Wisconsin Forensics Daily

Invitation To The 2007 Hilltopper Classic at MUHS

August 14, 2007 – 1:56 pm by: Bill Batterman

Dear Colleagues,

You are cordially invited to attend the 2007 Hilltopper Classic at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, WI. After a one-year hiatus, the MUHS Webster Club is proud to return to the state and national calendar with a top-notch invitational tournament offering fine hospitality and excellent competition and judging.

The 8th Annual Hilltopper Classic will take place on Friday, September 21st and Saturday, September 22nd with competition offered in Varsity and Novice Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Public Forum Debate. For the first time, finalists in Varsity Policy Debate will earn a bid to the National Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky.

On behalf of the Webster Club and the entire Marquette University High School community, I look forward to hosting you here in beautiful Milwaukee.

Sincerely,

Bill Batterman
Director of Debate & Forensics, Tournament Director
Marquette University High School

TOURNAMENT FORMAT & DIVISIONS OFFERED
THE 2007 HILLTOPPER CLASSIC
SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2007

Please register early. All entries will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. We have a limited amount of space and we expect to fill up early. Register by emailing entries to hilltopperclassic@websterclub.org. Registration forms are due no later than 3PM on Monday, September 17, 2007 but it is almost certain that we will fill-up well in advance of the deadline. Apologies in advance to those that must be turned away.

We are pleased to offer competition in Varsity Policy Debate, Novice Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Public Forum Debate. Complete details about each division follow.

*****Varsity Policy Debate:

Format: The Varsity Policy Debate division will offer competition on the national resolution in a two-person, switch-sides format. Time limits in the Varsity Policy Debate division will be 8-3-5 with 8 minutes of preparation time per side.

Rounds: The division will feature six preliminary rounds: three on Friday and three on Saturday. All teams with a winning (4-2 or better) record will clear to elimination rounds *up to a full octafinal*. Unfortunately, our two-day schedule cannot accommodate a partial or full double-octafinal round.The first two preliminary rounds will be randomly paired. All other rounds will be paired high-low within brackets with the even rounds featuring side constraints. We will not break brackets in the elimination rounds.

JV Breakout: If interest warrants, the top four teams that have been designated as “Junior Varsity” that do not clear to the octafinals will be invited to participate in the semifinals of a “Junior Varsity Breakout” division. In this case, “Junior Varsity” is defined as a team composed of two students in their first or second years of debate. For the most part, these students should be competing in the varsity division for the first time but discretion is left up to coaches to designate JV-eligible teams. Please designate “Junior Varsity” teams with your registration if you would like them to be eligible for the JV Breakout.

Awards: Awards will be presented to all elimination round participants as well as to the top fifteen speakers. The champion team will receive the James Madison Copeland Cup. The top individual speaker will receive the Clark/Foley Outstanding Speaker Award. Teams reaching the finals will receive a bid to the National Tournament of Champions at the University of Kentucky.

Entry Limits: Four teams per school. If additional entries are requested, please contact the tournament director.

Judging Obligations: Three preliminary rounds of qualified judging are required for each team. All judges are obligated for the octafinals or one round past the elimination of their teams, whichever is later. If your school’s last team is eliminated in the quarterfinals, for example, your judges are obligated through the semifinals. If none of your teams reach the elimination rounds, your judges are still obligated through the octafinals. Special arrangements must be made with the tournament director in advance if you cannot fulfill these requirements.

Hired Judges: A very limited number of judges will be available for hire at the cost of $150 per team. Please plan on fulfilling your squad’s entire judging obligation; once our hired judges are gone, teams not covered by judges will be unable to compete.

Mutual Preference Judging: We will use an MPJ system for assigning judges; complete details will be provided to teams that have entered. In order for this system to work, all persons who are expected to judge at the Hilltopper Classic must be identified no later than 3PM on Monday, September 17, 2007 and must submit a judging philosophy to hilltopperclassic@websterclub.org. Preference sheets will be sent to entered schools during the week prior to the tournament and must be returned by Thursday, September 20, 2007 in order to take effect by round one.

Fee: $50 per team.

*****Novice Policy Debate:

Format: The Novice Policy Debate division will offer competition on the national resolution in a two-person, switch-sides format. Students must be in their first year of debate in order to be eligible for this division; our expectation is that almost all students in this division will be competing in their first tournament at the Hilltopper Classic. Time limits in the Novice Policy Debate division will be 8-3-5 with 8 minutes of preparation time per side.

Rounds: The division will feature five preliminary rounds: three on Friday and two on Saturday. The top eight teams will clear to quarterfinals; depending on entry size and judge/room availability, we might clear to a partial- or full-octafinal. The first two preliminary rounds will be randomly paired. All other rounds will be paired high-low within brackets with the even rounds featuring side constraints. We will not break brackets in the elimination rounds.

Awards: Awards will be presented to all elimination round participants as well as to the top ten speakers. All students participating in the novice division will receive a certificate of participation.

Division Philosophy: Our goal is to provide students with a challenging but rewarding and educational experience in their “rookie” tournament. We take this division very seriously and view it as a means by which our squad can contribute to the growth of debate in our region. To this end, we make several requests of our colleagues that are detailed below.

Disclosure and Argument Limits: In order to accommodate schools from outside of Wisconsin, this division will *not* adhere to the Wisconsin Debate Coaches’ Association novice case limits. However, all schools with teams in the novice division are required to participate in a pre-tournament casebook that includes full disclosure of affirmative cases. Participation is not optional: teams that do not participate in good faith and in a timely fashion will not be allowed to compete. This pre-tournament casebook will hopefully make novice students’ experiences less stressful and more educational; it was very successful in a trial run at the Hilltopper Classic in 2005. In addition to the lack of case limits, there will be no prohibition of counterplans or critiques; however, the tournament strongly discourages the use of these arguments in the novice division and asks that any school intending to make them disclose as much prior to the tournament.

Entry Limits: Four teams per school. If additional entries are requested, please contact the tournament director.

Judging Obligations: Three preliminary rounds of qualified judging are required for each team with the caveat that one judge can cover two teams (and two judges can cover four teams, etc.). All judges are obligated for the quarterfinals or one round past the elimination of their teams, whichever is later. Varsity-level students are welcome (and indeed encouraged) to judge in the novice division, but we ask coaches to please use only your most mature students to cover your obligation. All judges will be asked to provide post-round comments as well as a written ballot and the tone should be positive and educational. Sample ballots and guidelines will be provided to all novice judges but it is very important to us that judges in this division do their best to encourage rather than criticize students. No hired judging is available in the Novice Policy Debate division.

Fee: $30 per team.

*****Lincoln-Douglas Debate:

Format: The Lincoln-Douglas Debate division will offer competition on the national September/October resolution in the National Forensic League 6-3-7-3-4-6-3 format with four minutes of preparation time per side.

Rounds: The division will feature six flighted preliminary rounds: three on Friday and three on Saturday. All debaters with a winning (4-2 or better) record will clear to elimination rounds *up to a full octafinal* (we reserve the right to break to quarterfinals if only a handful of partial octafinal debates would occur). Unfortunately, our two-day schedule cannot accommodate a partial or full double-octafinal round. The first two preliminary rounds will be randomly paired. All other rounds will be paired high-low within brackets with the even rounds featuring side constraints. We will not break brackets in the elimination rounds.

Awards: Awards will be presented to all elimination round participants as well as to the top ten speakers.

Entry Limits: Four debaters per school. If additional entries are requested, please contact the tournament director.

Judging Obligations: Two preliminary rounds of qualified judging are required for each debater. All judges are obligated for the octafinals or one round past the elimination of their teams, whichever is later. No hired judging is available in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate division.

Fee: $20 per debater.

*****Public Forum Debate:

Format: The Public Forum Debate division will offer competition on the national September resolution in the National Forensic League 4-4-3-4-4-3-2-2-3-1-1 format with two minutes of preparation time per side.

Rounds: The division will feature six flighted preliminary rounds: three on Friday and three on Saturday. All teams with a winning (4-2 or better) record will clear to elimination rounds *up to a full quarterfinal*. The first two preliminary rounds will be randomly paired. All other rounds will be paired high-low within brackets. We will follow the NFL coin flip format to assign sides and speaking order in both the preliminary and elimination rounds. We will not break brackets in the elimination rounds.

Awards: Awards will be presented to all elimination round participants. Individual speaker awards will not be provided.

Entry Limits: Four teams per school. If additional entries are requested, please contact the tournament director.

Judging Obligations: Two preliminary rounds of qualified judging are required for each team. All judges are obligated for the quarterfinals or one round past the elimination of their teams, whichever is later. No hired judging is available in the Public Forum Debate division.

Fee: $20 per team.

HOSPITALITY & TOURNAMENT LOGISTICS
THE 2007 HILLTOPPER CLASSIC
SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2007

Tournament Location: All rounds will be held at Marquette University High School. The school’s address is 3401 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53208. Drop-off and parking information will be provided to entered schools in advance of the tournament.

Internet/Printing/Tech: Unfortunately, MUHS does not have wireless internet access. We will attempt to provide coaches and judges with access to computers with internet connections but must insist that students and coaches/judges not plug-in to our school’s local area network. We will also attempt to accommodate modest printing requests; if you need something printed, please contact one of the Webster Club students at the hospitality desk. If you rely on technology during the tournament, please bring a power strip, extension cord, and any other necessary equipment; (almost?) all competition rooms will have electric outlets but the tournament cannot guarantee access to power or technology.

Lodging: Because we are unsure of the number of rooms needed in our first year as a TOC qualifier, we have not established room blocks at area hotels. Fortunately for our guests, Marquette University High School is conveniently located in Milwaukee’s Merrill Park neighborhood and is easily accessible from both the East and the West via I-94. The most convenient hotel option is the Ramada Milwaukee City Centre located at 633 W. Michigan St. in Milwaukee, WI. Reservations can be made by calling the Ramada at (414) 272-8410. A web search will reveal many other “downtown” hotels; these are only 5-10 minutes from the MUHS campus. The other recommended option is to locate hotels on the West side of the city/suburbs; one good option is the Days Inn Wauwatosa/Milwaukee located at 11811 West Blue Mound Road in Wauwatosa, WI. There are several other quality options in this area (Highway 100 and Blue Mound Road / Wauwatosa). If you need help locating a hotel that fits your needs and budget, please contact the tournament director.

Housing: To the best of our ability we are happy to house debaters coming from outside of the state. Please communicate your housing needs to the tournament director as soon as possible in order to ensure that we can accommodate your squad. Priority will be given to those squads traveling the farthest and those that demonstrate financial need.

Food/Hospitality: Food and beverages will be available for purchase in the MUHS cafeteria throughout the tournament. Hospitality for coaches and judges will also be provided.

Fees: $50 per Varsity Policy Debate team, $30 per Novice Policy Debate team, $20 per Lincoln-Douglas Debater, and $20 per Public Forum Team. Please make checks payable to “Marquette University High School Webster Club.” If mailing your check, please send to:

Marquette University High School
Attn: Bill Batterman / The Hilltopper Classic
3401 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53208

An invoice will be provided with your registration confirmation in order to assist with P.O. processing. If additional information is needed, please contact the tournament director. Entry fees will be assessed for entries as of the registration deadline; drops after that day will not decrease a squad’s entry fee.

TENTATIVE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
THE 2007 HILLTOPPER CLASSIC
SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2007

Varsity Policy Debate:

Friday:
Registration – 3:00-4:00PM
General Assembly – 4:00PM
Round 1 – 4:30PM
Round 2 – 6:15PM
Dinner – 7:45PM
Round 3 – 8:15PM

Saturday:
Round 4 – 8:00AM
Round 5 – 10:00AM
Round 6 – 12:00PM
Lunch – 1:45PM
Octafinals – 2:30PM
Awards – 4:30PM
Quarterfinals – 5:30PM
Semifinals – 7:30PM
Finals – 9:30PM

Novice Policy Debate:

Friday:
Registration – 3:00-4:00PM
General Assembly – 4:00PM
Round 1 – 4:30PM
Round 2 – 6:15PM
Dinner – 7:45PM
Round 3 – 8:15PM

Saturday:
Round 4 – 8:00AM
Round 5 – 10:00AM
Quarterfinals – 12:00PM
Lunch – 1:45PM
Semifinals – 2:30PM
Awards – 4:30PM
Finals – 5:30PM

Lincoln-Douglas Debate & Public Forum Debate:

Friday:
Registration – 3:00-4:00PM
General Assembly – 4:00PM
Round 1 – 4:30PM
Round 2 – 6:15PM
Dinner – 7:45PM
Round 3 – 8:15PM

Saturday:
Round 4 – 8:00AM
Round 5 – 10:00AM
Round 6 – 12:00PM
Lunch – 1:45PM
Quarterfinals – 2:30PM
Semifinals – 3:30PM
Awards – 4:30PM
Finals – 5:30PM

REGISTRATION FORM
THE 2007 HILLTOPPER CLASSIC
SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2007

Please submit the following registration information to hilltopperclassic@websterclub.org.

School Name:
Coach Name:
Coach Email:

Varsity Policy Debate Entries: (* for JV Breakout eligible)
1. Student 1 / Student 2
2. Student 3 / Student 4
3. Student 5 / Student 6
4. Student 7 / Student 8

Novice Policy Debate Entries:
1. Student 1 / Student 2
2. Student 3 / Student 4
3. Student 5 / Student 6
4. Student 7 / Student 8

Lincoln-Douglas Debate Entries:
1. Student 1
2. Student 2
3. Student 3
4. Student 4

Public Forum Debate Entries:
1. Student 1 / Student 2
2. Student 3 / Student 4
3. Student 5 / Student 6
4. Student 7 / Student 8

Judges: (please include name, division, and # of rounds)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

If you do not know names as of the initial registration, just indicate the number of teams/debaters/judges and provide names when you know them (but before the registration deadline).

An invoice will be provided via email with your confirmation.

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