Gearing Up: Where are you going next Season?

August 21, 2006 – 7:28 pm by: Nick Bubb

This post is intended to start a conversation about what debate tournaments schools are planning on attending, both in state and out of state.  To help facilitate that conversation, I have listed a tentative schedule of both national circuit of interest to most WI schools and Wisconsin tournaments that I know about.  Since college preparation tests often get in the way, I have also included those for convenience.  Please post away!

However, there are some notes that need to be made about the calendar below.  First, SAT/ACT dates are always on the Friday, not the Saturday and the information regarding those tests provided here relate only to the debate season.  For more information, check out their respective websites ACT and SAT.  Second, the Wisconsin Tournaments are merely tentative, and subject to change and approval at the WDCA Fall Business Meeting. The one exception to that note is the State Tournament.  Third, several other schools have expressed an interest in hosting a tournament, including but not limited to Nathan Hale, South Milwaukee, Sheboygan North, Spash, and Merill, but as of the WDCA Summer Exec Board meeting, none of those schools had moved beyond the initial planning stages.  Fourth, as invites are made availible to WFD, we will post them here. Additionally, invitations will be available through the WDCA website.  

September

  • 8-9:  Grapevine Classic (TX)
  • 15-17:  Wake Forest National Early Bird (NC), Yale (CT), Greenhill (TX), ACT  note: Greenhill starts on the 16 according to VBD
  • 23:  WDCA Workshop in Ripon
  • 29-1:  Valley Mid-America Cup (IA)

October

  • 6-7:  New Trier (IL), Rufus King (WI), Waupaca (WI)
  • 13-14: Big Bronx (NY), West Bend (WI), Hortonville (WI), SAT
  • 19-22: St. Mark's (TX)
  • 20-21: La Crosse (WI), Nathan Hale (WI)
  • 27-28: Iowa Caucus (IA), EGR (MI), WI Teachers Convention, ACT

November

  • 3-4:  Apple Valley (MN), University of Michigan (MI), SAT
  • 10-11: Capitol City Challenge @ James Madison Memorial (WI)
  • 17-18: Sheboygan South (WI), Mukwonago (WI)
  • 18-20: The Glenbrooks (IL)
  • 23:  Thanksgiving, no debate, pie

December

  • 1-2: Alexandra Hoecherl Challenge and Patriot Debate Tournament @ Appleton East (WI), Greendale/Nathan Hale Challenge, SAT
  • 9-10: Wisconsin State Debate Tournament (WDCA AND WHSFA State) @ Hortonville, ACT

January

  • 12-13:  NFL District Tournament.  Northern and Southern WI Districts are held in the same location, during the same time.  This years combined tournament will be held in the Northern District. 

Posted in Gearing Up, News |

  1. 23 Responses to “Gearing Up: Where are you going next Season?”

  2. Nick — I'm assuming you mean debate tournaments, though that is not officially said in your post.  Any large/national tournaments our program selects is often contingent on whether they offer a full menu of forensic events (from policy debate to interpretive events), making our travels worth the while.  Our team is still looking at fund raising projections and timeframes before we commit to specific tournaments.  

    By Adam Jacobi on Aug 22, 2006

  3. I know that Wake Forest, Valley, and Glenbrooks offer individual events as well as debate but I don't know which of the other national invitationals are full-service.  I am hoping to travel a few individual events competitors to a national tournament or two in the fall… has anyone had any experience with any of the fall IE tournaments?  Are there any other fall IE tournaments in the region that aren't on the above calendar?  Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,
    ~Bill

    By Bill Batterman on Aug 22, 2006

  4. And in a somewhat related note, does anyone know which fall tournaments will be offering Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum debate?  I'm not yet sure how many competitors we will have in those events, but my goal is to get at least a few students debating regularly in each of them.  I'm trying to market PF as an option for students interested in debate but whose other commitments prevent them from engaging in the rigorous preparation/practice required of policy (and to a lesser extent, LD), and I'm wondering how many tournaments in our area I could reasonably expect to send PFers.

    Depending on how recruitment goes, it might be possible for Marquette to host a one-day PF(/LD?) tournament for Milwaukee-area teams, perhaps during the week after school.  Would anyone be interested in getting together for something like that?  If there is enough interest, maybe a few of us could schedule these types of scrimmages at our different schools so that debaters can get a few tournaments in without having to travel on Saturdays.  Thoughts?

    ~Bill

    By Bill Batterman on Aug 22, 2006

  5. Bill, I like your idea. All of the circuit tournaments except EGR and UMich have LD bids, except New Trier which has LD but no bid. I'll see some of you at Yale or Valley, the rest of my personal schedule TBD. 

    By Liz Vieira on Aug 22, 2006

  6. I've taken IE kids to Wake, St. Marks, and Glenbrooks over the last few seasons.  Glenbrooks definately has far and away the best IE of the group and Wake on the lower end. Each of the tournaments offers competition stronger than the average in-state competition.  St. Marks is nice for extempers because it allows double entry in US and IX so an extemper gets a good work out.  Wake also has impromptu for the extemper.  All of the tournaments allow for double entries so interpers can get a good workout too. JMM has also tried Ill. State, which was not run on schedule, and Bradley U. has a good sized tournament the same weekend (unfortunately) as the Appleton East debate tournament offering a very good range of events, both novice and varsity.  Bradley can be a very good jump start for IE'ers putting in time in the Fall if they aren't doing debate and you can split coaches between locations.

    By Tim Scheffler on Aug 23, 2006

  7. I probably should have included bradley, since WI usually sends a few teams in addition to JMM. 

    By Nick Bubb on Aug 23, 2006

  8. I agree with comments above about the quality of IE competition at Glenbrooks.  It's an exceptionally good experience, but not for novice IE'ers unless you want to crush them.  I like the opportunity to double enter as well.  Sounds like Marquette will not be running a debate tournament on September 30?  That is a change from the tentative WDCA schedule of May.  Any other changes anyone is aware of? Bill, I would be very interested in PF/LD scrimmages on weekdays.  Brookfield East will have an active PF and LD contingent, and would appreciate knowing where there will be significant competition.  After too many weekends of low LD turnout in Southern WI in the past two years, we need to be selective about where we invest our judges and registration fees.  Thanks for opening the dialogue.

    By Mary Wacker on Aug 24, 2006

  9. Hello,

    There is nothing that resembles a proposed calendar for WDCA posted anywhere yet, so I am only on a whim… but East will host a little season kickoff tournament on September 30.  This is not meant to be anything large, as a matter of fact, it will just be a one day LD, PF and 4 person tournament.  I am not going to even offer VSS, as that is not what it is geared towards.  Besides, all of the VSS teams will be headed to Valley.  This is unofficial, as I don't want to undermine WDCA or the WDCA calendar, but as long as nothing else exists on that date in the state, I will host a season kickoff.  I would propose that someone in the southern half of the state do the same.  I don't want to have a hundred teams that weekend, but I am hoping for a viable LD and PF season kickoff.  Very minimal entry fees and modest awards, this will be aimed at just helping students get underway with the season. 

    By Mike Traas on Aug 24, 2006

  10. Speech in the fall…   I would echo Mary and Tim,  Glenbrooks is top shelf competition.  If I had enough resources, I would have speech students every year at Wake Forest, St Marks, and Bradley.

    By Mike Traas on Aug 24, 2006

  11. Bill explains here why there is no Marquette tournament.

    http://www.cross-x.com/vb/showthread.php?t=965129

    Sheboygan North wants to host a tournament on November 3 and 4.  We are currently investigating whether or not we can have the building that weekend. North would be a full service debate tournament to those not attending Apple Valley or University of Michigan.

    By Nick Bubb on Aug 24, 2006

  12. Nicolet would like to start traveling again this year but only when there won't be a conflict with in-state tournaments or the Einhorn debates (Milwaukee Debate League). Also, when we travel we will be taking the whole team so we need to find events that offer Novice and JV divisions. If we can team up with and share bus expenses, that would be great!!! Still, here is our tentative schedule: ·         Sept. 16th – Einhorn Debate ·         Sept. 29th/30th – Nathan Hale or whoever gets it (Does the Mid-America Cup offer novice and JV?)     ·         Oct. 6th/7th - Rufus King ·         Oct. 13th - West Bend ·         Oct. 14th - Einhorn Debate·         Oct. 20th/21th - Nathan Hale ·         Oct. 27th-29th – (The Iowa Caucus, IA, or East Grand Rapids, MI)·         Nov. 3/4th – Sheboygan North·         Nov. 10th-11th - Madison Memorial ·         Nov. 17th - Sheboygan South ·         Nov. 18th - Einhorn Debate·         Dec. 1st - Greendale Hale ·         Dec. 2nd - Einhorn Debate ·         Dec. 8th/9th - STATE ·         Dec. 15th-17th – (Blake Holiday Tournament - MN) ·         Jan. TBA – CFL Qualifiers·         Jan. 12th/13th – (NFL Qualifiers)·         Jan. 20th - Einhorn Debate·         Feb. 17th - Einhorn Debate·         Feb. 23th-25th – (Maine East Regatta – IL)·         Mar. 17th - Einhorn Debate·         Apr. 28th- Einhorn Debate·         May 25th-27th – (CFL Nationals – Houston, TX)·          June 16th-23th – (NFL Nationals – Wichita, KS)  

    By Jason Chapman on Aug 27, 2006

  13. Sorry that the format posted so poorly :(

    By Jason Chapman on Aug 27, 2006

  14. Valley had a jv pool the last time I was there, and the competition was pretty good.  I'm not sure if they still do - that was two years ago.  I have no idea about novice

    By Nick Bubb on Aug 27, 2006

  15. Valley's invite is online and there's only one division of LD.

    By Liz Vieira on Aug 30, 2006

  16. Liz - we're talking policy

    By Nick Bubb on Sep 1, 2006

  17. surprisingly enough, i meant policy… that's usually what i mean when I specify.  for clarification, there's only one division of each as well as PF

    By Liz Vieira on Sep 2, 2006

  18. props to gaurav and nolan for making it to quarters at grapevine! 

    By Amjad on Sep 11, 2006

  19. What is the reason for all the tournament cancellations and schedule rearranging?  It seems like the WDCA has a new schedule at least twice a week. 

    By Janesville Craig SA on Sep 30, 2006

  20. Steve, I don't want to hear your life story.

    By Anon on Oct 1, 2006

  21. Wow.  Now if that last comment wasn't slightly rude or simply mistaken for such, I don't know what is.  All I asked was a simple question.

    By Janesville Craig SA on Oct 1, 2006

  22. James Madison should write the next Thursday Thing to Read….seeing as how he posts on WFD now. :)

    By Jon on Oct 1, 2006

  23. There were a significant amount of retirements this year - prompting a lot of schedule changes.

    By Nick Bubb on Oct 1, 2006

  24. Yeah. I thought that probably impacted it.  I just wasn't sure if that was the main issue.  Thanks for the clarification.

    By Janesville Craig SA on Oct 1, 2006

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