Tournament Information
November 1, 2008
Prizes & Awards:
Team’s Position |
Prize & Award |
| First Place Team | $1000 (at least) & Trophy |
| Second Place Team | $500 (at least) & Trophy |
| Finalist Teams | $100 each (at least) & Trophy |
Additionally, there will be beautiful speaker awards for the top three speakers. There will also be an award issued in recognition of excellent judging.
2010 Tournament Schedule:
Thursday, April 1
| 6:30 – 8:00 pm | Dinner reception at the home of President Mark D. Gearan |
| 9:00 – midnight | A night on the town with HWS Debate Team |
Friday, April 2
| 10:00 – noon | Trip to the Women’s Right National Park |
| noon – 1:00 pm | Lunch at Ventosa Vinyards |
| 2:00 – 4:00 pm | Registration at the Ramada on the Lake |
| 4:15 pm | Vans leave for Ramada for HWS |
| 4:40 – 5:10 pm | Welcoming Remarks (Stern 103) |
| 5:15 – 7:00 pm | Round One (Stern Hall) |
| 7:00 – 8:30 pm | Dinner with the Provost in the Faculty Dining Room |
| 8:30 – 10:15 pm | Round Two (Stern Hall) |
| 10:30 – 12:00 midnight | Wine Tasting Party at the Kappa Alpha Society |
Saturday, April 3
| 7:00 – 8:30 am | Buffet Breakfast provided at the Ramada |
| 8:40 am | Depart for HWS (take your own car or the HWS van) |
| 9:00 – 10:45 am | Round Three (Stern Hall) |
| 11:00 – 12:30 pm | Round Four (Stern Hall) |
| 12:30 – 1:15 pm | Lunch (Stern Lobby) |
| 1:15 – 2:45 pm | Round Five (Stern Hall) |
| 2:45 – 3:00 pm | Wardrobe Change (in marked rooms) |
| 3:00 – 3:15 pm | Finalist Teams and Final Round Motion Announced (Stern 103) |
| 3:15 – 3:30 pm | Walk to Vandervort Room in the Scandling Center |
| 3:30 – 4:45 pm | Final Round (Vandervort Room) |
| 5:00 – 7:00 pm | Banquet and Awards at the Cobblestone Restaurant |
Logan Balavijendran will be heading up the adjudication team, and we will be bringing in other top judges from around the world. With our new method of assigning judges, the tournament requires only 14 judges in total, so we can easily assure competitors that the judging will be of unparalleled quality.
Previous Winners
2009 Round Robin |
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2008 Round Robin |
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2007 Round Robin
Team Awards
First Place
Yale
Adam Chilton
David Denton
Second Place
Harvard
Cormac Early
Allen Ewalt
Finalist
McGill
Leon Grek
Susannah Patton
Finalist
Harvard
Lewis Bollard
Rezwan
Speaker Awards
First Place
Adam Chilton
Yale
Second Place
David Denton
Yale
Third Place
Cormac Early
Harvard
2007 Round Robin
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Team Awards
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| First Place | Yale | Adam Chilton David Denton |
| Second Place | Harvard | Cormac Early Allen Ewalt |
| Finalist | McGill | Leon Grek Susannah Patton |
| Finalist | Harvard | Lewis Bollard Rezwan |
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Speaker Awards
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| First Place | Adam Chilton | Yale |
| Second Place | David Denton | Yale |
| Third Place | Cormac Early | Harvard |
2009 Events & Hospitality
November 1, 2008
The 2009 United States Universities Debating Championship (USUDC) will be held April 3-5, just 5 days prior to the Round Robin at the University of Vermont (UVM). Anyone can enter the USUDC, and we encourage international teams attending the Round Robin to also attend the USUDC. Overseas teams may be eligible for reduced or free registration and housing at UVM.
Bridge Events
Overseas teams and judges attending both tournaments are encouraged to participate in a series of Bridge Events that will take place between the two tournaments
On Monday, April 6, bridge guests will travel from the University of Vermont to Yale University for a 2 day visit on their beautiful campus. The Yale Debating Society will host bridge guests with both debate related events and other entertainment.
On Wednesdy, April 8, bridge guests will travel by train from Yale University to New York City’s Grand Central Terminal. There will be an opportunity for people to explore the city on their own before attending a gala debate in the evening featuring many of our international guests.
On Thursday, April 9, bridge guests will travel from New York City to Hobart and William Smith Colleges on the shore of beautiful Seneca Lake.
Main Round Robin Hospitality
Thursday evening there will be a dinner reception at the home of President Mark D. Gearan (Bill Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff & former Director of the Peace Corps) and Mary Herlihy Gearan.
The main tournament hotel is the Ramada on the Lake, overlooking Seneca Lake and conveniently located a short distance from the HWS campus and in downtown Geneva. A full hot breakfast will be provided each morning in the hotel’s restaurant. (The hotel is not included in your registration fee.)
Phone: 315-789-0400
http://www.genevaramada.com/
Debaters may also choose to stay at two other conveniently located hotels:
Geneva on the Lake
315-789-7190
1001 Lochland Road
Geneva, New York 14456
info@genevaonthelake.com
www.genevaonthelake.com
Belhurst Castle
Friday morning will feature a tour of the Women’s Rights National Historical Park, the birthplace of the women’s rights movement in the United States.
We will be having lunch on Friday at Ventosa Vinyards (one of hundreds of local wineries), serving delicious food and wine in an Italian decor.
Dinner on Friday night will be hosted by the Provost and Dean of the Faculty. It will be a table service meal held in the Faculty Dining Room.
Friday night’s party will feature a selection of local wines and other refreshments in the elegant rooms of the Kappa Alpha Society.
Saturday’s awards banquet will be held in a private room at The Cobblestone, an fine restaurant that has hosted this dinner since we began the Round Robin.
Meet the Organizers
November 1, 2008
Organization Committee: These are the folks who will make your experience in Geneva exceed all of your expectations, both in terms of debating and just having fun.
| Convenor |
Eric
Barnes |
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| Tournament Director |
Dan
Maguire
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Dan is the current president of the HWS Debate Team and he proved himself to be extremely capable at the 2009 RR as the tournament’s Chief of Staff. Dan will definitely run a tight ship, making sure no details are left unattended. |
| Transportation Coordinator |
Buzz
Klinger |
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Tournaments are no good if you don’t get where you need to be. Buzz is going to make sure that everyone gets to where they need to be while they are our guests. |
| Party Coordinator |
John Monaghan
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John is a junior who is worked on the parties for the 2009 round robin, so he knows what he’s doing. He’s working on some very unique activities to keep everyone very entertained. |
Advisory Committee: These are the folks who we consult to make sure that our decisions are as well-informed and sensitive as possible to traditions and practices from around the world.
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Naomi Oreb won top speaker at the 2009 World Universities Debating Championship in Cork, Ireland. She is a student at Sydney University, and has won numerous Australian and international competitions. Naomi is very active in the world of Australian and international debating. |
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Rory Gillis will serve as the Deputy Chief Adjudicator of the World Debating Championships in Ireland in 2008. Rory is currently a student at Yale Law School and the coach of the Yale Debate Association. While an undergraduate at Yale, Rory was the top speaker at the World Championships and two North American Championships, as well as the top speaker or winner at 11 other tournaments. Rory was the President of the Yale Debate Association in 2005 and a member of the American Parliamentary Debate Association Executive Board in 2005-2006. A native of Canada, Rory was the top speaker and winner of the Canadian National Championships in high school. |
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Neill Harvey-Smith is Chair of the World Debating Council, a former World Championship grand finalist, World Masters Champion and winner of the John Smith Memorial Mace in both England & Wales and Scotland. He was Chair of the Grand Final at the 2004 World Debating Championships in Singapore, having previously adjudicated the Grand Finals of Worlds, the European Championships, the International Mace. As a student he won around 25 inter-varsity debating competitions. |
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Logan Balavijendran served as chief adjudicator for Worlds 2005 in Malaysia and will reprise that role for Worlds 2011 in Botswana. His international accomplishments are far too many to list, but he is among the most widely respected and well-liked people in the international debating community. |
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Ian Lising served as the Chair of the World Debating Council from 2002 until 2008. He is a six-time Grand Finals Adjudicator at the World University Debating Championships. He has also coached both the Ateneo and La Verne teams at the WUDC. His teams have become World Octofinalists, Quarterfinalists, Semifinalists, and Grand Finalists. Professor Lising was the co-Founder, Chair and Coach of the Ateneo Debate Society from 1991-1998. He coached the 1st Asian Debate Champion team at the inaugural event in 1995. In 1999, he served as the Championship Director of the WUDC. Later that year, he coached the University of La Verne to the Grand Final of the Oxford Union International Intervarsity Debating Championship. |
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Helina Loor was the Convenor of 2008 European Debate Championship in Tallinn and the Tournament Director of the 2008 IDEA Youth Forum. Helina has been involved in the Estonian debate movement for the past 8 years as a debater, organizer, tournament director and, most recently, as training manager. She graduated from Tallinn University in 2006, with a degree in adult education. She is now pursuing a masters’ degree in the same field. Helina has been organizing and running tournaments in Estonia (domestic and international) for 6 years, including being tournament director of the Youth Forum in 2007. |
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Justice Motlhabani is the current coach of the Botswana Schools National Debating Team. He has been involved with Botswana debating since 2000 both as a debater and administrator. In 2006-2007, he was Africa’s representative at World Council. He runs numerous debating workshops in schools around Botswana. In 2006 he was the Tournament Director of the Botswana High School Championships with over 150 teams. In 2006 he helped found the Botswana Debating Council and was its first Public Relations officer. He has debated and run debates in Lesotho and Swaziland. In December 2006, he represented Botswana in the UN World Youth Forum in Hong Kong. Justice has worked as a freelance journalist and columnist for newspapers in Botswana, and written articles about debating in Africa for the Monash Debating Review. He has been vigorously working to bring WUDC to Africa since 2006, leading and presenting Botswana’s bid twice at World Council. |
Selections Committee:
The selections committee will choose which applications will be awarded at-large bids and which judges will be invited. This committee will consist of three people: Eric Barnes (Round Robin Convenor), Derek Lande (Chief Adjudicator at Worlds 2009), and a representative from IDEA.
Registration Information
November 1, 2008
Schedule:
December 10 — Notification will be sent to all automatic qualifiers (aside from those at Worlds) by this date.
January 31 — Automatic qualifier teams wishing to attend the Round Robin must ensure that payment of their full registration fee is RECIEVED at HWS by this date.
January 31 — Those applying for an at-large invitation to the Round Robin must ensure that all of their application information is RECIEVED at HWS by this date.
February 7 — At-large applicants will be notified by this date about the status of their application.
February 21 — At-large invitees must ensure that payment of their full registration fee is RECIEVED at HWS by this date.
Costs:
Registration for the tournament costs $120 (USD) per team.
Registration for judges is $50.
Registration for observers is $40. (This does not include dinner on Thursday or Saturday.)
Financial Assistance:
Our goal is to enable all qualified teams to attend. We will do our best to offer assistance to any teams who are unable to pay for the costs of travel and registration. In order to make the most of our limited resources, we will direct our funds to teams who do not have the money, rather than to teams who would rather not spend the money. Please contact us if you have questions about financial assistance.
Included with your registration:
• Shuttle service to and from local airports (ROC & SYR)
• Dinner reception at President Gearan’s home on Thursday night
• Trip to Women’s Rights National Park on Friday morning
• Lunch at Ventosa Winery on Friday
• Dinner with the Provost in the Faculty Dining Room on Friday
• Friday night wine and cheese party featuring a variety of local wines and other treats
• Shuttle service from local hotels to the campus during the whole tournament
• Lunch buffet at the tournament on Saturday
• Formal awards dinner at the Cobblestone Restaurant
(If you get a room at the tournament hotel, a hot breakfast will be included with your room. The hotel is not included with your registration.)
How to Get an Invitation?
November 1, 2008
Two Ways to Qualify: Because of the unique format of this tournament, we need exactly 16 teams to attend. To ensure that we get just that number, we’ve devised a two pronged system. There are sixteen teams who, based on a specific accomplishment, will receive automatic invitations to the tournament. Those not earning an automatic bid are encouraged to apply for an “at-large bid”. (Applications are due January 31, 2010.)
Automatic bids go to the 2009 winners of the following tournaments:
| Asian BP Championships | Asian Unity | Sydney Mini |
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Australs
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CUSID BP Nationals
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Europeans
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Hart House IV
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International Mace
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Oxford IV
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Pan-African Championships
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US BP Championships
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Yale IV
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… and all 4 teams in the Grand Final Round of Koc Worlds
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* We recognize that this list may make some people unhappy, but we want to assure you that we took this very seriously and had extensive consultation with our advisory board. We do not intend this to be a list of the best tournaments in the world, whatever that might mean. Rather, it seemed to us that this list best allowed us to accomplish the goals outlined in our vision statement.
At-large applications will be reviewed in early February and selections announced by February 14. Applications will be reviewed by a committee, in consultation with members of the advisory board where appropriate. Selections will be made on the basis of the mission of the tournament, which includes consideration of both skill and diversity.
All applications for an at-large bid should be sent by e-mail to the tournament’s convener (barnes @ hws . edu). These should include:
- The names and e-mail addresses of both debaters applying
- Debating accomplishments you would like us to consider
- These do not need to be accomplishments as a member of this team
- Assurance that both debaters were students of the same university during 2009
- Name and qualifications of any judge you propose bringing
- You are not required to bring a judge
- A highly qualified judge may improve your application
- This is a promise for that judge to attend if the team attends
- It is possible for the team and not the judge to be invited (based on our needs)
- The amount of financial aid you would need in order to attend
- Applications are due by January 31
Rules for automatic bids: An automatic bid qualifies the debaters on the team that earned it, not the school that they attend. In the case of a two-person team that qualifies, one of the attending debaters may be changed, but one of these two debaters must attend. Of course, we prefer that the entire qualifying team attends. In the case of a three-person team that qualifies (e.g., from Australs), we prefer that both attending debaters be members from the qualifying team, but we will consider requests for teams where only one attending member was on the qualifying team. Late changes to registration by automatic bid teams will be permitted, as long as these requirements are still met. Schools are not limited to one team, but obviously one automatic bid can only be used once. To reserve their place at the round robin, they will be required to send in their registration fee, to be received no later than January 31.