Regarding four-round MHLs

Someone who had attended the Monticello MHL complained afterwards, in a constructive way, about our changeover to 4 rounds. It was a policy judge, now in college. His beef was primarily that there wasn't enough time to do what needed to be done, like provide constructive criticism and eat lunch, not necessarily in that order. He had some other issues as well, but the general sense of being too rushed in a bad way was his main thrust.

The cool, calm and calculated heads of the MHL meditated on this for some time (there being no particular pressure to act, since the subsequent MHL at Byram Hills was, by default, a three-rounder, since it started in the afternoon). But I think our immediate reaction was, you know, this guy has got a point or two. The thing is, we were so all-fired proud of our ability to conduct the event speedily that we sort of lost track of the down side of speedy (which would make a great title for an independent film: "The Down Side of Speedy"). Just because we could move things along at a hectic clip didn't mean we should move things along at a hectic clip. An entire division might have to go without lunch, and who wants to turn a disad on an empty stomach? On reflection, our goal--to get out roughly when we would have gotten out after 3 rounds--was sort of dumb. It wasn't as if we were doing anything that night anyhow, since we'd still get home at 7 or 8 o'clock, or maybe later when a school from the furthest reaches of the region was attending at the opposite furthest reach. Why all the rush?

So, in the future, we will continue to have four rounds. But we will not lag pair. We will allow a full half hour between the last ballot of 2 and the pairings distributed for 3, and a 15-minute break between the last of 3 and the announcement of 4. If we continue to start with registration ending at 9:00, we'll still be reasonable, but no, we won't get out by 6:00. Big deal.

We'll have to contend with a similar problem in CFLs, but I don't expect much demurral there from this approach. The last CFL we did, at Regis last week, was a three-rounder due to weather and some lost schools from the north, so the issue never arose, and that is the last of the debate CFLs, so there is time to get our Catholic ducks in a row.

The bottom line is that 4 rounds is, competitively, a better tournament. But it's not a better tournament if it turns the debaters into frustrated little puddles of debate goo, which can happen with novices, especially. Our new rule of No Frustrated Little Puddles of Debate Goo should help keep us on the straight and narrow.