Invitation for the 2016 Wizarding Debate Cup (Harry Potter Invitational Debate Championship) Debate Coach Office Under the Stairs Middle and Secondary School British Columbia, Canada You are cordially invited to the whimsically magical 2016 Wizarding Debate Cup, or for muggles, the 2016 Harry Potter Invitational Debate Championship. The tournament will be held at Glenlyon Norfolk School (801 Bank Street, Victoria, BC V8S 4A8, at the intersections of Maddison and Richardson, at our Pemberton Woods Campus, beside the forbidden Oak Bay forest) on Saturday, the 23 rd of April 2016. Students arriving by floo powder should clearly yell Glenlyon Norfolk School before stepping into the fire, as those using only the acronym GNS have been known to be re- routed to Australia, or disappear all together. Please read through the entire invitation, as it contains information regarding tournament registration and other magical features of this fun, end of the season tournament. Participants Registration is open to all students from Debate and Speech Association of B.C. (DSABC) member schools, in the following categories: Novice (7/8) Junior (9/10) Senior (11/12) Please note that only human (magical and non- magical) competitors will be permitted to register, health and safety does not permit centaurs on campus (they upset the resident gryphon population). Judging FOR EACH TEAM registered, there must be one CONFIRMED judge whose name and contact email is clearly indicated on the form. The judging coordinator for this
event, the charming Sue Siluch (psrsiluch@shaw.ca), will verify their commitment to judge before the event. Judges need not be full members of the Wizengamot, or familiar with the wizarding world of Harry Potter (though it may help). Rounds will be evaluated based on the quality of argumentation, and not the extent of competitors knowledge of Harry Potter, wizarding, etc. Registration The deadline to register is Wednesday, April 13th, 2016 before 3:30pm. Our tournament organizer has made the unbreakable vow that this is a firm deadline, and registration after this point will not be accepted. To register, please send an owl or e- mail to the tournament director Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff (tphelpsbondaroff@mygns.ca) with the following information (see registration form below). The cost of the tournament is 9 Galleons, 6 Sickles, and 1 Knut ($45 Canadian using current Goblin exchange rates) per student. Cheques made out to Glenlyon Norfolk School, should be sent to the following address in advance of the tournament. Attention: Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff The English Department Grotto 801 Bank Street Victoria, BC, V8S 4A8 Unfortunately we will not permit teams from schools with outstanding debts to our team to compete unless those debts are settled prior to the tournament. Format The format for all debates will be in the Canadian National Debate Format (CNDF). Please refer to www.bcdebate.org to make sure you are up to date on the rules for this debate style. We will be using the following speaking times: CNDF Debate Times Junior Senior 1 st Proposition s speech 6 8 1 st Opposition s speech 6 8 2 nd Proposition s speech 6 8 2 nd Opposition s speech 6 8 1 st Opposition s summary & rebuttal 3 4 1 st Proposition s summary & rebuttal 3 4
All rounds will be impromptu on topics on the Harry Potter wizarding world theme. Some specific rules relating to resolutions, their interpretation, and debates on the theme should be clarified in the name of having good debate rounds. While the tournament has the wizarding world of Harry Potter as its theme, the tournament organizers to not want rounds to descend into simple regurgitation of information from Harry Potter canon. Not only will this not be within the spirit of debate in general, but it would result in rounds that may challenge judges who are not familiar with the subject matter at hand. Resolutions will introduce topics that will derive from the world of Harry Potter, but also have broader application in the real world. As such, debaters should always seek to find the deeper intent of the resolution and be sure to craft their arguments with this in mind. Explanation of details specific to the world of Harry Potter, that are pertinent to the topic, should also be elaborated on by speakers, as they should not assume that everyone in the room has an intimate knowledge of the subject matter. For example (and this is not a topic we will be running, but should give participants a flavor of the type of resolution we will be running), say the resolution were THW hire ex- Death Eaters. In this case, the debate is in essence a debate about hiring ex- convicts for jobs, and the debate would involve arguments relating to this topic (for example on the affirmative; providing employment options to keep ex- convicts away from a life of crime, rehabilitation, etc.). Arguments such as culpability will of course arise, and can be adapted into the wizarding world: For example, how can we be sure that someone was not under the Imperious curse? In other words, are actors guilty of their criminal actions (which is itself a broader debate about agency)? A parallel could be drawn to people committing crimes while under the influence or in order to support a drug habit. Additional questions to consider which apply to both wizard and muggle worlds: After they have served their time, shouldn t convicts be welcomed into society as a fully rehabilitated member or suffer lifelong consequences for their actions? There is an onus on the first speaker of the affirmative team to present a model, which should also include some explanation of the wizarding matter at hand. Thus they should explain what a Death Eater is, what type of Death Eater may be offered employment (obviously not Voldemort), and why kinds of employment opportunities we will afford them (working with small children?). Arguments should not rely only on the use of evidence from the Harry Potter world, but instead should also use reasoning, logic and examples from the real world. Thus a negative team could draw on examples regarding ex- soldiers and truth and reconciliation processes in the muggle world, to argue that the presence of Death Eaters in public jobs may lead to increased tensions in the wizarding world and serve as reminders of the past conflict. Similarly, the affirmative team could argue that recidivism rates for ex- convicts drop considerably when they are fully
rehabilitated and offered employment, and use examples from the USA. They could ask and analyze the point is further alienating Death Eaters (or convicts in general) through prohibiting them from legitimate work, likely to drive them towards further crime. At the end of the day, we want to see good debates where students use the full extent of their analytical and rhetorical powers to present good solid arguments, and clash with their opponents points. Judges will be briefed to look for these qualities in arguments, and not spec knowledge regarding Harry Potter. Other Rules Technology: Occlumancy, the use of scrying devices, or muggle electronic technology is not permitted to assist in preparing for rounds. Students found accessing the internet to prepare for rounds will be disqualified, and banished to the Forbidden Forest. Houses and the House Cup: All teams will be randomly sorted into houses at the beginning of the tournament, and in addition to the regular debate tournament, we will also be awarding the house cup to the house with the most points at the end of the tournament. Points will be awarded based on the cumulative total of individual speaker points of all teams in a single house (with individual debaters points being averaged in each round to account for different numbers of judges). Costumes This is going to be an awesome tournament, and to make it even better; ALL participants are strongly encouraged to come in costume. This includes all debaters, but also includes judges, coaches, timekeepers and guests. At this tournament students are permitted to wear their school uniforms if they choose, though they should of course adapt these to be a little more magical. Prizes will be awarded for costumes! SCHEDULE Please note the use of registration locations different from our usual tournaments. We will be primarily operating out of our lovely Hall. Please note that food and drinks are not permitted in the Hall. Please also note that the schedule is subject to change, we will endeavor to run the tournament ahead of schedule, and so rounds may start earlier than posted (or later if the tournament organizers are not able to gain access to time turners to complete the tabs). Participants are encouraged to listen to announcements by spokeswizards/witches throughout the tournament for updates to the schedule.
8:00 a.m. Judges and debaters arrive and register at GNS Hall (off Richmond Avenue) 8:30 Judges are briefed in Gudewill Bldg. Library 8:30 Debaters briefing and House Sorting Ceremony in GNS Hall 9:15 Topic for Round 1 announced (GNS Hall) 9:45 Round 1 begins 10:45 Topic for Round 2 announced (GNS Hall) 11:15 Round 2 Begins 12:00 p.m. Lunch (debaters in cafeteria and judges in library, both Gudewill) 1:00 Topic for Round 3 announced (GNS Hall) 1:30 Round 3 begins 2:30 Topic for Round 4 announced (GNS Hall) 3:00 Round 4 begins 4:15 Awards 4:30 Floo network and portkeys activated for return journey s home.
Registration Form please cut, paste and e- mail this to Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff (tphelpsbondaroff@mygns.ca) by the deadline of April 13 th. Please contact me with any questions you might have as well (778-678- 8325). School Coach Active e- mail Please copy as needed for each of your teams in each category. Note that while there is no set cap on the number of teams who can participate in this tournament we reserve the right to limit the number of teams per school in an equitable way should registration exceed the capacity of our facilities, alas our room of requirements cannot be located by custodial staff. Senior Debaters Team: Debater 1: Debater 2: Judges Name: Judges e- mail: Judges Phone #: Junior Debaters Team: Debater 1: Debater 2: Judges Name: Judges e- mail: Judges Phone #: Novice Debaters Team: Debater 1: Debater 2: Judges Name: Judges e- mail: Judges Phone #: Please note any dietary restrictions of your debaters or judges (vegetarian, gluten free, pixy- dust intolerance) for our house elves. Please note that GNS is a nut- free school, and if debates wish to bring any additional snacks, these should be nut free. Please also note that all meals served carry the WWF Unicorn Cruelty Free certification, and are bowtruckle free.