Competitions and Adjudicators
Venues for School Debating
The ADA arranges venues and adjudicators (but not timekeepers and chairs) for all advanced level debates and the last few rounds for senior and junior level debating. Please ensure that your advanced teams know the location of their debates. Please show respect for the schools that have kindly made their premises available to us. Wandering around the school grounds may lead to a team being removed from the competition. Damage or interference with classrooms will certainly result in the expulsion of a team, and other action. Please ensure that any audience members you may bring along also note these requirements. Thank you for your cooperation.
Even in the advanced level, it is courteous to phone or fax your opposition to confirm that you will be debating at the expected time and place. You must contact the ADA if you want to change the time or venue of your advanced round debate. Please, please, please notify both your opposition and the ADA if you are going to default.
Our thanks to all those schools that offered to host. Please make the effort to offer each year. We do look at all schools--the choice of venues is calculated to minimise travelling distances for teams and maximise adjudicator availability. The more venues we can choose from, the closer your home venue will be.
Other advanced teams, other debaters and indeed any interested person is welcome to attend any of the debates at these venues. Yes, that's right. You can go and watch other teams debating your same topic. If you are debating at 8pm, you can go and watch the 6.30pm debates. You will be an audience, and may learn a few extra skills. You can listen to what adjudicators look for and be forewarned on possible arguments of the opposition. But always remember you will be better at delivering your own arguments that you have prepared yourself.
You will not be attending all venues; most of your debates will be at your home venue (the one closest to your school).
Not all of these venues will be used each year. Venues for 2002 are:
The following venues may be used for debating seminars, other events, or in future years.
The ideal requirements (and see below - we will negotiate) are:
- at least 5 rooms
- at no cost to the ADA
- available on the same day of the week during the seven days starting Monday 9 March, Tuesday 31 March, Monday 18 May, Tuesday 23 June, Monday 3 August, Monday 17 August, Monday 31 August:
- The available day, which you can choose, to be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Or you can let us know you are available on more than one day and the ADA will choose the one that is most suitable.
- permitting senior student octo-finalists, and junior student quarter-finalists to also use the venue (i.e. in later rounds, 3rd-6th formers in addition to the usual 7th formers-but we find very responsible students at this level)
If you come close to meeting the requirements but need to make some exceptions we would still be interested in talking to you.For example, your venue might only be available for the first four rounds. Or you might need to change the dates on one of the weeks because of examinations.
More things to note:
- Acting as a host venue doesn't guarantee all your own school debates will be held at the venue. However, if you tell us that is your preference, we will do our best to accommodate you
- Even if your school is not holding any debates at the venue, you still need to open and close the venue for other schools
- Just because you offer a venue doesn't mean the ADA will accept it. We have to balance the availablility of adjudicators, avoid clashes on the night with other venues and find venues that are suitable for the numbers and locations of teams that have entered.
- Because of this, we prefer not to commit to accepting a venue until after we have received all the entries and know how many will be debating in each region, and where the most central venues are. But if your school requires a decision earlier, we can discuss the matter.
- Similarly, even if you are not sure if your school will be available as a host venue (and most schools don't know until the term I has started), then let us know provisionally, and then if your school turns out to be well-located, we will contact you and see if it is possible.
- The fact that you were a host venue last year doesn't mean you will be one next year. Being a host venue is some work, but it also reduces transportation problems. The ADA likes to share the blessings and curses around. It is an advantage to a school if they are on their home turf.
If you think your school can act as a host venue for 2003, or you have any questions, please contact the ADA
Competitions and Adjudicators Last updated: Wednesday, 27 February 2002 at 9:28am Copyright 2002 Wayne McDougall.
ADA, PO Box 3233, Auckland Central, New Zealand Ph +64-9-6252847 Fax +64-9-6252851 Mobile +64-21-962783 Email to president@ada.org.nz
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