Montana East District Qualifier

for the 2019 National Tournament

Dear Coaches,

The National Speech and Debate Association Montana District committee invites you to join us at Billings West High School on February 8-9, 2019 for our district qualifying tournament.

Registration & Fees:  All registration must be complete by February 1 at 8pm and will take place on tabroom.  The registration link is : http://montana.tabroom.com. A fee of $4 will be charged per slot (i.e. policy debate is $8).  Any last minute drops or adds should be emailed to nurrem@billingsschools.org.

There will be on-site registration from noon until 1pm.  All signed paperwork for students is due at that point. A roster of students with school codes will be sent out Thursday.  Coaches are responsible for checking this list and making sure it is correct. Please email corrections as indicated above.  

NSDA Rules:  All NSDA rules will be followed during this tournament.  Please read through them to be sure your competitors comply.  You can find the district manual here.

Debate Topics:

Policy:  Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reduce its restrictions on legal immigration to the United States.

LD:  Resolved: The United States ought not provide military aid to authoritarian regimes.

Forum:  Resolved: The United States should end its arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Food:  Concessions will be available for competitors throughout the tournament.  Meals will be provided for coaches in the judges lounge.

Judging:  If you know of people who could/would judge speech or debate at this tournament, have them sign up at Speech Judges

Congress:  Re-registration for Congress will take place on Friday evening and Saturday morning.  Be sure to come with the appropriate paperwork. Click here for docket information. Title list is here.

Extemp:  Each school who has extemp contestants will be expected to provide personnel at assigned rounds during the tournament.  Notice the Domestic and International Extemp contestants have separate schedules (including Semifinal and Final rounds) which hopefully allow for more ease in double entry.

Speech:  Plan to bring original sources and a copy of the cutting for all interpretation entries.  You will also need a hard copy of any memorized speeches. You do not need to turn these in, but you must have them on hand when requested.

Number of Qualifying Rounds:  The number of rounds of a given event is determined by the number of contestants in that event.  The attached schedule will be updated with specific events after registration closes on February 1.

District Student of the Year: Each school is welcome to nominate a District Student of the Year candidate. These are due by Friday at 8am. The form is here.