Groundhog Invitational

Table of Contents

Tournament Overview

Invite

Dear Forensics Coach,

It is with great pleasure that we invite you to participate in the upcoming Groundhog Invitational, a speech and debate tournament set to take place on Sunday, February 2nd and Monday, February 3rd. This event will be hosted on the NSDA’s Campus, promising engaging and dynamic competition. Click HERE to view our website with more information.

To join us for this exciting event, please ensure that your registration is completed by Wednesday, January 29th.  We are committed to providing a fair and enjoyable experience for all participants, and we are confident that the Groundhog Invitational will be a highlight of your speech and debate season.

We look forward to welcoming you to this distinguished event and to celebrating the achievements of all competitors. If you have any questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for speech and debate.

~

Lighthouse Forensics Founders

Cole Harrison, Paris Wilson, and Trey Baker

Format

Rounds will all be judged via NSDA Campus. There will be two sessions of Congressional Debate and finals. Three preset prelims rounds of all debate with two more power matched prelim rounds, then semis and finals. Four rounds of Individual Events with two semi final rounds and a final round. A schedule can be found on Tabroom.

Events and Entries

Events

If there is an event that isn’t offered that you would like to see offered, please email the Tournament Director. 

Entries

The minimum number of entries for Policy Debate, Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, and World Schools Debate are all four entries from at least three different schools. 

There must be at least 12 Congressional Debate entries from at least three different schools for Congress to be run.

There must be at least four entries in any Interpretation Individual Event for Interpretation IEs to be held.

There must be at least four entries in any Public Address Individual Event for Public Address IEs to be held.

A contestant may enter into one flavor of any kind of debate OR enter in individual events. If IEs are chosen, it is to the coach's discretion how many events are entered, however rounds will not be held or changed to facilitate multi entry. 

All entry fees are $5. To pay fees on Venmo or PayPal, send them to @treybaker522 and then send the receipt by email to the tournament director. If those payment methods don’t work for you, please reach out and something can be arranged. It costs $20 to drop an entry after the deadline. 

All entries must be registered on Tabroom, fill out the Entry Form, and have fines paid before they will be allowed off the waitlist. 

Judging

One judge is required for every two debate entries or fraction thereof. One judge is required for every five Congressional Debate entries or fraction thereof. One judge is required for every five Speech entries or fraction thereof.

Judges are required to stay one round beyond their school’s elimination from the tournament. There are judges for hire. Judges may also register themselves for hire on Tabroom.