About Nationals | About Nationals |
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| Written by Administrator | |
| Saturday, 19 February 2005 | |
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The primary event on the Australian Debating Federation ("ADF") calendar is the National Schools Debating Championships. Each year top debaters from each State and Territory gather for a week of debating to determine who will be the National Champions. WADL traditionally sends a team of four speakers to compete in the Championships. The Nationals speaking style format is set by the ADF executive, and has evolved over the years from a simple three-a-side debate to include more complex elements such as points of informtion and reply speeches. WADL has adopted a policy of mirroring the Nationals format in our domestic competition to ensure consistency and ensure that State Team speakers are not disadvanteged in the National Competition. The speaking style adopted at Nationals is also enormously influential internationally, and was adopted by the World Schools Debating Council to be the format employed in the World Schools Championships. The event has become a cherished tradition over the past 34 years and continues to attract the attention of Australia’s brightest students. A Nationals championship can be a life changing experience, with the friendships made during the championships standing the test of time. Every year witnesses the return to the competition of former debaters in the roles of coaches, adjudictors and team managers - some of whom have attended the competition for decades to help ensure that each generation of students enjoys the same rewarding experience. The Championships are held in a different city each year. Nationals has undergone a rebirth in recent years. In 2002 the SADA hosted an excellent tournament in Adelaide that set new standards for the week. The QDU took this example and raised it even higher in Brisbane in 2003. Our West Australian friends consolidated this trend in 2004 when the championships were held in Perth. In 2005 they moved to Hobart for the first time since 1995, and in 2006 sunny Darwin welcomed the Nation's debaters to the top end for a unique debating experience - complete with waterfalls and jumping crocodiles! The week itself entails a round robin series of preliminary debates. After seven rounds the competition moves to semi final mode. The four top teams move into elimination rounds to determine the participants of the Grand Final. The Grand Final determines which State or Territory will be the National Champions for the current year. Debates are adjudicated throughout the week by the most experienced adjudicators from around the country. Official adjudicators from each State and Territory meet towards the end of the week to select the Australian Schools Debating Team who will represent Australia at the World Schools Debating Championships |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 01 March 2007 ) |
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