OVERVIEW OF MIDDLE SCHOOL TOURNAMENT LOGISTICS
Middle School Nationals | JUNE 18-21, 2019 Tentative Schedule
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TUESDAY • JUNE 18 Middle school registration will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. WEDNESDAY • JUNE 19 Middle school competition begins Wednesday at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. Rounds begin at 10:00 a.m. and will last into the evening. Time has been built in for lunch. THURSDAY • JUNE 20 Middle school competition continues Thursday at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. Rounds begin at 8:00 a.m. and last into the evening. Time has been built in for lunch. FRIDAY • JUNE 21 Beginning at 8:00 a.m., semifinal and final rounds will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel. The middle school awards assembly will commence at 4:00 p.m. followed by the high school awards assembly at 6:30 p.m., where the middle school circle of champions will be recognized on the high school stage!
Important Middle School Dates • Coaches may register online at MSNats.tabroom.com starting in March. • Entries are due April 24. All entries will be placed on a waitlist. Entries will be taken off the waitlist once payment has been received (space permitted, up to four). Additional entries will remain on the waitlist until the payment deadline of May 10. Entries will be taken off the waitlist based upon the payment date and not the registration date. • Congressional Debate legislation is due April 24. • Speech piece information and judge paradigms for LD and CX judges must be posted on the registration website by May 1. • Media release forms, signed by each student’s parent/guardian, along with entry agreement forms, signed by the school's principal, must be submitted by May 10. • All fees, including judge bond, must be received in the national office by May 10. • After May 10, a $200 late fee will be assessed for any student changes, piece changes, missing forms, and missing payments. A school risks forfeiting participation if everything is not received by May 19.
Other Details • Coaches are asked to carefully review all information on the tournament website. • Please note that each school is limited to four (4) entries per event. A team may place an additional four entries in the system to try to secure additional spots. Students will be moved off of the waitlist on a rolling basis after payment has been received. Any slots beyond the four will not be available until after the payment deadline of May 10. • Middle schools are required to bring judges for each division in which they have students (Policy, LD, or PF, Speech, Congress, and World Schools) as a condition for registering.
Review Before Selecting Lodging Middle school coaches should read all information relative to lodging on page 27. Middle schools who do not stay in the National Tournament hotel block will be charged a $25 fee per student. See our FAQ section at www.speechanddebate.org/ nationals for more information.
Membership Notice The Board of Directors affirms the creation, support, and development of speech and debate programs at the middle and secondary levels through accredited public and private schools. All members of the National Speech & Debate Association must be schoolbased. For any club or organization that does not currently have a schoolbased membership, the NSDA is eager to work with you to create schoolbased speech and debate teams. Students who are currently members through their area non-school-based clubs and organizations may request to have their memberships transferred to their accredited public and private schools. Homeschools and virtual schools that are recognized by the state in which those schools compete may join the National Speech & Debate Association.
World Schools Debate Pilot World Schools Debate will once again be piloted at the 2019 Middle School National Tournament. All judges must attend the on-site judge training. The only exception that will be made is for high school students who competed in elimination rounds on Wednesday morning at the National Tournament and, as a result, could not attend training.
Additional tournament information is available at www.speechanddebate.org/nationals. 30
ROSTRUM | APRIL/MAY 2019