates, look at each one. Check for:
 Proper event name, student name, and place award (double check against the list Tab gave
you – make sure the student name for 3rd place is the same on the Tab list and on the
certificate) (See Appendix D)
 Tournament director signature and date
 Make sure each certificate printed. (Sometimes there is a blank sheet, or a place left out.)
 This is a good time to add foil seals to the certificates, if desired.
o Hold on to the certificates confidentially until just before the awards ceremony. You cannot put them
on the display table, because then people will see some of the award winning names.
Final award list. One event per sheet of paper. For a full tournament, you may have 16 separate printouts
from Tab. One piece of paper says Apologetics at the top, then a list of student names from 1 to ???
(whatever place your tournament awards to). You will use these papers to create the final ceremony packet
for the Tournament Director. (See Appendix D)
o At the top of each of these papers, put a big number (I use a highlighter) to correspond with the Order
of Ceremony. For example, if Apologetics is the third event announced (after Timers and Juniors),
then I put a big neon 3 at the top of the page. Then stack all the papers together in the order they are
announced.
o This is key!!! It gets so crazy during the actual awards ceremony. Sometimes papers are dropped and
fall out of order. Please take the time to number these papers in put them in order.
o You will give this stack of paper to the Tournament Director, and he will announce names from here.
These papers go together with the Order of Ceremony you have already given to the TC.
DIRECTING THE CEREMONY
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Now’s when it gets crazy and fun! The awards ceremony is very exciting, and everyone wants it to move quickly yet
with appropriate fanfare. If you’ve done your preparations well, this part can flow very smoothly.  Once Tab
calculates the final results, let the show begin!
(Ladies take a minute to pop in the bathroom and freshen your makeup and hair. It’s been a long weekend, moms will
be taking pictures, and you’ll be ‘on stage’ with all those students in their tournament attire. )
The TD begins with opening prayer and announcements. The TC usually has announcements she wants made, plus a
few ceremony tips. The TD gives a brief flow for the awards ceremony, like the order of events, where the students
should stand before receiving their award, where they should exit the stage, and a good place/opportunity for parents
to take pictures. During this time the Awards Coordinator and Presenters usually stand unobtrusively to the side.
There are many ideas for running an efficient ceremony, but the following works well. The TD requests all finalists for
Apologetics proceed to the stage. The Awards Coordinator helps the students line up across the stage so that all
finalists are spaced nicely and visibly to the audience (shorter people in front if two lines, etc.). The TD begins
announcing from the lowest place through first place. As each student’s name is called, they step forward and the
Presenter hands the student the award. The Presenter should smile warmly, shake the student’s hand, and guide the
student to either exit the stage, or proceed to the photography site. The photography ‘site’ can either be the
opposite end of the stage, where the students will pose as a group of finalists for a picture, or can be a location just
off stage with good lighting and backdrop, where mom can snap a candid picture with the award.
Please be careful that every student that comes on stage receives recognition of some form – at least a certificate. Do
not leave a student standing on stage that received nothing. Sometimes we have requested the finalists PLUS these
three students, then named the students. That allows us to recognize more successful students, even if the
tournament schedule dictated fewer rounds of competition.
After the last event is awarded (usually 1st place Parli Speaker), the TD makes any final special awards (like character
awards), last announcements (like where to pick up ballots), and closes in prayer. Please see Appendices B and C for a
sample Order of Ceremony.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Plan a special thank you for the Tournament Director and Coordinator(s). Try to keep this a secret so no one feels
uncomfortable. The thank you can be a simple card passed around the tournament staff for the signature and notes.
You could include a gift card to a restaurant, or a homemade package of cookies. You could give a floral arrangement
you used on the awards table to the Tournament Coordinator to take home as a thank you gift. Be thoughtful and
creative! These thank-you’s can be announced at the very end of the ceremony, before the final announcements.
After the awards ceremony, return any unclaimed certificates and awards to the Tournament Coordinator. Pack up
your decorations and table cloths, and return the stage area to the pre-awards condition. (For example, if you moved
a flag pole, put it back in the original location.)
If you have any questions, please contact me! Happy Awards Ceremony and may the Lord bless you for investing in
the lives of students! MelRae Ambs at Melrae@ambschem.com
Photos
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Fourth place medal at front edge of table, ribbon on top. You can use the neck ribbon to show the place – like blue
ribbons for first place medals, red ribbons for second.
Flowers to soften up the hardware.  Tallest, first place trophy at the back of the row. Lay the 4th place medal down
first, followed by 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th at the front, with the ribbon leading to the back left if you are awarding from left to
right. This keeps the ribbons from tangling with each other and with the trophies awarded previously.
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Order of Ceremony, Full Events
Awards Ceremony
Lone Star National Tournament of Champions
Keller, TX
March 19, 2011
Cameras, parents front area…
Timer Awards – Timer Coordinator
Green Team – Green Team Coordinator (crisp green $1 each)
Character Awards – TD
Event Awards – Tournament Director
Speech Awards: Begin staging students at side. (If you broke to semi-finals in a speech event, gather at the right hand
side of the room when we announce your event. We will announce each place, and give award. Students come onto
stage to receive their award and exit the opposite side of the stage for pictures, then return to audience.)
SPEECH
Certificates
Medals
Trophies
Apologetics
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
DI
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
DUO
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
Expos
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
Extemp
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
HI
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
Impromptu
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
OI
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
OO
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
Pers
Semi-finalists 16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
Move into Debate Awards
DEBATE
LD
16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
LD speakers
16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
TP
16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
TP speakers
16th to 9th (certificates)
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd to 1st
Parli
16th
to
9th
(certificates)
Parli speakers 16th to 9th (certificates)
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Finalists:
8th
to
4th
Finalists: 8th to 4th
3rd
to
TWO OF EACH
1st
3rd to 1st
TWO OF EACH
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SPECIAL AWARDS
Character awards
gold angels - nominated by club coach
Director awards
student presentation (i.e. Thank you card with gift-card)
 Tournament Coordinator
 Tournament Director
CLOSING COMMENTS



Ballot location
Celebration Party to follow immediately
Closing Prayer
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7. Banquet Coordinator (optional)
The Banquet Coordinator is responsible for the food and entertainment during the banquet before breaks are
announced (see Tournament Schedule). Responsibilities include:
- Setup (food, extra tables, decorations, entertainment etc)
- Set tables (table cloths, paper goods, cutlery etc)
- Food
- Entertainment
Budget: banquet expenses (food, paper goods, decorations etc) should be covered 100% by banquet ticket sales.
Suggested ticket price: $8-9/meal.

Location: the banquet is typically held in the gym or a large fellowship area.

Theme: Submit the Tournament Theme to the Tournament Coordinator 6-8 weeks before the tournament,
including the logo or any artwork that can be used for nametags, tent cards & tournament signs.

Entertainment options must be approved by the Tournament Coordinator.

Food: Arrange for a caterer or solicit volunteers (friends or club families) to cook.

Meal suggestion: In the past, tickets were sold at $9/meal which included Sonny Bryan’s BBQ, beans, coleslaw,
macaroni & cheese, rolls, cobbler, tea/lemonade

Registration form: Submit Banquet menu and ticket pricing to the Tournament Coordinator a week before
registration is scheduled to open. Banquet information will be included on the Tournament Registration form.

Banquet Count: After Registration closes, the Registration Coordinator will provide a list of the families that have
ordered/paid for banquet tickets during Registration. Banquets tickets can also be sold during the tournament.

Banquet Tickets: The Admin Coordinator will print pre-ordered Banquet tickets to be included each Student’s
Packet.

Checklist: Print the list of the Banquet orders per family (including in-tournament orders). This will be used to
verify orders if family members come through the line without a ticket.

Setup any extra tables needed for food, drinks or entertainment, serving line, decorations and any equipment
required for entertainment.

Arrange for a team of servers to serve reasonable sized portions as patrons go through the line.

Submit all receipts to the Tournament Coordinator for reimbursement.
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8. Check-in Coordinator
The Check-in Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that all competitors are efficiently checked-in within the first 3045mins of the first morning of the tournament. Check-in includes:

Distributing Student Packets (with nametag & tournament Schedule on the back, meal tickets etc)

Verifying the events each student will compete in (record “drops”, no “adds” allowed)

Sending drops immediately to TAB
Staffing:
A smooth check-in is essential to getting the 1st round off on time and in turn getting the tournament off to a great
start. It’s important to have enough helpers to get this task done efficiently in the allotted time. A team of 5 helpers
would be ideal: 4 to run a check-in station (handing out Student Packets and recording drops) and one person to
rotate between stations to handle any registration discrepancies and notify TAB immediately of any debate “drops.”
Note: TAB needs to know about debate drops immediately since the first debate round is pre-set and will need to be
modified before the tournament can begin. Speech drops must also be recorded and submitted to TAB at the end of
Check-in.
Setup: The night before the Tournament, setup the Check-in Area near the front entry of the building that is easily
assessable to tournament participants.

Divide the Check-in area into 4 stations (depending on the number of students) by student last names (e.g. A-G, HN, O-S, T-Z).

Separate the Student Packets by last name, putting them at the assigned Check-in station. Put a RED pen at each
station for changes.

Get an updated Registration list from the Tournament Coordinator a couple days before the tournament. Divide
the list into 4 sections (by last name) to make a Registration Check-in List for each station (see sample below). The
Registration Check-in List should have the list of events each student is registered to participate in and a signature
box where students will initial to verify their participation in the events listed by their name.
SAMPLE REGISTRATION CHECK-IN LIST
Initials
Last
First
Allen
John
Baker
Paul
Carlson
Katie
Davis
Ed
Apol
DI
Duo
1
Exp
Ext
HI
OI
1
1
1
Imp
OO
Pers
1
1
1
1
1
1
TP
LD
TP partner
Sarah Smith
1
1
1
Duo Partner
Sue Clark
1
1
Caroline Bell
Check-in Process

Ask students to line up in the line serving their last name

For each student:
-
Give them their Student packet
-
Ask them to check if the events listed by their name on the Registration Check-in List is correct:
o
If yes, ask them to initial next to their name in the Signature box
o
If the Registration info is not correct, use the RED pen to note the changes - strikethrough the “1” and
put “0” for the events they want to drop, and add a “1” under the event they are supposed to be
registered in. Then ask them to initial next to their name in the Signature box.
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o
NOTE: students cannot ADD events during check-in (only drop). Put a “1” in a blank column only if the
student claims they have pre-registered for an event that is not reflected on your Checklist. This will
be verified by the Registration Coordinator & TAB before adding them to that event.

After Check-in closes, highlight or put a “not checked-in” note on the Registration Check-in List next to the names
of anyone who did not pick up their Student Packet.

Collect leftover Student Packets and the Registration Check-in List from each station (with the “drops”) and turn
them into TAB.
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9. Extemp Room Proctor
The responsibilities of the Extemp Room Proctor are to:

Ensure the Extemp Prep Room is setup properly

Conduct Extemp Orientation

Obtain Extemp Questions from the Tab Room before each round

Check students into the Extemp Prep Room a minute or so before their draw time

Monitor prep times (tardiness does not extend prep time)

Give verbal time reminders to competitors (the Official Clock must be visible to competitors at all times)
Supplies Needed
1. A clock needs to be visible to all competitors (digital timers must have a seconds counter)
2. White Board/chalk Board and markers or chalk
3. Copy of the Extemp Rules from the league’s website (study these ahead of time)
4. Phone number of Tournament Director in case of a problem
5. An Escort is needed to take speakers directly to their rooms when the 30 minute prep time is completed
6. Paper and pen for keeping track of time and reminders
Extemp Orientation
Prior to the start of the first round, the Extemp Room proctor will conduct a brief Orientation to familiarize
competitors with the rules & protocol of the Extemp room including the following instructions:

During the round, access to the Extemp Prep Room is controlled by the Extemp Room Proctor

Speakers will report to the Extemp Prep room to draw their questions a few minutes before the time designated
on the Extemp postings.

Tardiness will not extend prep time. If a student is late to the prep room, he will have less time to prepare his
speech in order to speak on schedule.

In the prep room, the student will receive three questions, all of which he may keep during his prep time. The
student must speak on one of the three assigned topics.

Speakers have 30 minutes from their assigned draw time to prepare a 7-minute speech using the information in
his file boxes. A clock will be visible at all times in the room.

Speakers may refer to published books, magazines, newspaper articles, and other written sources during prep
time. They may make notes on one 3x5 card to insure they have accurate information to use in citing sources they
will use in their speech.

All individual and club boxes must be labeled. Speakers are not allowed to use another club’s or individual’s box
without written permission from the club’s coach or the individual’s parent.

Speakers may not bring prepared speech outlines into the prep room nor ask for prep help or advice from anyone.
Be sure to discard old outlines and/or cards from previous speeches before entering the prep room.

Electronics (including computers) and/or collaboration with other speakers is forbidden during prep.

The extemporaneous speaker MUST TAKE A POSITION on his chosen question and support that position with
analysis and outside evidence (i.e. Question: Will NAFTA eliminate jobs in Mexico? “Yes because…” or “No
because…”
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
Competitors must receive permission to leave the Extemp prep room

After the 30minute prep is over, speakers are escorted to their assigned rooms to deliver their speeches.

The student may not listen to other competitors speaking before him in the room, however, he may stay after he
has given his speech to listen to subsequent speakers.
Extemp Prep Room Setup
Room Set-Up: the Extemp Prep room should be setup with six to eight foot tables, preferably one table per club, for
club boxes to sit on. Chairs should also be setup to seat competitors. For example, if there will be 8 rooms of Extemp
in the tournament, there might be 24 students prepping at once. Have a minimum of 28 chairs available. 4-5 chairs
per table usually works well. Consider traffic flow patterns in arranging the room as space permits:

Where will competitors draw their question slips?

Where will they wait until their draw begins?

Where will speakers gather as they wait to leave the prep room?

Where will the Escort meet the exiting competitors?
The Extemp Proctor’s Process
For each Extemp round:
1. Postings: check with the Tab Director to find out when to pick up questions and copies of the Extemp postings
(usually 15 minutes before the 1st draw time). Pickup 3 copies of the postings:

One copy to post outside the prep room

One copy for the room Proctor to write names and room numbers on question slips

One copy for the Escort as a guide for taking students to their assigned rooms
2. Prepare Questions: The Tab Director supplies the questions to the Room Proctor.

Ensure you have one copy of questions per room.

Cut questions into strips and group by speaker number.

On the back of each slip, write each competitor’s name and room number
3. Write Draw times on the White/Chalk Board – list Speaker number and assigned Prep Time in 10 minute
intervals.
Speaker 1
11:00 – 11:30
Speaker 2
11:10 – 11:40
Speaker 3
11:20 – 11:50
:
4. Check-in students:

Call Speaker 1 competitors into the room approximately 1 minute prior to the first draw time.

Begin the timer when the Official Clock is exactly the time of the first draw.

Announce “Draw 1”

Competitors will draw the slip with their name and begin their prep time.
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
“No Shows” should be reported to the Tournament Director.
5. Give verbal time reminders to competitors
Once the Round Starts:

Ask the next draw to come in approximately 1 minute prior to their draw time.

Announce the next Draw, and give any time reminders necessary. Use sample chart below to help keep
track of reminders.
o Example: “Draw 4. Speaker 1, your time is up. Speaker 2, you have 10 minutes remaining, Speaker
3, you have 20 minutes remaining.”

Time Reminders are given at 20 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 2 minutes, and Time. See sample chart
below.
6. Competitors are escorted to their rooms
As prep times end, Speakers should follow and stay with the Escort to their assigned rooms. The Escort
reports any missing competitors or other problems, and reminds competitors not to visit about their topics or
consult anyone for help while waiting for the room to open.
Extemp judges should be reminded by JO to accept speakers as they arrive so that later speakers are not given
an unfair preparation advantage.
Extemp Room Protocol

Once the preparation has started, only contestants should be allowed in the prep room.

The Official Clock must be visible to competitors at all times. A digital clock works better than some of the cheaper
clocks that are not very accurate with the hand placement.

Prep times begin on time. Tardiness does not extend prep time. It is not the room Proctor’s job to track down
competitors.

Competitors may return to re-file their articles and clean up their tables (Extemp Prep Room rules still apply – no
talking etc).

No electronic devices. Students often ask to use their cell phone to keep track of time, however they cannot. An
official clock will be visible at all times. Cell phones may have texting and internet capabilities which are difficult to
monitor. Therefore cell phones, ipods and all other electronic devices are not permitted.

No Prepared Speech Outlines: Extemp cards from previous speeches are considered Prepared Speech Outlines.
Competitors should be reminded to leave these outside the prep room before entering. Especially if rounds are
back-to-back, students need to be reminded before EACH DRAW to leave the cards from the previous round
outside the room. Outlines for debate and other events should not be present in the prep room either.

No Talking and Noise in the Prep Room: No talking in the Prep Room. Competitors may point to an article/file they
may need to share, but may not ask questions or help from anyone. Enforcing a No Talking/Noise rule provides a
fair environment for all competitors.

Club Boxes should not be picked up during Prep Time. Coaches, parents and students should be notified that
they may pick up boxes between rounds, but not once Prep Time has begun.
Sample Time Reminder Chart
The Timer is started as Draw 1 is announced. As each Draw and/or reminder is given, mark out the box in the grid to
indicate completion. For example, when the timepiece reads 0:20 the Prep Room Proctor says, “Draw 3. Speaker 2,
you have 20 minutes remaining. Speaker 1, you have 10 minutes remaining.” Then mark through those boxes to
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record that those reminders have been given. Competitors may ask how much time they have remaining - the Room
Proctor must quickly figure out how much time that speaker has.
Speaker Start Time:_____________
Draw
20 min.
10 min.
5 min.
2 min.
Time
1
:00
:10
:20
:25
:28
:30
2
:10
:20
:30
:35
:38
:40
3
:20
:30
:40
:45
:48
:50
4
:30
:40
:50
:55
:58
1:00
5
:40
:50
1:00
1:05
1:08
1:10
6
:50
1:00
1:10
1:15
1:18
1:20
7
1:00
1:10
1:20
1:25
1:28
1:30
Another option: Write the time (2:00, 2:10, 2:20, 2:25, etc) from the Official Clock in the grid. Use whichever helps you
keep track of time.
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10. Facility Coordinator
The Facility Coordinator is the liaison to the facility staff and is responsible for:








Facility search
Securing the furniture needed for the tournament (tables, chairs, podiums)
Securing the equipment (e.g. sound system)
Setup – before the tournament
Oversight of the facility during the tournament
Moving furniture during speech & debate rounds
Take Down – reset rooms after the tournament
Indoor & Outdoor Signs
Our goal is always to leave the facility better than we found it!
Facility Search
Facility searches should begin during the summer months or early in the school year since most large
churches/schools book up quickly. The ideal facility would be any large building (e.g. church, school) that meets the
following requirements:

Rooms
o 35-50 competition rooms
o Large fellowship area/gym for families to gather before & between rounds (should seat ~200)
o Large room for judges (should seat about ~80)

Day/Hours: Available Thursday – Saturday, 7:00am - 11:00 pm (or any 3 consecutive days) and open the day
before the tournament for ~3hours for setup (competition rooms, Judges Hospitality, JO, kitchen etc).
Preparing the Facility
Work with the facility staff to find out:
-
What rooms will be available?
-
Will the church provide restroom supplies?
-
Will the rooms be available for the entire day?
-
-
How many tables/chairs/podiums can the facility
provide?
Will tournament staff have access to a sound
system for announcements in the fellowship area
& the Sanctuary for Awards?
-
What rooms will food be allowed in?
-
-
Will tournament staff have access to a refrigerator,
kitchen utensils, cookware, serving bowls etc?
Will the facility or Tournament staff be responsible
for setup/take down? Or a combination of both
parties working together?
Secure whatever supplies the facility does not provide (additional tables, chairs, podium, bathroom supplies
etc).
Check with the facility staff on the policy for taping postings/papers to walls.
As the preparation for the tournament continues, the Facilities Coordinator will continue to work with the
building staff to answer any questions about the facility use.
Make sure you are familiar with the facility so that you can direct others and handle facility related problems.
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Furniture & Equipment Needs
Event Rooms: 2 tables (one for debaters, one for the judges/timer), 6 chairs in each (if extra chairs are available,
add more to each event room for audience members.
TAB: three 6 ft tables for computers/printers etc and one circle table for speech ballot packets
Judges Orientation: 60 chairs, whiteboard/screen, small table for projector
Judges Hospitality: 4-5 tables (depending on size) to serve food/drinks, 8-10 large tables with ~80 chairs to seat
judges while they eat and fill out ballots.
Gym/Fellowship Area: tables and chairs to seat 200-300 people
Podiums: All debate rooms need to be equipped with podiums
Sound system: a microphone is needed in the Gym/Fellowship area for announcements and in the room where
the Awards ceremony will be held.
Contact club leaders from areas clubs to get additional tables, chairs & podiums if needed.
Room Assignments
Work with the Tournament Coordinator to assign the following rooms and locations:
Rooms
Gathering Room/Fellowship area
Locations
Competition rooms (for speech and debate)
Timer Table Location
Tab room
Hall Monitor Table Location
Judges Hospitality Room
Check-in Table Location
Judges Orientation Room
Ballot Administration Location
Kitchen
Ballot Collection Location
Expository speech storage Location
Extemp Prep Room
Parli Resolution Announcement Room

The Fellowship area is often a gym or large area that can accommodate most of the tournament participants
and their families. It’s a place for them to hang out between rounds, participate in morning devotionals, eat
meals, and listen to announcements/breaks.

The Hospitality team will need access to the Kitchen to keep the Judges Room well stocked with food and
drinks. If possible, it would be convenient to have room in the refrigerators and access to ovens to store &
prepare food during the tournament. The Student Lunch/dinner team may also need access to kitchen
facilities.

The number of competition Rooms will all depend on how many competitors you have. For debate, you
need one room for every two teams (one room per four teams for double-flighted rounds). The number of
speech rooms depends on the number of participants in each speech event. There should be no more than
eight competitors in a single speech room.

The Judges Hospitality room is a room where judges can hang out, eat, and complete their ballots.

Ideally, Ballot Administration should be near the Judges Orientation room so that judges can pick up their
ballots after Orientation.
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
The Ballot Collection table should be near judges’ hospitality and ideally not too far away from the Tab
room. If possible, ballot collection should be physically located so that judges cannot leave the room where
to fill out their ballot without going past the ballot collection table.

The Timer Table should ideally be between the student Fellowship area and the competition rooms, in the
main traffic flow. This will provide the Timer Coordinator the best opportunity to recruit timers for the next
round.
A Sample Room Assignment sheet is included in an Appendix at the end of this document.
Facility Map
Get a Facility map for the hosting facility and label key areas such as the Check-in entrance, gym/fellowship area,
kitchen, Judges Room, Extemp Prep room etc. Distribute copies to all coordinators early in the tournament
planning process – esp. Tournament Coordinator, Tournament Director, TAB, Hall Monitor & Timer Table
coordinators.
Setup & Cleanup Assignments
Rooms should be setup the night before the tournament and cleaned up after the tournament on the last night,
so that it is in better condition than it was before the tournament began.
The Facility Coordinator is encouraged to divide the setup/cleanup assignments among the families from the
hosting clubs. Each family should be assigned a block of rooms they are to setup, cleanup and reformat before
they leave, distributing larger areas to families with no other in-tournament role. The Tab Director typically sets
up and cleans up his respective room.
Setting up the Facility: The Facility Coordinator works with the facility staff to setup a time for local club families
to setup the facility the day before the tournament. Before formatting the rooms, sketch a diagram of the layout
or take a picture of the room to record how the room needs to be reset at the end of the tournament. The best
way to do this is to bring a digital camera and take a picture, noting where the tables and chairs should be.
When setting up, each competition room should have a minimum of the following:




Eight chairs
Table for the debaters
Table for the judge/timer
A podium/music stand
Green Team
Consider forming a “Green Team” of younger siblings tagged with the honor of keeping the facility clean.
They could be specially identified with green vests or t-shirts and given the role of combing the facility to
pickup up trash and straighten up their assigned areas. This will help younger siblings get involved in the
tournament process in a meaningful way and help our league be good stewards of the facilities that the Lord
provides for our tournaments. Create special ways to recognize these young people for their service –
perhaps a nomination process where local clubs get to send 3-4 of their best helpers so that the role is
considered an honor.
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Signs
Signs will be needed throughout the facility to direct folks from the parking lot into the Fellowship/gym area,
to Check-in, events rooms, Judges Room etc. and to keep folks from unauthorized areas (e.g. TAB, offices).
This includes signs in the parking lot to direct community judges to the Judges Room. Hallway signs will also
be needed to remind students to be quiet in the halls. Signs are also needed in bathroom stalls to remind
folks not to put feminine products in the toilet.
During the Tournament

On the first day of the tournament, plan to arrive at the facility about an hour before the tournament
begins to open up the facility, adjust the thermostat and go through all the rooms one last time to make
sure all is set up according to plan.

Talk to the Tournament Director about any facility instructions he needs to announce during the Morning
Announcements.

Throughout the day, keep an eye out and be available to answer questions or react to problems (e.g.
overflowing toilet, bathrooms needing toilet paper or paper towels, rooms too hot/cold). Make rounds to
make sure all the bathroom supplies are stocked and empty trashcans.

In rare cases, younger siblings may be found running around the facility or getting into unauthorized
areas. Please close off these areas as much as possible using signs to warn families that those areas are
off limits. Please also correct anyone found to be abusing the facility in any way and report this behavior
to the Tournament Director.

It is a good idea to arrange for a janitorial service to clean the bathrooms throughout the tournament.
Check with the facility to see if they already have a service that they work with. In some cases, the facility
will include janitorial service in the cost of using the facility.

The “Green Team” will comb the facility picking up trash and straightening up their assigned areas.
Remember to recognize these young people for their contribution to the success of the tournament.

It is a good idea to arrange with facility staff to have trash emptied prior to the tournament, and ideally,
once during the tournament. Depending on how many participants you have, you will probably generate
a lot of trash; much more than the facility is probably used to dealing with during a normal day. Without
proper planning, it is very easy for trash dumpsters to overflow quickly.

At the end of the day, de-brief with the Tournament Director to see what went well or needs
improvement. Review requirements for next day and agree to an arrival time.

Once the preliminary rounds are finished, oversee the breakdown of rooms and begin putting them back
to their original arrangement.

The Facility Coordinator is the first to arrive and the last to leave, making sure the facility is locked up,
lights are off, and that the facility is left in good condition.

After the tournament is over, thank the staff of the hosting facility and arrange for a follow-up meeting to
get feedback and lessons learned.
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Tips
Rooms – make sure you know how they were originally set up. A digital camera is great for this – consider
posting pictures of the original room layout near the light fixture in each room before formatting rooms for
the tournament.
Set up/Take down – It is critical to have teams identified in advance and a list of their responsibilities. It is
frustrating to have people willing to help and nothing to do.
Food – establish rules for where families can eat and where food is prohibited. Post signs to remind
participating families.
Media – Make sure you have people who know how to run the equipment (microphones, computer, lights,
etc…).
General Gathering – Make sure participating families know where to congregate and store their belongings.
Have signs around with arrows if necessary.
Directions – Ensure that you provide good directions to the facility.
Trash – Arrange for extra pick-up and continuously check trashcans in bathrooms during tournament. Also
keep an eye on paper towels, soap and toilet paper.
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11. Hall Monitor Coordinator
Hall Monitors are vitally important to keeping the tournament running on time. The Hall Monitor Coordinator
recruits teams of 6-8 hall monitors per shift (depending on the facility size & layout), equipped with walkietalkies to cover the hallways during the tournament. To lessen the load, it may be best to schedule volunteers
for 2-4hr shifts providing sufficient overlap so that there is no gap in coverage throughout the tournament.
Hall monitor responsibilities include:

Helping students, judges and time-keepers find their room

Checking rooms to make sure they start on time

Keeping the hallways clear & quiet during the rounds – invite students to visit in the Fellowship area/gym
during the rounds (they are not allowed to visit in the halls during rounds).

Reminding students to wait quietly outside speech rooms
Supplies needed: 12-15 walkie-talkies
Walkie-talkie Communication: the Tournament Director, Hall Monitors, TAB director, Ballot Admin, Timer
Table and Facility Coordinator will use walkie-talkies to communicate during the tournament.
Staff
The Hall Monitor team can be comprised of adults or responsible younger siblings. Each member of the team
will have a walkie-talkie to communicate with one another and the Judges Room, Timer Table or Tournament
Director. Consider forming a team of responsible youngsters that can take on the majority of this important
role, and free up adults to serve in other areas. Youngsters must be mature enough to stay on task during
their shift and to serve with diligence, politely directing judges, competitors and time-keepers to their rooms.
Depending on the size of the facility, recruit 6-8 hall monitors per shift. A Sample Hall Monitor Signup sheet is
included below.
Help Others Find their Room
If possible, 1-2 Hall Monitors should be stationed in the Judges Hospitality room as ballots are being
distributed to point judges in the right direction (note, only adult members of the Hall Monitor team are
allowed in the Judges Room).
Hall Monitors should also be stationed in hallways where the event rooms are located to help judges,
competitors, and time-keepers find their assigned rooms. The quicker everyone is in their room, the sooner
the round can start. Every minute counts in the effort to keep the tournament on schedule!
Check Rooms
Checks rooms before rounds – Once time-keepers and judges have been assigned and dispatched to their
rooms, Hall monitors should follow up by checking every room to be sure the assigned time-keeper, judge
and competitors are in the room and ready to begin the round.
Hall Monitors will have walkie-talkies throughout the tournament, please notify:
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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-
the Judges Room if a judge has not shown up to a room
-
the Timer Table if the time-keeper is missing
-
Tournament Director if one or more of the competitors are missing
When all the parties involved are in their assigned rooms, the round should be started immediately.
Clear rooms after round – invite judges to return to the Judges Hospitality Room to complete their ballots
and remind time-keepers to return to the Timer Table, to get their next assignment.
Keep Hallways Quiet
Students who are visiting in the hallway and are not scheduled to compete in a room nearby should be
invited to go into an event room to watch or hang out in the Fellowship area/gym during the rounds (they are
not allowed to visit in the halls during rounds). Only competitors should be standing/sitting in the hallways.
Students who are waiting on a speech room can whisper quietly among themselves outside their speech
room. If the talking becomes too loud, please ask them to wait in silence. Feel free to separate students if
after repeated warnings you are getting no response.
Please keep in mind, it is the nature of the job to have to repeat yourself many times – to provide gentle
reminders every few minutes. Students tend to get so caught up in the excitement of socializing with friends
that they lose track of the “roar” they are creating.
Do not hesitate to deal firmly with the few that might respond disrespectfully -- if this happens to you, then:

Ask the student their name

Ask them what club they represent and their coach’s name

Inform their coach or let the Hall Monitor coordinator know and he/she will talk to their coach.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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Sample Hall Monitor Shifts
(Fill in names per shift)
Thursday
8:00-11:00
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1:30-5:00
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
10:30-2:00
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
4:30-8:00
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7:30-10:30
1.
2.
3.
4.
Friday
8:00-11:00
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1:30-5:00
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
10:30-2:00
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
4:30-8:00
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Saturday
8:00-11:30
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
2:00-5:30/6:30
1.
2.
3.
4.
11:00-2:30
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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12. Housing Coordinator
The Housing Coordinator is responsible for:
1) Negotiating a group discount at 2-3 nearby hotels
2) Arranging Host Housing for out of town familes
Hotel Group Rate
Negotiate a discounted rate for 2-3 hotels near the tournament location 1-2 months in advance (depending
on how quickly hotels fill up). Reserve a block of rooms at each hotel for families that won’t be able to get
host housing or just prefer a hotel. Discounted rates are a common practice for most hotels, for reservations
of 10 or more.
Be sure not to lock in the rate with your credit card - explain that to the hotel management that families will
call & reserve a room with their own name/credit card - you are simply doing a service for the out of town
families & reserving a block discounted rate (non-smoking rooms).
Families typically like to have choice - e.g. a hotel that provides hot vs continental breakfast, with or without
fridge & microwave in the room (rates are typically proportional to the amenities).
Families typically consider a rate between $60-$85/night a good deal. Out of town families trust us to reserve
blocks at reputable hotels in a safe area of town with outside lighting/security cameras - especially since they
may get back to the hotel late at night.
Registration form
Send the names of the hotels with the address, phone#, discounted rate and included amenities (e.g.
continental breakfast, microwave/fridge in rooms etc) to the Tournament Coordinator a week before
registration is scheduled to open. This information will be published on the Tournament webpage.
Also, send any host housing info that you would like sent out with the Registration form a week before
registration opens. As the Housing Coordinator, your name, email address and phone number will also be
published in the Tournament webpage so families can contact you directly to request host housing.
Host Housing
Start arranging host housing a month before the tournament. This job takes longer than you think.
Arrange Host Housing for as many out-of-town families as possible by recruiting local club families, friends,
church families, homeschoolers and other community members to serve as host homes. Perhaps there is a
club or church willing to “adopt” the tournament.

Tournament Staff - avoid asking families who are already managing large tournament responsibilities to
open their homes - especially those who will need to be at the tournament early each day and late at
night and may not be able to provide for their guest’s needs.

Housing Agreements – Ensure that Host families are aware that a typical tournament schedule includes
early mornings and late evenings. Consider putting together a housing agreement to help host families
and guests understand the expectations and responsibilities. The “agreement” should include the host
family’s name, how many they can house, preferred gender of guests, telephone number, preferred
guest arrival/departure time and any other rules that apply to their home.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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
Guest Signup - The Housing Coordinator’s name, phone# and email address will be published on the
tournament website so that tournament families seeking host housing can contact the Housing
Coordinator directly. Document the contact information of the guest family (name, phone#, and email
address), the number in their party, gender(s) and estimated arrival day/time and any special needs their
host family may need to be aware of.

Match families based on the preferences of the host home and any special requirements of the guest
family. Provide both parties with each other’s contact information so they can communicate directly
when necessary (for driving directions etc).

A week before the tournament, call or email the host families to remind them of the tournament and
the family that they will be hosting. Some host families’ situation may have changed and they may no
longer be able to serve as a host. Be prepared to help the guest family make other arrangements.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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13. Judge Recruiting Coordinator
The Judge Recruiting Coordinator is responsible for:
1) Recruiting community judges (up to 50% of the total judge pool)
2) Scheduling community judges
Recruiting Judges

How many community judges do I need? Having enough judges is a key factor in keeping the tournament
running on time! “How many community judges do you need?” Good question! After registration closes,
determine the number of debate rooms that will be used per debate round and the number of IE rooms
that will be used per speech round. Then allocate one judge per room for each prelim debate round (2 for
double-flighted rounds) and three per room per speech round. This will give you the total number of
judges needed per round/time slot. Set a goal to recruit 50-60% of the judges per time slot from the
community. Even though 50% is the goal, it’s a good idea to recruit 60% of the total needed in order to
compensate for last-minute cancellations.

Judges may be law makers, home-makers, teachers, pastors, church members, business people, relatives,
attorneys, toastmasters, fellow homeschoolers, alumni and parents of competitors – anyone that would
like to volunteer their time to provide constructive feedback to students.

Judge Eligibility – all judges must be at least 18 years old and not competing in any event in the league
during the current season.

Use the list of judges that served at last year’s tournament as a starting point. Many of them were
impressed with what they saw and may be available to serve again this year. You can also ask already
confirmed judges for the names of associates who may also be interested in helping.

Email Toastmaster clubs, local universities and colleges, local high-school teachers, Republican clubs and
other civic-minded organizations. Contact city, district & State public servants – many of these individuals
look for chances to serve their constituencies – especially students. Ideas would include, but not limited
to City Council members, Judges and the Mayor.

Club Recruiting: Ask area club leaders to rally their club families to recruit/confirm ten or more
community judges. Depending on the size of the tournament, the goal should be to recruit a total of 100200 confirmed community judges.

Recruiting Etiquette: All contact with potential judges should be friendly and non-demanding. Most of
the judges must take time off from work to help. Be gracious & appreciative of whatever they can do. Our
recruiting attitude and demeanor will reflect on homeschooling in general - be an excellent
representative for the league.

Template: Send a sample Judges Invitation to area clubs that they can use as a template to invite judges.

Parent Judges: Participating debate teams will be asked to provide a judge for at least two rounds.
Speech competitors are asked to provide a judge per the number of speech events they compete in.
All parents attending the tournament should be considered “standby judges” to fill-in wherever needed.
Parents must not judge their own children, members of their own club, or students they know well
otherwise. The list of parents attending can be obtained from the Registration Coordinator.

Community Judges are asked to arrive 40 minutes before the first round they are scheduled to judge.
After they sign-in and pickup their nametag, the Judge Greeter should direct them to attend Judge’s
Orientation.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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
Post Tournament: Send Thank You emails to all Community Judges to express appreciation for the time
they took to serve our competitors. Include dates for future tournaments being held in the area so they
can reserve the dates on their calendar.
Scheduling Judges
1. Online Community Judge Signup
If possible, setup an online Judge Registration form so community judges can sign-up online (see Sample
Community Judge Signup form on the following page). The online Community Judge sign-up form should
collect the following information for each judge:
Name
Email
Cell#
Time-slots
Requested
Constraints?
Referred By?
o
Constraints: Ask judges to note any limitations on who they cannot judge (relatives, fellow church
members etc) in the “Constraints?” section. Judges cannot judge individuals they know well, are
related to, or have coached.
o
Ask the judge to commit to at least 2 rounds if possible. This immediately cuts your work in half.
o
Most Forms programs will store the collected data in a .CSV (comma delimited) file. Convert the file
to a Microsoft EXCEL spreadsheet. EXCEL is recommended because it is a standard format that the
Judge Recruiter, Tab Director and Admin Coordinator can use to manipulate/filter data. It will also
significantly simplify the process of generating judge’s nametags and Thank You letters using mailmerge.
2. Rounds Schedule
The Tournament Coordinator will specify the # of rooms required for each event once Registration closes.
Schedule the necessary # of judges for each event based on the # of rooms per event using the
Tournament Schedule. For example, if there are 18 rooms being used for each speech pattern and 35
rooms (10 LD, 25 TP) for debate rounds, you’ll want to schedule 54 judges for each speech round and 45
judges for each Debate round (LD double-flighted). Set a recruiting goal of 50% community judges for
each round. E.g. 27 community judges per speech round and 22 per debate round.
3. Forward Community Judge information to TAB and the Admin Coordinator
Send the list of community judges and the rounds they are scheduled to judge (Round schedule) to the
Tab Director a week before the tournament so judge’s names and constraints can be pre-entered into the
TAB software. Send subsequent updates periodically up until the night before the tournament.
Send the community judge names to the Admin Coordinator to print color-coded community judge
nametags.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 47 of 96
Sample Community Judge Signup Form
Community Judge Sign-up
On Feb, 17-19th, competitors from across the nation with gather for 3 days of exciting competition... debating US-Russian policy and whether
popular sovereignty or individual rights more determines the legitimacy of government! We need your help! Please sign-up to judge. NO
experience is required! The times below include a 20-minute Judges' Orientation before your round.
Required *
Last Name: *
First Name: *
Email Address: *
Cell# (nnn-nnn-nnnn): *
City where you live:
Zip-code: *
Thursday – Feb. 17th
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
7:30am
Parli Round 1
8:45 am Parli Round 2
10:00am Parli Round 3
11:30am Debate Round 1
1:15pm
Speech Round 1 Pattern A (w/ Parli)
3:15pm
Debate Round 2
5:15pm
Speech Round 1 Pattern B
7:15pm
Debate Round 3
Friday – Feb. 18th
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
7:30am
Speech Round 2 Pattern A (w/ Parli)
9:30am
Debate Round 4
11:00am Speech Round 2 Pattern B
1:00pm
Debate Round 5
2:30pm Speech Round 3 Pattern A (w/ Parli)
4:30pm Debate Round 6
6:00pm Speech Round 3 Pattern B
Saturday – Feb. 19th
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
□
7:30am Debate – TP & LD Octafinals
9:30am Speech SemiFinals
11:30am Debate – TP & LD QuarterFinals
1:00pm Parli semiFinals
2:00pm Speech Finals
4:00pm Parli Finals
5:00pm Debate – TP & LD SemiFinals
6:15 PM Debate – LD Finals
7:15 PM Debate – TP Finals
Tell us about yourself: *
Community member
Parent
Alum
List the names of the competitors you know at this tournament:
Referred By? *
Submit
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Reset
Page 48 of 96
14. Judges Room
There are 4 separate but key functions operating in the Judges Room during the Tournament:




Judge Greeter
Judge Orientation
Ballot Administration
Ballot Collection
This document outlines the harmonious interchange between these functions with the goal of making our
community judges feel welcome, comfortable and blessed by their experience at the tournament.
The Judges Room is run by the Tournament Director with the help of the Judge’s Room Coordinators (i.e.
Head Judge Orienteer, Ballot Admin coordinator and Ballot Collection coordinator). Only parents and
community judges should be in the Judges Room (not students, timers, younger siblings etc). Unauthorized
personnel should be courteously asked to leave the room.
Judge’s Room coordinators should utilize their staff efficiently to ensure the judges are oriented and ballots
are pushed/collected in a timely manner, while ensuring the integrity of the information.
Judge’s Room Supplies
Parent & Community judge nametags, sign-in sheets, projector (for JO), highlighters, tape, copier, pens, flowsheets, speaker point guides, Judge tracking cards.
Verify that the Admin Coordinator has purchased all the necessary items for judges to perform their duties
and that they will be delivered to the Judge’s Room during setup the day before the tournament. Judge’s will
need a nametag, Judge Tracking Card, pens and flow sheets. They will also make use of facility maps
strategically located around the building to help them find their way to their event room.
Judge Greeter

Sign-in Sheet: A designated Greeter should welcome community judges as they enter the Judge’s Room
and ask them to sign-in, specifying their name, cell#, email address and how many rounds they plan to
judge.
After signing in, judges will receive their nametag and should be invited to get something to eat & drink
before Orientation begins. Be sure to let judge’s know what time their Orientation is scheduled to begin
and where it will be located.

Nametags: All parent and community judges must wear a nametag so that they are easily identified
throughout the tournament and in order to receive a ballot. This is important so the ballot collection staff
can verify that the judge’s name on the ballot matches the name of the judge turning in the ballot.
Nametags are color-coded and pre-printed before the tournament (e.g. Blue for parent judges, yellow for
community judges). This helps the ballot administration staff to distinguish between community and
parents judges and ensure all community judges receive a ballot before assigning the rest to parent
judges.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 49 of 96
Judges Orientation Coordinator
The Judge’s Orientation coordinator is responsible for delivering timely, accurate orientations before every
round.

Staffing: when possible, Judge Orienteer’s should be recruited from a variety of clubs so that one club
does not appear to be dominating a key part of the tournament process.

A 20-minute Judges’ Orientation is conducted before every speech and debate round, since new
community judges come in throughout the course of the tournament. The largest group will likely be at
the start of each day. The Orientation slides for Speech, Debate and Parliamentary Debate are located on
the league’s website

The purpose of the Orientation is to familiarize judges of the rules & protocol governing the events
offered at the tournament and balloting instructions.

Members of the Judge Orientation team can answer questions that judge’s have before or after their
round. If the orienteer does not know the answer to the question, refer the question to the Tournament
Director or Tournament Coordinator.

Judge Orienteer’s are not responsible for addressing issues that arise during the tournament. If a judge
reports an issue or a potential violation to a member of the JO team, the orienteer is to refer the issue
immediately to the Tournament Director to handle. If necessary, the TD will call an Adjudication meeting
to address the issue.
Reminders:
The following reminders should be emphasized during each JO presentation:

Judges must be at least 18 years old

Do not judge anyone from your club or anyone you know well

Do not judge the same Debate team more than once in this tournament

Do not judge the same IE at this tournament

Remind time-keepers to hold their hands high enough for the speaker to see and acknowledge the hand
signals.

Speech – timers will give judges 2 minutes to fill out ballots between speeches to keep the rounds on
time. Please complete the remainder of the ballots in Judges Room. This is VERY important, to keep the
tournament on-time!

Speech – for all speech events except Extemp, judges are to accept speakers out of order if the next
speaker in line is not available. Explain that some speakers may be delayed because they are performing
other speeches in another room. Allow whoever is available to go next to keep the round on time.

Extemp: Judges should be reminded to accept Extemp speakers when they arrive to the room so that
later speakers are not given an unfair preparation advantage.

Speed Ballots – remind judges that if they need extra time to provide the valuable feedback that our
students want and need, to please use the speed ballot to give us their decision (win/loss and speaker
points), then take their time writing comments. This is a valuable tool to help keep the tournament on
track. Note: once the judge makes their decision, it is final. After the speed ballot is turned in, only
comments/feedback can be added to the regular ballots.

Remind judges to return to the Judges Room immediately after the round to clear the room for the next
event. Do not stay in the competition room to complete their ballot or offer verbal feedback, or wander
off around the building with the ballots.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 50 of 96

Don’t take the ballots outside the building or linger in the hallways! Come straight from competition
room to the Judges Room. (It bears repetition!)

Ballots are confidential – please do not discuss with anyone during the tournament, not even your
spouse or children!

Return ballots to Ballot Collection Table before the next round. Do not get another ballot until the 1st is
turned in.

Speech - remind the judges that the individual speech ballots should be returned to the Ballot Collection
table in speaker order, not rank order (it’s ok if community judges don’t do this, but it would be nice if
parent judges got in this habit).
Ask community Judges to please stay for additional rounds if they can, just notify the Ballot Admin table!
Ballot Admin Coordinator
The Ballot Administration Coordinator is responsible for efficiently assigning/distributing ballots to judges
before every round.
Staffing: As with all parts of the process where ballots are being handled, it is best to staff the Ballot
Administration team with representatives from multiple clubs so that one club does not appear to be
dominating a key part of the tournament process.
Constraints: Judges cannot judge competitors that they know well, are related to, or have coached. They
also cannot judge club members, families that used to be in their club or students that they have already
judged or watched in the same event. Ballot assignments should avoid the “appearance of evil” and be above
reproach.
Paneling Judges: Preliminary debate rounds are single-paneled (one judge per room). Preliminary speech
round must be triple-paneled (three judges per room).
Alumni Judges: Alumni judges cannot judge anyone they have competed with in the past. If possible, try to
limit alumni judge ballots to new competitors that were not competing at the time the alumni judge was
competing. This will avoid the possibility of grudge ballots or favor toward friends, previous peers etc.
Apologetics: Check with the Tournament Coordinator to find out whether or not Apologetics judges have to
be Christians. In most cases, judges for Apologetic rounds will not be screen.
Paneling Outrounds: Both speech & debate outrounds must have a minimum of 3 judges per room. If
possible, outround panels should include a mix of experienced and inexperienced judges, male & female.
Celebrity Judges: Final round judges should be current or former members of collegiate or high school
debate teams, lay judges, subject experts in the area of the resolution or individuals with some experience in
speech, debate, theatre arts, law, or communication in general. The final round panels should consist of 5 or
more judges. There must always be an odd number of judges in any given round.
Staff: If there is a shortage of judges during particular timeslots, consider asking tournament staff to judge.
Judges Hospitality, Timer Table or Hall monitor teams may be able to trim down temporarily to fill the need.
However, to preserve the integrity of the tournament, staff that has been privy to ballot results should not
be asked to take a ballot – this includes TAB, Ballot Collection and in some cases, the Tournament
Coordinator/Tournament Director.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 51 of 96
Ballot Administration Process

Ballot Assignments: Assign ballots to judges, applying the above constraints. Always remember to check
the Judge’s Tracking card and ask, “Do you know any of these competitors” before assigning a ballot.
Community, parent and alumni judges will have on color coded nametags so they are easily identified.
Community Judges should be given priority - they have taken time out of their day to come and serve and
we respect their time by giving them balloting priority.
There are 2 ways to assign ballots:
1. Pushing Ballots: When assigning ballots:
o Check the Judges Tracking Card to make sure they have NOT judged the debate team or Speech
event before.
o Check against the constraints listed above.
o Write the name of the assigned judge on the ballot and on the Round Schedule (or Posting). It is
very important that the correct name is listed on the Round Schedule in case the ballot turns up
missing & has to be tracked down later on.
2. Pre-Assigned Ballots: Since the Tab software automatically checks constraints when assigning ballots,
Tab pre-assignments can speed up ballot distribution. However, the ballot administrators will need to
re-assign ballots for judges that don’t show up, therefore pre-assigning ballots often works better
during outrounds than preliminary rounds.

Parli Judges: The Tournament Director will cue the Ballot Administration team when to distribute the
parli ballots. Ideally judges with their ballots will head to their assigned rooms during the designated
“walk-time” (~5 minutes before the debaters are to be in their room). This way the judge won’t interrupt
the Government team prepping in the room.

Remind judges to bring their ballots back to the Judges Room immediately after the round is over, not to
stay in the room to complete ballot or wander off around the building. Rooms need to be cleared for the
next round. The location of all ballots must be known at all times. Judges are also to turn in their ballots
before taking another.

Speed Ballots (debate only): The Tournament Coordinator will work together with the Tab Director to
decide whether speed ballots will be used, which events they will be used for (TP, LD, parli) and whether
they will be used for prelim and/or elimination rounds. Be sure to include speed ballots with the regular
ballot for the rounds speed ballots are being used for. Note: speed ballots are used for all parli rounds so
that the specific wording of the resolution can be printed in the “comment” section of the Speed Ballot
for the judge’s reference.

Speech Ballots: Remind judges to only spend 2 minutes between speeches filling out their ballot, and
then bring them back to the Judges Room to finish them up after the round is over. Timekeepers will be
trained to set a 2-minute limit between speeches. This will help keep the tournament on schedule and
respect the availability of other community judges that are scheduled to judge at specific times.

Start Round: Judges should not be dismissed from the Judges Room until the Tournament Director
signals to start the next round. The Tournament Director is your link to the Tab room and the rest of the
tournament. The TD keeps a pulse on how many rooms have been cleared, then signals for the next
postings to go up and ballots pushed.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 52 of 96

Distribute ballots: Once the Tournament Director signals the next round to begin, distribute ballots to
the judges and dismiss judges to their assigned rooms.

Once all ballots have been distributed, make a copy of the Round Schedule and give it to the Ballot
Collection table to be used to check off ballots as they come in.
Ballot Collection Coordinator
The Ballot Collection coordinator is responsible for checking that judges have accurately filled out their
ballots when they turn them in.
Staffing
The Ballot Collection coordinator should staff his team with trustworthy individuals who will keep ballot
information confidential. All results are confidential and may not be shared with anyone.
Because ballot checkers will be seeing results of rounds, they may not judge rounds. The only exception
would be if ballot checkers are needed to judge round one before they begin checking the actual ballots.
The Ballot Collection table should be staffed with enough checkers to process up to 70 judges per round
(depending on the size of the tournament), while maintaining the accuracy & integrity of the ballot
information. Four to six ballot checkers is usually sufficient for most tournaments.
Ballot checkers should be trustworthy people who have a firm grasp of speech and debate as they will be
analyzing the judge’s ballot for errors or discrepancies. In many cases judges will be needed for the next
round, therefore the ballot collection table must function efficiently for the tournament to stay on time.
As with all parts of the process where ballots are being handled, it is best to staff the Ballot Collection team
with representatives from multiple clubs so that one club does not appear to be dominating a key part of the
tournament process. Coaches tend to be excellent ballot checkers because they are very comfortable with
speech and debate and often have numerous constraints that prevent them from judging.
Training
Before the end of the first round, the Ballot Check Coordinator should gather the ballot check team and go
through the guidelines on how to check ballots. Make sure everyone understands how the ballots need to be
filled and the things to check for:
-
The judge’s signature needs to be on the ballot (Speech and Debate)
Addition of speaker points needed to be verified (Debate)
Speaker Ranks should match Speaker Point totals (Debate)
Verify that the judge is voting for the team whose box is checked (Debate)
The speaker rank on the ballot should match the overall speaker rank matrix(Speech)
Verify automatic rank deductions/penalties (Speech)
All evaluation categories are complete (Speech)
Also, the head ballot checker should remind the ballot check team that all information they learn from ballot
checking regarding results should be private. The ballot checkers should not share information on results with
anyone until after the tournament.
Ballot Check Process
Supplies needed: paper clips, pens, highlighters, and folders to transport the ballots
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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
Ideally the ballot check station should be located in the Judge’s room so that judges cannot leave without
going past ballot check.

Keep ballots face down. All ballot information is CONFIDENTIAL and should not to be discussed or viewed
by unauthorized personnel.

Get a list of the Judges and their cell#’s from the Judge Recruiting Coordinator in case a ballot turns up
missing or an error is found after the judge has already left the Ballot area.

Get a copy of the Round Schedule from the Ballot Admin Table to use as a checklist for ballots as they are
turned in. Check the judge’s name off the Round Schedule to track which ballots have been turned in and
which ones are still out.

Ask the judge to wait while you review the ballot so that they can clarify any questions that come up
about a ballot. Only the judge should make changes on the ballot, therefore it is important to catch any
errors while they are waiting so they can make corrections personally. If a judge leaves the ballot check
area and the ballot had errors, it is difficult to track that judge down and it can slow down the
tournament.

Verify that the Judge’s name on the ballot matches their nametag.

All ballots should be checked and double-checked (by 2 different people of course). Once the ballot
has been verified, both ballot checkers should initials the ballot. This helps the tab room know who to
follow up with if they find a mistake on the ballot.

Ballot checkers work with Tab room in turning in ballots as quickly as possible. Once a small group of
ballots has been checked, the ballot check table should send a runner to deliver them to the Tab room.
The goal is to feed the Tab room a steady stream of ballots and not overwhelm them with all the ballots
at once.
Debate Ballots:
-
Add up speaker points to ensure they were totaled correctly.
-
Make sure Speaker Ranking matches the speaker point total. If there is a tie, the judge must break
the tie with the ranking.
-
Make sure the Judge circled AFF or NEG (Government or Opposition for parli) and signed/dated the
ballot
-
If no Reason for Decision or feedback is given, encourage the judge to complete that information
before turning in the ballot.
-
Start delivering ballots to TAB when about 40% have been double-checked (or at the pace specified
by TAB).
-
Speed Ballots: Speed ballots are an essential time saver for outrounds since it allows Tab to start
processing the round results while the judges add more feedback to their ballot. Speed ballots are
also used for all parliamentary rounds so that the judge will have the exact wording of the resolution
for each round in the “comment” field of the speed ballot. Check with the Tournament Coordinator
to find out if speed ballots will be used for TP and LD prelim and/or outrounds.
For speed ballot rounds, the judge must bring BOTH the Speed ballot and regular ballot to the Ballot
Collection table when they turn in their Speed Ballot. Check to make sure that the speaker points,
ranking and decision (AFF/ NEG or Government/ Opposition) are the same on both the speed ballot
and the regular ballot. Highlight the speaker points, speaker rank, and decision on both the Speed
ballot and regular ballot - remind the judge that these fields are final and cannot be changed. Only
comments may be added to the regular ballot after the Speed Ballot has been turned in. By
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highlighting the speaker points, rank and decision any changes that are made to the regular ballot
will be obvious because there will be new pen markings in whatever area was changed.
Be sure to turn Speed ballots into Tab as they come in. Tab will enter the decision, speaker points and
ranking into the Tab program in order to power-match the next round.
Judges must turn in the regular ballot before the start of the next round. The Tab team will do the
shadow/double-check off of the regular ballot. This is a second double check to catch any
discrepancies between the speed ballot and the regular ballot.
There may be rare cases where a judge asks the Ballot Collection staff about making a change to the
speaker points, speaker rank, or decision after they have turned in their speed ballot. Contact the Tab
Director to handle these exceptions.
Speech Ballots:

Judges Worksheet: Verify the Original Rank, Penalties, Re-Ranking and Final Rank match the
individual Student ballots and have been calculated correctly. There should be 1 of each ranking (e.g.
one 1st place, one 2nd place…one 7th place, one 8th place etc) on the Judges Worksheet.

Student Ballot: Verify that each box is completed (+Excellent √Good –Needs work), and that there is
only one 1st – 4th place (the rest should be circled 5th& below). If no feedback is given on the
individual Student ballots, encourage the judge to complete that information before turning them in.
o
Sort the Ballots in Speaker Order (not rank order).
o
Completed Rooms: When all ballots for a given speech room have been double-checked,
mark that room COMPLETE and deliver them to TAB.

Ask the judge to note the name of the debaters or the Speech event they just judged on their Judge
Tracking Card.

Express your appreciation to the judges for taking time out of their busy schedule to come and give our
student’s the feedback they need to continue to grow their thinking & speaking skills. Encourage them to
stay and judge another round or come back for the next tournament.

To protect the confidentiality of the ballots, please keep them face down except when their being
checked.

Check the Round Schedule to make sure all the ballots have been turned in. If a ballot is missing, use the
Round Schedule to find out the name of the judge that it was assigned to. Find the cell# for the judge in
question using the Judge List provided by the Judge Recruiting coordinator at the beginning of the
tournament. If the judge’s name is not on the list, check the Check-in list at the Judge Greeter’s table.

When all the ballots for the round are accounted for and turned into Tab, file the Round Schedule in a
safe place in case it is needed to resolve a ballot issue later on.

Keep the Ballot Collection table clear of visitors. During slow times, ballot checkers are welcome to visit
with friends away from the Ballot Collection Table.
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15. Judges Hospitality Coordinator
The Hospitality Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the Judge’s Hospitality Room is well-stocked with
a variety of snacks, entrees & beverages for the judges during the entire tournament.
Budget: allocated by the Tournament Coordinator (~$150-500 depending on the number of judges expect per
round). Do not exceed this budget without prior approval from the Tournament Coordinator.

Find out the maximum number of judges needed per timeslot – the Judge Recruiting Coordinator or
Tournament Coordinator will have this information (based on the # of rooms per round).

Purchase basic provisions such as water bottles, coffee, tea bags, paper goods, plastic ware etc. using the
Hospitality budget. Receipts should be submitted to the Tournament Coordinator for reimbursement.

Recruit area clubs to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner varieties to bless the judges who have taken
time out of their busy schedules to provide vital feedback to our students.

Club Assignments: Breakfast, lunch and dinner slots are divided among hosting clubs (2-3 meal slots per
club). Let each club know what meal slot they are assigned to 1-2 months before the tournament (assign
less meal slots to smaller clubs than larger clubs).
Club Assigned to meal slot
Thursday:
Breakfast (7am-noon):
Lunch (11:30am-4:30pm):
Dinner (4:00-9:00pm):
Friday:
Breakfast (7am-noon):
Lunch (11:30am-4:30pm):
Dinner (4:00-9:00pm):
Saturday:
Breakfast (7am-noon):
Lunch (11:30am-4:30pm):
Dinner (4:00-9:00pm):

Clubs will provide a wide selection of entrees, side-dishes, snacks, finger food and dessert for their
assigned timeslots – enough to feed the maximum # of judges needed per round. Depending on the size
of the tournament, 3+ entrees and side-dishes per hour for 5 hrs = ~15 entrees (plus side-dishes) per
timeslot (see Sample Signup Sheet).

Clubs will also provide the serving staff required to keep the selections & beverages well-stocked during
their timeslot (see Sample Signup Sheet).

The Judge Hospitality Coordinator has oversight for the entire tournament (before & during) - be sure to
set a deadline for clubs to get back to you with the names of the folks staffing their timeslot & the food
they will be bringing. Part of your role includes making sure clubs have enough servers & food scheduled
to keep a well-stocked variety of food flowing. There have been occasions in the past where "emergency"
runs had to be made to the grocery store to get more food - better to ensure clubs have their timeslot
well covered ahead of time than have to make emergency runs to cover gaps!
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
Make a schedule for each time slot with the list of food each club is bring what and the serving staff. Post
the list in the kitchen so everyone knows what meals are coming in and when to heat them up etc (see
Sample Signup Sheet).

Submit the compiled meal schedule (w/ names of servers from each club scheduled in each time slot) to
the Tournament Coordinator three weeks before the tournament.

The Hospitality Coordinator (or a representative) must be on-site full-time during the tournament to
make sure the change over between club shifts goes smoothly and is transparent to the judges.
Donations:
 Check with area grocery stores (e.g. Wal-mart) and wholesale outlets (Sam’s, Costco) for giftcard
donations and/or food and drink donations. Area Starbucks locations have donated coffee & breakfast
pastries the past few years. A Sample Donation letter is included below.

Ask club families to loan serving bowls, coolers etc to minimize outside purchases.

Perhaps there is a church or home-school group willing to “adopt” the tournament to help with food for
the Judges Hospitality room?
Recommendations:

Purchase small water bottles to minimize waste (people often take one drink, forget which one was
theirs and get another).

Cut and serve large items (muffins, cake etc) in small portions to minimize waste.

Provide 2 containers of coffee, one caffeinated and one decaf. Also remember sweeteners and cream 

Coffee stirrers are less expensive than spoons and less messy - they are worth the expense.

Tea bags with a container of hot water are well received and do not require preparation time.

Keep spoilable foods on ice (e.g. mayonnaise, creamer, cream cheese, dairy based dressings).

One person should be assigned to restock drinks, straightening, and restocking the main tables. Other
Hospitality team members can prepare and deliver food, wash dishes or empty trash.

Nuts are popular! Peanut M&M's are the preferred "junk food". Keep 1-2 spoons in the bowl to avoid
people sticking their hands into it.

Avoid pre-wrapped foods - they end up in purses and brief cases.

Chips don’t go very fast unless there’s dip to accompany them.

Salad and veggie trays go faster than the junk food (people are nutrition starved at tournaments). Salad
is the least expensive "meal" one can put out. At Costco or Sam’s, you can get a container of triple
washed organic field greens for $3.99 that can fill 2 large salad bowls. Having pecans, cranberries, and
cherry/grape tomatoes, onions, baby carrots, chopped broccoli etc in bowls on the side works well for
those who are choosy about their salad ingredients.

People prefer pre-sliced bread over white rolls.

Never assume that the facility kitchen has knives, cutting boards, bowls etc.

Ask club families to loan serving bowls, crock-pots, coolers, etc. to minimize outside purchases.

Check with previous Hospitality Coordinators for other helpful information.
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SAMPLE Signup sheet
Meal Slot: Breakfast 6:30am-Noon (<club assigned to>)
Shift Leader 6:30-10:00am: <name>
Receiving/Purchases: <name>
Kitchen Volunteers
Service Volunteers
1. <name>
1. <name>
2. <name>
2. <name>
3. <name>
Shift Leader 9:30am-12:00am: <name>
Receiving/Purchases: <name>
Kitchen Volunteers
Service Volunteers
1. <name>
1. <name>
2. <name>
2. <name>
3. <name>
Breakfast Casserole/Quiche
Name
1. Breakfast Casserole/Quiche
<name>
2. Breakfast Casserole/Quiche
<name>
3. Breakfast Casserole/Quiche
<name>
4. Breakfast Casserole/Quiche
<name>
5. Breakfast Casserole/Quiche
<name>
6. Pigs-in-a-blanket
<name>
Breads, Muffins, Bagels
Name
1. Zucchini Bread
<name>
2. Pumpkin Bread
<name>
3. Pumpkin Bread
<name>
4. Zucchini Bread
<name>
5. Three -12 count boxes muffins (36 muffins)
<name>
6. Four (4) Dozen Doughnuts
<name>
7. 36 cinnamon-raisin bagels w/variety cream cheese spread
<name>
8. 36 blueberry bagels w/variety cream cheese
<name>
8. 36 wheat bagels w/variety cream cheese
<name>
2-8 pack boxes of yogurt (16)
1. <name>
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2. <name>
30 Individual Bottles of Juice(variety)
1. 30 Individual Bottles of Orange Juice
<name>
2. 30 individual Bottles of Orange Juice
<name>
3. 30 Individual Bottles of Apple Juice
<name>
3. 30 Individual Bottles of Grape Juice
<name>
4. 30 Individual Bottles of Cranberry Juice
<name>
Assorted Fruit Trays
Name
1. Assorted Fruit Trays for 20
<name>
2. Assorted Fruit Trays for 20
<name>
3. Assorted Fruit Trays for 20
<name>
Sample Donation Letter
To whom it may concern:
We are hosting a high-school speech & debate tournament in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Feb. 17-19th
and need your help to supply food and drinks for our judges. Community members graciously take time off
from work and their busy schedules to serve as judges. Judges are a vital part of the tournament - they
supply the feedback students need to improve and perfect their communication and oratorical and
reasoning skills.
We represent a non-profit organization and do not have the financial resources to supply all the paper
goods, bottled water, soda, snacks, breakfast/lunch/ and dinner selections needed. Please consider
donating any of these items to support this important cause. Gift cards that can be applied towards the
purchase of these supplies are also greatly appreciated.
Thank you for helping us encourage the youth who will be the future leaders of our community, state and
country. Your contribution is greatly appreciated and an important part of making this event a success.
Sincerely yours,
Jill Smith
Hospitality Coordinator
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16. Lunch/Dinner Coordinator
The Lunch/Dinner Coordinator is responsible for arranging, preparing and serving lunch & dinner ordered by
participating families during Registration. The Lunch/Dinner Coordinator will probably need two or three
helpers.
Estimated budget: the cost of lunch & dinner and associated expenses (food, paper goods etc) should be
covered 100% by lunch/dinner ticket sales.
Pre-Tournament
o
Research volume meal discounts with restaurants near the tournament location. Arrange a $5 lunch
option (e.g. Chik-fil-A, Subway) and a $5-6 dinner option (e.g. pizza) for each day of the tournament.
o
Note: if someone steps up to coordinate a Banquet–the Banquet can replace the Friday or Saturday
dinner option.
o
Send Fri. & Sat. lunch/dinner selections and pricing to the Tournament Coordinator a week before
Registration is scheduled to open, so that meal selections can be included on the Registration Form (see
Sample Food Registration Form below).
o
After registration closes, the Registration Coordinator will provide the meal counts so estimates can be
provided to meal providers (e.g. Chick-fil-A).
o
Make arrangements with area restaurants for meals to be picked up or delivered. Allow for late orders
that may come in during the tournament before finalizing the order.
o
Purchase sodas, chips or cookies separately from Costco or Sam’s to cut down on cost (turn in receipts to
the Tournament Coordinator for reimbursement).
o
Print a checklist of the Lunch/Dinner/banquet orders per family. This will be used to verify orders when
families pick them up at the tournament if they lose their meal ticket.
o
Arrange for 2-3 helpers to handout lunch/dinner orders during the tournament. One person to verify &
check off names as orders are picked up, one to handout entre and maybe another person to handout
drinks & cookie/chips. More staff will be needed for the Banquet if there’s one.
During Tournament
o
Setup a Table in the Fellowship area to sell additional lunch/dinner tickets & distribute lunch/dinner
during the tournament. Call in late orders and finalize the order before pickup/delivery.
o
Make arrangements for lunch/dinner to be picked up or delivered so Lunch can be served 20 minutes
before the scheduled meal breaks on the Tournament Schedule.
Donations

Check with area grocery stores or wholesale outlets (Sam’s, Costco) for food and drink donations (sodas,
cookies, chips etc).

Work with area restaurants for group pricing
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17. Parli Coordinator
The Parliamentary Debate coordinator is responsible for oversight of all aspects of parliamentary debate at
the tournament including:






Staffing the parli team (~4 people)
Parli resolutions for prelim and outrounds
Conduct Parli Orientation
Resolution announcements
Clocking Prep time
Event rooms starting on time
Parli Team

The Parliamentary Debate coordinator will need a team of ~4 people to help oversee open prep, clock
prep time, coordinate the judge’s arrival to their rooms, ensure the rounds start on time and handle
situations when a team arrives after their prep time has expired.

The Parliamentary Debate coordinator and team members should be very familiar with the rules
governing the event.

The Parli Coordinator should gather the team early before the tournament begins to go over the process
to ensure everyone is clear about their role. It’s important that each part work in sync to keep the event
running smoothly.

Some Tournament Schedules may call for parli to run in parallel with a speech pattern, or by itself. If parli
is being run in parallel with a speech pattern, it’s especially important for it to run like clockwork. If parli
competitors are allowed to participate in speech events offered in that pattern, additional coordination
the topic announcements and speech postings is required.

Parli JO – parli judges will be oriented separately depending on what other events are taking place at the
same time. If parli is being run in parallel with a speech pattern, a separate area will be required to
conduct the parli JO. The parli judge orienteer should be a parent or coach who is very familiar with the
rules governing parli and has the ability to set judges at ease about judging this exciting new event!

Parli Prep Timekeeper is the member of the parli team responsible for keeping track of the 15 minute
prep time and calls out time signals to teams/coaches that are within earshot.

Hall Monitoring – it’s a good idea to have an experienced parli parent monitor the hallway where parli is
being held, especially to handle situations where teams arrive after specified time that competitors are to
be in their room (see Late arrival protocol below).
Resolutions
A different resolution will be announced prior to the beginning of each debate round. Parli resolutions may
be about current affairs or philosophy and general enough that a well-educated high school student can
debate them. They may be phrased in literal or metaphorical language and deal with questions of fact, value
or policy.
Ask 2-3 experienced parli coaches and alumni outside the league to submit 6-9 topics dealing with questions
of fact, value or policy, five to seven days before the tournament. Compile the topics that are submitted and
select the ones that offer fairness and equal ground on both sides, with the goal of offering a balance of fact,
value and policy topics at each tournament. Stage the topics so that easier resolutions are used for earlier
rounds and more challenging resolutions are used as the tournament progresses (esp. in outrounds).
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Submit the topics to the Tab Director a day or two before the tournament so the exact wording of each
resolution can be added to the comment section of the Speed ballot (or on a separate sheet of paper given to
judges when they receive their ballot, like with Extemp).
Parli Participant Orientation
The Parli Coordinator will conduct a 10-minute Parli Orientation prior to the first parli debate round. This
Orientation is similar in format and purpose to the orientation extempers receive before their rounds begin.
The orientation should include the following information:
 All parliamentary teams will gather in the Parliamentary Announcement Room at a scheduled time
before each round.
 A different resolution is announced before each round
 Postings will go up a few minutes before the resolution is scheduled to be announced
 Resolutions may be questions of fact, value or policy about current affairs or philosophy and may be
phrased in literal or metaphorical language.
 The resolution will be stated three times for competitors to write down the exact wording.
 The specified time that debaters must be in their assigned debate room will also be announced right after
the resolution is announced. The specified time is 15 minutes plus the amount of time needed to walk to
the most distant building in which debates will occur (this travel time is called the walk-time).
 Immediately after the resolution is read and the specified time that debaters must be in their room is
announced, the Parli Prep Timekeeper starts the 15 minute prep time.
 The Government team has the privilege to prep in their assigned debate room.
 Opposition teams are encouraged to stay within earshot of the time signals that the Parli Timekeeper
calls out during prep time. If the hallway where parli debates are being held is nearby, the Timekeeper
will call out time signals along the hallway for Government teams prepping in their rooms.
 During prep time, competitors may access any resources they have including Extemp articles, periodicals
and electronic devices (unless otherwise banned by the Tournament Director).
 Only information handwritten during preparation time can be taken into the round. No printed materials
are allowed.
 The intent of parliamentary debate is to encourage extemporaneous impromptu argumentation.
Debaters may only refer to information within the realm of general knowledge to support arguments.
 At the end of the 15 minute prep, the Parli Timekeeper will announce that all teams are to make their
way to their event room. Debaters should arrive promptly in their event room at the specified time.
 All debaters must be inside their assigned room at the specified time (15mins + walk-time).
 Only notes handwritten during prep time are allowed in the round.
 Judges will enter the room after the 15 minute prep during the “walk-time”
 Debaters should state their name and speaking role (Prime Minister, Member of Government etc) clearly
for the judge when they shake their hand, so that the judge can circle the correct speaking role on the
ballot.
 Parli debate is self-timed! Each team is responsible for timing their opponent’s speech to monitor when
“protected time” has started and ended.
 Judges and observers may provide audible feedback during the round in agreement or disagreement (e.g.
“hear, hear!” or rap gently on the table) but must not interrupt or drown out the speaker.
Resolution Announcement
 All parliamentary teams will gather in the Parliamentary Announcement Room at a scheduled time
before each round.
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


The resolution is announced by the Tournament Director or the Parli Coordinator.
The resolution should be stated clearly three times so debaters/coaches can write it down verbatim.
A copy of the exact wording will also be attached to the ballot so the judge has the exact wording in the
round.
Open Prep
Competitors may prepare using whatever resources they would like during the fifteen minutes of preparation
time, including electronic devices (unless otherwise banned by the Tournament Director). However, only
information handwritten during preparation time can be taken into the round.
Starting Rounds on-time
 The Hall Monitors assigned to the parli rooms should be familiar with the rules and protocol of parli
debate.
 Since the Government team has the privilege to prep in their debate room, in most cases the
Government team will already be in the room when it’s time for the round to begin.
 The Tournament Director will cue the Ballot Administration team when to distribute the parli ballots.
Ideally judges with their ballots will head to their assigned rooms during the designated “walk-time” (~5
minutes before the specified time that the debaters are to be in their room). This way the judge won’t
interrupt the Government team prepping in the room.
 If a judge gets to their room early, before the specified time, the Hall Monitor overseeing the parli rooms
should politely ask the judge to wait outside the room until the time specified for the round to begin.
 After the 15 minute prep + walk-time expires, both teams and the judge should be in the room ready to
begin the round.
Late arrival protocol below
Debaters and judges are responsible for arriving promptly to their event room at the specified time. However,
situations may arise that cause a team to show up late for their round (e.g. illness). The protocol for handling
these situations will be to begin the round as soon as possible and allow both teams involved to discuss the
reasons for the tardiness after the judge leaves the room at the end of the round (thereby extending grace to
the tardy team). This teaches students to go directly to the person they have issue with to resolve the matter
debater-to-debater. Over time, if a particular team is habitually late, and appears to be using the extra prep
time to attempt to gain an advantage in the round, debaters are encouraged to discuss their concern with
their coach so the situation can be addressed coach-to-coach. If however, no resolution has been reached
after repeated attempts, coaches are encouraged to bring the issue to the attention of the Tournament
Director.
Note: the Tournament Director can establish a grace period for late arrivals. In this case, if the debaters don’t
show up within the grace period they automatically forfeit the round. Grace periods help to keep the
tournament on schedule by preventing delays caused by late starts.
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18. Registration Coordinator
The Registration Coordinator:
 Creates the Registration Form
 Develops & publishes a process for competitors to register (preferably online)
 Collects Registration data
 Disperses relevant registration data to the appropriate areas
When possible, registration should be conducted online and the registration data stored on a spreadsheet
(like MS Excel) so it can be manipulated easily and dispersed to the coordinators that need it.
Registration Form
The Registration Coordinator will work together with the Tournament Coordinator to create the Registration
Form with the events that will be offered, meal orders and the corresponding fees. See the Sample Online
Registration Form on the next page. The Registration Form is converted to an online format where families
can sign-up on the internet. If online payment processing is not available, registered families will mail a
printout of their registration confirmation with their payment before the registration deadline.
Registration Process

Post the Registration information on the Tournament website 1.5 months before the Tournament,
including the registration instructions. Schedule Registration to open 30 days before the tournament

Families will register students online during the registration period (specify a late fee for registrations
submitted after the deadline). The online registration should send an automatic email confirmation with
the student’s registration information included.

If online payment processing is not available, the confirmation email should include instructions on
where to mail payment.

Publish a list of confirmed attendees and the events they are registered to participate in. Ask
participating families to verify their information and email corrections before registration closes. Note: a
team policy team is confirmed when payment is received for both partners.

Maintain a waitlist for each event to avoid an odd number of teams/byes and to allow as many students
to participate as possible in the event of last minute drops.

After registration closes, accept late registrations (with late fee) if space is available (try to maintain an
even # of team for debate events to avoid byes).

Cleanup registration data (misspelled names, make club abbreviations uniform etc)

Send relevant portions of the registration data to area coordinators:
o Tournament Coordinator – all registration information
o Tab Director - student name, club, events, partner information
o Admin Coordinator – student name, meal information
o Lunch/Dinner coordinator – student name, meal information
o Check-in Coordinator - student name, club, events, partner information
o Facility Coordinator – student name, club (for setup/cleanup assignments)

Send last-minute changes (drops, adds etc) to area coordinators

Match mailed-in form and payment with online registration information

Deposit payment in the bank
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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Sample Online Registration Form
Participant Registration Form
FAMILY INFORMATION:
Parent’s Name: __________________________________ E-Mail: _____________________________
Address: _______________________________________________ Phone: ______________________
Participant Name: ___________________________________ E-Mail: ____________________________
Judge’s Names: __________________________________________________________
Timer Names: ___________________________________________________________
EVENT INFORMATION (select applicable events):
Debate:
Team Policy Debate ($25/person) Club: _____________________ Partner’s name: ______________
Parliamentary Debate ($25/person) Club: _____________________ Partner’s name: ______________
Lincoln Douglas Debate ($35/person)
Club: _____________________
Individual Events ($15/first speech, $10/additional speeches) – max of 5 speeches
Apologetics
Dramatic Interpretation
Extemporaneous
Humorous Interpretation
Impromptu Speaking
Duo Interpretation DUO partner: _______________
Persuasive Speaking
Open Interpretation
Original Oratory
Expository Speaking
Speech Club: ______________________
EVENT TOTAL (total speech & debate fees): $_______
MEAL SELECTIONS (select any of the following):
 Thursday Lunch $5.00: Chick-Fil-A sandwich, chips, cookie, drink
 Thursday Dinner $5.00: 3 pieces of pizza, cookie, drink
 Friday Lunch $5.00: Subway sandwich, chips, cookie, drink
 Friday Banquet $5.00: BBQ, coleslaw, beans, cobbler, drink
 Saturday Lunch $5.00: Chicken express, biscuit, cookie, drink
 Saturday Dinner $6.00: 3 pieces of pizza, chips, cookie, drink
MEAL TOTAL (total speech & debate fees): $_______
REGISTRATION TOTAL (Event + Meal total): $__________
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 65 of 96
19. Script Submission Coordinator
The Script submission coordinator oversees a team that collects & files scripts for student’s platform and
interpretive speeches during Check-in on the first day of the tournament. Scripts are required so students
understand the importance of academic integrity. Students doing platform speeches need to give credit
where it is due and guard against any form of plagiarism. Students doing interpretive pieces need to
be accountable to the actual literature they are using. The objective is to train students in how to properly cite
sources, put together a works cited page, etc.
Goal: Education not Adjudication
The goal of the Script Submission process is to validate the authenticity of the piece, or its validity for use in a
particular event. While all the issues of style (formatting, punctuation, etc) have their place, they are only
secondary. They can be corrected at the next tournament, and the tournament after that, and the
tournament after that, but should not be grounds for holding up a piece from competition. As long as the
script is suitable to assist a Tournament Director or his designees in adjudicatory matters, or in determining
ultimate validity for entry in an event, it is fine for the tournament.
Script Submission Process
Two tables should be setup as part of the submission process:
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Script check Table: At this table, the script check-in team conducts a quick overview of the student’s
platform and/or interp script using the Interpretative or Platform Script Submission Checklist. If the
student’s script(s) meet the requirements, their name is checked off the list.
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Script Education Table: If a script has a problem due to a missing element or format issue, students
are sent to the Education table (located next to the Script Check table) to learn how to fix their script
for the next tournament. The operative word here is grace. The goal is always education, not
adjudication. This process works well during the season, helping to ensure that all scripts meet the
requirements by the end of the season at Nationals.
Script Submission Checklists are located on the league’s website. Study these lists so you are familiar with the
criteria for scripts to be in compliance.
The Script check-in table and Education tables are just to check for format and required elements (works
cited page, photocopy of source, etc), not to check for problems with content. Scripts are only pulled for
careful evaluation of the content if the judge or someone else in attendance raises a complaint or question
about the script in some way. If there is an adjudication issue, the Tournament Director or a member of the
Tournament Adjudication committee takes an initial look. If there seems to be an issue, the rest of the
Adjudication committee meets to determine how the issue should be handled. See Adjudication Committee
for more on this process.
Platform Script Instructions
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The script must be an original work, written by the student.
Script must be submitted in typewritten form.
All direct quotations must be underlined.
Quotations and major ideas must be cited appropriately in the text of the speech.
A Works Cited page must be included with every speech.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 66 of 96
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The Works Cited page and all in-script citations must be prepared according to the MLA format. MLA
format information can be found at various online sites. One suggested source
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/mlastyle.pdf
No more than 30% of the speech may consist of direct quotations.
Platform Script Submission Checklist
____ Script is typewritten.
____ Direct quotations are underlined.
____ Works Cited page is included and is in MLA Format.
____ Script Submission Form is attached.
____Parent and/or coach signatures are included.
____Total Words are counted.
____Quoted words are counted.
____ The percentage of quoted words is recorded.
Interpretive Script Instructions
The script must be submitted in two parts:
1. A typewritten copy
2. A photocopy of the original source
1. Typewritten script requirements:
a. Script must be typed exactly as it is going to be presented.
b. All added words must be underlined.
2. Photocopy requirements:
a. Photocopy every page which includes words used in the interpretive piece.
b. Photocopy the title page of the book (or books for Open Interpretation) the piece has been taken
from. Note- this is the “original source” needed for the script submission form.
c. Photocopy the copyright page of the book (or books for Open) the piece has been taken from.
d. Attach a typewritten copy of the introduction you have written and write in (or glue on) any other
added words in the appropriate spot in the script.
e. Highlight all words that are used in the piece. Do not cross out any words.
f. Arrange the photocopied script in the order it will be presented.
Note- the goal is to submit two complete copies. One of them is typed. The other is photocopied with the
intro and added words attached, creating a second complete script.
Duo partners only need to submit one script but both partners need to submit a script submission form.
If for some reason the student is unable to comply with the script submission requirements, or if he or she is
missing some required element, a brief explanation should be attached to the script submission form for
consideration by the tournament administration.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 67 of 96
Interpretive Speech Script Submission Checklist
____ Script is typewritten.
____ Added words in the typewritten script are underlined.
____ Original source of the material is photocopied.
____ Each page containing words from the piece is photocopied.
____Words used in the piece are highlighted on the photocopy.
____Title page of original source is photocopied (The original source is the book, play, anthology, etc from
which the piece is taken)
____Copyright page of original source is photocopied.
____ Script Submission Form is attached.
____Coach and parent signatures are included.
____Number of added words is recorded.
____Copyright date is recorded.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 68 of 96
20. TAB Director
“The job of the Tab Director is to make the Tournament Director look like a genius” – Dr. Schalin (National Tab
Director). The Tabulation or “Tab” Room is responsible for pairing all the rounds and calculating the results of
each round. The Tab Director heads up the Tab Room team and works with the Tournament Director to keep
the tournament running on time.
Responsibilities:
 Staff the Tab team
 Review the Tournament Schedule (verify schedule is do-able within the allotted timeslots)
 Compile limited prep topics (Extemp, Impromptu, Apologetics)
 Print parli resolutions
 Setup Tab (load registration data)
 Preset preliminary IE rounds
 Preset the first two debate rounds
 Tabulate Ballots accurately (verify speed ballots)
 Print certificates
 Uploading results to www.speechranks.com (depending on the league)
The Tab Room takes all the results from the judge’s ballots and enters that data onto the computer and/or
manually and sets the debate and speech rounds for the Tournament.
The Tabulation Team has two challenges: Speed and accuracy. The tournament cannot move forward until
the Tab Room is ready, so the tab room needs to process ballots quickly to stay on schedule. More
importantly, however, is accuracy. It is difficult to go back and correct mistakes and often takes time. The Tab
Room needs to ensure that the results they tabulate are accurate.
Tab Team
The Tab Director will put together a Tab Team to handle the following jobs:
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Joy of Tournaments – TP, LD and parli: Primary & shadow computers for Debate Tabulation
IE Tab: Primary & shadow computers for IE Tabulation
Certificates: Responsible for printing all Certificates
Ballot Filer: Sorts & Files finished Ballots
It is best to invite a variety of people from different clubs to staff the Tab room. Parents who enjoy working
with computers and numbers tend to enjoy working in Tab. Each person on the Tab Team should have a
clearly defined job and designated position. For example, the debate primary and shadow tab should focus
solely on debate tab. Accuracy suffers when job responsibilities are not clear.
Sanctity of Tab: The Tab Director should staff his team with trustworthy individuals who will keep Tab
information confidential. All data regarding round pairings, round results, and speaker results is classified and
may not be shared with anyone outside the tab room until the tournament is over.
Tournament Schedule
The Tab Director works together with the Tournament Coordinator to ensure that sufficient time is allotted
between rounds on the Tournament Schedule in order for the tournament to run on-time. Two hours are
recommended per speech round and 1.75hr per debate round (with LD double-flighted).
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 69 of 96
Tab Process
A week or two before the tournament, the Tab Director loads the participant registration information into
the Tab software and sets up all the events being offered at the tournament in the Tab software. This process
includes:
 Formatting & loading the Registration data (students, schools, rooms, judges)
 Presetting the preliminary IE rounds
 Presetting the first two debate rounds
 Entering Ballots results (primary & shadow)
 Generating the pairings/postings IE and debate rounds
Speed Ballots (debate only)
Speed ballots are an essential time saver for outrounds since it allows Tab to start processing the round
results while the judges add more feedback to their ballot.
Speed ballots are also used for all parliamentary rounds so that the judge will have the exact wording of the
resolution for each round in the “comment” field of the speed ballot. Check with the Tournament
Coordinator to find out if speed ballots will be used for TP and LD prelim and/or outrounds.
The Ballot Collection team will check to make sure that the speaker points, ranking and decision (AFF/ NEG or
Government/ Opposition) are the same on BOTH the speed ballot and the regular ballot when the judge
turns the speed ballot in. They will highlight the speaker points, speaker rank, and decision on both the Speed
ballot and regular ballot and remind the judge that these fields are final and cannot be changed. Only
comments may be added to the regular ballot after the Speed Ballot has been turned in. By highlighting the
speaker points, rank and decision any changes that are made to the regular ballot will be obvious because
there will be new pen markings in whatever area was changed.
The Ballot Collection team will turn the Speed ballots into Tab as they come in. Tab will enter the decision,
speaker points and ranking into the Tab program in order to power-match the next round.
Judges must turn in the regular ballot before the start of the next round. The Tab team will do the
shadow/double-check off of the regular ballot. This is a second double check to catch any discrepancies
between the speed ballot and the regular ballot.
There may be rare cases where a judge asks the Ballot Collection staff about making a change to the speaker
points, speaker rank, or decision after they have turned in their speed ballot. The Ballot Collection team will
contact the Tab Director to handle these exceptions. If the request is made before the next debate round is
posted, the Tab Director will ask the judge to make the changes on BOTH the speed ballot and the regular
ballot and initial all changes. Then the changes are made in the Tab program on the primary and shadow Tab
computers.
Limited Prep Topics
The Tournament Coordinator will submit 12 Impromptu and Apologetics topics for each prelim and
elimination round to the Tab Director a couple weeks before the tournament.
A week before the tournament, the TC will submit 15-18 Extemp questions for each prelim and elimination
round (3 questions times the max # of competitors per room).
The Tab team will print 4 sheets of questions per room (one to cut into strips for the envelope and 1 for each
judge). The questions and envelope is attached to the respective IE ballot stack for each round.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 70 of 96
Parliamentary Debate Resolutions
The Parli Coordinator will submit the topics to the Tab Director a few days before the tournament so the
exact wording of each resolution can be added to each ballot (may be on a separate sheet of paper like
Extemp). It’s essential for each judge to have the exact wording in case it becomes an issue in the round.
Special Awards
Check with the Tournament Coordinator to find out if any special awards will be offered at the tournament
(in addition to the usual awards). Possibilities to consider include:
1. Picket Fence award
2. Tournament Champion=Combined Sweeps award which factors in speech and debate.
Certificates
TAB will print award certificates for students that break to outrounds. Participation Certificates will also be
included in each student’s ballot envelope at the end of the tournament. The certificates should reflect the
tournament theme in the border & graphics used and contain the following information:
Speech & Debate
Certificate of Participation
Awarded to
________
Alamo Fall Speech & Debate Qualifier
Bulverde, TX
October 21- 23
Tournament Directors’ signature
Tab files
Tab results must be submitted to the league’s officials within 2 days of the tournament so they can be posted
to the league’s website or Speechranks.
Tab Logistics
The Admin Coordinator will make copies of the ballots for the events being offered at the tournament. Refer
to the Copies section of the Admin Coordinator chapter for specific details on copying ballots. The Admin
Coordinator will give the blank ballot copies to the Tab Director a couple weeks before the tournament for
them to be organized using the following outlines.
Individual Events: Speech Student Ballot Packs
For all preliminary & outrounds:
1. Print Student Ballots on the designated colored paper using the ballots on the league’s website
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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2. Compile 8 Student Ballots per pack - call this a Student Ballot pack.
3. Paperclip these 8 ballots together with a small paperclip (DO NOT staple these!)
4. Bundle 3 Student Ballot packs together with a large paperclip.
5. This last pack you have created is enough ballots for 3 judges in 1 room of 8 competitors.
6. If your Tournament Coordinator has more than 8 students in any of the rooms, you will need to make
adjustments to the Student Ballot packs.
Finals Round: Bundle 5 of the Student Ballot packs with a large paperclip. This pack is enough ballots for
5 judges in 1 room of 8 students. If your Tournament Director has more than 8 students in any of the
outround rooms, or more/less than 5 judges per room, you will need to make adjustments to the Student
Ballot packs.
For Apologetics and Impromptu: In addition to the steps listed above:
1. In one of the bundled Student Ballot packs, add 1 page of Head Judge Instructions (or Room
Administration Instructions) to the top of the pack. There are specific instruction sheets for
Apologetics, and for Impromptu.
2. These Head Judge Instructions should be printed in the corresponding color to match the Student
Ballots.
3. Note: only one judge per room needs this Head Judge Instructions sheet, so put it on the top of the
top Student Ballot pack in the bundle of 3 (or 5 for finals).
Individual Events: Judge Worksheets/Rules
1. These are the rules of each specific event - they are located on the league’s website under each
specific IE event.
2. These pages should be printed on the corresponding color that matches the Student Ballots.
3. The FRONT of this page will be printed with the grid that has the students’ names who are competing
in each room.
4. The BACK of this page is the Rules of the Event, which you print before the tournament.
5. Each judge needs one of these sheets, so you need enough for 3 judges in each preliminary round,
and 3-5 for the semi and Final round. If your tournament director has more judges per round, you
will need to make adjustments.
6. IMPORTANT NOTE: DO put these Rules pages in the file folders for each specific IE event. There
should be one file box of hanging folders that is labeled with each of the 10 IE events. This file box
should be only for the Judge Worksheets/Rules and should be labeled as such.
7. IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT attach these sheets to the Student Ballot packs. If they are in the paper
clipped Student Ballot packs, they will need to be removed so the TAB staff can print the student list
of names on the other side. So, don’t put them in the Student Ballot packs, even though the TAB
staff will eventually place them in the packs once they are printed on BOTH sides.
8. Store the file box with these Judge Worksheets/Rules in the Tab Room before the tournament
begins.
9. Please label the box “Judge Worksheets/Rules.”
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 72 of 96
Apologetics: These instructions are helpful to organize the Apologetics materials in the most useful way
for the TAB and tournament staff.
1. For 8 students per competition room, choose about 12 questions from all the 5 categories of 100
questions for each preliminary round and outround (the questions are on the league’s website). Look
for the more challenging questions and use those for the outrounds.
2. Generate one page with all the questions you chose for Round One. Label this page
“Apologetics/Round One.” Print enough of these so each judge gets one. Print a few extras. Do NOT
fold these pages. Do NOT place these pages in the letter-sized envelopes with the strips of questions.
They need to be added to the Student Ballot packs in TAB during the tournament, so it is not helpful
if they are folded or in the envelope of cut-up strips of questions.
3. Print additional sheets of these same chosen questions. Print enough so there is one for each room
in this round, plus a few extras.
4. Cut these sheets into strips so there is one question per strip of paper.
5. Place each set of strips into an envelope. Each of these envelopes should contain one of each set of
questions for this round. Label this envelope with “Apologetics” and “Round 1.”
6. Place all of the above in a large 9x12 inch mailing envelope and label: “Apologetics, Round 1.”
7. Each of these large mailing envelopes should contain the following: the pages of questions, enough
for one per judge (plus extras) in this round (unfolded), and all the labeled, letter-sized envelopes of
cut-up question sets, enough for one per room.
8. Do the same for each preliminary round and each outround. Label each of the large mailing
envelopes with “Apologetics” and the specific round or out-round.
9. Use a rubber band or binder clip to secure these mailing envelopes together.
10. Store this package of envelopes in the Tab Room. They need to be in the Tab Room BEFORE the
tournament begins.
Impromptu: These instructions are helpful to organize the Impromptu materials in the most useful way
for the TAB and tournament staff.
1. Prepare 12 quotes per round if there are 8 students in each room. Label each page of 12 quotes
“Impromptu/Round One” “Impromptu/Round Two,” etc. for each preliminary rounds and outrounds.
2. For each round, print enough pages of these quotes so each judge in each room has a complete set of
quotes. Do NOT fold these pages and do NOT place them in the envelopes with the strips of
questions. Since they need to be added to the Student Ballot packs in TAB during the tournament, it
is NOT helpful if they are folded or in the envelope of cut-up strips of questions.
Print additional sheets of the same quotes so there is one for each room in each round. Cut these
sheets into strips of paper. Place each set of strips into an envelope. Each of these envelopes should
contain one set of the quotes for this round. Label each envelope “Impromptu Round 1”.
3. Place all of the above in a large 9x12 inch mailing envelope and label: “Impromptu Round 1.”
4. Each of these large mailing envelopes should contain the following: the pages of quotes/abstracts,
enough for one per judge (plus extras) in this round (unfolded), and all the labeled, letter-sized
envelopes of cut-up question sets, enough for one per room.
5. Do the same for each preliminary round and each out-round. Label each of the large mailing
envelopes with “Impromptu” and the specific round or out-round.
6. Use a rubber band or binder clip to secure these mailing envelopes together.
7. Store this package of envelopes in the Tab Room. They need to be in the Tab Room BEFORE the
tournament begins.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 73 of 96
8. Fun Impromptu quotes/Topics Ideas: famous quotes, food quotes, motivational quotes, etiquette
cards, tongue twisters, themes (e.g. character qualities).
Extemporaneous: These instructions will help you organize the Extemporaneous materials in the most
useful way for the TAB and tournament staff.
1. Have 15 questions per round prepared if there are 5 students in each room.
2. Organize the questions in groups of 3. Be sure the questions are distributed by difficulty so each
group of 3 questions is the same level of difficulty.
3. Title each of these groups of questions for each of the speakers.
Example:
Speaker 1
1. Type out first question
2. Type out second question
3. Type out third question
Speaker 2
1. Type our first question
2. Type out second question
3. Type out third question
Etc.
4. Print enough pages of these questions so each judge in each room has a complete set of questions.
Label these sheets “Extemporaneous” and the Round #. DO NOT fold these pages and do NOT put
them in the letter-sized envelopes. Since they need to be added to the Student Ballot packs in Tab
during the tournament, it is NOT helpful if they are folded or with the question strips.
5. Print additional sheets of these same questions, one for each room in this round. Cut these sheets
into strips so there is one group of three questions per strip of paper. Place them in an envelope all
of the strips for Speaker 1. This envelope should be labeled “Round 1 Speaker 1.” Do the same for
the remaining Speakers.
6. Place all of the above in a large 9x12 inch mailing envelope and label: “Extemp Round 1.” Each of
these large mailing envelopes should contain the following: the pages of questions, enough for one
per judge (plus extras) in this round (unfolded), and all the labeled, letter-sized envelopes of cut-up
question sets, enough for one per room.
7. Do the same for each preliminary round and each out-round.
8. Label each of the large mailing envelopes with “Extemp” and the specific round or out-round.
9. Use a rubber band or binder clip to secure these mailing envelopes together.
10. Store this package of envelopes in the Tab Room. They need to be in the Tab Room BEFORE the
tournament begins.
11. The envelopes of question/topic strips for the speakers will be picked up by the Extemporaneous
Prep Room Proctor. Make arrangements with him/her before the tournament starts.
12. The sheets for the judges will be placed in the Student Ballot packs in Tab.
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Debate Events
Debate Ballots: Lincoln-Douglas, Parliamentary and Team Policy
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Official ballots are on the league’s website
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Store each kind of ballot (TP, LD, parli) in a separate, labeled box. They can be the boxes the paper came
in or another box.
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Label the boxes “LD Ballots,” “Parli Ballots,” and “TP Ballots.”
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Keep a white master of these in File Box #2.
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Debate Ballots should be stored in the Tab Room before the tournament begins
Debate Speed Ballots: Lincoln-Douglas, Parliamentary and Team Policy
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Speed Ballots are generated and printed in the Tab Room during the tournament.
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They are generated directly from the Joy of Tournaments Tab software, so they are not on the league’s
website.
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These ballots are printed with the specific names of the students competing in each round, so there is no
way to print these up before the tournament. They are generated before each round after the software
generates the pairings.
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These will be matched and stapled to each debate ballot after the round is sectioned.
Tab Storage/File boxes
It is helpful to have 5 separate plastic boxes and lids with hanging files prepared before the tournament for
all the IE paperwork. All five of these boxes need to be stored in the Tab Room before the tournament
begins.
Box #1: Extra blank colored paper.
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Be sure there are at least 100 sheets of each of the colors for the 10 IE events.
Please keep these in hanging files so they stay neat and flat. If there is a large amount, it is OK to
keep it in the package it came in.
Box #2: Labeled files of the 10 IE events and Debate events with extra copies of the documents that may
be needed for the events. All these documents should be on the league’s website.
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Student Ballots (IE, LD, and TP)
Judge Rules (IE)
Head Judge Instructions Sheet, or Room Administration Sheet (Apologetics, Impromptu)
White master copy of 1 of each of these documents. It is helpful to have these white documents to
use on the copier, as it is difficult to copy from the darker colors.
TP Debate Timer sheet master copy
LD Debate Timer sheet master copy
TP Debate flowsheet master copy
LD Debate flowsheet master copy
Box# 3: Judge Rules
Labeled files of the 10 IE events with the Judge Rule sheets printed on one side. The other side is BLANK
and will be printed in TAB during the tournament. Be sure there are enough of these pre-printed sheets
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
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for each judge, in each round (preliminary, quarter, semi, and final) for each room of competitors. Extra
copies are advisable.
Box #4: Out-Rounds Student Ballot Packs
 Labeled files of the 10 IE events containing all the out-round Student Ballot packs.
 There should be 3 Student Ballot packs clipped together with a large paperclip for the quarter and
semi rounds.
 There should be 5 Student Ballot packs clipped together with a large paperclip for the final rounds.
 Label each section of packs with a sticky note with either “quarter” or “semi” or “final.”
 For large events, you may need more than one file folder.
Box #5: Tab Room Supplies - store the following supplies in a file box with a lid. Label the box “Tab
Supplies” and store it in the Tab Room before the tournament begins:
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White paper: 8.5 X 11 inches, two cases of 5000 pages/case = 10,000 pages (this is used to print the
LD and TP debate speed ballots during the tournament in Tab, as well as all postings, announce
sheets, etc.)
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Colored paper: We need extra blank paper of all the colored paper being used for the tournament IE
ballots. ¼ ream of each color should be adequate.
Paper clips, small and large, 3 or 4 boxes of each
Binder clips, large and medium, 12 of each
Blue tape, 1 inch, 6 rolls
Blue tape, 2 inch, 1 roll
Scotch tape, clear, 2 rolls/dispensers
Highlighters, yellow, 12
Highlighters, color other than yellow, 3
Sharpie markers, 12 black
Red pens, 1 box of 12
Black pens, 2 boxes of 12
Dry-Erase marker set, various colors, 4-6 pens total
Electric/Automatic Stapler
Extra batteries for stapler, if battery operated
Staples, 2 boxes
Manual staplers, 2
Staple removers, 3
Scissors, 2
Sticky Notes, 12 pads, approximately 3” X 3”
Ruler, 1
Paper cutter, 12” blade minimum (be sure the blade is sharp!)
Labels, Avery, return address size (backup in case the names cannot be printed on the ballots in Tab.)
Extension cords with multiple outlets and able to receive three-prong plugs, 6
Rubber bands, 1 bag
White envelopes, letter size, 12
White-out correction tape, 1
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Other Supplies
1. Ballot Sorters (crates for Student Ballots/hanging Files)
 There should be one crate for every 30 competitors in the Tab Room. These open crates are used to
file the student ballots (no lids).
 This may seem to be too many crates, but as the files become full, it is much easier to file when there
is extra room in the crates. Additionally, it is helpful to spread out the files so more people can file at
one time.
 Each student competitor needs a hanging file with a tab with his or her name on it.
 Alphabetize these files in the crates.
 To store or transport, you can consolidate all the hanging files into a couple crates, and bring in the
remaining empty crates.
 Bring all of the crates and files to the Tab Room before the beginning of the tournament.
 It is helpful to have the students’ debate partners’ names and Duo partners’ names printed in very
small font beneath the competitors’ names on the files tabs. This is helpful for filing if there are so
siblings with similar names at the tournaments. This information is in the registration software.
2. Ballot Envelopes for Student Ballots
 Each student needs a large envelope for their ballots so they can be returned to the student at the
end of the tournament.
 The envelopes need to be 9” X 12” or larger. The large size is to accommodate all the ballots,
especially of students who are competing in many different speech and debate events.
 Each envelope needs the student’s name on one of the upper corners of the envelope. -These can be
hand-written, or printed on labels generated by the registration website.
 Store the envelopes in the boxes they came in, or in another box.
 Do not put the envelopes in the individual student hanging files.
 Place these envelopes in the Tab Room.
3. Tab Room Equipment Needs
 High-speed photocopier/printer, black and white OR
 Laser printers (one or two for IE, one each for LD, Parli, and TP) AND
 Copier - with ability to duplex copy and feed stacks of papers through feeder to be copied. This is for
general, small amounts of copying, and for copying all the debate ballots and Duo ballots for the
students’ files.
 Extra toner cartridge for copier
 Extra printer cartridges for printers
 Tables: 2-3 long rectangle tables or a circular table for the ballot sorters
 Tables: 2-3 long rectangle tables for Tab staff/computers in addition to the above tables
 Tables: 2 additional circular tables for assembling ballots and receiving ballots
 Trash cans, large office size, at least 4
 Recycling Boxes or trash cans to recycle paper
 White board or somewhere/something to make large notes on the wall
Organization in the Tab Room

Separate computers and work areas for 2 IE stations, 1 LD and 1 TP, 1 for Parli

Long tables with the Ballot sorters should be out of the way of the computer areas

Printers need to be accessible to all the computer stations

Copier needs to be accessible to all
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 77 of 96

Long tables for organizing and assembling ballots and receiving ballots

Supply boxes of paper, extra supplies, extra ballots, and leftover ballots from rounds can be stored under
tables.

Boxes with IE ballot packs, IE judge rule sheets, debate ballots need to be on tables and accessible

It is helpful to keep a set of postings for each round and outround on the Tab Room wall

For posting on the wall in the Tab Room, have colored sheets of paper in plastic sleeve protectors that
match the IE ballot colors and print on them the event name. Post on the wall under a sign for either
Pattern A or Pattern B. Tape the postings under these headings. Save these signs in the Tab Supply box
for use at other tournaments.

Save and post debate postings on separate walls or areas

Post several Tournament Schedules around the room

Post several maps around the room

Post a list of competitor names near the file boxes

Post a list of Duo partners first and last names near the file boxes
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 78 of 96
21. Timer Coordinator
The Tournament Director, Timer Coordinator, Judges Room and TAB room are the 4 most vital roles to
keeping a tournament on time. If any of these areas fall behind, the tournament will run behind. Please
review this document in its entirety to become very familiar with the responsibilities of this important role.
The Timer Coordinator:
 Purchases supplies
 Recruits Timer Table staff (approximately 3 including you– can be rotated)
 Assembles baggies for the timepieces, pen/pencil, and 12 timer comment cards
 Print: Timer sheets, sign up lists, timer comment cards, name tags
 Recruits timekeepers and a runner
 Create Timer incentive program
 Conducts Timer Orientation for all tournament timekeepers
 Assigns timekeepers to each event room 20-30minutes before every round.
 Checks rooms prior to each round to ensure each has a judge, timer and competitors.
Estimated Budget ($150) - This budget is provided for purchasing replacement batteries for time-pieces,
cover printing (timesheets) and to fund the Timer Incentive program. Receipts must be submitted to the
Tournament Coordinator for reimbursement.
Supplies needed:
 Timepieces from participating clubs (make sure their names are on them)
 Batteries for the timers
 100 - Pens
 100 - Name tags for Timers
 Pencil Sharpener
 Paper Bags (large to return timers to clubs)
 Plastic bags for “Timer Packets”
 4 Sharpies to label timers
 Star stickers small to place on name tags of timers as they time a round
 Lap top/projector for training instructions
 Notebook for schedules & signups
 Facility Map
 Optional – timer room with a TV and 2 tables
 Candy, food, other incentives. Make sure you lay out the prizes and explain how to qualify for each.
Timer Table staff
The Timer Coordinator will recruit a team of 3 adults to help staff the Timer Table. They are responsible to
get time-keepers signed up 20-30mins before each event, trained & in rooms ready to time 5 MINUTES
before the judge arrives. This is essential to keeping the tournament on schedule.
Printing
Timer sheets: Prior to the tournament, print copies of the timesheets for:
Speech: see Limited Prep Timesheet in the Appendix at the end of this document
LD: available on the league’s website
TP: available on the league’s website
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 79 of 96
Tape a copy of the Limited Prep Timesheet to the Judge/Timer table in each speech event room. Print enough
debate timesheets for each timekeeper to take one into the room with them for the event they are timing.
Timer Assignment sheets: After room assignments are finalized (after registration closes), create and print
Timer Assignment Sheets for prelim speech & debate rounds and each out round. See Sample Timer
Assignment sheets in the Appendix at the end of this document.
Timer Setup
The day before the tournament, set up the Timer Table (or Timer Room if available), and bring a box of
games, cards, and videos (child appropriate) if there is a TV available.
You can create “Timer packets” by putting timesheets, a properly functioning timepiece, and sharp pencils in
a plastic bag with a timer. Timer Packets should be placed in each event room during setup the day before
the tournament. These materials should remain in each event room during the preliminary rounds and
collected as rooms are closed out during out rounds on the last day of the tournament.
Timer Table Process
For each round:
1. Use a new Timer Sign-up sheet for every round
2. Recruit Timekeepers to sign-up to time a round. Make sure they fill out the sheet for the current round
before signing up for another round. Let them know what time to be in the Timer room for training (15
minutes before each round).
3. Conduct Timer Orientation for all timekeepers that have not been trained on the upcoming event.
4. After the Timer training, give each timekeeper the correct timesheet (IE, TP or LD) and a pencil and
dispatch them to their event room. Timekeepers should sitting in their rooms at least 5 min before every
round.
5. Confirm with the hall monitors (walkie-talkies) that the timekeepers are in their rooms.
6. Repeat again to prepare for the next round.
Recruit Timekeepers
Responsible younger students (especially siblings) and adults viewing rounds are encouraged to serve as
timekeepers. During announcements each morning, timekeepers will be instructed to check in at the Timer
Table 20 to 30 minutes before each round to get a timing assignment.
Timer Incentives
The Timer budget is provided to help fund Timer incentives - fun ways to recruit/reward diligent timekeepers,
helping them take pride in serving with excellence in a vital tournament role. If there is an extra room
available near the general meeting area, create a “Timer Hospitality” area (like judges hospitality). This
creates a large pool of time-keepers making your job easy so you won’t have to comb the building looking for
volunteer timekeepers. Whatever incentive program you create, it must fit within the allotted budget. Have
fun with it! Some ideas include:


A table of drinks, goodies, games, videos, books and candy available for timekeepers who time at least
every other round or when asked to time (age 10 is average, so look for games that appeal to 10yos).
Prizes: get donated items (camera, toy, can of popcorn, large chocolate bar, video, or books) for prizes.
Prizes can be based on # of rounds timed and:
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 80 of 96
1. Attention during training:
2. Attitude
3. Number of rounds timed:
1 point each
1 point each
5 points each round
Timer Orientation
All time-keepers must receive a Timer Orientation before they are given a time-keeping assignment. Even
students who have timed at previous tournaments must sit through orientation for each event. Use the
league’s time-keeping cards for IEs and timer-sheets for debate. A “Timer Hospitality” room may come in
handy for Timer Orientations throughout the tournament.
Speech: Judges will have 2 minutes to fill out their ballot between speeches. Timekeepers must be trained to
set a 2-minute timer between speeches to help judges stay on track. This will help keep the tournament on
schedule and respect the availability of other community judges that are scheduled to judge at a specific
time. After the round is over, judges can fill out the remainder of their ballots in the Judges Hospitality Room.
Timekeeper Assignments

Room assignments will be finalized after registration closes. Contact the Tournament Coordinator to find
out how many TP/LD rooms and speech rooms there will be per prelim and outround pattern (parli
rounds are timed by the debaters in the round). You will need this for deciding how many timer sheets
and timers you will need.

After room assignments are finalized on, create Timer Assignment Sheets for prelim speech & debate
rounds and each outround. See Sample Timer Assignment sheets in the Appendix at the end of this
document.

During the Tournament, TAB will provide a copy of the postings with participants and room #’s before
each round. Verify that the room #’s match your pre-made Timer Assignment sheets (in case changes
were made during the tournament). Keep these after each round.

Assign a timekeeper to each event room 20-30mins before the round. Ensure that he/she has received
the appropriate Timer training for the event 15 min. before he/she is going to time. After training, give
each timekeeper the correct timesheet (IE, TP or LD) and a pencil and dispatch them to their event room.
For the first round, it is best to assign experienced timers and let a new timer go with them to watch and
reinforce the timer training.

During outrounds, fewer rooms will be used – check the TAB listing for the room numbers before
assigning timers to rooms.

Assign the most experienced timekeepers for outrounds
Check Rooms
Room checkers are vitally important to keeping our tournament running on time! The Timer Coordinator will
partner with the Hall Monitor team to fulfill this function:
1. Checks rooms before rounds – Once time-keepers have been assigned and dispatched to their rooms,
please follow up by checking every room to be sure the assigned time-keeper, judge and competitors are
in the room and ready to begin the round. Room checkers will have walkie-talkies throughout the
tournament, please notify:
-
The Judges Room if a judge has not shown up to a room
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 81 of 96
-
The Timer Table if the time-keeper is missing
-
Tournament Director if one or more of the competitors are missing
When all the parties involved are in their assigned rooms, the room should get started immediately.
2. Clear rooms after round – invite judges to return to the Judges Hospitality Room to complete their
ballots and remind time-keepers to return to the Timer Table, to get their next assignment.
Timer Orientation
Platform and Interp Speeches: Start the timer when the speaker starts speaking. Stop the timer when
speaker stops speaking. Call out the speech time for the judges to note on their ballot.
Limited Prep Speeches: see instructions on the Limited Prep Timesheet in the Appendix at the end of this
document.
Debate Rounds – mark each box after each speaker speaks to keep track of where you are in the round.
Sample LD Timer Sheet







Affirmative Constructive
Cross-Examination (of Aff by Neg)
Negative Constructive
Cross-Examination (of Neg by Aff)
First Affirmative Rebuttal
Negative Rebuttal
Second Affirmative Rebuttal
6 minutes
3 minutes
7 minutes
3 minutes
4 minutes
6 minutes
3 minutes
Hand Signals: Hold up five fingers to indicate when the speaker has five minutes left. Keep holding up your
hand until you are sure that the speaker has seen it. Then, hold up four fingers when there are four minutes
left, three fingers for three minutes left, and so on. When there are 30 seconds left, hold up one finger bent
in half. When 10 seconds are left hold up all 10 fingers and count down with the timer. Verbally announce
when the “time” has run out.
Prep Time: each side receives prep time (LD=3 mins, TP=5mins). Prep time is not allowed before crossexamination. Be prepared to tell the debater how much prep time they have used if asked.
Clear rooms after the round – invite judges to return to the Judges Hospitality Room to complete their
ballots and remind time-keepers to return to the Timer Table, to get their next assignment. At the end of the
day make sure the timers are in the rooms and ready for the next day. Also make sure you have what you
need for Timer Sheets, Comment Cards, and other supplies.
Collect Timepieces
During outrounds, collect the timepieces from the rooms that are no longer being used. We are responsible
for all the timepieces that are graciously loaned to us for use during the tournament, please keep track of
them. During the semi-final round, separate timepieces by club and return them to the representative from
each club.
Handling Problems
Sometimes timekeepers may not time a round correctly and you will receive complaints. In these cases you’ll
want to speak privately with the timekeeper about the issue. You will need to decide if they just need more
training or are unable to time anymore. There are several options you can take:
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 82 of 96




If it is just a small problem, you can just quickly clarify the timing instructions.
You can also offer to sit with them through one round, or have them team up with an experienced
timer.
You can limit them to easier the speeches (such as the prepared speeches – Just 10 minutes with no
prep time)
You may need to give them a break or dismiss them for the rest of the tournament.
If a timing mistake may have had an impact on the judging of the round (such as significant cut/increase of
prep time or speaking time) you will need to speak with the judge or Tournament Director and notify them of
the error.
End of the Tournament


Try to use experienced competitors to time final rounds, as they are less likely to make a mistake (there is
a lot at stake at this point).
Award the top timers during the award ceremony.
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 83 of 96
22. Appendix: Sample Tournament Budget
Total
Budget
Category
Expenditures
Registration Fees
Meal Fees
$
7,300
Deposit
$
5,100
Deposit
INCOME Total
$
12,400
Facility Fee
$
2,500
Facility
$
100
Toiletries
Facility
$
200
Janitorial
Facility Total
$
2,800
Banquet
$
50
Banquet
$
1,900
Lunch/Dinner
$
100
Napkins, cups etc
Lunch/Dinner
$
600
Chick-fil-A
Lunch/Dinner
$
340
Dominos Pizza
Lunch/Dinner
$
580
Subway
Lunch/Dinner
$
35
coke, dr. pepper
Lunch/Dinner
$
80
Drinks, salad, veggies
Lunch/Dinner
$
320
Lunch/Dinner Total
$
4,005
Timer Table
$
60
Timer Incentives
$
100
Timer Table Total
$
160
Hospitality
$
250.00
Hospitality
$
70.00
Hospitality Total
$
320
Post Office
$
11.00
Miscellaneous
$
50.00
Office Depot
$
180.00
Toner, plastic nametags
Sams Club
$
150.00
Printer ink
Amazon online
$
140.00
Brother Toner
Ballot Collect
$
20.00
Student Packets
$
140.00
Plastic nametag holders
TAB/Judges Room
$
350.00
Paper, pens, envelopes, batteries, copies, toner
Admin Total
$
1,041
Crown Trophy
$
1,200
Awards
$
1,200
NET
$
2,614
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Building use
décor, entertainment
Sonny BBQ
Drinks, chips, dessert stuff etc
Timepieces, batteries
candy, food
Paper products, plasticware, Coffee, water
bottles
beverages
Stamps
highlighters, post-it, chocolate
Trophies & medals
Page 84 of 96
23. Appendix: Sample Tournament Schedules
Sample 1½-day schedule – Parli only
Day One
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
12:15 PM
1:05PM
1:30-2:15
2:35
3:00-3:45
4:05
4:30-5:15
5:15-6:00
6:05PM
6:30-7:15
Participant check-in
Parli Judge’s Orientation
Mandatory Participant Orientation
Topic Announced: Round 1
Round 1
Topic Announced: Round 2
Round 2
Topic Announced: Round 3
Round 3
Dinner
Topic Announced: Round 4
Round 4
Day Two
8:30 AM
9:05 AM
9:30-10:15
10:35 AM
11:00-11:45
11:45-12:30
12:30
12:40 PM
1:05-1:50
2:30
2:55-3:40
4:15-5:00
Mandatory Participant Announcements
Topic Announced: Round 5
Round 5
Topic Announced: Round 6
Round 6
Lunch
Announce Breaks
Topic Announced: Bronze Round
Bronze Round
Topic Announced: Gold Round
Gold Round
Awards
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 85 of 96
Sample 2½-day schedule – Parli day1
Day One
1:30-2:00
2:00-2:20
2:00-2:30
2:40
3:00-3:45
4:00
4:20-5:05
5:10-5:40
5:40
6:00-6:45
8:00-10:00
Parliamentary debate Check-in
Parli Judge’s Orientation
Parli Student Orientation
Topic Announced: Round 1
Round 1: Parliamentary Debate
Topic Announced: Round 2
Round 2: Parliamentary Debate
DINNER
Topic Announced: Round 3
Round 3: Parliamentary Debate
Regular Check-in
Day Two
7:00
7:30
8:00-10:00
10:00-12:00
10:05
10:25-11:10
12:00-12:30
12:30-2:30
2:30-4:30
2:35
2:55-3:40
4:30-5:00
5:00-7:00
Participant Check-in
Student & Judges Orientation
Round 1: Team & LD Debate
Speech Round 1
Parliamentary Topic Announced
Round 4: Parliamentary Debate
LUNCH
Round 2: Team & LD Debate
Speech Round 2
Parliamentary topic Announced
Octo-final Parliamentary Debate
DINNER
Round 3: Team & LD Debate
Day Three
8:00-9:45
10:00-11:30
11:30-Noon
Noon-1:45
2:00
2:25-3:10
3:30-5:00
5:00-6:00
6:00-7:00
Round 4: Team & LD Debate
Speech Round 3
LUNCH
Octafinals: Team & LD Debate
Parliamentary Topic Announced
Quarter-final Parliamentary Debate
Quarters: Team & LD Debate
DINNER
Awards
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 86 of 96
Sample 3-day schedule
Day One
7:00 AM
7:45 AM
8:00-8:15 AM
8:20 -9AM
9:30-9:45 AM
9:50-10:35 AM
10:00-11:30 AM
11:00-11:15 AM
11:20-12:00
12:30 PM
2:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:30 PM
7:30 PM
Parliamentary Debate participant check-in
Parli Participant Orientation
Parli Round 1 Topic Announcement & prep
Parli Round 1
Parli Round 2 Topic Announcement & prep
Parli Round 2
Regular Participant Check-In
Parli Round 3 Topic Announcement & prep
Parli Round 3
Debate Round 1 (TP, LD)
Speech Round 1 Pattern A (Parli round 4, IMP, other IEs)
Debate Round 2 (TP, LD)
Speech Round 1 Pattern B (Apol, OI, OO, Ext, DUO, other IEs)
Debate Round 3 (TP, LD)
Day Two
7:30 AM
8:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:30 PM
1:30 PM
3:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:30 PM
Participant Announcements
Speech Round 2 Pattern A (Parli quarter-finals, IMP, other IEs)
Debate Round 4 (TP, LD)
Speech Round 2 Pattern B (Apol, OI, OO, Ext, DUO, other IEs)
Debate Round 5 (TP, LD)
Speech Round 3 Pattern A (Parli semi-finals, IMP, other IEs)
Debate Round 6 (TP, LD)
Speech Round 3 Pattern B (Apol, OI, OO, Ext, DUO, other IEs)
Day Three
7:30 AM
8:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:40
12:00-12:45
1:00 PM
3:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:15 PM
7:00 PM
8:30 PM
Announce Breaks
Debate – TP & LD Octa-finals
Speech Semi-finals
Parli Final Topic Announcement & prep
Parli Final round
Debate – TP & LD quarter-finals
Speech Finals
Debate – TP & LD semi-finals
LD Finals
TP Finals
Awards
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 87 of 96
Sample 3½-day schedule
Day One
12:00-12:30
12:30-1:00
1:00-1:20
1:15
1:35-2:20
2:30
2:50-3:25
3:50
4:10-4:55
5:15
6:05-6:50
Parli participant Check-in
Parli Student Orientation
Parli Judge’s Orientation
Topic Announced: Round 1
Round 1: Parliamentary Debate
Topic Announced: Round 2
Round 2: Parliamentary Debate
Topic Announced: Round 3
Round 3: Parliamentary Debate
Topic Announced: Round 4
Round 4: Parliamentary Debate
Day Two
7:00
7:30
8:00-9:45
9:45-11:45
11:45-1:30
1:30-3:30
3:30-5:15
5:15-7:15
Regular Participant Check-in
Student & Judges Orientation
Round 1: Team & LD Debate
Round 1: Pattern A Events (Parli round 5, IMP, other IEs)
Round 2: Team & LD Debate
Round 1: Pattern B Events (Apol, OI, OO, Ext, DUO, other IEs)
Round 3: Team & LD Debate
Round 2: Pattern A Events (Parli round 6, IMP, other IEs)
Day Three
8:00-9:45
9:45-11:45
11:45-1:30
1:30-3:30
3:30-5:15
5:15-7:15
Round 4: Team & LD Debate
Round 2: Pattern B Events (Apol, OI, OO, Ext, DUO, other IEs)
Round 5: Team & LD Debate
Round 3: Pattern A Events (Parli bronze, IMP, other IEs)
Round 6: Team & LD Debate
Round 3: Pattern B Events (Apol, OI, OO, Ext, DUO, other IEs)
Day Four
7:30 AM
8:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:40
12:00-12:45
1:00 PM
3:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:15 PM
7:00 PM
8:30 PM
Announce Breaks
Debate – TP & LD Octa-finals
Speech Semi-finals
Parli Gold Topic Announcement & prep
Parli Gold round
Debate – TP & LD quarter-finals
Speech Finals
Debate – TP & LD semi-finals
LD Finals
TP Finals
Awards
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 88 of 96
24. Appendix: Limited Prep Timer Sheet
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 89 of 96
25. Appendix: Sample Room Assignment Sheet
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 90 of 96
26. Appendix: Sample Timer Assignment Sheet
Sample Timer Signup sheet for preliminary speech round
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 91 of 96
Sample Timer Signup sheet for preliminary debate rounds
LONESTAR PRACTICE TOURNAMENT
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 92 of 96
27. Appendix: Judge Tracking Card
Name: _____________________________ Club: __________
Speech Events - Cross off each event you judge
APOL
DI DUO Expos EXT
HI IMP OO
Speech Events - Cross off each event you judge
PERS
OI
Debate - Circle debate type and list team names:
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Name: _____________________________ Club: __________
APOL
DI DUO Expos EXT
HI IMP OO
PERS
OI
Debate - Circle debate type and list team names:
Round 6
LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
Name: _____________________________ Club: __________
Speech Events - Cross off each event you judge
APOL
DI DUO Expos EXT
HI IMP OO
Speech Events - Cross off each event you judge
PERS
OI
Debate - Circle debate type and list team names:
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Name: _____________________________ Club: __________
Round 6
LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
APOL
DI DUO Expos EXT
HI IMP OO
PERS
OI
Debate - Circle debate type and list team names:
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or LD or TP or
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
Parli
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
AFF Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
NEG Team
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Page 93 of 96
28. Appendix: Sample Nametag Template
John Smith
John Doe
Club Name
Club Name
2010 Alamo Fall Qualifier
2010 Alamo Fall Qualifier
2009 Frisco Practice Tournament
2009 Frisco Practice Tournament
December 4-5th
December 4-5th
John Smith
John Doe
Club Name
Club Name
2010 Alamo Fall Qualifier
2010 Alamo Fall Qualifier
2009 Frisco Practice Tournament
2009 Frisco Practice Tournament
December 4-5th
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
December 4-5th
Page 94 of 96
29. Appendix: Nametag Schedule
Friday, Oct. 22
Saturday, Oct. 23
Friday, Oct. 22
Saturday, Oct. 23
7:00 AM Check-in (all participants)
7:30 AM Mandatory Announcements
7:00 AM Check-in (all participants)
7:30 AM Mandatory Announcements
7:30 AM Mandatory Announcements
7:30 AM Judges Orientation
7:30 AM Mandatory Announcements
7:30 AM Judges Orientation
8:00 AM Speech Round 2 Pattern B
7:45 AM Judges Orientation
7:45 AM Judges Orientation
8:00 AM Speech Round 2 Pattern B
8:15 AM Debate Round 1
10:00 AM Debate Round 5
8:15 AM Debate Round 1
10:00 AM Debate Round 5
10:00 AM Speech Round 1 Pattern A
11:45 AM Speech Finals Pattern A
10:00 AM Speech Round 1 Pattern A
11:45 AM Speech Finals Pattern A
NOON Debate Round 2
1:45 PM Debate Quarterfinals
NOON Debate Round 2
1:45 PM Debate Quarterfinals
1:45 PM Speech Round 1 Pattern B
3:30 PM Speech Finals Pattern B
1:45 PM Speech Round 1 Pattern B
3:30 PM Speech Finals Pattern B
3:45 PM Debate Round 3
5:30 PM Debate Semifinals
3:45 PM Debate Round 3
5:30 PM Debate Semifinals
5:30 PM Speech Round 2 Pattern A
7:00 PM Banquet
5:30 PM Speech Round 2 Pattern A
7:00 PM Banquet
7:30 PM Debate Round 4
8:00 PM Awards
7:30 PM Debate Round 4
8:00 PM Awards
Pattern A = Apol, DUO, HI, OO, DI
Pattern B = Pers, IMP, Expos, OI, Ext
Pattern A = Apol, DUO, HI, OO, DI
Pattern B = Pers, IMP, Expos, OI, Ext
Friday, Oct. 22
Saturday, Oct. 23
Friday, Oct. 22
Saturday, Oct. 23
7:00 AM Check-in (all participants)
7:30 AM Mandatory Announcements
7:00 AM Check-in (all participants)
7:30 AM Mandatory Announcements
7:30 AM Mandatory Announcements
7:30 AM Judges Orientation
7:30 AM Mandatory Announcements
7:30 AM Judges Orientation
8:00 AM Speech Round 2 Pattern B
7:45 AM Judges Orientation
7:45 AM Judges Orientation
8:00 AM Speech Round 2 Pattern B
8:15 AM Debate Round 1
10:00 AM Debate Round 5
8:15 AM Debate Round 1
10:00 AM Debate Round 5
10:00 AM Speech Round 1 Pattern A
11:45 AM Speech Finals Pattern A
10:00 AM Speech Round 1 Pattern A
11:45 AM Speech Finals Pattern A
NOON Debate Round 2
1:45 PM Debate Quarterfinals
NOON Debate Round 2
1:45 PM Debate Quarterfinals
1:45 PM Speech Round 1 Pattern B
3:30 PM Speech Finals Pattern B
1:45 PM Speech Round 1 Pattern B
3:30 PM Speech Finals Pattern B
3:45 PM Debate Round 3
5:30 PM Debate Semifinals
3:45 PM Debate Round 3
5:30 PM Debate Semifinals
5:30 PM Speech Round 2 Pattern A
7:00 PM Banquet
5:30 PM Speech Round 2 Pattern A
7:00 PM Banquet
7:30 PM Debate Round 4
8:00 PM Awards
7:30 PM Debate Round 4
8:00 PM Awards
Pattern A = Apol, DUO, HI, OO, DI
Pattern B = Pers, IMP, Expos, OI, Ext
Pattern A = Apol, DUO, HI, OO, DI
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
Pattern B = Pers, IMP, IO, Ext
Page 95 of 96
Negative
Open Tournament
<First> <Last>
Affirmative
2010 Alamo National
2010 Alamo National
Open Tournament
Tournament Coordinator’s Handbook
<First> <Last>
30. Appendix: Sample Tent-card
Page 96 of 96