Dear Colleagues:
The Point Loma Nazarene University forensics squad is pleased to invite you to our annual SUNSET CLIFFS CLASSIC Invitational forensics tournament. The tournament will be held February 2-3, 2008. We will offer open and novice division competition in all eleven AFA individual events (possibly collapsing some events) and six rounds of Junior and Senior divisions of Parliamentary Debate, and one division of NFA LD debate. The large number of colleges and universities that typically attend also provide an excellent draw for Individual Events and Debate competitors warming up for Nationals.
Southwestern College will again offer their popular one-day swing tournament for Individual Events on Friday, February 1, 2008. Southwestern College is roughly 30-40 minutes from Point Loma’s campus. Swing Sweepstakes awards will also be offered. They traditionally offer both Novice and Senior divisions.
Some noteworthy attractions of the Sunset Cliffs Classic include:
· Strong competition with diverse regional representation and quality judging.
· A picturesque ocean front campus.
· Web registration for the tournament! Please use this method for one stop shopping for not only tournament registration, but also links to discounted hotel lodging and perhaps even car rental discounts.
· Two $2,000.00 scholarships for the top community college competitors (one each for debate & IE’s) for tuition at PLNU for students that gain admission to and who will compete in forensics for PLNU for the subsequent academic year.
· A Sunday morning chapel for all interested coaches, judges, and/or students.
· A lunch buffet for all competitors and coaches (probably BBQ) served Saturday.
· Portable TVs to the top 2 and 4 year Sweepstakes winning coaches.
We hope you will join us on our beautiful campus for an exciting weekend of sand, surf, and speeches. Do make sure to register early and secure lodging early as we have had to turn teams away from past tournaments, and the hotel rooms have run out as well in past years do to the size of the entry. Please plan ahead .
Dr. Skip Rutledge, Director of Forensics Melissa Lazaro, ADOF
skiprutledge@pointloma.edu melissalazaro@pointloma.edu
(619) 849-2391 (619) 849.2585
2008 Sunset Cliffs Classic - Schedule of Events
** REMINDER: ALL NPDA TOPIC ANNOUNCEMENTS OCCUR EXACTLY AS SCHEDULED! **
Friday, February 1st
7:30 - 9:00 Early Registration - Holiday Inn (Strongly Recommended)
Saturday, February 2nd
7:15-8:00 LATE REGISTRATION – Cabrillo 101
8:00 Topic Announce: Round One Greek Theatre
8:20-9:05 Round One: NPDA Debate
9:20 Topic Announce: Round Two
9:40-10:25 Round Two: NPDA Debate
10:40 Topic Announce: Round Three
11:00-11:45 Round Three: NPDA Debate
11:30-1:00 LUNCH SERVED – Ryan Library Deck (judges watch for ballots please!)
12:30 Extemp Prep
12:45-2:00 Round One: Pattern A (EXT, INF, ADS, PRO, POE)
Round One: NFA L/D Debate
2:10 Topic Announce: Round Four
2:30-3:15 Round Four: NPDA Debate
3:30 Extemp Prep
3:45-5:00 Round Two: Pattern A (EXT, INF, ADS, PRO, POE)
Round Two: NFA L/D Debate
5:10 Topic Announce: Round Five
5:30-6:15 Round Five: NPDA Debate
6:30-7:45 Round One: Pattern B (IMP, PER, CA, DRA, POI, DUO)
Round Three: NFA L/D Debate
7:55 Topic Announce: Round Six
8:15-9:00 Round Six: NPDA Debate
ASAP POST PATTERN A & DEBATE BREAKS (at Holiday Inn Also)
Sunday, February 3rd
8:00-8:30 TOURNAMENT CHAPEL – Crill Auditorium
8:40 Topic Announce: Double Octofinals
9:00-9:45 Double Octofinals: NPDA Debate
10:00-11:15 Round Two: Pattern B (IMP, PER, CA, DRA, POI, DUO)
Round Four: NFA L/D Debate
11:25 Topic Announce: Octofinals
11:45-12:30 Octofinals: NPDA Debate
12:45 Extemp Prep
1:00-2:30 Finals: Pattern A and ALL IE Semifinals
Quarterfinals: NFA L/D Debate
2:40 Topic Announce: Quarterfinals
3:00-3:45 Quarterfinals: NPDA Debate
4:00 Extemp Prep
4:15-5:45 Finals: Pattern B and remaining A Finals
Semi Finals: NFA L/D Debate
5:55 Topic Announce: Semifinals
6:15-7:00 Semifinals: NPDA Debate (& finals of LD if possible)
7:00 or ASAP AWARDS CEREMONY – Crill Auditorium
ASAP Finals: NPDA Debate/ alternative Finals of NFA LD if not already done before
2008 Sunset Cliffs Classic
ENTRIES
Any regularly enrolled undergraduate in a two-year or four-year college carrying six or more units is eligible to participate. Any contestant may enter up to two individual events per pattern and one division of NPDA debate. Because of the limited number of rooms on campus, entries must be limited based on the following criteria: 1. Teams/IE slots entered after the entry deadline; 2. Uncovered slots & Teams; 3. Six teams/40 IE slots per school; 4. Time the entry is received. Please pay careful attention to meeting judging commitments.
RULES
AFA, NFA, and NPDA regulations will govern their respective divisions, unless specified elsewhere in this invitation or deemed necessary by Tournament Director. Procedures described in this invitation will prevail over NPDA, NFA, or AFA rules if conflicts exist. Please note that our divisional qualifications may be more restrictive than AFA, NFA, or NPDA. In debate, we will allow hybrid teams and three person teams to compete if necessary to allow more students to participate. No individual may debate without a partner.
ENTRY DEADLINE
While we would like to encourage early entries, all entries must arrive no later than 6:00 p.m. on Monday, January 28, 2008. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not have numerous changes beyond the Monday deadline. We will post ALL entries to the web registration page as quickly as possible. A final list will appear by Noon on Thursday. Please double-check this list before you come! We will not add entries after Tuesday. Schools still owing fees from previous years must satisfy these debts before being accepted for this year’s tournament.
Web Page: We strongly request that you to enter the Sunset Cliffs Classic through www.forensicstournament.net Furthermore, go to http://www.pointloma.edu/forensics for copies of the invitations and information about the Sunset Cliffs Classic, the Point Loma Round Robin Tournament of Excellence, and the Southwestern IE swing, and links to hotel information, etc.
E-Mail Address: (for special situations or questions for Skip, not for registration) skiprutledge@pointloma.edu
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Divisions - There will be two divisions of Parliamentary Debate: Junior and Senior. Junior debaters may have up to 4 semesters of college debate and should not have advanced to more than three elimination rounds in Junior or Senior competition. Any debater that has advanced to the elimination rounds at NPDA, NPTE, NDT or CEDA Nationals is considered to be a Senior Division debater, regardless of the other partner’s experience. Senior debaters are limited to students with 8 or fewer semesters of collegiate competition and who still maintain NPDA eligibility. Divisional eligibility is determined based upon the most experienced partner. A semester means the student has competed in three or more tournaments of any style of debate. PLNU students may compete.
Logistics - For time management reasons, oral critiques immediately following the debates if provided may not exceed 5 minutes. Ballots must then be returned immediately. Please help us keep on schedule. Delays attributed to coach/judges may at the tournament director’s discretion result in penalties to that school’s team(s), including automatic losses or even removal from the tournament. Written materials may be used in preparation but not consulted in the debates. Whatever notes are consulted in the debate itself must have been written only by the debate’s actual competitors either during the preparation period, or during the round itself. A written set of current NPDA rules may be referenced as at Nationals. While coaching is not banned, it can only occur once the coach has secured their ballot for that round and may not result in a delay of the commencement of the round. The tournament will offer warm room disclosure in accordance with NPDA nationals practice as a further check of tab room accuracy. The tournament will have central announcement of topics at or near Cabrillo Hall/the Greek Amphitheatre with a 20-minute prep and travel time. A 5-minute forfeit rule will be enforced. If either partner is more than 5 minutes late (even due to participating in IEs) the critic is asked to forfeit that team immediately and so notify the tabulation room. Participants are all responsible to be present for timely topic announcements. Failure to be there on time will not result in longer preparation time. Lateness due to IE or LD participation is a risk you take by entering or double entering in IEs or NFA LD. Government teams have no preferred access rights to the use of their assigned room during the preparation period, though prepping teams must allow them access during the last five minutes of the preparation period. Judges should not enter until prep time elapses.
INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
Students may not have competed with the selections in any interscholastic competition prior to September 1, 2007. PLNU students may compete. Students may not enter more than two events per pattern. Due to the layout of the campus and the arrangement of the schedule, no exceptions can be made. If a student is mistakenly entered in more than two events and we are unable to clarify the error with the coach in a timely manner, we will randomly remove the student from one or more of the remaining events.
LD debaters may not enter any Individual Events at all, and if they mistakenly enter they will be removed from the individual event by the tournament. Extempers may double enter in IEs at their own risk, but must compete in both events in the required time frame. We do not revise Extempers’ speaking times to accommodate double entry. Since we only have two preliminary rounds we will not be averaging scores for missed rounds. The following events will be offered in open and novice divisions of competition:
Pattern A – Extemp, Informative, After Dinner Speaking, Prose, Poetry.
Pattern B –Impromptu, Persuasive, CA, Drama, POI, and Duo Interp.
Computerized Debate or Extemp Files – Debaters or Extemporaneous speakers may use any and all electronic information retrieval systems that are legal of course. Attempts will be made to provide guest access to the internet through the school’s servers. This rule may be inconsistent with other governing national forensics organizations, but due to rapidly changing technological breakthroughs and the inability to effectively police transgressions of alternative restrictions, we feel this approach is advisable. Extempers’ work is still to be their own of course, not coached or helped by friends, coaches or outside sources.
LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE
The 2007-2008 topic will be debated. Please note that NFA L/D is a communication-oriented event, and that a description of the event, topic, and rules may be found on the web at the NFA/LD home page. L/D debaters may NOT compete in any other IE’ s in Pattern A or B. This will help the tournament run on schedule and contribute to the wellness of those involved in LD. PLNU Students may compete.
ENTRY FEES
The following fees will be assessed at the tournament:
$30.00 School Fee
$10.00 per Individual Events slot. Duo Interp is only considered one slot.
$75.00 per NPDA debate team
$25.00 per LD debater
JUDGING
Commitment - Each Individual Events judge can cover up to five IE slots or portion thereof per pattern, and each debate judge can cover up to two NPDA teams. Judges must be qualified to judge the level of competition at which their school’s competitors are entered. Judges with any remaining eligibility in a given division are not deemed qualified to judge within that division.
Judging Fees - Uncovered entries will be assessed on the following basis:
$10.00 per uncovered Individual Events slot
$100.00 per uncovered NPDA debate team.
$ 50.00 per uncovered LD spot. LD judges may need to be assigned IE ballots from larger entry schools to help the pool to cover these events efficiently.
$50.00 per judge drop fee in addition to any uncovered fees for late judge drops.
Notice on Judge Shortage - We REALLY want you to bring your judges, not your money. We will even try to hire qualified judges that you bring beyond your commitment. Please alert us to the availability of these additional judges for hire with your entry. Due to a shortage of debate judges it will be necessary for each school to cover at least your first two teams (with rare exceptions). We will attempt to find judges to cover additional teams, but we reserve the right to refuse uncovered teams. We will pay $15.00 per NPDA debate round and $10.00 per individual event round and NFA LD round for judges we hire.
Reminder - All judges are obligated to fulfill judging requirements. This means debate judges are needed until at least Octo-Finals and at least one round beyond their last remaining team’s elimination. An individual events judge is committed through finals. Meeting your professional commitment is essential to this tournament. Thanks for your cooperation. Special Judge’s Note: While we invite you to enjoy the buffet lunch for all competitors on Saturday, please pick your ballots up 15 minutes prior to the start of the next round. Ballots and cumes will not be released until after the end of the awards ceremony.
SCHOOL SWEEPSTAKES
Five Sweepstakes Awards will be presented to schools in both two-year and four-year school divisions. Sweepstakes points will be based on the following formula:
IE: 1st Place = 10 points Finalist = 4 points
2nd Place = 8 points Semifinalist = 2 points
3rd Place = 6 points
LD Double the IE formula above (based on longer speaking time, more rounds, and further restrictions against double entry placed upon LD debaters.
NPDA: -- Each preliminary win = 3 points, (limited to the top four teams per school per division). Teams earning less than 3 wins in NPDA debate receive no sweepstakes points.
-- 2 additional points for each team advancing to the initial elimination round (regardless of how many teams per division).
INDIVIDUAL SWEEPSTAKES
Awards for the top five open competitors will be presented for the most aggregate number of sweepstakes points earned by individual events competitors. The formula used for calculating individual sweepstakes is identical to the formula used for school sweepstakes for individual events.
DIRECTIONS
From North or South - Those coming to San Diego via Interstate 5, take the Sea World exit and proceed 2.4 miles and bear left at Nimitz Blvd. Proceed to the first exit beyond West Point Loma Blvd., which is Famosa/Catalina. Turn right onto Catalina. Proceed on Catalina in a somewhat southerly direction until you reach LOMALAND drive. Turn right on Lomaland – You are at PLNU!
From the East - For those coming via Interstate 15 or 163, take Interstate 8 West until it ends at Nimitz and follow the above directions beginning with “bear left at Nimitz Blvd.”
From the Holiday Inn - proceed south on Sports Arena to Rosecrans, and turn right. Follow Rosecrans about 3 miles to Canon. Turn right on Canon and proceed on Canon to the top of the hill to Catalina, and then turn left. Move quickly into the right hand lane, and turn right at the first stoplight, which will be Lomaland. Drive up the hill and you are at PLNU!
From the Airport - Simply head West on Harbor to the Point Loma area (directional signs at airport help), turn left on Rosecrans, right on Canon and see above directions from the tournament hotel from there.
PARKING
Stop at the main gate as you enter the campus. You will be directed to the commuter parking lot and will be given a map of the campus. Please do not to use the main commuter lot on Sunday Morning. We must reserve it for the use of First Church members, per our university’s contractual agreement for shared use of facilities between the University and First Church. There are many other free parking spaces. Additionally for the 2008 tournament there are some building construction related difficulties that may result in the traffic pattern being changed for the tournament. We currently have to drive one way along a circular path around the whole campus, rather than the normal route, forcing drivers to see a stunning view of the ocean prior to exiting campus. Sorry about that. J
FINAL NOTE
There were some past incidents where a few students abused the campus rules, causing some minor acts of vandalism of school property and converting an unused room into a smoking lounge. In subsequent years, we have had increasing difficulty securing permission for the use of several rooms we needed based on these incidents. Further such transgressions may imperil our ability to offer this tournament at all in future years. Please encourage your teams to respect the rules and the facilities. Please also alert us to any problems you observe early enough for us to resolve them before potentially irate professors or staffers discover them on Monday. Thanks so much for your cooperation. Please also do not move any furniture between rooms, and do not attempt to relocate any podiums, tables, etc. that are wired in place. It is very expensive to have these repositioned.
POINT LOMA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY POLICY PROHIBITS THE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL AND/OR CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES, OR SMOKING ON CAMPUS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND CONSIDERATION
Hotel/Motel Lodging Information
We are offering one hotel that we will designate as the primary tournament hotel. That is the Holiday Inn Sea World. It has many amenities (such as refrigerators, microwaves, hair dryers, irons, etc), is in walking distance to many fine restaurants, is closer to the campus than most other hotels, and we will post the breaks at this tournament hotel on Saturday night so you need not delay dinner plans to see who breaks. They have actually lowered their rates from what had been contracted for this year, lower even than what was offered last year. Those prices are $89 for standard rooms, and $89 for suites. These are excellent rates for the San Diego Hotel market. Some suites, though higher than the standard rooms, allow for two queen beds and a foldaway sofa sleeper allowing maximum utilization of the suites. To book rooms with the Holiday Inn please call their Director of Sales, directly at 619.881.6109. Please also utilize the direct link to Holiday Inn on our Sunset Cliffs Classic registration page located at
http://www.pointloma.edu/communication/Forensics/sunset/index.htm
Once on the Holiday Inn site, go to reservations and log in the date of arrival, if prompted you may then indicate that you are under Group Code type SSC for Sunset Cliffs Classic. That will take you to the proper page.
Holiday Inn Mission Bay/Sea World Area (host hotel)
$89*/night for a standard rooms (sleeps up to 4), $89 per suite (sleeps more than 4).
However, we have also made arrangements with a local hotel consortium (Tarsadia Hotels) to offer a number of alternate hotels in varying price ranges to accommodate your housing needs should you be unable to secure rooms in the Tournament Hotel. When you go to our homepage and log in on the Sunset Cliffs Classic Invitation, you can link to the Hotel Information page for easy registration, and also learn of the amenities at each hotel and register. Some of these hotels and rates are based on previous years’ arrangements and may no longer be honored. I may update the homepage copy of this invitation periodically as we gather more hotel information.
All hotels are less than 15 - 20 minutes from Pt. Loma Nazarene University, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Mission Bay, historic Old Town, Trolley, Downtown, San Diego International Airport, Qualcomm Stadium and the Convention Center.
Tarsadia Hotels and Rates (again these were for last year, but will hopefully still apply)
Comfort Inn & Suites Zoo/Sea World Area
$85*/night for a deluxe room (sleeps up to 4).
Comfort Suites Mission Valley
$95*/night for a one-bedroom suite (sleeps up to 4).
Comfort Inn & Suites Hotel Circle
$85*/night for a deluxe room (sleeps up to 4).
Doubletree Club Hotel San Diego
$95*/night for a deluxe room (sleeps up to 5).
Please mention the PLNU Sunset Cliffs Classic rate.
Subject to availability through 01/20/2006. Tax extra.
For additional information please contact: Manny Rivera at 619-881-4706
For more information on these hotel sites please go to the Pt Loma Forensics home page at http://www.ptloma.edu/communication/Forensics/sunset/index.htm