You are invited to Winter Blast IV on January 10, 2015, at Cape Elizabeth High School.

Registration deadline: 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 7 via Tabroom.com.

Any questions, please contact Lisa Melanson, Tournament Director, by email [email protected].

Note the earlier check-in and start time. Also, if entries are high, some events may be in the middle school. Dress accordingly for a brief walk between buildings.

Registration

Registration must be completed through Tabroom.com by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 7.

Drops

Drops and changes will be accepted until Friday, January 9 at 5:00 p.m. Invoices will be prepared at that time. Late add requests are not encouraged and will be accepted only at the discretion of the tournament host. Saturday drops at registration will be assessed an additional charge of $10 per entry.

Call or text the MFA hotline (207-370-4632) Saturday morning once you are en route to the tournament to confirm your team and judge attendance.

Entry Fees

• $7.00 per entry (New schools $3.50)
• Teams (Duo and PF) are two entries ($14)
• Ensemble is $21 (max)

Entry fees will be capped at $140 per event or $210 per school entering multiple events.

Events

• LD: 3 levels, if numbers allow
• PF: 2 levels, if numbers allow
• Congressional Debate: Senate and two Houses, as needed
• Speech: All categories

Novice level is for students competing in their first year of high school forensics (i.e. first year competitors).

JV level is primarily for second-year competitors, but also first year competitors who have enjoyed success.

Varsity level is for competitors with more than one year of experience who wish to try a higher level of competition.

Debate Topics

LD January/February resolution

Resolved: Just governments ought to require that employers pay a living wage.

PF January resolution

Resolved: United Nations peacekeepers should have the power to engage in offensive operations.

Congress

The docket will be posted no later than one week prior to the tournament.

Judge Requirements

Help the meet run smoothly and fairly by supplying your required, trained judges, including unaffiliated, in accordance with MFA rules.

Note judge conflicts or shadow needs in your judge registration on Tabroom.com. Email the tournament host for any complex judge situations. Remember a parent cannot judge the category in which their child is competing.

Fractional entries round up (i.e. three LD entries = 2 judges). Third, fifth, and seventh judge must be neutral for Speech, LD, PF.

• LD: one judge for every 2 LD entries
• PF: one judge for every 2 teams
• Speech or Congressional Debate: one judge for every 5 entries

Judges are expected to be available for ALL rounds of competition. Fines will be assessed for judges departing early unless cleared through Tabulation.

Hiring Judges

There will be a limited number of extra judges available for hire. Fees for purchasing judges will be $60 per judge.

Have all your judges finalized by 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 9. Submit requests to hire judges via Tabroom.com by Wednesday, January 7.

If you have extra judges, contact the Tournament Director so the judge can be added to the judge hire pool.

Timers

Please try to have judges bring some sort of timer/stopwatch. There are very few timers available for those who need them.

Food

Light breakfast items and lunch will be on sale for students in the cafeteria. If students do not want to purchase food, they should bring lunch and snacks. Students should not leave the school.

A light, complimentary breakfast and modest lunch will be provided for coaches and judges.

Awards

Individual awards for first through fifth in each category as determined by Tab.

Note that debate ties in record will be broken first by head to head, then strength of competition, and finally by speaker points.

Tabulation of awards follows standards adopted by MFA.

Schedule

7:45-8:15 Registration (arrive early, please)
8:30 Judges meeting in Judges’ Lounge; Student meeting in Cafeteria
8:45 Rounds begin following briefings
4:00 Awards (sooner if possible) Debate awards might take place during Speech final round for efficiency.

We hope that Winter Blast IV is a joyous event with good cheer abounding. To that end, we will have a surprise event featuring student improvisation, if time allows.

Directions

Cape Elizabeth High School, 345 Ocean House Rd, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

And do NOT think snow!