Invitation

2014-15 Junior National Debating Championships

The Manitoba Speech and Debate Association is delighted to invite your province to the 2014-15 Junior National Debating Championships in Winnipeg from May 8 to May 10. Teams should plan to arrive in Winnipeg on Thursday, May 7, since the tournament begins on the morning of May 8. Teams may book departure flights on May 10, provided that the flights leave after 5 PM. If you need to leave earlier, let us know, and we will see what we can do to accommodate you. Each province can send up to 6 two-person teams to compete in this year’s event. Depending on the response, we might be able to accept additional teams.

The prepared resolution will be announced in mid-April. The format of the debates will be Canadian National Style, although the speaking times will be 6 minutes for speeches and 3 minutes for rebuttals. Information about the Canadian National Style is available on the CSDF website at http://csdf- fcde.ca/debate-in-canada/senior-nationals/. While details have not been finalized, we are planning to have 6 preliminary rounds.

The registration fee for the tournament will remain the same as last year: $250 per debater and $150 per coach. Cheques should be payable to the Board of Jewish Education, and mailed to: Attention Andrew Kaplan, Board of Jewish Education, A202 - 123 Doncaster Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3N 2B4.

We expect that competitors and coaches will stay in hotels, and they must cover the cost of the hotel themselves – accommodation costs are NOT INCLUDED in the registration fee. We have arranged special rates with the Sandman Hotel, and this information is included with this email. The hotel has a free shuttle service from the airport. Teams may choose to stay at other hotels, but would be need to make their own way to the Sandman Hotel to take the tournament buses, or go directly to the tournament venues. The deadline for the tournament rate at the Sandman Hotel is April 7th.

If your province would like to attend, please let us know by March 1st. We do not need names at that point; only the number of teams is required. If this deadline presents problems, please contact us. The information needed for this preliminary registration is as follows:

• • 1) Is your province likely to attend and with how many teams? (initial maximum of 6 teams)

  • 2) If there is additional space, would you like to send any additional teams and, if so, how many?

  • 3) When will you know the names of your competitors and coaches?

  • 4) The name and contact information of the contact person in your province for the team.

We would like you to register your competitors and coaches by April 15th. Again, if that deadline is a problem, please let us know so we can make alternate arrangements. That registration will be done online; we will send you a link once you confirm that your province is attending.

For more information, please check the Jr Nationals page on the Manitoba Speech and Debate website at https://sites.google.com/site/manitobadebate/1-schedule/jr-nationals-2015. If you have any additional questions, please email us at manitobadebate@gmail.com or phone (204)-960-1053. We look forward to seeing many of you in May.