Tournament update... touranment #2

Ok... so, the place itself isn't bad -- although it is just another crummy midwest city with a decent sized college...

The hotel itself sucks -- we don't have one of our 4 rooms where everything works properly.

It was also Homecoming weekend, so the hotel party scene was pretty intense last night and my debaters didn't get much sleep. I didn't have a problem, but the smoking rooms were where the night life was. Next time we'll stay at the Super 8 with the rest of the teams who knew better this year.

Tournament wise it has been ok--- both teams are 2-3 going into the last round, so nobody will get an elimination round in this time out... but, the girls are speaking well and the boys are learning to work together. These early tournaments are all about learning, not winning -- so I feel good about putting them into open and not novice.

Speaking of that -- I had to have a little chat with a judge today -- that judge told my female team -- AND the team they were debating -- that neither of them belonged in the open division. That just isn't cool -- you don't tell a team who has to debate two more rounds that they don't belong there.

I was going to take it up with his DOF later -- but the other team's coach confronted him in the hall and I supported him -- bottom line, the judge is supposed to watch the round not pass judgment about the competitors -- I really f-ing hope that my girls are 3/3 today, because that will show that I was right in putting them into this round and that he was wrong.

What really got me, on another note, is that the kid (and he is young, so kid works) told my debaters he had all kinds of experience, yadda, yadda, yadda --- which is a lie -- because I know who had experience and I didn't know him. Additionally, he wasn't even competing in 'big people parli' -- he was in the 2-year honor society version, which sucks so badly I won't take our students there -- and this little jerk is telling my students where they should be... I don't think so.

I don't think it hurt them for this round -- they seemed to brush it off and get on with prepping their case -- but, it is inappropriate and I'm planning to let his DOF know that he needs to chat with this person before they are sent out again. It shouldn't be a problem -- as the DOF has been my friend for 7 or 8 years -- since before he had his own program etc...

I'll also forgive the little jerk and not hold it against his teams -- I'm guessing it was him that told a team I judged last night that they should run a really bad case...

On the good news -- there is a fancy-pants school we've managed to beat at least twice now ---same team -- one more time and Sunshine 'owns their soul'. Swear Jar is debating them now, going for the 'soul kill' now as well -- this is the team that eliminated Sunshine and Swear Jar from competition a couple of weeks ago... and they want revenge good.

I am kind of sad that Swear Jar and Sunshine couldn't get along. I really do think she'd be the best partner for him in the end... but, he wasn't mature enough to deal with her high-maintenence personality, so he lost a good partner... It was nice to see Brain agree with me :).

I'm looking forward to getting home at a decent time tomorrow. I'm going to tell them to pack tonight and I'll call them when I wake up. We'll check out and head out of town -- they can all sleep and I'll drive. We'll be home in the late afternoon at the latest and I'll actually get to have a Sunday night. Wow.