Tournaments
The USU regularly competes in various local, intervarsity and international tournaments. To be eligible to compete at these tournaments debaters must be a member of the USU and accrue special points through contributing to the Society in certain ways. You can earn points through doing things such as adjudicating or debating at regionals or helping out at a Schools Days. There are three areas where debaters must earn enough points: service, adjudication and debating.
Grand Slam
16th – 17th March
Grand Slam is the year’s first competition, run exclusively for novices. You can only debate in Grand Slam if you haven't spoken at Australs or Worlds. The format is classic 3-on-3 and you'll get useful feedback from experience debaters who've previously competed at intervarsity comps.
Australian Intervarsity Debating Championships (Easters)
Easter Break
The Australian Intervarsity Championships (affectionately known as ‘Easters’) is the first big intervarsity tournament of the year. Held during the Easter break each year it's a novice competition in high school 3-on-3 style that focuses on developing Australia's next generation of debating talent. Easters is also agreat place to meet other Sydney and Australian debaters and make begin some life long friendships.
In 2013, Easters will be hosted by Griffith University on the Gold Coast.
Sydney Open
4th – 5th May
The Sydney Open aims to bring together every Sydney debater – from the freshest first-year to the oldest hacks - in a delightful celebration of verbal contest and socialisation. The Sydney Open is typical 3-on-3 style with a unique element known as reply speeches. Replies are short, summary speeches at the very end of the debate that distinguish Australasian Intervarsity debates from local ones. The Sydney Open is a great chance to prepare for the Australasian Intervarsity (Australs) trials, and to practice the Australs style in general. Debater form into teams of four, with one member assigned to adjudicate every round. Sydney Open typically happens just after Easter each year (usually around the halfway point of Semester 1).
Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships (Australs)
14th -22nd July
The Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships (known as ‘Australs’) is one of the major tournaments on the calendar. It’s an international tournament held during the mid-semester break. The style is 3-on-3 with reply speeches. There's a novice quota that requires at least one third of the contingent to be rookie debaters. Australs draws together the best debaters from universities in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, pitting them against each other in an intense week-long competition.
Australs in 2013 will be hosted by UT Mara in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. You can read an outline of the tournament details http://utmaraaustrals2013.com/
Australasian Women's Debating Championships (Women's)
27th September – 30th September
The Australian Women's Debating Championships is an annual debating tournament in British Parliamentary style for female debaters. It brings together women from around the Australasian region for three days of competition and fabulous social events. The tournament is pro-am, pairing more experienced debaters with novices, which helps develop debating talent and creates a unique dynamic for competition. Female adjudicators are also given the chance to gain experience and skills. The tournament is also a great opportunity for competitors to meet and connect with other women in debating.
In 2013, the Australasian Women’s Debating Championship is being hosted by the University of New South Wales.
Australian British Parliamentary Championships (Sydney Mini)
6th -8th December
The Australian British Parliamentary Championships, otherwise known as Sydney Mini, is a weekend-long competition held just after the end of Semester Two at the University of Sydney. It caters to all ability levels, and is the traditional send-off tournament for teams shipping off to compete in the World Championships. Sydney Mini is a great tournament that closes the domestic year of debating in fun and style.
World University Debating Championships (Worlds)
26th December 2012 – 4th January 2013
The World University Debating Championship is the premier international tournament for debating. The best of the best from all around the globe compete for the ultimate crown of World Champions. The USU has a history of success on the global stage, winning the World Championships in 2010 and competing in the Grand Final in 2011 and 2012, and USU debaters regularly rank within the top 10 individual speakers in the world. Hosting duties for the World Championships traverses continents each year, the last three competitions were held in Turkey, Botswana and the Philippines.
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