Tournament Info/Rules

Rules for all events
Tournament date is March 7. 2009
Location: Lincoln Southeast

All Nebraska Varsity High School LD, Policy, Public Forum and Novice LD debaters will be eligible for an invitation to the tournament. Invitations will be earned according to the following “point” system.

All Events:
each win = 5 points
each loss = 2 points
each elimination round win = 6 points
each elimination round loss = 4 points

Bonus points will also be awarded for:
Tournament runner up = 2 points
Tournament champion = 5 points

* For Novice LD – a 1.5 multiplier will be used for results during participation at the Varsity LD level. As not all novices remain in the division for the entire season, this is being done so that no penalty is realized for making the jump to Varsity.

In the event of any Round Robin Tournaments, each win will still be worth 5 points and each loss will be worth 2 points. However, the tournament runner up will earn 4 points and the tournament champion will earn 7 points. For Round Robin Tournaments which are based on ballots, each ballot win will be worth 3 points and each ballot loss will be worth 1 point.

Number of Entries:
There is no limit to the number of entries registered. However, at the end of the season when invitations are sent to those entries with the most points, only the top four (4) debaters from each high school will be offered an invitation to the tournament in LD Debate. The top two (2) teams from each high school in Policy Debate and in Public Forum Debate. Due to the format of the tournament, this is a requirement.

Policy and Public Forum Debate Points for Entries:
Since policy and public forum debate is two-person debate, points will be earned individually. Coaches must indicate on each week’s tab sheet whom each was partners with. In order to qualify as a partner for this tournament, policy debaters will have to have debated a majority of tournaments with each other. In the event that the debater that should be their partner based on this criteria cannot be the qualifier’s partner, that partner will not be allowed to receive their own bid to the tournament. If another teammate from their school receives an invitation, then that competitor may be eligible (utilizing the above rules) as that person’s partner. This is being done so that schools cannot maximize their entries and if a special exception is required, the coach should notify the tournament director of this special exception as soon as possible. All decisions of the tournament committee are final.

Selection of partners and invitations will take place after the weekend of February 17th, 2007. Invitations will be given in order of the debaters with the highest point totals, one at a time. The coach of the debater being offered an invitation will then indicate the partner of the debater receiving the invitation before the second selection takes place. This selection process will continue until all eight invitations have been accepted.

Invitation Announcements:
Invitations will be announced no later than one (1) week before the competition date for this tournament. The top sixteen (16) point winners in Varsity LD debate and the top eight (8) point winners in Policy, Public Forum and Novice LD debate able to attend will be invited to compete in the tournament. In the event any debaters receive an invitation and are unable to compete at the Nebraska Invitational Tournament, the next highest point winner will receive an invitation and seeded according to their actual rank. Alternate teams should always consider the possibility of competing until all invitations have been accepted.

Invitation Determinations:
In the event of a tie on total points for the season, the following rules will be used as a tie breaker.
1.) The contestant with the most tournaments competed in will have the higher seed.
2.) If the contestants have competed in the same number of tournaments, the highest and lowest weekend point totals will be dropped to determine the higher point winner / seed.
3.) If the contestants are still tied, high/low weekend point totals will continue to be dropped, one at a time, until a higher point total is found.
In the event that a school has more than one (1) debater in the same bracket, the lowest seeded debater in the bracket from that school would be dropped one seed. If that does not resolve the conflict of the debaters from the same school in the same bracket, then that lowest seeded debater would move up one seed instead. If resolution has still not been gained, then the lowest seeded debater in the bracket would be dropped two seeds and so on until resolution has been gained. The object of this is to insure that no debaters from the same school are in the same bracket. Decisions of the tournament committee are final.

Judging Requirements:
The coach of each entry in Policy and Public Forum will be required to hire one judge per entry for the Nebraska Invitational Tournament. (Example: Miscellaneous High School has two teams earn invitations to the tournament, the coach of Miscellaneous High School is responsible to hire two judges.) For Varsity and Novice LD events, the coach of each entry will be required to hire two judges for every 3 entries. Flexibility of judges for different events than the requirement, based on entry, may be offered (or even encouraged) at the discretion of the Tournament Staff. All judges will be hired by the coaches of the entered teams and any payment agreement should be completed by coach and judge. The Nebraska Invitational Tournament, tournament committee members, and NDI will not be responsible for paying or hiring of judges to fulfill the commitment of schools attending.

IMPORTANT: POLICY, PUBLIC FORUM, AND NOVICE LD JUDGES ARE OBLIGATED TO JUDGE FOUR (4) ROUNDS REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE SCHOOL THEY WERE HIRED BY HAS BEEN ELIMINATED. LINCOLN DOUGLAS JUDGES ARE OBLIGATED TO JUDGE SIX (6) ROUNDS REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE SCHOOL THEY WERE HIRED BY HAS BEEN ELIMINATED. BECAUSE MANY JUDGES ARE NOT REQUIRED DURING ROUNDS ONE AND TWO, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLETE THE TOURNAMENT WITHOUT REQUIRING THAT SOME OF THESE JUDGES STICK AROUND TO FULFILL THEIR TOURNAMENT REQUIREMENT (i.e. regardless of what round it is during the tournament, judges are not available for release from the tournament until after they have completed their commitment to the tournament based on the requirements given above).

Additionally, judges hired must be eligible and experienced for the division which they are being hired due to the entry (i.e. if a team has one LD and one policy team, the coach should hire one LD and one policy debate judge).

IMPORTANT: Only judges that have judged at five (5) or more High School Varsity Lincoln Douglas or Policy Debate Tournaments during the 2008-2009 high school debate season will be accepted (Public Forum does not have this requirement). This is being done only to insure the most experienced judges are available. We want to have high quality decisions, critique and education. This is not, in any way, meant to inconvenience the coaches or competitors.

Tournament Efficiency:
Policy debate rounds (as well as the other divisions) will be expected to start within 15 minutes of the announcement of the round schedule. Tournament assistants will be present at the rooms where the debates are scheduled. The teams involved in the debate will be given 15 minutes to prepare for the round. If after this 15 minutes, the first speaker has not begun, that team will forfeit the round. If the opposing team is not present at the time of the first speaker beginning (after the 15 minutes), the opposing team will forfeit the round. Tournament assistants will be given the authority to enforce this rule. Also, if the judge is not present after the 15 minutes of preparation, the school that the judge is affiliated with will forfeit the following round(s). This is not being done in an effort to be punishing, rather the emphasis is on executing the tournament in an efficient manner. Finally, the judges will be given 20 minutes after the end of the last speech to review the round and make a decision. A speed ballot should be handed in no later than this 20 minute time limit. An oral critique may be presented afterwards, but must be limited to 10 minutes. Debaters, judges, and coaches should make every effort to ensure that the tournament maintains a timely schedule.

Topic Selection:
The topic to be used for Public Forum is the February topic.

However, the topic for Varsity/Novice LD is the January/February topic. While many will observe that the March/April topic is available and this tournament could be practice for the NFL District tournament, the mission of this tournament is not to be a springboard for another tournament. Rather, this tournament exists as an end-of-the-year tournament of it’s own which challenges debaters to determine the best of the best in the State of Nebraska.

Prep Time:
Prep Time will be 5 minutes for LD debate, 8 minutes for Policy debate, and 2 minutes for Public Forum.

Tournament Format:
Competition will be according to the format detailed below. Any exceptions to these rules that are seen as necessary will be made according to the descretion of the tournament committee. All decisions are final. Awards will be presented to the top 8 debaters in Lincoln Douglas and the top 4 teams in Policy and Public Forum.

Tourney Format: Varsity LD Debate
(College World Series style)

Round One:

Bracket A: Bracket B:
1 Seed vs. 16 Seed 4 Seed vs. 13 Seed
8 Seed vs. 9 Seed 5 Seed vs. 12 Seed

Bracket C: Bracket D:
2 Seed vs. 15 Seed 3 Seed vs. 14 Seed
7 Seed vs. 10 Seed 6 Seed vs. 11 Seed

Round Two:

Bracket A:

Winner of (1 vs. 16) vs. Winner of (8 vs. 9)

Loser of (1 vs. 16) vs. Loser of (8 vs. 9)

Bracket B:

Winner of (4 vs. 13) vs. Winner of (5 vs. 12)

Loser of (4 vs. 13) vs. Loser of (5 vs. 12)

Bracket C:

Winner of (2 vs. 15) vs. Winner of (7 vs. 10)

Loser of (2 vs. 15) vs. Loser of (7 vs. 10)

Bracket D:

Winner of (3 vs. 14) vs. Winner of (6 vs. 11)

Loser of (3 vs. 14) vs. Loser of (6 vs. 11)

Round Three:

Brackets A, B, C, D:

Winner of the two undefeated gets bye

Both remaining debaters compete

Round Four:

Brackets A, B, C, D:

The two remaining debaters compete

* If the loser has only one loss, the two debaters compete again on opposite sides

Round Five:

** Single elimination stage **
Bracket A Winner vs. Bracket B Winner
Bracket C Winner vs. Bracket D Winner

Championship Round:

Two remaining debaters compete
** Single elimination **
Five Judges — best of five ballots

** Sides will be determined by flip of a coin in all rounds with the higher seed calling the side during the flip. If debaters have met before, then opposite sides are warranted. If debaters are meeting for the 3rd time, flip a coin.

** The tournament committee reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of judges deciding in the round by two (2) should it be possible, necessary or desirable.

** Rounds 1 and 2 will have one judge. Rounds 3, 4, and 5 will have a three judge panel. The championship round will have five judges, if possible. In any event that panels are not possible, the tournament committee reserves the right to administrate the tournament as needed to complete the tournament.

Tourney Format: Policy, PF & Novice LD
(Round Robin style)

Round One:

Bracket A: Bracket B:
1 Seed vs. 8 Seed 2 Seed vs. 7 Seed
4 Seed vs. 5 Seed 3 Seed vs. 6 Seed

Round Two:

Bracket A: Bracket B:
1 Seed vs. 5 Seed 2 Seed vs. 6 Seed
4 Seed vs. 8 Seed 3 Seed vs. 7 Seed

Round Three:

Bracket A: Bracket B:
1 Seed vs. 4 Seed 2 Seed vs. 3 Seed
5 Seed vs. 8 Seed 6 Seed vs. 7 Seed

Championship Round:

Bracket A Winner vs. Bracket B Winner
Bracket A Runner-up vs. Bracket B Runner-up

Three judges — best of three ballots

** Sides will be determined by flip of a coin in all rounds with the higher seed calling the side during the flip.

** Rounds 1, 2 and 3 will have two (2) judges. The Championship Round will have a three judge panel. In any event that panels are not possible, the tournament committee reserves the right to administrate the tournament as needed to complete the tournament.