Call for adjudicators WSDC 2009‏

From Britishdebate & schoolsdebate lists

Dear debate community,

It is with a great deal of excitement that I am looking forward to the forthcoming XXIst World Schools Debating Championships in 2009. The tournament will be held between 9 and 19 February in Athens, ancient birthplace of democracy and now a fascinating, beautiful and fun city, with some of the best infrastructure and nightlife in the Mediterranean. The organising committee, led by convenor Effie Giannakouri, has secured excellent accommodation that could not possibly be more central to Athens’ major shopping, eating and entertainment districts, and world class venues for the debate rounds, including some of the most famous and important buildings in all of western culture.

The tournament also expects to see a continuation of the trend of the last few years towards larger and larger competitions. We now expect to exceed the record of 39 teams set in Washington DC in September. As chief adjudicator that makes me acutely aware of the importance of getting a large pool of qualified judges. Confident as I am that the obvious attractions of Athens and the prospects of seeing old friends again will be a powerful draw, I want to make it clear that in the past few years the tournament has suffered from not having enough judges, and so every application is both gratefully received and much-needed. With the support of the ever-growing debate community worldwide, I know that we can make Athens 2009 the best-judged tournament yet.

Applications to judge are welcomed from all experienced debate judges, not just from those who have previously adjudicated at World Schools. The application form can be found at http://www.schoolsdebate.gr/Adjudicator%20application%20form.pdf, and contains more information about the expectations we have of adjudicators. The registration deadline for the tournament was 1 December, but because we need more good international judges you can still register if you get your form in as soon as possible.

I would also be grateful if you could forward this message to any other people you think may be interested in coming to judge at the championship. Together we can reach many more national debate networks and many more potentially valuable judges than I can.

I look forward to seeing you in Athens in February. Let’s make World Schools’ twenty first birthday one to remember!

James Probert
Chief Adjudicator, XXIst World Schools Debating Championships, Athens