to those in denial

[Michael R. Dickman]

Berube reports that the biggest reason schools drop out is because the coach left.  Tuna replies there is a shortage of good coaches and we need to provide more coaches.  The picture this gives me is of a dog chasing its own tail.  The question Berube's research should be asking us is why did the coach leave?  The young ga's say give us our turn and watch out! ... anyone else remember when the young ga's were saying that they were different because they were the first generation to have debated their whole college career in ceda.  Give us (the true ceda people) our turn and watch out!  How many of them are now of the saurian persuasion, or have left the activity?  

On another note.  Some of you have responded to Mike Eaves lament from the school with a $4k budget by saying that he should not expect a national championship with that kind of a budget.  Well, knowing Mike, I don't think he dreams that dream, what I think he and many from small budget one coach teams would like is an arena where we can teach our students the lessons, joys and heartaches that make up academci debate.  We had it not that long ago in strong regional tournaments.  They (the strong regional tournaments) are the true dinosaurs in this discussion and what some of us are trying to do is figure a way to get it back.  

The question may be, is can a strong national circuit and a strong regional circuit co-exist? What are the trade offs one group imposes on the other?  How can a rough balance be struck between the two?  Finger pointing on both sides doesn't cut it.  Saying young ga's are destroying sound debate principles is not the way to solve the problem,  saying that the regional people are argumentatively back ward and want to go back to a "golden age" that never existed, doesn't solve the problem. 

What I think both sides want are viable arenas to play in, how do we get there from here?

Mike 
CC Debate

----------
From:   Alfred C. Snider[SMTP:asnider at ZOO.UVM.EDU]
Sent:   Thursday, March 12, 1998 3:59 PM
To:     EDEBATE at LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject:        Re: to those in denial

David Berube did some interesting research on this. Results came up as to
why schools stopped debating CEDA, and the winner was.... The coach left. A
dedicated coach left a program and could not be replaced. (biggest reason)

There is a shortage of good debate aocehs in America.

Tuna

>has any one contactedthose schools that participated  at ceda nats over
>the past several years and are not this year?  what do their program
>directors and students say?  i'd just like to know who isn't
>participating that once was and what their reasons are for not
>participating.
>
>take care,
>
>joel

Alfred Charles Snider -- "Tuna", Edwin W. Lawrence Professor of Forensics,
University of Vermont, Mail: 475 Main Street, UVM, Burlington, VT
05405-4225, Phone: 802-656-0097, Fax: 802-656-4275; President, Cross
Examination Debate Association 1997-98
http://debate.uvm.edu/ceda.html; DEBATE CENTRAL:  Debate's Biggest Website
 http://debate.uvm.edu/
+++++
WORLD DEBATE INSTITUTE 1998 - make plans now - http://debate.uvm.edu/ndi.html