State Debate

• Registration Deadline for entries is Sunday, January 21 @ 8pm EST

• Judge name deadline and email entry is Wed. January 24 @ 8pm EST 

Friday, January 26, 2024

• Coach Check-In via text to Jeff Stutzman 574-370-5054

• Coach registration (Entry Fees): Friday, January 26 from 3:00-4:30 pm (in front of Kokomo HS cafeteria)

• Round 1 Blast to judges: Friday, January 26 @ 4:30pm

• Round 1 of Policy, PF, Congress & WSD: 5:15pm

• Round 1 of LD: 6:15pm

•  Teams dropping entries after the registration deadline are still responsible for the entry fee for the dropped entry.

• Any dropped entries after 10:00 AM on Friday, January 26 will be assessed a $25.00 fine in addition to the entry fee.

• Please note: The tournament will not be held up to accommodate late arriving teams and/or judges. Teams arriving more than 15 minutes late to a round will forfeit that round.

Saturday, January 27, 2024

• Round 3 blast to judges: Saturday, January 27 @ 7:30am

• Round 3 of Policy, Congress & PF: 8:15am

• Round 3 of LD & WSD: 9:15am

The state series will use Speechwire for tournament management and e-balloting. All judges will need to bring a device in order to complete their ballots. Coaches are responsible for ensuring that their judges are supplied with an adequate device for judging. 

All students and judges will need to create an account with Speechwire.com.  For help on creating student accounts visit - https://youtu.be/dcGivaEKSuk

Congress - 

• State Debate Docket 2024

• Size of chambers will be determined by the number of registered entries.

• Presiding Officers will be elected within chambers. 

• Semi-Final Chambers will vote for their best P.O. who will receive the “Speaker of the House” Award.

• The Final Chamber will vote for their best P.O. who will receive the “President of the Senate” Award.

WSD - Note: WSD changes were made to allow for an Octo-final round if needed. 

Schedule as follows:

• Round 1 (Preset): This house believes that Machiavelli was correct, “it is better to be feared than loved.”

• Round 2 (Preset): This house believes that Machiavelli was correct, “it is better to be feared than loved.”

• Round 3: Impromptu (Power-Matched)

Teams will meet at 7:40 am for draw.

• Octo-Final (if needed; Flip for sides): This House believes that political leaders should be elected by a popular vote.

• Quarter-Final (Flip for sides): This house regrets the narrative that college is for everyone.

• Semi-Final: Impromptu

Teams will meet for the draw.

• Final Round (Flip for sides):  This House would pass legislation to undo the effects of the Citizens United decision and restore limits to campaign donations.

PF - Resolved: The United States federal government should repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

LD - Resolved: The United States ought to substantially reduce its military presence in the West Asia-North Africa region.

Policy - Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase fiscal redistribution in the United States by adopting a federal jobs guarantee, expanding Social Security, and/or providing a basic income.

Each member school may enter - 

• a maximum of 4 Policy teams

• a maximum of 4 Public Forum teams

• a maximum of 4 Lincoln Douglas contestants

• a maximum of 4 Congressional debates

• a maximum of 2 World Schools Debate teams

Registration must be completed in Speechwire by Sunday, January 21 at 8:00pm EST. 

NOTE: The Board voted at the September meeting to increase the entry fees for WSD, Congress and State Speech entries from $6.00 to $8.00 and entry.

**The Tournament Manual will be updated after the January 6 Board Meeting to reflect this change.**

• Policy & PF - $20/team

•  LD - $12/entry

•  Congress - $8/student

•  World Schools - $8/student 

• Entry drop on the day of - $25

• Information for Judges

• Policy, PF and World Schools Debate - 1 judge per entry (1 team = 1 judge) 

• Lincoln Douglas - 1 judge for 1-2 entries, 2 judges for 3-4 entries

• Congress - 1 judge for 1-4 entries 

ONLINE REGISTRATION OF JUDGES:

• Judges are required to watch the Judging video that will be sent to all coaches

• Coaches will register judges online with SpeechWire and ensure that all judges are able to access their Speechwire accounts

• Judge Qualification Information will be completed in Speechwire

• Judges will need to bring an effective laptop or tablet to use for e-balloting. 

• All judges should be in their rooms, ready to start round 1 by 5:15 pm 

• On Saturday all judges should be in their rooms ready to start round 3 by 8:00 am.

**The Board voted in Summer 2021 to eliminate the judge strike/scratch list**

Each year the ISSDA presents three scholarship awards to recognize outstanding student participants in our organization. These awards, presented at the state debate and speech tournaments, honor three legendary Indiana coaches of speech and debate: Jim Hawker, Bob Brittain, and Bill Hicks. Recipients demonstrate speech and debate acumen, but they also exhibit positive mental attitude and fine character. According to the ISSDA Tournament Manual, each school entered into the state speech and debate tournaments may nominate a senior member who participates in the state tournament to be considered for the award. 

Award Nominations are due by Monday, January 22 at 5:00pm EST.

• Robert Brittain Mental Attitude in Debate Award

• William S. Hicks Award for Congress

The 2024 State Debate Tournament will be held at Kokomo HS. 

• Please enter the main entrance to Kokomo. Bus Parking will be available in the lot to the West of the Main Entrance

• Please remember that supporting our host school is the only compensation they have for hosting our state tournament.

• PLEASE have your students purchase food from them and not have them use delivery services. 

• School Maps will be available at registration on Friday evening.