The 2007 Jesuit

The West Coast Opener

Gonzaga University

Spokane, Washington

Saturday, September 15th -  Monday, September 17th, 2007

Greetings,

   The Gonzaga Debate Program invites you to attend the Jesuit Invitational Debate Tournament,  held on the campus of Gonzaga University Saturday, September 15th - Monday, September 17th  2006.  The Jesuit , which was first held at Gonzaga University in the late 1980s (then moved to St. Louis University and finally to Southern Illinois) was hosted from 1989-1998 by Greg Simerly (now of MTSU).  The spirit of this tournament was always embodied in the outstanding competition  (the Jesuit was the only RR in the country that you had to qualify for based on an objective system of points) and the first class, over the top hospitality.  We have changed the format from a Round Robin to a full scale tournament, but nothing has changed about our hospitality.  Registration will begin at 5pm, Friday, September 14th at the River Inn.   Rounds begin Saturday, September 15th, at a civilized hour.

Relevant Debate Information

We plan to offer 6 preliminary debates on the 2007-2008 CEDA/NDT topic (Middle East) in  Open and Junior Divisions.  Once again, Greg Achten (Cal) and Jon Brushke (Fullerton) will once again run our tabroom.

Case Book

We plan on once again producing a comprehensive casebook.  We will distribute this to tournament participants as well as the community at large via e-debate.  We encourage everyone to bring electronic copies of their outlines/plan texts/cites.  This will help the process proceed quickly and smoothly.

 

Fees

 $125 per team.  This will include a wide range of hospitality and awards. This is a small increase over our fees of the last couple years. Unfortunately, our costs of running this tournament are rising and we are forced to pass that off to the consumer. However, as anyone who has ever attended our tournament will testify, you get your  moneys worth and then some.

 

Judging

Each school is expected to provide one judge per two teams they bring. There are 6 rounds so a 1/2 commitment is 3 rounds. Each judge will be obligated for one round beyond the elimination of  their team. We have some hired judges that we can provide, but not many. Hired judges will be given on a first come, first served basis at a fee of $150 per uncovered team. We are not trying to make money on hired judges. We would much rather have your judges than your money. If you have extra judges available from your school please let me know as we would probably like to hire them.  All judges are expected to render a decision in a timely fashion and designate one, and only one, team as the winner of the debate. We plan on utilizing mutual preference judging.  You will be able to enter your preference sheets online at Brushkes website. We'll contact you as the tournament draws near when its time to start ranking.

 

Transportation

Those of you from the region know how to get here.  For those of you flying in, you should flight into the Spokane International Airport (GEG).  Northwest, Alaska, Delta, Southwest, and America West all offer fair rates.  The hotel shuttle will pick you up at the airport.  You wont need transportation once you're at the hotel. Everything (hotel, campus, Comp USA, Kinkos, downtown restaurants and bars, etc) is all within walking distance.  Seriously, don't waste your money on a rental vehicle. We will offer evidence transportation from the hotel for those teams walking to the campus (5-10 minutes).  This hotel is about a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel along the river path.

 

Hotel Information

The tournament hotel will be The Red Lion River Inn.  The tournament rate is $89.95 per night.

Reservations may be made by individual participating schools by calling Hotel’s Group Reservationist,  Justin Coen, and requesting rooms under the  "Gonzaga Debate Block".   Mr. Coen may be reached at (509)323-2574/326-1120

The hotel block closes on September 1st.  Please make your reservations soon.

You can check out more on the hotel at their website  http://www.westcoasthotels.com/WHC/hotels/ShowHotel.asp?ID=42

Highlights of the Red Lion include

If you do rent a vehicle, here are the directions to the Hotel from the Airport.

Entry Information:

We will be utilizing the Jon Bruschke online entry system.  Online entry can be accessed at http://debateresults.com

Friday, September 14th

5pm-11pm       Registration and Reception at the River Inn. 

Saturday,  September 15th

10am            Pairings released at River Inn and on campus

12pm             Round 1

3pm                Round 2

6pm                Round 3

Saturday, September 16th

8am         Pairings released at River Inn and on campus

9am         Round 4

12pm       Round 5

3pm         Round 6

6pm         Awards Reception  in The Globe Room  located in Cataldo Hall.

7pm         Double Octas if necessary

Monday, September 17th

8am         Pairings released at River Inn and on campus

9am         Octa Finals

Elims will continue until we have a champion.

NOTES:

--All teams with a 4-2 record wills clear to elimination rounds. If a double octa round is necessary it will be announced at the Awards and will occur immediately following that gathering.

--Coffee and light breakfast fair will be available on Saturday and Sunday morning for all competitors and judges.

--Snacks and beverages will be available throughout all competition days in the AD Building for all competitors and judges.

--Pizza Lunch will be served Sunday afternoon in the AD Building for all competitors and judges.

--The Tournament Hospitality Suite will be in open each night of the tournament, Friday - Mon day. Coaches, judges, and students who are 21 years or older may join us for drinks and appetizers.