AGM: call for agenda items

The Annual General Meeting of the South African Schools Debating Board will be held at the National Schools Debating Championships in Johannesburg. If there are any concerns or proposals you would like to raise for this meeting, please send through a request for it to be an agenda item. With this, please send a description of the proposal or concern you would like to discuss, as well as a description of the way you see that problem being dealt with (through a specific proposal, through working group, through the efforts of the NEC of the SASDB). Please also make it clear whether you will be attending the AGM to put forward your proposal or concern or if it will be done by a representative.

 All agenda items must be in by Friday 29 November, so that we can send all of the documents to the provinicial representatives before the AGM.
Please submit these documents to Samantha Dunne on sam.dunne.sasdb@gmail.com.

Call for applications: assistant national coach

The South African Schools Debating Board invites all suitable candidates to apply for the position of assistant national coach. Two assistant coach positions have been opened.
In a continued effort to develop the strength of South Africa’s debating pool, all 12 South African trialists will attend international tournaments in 2014. Trials will be held to select the official South African Team which will represent South Africa at WSDC 2014. In addition to this team, the remaining trialists will be divided into SA “A” teams.
Given this structure, the responsibilities of the assistant coaches will include:
  • Assist in training the trials squad. A training camp will be held from the 21st to 23rd March 2014.
  • Act as a national selector at SA Trials between the 1st and 4th May 2014.
  • Coach as well as accompany one of the SA “A” teams on an international tour in 2014.
  • Assist in the training of the South African team in advance of their 2014 WSDC campaign.
 Your application should comprise the following:
  1. Your name and contact details
  2. A brief CV indicating your past involvement in debating
  3. A brief written motivation
Please submit applications on or before the 5th  of November 2013. Successful candidates will be announced on the 12th  of November 2013. The SASDB reserves the right to change any elements of this procedure should it see fit.
Please email all questions and applications to:
Luke Churchyard: LChurchyard@fnb.co.za AND
The SASDB: sasdbinfo@gmail.com
Please forward this email on to anyone else who might be interested in applying.
Luke Churchyard
Head Coach 
South African Schools Debating Team

NSDC Independent Adjudicator Applications

Dear debating community,

Applications for independent adjudicators have been extended! The deadline is now Monday, 4 November.

 The Chief Adjudication Panel of the South African National Schools Debating Championships (SANSDC) 2013  would like to invite all interested parties to apply to be independent adjudicators at the SANSDC 2013 in Gauteng. Any applicants would be required to adjudicate at SANSDC 2013, from the 6th of December till the 12th of December 2013.

Requirements

To be an independent adjudicator, you must commit to attending the SANSDC 2013 from the 6th of December till the 12th of December 2013 at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Unfortunately, this means that those who are interested in attending SANSDC 2013 will be required to miss, at the very least, the break rounds of the Pan-African University Debating Championships 2013 due to the clash. Applicants will also be required to pay a registration fee of R780.00 if you require food and accommodation and R300 if you require no accommodation and lunch each day.

Application Process

All complete applications should be emailed to the CA at paidamoyo.mang@gmail.com. The application should include the following:

  1.  A full debating CV including your name and contact details, your debating experience (focusing on adjudication and speaking in WSDC Style). It is preferred that you have at least TWO REPUTABALE DEBATING references (include their names, email addresses and cellphone numbers).
  2. A brief letter of motivation for you application
  3. Written answers to the following questions:
    1. Please provide an explanation of how you adjudicate WSDC debates.
    2. What speaker score range is used in WSDC Style Debating? Consider both main and reply speeches.
    3. What are the weights for content, style and strategy? Give a description of each category.
    4. Is it possible to win a debate based on style?
    5. The first speaker of the proposition squirrels the motion, the first speaker of the opposition challenges the definition however later abandons their alternative definition. Which team will win the debate?
    6. In which category would you score a speaker for a point of information they offer?
    7. What is the role of the first speaker of the opposition? What is the role of the third speaker of the proposition?
    8. The third speaker of the proposition provides very unpersuasive rebuttal and the third speaker of the opposition changes the oppositions’ team line in favour of a more persuasive one. Which team will win the debate?

Please email all questions and applications to Paida Mangondo at paidamoyo.mang@gmail.com. Please forward this email to anyone else who might be interested in applying for the position.  We look forward to receiving many colourful and impressive applications.

Kind regards,

The CAP SANSDC 2013

Announcement of SA Head Coach and Academy Coach

Dear SA Debating Community,

2013 has been one of the most successful years ever for the Academy and SA Debating teams.

Reflecting this it is the pleasure of the SASDB NEC to announce the reappointmentsof Luke Churchyard and Leanne Horwitz to the respective positions of SA Head and Academy Coach.

Luke and Leanne both enjoyed unprecedented success in their respective roles this year and we fully expect the continuity of their involvement to ensure that the structures they have implemented across the country become institutions of longevity and consistency.

We trust they will continue to serve all of us with pride.

Announcement: NSDC DCAs

Dear Members of the South African Schools’ Debating Community,

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who applied for the position of Deputy Chief Adjudicator (DCA) for the 2013 South African National Schools Debating Championships (SANSDC). Numerous exceptional applications were received this year. After much deliberation, discussion and evaluation of the applicants I have decided to select three DCAs for SANSDC 2013. The process included the evaluation each applicants experience across all aspects of debating, their ability to set and evaluate original motions as well as assess existing ones, and their ability to motivate their methods of adjudication.Furthermore, the referees of each applicant were contacted and the orgcomm and SASDB exec were probed for additional input.

After much consideration, it is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Brynne Guthrie (Gauteng), Kira Dusterwald (Western Cape) and Romeo Gumede (Eastern Cape) as the DCAs of SANSDC 2013. Congratulations and I look forward to working with you.

Kind regards, Paidamwoyo Mangondo

National Chief Adjudicator, South African Schools Debating Board

SA Academy Team win Southern Africa Debate Time

The SASDB is so incredibly proud of the SA Academy Team! Bettina Buabeng Baidoo, Jordach Sheriden Govender and Nonhlanhla Masanabo have won the Southern Africa Debate Time competition in Zambia. They have done a fantastic job and continue to prove that South Africa can produce debaters of impeccable quality, passion and excellence! Well done to the speakers and their coach, Leanne Horwitz. We’re so excited to see what you do next.