A few of you may already have an idea of what "the other side of a tournament" looks like, and for that, be very grateful. To those who don't, let me just say that I was like you, and I now wish I had known four years ago. So, I thought I would do my best to give you at least a snapshot.
To my dear NCFCA leadership, as well as parent and alumni staff,
Thank you for serving the way that you do, especially when the competitors, the ones you serve so selflessly, are never able to see it.
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I Thought I Knew It All...
I spent three years in the NCFCA Speech and Debate League, and I felt like I had experienced the full span of the playing field, as it were. By the time I bowed out, I had competed in speech events from all three categories and both forms of debate. I had tournaments where I sucked and tournaments where I rocked. I knew the shocks, disappointments, triumphs, and frustrations. I thought I was fairly well versed in the NCFCA.
Not Even Close...
I was wrong. I knew the competitor's side of the tournament inside-out, upside-down, and back again. However, little did I know that there was an entire side to the tournament to which I was completely oblivious, one that is just as intense and exhausting.
I Never Saw My Mother Again...
I started to realize the existence of the world beyond the No-Competitors-Beyond-This-Point sign when my mom began to work on the administrative staff at tournaments, and I never saw her at tournaments again. Even after the tournament, the happenings within "the world beyond" were not for a competitor to know. What happens in tab stays in tab until the awards ceremony, and any without actually seeing it happen, I never really understood the other stories.
Puget Sound...
Suffice it to say, I learned far more than I expected to this year. I arrived at the Puget Sound tournament, found my "Alumni Judge" nametag, and walked cautiously into the judges room. I watched other judges deliberate over their ballots. I spent a lot longer than tab would have liked me to on my ballot, explaining my difficult decision. I watched ballot admin work their magic. I watched ballot check dilligently perform their monotonous job. I sat through orientation thinking, "All of this was happening before, and I had absolutely no clue."
Emerald City...
Then, I worked script submission at Emerald City, and my respect for administrative staff's abilities grew immensely. Not that putting pink and yellow dashes on a cover sheet was really that difficult, but I watched as the script submission director and staff worked around an incredibly tight schedule and through the rather tedious process of script filing, and deliberated over how to get the rest of the students through the system before the first speech round began. They were meticulous, they were diligent, they were dedicated, and they were always smiling.
Regional Invitational...
Finally, at the Regional Invitational Tournament, I was privileged to work as the tournament director's personal assistant, which basically means I was able to watch everything and work in the middle of it. I had one ear tuned "behind the scenes" to the communications team, listening as they kept the event running and on time. I watched the runners blitz (cool and nonchalant) in and out of the judges area, faithfully delivering the ballot packets to tab, who was waiting patiently, in their little room they called home all tournament long, for the next installment of ballots to enter, process, copy, and file (and a lot of other steps that I'm missing). I watched ballot administration graciously deal with judge issues, and round after round panel judges as fairly as they possibly could. I watched judge hospitality work tirelessly and nonstop to provide a wonderful selection of food for our judges. The judge greeters were always smiling, talking, writing, and organizing nametags, ballot check ran as smoothly as ever, and our tournament coordinator kept a helpful eye on every station all at the same time. And competitors are never able to see it happen.
No One Had a Clue...
As the tournament slideshow at the awards ceremony began, the students would plaudit enthusiastically as their fellow competitors appeared on the screen. One by one, each picture was either laughed at or cheered for. Then, a couple pictures that were taken in judge orientation appeared on the screen. I realized that I was one of the very few who were responding, or even knew where those photos had been taken, or what they meant.
The Two Sides of a Tournament Never Meet...
While the competitors are waiting for postings...
...ballot administration is helping judges find ballots.
While competitors are in round...
...runners are headed to tab with the previous round's ballots,
...and tab is busy.
While the competitors are waiting between rounds,
...the tab room is working away processing ballots and filing them.
While competitors are waiting for the awards ceremony to begin...
...the communications team is resetting rooms,
...the facility team is cleaning up,
...judge orientation is being taken down,
...by parents who are wishing they could be in the sanctuary,
...the the tab room is printing certificates and putting ballots in envelopes,
...the awards ceremony team is poised and ready,
...the tournament director is reviewing her notes,
...and the personal assistant is watching in awe, realizing how much she didn't know.
Friends, this is what goes on beyond the "No Competitors Beyond This Point" sign. I just thought you should know.
Leadership, parents, and alumni, "thank you" doesn't say enough.
