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Vestavia Hills High School 2235 Lime Rock Rd. Vestavia Hills, AL 35216 Dear Colleague: We are happy to extend to you
and your students our cordial invitation to the Vestavia Hills Over the
Mountain Classic, which will be held at Vestavia Hills High School on February
19-21. We are pleased to offer the
following features:
Enclosed you will find
detailed information on the tournament and motel accommodations. We have put
our invite and registration on www.joyoftournaments.com.
Please use this service for registration if at all possible. We hope you will be able to join us in
Birmingham for good competition and Southern hospitality. Sincerely, Ben Osborne Brad Toland Numbers you may need to know: Vestavia Hills High School: (205) 402-5250 Vestavia Hills High School FAX number: (205) 402-5262 Ben OsborneÕs home phone: (205) 999-5502 Email: osbornebr@vestavia.k12.al.us DEBATE General Policy Debate Rules: Each
school may enter up to a total of 10 teams with divisional constraints listed
below. We can accept additional
entries ONLY if space allows.
Chances are NOT good. We
will accept NO one-person teams. Varsity Policy Debate: Each
school may enter up to 8 two-person teams capable of debating both sides of the
national debate resolution following an 8-3-5 format. There will be an eight (8) minute prep time rule. We
will be instituting a limited strike system for this yearÕs tournament. Novice Policy Debate: Each
school may enter up to 6 two-person teams capable of debating both sides of the
national debate resolution following an 8-3-5 format. There will be an eight (8) minute prep rule. A
novice is defined as any student who has not debated more than ten rounds in
competition prior to this school year; this includes Lincoln/Douglas. General Lincoln/Douglas
Rules: Each
school may enter up to a total of 10 Lincoln/Douglas debaters. We can accept additional entries ONLY
if space allows. Chances are NOT
good. Varsity Lincoln/Douglas
Debate: This
division is open to any student who wishes to debate the NFL value resolution
proposed for January/February. Format will be 6-3-7-3-4-6-3 with 3 minutes of prep time. We
will be instituting a limited strike system for this yearÕs tournament. Novice Lincoln/Douglas
Debate: Same
resolution and format as used in Varsity LD Debate. For LD debate, a novice is defined as any student who has
not debated more than 10 rounds prior to this school year, a student who
debated policy last year is a varsity debater. General Public Forum Rules: We would like for Vestavia
Hills to become THE Public Forum Tournament in the Southeast. As such, we will
be making a few changes to the tournament. Each school may enter a maximum of 8
teams in Public Forum. We may be able to take addition entries if possible.
Time limits are the new 4-3-4-3-2-3-2 format. Two minutes of prep will be
allowed. Resolution will be the February topic. No one-person teams will be
allowed. Please bring your own judges for this event! PF should be judged by
all people in the community. hHwever, we strive to maintain a good ratio of
coaches, former debaters, and lay judges. In order to encourage people to come
back, we will be implementing a fun and spectacular trophy this year. The
winning team in the open division will be declared the ÒKing/Queen Over the MountainÓ and will receive crowns. Not just any crowns either.
Nice metal crowns to take home to the trophy case. Debate Elimination Rounds: If
entries justify, we will break to octo-finals in all debate divisions. INDIVIDUAL EVENTS NDIVIDUAL EVENT RULES General Rules: Each
school may enter no more than 6 individuals in an event. We can accept
additional entries ONLY if space allows. Chances are not good.
However, a large number of entries from one school in any one event could
result in competitors from the same school meeting if this is necessary to
maximize judges. The tournament will be flighted. Flight A will occur on
the first day and Flight B on the second day. We will break to finals unless
entries demand a semifinal. Students may enter two events in each flight. NO
CROSS ENTRIES FROM DEBATE ARE ALLOWED. Except for indicated variations, NFL
rules will be followed in all events. The same piece cannot be used in more
than one event. Flight
A Prose/Poetry
Interpretation: (up to 8 minutes) Students may present either
a prose or poetry selection or a program of selections. Materials must be
published. The use of manuscript is required. Remember, this is a
reading event. Selections used in HI/DI may not be used. Original
Oratory: (up to 10 minutes) The speech must be the original
work of the student. Memorization is required. The speech may not
have been used in competition prior to this school year. There should not
be more than 150 words of quoted material in the speech. Dramatic
Interpretation: (up to 10 minutes) The student must perform a
memorized presentation from any published printed material. No costumes
or props may be used. Selections used in previous years may not be
reused; the same piece may not be used in another interp event. The
selection should be serious in nature. Flight
B Humorous Interpretation: (up to 10 minutes)
The rules for dramatic interp will apply to this event. The material
should be humorous in nature. Duo
Interpretation: (up to 10 minutes) Two students should
present a selection from a published work from a play, prose, or poetry.
The selection must be memorized. Each of the two performers must play one
sustained character; the two roles should be as nearly balanced as
possible. [If the selection is prose or poetry and contains narration,
either or both of the performers may present the narration in addition to the one
sustained character.] No props or costumes are allowed. Selections
used in another event may NOT be used. Extemporaneous Speaking: (4-7
minutes) Students will be given 30 minutes to prepare speeches on topics
dealing with current affairs. The use of bibliographics and published
materials is permitted. Students may use data from electronic services;
however, electronic retrieval are not allowed. Obviously, pre-prepared
speeches or other similar forms of ÒextempÓ files will not be permitted.
Note cards are not permitted. School fee $25.00 Varsity/Novice Debate team $30.00 Lincoln/Douglas Debater $15.00 Individual Events $10.00
per person per event each event Hired Judges Debate $140.00
per hired judge IEÕs $90.00
per hired judge ENTRY DEADLINES We have a limited amount of
space. Entries will be taken on a
first come, first serve basis.
When the building is full, we will accept no more entries. Please take this seriously. We had to turn down teams last
year. Because some of our guests
in years past chose to damage our building, we lost a number of our competition
areas, so the problem is even larger than usual. All entries MUST arrive by
Tuesday, February 16 at 3:30pm.
ALL FEES WILL BE ASSESSED—INCLUDING
HIRED JUDGE FEES—AT THAT TIME.
Any nuisance fees will be ADDED to this assessment. To assure accuracy, telephone entries
will not be accepted. Please use the online registration for our tournament set
up at www.joyoftournaments.com. Other types of entries are highly
discouraged. If you simply cannot register at the easy to use www.joyoftouraments.com website then
you may mail, fax, or email your entry to Vestavia Hills High School, (205)
402-5262; osbornebr@vestavia.k12.al.us.
Please use this as a last resort. Make all changes on the
website. There will be a $10.00 charge for all drops/adds made after 3:30pm,
February 16th. After 9:00 A.M., Friday, February 19, the fee for
drops will be $20.00. ÒDropsÓ at
Registration will be assessed fees as follows: $25.00 for each individual
event, $50.00 for each debate team/LD debater. PLEASE FAX/CALL/EMAIL DROPS AS SOON AS YOU KNOW. Last minute changes in pairings cause
the tournament to begin late, and no one wants a late tournament. Please take this
seriously. Please do not use email
after 5:00pm on Thursday, February 18, the machine will not be connected. School telephone- (205) 402-5250;
School FAX number- (205) 402-5262.
Mr. OsborneÕs number is (205) 999-5502 and email is osbornebr@vestavia.k12.al.us. VERY IMPORTANT: EXCEPT FOR THE DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT,
PLEASE CALL THE SCHOOL ONLY DURING THE FOLLOWING HOURS: BEFORE 8:10 am (CST),
BETWEEN 11:30AM AND 12:30PM AND AFTER 3:00PM. THEY WILL NOT GET EITHER OF US OUT OF CLASS TO ANSWER THE
PHONE AND MESSAGES ARE USUALLY NOT DELIVERED ACCURATELY. ON TOURNAMENT DAY, CALL SCHOOL AT ANY
TIME. JUDGING RESPONSIBILITIES Debate: Each
school must supply one judge for every four debater (2 teams) or fraction
thereof (1-4 debaters = 1 judge; 5-8 debaters = 2 judges, etc.) We will not hire ÒhalfÓ judges. We have to pay a hired judge for the
entire tournament. If you ask us
to hire a judge and then bring a judge to the tournament, we will not be able
to subtract the hired judge fee from your fees owed. We will, however, put your judge in the pool and pay him/her
on a per-round-judged basis if opportunities arise. A single judge cannot cover two schools. IEÕs: Each
school must supply one judge for every five entries or fraction thereof. We will not hire Òhalf judges. A single judge cannot cover two
schools. Hired Judges:
We have a very limited number of judges for hire, and they will be distributed
on a first-come, first-serve basis.
PLEASE bring your own judges; this is a serious request. No school can hire more than 4 judges,
total. Please note rule about
hired judges under debate judges. JUDGES CANNOT BE HIRED AT REGISTRATION!!!! IF
YOU ARE FORCED TO DROP JUDGES AT REGISTRATION, YOU WILL HAVE TO DROP
APPROPRIATE NUMBERS OF ENTRIES (AND PAY ALL APPLICAPLE DROP FEES). WE SIMPLY CANNOT PROVIDE HIRED JUDGES
TO COVER SLOTS NOT ANTICIPATED IN ADVANCE OF THE TOURNAMENT. All school judges are responsible for
judging one round beyond the last round in which their students compete. CONTESTANT AND JUDGE NAMES It is essential that we
receive first and last names of both contestants AND judges with your
entry. We will not accept entries
with Contestant 1, Contestant 2, or Judge A or Judge B, etc. In addition, if you are going
to bring multiple judges to cover a required judging slot, you should identify
which judges will be available for which rounds. We will NOT be able to allow schools to trade off ballots
after rounds have been posted. Of
course, we will make name changes as this becomes necessary and we will deal
with ÒemergenciesÓ as best we can. PLEASE call in advance of registration with
changes. FOOD For your convenience, we will
provide sumptuous food at our snack bar, which will be located in our
cafeteria. In addition, there are
several good restaurants in the Birmingham area. Food will be provided for coaches and judges. We do ask that you not allow your
students to bring food from other vendors into our building. We would not do that to you. LODGING There is no tournament
hotel. Below are listed some
hotels located convenient to the school.
You should allow approximately 15 minutes travel time to the school. We donÕt normally do a
school rate since we have found that people have their own hotels and since
rates are pretty cheap in Birmingham. However, if I can help you, please let me
know. The best place to stay is on the 280 corridor. For those of you in the
know, our school can be tough to find. This area is very convenient to the
school. Here are a couple of suggestions for hotels: Hampton
Inn Mountain Brook- 2731 U.S. 280,
Birmingham, AL - (205) 870-7822 Birmingham
Marriott Hotel - 3590 Grandview Parkway, Birmingham, AL - (205)
968-3775 Courtyard
by Marriott - 4300 Colonnade Parkway, Birmingham, AL - (205)
967-4466 Drury
Inn & Suites: Southeast - 3510 Grandview Pkwy, Birmingham, AL
- (205) 967-2450 Hilton
Birmingham Perimeter Park - 8 Perimeter Park S, Birmingham, AL -
(205) 967-2700 Hyatt
Place Birmingham/Inverness -4686 Highway 280 East, Birmingham, AL
- (205) 995-9242 Comfort
Inn & Suites - 4400
Colonnade pkwy, birmingham, AL - (205) 968-3700 SpringHill
Suites by Marriott -3950 Colonnade Parkway, Birmingham, AL -
(205) 969-8099 PROJECTED DEBATE SCHEDULE Friday, February 19 1:00-3:00 Registration
(coach only) 3:15pm Brief
Announcements in Lunchroom (Please do not allow your students to enter the
classroom section of the building until after 3:20 dismissal. Restrooms are available near the
lunchroom.) 3:45-5:30pm Round
1, Policy, PF, and Lincoln Douglas Debate 5:30-7:30pm Round
2, Policy, PF, and Lincoln Douglas
Debate 6:30pm Coaches
dinner and Head Coaches (Delicious food for judges, assistants and parents is
available in the judgesÕ lounge). 8:30-10:30pm Round
3, Policy, PF, and Lincoln Douglas Debate Saturday, February 20 7:45-9:30am Round
4, Policy, PF, and Lincoln Douglas Debate 11:00-1:00pm Round
5, Policy, PF, and Lincoln Douglas Debate 2:00-3:30pm Round
6, Policy, PF, and Lincoln-Douglas Debate 4
pm Awards 4:30-6:00pm Elimination
Rounds, All Debate Divisions 6:30-8:00pm Elimination
Rounds, All Debate Divisions 8:30-10:00pm Elimination
Rounds, All Debate Divisions The final rounds in most
division will be completed before the end of the night. However, if late both
teams may opt for a Sunday morning round. This applies primarily to policy
debate. Please note that this schedule is subject to change; We will tighten the schedule to end competition earlier if possible. Individual Events Schedule Friday, February 19 1:00-3:00 PM Registration (coach only) 3:15pm Assembly in auditorium (Please do not allow your students to
enter the classroom section of the building until after 2:20 dismissal.
Restrooms are available near the auditorium.) 3:45-4:45pm Round 1, Individual Events A 5:00-6:00 Round 2, Individual Events A 6:30pm Coaches dinner for Head Coaches (Delicious food for judges,
assistants and parents is available in the judgesÕ lounge). 7:00-8:00 Round 3, Individual Events A 8:30-9:30 Round 4, Individual Events A Saturday,
February 20 8:00-9:00am
Finals, Individual Events A 9:30am Extemp Draw 10:00-11:00am Round 1, Individual Events B 11:30am Extemp Draw 12:00-1:00pm Round 2, Individual Events B 1:30pm Extemp Draw 2:00-3:00pm Round 3, Individual Events B 3:30pm Extemp Draw 4:00-5:00pm Round 4, Individual Events B 5:30pm Extemp Draw 6:00-7:00pm Finals, Individual Events B 8:30pm Awards Assembly Please note that this schedule is
subject to change; we will tighten the schedule to end competition earlier if
possible. DIRECTIONS The
school is located in the middle of the Vestavia residential section, which
winds around the mountain. If you
are east of Vestavia, have someone get you to Rocky Ridge Rd, then turn on
Morgan Drive. Go to the top of the
hill and turn left on Lime Rock Rd.
Most of you should have someone at your hotel get you to Hwy 31 north,
headed toward Birmingham. You will
pass several fast food places and a couple of small shopping centers on your
right. You will see a large sign
that says ÒVestavia Hills High School.Ó
Unless you have an exceptional van, do NOT turn at the sign; there is a
nightmare of a hill to pull in a loaded van. Keep going. If
your vehicle is up to the task, turn and follow the signs; it is shorter. If
not, there are two approaches that are Òrelatively easy.Ó (1) As you continue north on 31 you
will notice Wald Park (a recreational area including tennis courts and softball
fields) on your left. Immediately
across the street is Round Hill Road; an office building is on the corner of 31
and Round Hill. Follow the signs
from there. (2) If you miss that
turne, continue north to Vesthaven Way.
There is a traffic light, and an Ethan Allen Furniture store is on this
corner. Once you pass Ethan Allen
and see Ruby TuesdayÕs, you have gone too far. There are blue arrows on the posts of the street signs that
approach the high school.
Additionally, there are reflectors on the streets that lead to the
school. Obviously, if you stay in
a hotel that is north of Vestavia, you need to go south on 31 and turn left
just past Ruby TuesdayÕs and Ethan Allen.
Be alert! It is very easy
to get lost. If you do not get
lost, approximate travel time from most motels to school is 15 minutes. Very important, the traffic situation at
the school is awful. Please do not
arrive with your team prior to 3:00pm or you will not find a parking
place. Anyway, we wonÕt be ready
for you. IF you have a bus, please
have it drop off students no later than 3:00pm., a later drop-off will cause
serious congestion because school will be dismissed at 3:20! Everyone should report directly to the
lunchroom. | ||||
