[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]
Return to main CEDA-L Archive Page

Re: Interleague Play/NDT Switching (fwd)

On Tue, 6 Feb 1996, ross smith wrote:

> 
> 
> Ross Smith
> Wake Forest University Debate
> 910-759-5268
> Box 7324 Reynolda Station
> Winston-Salem, NC  27109
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 18:58:36 -0500 (EST)
> From: ross smith <smithr@wfu.edu>
> To: Jeff Parcher <parcher@INTERSERV.COM>
> Cc: Multiple recipients of list NDT-L <NDT-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Interleague Play/NDT Switching
> 
> I share Jeff's yearning for more different opponents. It really goes
> beyond that, to a desire for more opportunity to meet more other people,
> to make more friends, to hear more different debates. Competitively, it's
> not any better for Wake than it is for Georgetown if we just get to
> debate Dartmouth and Northwestern over and over again. I like
> Antonnucci's idea of fleshing out the imaginative scenarios. Imagine JMU,
> Georgetown, and some more others left NDT for CEDA. Those of us left
> would have an even more insular group. Let's say Wake won the NDT
> (proving this is a truly hypothetical scenario). The win would lack
> something for not having Georgetown among the potential competitors.
> Indeed, Parcher and his partner were a first-round bid team from Western
> Washington not too long ago. Every tournament win since their departure
> is somewhat diminished. As NDT gets smaller in this scenario, one of two
> things happens. More CEDA schools switch over to take advantage of the
> easy pickins, or at some point all of the rest of the NDT teams just
> switch. The latter sounds more probable.
> 
> But what happens if there's a complete "switch"?
> 
> 1) Prominent tournaments known for their administrative efficiency, fair
> competition, great locale and/or fine hospitality, hosted by former "NDT"
> schools would have huge entries: all the former NDT types would go, plus
> a number of CEDA schools. The use of mutual preference judge assignment
> and a common core of competitors would preserve the "NDT" circuit and
> widen it in effect, if not in name.
> 
> 2) The NDT itself would still exist. There would be plenty of people who
> would want a competitively more selective, smaller, national championship
> tournament. The topic would just happen to be the same as that for CEDA
> nationals. I expect the NDT would be held later than CEDA nats since the
> season itself would begin later and since qualifying for octafinals or
> double octas at CEDA nats might be added as an automatic invitation to
> NDT. Meanwhile, the district competition would be fierce, and first-round
> at-large bids would be tougher to evaluate with more apples/oranges
> comparisons in terms of opposition and tournament schedule.
> 
> 3) People would discover that CEDA and NDT have actually evolved into
> somewhat different argument forms. The differences would in many cases be
> found to be merely terminological, in other cases, more fundamental.
> People from both sides would be occasionally whining/bitching about bad
> decisions. NDT judges would be seen by many as too "interventionist". I
> just can't believe there are zero meaningful argumentation differences
> when there has been, in essence, a sociological separation of a not
> insignificant duration. These differences, for competitive reasons, would
> quickly be bridged, however.
> 
> 4) NEDA would grow, as would parli, as some folks flee the NDT infusion
> into CEDA. I don't know what would happen to Bear.
> 
> 5) Support for one topic per year would grow as NDT types prefer it and
> as others realize how much they enjoyed their winter holiday in CEDA
> 96-96. To the extent that CEDA chose two topics, the influence of the NDT
> itself, and invitationals hosted by former "NDT" schools would combine
> with those in CEDA who prefer one topic to come up with a way of
> establishing a one topic per year circuit, using the fall CEDA topic or a
> variant of it voted upon by all NDT tournament subscribers.
> 
> 6) Wake Forest would have 30 debaters right now instead of 16 as travel
> to App. State and UNC-Charlotte makes for even more novice opportunities.
> 
> 7) Dartmouth would still close out major tournaments from time to time.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ross Smith
> Wake Forest University Debate
> 910-759-5268
> Box 7324 Reynolda Station
> Winston-Salem, NC  27109
> 
> 
>
References:
Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
Return to main CEDA-L Archive Page