Round 6..

So -- they lost round 5. They got hit with something out of the second gov't speech that wasn't all that hard to answer, if you know the answers -- but, like any easy answer, you have to know it to get credit... They tried hard, I'll give them that.

Round 6: They have to support the US spending less abroad and more at home... kind of weird, since they have to have two plans to be topical... we'll see how it goes. If they win this, they'll be 3-3 and, they'll have met the optimistic goal I had for them. I'd be ok with 2-4.

We are all tired and learning how to deal with one another when we are a little cranky--- that's a good thing and great practice for nationals.

Tomorrow we'll watch some rounds, I'll judge a little and they'll get some educaiton on the other stuff that is going on in debate world. We'll also take the traditional naughty picture with the Jesus statue. If I can figure out a way to do it while maintaining some shred of anonymity, I'll do so.

Rounds 4 and 5

Round 4 topic was about California's proposed law concerning spanking kids. We won... yea!

Round 5 will begin soon -- the topic is something to the effect that government support of sports entertainiment unfairly advantages the rich over the poor.

So far we know we've won 2 of the last four, we know we've lost one and don't know about the first round.

We've been against feminism twice, against slavery, in favor of spanking and against sports-- eek.

Rounds 2 and 3

Round 2, we had to support the continuation of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

Round 3, we get to oppose slavery in Virginia.


They are doing well and getting along fine... as far as I can see. So far, so good.

Round 1 Title 9

Sunshine is feeling ill and we are opposing Title 9 with feminist impacts... it could work. I'll let you know.

and we frolicked...

Swear Jar, Sunshine and I had fun today in San Diego.

We probably should have gone over to the elite round robin tournament -- but, the weather was wonderful, so we decided to frolic instead.

Somewhere along the line, I decided that if this is the last team I coach - that is ok. They are both really neat people, smart, articulate and caring people...even Swear Jar, who has taken it as his mission to convince me never to have children, by occasionally playing the whiney child.

We've also purchased provisions for the tournament -- so we are set to take on the 'bloodbath'. I'm sure they'll learn a lot tomorrow about debate, but today they had their horizons broadened in other ways. It was a good day.

I'll upload photos later when the network is better.

Groundhog's day..

The Official Groundhog didn't see his shadow. The legend says that we won't have 6 more weeks of winter... i.e. that spring will be here within 6 weeks. That must be great news to all the people who are freezing in BN state this weekend, although they don't seem all that excited about it around here. It is supposed to be in the 60s and 70s and sunny here this weekend-- which sounds like summer to me.

When I was a kid I had Groundhog's day backwards.

I thought that the Groundhog seeing his shadow was a good thing. I thought that if he saw his shadow, winter would be ONLY 6 more weeks. If he didn't see his shadow, I thought that winter would last more than 6 weeks....

This went along with my experience of the world -- in my context it was correct. Winter ending before mid-March simply didn't compute. The end of February can't be spring... that is winter, as is most of March most years. It is my experience that the first possible month of spring is April.

Hanging in San Diego...

Another debate tournament... another flight on Monopoly air... sigh.

Although, this isn't just another tournament. It is the biggest invitational tournament of the year, at the most beautiful campus on the circuit-- I don't know how you can beat a campus right on the Pacific Ocean... sorry Red State, you were friendly and all-- but you don't have one of those big blue things. I'll post some photos later-- I promise.

This tournament and hotel are bringing back a bunch of memories for me.

This was the first big trip I ever took a team to. Eons ago Hubby and his partner won this tournament and got beat in semis in the round robbin. They also got really high speaker awards -- so the flight home with an extra bag of trophies was pretty funny... the look on the fligh attendant's face when he told her that he wasn't going to gate-check the duffle bag because it was full of debate trophies was priceless... she realized that he wasn't going to give in and that he'd win the argument, like he won a lot of arguments that weekend.

The next year was the year Hubby and Pony got 'walked over' in semi's at Nationals... thus the reason I have a standing team policy that it won't happen. Now they have changed the rules to eliminate exactly that situation. Thus, it is also the first and only time (so far) I've seen one of my teams in finals at nationals. (Secret message to D1 -- I'm pulling for you this year... you can do it.)

This was the tournament hotel where we had some fun -- a lot of fun, involving a bit of intoxication and sillyness. Someone who reads regularly got a drunken version of a French Manicure, and probably ruined a perfectly good suit. We all had fun celebrating having two of the top 3 teams in the country.

Last time I was here, one of my debaters had a temper tantrum in the parking lot over returning a roll-away bed. If this person really does get into politics, you can bet your backside that one will come back to bite them. I'm waiting and I'll probably always be in contact with some of the witnesses.

I don't know what will happen this year -- but, I'm sure it will be interesting. I'll be happy if Sunshine and Swear Jar can learn to work together and see that the other person really wants the same thing -- to win.

Secret message to D2: I wish you could be here. Swear Jar has a suite to himself, he could easily have shared with you.... and everyone should do this tournament at least once in their debate career. If I could have gotten away with buying your airline ticket, I'd have done so. You are doing us a huge favor by doing the practice rounds.

It is time for bed -- tomorrow will be a beautiful day. At home it is going to be a high of 0 degrees...

I packed my sandals.