School is busting out all over

So, sez you, are you still a debate coach?

On the evidence of having a chez meeting last night, I would have to answer in the affirmative.

I do like meetings, or at least meetings where something seems to be said. This was a fairly concentrated hour on the topic, mostly just batting down bad negative ideas, or more specifically, negative ideas that simply were not true (of which, if Termite is to be trusted, there seem to be a fair number, which doesn’t surprise me). There’s still this sense that negs will argue for some reason that it can’t be done, despite the contradictory evidence of practically every country on earth already doing it, and doing it well. It is a matter of whether it is obligatory for a government to do it, in the sense of it being obligatory for a government to attempt to be just. To be honest, early tournaments are going to be nightmarish in terms of rogue interpretations, I think, and even though I no longer am shocked and appalled by this choice of topic, neither have I become terrifically sanguine. Resigned to average by the time we get to Monti, might be the best way to put it.

Speaking of tournaments, I have begun seriously discussing what’s what with the Pups. There is absolutely no question in my mind that these guys are serious about putting on a great tournament. That works for me. It’s going to be a tough break (160 to doubles) but no tougher than, say, Harvard (4,302,361 to triples). The key will be the quality of their judge pool. I haven’t seen theirs yet, but 99% of a good tournament is a decent pool of judges. It doesn’t have to be all TOC ex-champs, but it does have to include a core of people who know what they’re doing. When you register, you get to rate your judges from A to E, which, if most people are honest, and why wouldn’t they be, will be enough for us to make sure that every down 1 is getting the best possible adjudication. After that, settle back and enjoy the lovely surroundings, the good restaurants, the lovely weather, and the cheerful tabroom staff. As decisions are made that are beyond the published invitation, I’ll report them here (but I won’t report what’s being discussed until it’s agreed, as that’s unfair to the tournament directors).

And I think I have now finalized the Bump invitation. I pared down the LDEP part a bit more and downplayed it (as OC said at Longtimecoming Seafood, most people feel their tournaments are already pretty much spot-on, and in a sense, Legion stuff is redundant) and I also eliminated the pdf of the invitation as, again, redundant. If you can’t follow what’s on the web, you probably shouldn’t be coming. I’ll make it official after school opens. Next stop: Mr. Trophy!

And it looks like Juan and Kwan and the stoners will be finished with Chez HQ by tomorrow, which means I can start moving back in. Hallelujah! (And, oh yeah, for those who follow their threads from blog to blog, what I was really thinking was not shared intergalactic DNA but shared intergalactic naughty bits. I do indeed expect OC to explain this to me at the $1000 blackjack table at Monticello, where I understand he’ll be betting with funds purloined from the WTF petty cash drawer, code-named "Nickel." Did I get that right?)