Thank you to Our Workshop Hosts & Session Leaders!
A big Thank you! to Ron Revere and Paul Bui of Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, who graciously volunteered for the 2^nd year to host a special coach and judge workshop to get everyone “prepped” for the 2007-2008 season. We had a very nice turnout – glad to see everyone!  

Also a big Thank you! to all of our session leaders:
Anjan Choudry, Walt Whitman – Lincoln-Douglas Debate
KJ Anderson, Wilson – Policy Debate Judging
Duane Hyland, Yorktown – Policy Debate Coaching
Lorraine DelGrosso, Massaponax – Public Forum Debate
Brendan Harris, Hayfield – Speech
Mark McManmon, Gonzaga – Student Congress
 

Membership Registration
Membership forms are available on the web site.  Please be sure to complete and submit both the local (WACFL) and national (NCFL) registration forms.  This can be done by mail or by simply bringing them to registration at one of the October tournaments.  Each school also needs to pay their annual dues no later than October 31, 2007.  The dues invoice memo is also available on the web site.  Please note that your principal’s signature is required on both the WACFL and NCFL membership forms.
 

Looking for two host sites for the 2007-2008 Season
We are still looking for two additional host sites for the 2007-2008 season. Please contact Roberta Hyland as soon as possible if you are able to host either of the tournaments below…
Hosts are needed for:
January 12, 2008 – Policy IV/Speech IV/Public Forum IV
February 2, 2008 – Speech V/LD V

The current calendar is available on the web site – please make sure you have the up-to-date version. Coaches of schools that have already committed to hosting a WACFL tournament in 2007-2008 should confirm with school administration that your buildings are reserved for the appropriate date(s) and that the event is on the official school calendar.  Please also take a few moments to check the directions to your school on the WACFL web site to ensure accuracy and provide updated information to Roberta.Hyland@wacfl.org.  
 

Tournament Registration Procedures
All coaches should carefully review the registration procedures for the five event areas.  These procedures are now also up on the web site.  Please follow these procedures carefully.  Our event vice-presidents spend several hours preparing for each tournament and work very hard to ensure that the registration process runs smoothly.  They do this on a purely voluntary basis.  Please do your part to help them by making sure that your registrations are correct, complete, and on time.  Please also be sure that you have the appropriate number of judges required to register for each event area.

 

Congress I/Public Forum I – Saturday, October 13 @ Gonzaga

Gonzaga will host the first WACFL Student Congress and Public Forum tournament of the regular season on Saturday, October 13th. 

Congress Registrations are due to Joan Darby, Congress VP, (CongressVP@wacfl.org) by no later than 9 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10th. Coaches who will be registering congress students are reminded that school entries should be balanced as evenly as possible among the three topic areas (domestic, economic, and foreign) and that each student entrant is expected to draft legislation in their registered topic area.  Please use your school’s assigned bill/registration numbers.  If you do not remember these numbers or are new to the league, please make sure to contact Joan Darby to obtain them or check the congress event home page on the WACFL web site.  Students must also bring 30 copies of their legislation with them to the competition.  Congress topics are listed below. 

Domestic: Illegal Immigration; U.S. Patriot Act; Term Limits
Economic: Sub-prime Mortgages; Fuel Efficiency Standards for Automobiles; Consumer Protection Agency
International: Cyber-Terrorism; U.S./2008 Summer Olympics; U.S./Pakistan

Public Forum Debate Registrations are due to Mark McManmon, Public Forum Debate VP, (WACFLVPPublicForum@wacfl.org) by no later than 9 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10^th.  Please remember that the registrations need to be complete with student names as paired, the division (Varsity or JV), and judges.

The October Public Forum Debate Topic is:
Resolved: That the United States should encourage the implementation of a soft partition of Iraq.

Policy I & LD I – Saturday, October 20 @ Walt Whitman High School

Our first regular season Lincoln-Douglas and Policy Debate tournaments will be held at Walt Whitman High School on Saturday, October 20th.  Coaches must register their debaters & judges with Duane Hyland (policy) or Kristin Hamilton (LD) no later than 9 p.m. on Wednesday, October 17th.  The resolutions for both events are listed below for your reference.

Policy Debate Topic:
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its public health assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa.

JV/Novice Case Areas for Policy Debate

September/October Lincoln-Douglas Debate Topic
Resolved: A just society ought not use the death penalty as a form of punishment.


Speech I  – Saturday, October 27 @ Good Counsel
Our first regular season speech tournament will be held at Good Counsel on Saturday, October 27th. Coaches must register their speech competitors with Jessie Reter-Choate by no later than 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 24th. Speech competitors should remember to bring original copies of texts used in interp events and extemp speakers should review with their coaches the rules limiting written information on extemp research. 
 

April 11-12, 2008 - Katrina Congress: A Student Congress/Community Service Experience
The New Orleans Catholic Forensic League will be offering an invitational student congress and community service experience on April 11-12, 2008. The Congress Session on Friday, April 11th, will focus on issues of national importance (such as the relationship of local, state, and federal governments in coordinating disaster relief; health services after a disaster; management of volunteer resources; environmental concerns; and other topics). On Saturday, April 12th, students will have the opportunity to tour damaged areas and personally help with recovery. If you are interested in learning more, please contact me (roberta.hyland@wacfl.org) and I will provide you with the information that is currently available. This information will also be available at Congress I on October 13th.

President’s Notes
Both new and seasoned Coaches are encouraged to review all of the membership and registration information and to visit the WACFL web site for specific information regarding the event areas and appropriate contacts. Please do not hesitate to contact the event area Vice Presidents with questions. Ann Marie Phillips, Washington Director, (annmarie.phillips@wacfl.org) and I (roberta.hyland@wacfl.org) are also available to answer any questions you may have.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas to discuss.  Hope to see you at the tournaments this season!

Contact Information:

Roberta Hyland 
2338C Cypress Cove Circle
Herndon, VA 20171

Home: (703)435-8353
E-Mail: roberta.hyland@wacfl.org