Flash Photography is not Permitted OR The Stampede That Could Stop Nationals
Welcome to our coverage of the NFL National Tournament! I have been blessed with the enviable position of Policy Debate ballot table and runner (oh thrill, actually, it's kinda fun, but ya know, hectic (but not really hectic, things run real smooth!)). Anywho, here are some of the days fun events:
1. After 4 rounds, judges are still forgetting to do basic things like MAKE A DECISION- I literally lost track of how many ballots came in with no winner listed on them. That's special.
2. People tend to forget to fill out the tops of ballots, like with their name and code.
3. I had a student who kept asking me if we were going to post US Extemp results... which is in a completley different school!
4. Barbra McCain put a personal ad for me in the tournament reporter, which is the newsletter that goes around the tournament. So far, no one seems interested in a single 20 something tab room worker.
5. We had a debate as to who should chastize the next (read: someone has done this once already) mother (not as in motherfucker, but maternal mother) who videotapes their child in a round "because I want him to remember nationals forever". We settled on the debate chairperson.
6. My old coach is the person in charge of hospitality for the whole tournament... more specifically... our tab room!
7. In the middle of tabbing round 4, our chair had to leave to handle a crisis. The problem? Cows had gotten loose from the agricultural studies area of the school. Yes, Grapevine HS has its own cattle. Yes, he had to help chase them down. When he said "I had to go to take care of cows", it took me literally 20 minutes to realize that the cows were NOT a metaphor.
1. After 4 rounds, judges are still forgetting to do basic things like MAKE A DECISION- I literally lost track of how many ballots came in with no winner listed on them. That's special.
2. People tend to forget to fill out the tops of ballots, like with their name and code.
3. I had a student who kept asking me if we were going to post US Extemp results... which is in a completley different school!
4. Barbra McCain put a personal ad for me in the tournament reporter, which is the newsletter that goes around the tournament. So far, no one seems interested in a single 20 something tab room worker.
5. We had a debate as to who should chastize the next (read: someone has done this once already) mother (not as in motherfucker, but maternal mother) who videotapes their child in a round "because I want him to remember nationals forever". We settled on the debate chairperson.
6. My old coach is the person in charge of hospitality for the whole tournament... more specifically... our tab room!
7. In the middle of tabbing round 4, our chair had to leave to handle a crisis. The problem? Cows had gotten loose from the agricultural studies area of the school. Yes, Grapevine HS has its own cattle. Yes, he had to help chase them down. When he said "I had to go to take care of cows", it took me literally 20 minutes to realize that the cows were NOT a metaphor.