The game plan is this: We have 20 students and 5 or 6 coaches/judges with us on the Friday bus to Marshalltown. WE MUST HAVE A PERMISSION SLIP FOR EVERYONE!!!!! Print it off the blog and have a parent sign it.
The bus arrives at RHS north parking lot at 10:15am. We are excusing Central after period two to give you time to drive back to RHS, park and get on the bus. RHS students are excused after period 3. We want to roll the bus by 10:50 if possibe. We will drive to Marshalltown and eat at Culver's, check into the hotel, change and go to the high school. The bus is staying with us on this trip.
Rounds one and two of speech and debate are Friday night. The bus will drop us off on Saturday and not be back until we are ready to go. There are a number of students wanting to leave ASAP from Marshalltown for winter formal.
Please note: Your permission slip must tell me you are leaving early and how you are leaving. If its not on the permission slip you will be on the bus returning to RHS around 930pm.
Reality is that public forum teams could be competing well into the evening. You owe it to your partner and team to try to qualify period. I will not be happy if rounds are thrown to go party after a season's hard work. Its tough enough losing but when you add in thrown rounds-and you effect other students-that's not good at all.
Hotel: Hampton Inn, 20 Iowa Avenue, Marshalltown, Ia 641-753-6795.
Tournament starts with extemp draw at 3:45pm. The reason we are leaving when we are is to keep you rested and fresh for a rough run. No doubt we have some parents wanting to drive students later in the day. The problem at this event is freshness, being relaxed and ready to go.
A rushed in student might drop round one and effectively eliminate themselves from the tournament.
Speech 1 4pm
Speech 2 9pm
there are two debate rounds in between.
Saturday EX draw is 7:45am!!!! Hopefully we end with round 7 of debate at 6:15pm. But you never know. Once it took 10 rounds of PF to get it figured out.
Strength matters--especially for extemp students.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR STUDENTS, COACHES AND JUDGES: REMEMBER WE ARE JUDGING ON THE EASTERN IOWA DISTRICT SCHEDULE WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN OUR SCHEDULE!!!!! PAY ATTENTION!!!!
This means coaches may or may not be as available as before in national qualifier because the tournament is opposite of the Eastern Iowa tournament to keep judges available. Once we start you are own your own...we have tried to lessen Nate's judging load to be sure we have one coach around most of the time. That may or may not work. We may hire yet another judge to be certain. We'll see.
Students: You need to be focused on our qualifier and not get caught up in the drama in the Eastern Iowa Qualifier. Stay focused on what we need to be doing. There will be a lot of confusion and if you aren't where you are suppose to be at the right time...you know what will happen.
