Q: What is Tabroom?
A: Tabroom is the website that hosts tournaments (signups/registration, pairings, results)
Q: What are the different circuits?
A: Competition occurs in 2 main circuits. Local circuit competition includes tournaments in Austin or in surrounding areas, and doing well at these tournaments can qualify to the state tournament. National circuit competitions are held accross the country, and high placements at these tournaments qualify competitors to the Tournament of Champions.
Q: What are the different debate events?
A: Westlake offers World Schools Debate (WSD), Public Forum (PF), Lincoln Douglas (LD), and Policy (CX). World Schools debate teams of 3 to 5 people debate a mix of prepared and impromptu topics. PF teams of 2 people compete over monthly and bimonthly topics. LD is a single- person event, where competitors debate bimonthly topics, focusing on values, ethics, and theory. Policy debate teams of 2 people compete over a yearly topic. CX and LD are generally more technical; PF has mixes technical debating and persuasion; and WSD focuses mainly on persuasion and speaking.
Q: How can parents help with judging tournaments?
A: Parents must volunteer to judge at least one tournament each academic year. Coach Ixba will share sign-up links through ParentSquare. Each parent volunteer saves the team ~$150 in judging fees, which helps the team maximize its limited budget. Plus, judging is fun! Under the Resources section of this website, parents can visit links to judge training videos for further instruction.
Q: I've already paid school fees through Skyward; why is the Booster Club asking for additional contributions?
A: While the mandatory school fees do support local tournament registrations, transportation, and coaching, there is a $35,000-$40,000 annual gap between what it costs to support the team's success in regional and national competitions, and what the school budget provides. We thus ask parents to help bridge that gap with voluntary, tax-deductible donations to empower our students' collective success.