You are cordially invited to participate in the Denver Urban Debate League's season opener, the BakerHostetler Classic hosted at the Sturm College of Law, University of Denver​. This tournament will be held on Saturday October 17th, 2026 in the Sturm College of Law building (2255 E Evans Ave, Denver, CO 80210).

 

All schools that are planning to attend must pre-register through speechwire.com no later than 5pm on Wednesday, October 14th. You will be allowed to make drops, add entries, and make name changes until then. If you are making a significant number of changes, or if you need to add/drop entries past that date, please email me at nategraziano@denverdebate.org. 

 

Events: We are offering Policy Debate, Novice Policy Debate, Debate en Español, Student Congress, Mixed Speech, Impromptu, Slam Poetry, and Interpretation. As the first tournament of the season we are intending to run 4 preliminary rounds and no out rounds, but will recognize all competitors at our awards ceremony. All speech and debate events will take place during their respective speech or debate wave. 

 

Speech: We offer Mixed Speech, Impromptu, Slam Poetry, and Interpretation during our speech waves. Please advise students double entered in-wave to be promptly on time to deliver their performances for their judges.  

 

Debate: We offer varsity Policy Debate, Novice Policy Debate, Debate en Español, and Student Congress during our debate waves. Student Congress rounds will end after an hour of debate, so students will have time to double enter in a speech event if they desire. 

 

The resolution for the Policy Debate 2026-2027 season is "Resolved: The United States federal government should establish national health insurance in the United States."

 

La moción del año de Debate en Español para 2026-2027 es "La moción: El gobierno federal de los Estados Unidos debe establecer un sistema nacional de cobertura sanitaria en los Estados Unidos en el estilo de [un país]. 

 

Student Congress: Please email legislation to nategraziano@denverdebate.org if you are interested in having an authorship on the docket this tournament.

 

Congress rounds will be docket-locked with 1-2 pieces of legislation that may only be able to be debated in that round. This allows more bills to be debated over the course of the day while also pushing the students to prioritize the bills that they have prepared speeches on. This also allows for each round to “restart” and may result in different “Presiding Officers” for each different session.

 

Judging: Please bring at least 1 judge per 5 entries that you are registering (1 policy team is 1 entry.) This helps ensure the tournament can run smoothly and on time. Every effort will be made to prioritize volunteer judging, but coaches may be asked to step in and judge depending on need.

 

Schedule - Saturday the 17th

7:30-8:00am: Team and Volunteer Check-In

8:00am: Round 1 - Debate

9:00am: Round 1 - Speech

10:00am: Round 2 - Debate

11:00am: Round 2 - Speech

12:00pm: LUNCH

1:00pm: Round 3 - Debate

2:00pm: Round 3 - Speech

3:00pm: Round 4 - Debate

4:00pm: Round 4 - Speech

5:30pm: Awards Ceremony

6:00pm: Bus Departure

 

As the first tournament of the season, we will be recognizing all student competitors in all events. We will also be recognizing the top speakers in Novice Policy, Varsity Policy, and Debate en Español.

 

Please ensure that:

- Each school has proper parental permission for students to participate in the tournament. DUDL consent forms this year will be available online, accessible both before and during the tournament. Please make sure your students fill them out!

- Each school has a responsible coach both onsite and available via cellphone at all times during the tournament.

 

Food will be available to competitors, judges, and coaches. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks should be readily available throughout the tournament. We appreciate your patience with our first deployment of new events and schedule. 

 

If you have questions or concerns please email me at nategraziano@denverdebate.org. 

 

Thank you,

 

Nate Graziano

Director of Programs

Denver Urban Debate League

(vr24)