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SPAR Debate Rules
BASICS
Up to Eight competitors per room
Four 1 vs. 1 debates per room
Rounds are judged like a speech round, with each competitor individually ranked 1st–8th
Ranks will be truncated to 5
Speaker Matchups
Debates are based on speaker order:
1st vs. 2nd
3rd vs. 4th
5th vs. 6th
7th vs. 8th
Sides will be flipped for each debate. The winner of the coin flip chooses their side before topic selection.
ROUND PROCESS
1. Topic Selection
The judge provides three tournament-approved topics
The affirmative speaker strikes one topic
The negative speaker strikes one additional topic
The remaining topic is debated
This process repeats for each new debate within the round.
2. Preparation
2 minutes of prep time
Both debaters prep simultaneously
3. Speaking Structure
2 – 2 – 4 – 2 – 2
1AC – 2 minutes
1NC – 2 minutes
Crossfire – 4 minutes
1AR – 2 minutes
1NR – 2 minutes
4. Next Debate
The same process is repeated for the remaining sets of debaters
A new set of topics is used for each debate
RULES
Research and use of technology during prep time is not allowed
Debaters not currently debating must respectfully watch for the entire round, even after they have spoken
The affirmative always speaks first
Crossfire is an open dialogue focused on questions and answers, not arguments
Debaters must manage their own time during crossfire
Non-active competitors may raise their hand to ask a question during crossfire if recognized by one of the active debaters
No prep time is allowed between speeches
A 10-second grace period is permitted
Competitors who exceed the grace period may not be ranked 1st
Odd Number of Competitors
If there is an odd number of entries in a room, the first speaker will debate both the second and last speaker.
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