The most dreaded tournament of the season is upon us: NFL's National Qualifier
This year it is hosted by Des Moines Lincoln--which is both good and bad. The good is we don't have to pay to travel. The bad is that coaches don't have control of students Friday night after prelims.
Parents: Some things you need to know...
1). We have been clear with students. Once Friday night's round are complete--they are to immediately return home and GO TO BED. No sleepovers, no social gatherings, no students eating together for a late meal. They are to go home.
2). This is the most heart breaking tournament students will undertake. Apx 3% of students eligible in the nation will qualify. In Western Iowa, there are 2 slots at Nationals in all events except Public Forum debate which is currently at 3 slots and we are pushing to get it to four slots. There is no room for error. One judge decision against a student will seal their fate.
3). It is a double elim tournament in all events. Two losses in debate or two downs in speech and you go home early. End of story.
4). Coaches might hate this tournament more than students. We are guaranteed nothing. We could end up with zero students at the National Tournament or we could end up with a bunch of students. While Roosevelt has been fortunate in the past, tournaments in the metro have not been as kind to us as tournaments in rural NW Iowa.
Recent Roosevelt numbers:
2007-5 to Wichita
2008-8 to Las Vegas*
2009- 3 to Birmingham
2010-10 to Kansas City
2011-9 to Dallas
2012- 10 to Indianapolis*
2013-10 to Birmingham*
2014-?? to Kansas City
The 2009 qualifier was hosted by Roosevelt, the 2007 qualifier by Dowling. * are national honors years.
5). There is a lot of things to be managed by coaches. Our team goal is to maximize the number of qualifying students to the tournament. A student may attempt to qualify in two events if the team allows that to happen. Sometimes we ask a student to resign one spot they have earned in favor of a different spot allowing more RHS students to get through. Close outs are just ugly--where coaches have to make difficult decisions without the luxury of knowing outcomes. While we attempt to follow our close out rules-qualifiers can be an exception to those. We will attempt to protect seniors in their last season but not at the expense of losing others along the way. Students just have to trust their coaches and we could make a mistake in the end.
6). Freshmen rarely qualify-although Roosevelt has done it before. But freshmen and sophomores are generally on our team for the experience of this unique pressure filled tournament.
7). IF A PARENT COMES TO WATCH QUALIFIERS PLEASE DO NOT WATCH YOUR STUDENT COMPETE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION FIRST. WE DON'T WANT YOUR
WATCHING TO SHAKE UP YOUR STUDENT AND COST THEM A SLOT TO NATIONALS.
8). if your student fails to qualify to nationals...they still have the opportunity to be a State Champion so please help them focus on what needs to be done in two weeks after the qualifier!
Thanks, Strong
