Coast Forensic League

Congress 1

Sunday, October 29th, 2023

Hosted IN-PERSON at:

Westmont High School

4805 Westmont Ave., Campbell, CA 95008

We will be offering the following events:

House and Senate

Docket: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FX0wuBNmtkPCAXaBr2tCB6QCK5kDjVfs-nYuL2dcCxg/edit?usp=sharing

Congress Rules and Procedures:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a8VMyToaGZl6K2qUZn-kho8bNKX1wodw2HZ53BC5430/edit?usp=sharing

HELPDESK EMAIL: coastforensicleague2@gmail.com

STUDENTS ONLY - Vote for the BEST PO here: https://forms.gle/7LMmzXNCHi88dBQ78

Tentative Schedule for Sunday, October 29th:

Registration/Judge Training: 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Round 1: 10:45 AM - 12:45 PM (take one 5-10 minute break)

Lunch: 12:50 PM - 1:45 PM

Round 2: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Awards: ASAP after ballots have been turned in

Double Entry with CFL Novice Speech:

Double and cross entry is most certainly allowed between CFL Novice Speech and CFL Congress 1. Please note that the Novice Eligibility rules found in the CFL Membership Code found here are still applicable.

Remember that rounds will overlap. It is the responsibility of the student to move from round to round efficiently. We will not rerun rounds if a student misses their speech or misses half of a Congress Session. This also includes Extemp Prep. Students will not receive extra time to Prep for any reason. We will work with students who would like to compete in both Tournaments and do our best to ensure that they are scheduled in their speech round in a way that allows them to compete in Congress and make it in time to speak.

Judging:

Please provide 1 judge for every 6 entries or part thereof. Schools may use school affiliated judges and/or hired judges to fulfill their judging obligation. However, EVERY school MUST provide at least one judge available for both rounds on Sunday. This is to ensure that we have enough judges to run the Tournament.

All judges should complete the NSDA Cultural Competency Training found on the Tabroom website and must have a linked Tabroom account.

Registration:

Registration and all entries are due on October 26th at 5 PM on Tabroom. All competitors will be placed on a waitlist and will be removed from the waitlist after judges have been entered to fulfill your school's obligation. Drops and adds after October 26th at 5 PM will be assessed a late fee.

Each school may enter unlimited entries in the House, but are limited to no more than THREE (3) entries in the Senate. Schools should place their most experienced debaters for Senate competition.

Concessions:

To help the host school estimate the number of lunches they will need to buy, please add "lunch" as many times as necessary for your students to your invoice during registration. While Tabroom denotes that lunch is "$0," the host school will be charging students for lunch for a reasonable price at the Tournament. Lunches for judges and coaches will be free. Please input these by October 24th at 5 PM.

Congress Rules:

CHSSA Rules will govern all events. In addition, Bills and Resolutions may NOT be laid on the table and all business before the Chamber MUST be completed (voted on) before the end of a session. Debaters are not permitted to suspend the rules.

Electronic retrieval devices will be allowed in round, but NO INTERNET PREP is allowed. Electronic retrieval devices include laptops, iPads, netbooks, etc. Secondary electronic retrieval devices like flash drives and hard drives are allowed as well. Cellphones and smartphones may only be used as timers in the round. Any electronic retrieval device MUST be battery operated and NO power plugs or outlets may be used in round. All devices should be DISCONNECTED from the WiFi during round or placed in Airplane Mode.

There will NOT be a separate Presiding Officer contest. Instead, students will vote for the best PO in each chamber via Google Form at the end of the 2nd Session. These Outstanding Presiding Officers shall be recognized at the Awards Ceremony. Presiding Officers are required for competition and each chamber requires a student Presiding Officer, though more than one may serve throughout the day.

House Chambers will have 14-20 competitors and the Senate Chamber shall have 8-20 competitors. The Senate MUST have at least 8 entries to be held.

Each Chamber will set their own docket and all students should be prepared to debate both sides of the legislation.

CFL COVID-19 Policy:

If you are sick, please stay home and do not attend the Tournament. This year, we are no longer requiring masks to be used in round. Please be courteous to all competitors and judges for choosing to wear/not wear a mask. Judges should not penalize students for choosing to or choosing not to wear a mask.

Awards:

The Top Congressional Debater in each House Chamber shall receive a wildcard to the State Qualifying Tournament.

If a Senate Chamber is held with 8-10 entries, the Top Congressional Debater will receive a wildcard to the State Qualifying Tournament. If a Senate Chamber is held with 11 or more entries, the Top Two Congressional Debaters will receive a wildcard to the State Qualifying Tournament.

Outstanding Presiding Officers will also be recognized at the Awards Ceremony. Presiding Officers are also eligible to earn a wildcard should they win their Chamber in the House or place in the Top 1 or 2 in the Senate, entries permitting.