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NITOC 2013

NITOC 2013

Stoa exists primarily “To train Christian homeschooled students in Speech and Debate in order to better communicate a biblical worldview.” Stoa desires to equip students and families to engage the culture and reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel provides hope for both personal and societal transformation. NITOC is one of the venues in which these purposes can be advanced. Christian speakers and debaters from around the country are invited to participate in a celebration of forensics excellence to God’s glory. (Please see the NITOC Vision document attached at the bottom of this page.)


The 2013 National Invitational Tournament of Champions 
May 20 – May 25
on the lovely campus of John Brown University 
Siloam Springs, Arkansas

IMPORTANT! All NITOC invitations have now been sent out!

If you were expecting to receive one and did not, please contact the Registrar, Julie Braswell, immediately: 2ajul@comcast.net


Registration Opens Monday, April 22, at noon Central Time
Registration Closes  Sunday, May 5, at 6:00 pm Central Time

In order to assist community judge recruiting efforts, the NITOC website is now accepting judge registrations. If you have contacts in Northwest Arkansas or you have friends & relatives coming to NITOC we encourage you to contact them and let them know about this exciting opportunity to get involved as a community judge!

John Brown University



NITOC 2013 will host 12 Individual Events (Speech Events) grouped into four main disciplines.



    The Italicized Events are Speechranks events from other leagues whose rules are compatible with Stoa's NITOC events. Students receiving two Green Check Marks on Speechranks in those events will be invited to participate in the associated NITOC event. Students should modify their speeches as neeeded to abide by NITOC event rules.
    Other leagues also have events that are already grouped with NITOC events on Speechranks. Those invitations will be administered as described further below on this page. 


NITOC 2013 will host three debate events:

         Lincoln-Douglas Value Debate
Resolved: Privacy is Undervalued

Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform its foreign military presence and/or foreign military commitments




NITOC 2013 provides both a Tournament and Training


Stoa University: Monday, May 20th – a day of informative class sessions with multiple tracks for coaches, parents, and competitors

Parliamentary Debate: This is an exciting new addition to NITOC 2013. In order to accomodate its inclusion, Parli competition will begin on Monday, May 20th. 

Check-In: Monday, May 20th for all participants. There will be NO Tuesday Check-In.

Social Events 

Opening Ceremony & Welcome Party: Monday Evening

Ballot party: Following the Awards ceremony on Saturday Evening 

Special Activities: Held on-campus throughout the week.

Housing: On-campus package, including JBU rec center passes & meal options 
  • Do you want to stay where the action is? Do you want to eat, drink and sleep speech and debate? The excitement will be palpable when staying on campus at John Brown University at NITOC 2013.
    • CLICK HERE to learn all about this outstanding opportunity to enhance your NITOC experience.
    • On-campus housing registration opens Tuesday, March 12 at 4:00 pm MDT.
    • On-campus housing registration closed Thursday, March 14 due to overwhelming demand.
  • Local hotel group rates from a variety of national chains 
Travel
By Air: Flights available through several airports in the region 

By Car: A day’s drive from most of the southern and Midwestern USA 

Local Attractions: Many local recreation and sightseeing attractions


Contacts:
Laura Yeates, NITOC Tournament Director – nitoc2013td@icloud.com 

Lisa Alsop, NITOC Local Area Coordinator – nitoc2013ac@gmail.com 

Please join us in thanking God for His wonderful provision of this great venue for NITOC 2013! We look forward to having you join us in experiencing a delightful slice of southern hospitality this coming May at Stoa’s National Invitational Tournament of Champions! 


Stoa NITOC Invitations and Seeding


(All tournaments must be completed by April 27 for use toward NITOC invitations.)

The document attached at the bottom of this page contains further explanation about the Stoa National Invitational Tournament of Champions. The document discusses the philosophical goals leading to the creation of the tournament. Next, the dilemma of how to meet and balance the representational needs of states with differing levels of participation is discussed. The bicameral National and State Invitational models are reviewed. The specifics of the point system for seeding using information from the National Christian Homeschool Speech and Debate Rankings (aka Speechranks) website is explored.

For those who don't like to read or just want to know the basics:

Stoa is using the open and public National Christian Homeschool Speech and Debate Rankings (Speechranks) website to determine invitations to the National Invitational Tournament of Champions. Tournaments must meet certain minimum criteria for rounds competed as specified on the Speechranks website. Results posted through April 27 will be used for invitational purposes.

There are two invitational models:


National Invitation Model: Two Green Check Marks

  • Two Green Check Marks next to your name in a NITOC event means you will receive an invitation to NITOC in that event.
  • Green Check Mark
    • Defined as:
    • Speech
      • A top 40th percentile finish (top 40%) in a speech event at a tournament
    • Debate
      • Having at least two more wins than losses after prelims or at some point during outrounds
        • In even-round prelim tournaments approximately one-third of students/teams will achieve a 3-1, 4-2, 5-3 or better record.
          • If a student/team does not advance to outrounds, they still earn a Green Check Mark.
          • If the student/team advances and loses in outrounds, they still earn a Green Check Mark
        • In odd-round prelim tournaments, the same formula cannot be used because one-half of students/teams will be 3-2, 4-3 or better
          • To keep the math the same for all tournaments, students/teams with a 3-2 or 4-3 record would need to win at least one outround, making their record 4-2 or 5-3 (thus placing them in the top one-third of students/teams). If they lose  the following outround they would still earn Green Check Mark.
          • Students/teams achieving a 4-1, 5-2 or better record in an odd-round prelim event would earn a Green Check Mark because they have at least two more wins than losses. They are in the top one-third of students/teams. Whether they advance to outrounds or not, or whether they lose in outrounds, they will earn a Green Check Mark

State Invitation Model:

  • The top speaker (duo team) from each state in each NITOC speech event will receive an invitation to NITOC in that event
  • The top two debaters in Lincoln Douglas Value Debate  and the top two teams in Team Policy and Parliamentary Debate from each state will receive an invitation to NITOC in that event

 

Seeding Competitors at NITOC

  •  Events at the Stoa National Invitational Tournament of Champions will be seeded based on the rankings on the Speechranks website. Seeding is based on a student’s three best performances during the speech and debate season. This provides a motivation toward continued excellence throughout the year, as that excellence is rewarded at NITOC.

Registration Opens Monday, April 22, at noon Central Time
Registration Closes  Sunday, May 5, at 6:00 pm Central Time
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v.1
NITOC Vision.pdf
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Van Schalin,
Apr 21, 2013, 10:18 PM
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Stoa NITOC 2013.pdf
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Van Schalin,
Apr 16, 2013, 11:40 PM