I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Psalms 121:1-2

Welcome to the Heart of the Valley Debate Tournament

March 23-24, 2023

Location:

Big Valley Christian School

4040 Tully Road

Modesto, California

Welcome to our annual Heart of the Valley Tournament in Modesto!

We will be offering all Stoa debate events: TP, LD and Parli.

We are excited to have you join us! Please let us know if you have any questions ModestoDebate@gmail.com

Registration Dates:

Opens: Saturday, Feb. 25, 8:00 am
Closes: Friday, Mar. 3, 8:00 pm

Entry Procedure

  • Please click on the "Student Registration" tab above and complete all necessary steps. To add students to a family registration, click ADD STUDENT.
  • Registration questions can be directed to the registrar at marywinther@gmail.com
  • March 3rd at 8:00 PM is the deadline to drop with a full refund minus 15% administrative/ processing fee. After that time no fees will be refunded for dropped events unless approved by the tournament director.
  • Please register for ONLY the events you are sure to want to compete in.
  • If you register on the same computer as another family, be sure to log out after the first family registers to avoid having the second registration overwrite the first.

Payment: Registration is not complete until your fees have been paid. This can be done automatically at the end of the registration process by clicking the "Pay" button and following the prompts. If you have not paid and another student on the waitlist has paid, you will be bumped to the waitlist while another paid student takes your spot. All registrations not paid by 8:00 pm on Friday, March 3rd will be dropped.

General Guidelines

  • The registration information at http://modesto10.homeschooldebate.net needs to be filled out, transmitted, and all fees paid to reserve a space at the tournament. A team is not registered until both partners are registered and have paid.
  • Dress Code: Participants should adhere to Stoa dress code guidelines during the tournament. These can be found at the StoaUSA website.
  • Competitor Eligibility: Any student who meets the requirements set forth in the Stoa Eligibility Rules may participate. Eligibility Rules are found at the Stoa Membership website.
  • Participants must be Stoa members in order to participate in this Stoa Qualifying Tournament. Please ensure that your family affiliation is renewed and that the student information is correct before attempting to register for this tournament. Affiliate registration will not be offered on site at the tournament. Please go to the Stoa Membership Website for more details on becoming a Stoa member.

Time Keeper Volunteers

Commitment: Entrants are asked to provide a volunteer to serve as a timer, if possible. Family members and friends who are attending the tournament can volunteer to be a timer. Please register using the Timer Registration tab above. Thank you!

While we will do our best to provide a timer for each debate round, debaters should be prepared to self-time, should that be necessary. You can familiarize yourselves with self-timing here.

Questions?

Please contact Tournament Director at marywinther@gmail.com