OSDU News

Invitation to the 2010 Hart House High School Tournament

01/10/2010

January 6th, 2010

Dear Coaches, Debaters and Colleagues,

The Hart House Debates Committee is delighted to extend to you our invitation the annual University of Toronto High School Debating Tournament, scheduled for March 5-6, 2010. The tournament's aim will be to create an enjoyable, educational and competitive event that captures the experience of university-style debating.

 

Format: The format of the tournament will be Canadian Parliamentary (CP) Style, with straight resolutions only for all closed rounds. There will be no prepared resolutions. The straight resolutions will be accessible to the average high school debater who has general knowledge of contentious issues. Squirreling will NOT be permitted.

 

There will be five closed rounds (two on Friday, three on Saturday) in which all competitors will participate, with hidden quarterfinals in the fifth round for which all teams (including juniors) are eligible.

 

Junior High Students: The High School tournament will be opened to students from Grade 8 to Graduating Year (not including CEGEP). Within the tournament, there will be a "junior" (Grade 8+Grade 9) designation; grade 9 students are allowed to choose their own designation. Teams which are a mix (i.e. one partner in grade 11, the other in grade 9) cannot register as a junior team.

 

There will be an "open" Junior Finals Round, giving the top two junior teams the chance to debate in front of an audience. Top junior teams and speakers will receive awards for excellence in their division and will also be eligible for overall tournament awards.

 

Accommodations: If your club is planning on staying at a hotel, please contact us at harthousedebate@gmail.com. We will be happy to help you with your travel plans.

 

Food: Light dinner will be provided on Friday night as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Beverages will also be made available throughout the tournament. Any dietary concerns (inc. severe allergies, kosher, halal, vegan, etc.) should be indicated on the registration form so that we can properly accommodate your needs.

 

Registration: This year's tournament will be large with an initial cap of 70 teams with a team cap of 4 teams per school. The cap of 70 teams may be raised but has been set at 70 teams to ensure that all rooms receive high quality judging. Any increase in the team cap will be due to high interest expressed by the coaches as well as an increase in the number of judges available to us. As per usual, coaches will not be asked to judge.

 

The registration deadline is February 26th, 2010. We advise coaches to register their teams as quickly as possible in order to secure a spot. As in past years, there will be a waiting list. The tournament cost has been set low, to $80 per team, with a deposit of $40 per team, in order to encourage greater participation and accessibility. If the deposit of $40 per team is not received by February 26th, spaces for your teams will no longer be secure. Furthermore, the deposit is nonrefundable after the registration deadline. If your club cannot meet the registration cost, please inform the tournament directors, as there are funds available to subsidize clubs with financial needs.

 

Hart House is willing to accept cheques or credit cards for the deposit. Cheques should be made out to the Hart House Debates Committee. If you choose to pay by credit card, please fax the following credit card info to us: credit card type (Visa/MC), name on credit card, credit card number, expiration date, with a photocopy of the front and back of the card, and a signature of the person who owns the credit card.

 

Out of respect for your fellow competitors, we ask that teams arrive on time; if this is potentially problematic due to travel arrangements please inform us as soon as possible so that we can adjust the schedule, if possible, to accommodate you. We reserve the right to drop teams that unnecessarily delay the tournament.

 

Style Guide/More Information: The Hart House Debates Committee will release a preparation package in early-Feburary. The package will contain a style guide with tips on note-taking, caseconstruction, refutation, role-fulfillment, and the finer points of debating, as well as a schedule, a map of the campus, directions and information about Hart House itself. For out-of-province teams, there will be information in this package about tours and sights to see in Toronto.

 

Any questions/concerns/comments can be directed to the Tournament Directors by email at harthousedebate@gmail.com.

 

We look forward to seeing you at Hart House,

Sam Greene, Krista McCannon and Alex Haque

Tournament Directors

University of Toronto High School Tournament, 2010

harthousedebate@gmail.com

Fax# 416 978 8387

http://www.osdu.on.ca/uploadednewsfiles/1263146780-Hart House 2010 Tournament Invitation.pdf
File Description: PDF version of tournament invitation and registration information