Tournament day: the checklist

The week before

• Confirm the roster and entries with your CUDL coach. CUDL registers partner schools and pays entry fees.
• Collect permission forms. Share the schedule and pickup time with every family.
• Print two copies of every case and block, or load them on a charged device with a backup. Print flow paper.
• Read the tournament's judging instructions or paradigms if it publishes them.
• Run one practice round and one drill session. Then stop preparing the night before; sleep matters more than one more hour.

What to pack

• Cases, blocks, and evidence (paper or device plus backup)
• Flow paper or a legal pad, three pens in two colors
• A timer that is not your phone, if the tournament restricts phones
• Water and food for between rounds; tournament concessions are slow and not always open
• Business casual clothes and comfortable shoes; you will walk a lot
• A charger and a printed copy of the schedule

The morning

• Arrive when the tournament says, not when the first round starts. Registration and pairings take time.
• Find the team meeting spot and the pairings location (a posted sheet or the tournament's online system). Learn how to read a pairing: your code, your opponent's code, the room, the judge, and your side.
• Walk to your first room early and find the restroom on the way.

In the round

• Introduce yourself to the judge and ask how they would like to see the round debated. Then debate it that way.
• Ask for your opponent's evidence politely when you need it; hand over yours promptly.
• Keep your own time. Judges make timing mistakes.
• Shake hands or say thank you at the end, whatever the result.

Between rounds

• Read your ballot from the previous round if the tournament releases them. Fix one thing.
• Write down the arguments you heard that you had no answer to. Those become your blocks for next week.
• Eat. Drink water. Sit down.

After the tournament

• Collect every ballot. Read them all within two days, with your coach, and pick one lesson per round.
• Thank the volunteers who judged. Many are CUDL volunteers who gave a Saturday.
• Tell your family what you learned, not only how you did.

For competitors preparing for a bigger event, see Preparing for regional competition. Families with questions about what a tournament involves can read the student and family FAQ.