TOC - It's Getting Better

That seems to be the consensus from Episode 56. Menick, Cruz and Palmer, two of whom were there and one of whom was skeptical (and, also, one of which was going east at a rate of 234 mph while another was going west at a rate of 180; if they are both on the same track, wouldn't it be better if they weren't facing each other). Settle yourself in for the (eventually) legendary "Wave Your Fairy Wand" episode!

NDCA: They're back and they're mad

Well, they're back, anyhow, if you define they as Menick, Cruz and Palmer (although Palmer's feed sounds like he's got somebody standing behind him tap dancing). Don't know what happened to the Bietzer. Anyhow, there's been a lot of discussion over on the NDCA listserver about the purpose of the organization, and the nature of their tournament. NDCA has always been a bit of an odd forensic fish, trying to find its place in the great sea of...something or other. Anyhow, check out Episode 51.

Fallout from CFL and TOC

Two weeks in a row. Impressive, eh? You didn't think the Three Coins in the Fountain were capable of such extended thought. Oh ye of little faith!

This time out, Menick, Cruz and Bietz attack the Vatican and wonder about TOC secrecy. Check out Episode 45.

Where do the bids go?

As TOC season approaches, the flotsam four begin discussing how tournaments should get bids. Not much is solved, and more will come next week. Episode 40.

Episode 25 (including show notes)

The three and only wind up the season (as Cruz insists it be called) with, mostly, discussion of TOC 2010 here. (Those who go the distance will, as occasionally in the past, get a special treat.)

As discussed on the show, first, the link to my news feed.

Second, the conflict material from TOC:

The Lincoln Douglas advisory committee has instituted a policy which requests directors, coaches, and judges of programs to provide information about potential conflicts. The document or statement below should help guide persons in determining whether or not they ought to be conflicted or blocked from judging certain debaters at the tournament. Please read the document carefully and then follow the instructions at the end of the document to provide the tabulation staff with accurate information so that these conflicts may be recorded. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

We would ask that you enter your conflicts there even though they may have been entered on the Joy of Tournaments site or sent to Dave Huston. We will have verification of your conflicts and mutual preference sheets at registration.


TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS JUDGE CONFLICT DOCUMENT

Fair competition requires not merely the absence of impropriety but also AVOIDING the appearance of impropriety. A conflict of interest is a relationship that might reasonably be thought to bias a judge toward or against a competitor. Such relationships may themselves be quite innocent, but they could reasonably be thought to compromise a judge’s impartiality. The Lincoln Douglas TOC Advisory Committee has drafted these guidelines to be implemented at this year’s Tournament of Champions.


A judge can’t judge a school they attended.

A judge can’t judge a program (whether one school or a collection of schools) for which they coached, consulted, or judged until four years after they stopped. This applies even if the judge only worked with some (or one) of the program’s students. It applies whether or not the judge was paid for the work.

A judge can’t judge a program if there are plans for the judge to work with that program in the future as a coach, consultant, or judge.

A judge can’t judge a program if the judge has done exclusive pre-round prep for one or more of the students from that program, whether electronically, verbally, or through the transfer of resources. Judges can share information without creating a conflict, but if the judge engages in “coaching behavior” such as discussing strategies, arguments, evidence, etc., with a program for the purposes of helping them win a debate, then they shouldn’t judge that program. If a judge does this in the middle of a tournament, they should inform the tab room and recuse themselves.

A judge can’t judge a program if they attend practice rounds with students from that program prior to tournaments.

Judges can’t judge students who are members of their family, who they have dated or had a close physical or emotional relationship, who they regularly chat with either in person, over the phone, or over the computer, and judges can’t judge debaters with whom they socialize outside of the realm of debate.

A judge can’t judge a student if the judge thinks that they would be unable to fairly judge them for reasons not stated in other parts of this document, but for which the judge feels some personal bias.

A judge may choose to recuse him or herself from judging students if they regularly share transportation and/or lodging with the student’s team, if they have a close relationship with the student’s coach or a member of the student’s family, or if the judge works for a debate camp or other forensics business for which the student is planning to work.

NOTE: This doesn’t mean judges can’t judge students who were in their lab at camp, but if the judge maintains regular contact with those students or has a personal relationship with them, they shouldn't judge them.

NOTE: Any time these rules talk about a “program” that means any student from that program. If a judge is hired by one or two students from a program and never meets the other students, they are still a judge for the program.

NOTE: A program is any school or collection of schools that prepares together as a unit, even if they don’t always compete under the same name. If two or more schools share coaching, transportation, lodging, and practices, then they’re a single program.

Judges, coaches, and students all have the responsibility to reveal conflicts. If a coach or student fails to disclose a conflict, all students from that program will lose their mutual preferences. No decisions will be modified as a result of disclosed information. The TOC Advisory Committee or a quorum thereof will adjudicate any disputes and its decision will be final, with appeal to Dr. J.W. Patterson or his tournament staff at the discretion of Dr. Patterson.

THE HEAD COACH OF THE SCHOOL ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ALL OF THEIR JUDGES. IT IS A HEAD COACH'S AFFIRMATIVE DUTY TO MAKE SURE THAT CONFLICT INFORMATION FOR ALL JUDGES IS ACCURATE. THE PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO STATE CONFLICTS OR OVERSTATING CONFLICTS WILL BE LOSS OF MJP FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL'S ENTRY.

Episode 13 - Rantin' and Ravin'

In this episode, the Three Remaining Marx Brothers stop complaining about Zeppo behind his back and discuss a few very specific tournaments, most notably last weekend's Emory event. How would you handle their kerfluffles? Get it here.

(In related news, Menick asks that you refrain from handling his kerfluffles, thank you very much. He's perfectly capable of handling them himself.)

Replacement for episode 9

Our vast audience (the one guy who listened to it) told us that Episode 9 was out of sync. So, here's a corrected version, without any bumper music (you can search for and download your own theremin tunes, if you're so inclined). Sorry for the poor tech work on our part, but, well, screw you. New Episode 9.

Episode 9 - TOC

The All-American Theremin Marching Band presents their unique analysis of the TOC and the Advisory Committee. They are all past or present members. The episode is here. Of course, it would make much more sense if you subscribed to the podcast on iTunes like a normal person, you yabbo!

The tech discussion this week centers on Cruz's favorite musical instrument. ("Look, Ma, no hands!" — No, wait a minute, it's nothing but hands. "Look, Ma, no touching!") Also, the coach of the Bronx High School of Babycakes announces that he is convinced that email is here to stay. Courageous call on his part.

Our prediction is for pure MJP ecstasy!