Jr. January 29 Online Inter-Provincial Tournament
Hosted by Mrs. Carissa Balcaen in Winnipeg & Mr. Chris George in Montreal
Dear Debate Coach (on behalf of Mr. Chris George),
I am writing to you with information about the second online junior tournament, which will be held on Sunday, January 29, 2023. This is a slight change in moving the event from Saturday to Sunday.
However, more importantly, I am happy to announce that this tournament will be organized by Carissa Balcaen from Balmoral Hall in Winnipeg. I am very grateful that she has taken on this task to help me lighten my work load. I will still be in attendance and supporting in the background for this event, but Carissa will be the primary organizer, and who you will connect with regarding your participation.
Any school from Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes is welcome to attend. We allow school entries only - no independent entries or non-school entities. While this is a junior event open to all debaters up to and including grade 9, we encourage you to use this as an opportunity for debaters who otherwise do not debate at more competitive events regularly. This event will use the CNDF format (with 6-6-6-6-3-3 junior times).
The team cap per event will be approximately 60 teams as that is the maximum that I can practically manage for an event like this. I will accept two teams per school, and as a reminder, you must send an experienced adult judge who is available for all four rounds. It is possible that a later date, I could accept a third team from a school; however, only if a second judge is provided. Your first judge must always be an experienced adult judge, but second judges may be experienced high school students.
As with all events like this that Mr. George has hosted over the past 3 years, there is no cost to this tournament.
Here is the tentative schedule:
Tournament Schedule: ( all times Eastern )
§ Check in at 9:45 a.m. - mark yourself present in the check-in spreadsheet
§ Briefings and Introduction: 10:00 a.m. sharp
§ Round 1 and 2 Prepared: 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
§ Lunch Break (staying logged into Zoom is best)
§ Return for impromptu rounds: 1:45 p.m.
§ Impromptu - Round 3: 1:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. including prep time
§ Impromptu - Round 4: 3:15 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. including prep time
§ Final Round - 5:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. including prep time
§ Awards and Closing - 6:00 p.m.
Please note times are approximate and subject to technical or other delays. Please be sure your judges are available until the end of Round 4.
If you would like to receive additional information prior to registering, please contact Carissa Balcaen at cbalcaen@balmoralhall.ca.
The prepared topic for the two morning rounds of the tournament on January 29th will be: This house regrets the rise of artificial intelligence. The afternoon will consist of two rounds of impromptu debate.
Registration is now open! Registration will be open until January 20. When registering, all information must be provided by the school coach including the name of the experienced adult judge that will represent two or fewer teams at the tournament for the full day. Please register using the following link. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-59vHw2Zhizct2l3MO7EU9IziUqbu3kqwS9LMqYyQJ6Y8Qg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Once registration has been received, you will receive a link to the tournament document with additional links for the day of the tournament.
Teachers / coaches are the only ones allowed access to observe debates (if they are not otherwise judging). We cannot manage other spectators or outside private coaches, for example, and spectators will not be allowed to watch debates.
I look forward to seeing you at the tournament. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Carissa Balcaen
cbalcaen@balmoralhall.ca