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Tournament format


All debates will involve the current national high school debate proposition and the appropriate VHSL recognized Lincoln-Douglas debate resolution.  Time limits for policy debate will be 8-3-5.  Prep time will 8 minutes. The appropriate Lincoln-Douglas time limits as per VHSL rules will be followed.  We will offer six divisions of debate: open, junior varsity and novice policy divisions and open, junior varsity and novice Lincoln-Douglas divisions.

          Novice Policy Division: Open to students who have not participated in interscholastic debate prior to the 2011-2012 school year.  The tournament director will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.  There will be six rounds of preliminary debates plus elimination rounds.  This is a switch-sides division—teams will debate both sides of the proposition (3 affirmative and three negative rounds).

          Junior Varsity Policy Division:  Open to students who are in their second year of inter-scholastic debate. The tournament director will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.  There will be six rounds of preliminary debates plus elimination rounds.  This is a switch-sides division—teams will debate both sides of the proposition (3 affirmative and three negative rounds).

          Open Policy Division: Six rounds of debate and elimination rounds.  This is a switch-sides division—teams will debate both sides of the proposition (3 affirmative and three negative rounds).

          Novice Lincoln-Douglas: Open to students who have not participated in interscholastic debate prior to the 2011-2012 school year. The tournament director will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.  There will six rounds of preliminary debates plus elimination rounds.  Debaters will debate both sides of the resolution.

          Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Division: Open to students who are in their second year of interscholastic debate. The tournament director will make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.  There will be six rounds of preliminary debates plus elimination rounds. Debaters will debate both sides of the resolution.

          Open Lincoln-Douglas Division: Six rounds of debate for individual competitors who debate both sides of the resolution. 

          Public Forum: We will offer one division of public forum using the December NFL Public Forum topic.

          Student Congress: We will offer one division of Student Congress as well.