MIDDLE SCHOOL TOC HOSTED BY UK

    29-30 April 2023

    DEADLINE
    31 Mar 2023 for those traveling with GSA
    13 April 2023 for those traveling on their own
    ELIGIBILITY
    No student may be older than 14
    LOCATION
    Lexington, KY

    ​NO REFUNDS AT ANY POINT AFTER REGISTERING
    DROPS AFTER THIS DATE WILL INCUR A FINE ON TOP OF THE ENTRY FEE

    Information

    Eligibility
    • No student may be older than age 14.
    • ​As usual, all observers must submit a signed MSTOC Honor Code via Tabroom.com, in advance of the tournament.
    • All judges entered in the Middle School Tournament of Champions (MSTOC) must have completed a background check within the past 5 years
    • Participants should be aware that MSTOC staff may periodically enter competition rooms, including while competitors are speaking; this should not be a cause for concern, nor delay or stop an ongoing round


    ​UK COVID-19 Guidance
    COVID-19 protocols will be determined per local, state, and national recommendations as of April 2023.
    • It is strongly recommended that all participants be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, though there is no formal vaccination requirement
    • It is strongly recommended that all participants be tested for COVID-19, even if not symptomatic, prior to traveling
    • It is the participants’ sole responsibility to follow all COVID-19 guidance and protocols
      • For optimal health and safety, all participants must self-monitor for illness, symptoms, and/or exposure to COVID-19
      • Anyone who is ill, symptomatic, and/or recently exposed to COVID-19 should not travel or attend the tournament
      • Anyone who becomes ill, symptomatic, and/or aware of exposure to COVID-19 during the tournament must immediately self-isolate and withdraw from competition
        • Though masks are optional on the UK campus, participants are strongly encouraged to wear masks as an added layer of protection
        • Classrooms are cleaned once daily; masks, wipes, and hand sanitizer will be available for use while supplies last

    Local COVID-19 Guidance
    Lexington, KY, is in the Medium (Orange) Tier for COVID-19 transmission as of January 2023. For more information on COVID-19 rates in Fayette County, including testing sites to visit before departing on your return trip, please refer to the websites below. For reference, the city of Lexington offers the following COVID-19 guidance for all visitors.
    • Wash your hands often, or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer
    • Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing and/or coughing
    • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and/or mouth, except when necessary
    • Avoid contact with anyone who is ill, symptomatic, and/or exposed to COVID-19
    • Maintain at least 6 feet of distance from anyone who is not a member of your household
    • Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth when in public settings, including transportation hubs such as airports and bus or train stations


    For those traveling on their own,

    ​Hotel & Travel Information
    Please use the booking link provided to reserve rooms in our block at the Campbell House Lexington. Reservations may be canceled at no cost until March 14, 2023, after which any cancellation is subject to the penalty specified in your booking confirmation.

    Campbell House Lexington: $179/Night + Tax
    • Reservation Dates: 04/28/23–04/30/23
    • Booking Link: UK Debate Tournament of Champions
    • Group Name: UK Debate Middle School Tournament / Group Code: UKDM
    • Cancellation Policy: Free cancellation 30 or more days prior to arrival; 1 room night + tax charged for cancellation within 30 days of arrival

    Please see the following travel information for the 2023 Middle School Tournament of Champions.
    • Book flights as early as possible to avoid price increases, ideally on any Tuesday and at least 2–4 months in advance, and purchase refundable tickets
    • Use Google Flights to check a variety of flight combinations, across multiple airlines, and help determine which option might work best for you
    • Note that airlines typically offer a 24-hour free cancellation period after booking, after which it is difficult (if not impossible) to recoup airfare costs unless you purchased refundable tickets
    • All travel plans must take into consideration the judge obligations below. All judges should plan to be available through the last round of the tournament because it’s unpredictable how well your competitors will fare at the MSTOC.

    ​For COVID-19 guidance from airports servicing our general region, please refer to the websites below. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG): cvgairport.com/flight/tips/flyhealthy


    Topics and Formats
    All events are governed by the rules found in the 2023 Middle School Tournament of Champions procedures documents posted below. Coaches, judges, and competitors should familiarize themselves with these materials prior to the start of the tournament. Please note that any sources read or cited as evidence in competition must be available upon request.
    Debate Topics:
    • Lincoln-Douglas
      NSDA LD Jan/Feb 2023
      6-3-7-3-4-6-3 Speech Times | 5 Minutes of Preparation per Debater
    • Public Forum
      NSDA April 2023 Topic
      4-4-3-4-4-3-3-3-3-2-2 Speech Times | 3 Minutes of Preparation per Team
    Speech Events:
    • Synchronous (live) and not pre-recorded
    • Maximum 2 speech events per pattern
    • Maximum 3 speech events overall
    • Pattern A: Declamation, Duo, Extemp, Informative
    • Pattern B: DI, HI, IMP, OO, POI


    Judging Obligations
    • High school students with experience in the particular event may judge.
    • All judges are obligated through the first full elimination round in Public Forum, LD, and Policy and the finals in Congressional Debate, and also one round past the school’s elimination in elimination rounds. So, for example, if your school’s last LD student is eliminated in quarterfinals, your LD judges must be available to judge the LD semifinal round.
    • ​The tournament will assess a $500/round penalty for judges who fail to appear on time for an assigned preliminary round.
     

    Judge Philosophies
    For debate, all judges must submit a judging philosophy to Tabroom.com. No LD/PF entry will be considered complete until all affiliated judges have submitted a judge philosophy. For examples, please peruse the judge paradigm section on the Tabroom.com website.
     

    Judge Preclusions
    Non-disclosure of judge conflicts, or preclusions, is an ethical concern. Non-disclosure creates competitive imbalances and is taken very seriously by the Middle School Tournament of Champions.
    • Please indicate on the tournament entry website all preclusions for all judges. Judges should preclude themselves from any debater who they have previously coached, had a close, personal relationship with, or for any other reason the judge believes they cannot be objective towards them if assigned. This includes any judge who has done any paid or volunteer coaching, even if conducted digitally or otherwise-remotely.  Any college debater or coach should preclude herself or himself from any debater whom they have seriously recruited to attend their school. Judges should preclude themselves from judging their alma matter.
    • In the event that a judge and/or competitor reports a conflict after a pairing is distributed, resulting in a change to the pairing—the associated school will be assessed a $500 fine and risks losing judge preferences/strikes for the remainder of the tournament.


    ​Attendee Conduct
    All participants, observers, or other guests attend the Middle School Tournament of Champions (MSTOC) at the invitation of the University of Kentucky and must abide by all applicable rules contained herein and in the tournament procedures, as well as any rules set by the University of Kentucky for in-person and online events.

    Participants—including coaches and competitors—certify that all entries, forms, and other materials submitted to the MSTOC are accurate and complete. Submission of any MSTOC-related materials grants permission to distribute and verify the information contained therein among MSTOC Administrators, MSTOC Staff, and/or UK Debate Staff.


    ​    Video Release Form
    All participants must submit a signed MSTOC Video Release Form via Tabroom.com, in advance of the tournament. (Note: For digital completion and signature, all linked forms must be downloaded and opened in Adobe, as opposed to a web browser.)
    This form allows us to live stream competition events, post recordings on third-party platforms (e.g. YouTube), and incorporate footage into future educational materials. For participants under 18 years of age, the signature of a parent/legal guardian is required.


    ​Honor Code
    Coaches/chaperones and/or parents/legal guardians should review the MSTOC Honor Code and procedures documents posted on Tabroom, as well as the honor and integrity policies of your own school or club, with each individual representing your squad.

    All tournament participants—including competitors, judges, coaches, and observers—must submit a signed MSTOC Honor Code via Tabroom.com, in advance of the tournament. (Note: For digital completion and signature, all linked forms must be downloaded and opened in Adobe, as opposed to a web browser.)

    The MSTOC Honor Code conveys the significance and importance of competitive integrity to all members of our community, in the interest of maintaining the highest standards of conduct at the annual tournament. The MSTOC expects all participants to act with dignity and respect, and refrain from undermining the integrity of speech and debate as an institution. Participants should neither seek, nor encourage others to seek unfair assistance or advantage in competition. All participants, including observers, are expected to act in good faith and preserve the competitive integrity of the Middle School Tournament of Champions.

    Pledge
    As a participant in the Middle School Tournament of Champions, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal or otherwise undermine the fairness of the tournament. I pledge to actively contribute to a climate of fair competition. I understand that competitive integrity and fairness are important to all tournament participants, and I promise to uphold the highest standards of honesty and integrity in competition.

    ​Entry Price

    The fees below assume that parent will take their child to Minnesota, and will book their own accommodations.
    If you are trusting your child to travel with the GSA team, we will collect a $450 deposit on top of the judge opt-out fee. The final expenses per student minus the deposit will be invoiced once we know the final cost.

    ​    One PF event and parent is judging $115
    One PF event and parent is OPTING OUT of judging $250

    One LD event and parent is judging $150
    One LD event and parent is OPTING OUT of judging $350

    One speech event and parent is judging $125
    One speech event and parent is OPTING OUT of judging $225

    Two speech events and parent is judging $200
    Two speech events and parent is OPTING OUT of judging $325

    Two speech events and parent is judging $275
    Two speech events and parent is OPTING OUT of judging $425

    Each person in a PF team would be responsible of providing their own judge, so one PF team would need to either provide two judges, both pay the judge fee, or one of each option.

    Registration will not be complete until payment is received.
    NOTE: We will charge set up fees if we have to create tabroom.com accounts for judges. It is recommended you do so on your own.

    Schedule - EST

    Please note that all times will be in Eastern Time Zone (EST)
    ​
    TBA but please make sure you will be available for the entirety of the tournament date

    Drop Fee

    Drop fees will be the same amounts as the entry fee PLUS any fees the tournament charges us for late drops. Drop requests should be made to Victor and Nadia.

    Please do not drop out last minute to avoid being charged these fees.

    Contact Info

    Victor Rivas Umana
    Contact email:  vrivasumana@tgsastaff.com
    Nadia Budiman 
    Contact email: nbudiman@tgsastaff.com
    Or info@tgsastaff.com

    Registration Form

    Before you proceed with the registration below, make sure  ALL STUDENTS AND JUDGES  must fill out the forms below. Failure to do so will result in the tournament dropping you without a refund.

    HONOR CODE
    https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1l6C4qDjVLIjNfolKDL4IVP8SjiK-onok

    VIDEO RELEASE
    https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1CKxz1YaRwgqP-VADHjWrI1zeGvgHYNWw&export=download
    STUDENT INFORMATION
    Max file size: 20MB
    Max file size: 20MB
    If this is your first time competing, make sure to first create a Tabroom account here: https://www.tabroom.com/user/login/new_user.mhtml
    It's super simple and quick (<1 minute), but follow the guidelines here in case anything is confusing: ​https://docs.tabroom.com/Sign_Up
    PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION
    Your email address will be the one included when we send the logistics email.
    EVENT SELECTION

    Double entry policy:
    1. Students can only enter in speech OR debate.
    2. If competing in speech, students may enter in up to two events per pattern. Three maximum overall.
    Got any questions? Please email nbudiman@tgsastaff.com, info@tgsastaff.com, vrivasumana@tgsastaff.com
    ​JUDGE PROVISION
    Judge Philosophies
    For debate, all judges must submit a judging philosophy to Tabroom.com (see instructions here). No LD entry will be considered complete until all affiliated judges have submitted a judge philosophy. This     can be a few sentences on your preferences of debating styles, etc. See here for example. It doesn't need to be this long, but make sure to add something before you sign up. For example: "I am a parent, please speak clearly and slowly and avoid technical jargon".

    Click here to complete the highly recommended Cultural Competency judge training course

    Signing up a judge without having a Tabroom account will result in us charging you for the set up fee.
    ​You can do this easily on your own by going to tabroom.com. It literally takes less than a minute.

    First time judging? Click here to learn how to do it! Or watch our Youtube playlist here.
    ​There are also these training cards available that include a summary of each event's rules and comments.​

    ​    More tournament resources can be found here.
    TERMS AND CONDITIONS

We would love to have you visit soon at one of our open houses.
Check our home page for the schedule!

School year Hours

M-F: 3:45 pm - 8:30 pm 
Sun: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Telephone

510-270-8480
510-470-0531

Email (preferred)

For more info email us at: info@tgsastaff.com

Locations

Fremont: 200 Brown Rd #201, Fremont, CA 94539

Cupertino: 20432 Silverado Avenue Suite 211, Cupertino, CA 95014

Aborn Institute: 2804 Riedel Road, San Jose, CA 95135