Novice debaters have two options in the class.  They may follow a competition emphasis or a classroom emphasis.

For the competition emphasis, students are required to attend 3 tournaments.  After every tournament attended, each team will have to turn in team report sheets (If these reports are not turned in, the team will not receive credit for the tournament).  More tournaments will be made available if the student/team wishes to attend and if it is possible to take them. 

If a student does not make the required 3 tournaments, a "0" grade will be assigned at the end of the semester for each missed tournament.  Each tournament attended is worth 100 points, for a total of 300 points.  These points are not assigned until the end of the semester because the student has leeway in choosing which tournaments to attend.  The coach will remind students to sign up, but it is the student's responsibility to do so. 

For the classroom emphasis, students are required to attend 2 tournaments.  One of these tournaments must be a Saturday 5 round tournament.  After every tournament attended, each team will have to turn in team report sheets (If these reports are not turned in, the team will not receive credit for the tournament). 

If a student does not make the required 2 tournaments, a "0" grade will be assigned at the end of the semester for each missed tournament.  Each tournament attended is worth 100 points, for a total of 200 points.  These points are not assigned until the end of the semester because the student has leeway in choosing which tournaments to attend.  The coach will remind students to sign up, but it is the student's responsibility to do so.

With this emphasis, each regular exam will be worth double (50 points, instead of 25).

For either emphasis:

In order to attend tournaments, teams must be deemed tournament ready (they should have an affirmative case, and files appropriately divided).  If a team wants to go to a tournament and is unsure if they are tournament ready, ask the coach.  She will know.

A calendar which lists tournaments is available here. 

It is the student's responsibility to sign up for tournaments and to go to the tournaments that they have signed up for.  If a student fails to attend a tournament that they have signed up for and have not cleared it with their coach, there will be repercussions.  Check the permission forms that students and parents/guardians have signed to see what these repercussions are.