Ready Response will use the Joy of Tournament tabulation software with Stoa recommended presets for tiebreaks.
For debate events, club protection is not guaranteed for any round.
For debate outrounds, the following No-Flip protocol will be used
- If two teams have debated in a preliminary round (i.e. rounds 1 thru 6) and are paired against one another in an outround, their sides will be the opposite of their previous match-up. In other words, their sides are locked.
- If two teams have not debated in a preliminary round, sides are assigned in outrounds to maintain side balance whenever possible. In other words, teams should debate an equal number of rounds on each side of the resolution, if at all possible.
- Example 1: In outround 2, Team 1 with 4 AFFs/3 NEGs and Team 2 with 3 AFFs/4 NEGs meet. Team 1 is assigned NEG and Team 2 is assigned AFF to maintain side balance of four of each side for both teams.
- Example 2: In outround 1, Team 1 with 3 AFFs/3 NEGs and Team 2 with 3 AFFs/3 NEGs meet. One team will have be to side-imbalanced going forward. The sides are randomly assigned by Tab. THERE IS NO COIN FLIP TO DETERMINE SIDES.
In all outrounds, the sides for each team will be clear in the postings and in the printed ballots JUST AS IN PRELIMINARY ROUNDS.
THERE IS NO COIN FLIP IN OUTROUNDS. TEAMS ARE NOT RANDOMLY GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE SIDES.
Why are we using a no-flip protocol?
The ability for a debate team to choose a side conveys an advantage. This is irrespective of whether one believes there is an advantage for the affirmative or the negative side of a resolution. The ability to opt for a side is an advantage!
We believe it is unfair in a debate outround for one team to given an advantage, however slight, over another team. Furthermore, side balance has always been a prevailing pairing principle in preliminary rounds. We believe that outrounds should continue the same pairing principle as well. Ideally, the champion of the debate event should demonstrate the ability to debate both sides of the resolution equally well.
In the past, some tournaments with many outrounds using coin-flips to give one team the ability to opt for sides have resulted in teams who have progressed deep into outrounds with substantial side imbalances. The no-flip protocol aims to minimize side imbalances.
Note that in a tournament with elimination outrounds such as this one, it is still possible for teams to have side imbalances as they progress deeper into the outrounds because it may be the side-imbalanced teams that eliminate the side-balanced teams. At least with this protocol, the likelihood of side-imbalanced teams is reduced.
If you have any questions regarding this no-flip outround protocol, please contact the Tabulation staff.