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Re: basketball analogies and divisions

On Tue, 17 Oct 1995, Lisa Kincaid wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, 16 Oct 1995, Steven Hunt wrote:
> 
> > The Myth of the Level Playing Field
> > 
> > There is no level playing field in debate. There never has been and never 
> > will be. Fair divisions are almost impossible, maybe impossible to 
> > create, and are another separating mechanism in forensics, a field 
> > already far too divided.
> > 
> > Why is there no level playing field? Think about it folks. What does it 
> > take to have a great excellent debate program?
> > 
> > lst and foremost talented, bright, dedicated, motivated, hard working 
> > students. American University 2 years ago with basically two of these 
> > sorts of students did extremely well in CEDA. However, you usually need 
> > more. It helps a whole lot to have 6-l6 good students so you can have 3-8 
> > teams change partners share research burdens help one another with 
> > strategies etc. 
> > 
> > 2nd talented bright hard working directors, teachers, coaches. It helps
> > to have teachers who know what they are doing and can teach argumentation 
> > and debate theory and strategy and tactics and help in practice rounds.
> > It helps to have a philosophic defense for the program. It helps to have 
> > somebody getting pr for the program. It helps to have a good administrator.
> > It helps to have a motivator and coordinator.It helps to have someone 
> > trying to have long range plans for the program and recruiting for the 
> > program.
> > 
> > There are lots of other factors too I have just started on the list. It 
> > isn't Lexis Nexis only that separates programs or size of budget or size 
> > of school or number of scholarships It is dozens of key factors.
> > 
> > There is no level playing field. Never has been never will be. Now HOW DO 
> > WE MAKE OUR ACTIVITY AS FAIR AND DECENT AS WE CAN GIVEN THIS?????
> > 
> > Steve Hunt 
> > 
> 	There is at least one thing that can be done to level the playing 
> field:  have all of those bright, motivated, talented students do ALL 
> their own work.  That alone would make me feel more comfortable going 
> into a round.
> 
> 	Another option would be to divide into conferences--such as the 
> "Big 8" and "Heart of America".  Don't be alarmed if you haven't heard of 
> the second; it's a conference of small colleges.  But you run into travel 
> costs, housing arrangements, etc., that the smaller institutions are not 
> often able to handle.  Smaller schools with the ability to muster only 
> 8-10 people at best and a small budget for forensics might be forced to 
> give up entirely.
> 
> 	This is all just a spur of the moment response--please give me 
> some feedback on your opinion/experience.  I think there ARE at least 
> some ways we can balance the scales and prevent elitism.
> 
> Lisa Kincaid
> Central Methodist College
>
References:
Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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