Wisconsin Forensics Daily

WDCA Calendar 2008

We have updated the calendar a second time based on updated information.

9/13 Workshop and Fall Business Meeting at Brookfield East

9/19-9/20 Marquette; Milwaukee Debate League

9/26-9/27 Nicolet (Friday Festival, Saturday Tournament)

10/3-10/4 Merrill; Brookfield East (replaces Rufus King)

10/10-10/11 Hortonville; James Madison Memorial, New Trier (IL)

10/17-10/18 LaCrosse Central; Mukwonago

10/24-10/25 South Milwaukee; MDL

10/31-11/1 Teacher’s Convention; Iowa Caucus (IA)

11/7-11/8 Waupaca; West Bend (replaces Brookfield Central)

11/14-11/15 Waukesha South

11/21-11/22 Fritsche (Friday only); Slinger (Saturday only); MDL; Glenbrooks (IL)

12/5-12/6 Sheboygan North; Bradley Speech (IL)

12/12-12/13 WSDT (Location TBD)

Tags: wdca

Posted in News, Thursday Thing To Read | 2 Comments »

Obama Votes Aff on last year’s policy topic

From CNN:

Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled a plan to create volunteer and service opportunities to help tackle some of the nation’s most pressing issues, part of his weeklong focus on patriotism and national service.

Included in his plan, was pretty much every affirmative in the resolution. CNN writes that Obama’s plan would include:

• Expanding AmeriCorps to 250,000 slots and doubling the size of the Peace Corps;
• Integrating service-learning programs into schools and universities
• Providing new service opportunities for working Americans and retirees;
• Expanding service initiatives that “engage disadvantaged young people and advance their education”;
• Expanding the capacity of nonprofit groups to innovate and expand successful programs across the country; and
• Enabling more Americans to serve in the armed forces

Posted in Columns, News | 1 Comment »

Thursday Thing to Read: WDCA 2008 Schedule

With several tournaments having the distinct possibility of moving and the schedule conflicts that have existed over the last season, Wisconsin Forensics Daily is interested in taking the lead in a discussion about the 2008 Debate Season Schedule in hopes of resolving any potential conflicts before they arise. In case some of you haven’t heard, the Appleton East Challenge potentially will not exist next season. We are also returning to a year where there are more weekends in September than we have had in the past. Hopefully with this work we can develop a 2008 schedule that works with Milwaukee Debate League, develops three large tournament before the state tournament, and avoids regionally conflicted tournaments. (And since that I’ve been reviewing the standing rules, I know that this was supposed to be resolved by today).

What follows below is a list of next year’s dates. I’ve listed the possibilities of tournaments on a particular date as well. I’ve tried to note what is going on with the National Circuit where appropriate:
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Posted in Columns, Thursday Thing To Read | 7 Comments »

Monday Meditation: The Importance of Coaches

Late last year, Steve Sparks - an assistant forensics coach to Eau Claire North High School, died suddenly of a a pulmonary embolism. At the first Steve Sparks Memorial Tournament at Eau Claire North earlier this year, head coach Bonni Knight delivered a moving speech on the impact that coaches and forensics have on student’s lives. I have asked Bonni to share the text of her speech with Wisconsin Forensics Daily and it follows below the break.

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Posted in Columns, Monday Meditation | 2 Comments »

Thursday Thing to Read: Running for the NFL Council

When I attended my first NFL National Tournament in 2001, I had the epiphany to become a teacher. I witnessed firsthand what forensics – and in a greater sense, education – could do for young people. After eleven years of coaching and a number of surreal successes, my greatest thrills still come from guiding students who work the hardest just to muster up enough strength to overcome a fear of speaking.
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Monday Meditation: Wisconsin Forensics Tournament of Champions

The Monday Meditation Column is designed to reflect on ideas that we all have after a tournament, reflecting on the events that occurred during the the past weekend. Today’s Monday Meditation comes from a real post-tournament reflection that the James Madison Memorial coaches had after Appleton East’s Tournament.

The suggestion was that we (the Wisconsin Forensics Community) create our own Tournament of Champions and offer this as an additional competition to the Wisconsin Forensics Season. Read more below for more details on this idea. Wisconsin Forensics Daily would like your input as to whether or not this is a good idea.

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Posted in Columns, Monday Meditation, News | No Comments »

Monday Meditation: WI Debate Persona of the Year

For the last five years a Wisconsin State tournament reflection post shows up either on cross-x.com or right here on WFD. That reflection post, entitled “Wisconsin Debate Persona of the Year” asks the community a series of questions to nominate who they felt has done the best this year. WFD encourages everyone to participate in the reflection of the year that was in Wisconsin Debate.

The questionnaire is included in the full article.

1> Best Debater Overall
a) Best Senior Debater…
b) Best Junior Debater…
c) Best Sophomore Debater…
d) Best Fresh(wo)man Debater…
e) Most Improved Debater…
f) Debater With Most Potential…
h) Best Team/Pair…

2> Best Round Overall
a) Best Round You Watched…
b) Best Round You Debated In…

3> Best Program Overall
a) Best Program For Novices…
b) Best New Program…
c) Most Improved Program…
d) Program You’d Most Like To Debate For (Other Than Yours)…

4> Best Argument
a) Best Affirmative Case…
b) Best Counterplan…
c) Best Disadvantage…
d) Best Kritik…
e) Best T/Theory Argument…

5> Best Specific Skills
a) Best 1NC…
b) Best 2AC…
c) Best 2NC…
d) Best 1NR…
d.5) Best 1AR…
e) Best 2NR…
f) Best 2AR…
g) Fastest Debater…
h) Funniest Debater…

6> Other Stuff
a) Favorite Tournament (in-state)…
b) Favorite Tournament (out-of-state)…
c) Favorite Judge/Critic…
d) Weirdest Round You Saw/Debated In…
e) Best Non-Debate Experience at a Debate Tournament…
f) Funniest Thing You Stumbled Upon While Researching…
g) ?

Posted in Columns, Monday Meditation | 31 Comments »

Thursday Thing to Read: State Tournament Trivia

It has been a long, long time since we actually had a proper Thursday Thing to Read. (And even longer since it has been written by me). While many teams will be finishing up their preparation this week for the state tournament tomorrow, we at Wisconsin Forensics Daily want to encourage teams to take a step back from the impending high-stakes competition and to relax before the storm.

To facilitate that relaxation in a positive way, we are providing some State Tournament Trivia. There are no exclusions on who can participate in this trivia game. The rules are the same as last weekend. Send results through the WFD forum and I am the sole arbiter of points. Hopefully more teams will participate than last weekend. (If you were curious, no one participated last weekend, and so I didn’t even post the results).

One last reminder: Bring your laptops to the tournament! Or if you’re a parent, stay close to your computer and away from the snow! We will be providing live updates from South Milwaukee. (South Milwaukee has an open wireless network and has allowed WFD to post round-by-round updates in the previous years that the State Tournament has been held there.)

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Posted in Columns, Thursday Thing To Read | 13 Comments »

Monday Meditation: WSDT Casebook

The State Tournament is fast-approaching; as in years past, I’ll be encouraging qualified teams to contribute to the WSDT Casebook 2k7. This year, I’ll be compiling Affirmative and Negative versions of the casebook; teams may contribute whatever information they feel comfortable disclosing. Teams will only receive the casebooks to which they contribute. More information is available below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Columns, Monday Meditation | 3 Comments »

Monday Meditation: Time to Give Thanks

I had an internal debate about the subject of this article and approach to delivering this Monday Meditation and, well, I won, but that’s beside the point.

I wanted to write this meditation about eliminating policy debate in the state in favor of public forum. My justification was as follows (please don’t take this personally or seriously, this was the debate that went on inside my head where I don’t pull punches):

a) Public Forum is growing and the quality is improving while policy is shrinking and the quality is declining.
b) The best Public Forum teams stay in the state most weekends while the best policy teams either take in-state tournaments off or go out of state most weekends.
c) Coaches in the WDCA seem to leave PF alone to let the students develop the event as they see fit, whereas coaches pass arcane rules to limit the development of Policy and make students dislike debating in the state.
d) Public Forum resolutions change over time keeping it fresh, while Policy is the same, tired resolution for an entire year.
e) The WDCA Policy schedule is condensed into a dozen tournaments in 3 months, whereas PF extends a little into the Forensics season reducing the need to go to almost every tournament.
…but my biggest concern with Policy over PF is….

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Posted in Columns, Monday Meditation | 3 Comments »