Tournament Schedule
WACFL administers a preliminary tournament for each competition event once a month from October through February. Depending on host-school capacity, some events are scheduled on the same Saturdays and result in tournaments on most of each month's weekends.
Judges and teams must arrive at the host school between 8:00 – 8:15 am. Upon arrival, students and judges check in with their team’s coach, who confirms team arrival at the Tab Room Registration table no later than 8:20 am. Students gather in the school cafeteria; judges go to the Judges Lounge for a briefing starting at 8:30 am.
It's critical that coaches notify tournament managers of any late roster changes (missing students or judges) by 8:20 am to ensure an on-time start. Schools that have not checked-in by 8:30 am may be dropped from the tournament.
Competition round assignments are sent to students and judges via text and email at the beginning of each round, with the first round beginning around 9 am. (Extemp prep and Congress committee meetings may start prior to 9 am.) WACFL tournaments have two rounds in the morning and two rounds in the afternoon. Competition rounds should end by 4:30 pm and the awards ceremony should end by 5 – 5:30 pm.
What is Tabroom?
Tabroom has two different meanings, depending on whether it's being used as a common or proper noun! Historically, the tab room is short for tabulation room. It's a physical location (usually the school library) where tournament officials manage registration, scheduling, recording results, and resolving inquiries from participants. Prior to personal computers, tournaments were managed with notecards, tape and lots of paper.
Now Tabroom is also shorthand for tabroom.com, a tournament management system provided by the National Speech & Debate Association. Tabroom.com enables judges to get their assignments, enter their decisions and scores online, and publishes and tracks results. Students receive round notifications and ballots from Tabroom. All WACFL judges and student competitors must create an account on Tabroom.com and link their account to their school.
Debate timers
Both students and judges are expected to keep track of elapsed time during competition rounds. For most people, cell phone timers work just fine. Judges have the option of using timers provided in Tabroom. There are also free apps designed to keep time during debate rounds, such as the two listed below. These are not WACFL endorsed and are optional for people to use.
- Android: NSDA Debate Timer
- Apple: Debate Timer Pro
WACFL Harassment & Discrimination Policy
WACFL tournaments are a special experience for students, giving young people the opportunity to unleash their true potential. In order to reach their potential, all participants (e.g., students, coaches and judges) deserve a caring and welcoming environment—one that fosters inclusion, affirms identity, celebrates lived experiences, and protects from harassment and discrimination. The WACFL Harassment & Discrimination Policy describes steps and remedies to make our tournaments feel safe, creating an environment of mutual respect.