It’s the WACFL 2007-2008 Speech and Debate Season! Welcome back to all returning coaches and Greetings to new coaches in the league!

This newsletter provides you with information from the September 8^th Coaches’ Meeting, which was held at Bishop O’Connell High School, during which we finalized the sites for the 2007-2008 tournament season, elected several league officers, and completed other league business. A big Thank You!! to Pat Hagy, Mary Lou Wentzel, and Bishop O’Connell for hosting this meeting – we had a great turnout!!

WACFL League Officer Elections
You may be aware that Jill Stedman, Washington Director, relocated during the summer to Atlanta, Georgia – we wish her and her husband, Dave Cutler, well and much success and happiness in the future! Jill’s departure created an opening for Washington Director and we also had officer openings for Public Forum, which was formally added as an event after the fall coaches’ meeting, as well as the annual election of event tournament directors.

The results of the elections were as follows:
Washington Director - Ann Marie Phillips, MM Washington
Public Forum Vice President - Mark McManmon, Gonzaga
Student Congress Vice President – Joan Darby, North Stafford
Public Forum Tournament Director – Lorraine DelGrosso, Massaponax
Student Congress Tournament Director – Ted Penton, Westfield
Speech Tournament Director – Meghan Nugent, Hayfield
Lincoln- Douglas Debate Tournament Director – Ann Marie Phillips, MM Washington
Policy Debate Tournament Director – Ron Richards, Broad Run

Congratulations to all! These officers join the other current league officers:
Speech Vice President – Jessie Reter-Choate, King George
Lincoln-Douglas Vice President – Kristin Hamilton, Battlefield
Policy Debate Vice President – Duane Hyland, Yorktown

Thank you to all of these individuals for their commitment to the league and willingness to spend the additional time required to prepare and direct the various tournaments throughout the tournament year!
 

Membership Registration
Membership forms were distributed at the September 8^th meeting and are also available on the web site.  Make sure to fill out and turn in 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.
 

Finalizing the 2007-2008 Tournament Calendar and Sites
At the September 8^th meeting, we finalized the 2007-2008 calendar. Please be sure to check the web site for the updated calendar as there have been some changes to the tournament sites. Coaches of schools that have 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.  
 

Coach and Judge Workshop on 10/6 @ Washington-Lee High School
Coach Ron Revere and Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia have volunteered for the 2^nd year to host a special coach and judge workshop to get everyone “prepped” for the 2007-2008 season. Additional information will be provided at the on the web site soon. Please e-mail Roberta Hyland (roberta.hyland@wacfl.org) by 9 pm on 9/25 with your list of attendees. Please note if the individuals are coaches or judges and what event areas are of interest for each person.
 

Policy Debate Topic for 2007-2008 and JV/Novice Case Areas
Just as a reminder, the policy debate topic for 2007-2008 is as follows:

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

At the September 8^th Coaches’ Meeting, the Policy Debate Coaches selected the following JV/Novice Case Areas:

JV/Novice Case Areas

Please contact the Policy Debate Vice President, Duane Hyland (Duanedjh@aol.com) if you have any questions regarding Policy Debate or the JV/Novice Case Areas.


Congress I Topics
A list of the topics for Congress I (October 13^th) is provided below.  As you help your students to research and write legislation on these topics, please keep in mind the need to balance topic areas (domestic, economic, international) within your student delegation and to use the approved format for bills and resolutions.  Sample bill and resolution formats are included on the congress event home page.  Do not hesitate to contact Joan Darby, Vice President for Congress, if you have questions at CongressVP@wacfl.org.

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
 

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

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


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, (annybird@gmail.com) 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