Welcome to the home page for the 2020 ISDA InterGalactic Invitational tournament hosted by Nova 42 on Dec 17-19, 2020 for Various students.

Status: Tournament Completed

UPDATED 12-16 6:00pm

 

The International Speech and Debate Association   

Invites you and your team to attend the First Annual INTER-GALACTIC INVITATIONAL held online!     With Unique Trophies!

 Recorded events will be judged on December 17th and 18th. Live events will be held on Saturday December 19th only.

This will be a tournament for MIDDLE SCHOOL and HIGH SCHOOL students and we will be using Nov/Dec topics in all debate.

Registration is now open. 

We are an experienced staff of online tournament runners and we have run several online tournaments, starting back in March of 2020. Please see our best practices for more information on how to prepare for the tournament or contact us directly through email for more info.


The host of this international tournament is Nova 42 Academy and the ISDA.  The tournament allows for all public, private, and home schooled students to compete. This tournament is meant to encourage a healthy competition at all levels.  We would like schools to be aware of the following:

1.  The tournament will be held online synchronusly and asynchronusly.  Please see the Best Practices Guide on this tournament page for additional information regarding the preparation for Internet tournaments.  This guide will have suggestions and policies regarding specific events. 

2.  Throughout the synchronous tournament, we will have a live help room for anyone having trouble.  The URL will be 8x8.vc/ISDAhelp.  If anyone from your team has problems, this virtual room will be the first place to go.

3.  Asynchronous events will be evaluated on Thursday and Friday. All asynchronous entries must be in by Wed Decmber 16th, 7:00pm PST. 

4.  This invitation is subject to change.  If we need to adjust the schedule or some another aspect to this invitation, we will add a version number at the top and then post the new version on the tournament homepage here.

 

Tab Staff:

Tournament director: Mike Kyle (Nova 42 Academy)

Judges: Ted Kim (Nova 42 Academy)

Ombudsman: Mike Murray (Nova 42 Academy)

 

Rules/Event Descriptions:

All events will follow the attached rules unless otherwise noted in this invitation.  For full list of event descriptions, tournament procedures, and round design, please see our attached RULES & BY-LAWS.  If you have any questions about rules or procedures, please feel free to reach out through the e-mail below.

Asynchronous Events:  All asynchronous (Pattern C) events will be uploaded through the registration page of this website. Please follow these procedures below to properly upload the entry:

    1. Create a Youtube Account, if you do not already have one.

    2. Log in to www.youtube.com, click "upload" at the top of the front page. Upload in standard and not high-definition. 

    3. The title of your video should be the event followed by your name (ie INFORMATIVE-Mike Kyle). In the description, add the TITLE of your selection, along with your NAME.

    4. When creating the visibility, change audience option from "Public" to "Unlisted" to ensure the privacy of your video - only those with a link to the video can watch. DO NOT make your video "Private" or "Public".

    5. When asked if it is for children, choose Yes.

    6. Make sure your students email you their video links and you paste the links in via the "Entry Video Links" tab at the top of your Register page. Links are due by 5:00pm Wednesday Dec 16, 2020.

 

Eligibility:

This tournament is open to the World, including all schools, clubs, after-schools, and home schoolers

5th-8th grade are permitted to compete in the middle school division and 9th - 12th grade are permitted to compete in the high school division at this tournament.

 

Competitor Postings: 

Synchronous postings will be sent to each student before the round begins.  Coaches should update their student rosters on ForensicsTournament.net to include the cell numbers or the e-mail addresses for each student.  Once the posting preference is selected, coaches can test that the cell/e-mail is getting through to the student(s).  Students and judges do not need to create their own accounts on ForensicsTournament.net.  Please take time to update your school’s roster (both competitors and judges).  Here is an article which explains how to do that.

 

Judges:

Each school must supply at least one judge.  One of our biggest concerns is that we do not run late.  Judges must be existing 10th grade or higher for middle school judging. If it is a high school age judge, we require they have a minimum of 2 competitions worth of experience. We require each judge to have a reliable Internet connection and use a laptop or desktop computer to evaluate the round.  While tablets and mobile devices are possible, we do not encourage the usage for judges since they will be managing the eBallot and the video screen at the same time.  We recommend that judges open the eBallot on one tab and the video on another.  Judges should be able to toggle between the two easily.  Alternatively, judges can take notes on paper while viewing the round, and then transcribe the notes to the eBallot after the round has concluded.

It should be noted that the Internet is the responsibility of the person using it.  While the tournament will attempt to accommodate those with Internet problems, it cannot do so at the expense of fairness or delay of the tournament.  Please read the best practices guide thoroughly.

 

Special Rules:

In keeping with the rules and by-laws, we would like to call your attention to a few items that may be different from other tournaments.

- No publication requirements for interpretation events.  Students may not write pieces themselves unless the event requires it, but we allow students to use literature from any source, published or non-published.

- Internet access is permitted for Extemp and all debate events.  Students should not use this access to confer with coaches or other direct outside sources, but may use the Internet to access articles and case files.

- ISDA's innovative new event labeled Dialectic is a form of diplomacy and negotiation training. Please download the rules and guidelines supplied on this page to the right. Dialectic times are the following: (2 prep) Aff 2; Neg 2; Discussion 3; Aff 2; Neg 2.

- Performative plagiarism, as outlined on in the Rules & By-laws, prevents the “copying the performance of other performers.”  Please review this section of the rules for all students entered in interpretation events. 

- This tournament will not break brackets for debate out rounds.

- Trophies and Plaques will be available for pick-up or small shipping charges to participating schools.

 

Events will include:

DEBATE:

    Public Forum Debate (Nov/Dec NSDA topic - First Strike) - Mid/High

    Lincoln Douglas Debate (Nov/Dec NSDA topic - Jobs) - Mid/High

         

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS:

        Dialectic (Topics in-round)- Mid/High

                This event is focused on the skills of persuasion, negotiation, concession, agreement and compromise. This debate allows each competitor to be    evaluated on their skills to come to a solution or agreement rather than standard debates that focus on the polarized opposites of an issue. Topics for Dialectic SPAR are policy-like topics that are strongly worded in one direction to allow for the other side room to present the opposite approach or position. This extreme approach allows the debaters to come to a point somewhere in the middle through compromise and persuasion.

         SPAR (Topics in-round)- Mid/High

          Impromptu - Mid/High

  ASYNCHRONOUS - Entries due by November 16th 7:00pm PST (see upload instructions above)

         Storytelling - Mid

        Informative (w/VAs) - Mid/High

        Humorous Interpretation - Mid/High

        Dramatic Interpretation - Mid/High

        Declamation - Mid

        Original Oratory - Mid

    * Students may enter up to four different IE events for asynchronous events. During the tournament on Saturday, students may enter up to two events per pattern, with the exception of Extemp. There is no double entry in the debate pattern.

 

DIVISIONS:

    Middle School Division - Fall 2020 5th Grade through 8th Grade students

    High School Division - Fall 2020 9th Grade through 12th Grade students

  

FEES:

    $20 per student / per event    $30 per PF debate team

    $50 per uncovered judge (each team is required to bring at least one - all rounds - judge)

    Please pay using the payment system on this page to the left or contact Nova 42 Academy at 626-765-6609 M-Th after 2:00pm PST

 

JUDGE REQUIREMENTS:

    Each team must bring one judge for every 5 Individual Event (Dialectic and SPAR are IEs) competitors per division and every 2 debate team/competitors per division.

Judge fees for missing judges are as follows:

        Insufficient judges $50.00 per judge. Missing judge from Round $20.00 first offense and $50.00 thereafter.

SATURDAY (SYNCHRONOUS) SCHEDULE:   (All times PST)

Saturday

    7:30am - Registration (8x8.vc/ISDAtab), Judge Check-in and Training (8x8.vc/ISDAhelp)

    8:00am - Pattern A Debate Round 1 - (PF, LD)

    10:30am - Pattern A Debate Round 2 - (PF, LD) - (schedule may move up if tournamnet goes to single flight)

    1:00pm - Pattern A Debate Round 3 - (PF, LD) - (schedule may move up if tournamnet goes to single flight)

    2:30pm - Pattern B Synch IEs - Round 1 - (IMP, DIALECTIC, SPAR)

    3:30pm - Pattern A Debate - Elim #1 - (PF, LD) - if necessary

    4:15pm - Pattern B Synch IEs - Round 2 - (IMP, DIALECTIC, SPAR)

    5:45pm - Pattern B Synch IEs - Round 3 - (IMP, DIALECTIC, SPAR)

    7:00pm - Pattern B Synch IEs - FINALS - (IMP, SPAR)

    8:30pm  AWARDS

 

ASYNCHRONOUS SCHEDULE: - November 16th - 18th

Thursday

         3:00pm - Pattern C Asynchronous IE Round 1 - (Ballots Released)  

              6:00pm - Pattern C Asynchronous IE Round 1 - (Return Rd 1 Ballots By)

          5:00pm - Pattern C Asynchronous IE Round 2 - (Ballots Released)

              8:00pm - Pattern C Asynchronous IE Round 2 - (Return Rd 2 Ballots By)

Friday

          9:00am - Pattern C Asynchronous IE Round 3 - (Ballots Released)  

              7:00pm  - Pattern C Asynchronous IE  - (All Ballots Due)

         NO FINALS FOR ASYNCHRONOUS EVENTS

 

For more information please contact mike@nova42.com
ISDA  255 N. San Gabriel Blvd  • Pasadena, California, 91107

 

 






Timetable
  • Wed 12/16/20 7:00 pm Pacific
    Start registration (schools can begin registering competitors and judges)
  • Thu 12/17/20 12:00 am Pacific
    Drops only (no new entries or changes allowed)

Documents