In Episode 24, Jared is joined by Kyle Pryor-Landman from SDSU for a recap of the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE), the last tournament of the season. They dive into what makes NPTE unique, highlighting its file prep format, where teams receive topics a month in advance to prepare their arguments. They discuss the topic selection process, which involves community voting on topic areas and individual teams writing specific topics. The topics are then refined by the topic committee through public deliberation.
They also touch on the tournament's structure, with teams using up to five topics in the preliminary rounds and then flipping a coin in elimination rounds to select topics and sides. Despite the high level of competition, this year's NPTE saw only 15 entries, leading to discussions about the tournament's future and potential reasons for the low turnout.
Jared and Kyle explore the impact of budget constraints on teams, especially community college teams, who may have already exhausted their travel funds by the time NPTE comes around. They praise NPTE's decision to host a hybrid event this year, which allowed teams to participate remotely, potentially opening up the tournament to more participants in the future.
Overall, the episode provides a comprehensive look at NPTE, its unique format, challenges faced by participants, and strategies for future growth and inclusivity.