Central High School Debate

Travel Expectations

Congratulations and thank you for choosing Debate at Central High School! Not only is Central
Debate a great place to compete and show off your brains, but I am also convinced that it is the
most beneficial co-curricular activity you can participate in in high school.

Central Debate has a long tradition and a powerful reputation in Wisconsin and the Midwest.
As a member of the team, you will benefit from that tradition and reputation, but you are also
expected to live up to the expectations created by that tradition and reputation. We will
maintain a high standard of sporting ethics, professionalism, and comportment, both in debate
rounds and outside. Not only are you representing Central High School, you also represent
Debate within Central and in the community, and the coaches who sponsor you.

Sporting and debate ethics. Within debate and any competition some baseline rules are
required. You should always be a “good sport”—shake your opponents’ hands after every
debate, always use appropriate language, assist your teammates at every opportunity, offer a
helping hand to opponents, as this is an educational venture. Students who inappropriately
criticize opponents, teammates, or judges, especially at the tournament site, may lose travel
privileges. Actions which may be construed as cheating, such as falsifying evidence, falsely
claiming to have read evidence in a speech, or any others, may result in suspension from future
tournaments. Central Debate will adhere to the “five-mile” rule regarding discussions of the
tournament—nothing bad will be said about any competitor or judge while within five miles of
the tournament site.

Student conduct. There will be absolutely no alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or weapons on debate
travel or practice time. These items are illegal for all members of our team, and anyone found
in possession or under the influence of either will be immediately suspended from the team
and will face disciplinary action from the school administration. If the student is participating in
an out-of-town tournament, the parents/guardians of the student will be expected to make
immediate travel arrangements for the student to return home at their own expense.
Possession of tobacco by persons under the age of 18 is illegal, but even for those students of
age it is illegal to possess or use tobacco products on a school campus. Regardless of age,
possession or use of tobacco while participating as a member of the team will result in team
suspension and disciplinary action.

Students must always remain on the host school campus. Any student who leaves the campus
without a Central coach or prior coach-approved substitute (parent/guardian, etc.) will be
suspended from tournaments for the remainder of the year. Additionally, students must always
remember we are guests at someone else's campus, and they should behave themselves
accordingly. Trespassing in unauthorized areas, vandalism, and theft are among the list of
things that are absolutely forbidden, and punishment will be swift and severe both from a team
and school perspective but, potentially, with law enforcement as well.
Travel and hotels. For out-of-town tournaments, hotel room assignments will be made based
on gender identity. Although in some cases students may work together with each other before
curfew, students are not allowed in a hotel room assigned to another gender identity without
coach or parent supervision. Sexual contact of any sort between students is forbidden. Students
from other schools are not permitted in any Central room, and Central students are not to be in
another school's rooms either (without coach permission). There will be a curfew each night
that students are to follow; coaches and/or chaperones will verify that each student is in the
proper room and students are then not allowed to leave the room for any reason (except if
instructed by hotel security or management) until the next morning. Students are never to
leave the hotel or tournament site without a Central coach or chaperone. Incidental charges
will be turned off at the hotel for all students, but any charges made anyway will be the
responsibility of all of those in the offending room. Finally, violation of team or school rules may
result in the student being ineligible to compete the next day, removal from the tournament at
the parent/guardian's expense, suspension from the squad, and/or school discipline.
Fundamentally, please remember that travelling with the Debate team is a privilege, not a right.

If there is a valid reason for squad members to leave the tournament separately, prior to the
team departing on the bus, Mr. Hamburger must be notified in advance to give his permission.
Only the parent or legal guardian of the student in question may pick up the student, and they
are expected to check out with Mr. Hamburger or the Central Debate sponsor prior to leaving.
Failure to follow these procedures may result in immediate suspension from tournaments.
Again, this is a team activity, and the expectation is that we will travel to and from tournaments
as a team!

Tournament attire. Speech and debate competitions call for a more formal dress code than
many high school students have experienced before. Tournament competition expectations
could generally be described as “business casual.” Students should plan to wear a tie or a
sweater over a dress shirt with slacks, dresses, pantsuits, or blouses and skirts. Blue jeans are
generally not considered acceptable competition clothing. There may be certain tournaments
where “business formal” attire may be required; in these cases, Mr. Hamburger will
communicate this requirement with substantial warning.

It is also worth noting that debaters should choose comfortable clothing as debate
tournaments are long days. For instance, although heeled shoes are certainly allowed, flats are
more sustainable over a potentially 12-hour day. It should be noted that, for one day
tournaments, students are to be dressed before they board the van to head to a competition
site and must remain in competition attire until they are eliminated from the tournament; at
this point, they may change into anything that would be considered "school appropriate." If
acquiring appropriate debate attire is ever financially difficult, please contact Mr. Hamburger
privately, so that arrangements can be made.

Costs. Central Debate is committed to allowing students to travel and compete regardless of
their socio-economic status and ability to pay for any tournament. In most cases, the Debate
team will pay for entries to tournaments, team transportation to and from tournaments, and
lodging at overnight tournaments. There will be instances when costs and budgets require a
contribution to cover these costs from debaters’ families. In these cases, Mr. Hamburger will
communicate requirements well in advance. Barring extreme budget crisis, at no time will
inability to pay result in a debater being excluded from a tournament. Food is the lone
expense which is not normally covered by school funds on debate travel, and that debaters/
families are therefore expected to cover. There are normally opportunities for relatively cheap
food at debate tournaments—most hotel stays will include free breakfasts, and most debate
tournaments will include meals and concessions at reasonable rates. Dinners are often
opportunities to have team dinners, and this will sometimes include opportunities for unique
dining experiences, within reasonable cost. Generally, debaters should carry cash in the range
of $20-$25 per day for food to be safe. At no meal will a Central Debater go hungry, but we
encourage students to bring sufficient funds for themselves if possibleto avoid incurring minor
debts. If paying for a tournament or food is ever taxing to a family, please contact Mr.
Hamburger privately so that we can make arrangements.