GFCA FIRST & SECOND YEAR

AND

VARSITY CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Lassiter High School

February 20-21, 2015

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FEATURES INSIDE THIS BOOKLET

Welcome        2 

State Rules & Procedures    3 

Tournament Website      6 

Problem Guide & Solutions    7 

Campus Maps        9 

Schedules        12 

Tournament Staff      13 

Past Champions       14 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LINCOLN DOUGLAS DEBATE 

Resolved: Just governments ought to require that 

employers pay a living wage. 

POLICY DEBATE 

Resolved: The United States federal government 

should substantially increase its non‐military 

exploration and/or development of the Earth's 

oceans. 

PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE 

Resolved: Just governments ought to require that 

employers pay a living wage. 

CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE 

The 2015 Final Round legislation will revolve 

around Presidential War Powers 

EXTEMP TOPIC AREAS 

 

International Relations 

Russian Affairs 

US Congress  

US Foreign Policy 

IMPROMPTU TOPIC AREAS 

Round 1: The Postal Service 

Round 2: Twainisms  

Round 3: Mummy Epitaphs 

Round 4: NASCAR 

Round 5: Eight 

Semifinals: Malcolm X Quotes 

Finals: The New Yorker 

ABOUT THE  

GEORGIA FORENSIC COACHES ASSOCIATION 

The Georgia Forensic Coaches Association is the governing body for speech and debate programs throughout the state of Georgia. The Association empowers educators with resources and opportunities for their students that enrich their research abilities, critical thinking and leadership skills. The Association recognizes almost 1,000 students and sixty schools annually at our Varsity State Championships and First & Second Year State Championships. The Georgia Forensic Coaches Association can be found online at http://gaspeechanddebate.org.

CONTACT:

Jeffrey Miller, President Georgia Forensic Coaches Association 3790 Ashford Dunwoody Rd Atlanta, GA 30319-1899 P: 770-936-6464 | F: 770-457-8402

THIS WEEKEND’S TOPICS

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The Georgia Forensic Coaches Association Executive Committee and Lassiter High School Speech & Debate Team would 

like to welcome you to our annual First & Second Year and Congressional Debate State Championships! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENTWelcome!

The Georgia Forensic Coaches Association is thrilled to host our 14th annual First & Second Year State Championships. We are excited to be back at Lassiter High School. I cannot thank them enough for their great hospitality and hosting last year – there is a reason we are back this year!

The 2015 tournament is the largest First & Second Year Tournament in the history of our state. We have 500 students competing from almost 50 different schools. Last year, I spoke highly of the quality of this tournament in my welcome letter and this year our quality of competitors is once again very strong.

Not only are our first and second year divisions larger than ever, Congressional Debate is also the largest it has ever been. I’m excited to welcome more than 50 students from 12 schools to the Varsity Congressional State Championship.

This tournament requires 100 competition rooms and finding a host is not an easy task for the Executive Committee. Lassiter High School was asked to host again this year because of the

remarkable facilities they provided to the state last year. Their coach, Walter Cotter, has been a pleasure for the GFCA to work with for the past two years. We want to thank the Lassiter High School administration, teachers and staff, debaters and speakers, and parent boosters for making this tournament excellent. Should you have any special needs or questions, please ask one of our staff members who are listed in this booklet.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, I want to thank you for not only attending this tournament, but every local tournament you’ve attended this season. Our tournaments brought in almost 4,000 entries this year!

Good luck this weekend and I hope to see you on stage!

Jeffrey Miller GFCA President

WELCOME

MEET THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

       

Jeffrey Miller, President        James Brock , Vice President       Jonathan Waters, Secretary        Richard Bracknell, Treasurer

Marist School (Area 2)        Houston County HS (Area 4)        Grovetown HS (Area 4)        Carrollton HS (Area 1) 

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The following pages contain the official rules govering the GFCA State Tournaments. Issues that are unclear, inadequetly addressed or not covered in these pages will be left to the sole discretion of the State Tournament Director, Jeffrey Miller and the GFCA Executive Committee.

CAMPUS HOUSEKEEPING

Lassiter High School graciously volunteered to host our event. Please respect their property. Trash should be placed in the receptables provided in each classroom. Students should not enter classrooms until their judge is present. Do not eat or drink in the classrooms. Respect the classrooms of teachers; avoid moving furniture unless absolutely necessary. DO NOT UNPLUG ANYTHING FROM THE ELECTRIC SOCKETS.

Smoking is prohibited on the Lassiter High School campus. You can wait until you get home on Saturday night.

Remember, leaving campus for any reason is HIGHLY discouraged. We will not postpone a round if you are off campus. Teams are asked not to bring in food that is from off campus. All meals are provided by the GFCA.

We keep our State Tournament entry fees low by relying on sales of food for our host schools. Please respect the planning, work, and expense in providing the choices we offer in the lounge. Feel free to use outdoor seating.

EVENT DIVISIONS

All students are eligible for the Varsity Congressional debate divisions. Students in their first year of speech and debate are eligible for First and Second Year divisions. Students in their second year of speech and debate are only eligible for Second Year divisions. Students who have done speech or debate in the past but are new to an event are not novice unless it is their first year of debate. In partner events, both students must be eligible for the event division.

Coaches are required to submit an eligibility form at the start of registration verifying your student’s eligibility.

If there are students who are entered in the wrong division, please notify the tab room immediately.

EVENT RULES

All events will follow the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association rules as laid out in the by-laws. You can read the by-laws on the GFCA website – http://gaspeechanddebate.org

ELECTRONIC RETRIEVAL DEVICES IN DEBATE EVENTS AND EXTEMP

Laptops and tablets are allowed at the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association State Tournaments. The following guidelines, as voted by the GFCA in the Spring of 2013, will be in effect at this tournament:

Debate Events:

1. Computers or electronic devices may not be used to receive in round coaching from any source inside or outside of the room in which the competition occurs.

2. Students electing to use electronic devices have the responsibility to provide a copy of any evidence read in a speech for inspection by the judge or opponent upon request. Printers may be used. Evidence may be printed in the round or produced electronically, but must be provided in a format readable by the opposing team and the judge.

3. Students can access the internet for evidence retrieval during the round.

Extemporaneous Speaking

1. Students may use computers or electronic devices to store and retrieve their subject files to read, but cannot write speeches or organize their thoughts on the computers. Cell phones or smart phones are not to be used in speeches except for timing purposes.

2. Source Materials: Students may consult published books, periodical articles, newspaper articles, think tank articles, government reports or journal articles

STATE RULES & PROCEDURES

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saved on their electronic retrieval device provided:

a. There are no notations made within or on the saved article other than citation information.

b. Any highlighting or underlining of the articles is done in only one color within each article. Bolding, italicizing, or any other manipulation of the original text of sources (other than highlighting or underlining as previously stipulated) is prohibited.

c. Students from the same school may share computers during preparation. However, communication among contestants during preparation time is strictly prohibited.

3. Prewritten Extemporaneous speeches, handbooks, briefs or outlines are prohibited from the prep room, whether stored electronically or present in hard copy form.

4. Computers or electronic devices may not be used to receive in round coaching from any source inside or outside of the room in which the competition occurs.

5. Students can access the internet for evidence retrieval during the round.

Both Divisions 1. Contestants electing to use computers

are responsible for providing their own computers, batteries, extension cords, and all other necessary accessories. Tournament hosts will not be responsible for providing computers, printers, software, paper, or extension cords for contestants. Students and judges should not unplug any anything from classrooms to gain access.

2. Contestants choosing to use laptop computers and related equipment accept the risk of equipment failure. Judges and/or contest directors will give no special consideration or

accommodation, including no additional speech time or prep time, should equipment failure occur.

3. By choosing to use laptop computers in the round, debaters are consenting to give tournament officials the right to search their files. Debaters who do not wish to consent should not use computers in the round.

4. Students in violation will receive a forfeit for the debate.

ETHICS

GFCA member schools are required to conduct all relationships with other schools in a spirit of good sportsmanship. It shall be the responsibility of a member school to use every means at its disposal to impress upon faculty, students, team members, coaches, judges, parents, and spectators the values of sportsmanship in preparation for the management of forensics contests.

It shall be the responsibility of the GFCA and Lassiter High School to take steps to insure the comfort and security of all students, coaches and spectators. Official protests of sportsmanship at the State Tournaments should be brought to the attention of the GFCA Executive Committee in writing before the start of the next round following the incident. The GFCA Executive Committee shall investigate the protest and take steps to insure future incidents not happen, including but not limited to a discussion with the individual, a discussion with the head coach, forfeiture of the judge bond, and/or removing the person from the tournament. If the action is egregious enough for bond forfeiture and/or removing the person from the tournament, the principal of the school(s) involved will be formally notified by the president or her/his designee.

The GFCA reserves the right to contact outside organizations to assist with the health and safety of all participants.

FORFEITURE RULE

Competitors and judges are expected to start each round on time. Students who fail to report to their competition room within fifteen (15) minutes after the listed start time shall be disqualified by

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the tab room, except in cases where students are double entered in the round. In debate, they will be awarded a loss. In speech, they will be awarded a rank of 9. They will receive no speaker points for the round.

All postings will be available online at tabroom.com and at gaspeechanddebate.org. It is the competitors responsibility to check these palces for postings.

TAB ROOM

The tab room location is Room 718. The tournament tab room is closed to all tournament judges and competitors. Head coaches and assistant coaches are allowed to see ballots. In debate divisions, all records will be posted once round has been tabulated and audited. Issues needing the attention of the tabulation staff (including protests) should be addressed to Jeffrey Miller. Protests must be completed at least one round after offense has occurred.

Seeding and brackets will not be disclosed until after the elimination rounds have been posted. A warm room will be located online at http://tabroom.com on our page where students, judges and coaches can see decisions and pairings.

AWARDS

Awards will be presented to all elimination round contestants in all events. Awards will be held at the Lassiter High School Auditorium. It is scheduled for Saturday at 8pm, but may begin earlier if the tournament is running ahead of schedule. If a school is unwilling or unable to stay for the Awards Ceremony, they will be responsible for any costs involved with mailing ballots, trophies or any other materials left behind.

2014 Awards Ceremony

Provided by American Specialty Awards

STATE BID INFORMATION

All semifinalists in the second year divisions will AUTOMATICALLY qualify for the GFCA Varsity State Championships on March 6-8, 2015 at Marist School in Atlanta, GA.

MEALS

The Georgia Forensic Coaches Association provides all competitors with meals on Friday and Saturday, however they must have been ordered prior to registration closing.

Coaches were given meal tickets in their registration packet. No replacement meal tickets will be available.

Please do not leave campus for any meal – we did not build much time into the schedule to accommodate off campus eating.

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gaspeechanddebate.org/1st2ndState

YOUR TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS FOR: Pairings for all divisions! Field Reports for every division! Judge Information for every debate division! Congressional Legislation! Problem Guide & Solutions Updated Schedule! Photos from the Tournament! Results from the Tournament! Links to Social Media Sites!

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, TEXT THEM TO 619-THE-GFCA

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

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Schools and competitors are held repsonsible for all information included on this sheet.

Tournament Announcements:

Sign up for real time tab updates (individualized text or email notifications for all debate rounds) at gfcajvn15.tabroom.com & gaspeechanddebate.org/1st2ndstate

Follow us on Twitter for tab updates: @thegfca Like the event on Facebook to get updates and pictures: http://www.facebook.com/thegfca

Help Desk:

‐ You may visit the Help Desk in Room 715 in person for serious problems but you can ALSO: o Text us at 619-432-2586. We’re staffed with several people to answer texts, but

please allow ample time for a response, as potentially many texts may be incoming at the same time. Texts are preferable.

o Call us 619-432-2586. If we don’t answer, send us a text message rather than leaving a voicemail. If we’re too busy to answer your call, we’re also too busy to listen to your voicemail.

Locations:

Student Hangout & Postings: Cafeteria Judge Lounge: Room 715 Speech/Congress Ballot Pick up & Return: Room 718 Foyer Tab Room: Room 718

Problems regarding rounds, judges and pairings:

The following concerns should be addressed promptly and directly to the Help Desk staff, located inside or outside of the Library, adjacent to the Tab Room.

Participant is Not Posted: The Help Desk staff will arrange for you to be assigned to an appropriate round.

Room is locked: Notify the Help Desk staff with your Room Number and Event and we will work on unlocking the room as soon as we can.

Classroom in Use: If the assigned room is being used during the time allotted for competition, DO NOT INTERRUPT. All competitors and judge should proceed to the Help Desk.

Judge No Show: Competitors should text Help Desk starting ten minutes after posted start time of round. Text us your Room Number and Event.

Team No Show: Judge and other competitor should text Help Desk with your room number event, and the MISSING team code starting ten minutes after posted start time of round.

PROBLEM GUIDE & SOLUTIONS

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Important Information for competitors:

Pairings: Pairings will be available online at http://www.gaspeechanddebate.org/1st2ndstate/ and posted in front of the cafeteria unless otherwise announced, although every effort will be made to distribute debate pairings electronically. Please just sign up to follow yourself via tabroom.com if you are a debate competitor/judge.

Important Information for judges and coaches:

Ballots: All ballots can be picked up and returned in the Room 715 Foyer. Please be sure to turn in ballots after each round, since we cannot make future schedules without this critical information.

Keep your rounds on time. Please make every effort to start rounds as promptly as possible. No reason for decision should go beyond 20 minutes.

In debate, once all debaters are present please press START ROUND on your tabroom.com ballot.

In Speech, if competitors are missing at the start of the round, please everyone in your section up and start the round without the missing contestants. When the missing contestants arrive, allow them to perform without penalty. Students will be coming in and out of these rounds due to double entry. You will need to allow double-entered students to speak first (even if they are not first on your master ballot) and immediately let them leave the room to go to their next event.

Please vacate your room when all competitors are finished. You may return to the judge’s lounge to complete ballots if necessary.

Please remain in the judges lounge/cafeteria when you are not judging. We may need you to cover another round. We will be releasing ballots/pairings at least 15 minutes prior to each round. The earlier you pick up and start your round, the better.

All judges are obligated through the first elimination round of the tournament. Schools and judges should not leave campus prior to awards unless cleared by the Tournament Director. Your school will be charged a $100 fine if you do not show up for any of your rounds.

In elimination rounds, you will be paneled with other judges. Judges on a panel should not discuss the round or their decision prior to turning in their ballots. Judges in elimination rounds should sit in the front of the room with spectators behind them. Disclosure is mandatory in debate elimination rounds until Finals.

We thank you for volunteering your time this weekend and your hard work and again, we hope you enjoy your time at the State Championships.

   

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Main Campus First Floor

Individual Events will held on 300 hallway. Lincoln Douglas will be held in the 200 and 500 hallway.

CAMPUS MAP

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LHS Main Campus – Second Floor

Policy Debate will be held in the 800 and 900 hallways.

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Science Building

Public Forum and Congressional Debate will be held in the Science Building.

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First Year & Second Year Policy Debate

February 20, 2015 4:00pm-6:00pm Round 1 6:00pm-8:00pm Round 2 8:30pm-10:30pm Round 3 February 21, 2015 8:00am-10:00am Round 4 10:30am-12:30pm Round 5 1:00pm-3:00pm Octofinals 3:30pm-4:30pm Awards Ceremony4:30pm-6:30pm Quarterfinals 7:00pm-9:00pm Semifinals 9:30pm-11:30pm Finals

First Year Public Forum & First Year Lincoln Douglas

February 20, 2015 4:00pm-6:00pm Round 1 6:00pm-8:00pm Round 2 8:30pm-9:45pm Round 3 February 21, 2015 8:00am-10:00am Round 4 10:30am-12:30pm Round 5 1:00pm-3:00pm Octofinals 3:30pm-5:00pm Quarterfinals 5:30pm-6:45pm Semifinals 7:15pm-8:00pm Finals 8:00pm-9:00pm Awards Ceremony

Second Year Public Forum & Second Year Lincoln Douglas

February 20, 2015 4:00pm-6:00pm Round 16:00pm-8:00pm Round 28:30pm-9:45pm Round 3February 21, 20158:00am-10:00am Round 410:30am-12:30pm Round 51:00pm-3:00pm Quarterfinals3:30pm-5:00pm Semifinals5:30pm-7:00pm Finals 8:00pm-9:00pm Awards Ceremony

First Year Speech

February 20, 2015 5:00pm-7:00pm Round 18:00pm-9:45pm Round 2February 21, 20158:00am-10:00am Round 310:30am-12:30pm Round 41:00pm-3:00pm Round 53:30pm-5:00pm Semifinals in IMP,

Finals in others 5:30pm-7:00pm Finals in IMP8:00pm-9:00pm Awards Ceremony

Varsity Congressional Debate

February 20, 2015 5:15pm-5:30pm Student Meeting5:30pm-6:00pm Judge Meeting

Student Agenda Setting in Chamber 6:00pm-8:00pm Session I8:30pm-10:30pm Session IIFebruary 21, 2015 10:00am-12:00pm Session III1:00pm-3:00pm Finals3:30pm-4:30pm Awards Ceremony

All schedules are tentative. DO NOT LEAVE CAMPUS.

SCHEDULES BY EVENT

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Tournament Director

Jeffrey Miller, Marist School GFCA President

Logistics Director

Walter Cotter, Lassiter High School

Tab Room Directors

Policy Debate Tab Director

James Brock, Houston County High School GFCA Vice President

Public Forum/Lincoln Douglas Tab Director

Jonathan Waters, Grovetown High School GFCA Secretary

Speech Tab Director

Richard Bracknell, Carrollton High School GFCA Treasurer

Tabroom.com Supervisor

John Holland, Emory University

Tournament Operations Staff

Tournament Ombudsman

Mario Herrera, Henry W. Grady High School GFCA Past President

Ballot Table Coordinator

Pamela Childress, Valdosta High School

Pre-Tournament Technology Help

Garrett Abelkop, Chattahoochee High School Bill Batterman, Woodward Academy

Help Desk Director

Lauren Donnenfeld, Alpharetta High School

TOURNAMENT STAFF

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Second Year Policy Debate (Began in 2002) 2002 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Steven Stein 2003 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Steven Stein 2004 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Steven Stein, Adam Smiley 2005 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Adam Smiley, James Herndon 2006 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Adam Smiley, James Herndon 2007 Calhoun High School Calhoun J. Lane Bearden, Ed Williams 2008 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek James Herndon, Luke Hill 2009 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Maggie Berthiaume, Lauren Vevoda 2010 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Maggie Berthiaume, Lauren Vevoda 2011 Pace Academy Atlanta Shunta Jordan, Jordana Sternberg 2012 Westminster Schools Atlanta Jenny Heidt 2013 Pace Academy Atlanta Shunta Jordan, Jordana Sternberg 2014 Westminster Schools Atlanta Jordana Sternberg First Year Policy Debate without Novice Packet (Began in 2002, Discontinued in 2008, Restarted in 2012) 2002 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Steven Stein 2003 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Steven Stein 2004 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Steven Stein, Adam Smiley 2005 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek Adam Smiley, James Herndon 2006 Calhoun High School Calhoun J. Lane Bearden 2007 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek James Herndon, Luke Hill 2008 Chattahoochee High School Johns Creek James Herndon, Luke Hill 2012 Pace Academy Atlanta Shunta Jordan, Jordana Sternberg 2013 Pace Academy Atlanta Shunta Jordan, Jordana Sternberg 2014 Pace Academy Atlanta Shunta Jordan, Kirk Gibson Second Year Lincoln Douglas Debate (Began in 2011) 2011 Johns Creek High School Johns Creek Jeremy Spiegel, Matt Wilson 2012 Starr’s Mill High School Fayetteville Brandon Kendall, Sean Hickey 2013 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2014 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera First Year Lincoln Douglas Debate (Began in 2010) 2010 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2011 Starr’s Mill High School Fayetteville Juliana Wright, Sean Hickey 2012 Starr’s Mill High School Fayetteville Brandon Kendall, Sean Hickey 2013 Grovetown High School Grovetown Jonathan Waters 2014 Starr’s Mill High School Fayetteville Brandon Kendall, Sean Hickey

PAST CHAMPIONS

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Second Year Public Forum Debate (Began in 2011) 2011 Starr’s Mill High School Fayetteville Juliana Wright, Sean Hickey 2012 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2013 Marist School Atlanta Jeffrey Miller, Craig Skelton 2014 Carrollton High School Carrollton Richard Bracknell First Year Public Forum Debate (Began in 2011) 2011 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2012 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2013 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2014 Mcintosh High School Peachtree City Ward Abel First Year Extemporaneous Commentary (Began in 2011) 2011 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2012 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2013 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2014 Allatoona High School Acworth Tyler Gwynn First Year Impromptu Speaking (Began in 2011) 2011 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2012 Milton High School Alpharetta Lee Redding 2013 Sequoyah High School Canton Jamie Wills 2014 Allatoona High School Acworth Tyler Gwynn First Year Humorous Interpretation (Began in 2011) 2011 Central Gwinnett High School Lawrenceville DeAnne Varitek, Stephanie Bridwell 2012 Alpharetta High School Alpharetta David Gay 2013 Central Gwinnett High School Lawrenceville Keith Haber 2014 No contest held First Year Dramatic Interpretation (Began in 2011) 2011 McEachern High School Marietta Connie Holloway 2012 Alpharetta High School Alpharetta David Gay 2013 Sequoyah High School Canton Jamie Wills 2014 Piedmont Academy Monticello Bobbi Sauls First Year Duo Interpretation (Began in 2011) 2011 Starr’s Mill High School Fayetteville Juliana Wright, Sean Hickey 2012 Alpharetta High School Alpharetta David Gay 2013 Bremen High School Bremen Richard Bracknell 2014 Starr’s Mill High School Fayetteville Sean Hickey

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First Year Original Oratory (Began in 2011) 2011 Lakeview Academy Gainesville Julia King 2012 McEachern High School Marietta Connie Holloway 2013 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2014 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera First Year Prose & Poetry (Began in 2011) 2011 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2012 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2013 Fayette County High School Fayetteville Kahlilah Pagan 2014 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera Varsity Congressional Debate – House of Representatives 2013 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera 2014 Marist School Atlanta Jeffrey Miller

Varsity Congressional Debate – Senate 2013 Lee County High School Leesburg Bill Swafford 2014 Henry W. Grady High School Atlanta Mario Herrera

In 2001, the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association under the leadership of Richard Bracknell of Carrollton officially created the JV/Novice State Championships. Created as a brainchild of Steven Stein of Chattahoochee and Lisa Willoughby of Henry W. Grady, the tournament served the state to honor our first and second year state championships. The tournament originally offered only JV and Novice policy divisions and a Varsity Lincoln Douglas division for a State Championship. The divisions grew each year and grew in competitiveness. Under the leadership of Steven Stein and Adam Smiley, Chattahoochee High School won the first four State Championships in JV and Novice Policy. Due to its growth, Novice Lincoln Douglas was added in 2010. In 2011, the Georgia Forensic Coaches Association became the official governing body of all speech and debate activities in the state. Under the leadership of Mario Herrera of Henry W. Grady, the coaches association voted to add first and second year divisions in Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum and all seven Individual Events, making the tournament the largest in the state by offering twenty different divisions. More changes occurred in 2013 with the addition of the Varsity Congressional Debate Championships to coincide with the First & Second Year Tournament. Under the leadership of Jeffrey Miller of Marist School, the Association also voted to remove Second Year Individual Events divisions to more closely align the tournament with our invitationals. The tournament remains the largest tournament offered in the state and is one of the most popular among coaches and students. Currently, the GFCA is under the leadership of Jeffrey Miller of Marist School, James Brock of Houston County, Jonathan Waters of Grovetown and Richard Bracknell of Carrollton. The Association sanctions eighteen invitationals a year servicing more than 5,000 students each year.