McGill invitation

For the full invitation, download the file below.

Dear Coaches and Debaters,

On behalf of the McGill Debating Union, we are pleased to invite you to the upcoming 54th annual High School Debating Championships.

Date: October 25 and 26, 2013

Location: McGill’s downtown campus in Montreal

Registration Fee: $125 per team (deposit of $80 required by registration deadline) Registration Deadline: October 4, 2013

Team Cap: 5 teams per school (2 debaters per team)

Format

As in 2012, the tournament will consist of six rounds of British Parliamentary impromptu debate. There is no prepared resolution. There will be two rounds Friday night, and four rounds Saturday, breaking to open semi-finals. There will also be a junior final. To be considered a junior team, both debaters must be in 9th grade (or below). Please indicate any junior debaters when you register.

Registration

Registration will be conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis. The deadline to register is October 4th; however, based on past experience, we recommend that you register as soon as possible, as spots fill up very quickly. Initially, schools are permitted to register 5 teams (until the tournament reaches capacity). However, additional teams may be placed on the waiting list. If the tournament is not full by the registration deadline, some teams on the waiting list will be permitted to attend.

In order to be considered registered, we must receive a deposit of $80 per team by the registration deadline. Please note that all deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable: if a registered team drops out, their deposit cannot be refunded or used to pay the remaining balance for other teams. Please register only as many teams as you intend to send.

Finally, as per at the attached tentative schedule, please note that registration closes at 4:00pm on October 25th. This means that you must sign in at the registration desk on the 4th floor of the Shatner building before 4:00pm. It is very important that we run on time Friday night, as we only have the building reserved until a certain hour. As such, we will drop teams who are late. Please contact either Esther Vinarov (732-649-9032) or Herie Sun (514-465-1663) on the day of the tournament if you are running late.

How to Register

Please mail cheques (containing a deposit of $80 per team) to:

Esther Vinarov and Herie Sun

McGill Debating Union c/o SSMU Front Desk 3480 McTavish Street

Montreal QC H3A 1X9

The remainder of the balance can be paid at the registration desk on Friday October 25th. To complete your registration, please send us an email at mcgill.hs@gmail.com. Please put the name of your school in the title of your email, and provide us with the following information:

School Name

Number of Teams (1-5)

Number of additional teams to be placed on waiting list Name of Coach or contact person

Email

Phone number

As soon as possible (i.e. at the time of registration, if known), and by October 16th at the latest, please provide us with the following information:

Names of all debaters (please indicate which debaters are “juniors”, in grade 9 or below) Number of vegetarian debaters and other dietary restrictions

Seminars

Continuing with past practice, we will be offering a variety of seminars over the course of the tournament. Optional seminars will be offered in between rounds, catering to debaters of all experience levels. Additionally, we will be offering an introduction to British Parliamentary seminar prior to the start of the tournament Friday afternoon, beginning at 3:00pm (see attached schedule).

Accommodation

We have secured a rate at the Best Western Ville-Marie Hotel & Suites, located at Peel and Sherbrooke. The cost for a room with 1 bed is $119 a night, plus taxes, for single or double occupancy. For a room with 2 queen size beds, the cost is $139 a room, plus taxes, for double occupancy and additional occupants are $10 each. You may reserve by calling 514-288-4141 and mention the reservation under "McGill Debating Tournament", or you may book online at www.hotelvillemarie.com and enter the reservation code: MCDT Please ensure you make the booking as soon as possible, to ensure there is

availability at the hotel. Please note that the various taxes on accommodation in Quebec including PST

and GST amount to just about 20%. Any cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance.

Meals

Dinner will be provided Friday night, and breakfast and lunch will be provided on Saturday. There will also be a reception for coaches, at which refreshments will be served.

Clothing Orders

The McGill Debating Union offers a range of trendy and fashionable clothing. Please see the attached form, and mail it along with your registration deposit if you are interested.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at mcgill.hs@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you in October!

Sincerely,

Herie Sun and Esther Vinarov Tournament Directors