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Reply to Mancuso

Deatherage replies to Mancuso:

At 01:21 PM 2/27/97 -0500, you wrote:
>I'd like to associate myself completely with the remarks made by Joel (
>I'm aware that this may cause Joel to reconsider his views, but...).

Perhpas this should cause you to reconsider.  
>
>I'd like to look for any type of solution short of cutting out 25% of
>the debates for over half of the tournament.  This "proposal" represents
>a significant loss in the "educational benefit" that debate provides to
>ALL of our students, not just those in the semis and finals of major
>tournaments.

What kind of debates are those that I propose to cut out.  

If there is such an "educational benefit" to such debates, then perhaps you,
I, and our friends, those who rarely if ever judge the 8th round, and who
sometimes don't judge in the prelims at all, should reconsider.  

It won't do to simply say I'm right, we should all judge more.  That's the
point.  We won't because we are worn out, and we are still worn out even
when we skip round 8.  
>
>I agree with Ross also that we should experiment with tournament formats
>- variety is the spice of life.  But I hope that most of these
>experiments will keep the primary goal of our activity - the education
>of our students - front and center.

Your argument here assumes that "education" is defined exclusively by the
number of debates our students get.  To be sure, a critical mass of such
debates is necessary.  But at the juncture they become of poor quality owing
to the rigors of the schedule, then their inclusion is counterproductive.
You are right, education should be frong and center.  Quality education.  

One more thing.  If we are really losing students and coaches because of the
rigors of the schedule (several people have spoken to this), then frankly,
the "education" of eight rounds is not sustainable.  I readily concede that
there will always be debate, but the more good people we let slip away, the
more we all loose.  

>
>Steve Mancuso
>
>
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