Booya

Also you misspelled Pinecrest.

GOOD JOB ^______^

Yeah Caleb and Meredity! I totally called this from day one by the way…

Pinecrest is coached by Libby Carter, who was North Carolina’s Coach of the Year this year! What a great finish!

Well done Meredith and Caleb!

Results are at nflonline.org. The final decision was 9-6, so it wasn’t a complete wipeout.

Meredith and Caleb were one of the best teams I saw all week judging and I were happy they won the title. I judged them in round 14 (which was a 2-1 decision, I voted for them), which was a close round against Parijat Chakrabarti & Vijay Sridharan. That round 14 was the best round I judged all week, which is the way it should be, and in that round Meredith and Caleb stormed back strong at the end to take it away.

As one of the judges on the final round panel, I thought I would post some thoughts on why I voted for the Con team. Let me preface these comments with a compliment to both teams, quoting colleague panel judge and former NFL Executive Council member Donus Roberts (who was instrumental in creating the event): “it was one of the best rounds of Public Forum Debate that I have ever seen!” That said, I admonish both teams – particularly the Con team – to remember their basic manners in listening as much as speaking, and allowing the opposition to respond during crossfire. During a very public debate, such as a final round, it’s important to project the highest dignity and restraint.

I felt the Con case was developed with a greater degree of specificity in how it answered the resolution, addressing the risk of terrorist acts. I wrote on my ballot how the Con takes their cue from the Pro’s definition of terrorist acts, citing the growing number of clandestine and subnational organizations that by their very nature, have become increasingly difficult to track and abate. I was particularly impressed with the Con’s exploration of technology and ecoterrorism, which went insufficiently answered by the Pro team. And, the bottom line as forwarded by the Con case is that the United States is our own worst enemy by creating additional terrorist threats even as we mitigate others.

While the Pro team discussed diminished risk through prosecutions and other statistics on thwarted terrorist acts and weakening of Al-Qaeda, the Con team sufficiently responded with facts on the various spin-off terrorist cells and diversifying threats, which shows that the risk has not been reduced to a substantial extent. Additionally, the Con team shows how ineffective the justice system is, and even how detrimental many of these policies are on U.S. citizens. I felt the nuclear point was a wash, since the Pro raised facts about increased risk from the Council on Foreign Relations, while the Con retorted with its analysis of Three-mile Island and other types of terrorist concerns. While the Pro raised transportation and port improvements, the Con responded with enhanced terrorist technology and the number of unchecked containers and unmanned checkpoints.

Finally, holistically, the Con’s case was developed with more sophisticated claims and substructure, and more tightly warranted. Both teas, however, included several facts and statistics, without citing their sources consistently.

I know at least one of the other debate coach panel judges joined me in voting Con.

Best wishes to the debaters on both teams!

Adam Jacobi

Director of Forensics – Speech & Debate
Rufus King High School – Milwaukee, WI

Past President, Wis. Debate Coaches’ Association

Public Relations & Political Consultant

great comments.

As I was looking through the results, I noticed that only 1 of the top 14 were from MO, and 2 from NC. This seems like a switch in power for PF.

I have a couple of questions: PF has been an event for six years. Has any school qualified all six years? Are there any on this blog that know of schools that have qualified 5 times?

Are the best teams now debating more in the east than the midwest?

What has the national circuit done to change this balance of power?

Watertown had three and the alternate in their district. Scott Walker is a great coach, and Donas Roberts did invent the event.

Yes, as did the Roosevelt, IA 11th place finisher. Our district, West Iowa, debated 34 rounds. 12 by boji, 12 by Karnes and Oman and 10 by strong and Lily ?

By the way, I wish Durham and Pinecrest were NOT in NC! But I am SURE GLAD they are in the EAST!

I would immagine that NC will be VERY strong at PFD next year. All four teams that qualified to NFLs broke this year and all of them will be returning next year.

We have had three. Though I coach two schools at one time according to the NFL, Spirit Lake and Okoboji. We are two small schools, OHS has 300 students and SLHS has 390 students and have attended in PF 2004-2008. Iowa sees us as one team though: Okoboji-Spirit Lake.

Mr. Kline’s team have usually beat us heads up though. My point on the post is that we seem to be seeing Misouri slip a bit and NC and TX come on strong. Is this reality or reading too much into one tournament? Is the national circuit only real in the east, so students are getting better rounds and more feedback on those rounds?

I am surprised Texas has done well, though I believe it has been a small number of successful schools from TX.

I would argue that FL and NC are the strongest states for PFD right now. This is based on national circuit, NCFLs and NFLs.

Well Iowa is pretty good too. We had a champion in 06 with an 8th place that same year. The past three years at least three teams have broken at the NFL nationals from our district, and the eastern Iowa district had a break through this year too.

I know their coach. They don’t travel, and yes, they got 2nd last year at CFL. They are excellent.

Yes, Iowa is a powerhouse too, just not as much on the circuit as FL and NC…FL especially.

Unfortunately, Woodstock GH also was eliminated after round 12, tied the number of ballot is the break round with the 13th and 14th place teams, and then lost on the 3rd tiebreaker.

It was very disapointing