SA 2021 Team

Senior Trials

Senior trialists came from three different sources and totalled 36 trialists and this was their process:

  1. The top 15 speakers as ranked on the tab at Nationals will automatically be invited to trial.
    Where ranking ties exist, we will count each speaker as one so the actual number of speakers we select might be more than 15 but none of them will have a ranking below 15th.
  2. The next group of 10 speakers will be invited based on a selection process similar to the one we have had historically. Given the difficulties of having full-on selection discussions online, a pool of selectors will be adjudicating different debates and submitting feedback via Google Forms. The cumulative data from these forms will be used to determine the next pool of speakers invited to trial. In the event that we only have 15 speakers ranking top 15, 10 speakers will be selected from this process. In the event that more than 15 speakers rank in the top 15, we will adjust the number down from 10 accordingly i.e. if 16 speakers rank top 15, only 9 speakers will be selected from this second process. Provinces will be asked to provide selectors that they trust and other selectors will be asked to join the pool based on registration data from CAP. In order to be considered eligible for selection, speakers will have to speak at least twice.
  3. The third group of 11 speakers will come from applications open to the general public. Here speakers who have not fallen into the first category, either by virtue of not being selected at Nationals or not having been selected to compete at Nationals will have a chance to apply. This application process will be similar to the one we have had historically. Here speakers will have a chance to apply and will submit a portfolio that fulfils the requirements as will be set by a panel of SA Junior selectors. These portfolios will be anonymously judged and the 11 portfolios that indicate the most promise will accordingly be selected.


    Junior Selection

    Junior trialists came from three different sources and totalled 24 trialists and this was their process:

    1. The top 10 speakers as ranked on the tab at Nationals will automatically be invited to trial. Where ranking ties exist, we will count each speaker as one so the actual number of speakers we select might be more than 10 but none of them will have a ranking above 10th.
    2. The next group of 7 speakers will be invited based on a selection process similar to the one we have had historically. Given the difficulties of having full-on selection discussions online, a pool of selectors will be adjudicating different debates and submitting feedback via google forms. The cumulative data from these forms will be used to determine the next pool of speakers invited to trial. In the event that we only have 10 speakers ranking top 10, 7 speakers will be selected from this process. In the event that more than 10 speakers rank in the top 10, we will adjust the number down from 7 accordingly i.e. if 11 speakers rank within the top 10, only 6 speakers will be selected from this second process. Provinces will be asked to provide selectors that they trust and other selectors will be asked to join the pool based on reg data from CAP. In order to be considered eligible for selection, speakers will have to speak at least twice.
    3. The third group of 7 speakers will come from applications open to the general public. Here speakers who have not fallen into the first category, either by virtue of not being selected at Nationals or not having been selected to compete at Nationals will have a chance to apply. This application process will be similar to the one we have had historically. Here speakers will have a chance to apply and will submit a portfolio that fulfils the requirements as will be set by a panel of SA Junior selectors. These portfolios will be anonymously judged and the 7 portfolios that indicate the most promise will accordingly be selected.