Index of TRIEPC Menu Sections
TRIEPC Instruction Manual
NOTE: If you are an experienced TRIEPC user and are encountering a problem, be sure to consult the “problems and solutions” section at the end of this manual.
History of the TRIEPC program: This program was originally written for the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament (mid-1990s) under the direction of the late Lanny Naegelin, the highly successful San Antonio coach and longtime member of the National Forensic League Council. Mr. Naegelin specified quite precisely the features he wanted and the program was the result of numerous trials overseen by Mr. Naegelin. I like to think that Mr. Naegelin’s remarkable skill in tournament management is made available to the whole community of coaches through the use of TRIEPC.
Size and Capacity: The program is designed for the following maximum entries: 2000 Total contestants, 400 schools, 400 judges, 400 rooms, 40 events. Maximum of 6 prelim rounds and 5 elim rounds. Maximum of 5 judges in any single section. Maximum of 50 sections in any given event per round. Maximum of 9 contestants in any given section.
Disk Space: The program itself will require about two megabytes of hard disk space and the data folder will require another megabyte of hard disk space. All data files are contained in a folder called IEData; this folder is small enough to be saved on a floppy disk.
Operating Capabilities: The program is capable of automatically sectioning, assigning judges & rooms, and receiving results entry. Speaker positions are automatically optimized to account for double-entered contestants.
Use of Contestant Codes: The entry system assumes that each school will be identified by a two-letter code (the tournament director may assign any two capital letters to a school when the school is entered). Each contestant participating from that school will then be identified throughout the tournament with the two-letter school code and a three-digit numerical code following the letters (i.e. PA101). The program assumes that each contestant will compete under the same code in different events -- PA101 would have the same code in oratory and in foreign extemp, for example. It is by using the same code in multiple event entries that the program recognizes double entries.
Use of time-blocks: The program manages the assignment of rooms and judges by the assignment of time-blocks. The tournament time schedule would be used to enter blocks of time when the various events are happening. Example:
Time Block 1: 4:30-6:30 p.m. Friday All IE Rd. 1
Time Block 2: 6:30-8:00 p.m. Friday All IE Rd. 2
Once time-blocks specific to your tournament time schedule have been entered, judges and rooms can then be entered as available or unavailable in the various time-blocks. Also, judges and rooms can be "pooled" for various events in these time blocks. In Time Block 2 above, for example, a given judge can be "pooled" to judge HI (humorous interp) while another can be "pooled" to judge USX (U.S. extemporaneous speaking). When the program assigns judges, it will draw from the pools which the tournament director has pre-targeted for certain events.
Entry of debate events: This program is NOT designed to schedule debate events (team debate or LD) or Student Congress events, but it is designed to be an entry platform for these events. Once registration sheets have been printed, this program can automatically "export" the debate entries directly to the companion TRPC program which DOES schedule the debate events. There are major advantages to handling debate entries in this way: (1) Your tournament registration sheets will show all of the entries from a school -- debate and IE in one place; (2) Judge assignments can be centralized to assure that a judge is not assigned to hear more than one event in a given time block; (3) Room assignments can be managed from one central data base; (4) The program can provide overall guidance as to the number of rooms and judges needed in each tournament time block. Multiple debate divisions can be entered (VCX, NCX, VLD, NLD, for example).
Automatic vs. Manual Assignment: The program is designed to allow manual adjustments of any of its automatic assignments. Through a variety of menu choices, the tournament director can move a student move a student from one section to another, remove and replace a judge, or switch a room assignment.
Paper Backup: If at any point in the tournament (because of automatic sectioning problems or for any other reason) the tournament director can print contestant cards which will look much like the cards that tournament directors use when sectioning IE events by hand. These cards will have pre-printed all of the existing sectioning and results information entered up to the point that the cards are printed. The program can also print judge cards showing all relevant information necessary for the scheduling of judges.
Judge cards can be printed at any time; these cards list all of the contestants (in alphabetical order) that the judge has already judged along with the record of any judge blocks.
Disk Backup: The program is designed for speedy backing up of data files to a floppy disk. The entire tournament entry data base can be backed up by selecting an appropriate choice from the "Format" menu; the procedure takes less than one minute.
On-Screen viewing: This program does a better job than does its predecessor on the Macintosh of allowing the tournament director to view sections on the screen.
TRIEPC INSTALLATION
Locate the file called “Setup” and double-click it. The program will begin installing the DLLs necessary to the operation of any Microsoft VisualBasic program. You may see a message indicating that the program is trying to install a DLL when your computer already has a newer version of the DLL file. Your computer will recommend that you keep the NEWER file. You should accept this default by clicking the button to keep the newer file. You may also see a warning message indicating that the program had difficulty storing some file in your computer registry; just click the button for “Ignore.” You may be instructed to re-start your computer; if so, re-start the computer and then click the “Setup” file again. This time it should proceed to the place where you can click on TRIEPC installation.
Once the program is installed, you should be able to go to your Start menu, then to Program Files. You will now see a program called TRIEPC. Select that program.
The first time you start the program, it will report that it cannot find the IEData folder and ask whether you wish to create one. You should click the "Yes" response. The program will take you to the "Format New Files" option where you should follow the directions to format blank tournament files.
What happens if it seems that TRIEPC has been successfully installed and yet when you try to run the program you get an Error 75 (Path Not Found) error? This error results only in the situation where the computer you are using does not have a printer installed. TRIEPC in the startup phase looks for the path to the Windows default printer; if it cannot find one, it reports this error. Note that this does not mean that you have to have a printer connected or even powered on; it simply means that there must be some default printer installed on the computer. Install a printer and the error will go away.
You are now ready to begin entering tournament information, starting with the Tournament Setup options under the Format menu.
SUMMARY OF STEPS TO TAKE IN PREPARING FOR THE TOURNAMENT
1. Examine/Set all tournament format options under the format menu.
2. Enter time-blocks, events, rooms, schools, contestants, and judges.
3. Section all rounds and print out schedules the day before the tournament begins (these schedules probably will not be used, but they provide essential back-up documents which could be used if you encountered later computer problems). Make a backup floppy disk by selecting "Backup" from the "Format" menu.
4. Print the registration sheets for each school.
5. Conduct registration, making changes in the computer record as you receive drops and adds).
6. Re-do the sectioning for any events where you experienced more than one or two drops & re-print the sectioning for round one.
7. Change judges as necessary when handing out ballots and make the judge changes in the computer during round one.
Overview of TRIEPC Entry Procedures:
Order of Entry: Begin with the entry of the time-blocks. Then enter events. The only other entry-order constraint is that a school must be entered before contestants from that school can be entered. It is not necessary to enter ALL schools before beginning the entry of contestants. The recommended procedure is to begin entering schools, contestants, and judges as the entry forms are received. Rooms can be entered at any time.
Time-Block Entry: Using your tournament time schedule, enter a description of a given time-block. Start with the time range (2:00 - 4:00) and indicate a.m. or p.m. If your tournament goes over more than one day, you should indicate next the day (Fri. or Sat.). Then briefly describe the events happening at that time ("All IE Events"). The time block entry screen then asks for the listing of a starting time; this is the time that will be printed on the sectioning for events in this time block. Another entry block asks for the listing of a draw time (relevant only if some extemporaneous speaking event is happening during the time block). If a draw time is entered, this time will be printed ONLY on the extemporaneous speaking event sectioning; the program knows not to print this draw time on the sectioning for other events in the same time block.
Event Entry: Each event must have a two or three letter code (OO, USX, HI, DI, PO, etc.). Enter both the event code and the event name. You will be asked to indicate the type of event (debate, interp, extemp, etc.). This information is used to optimize judge placement. The category for "other public speaking event" should be used for events such as impromptu speaking or declamation. If the event involves two-person teams, you should click the box indicating it is a "Duo" event -- this should be done for team debate, for example. Only if the "Duo" box is clicked will the program ask for a partner code at contestant entry.
The Flight indicator (A,B,C, etc) should be used to group events which happen at the same time. If all IE events happen at the same time, they would all be Flight A.
You will be asked for the number of prelim rounds and for the letter indicating the first elim round (Q for quarters, S for semis, etc.). You will also be asked for the number of judges to be assigned in prelims and elims. At the bottom of the event entry screen you will see the list of tournament time-blocks that you have entered. It is very important that you indicate which round will occur in a time block. If you have three prelim rounds, you should list the number 1 in the time block where the first prelim round will occur, and so on through each of the prelim rounds. If you are starting in elims with quarterfinals, then list the letter Q in the time block where quarterfinals will occur, and so on through each elim round.
School Entry: Enter a two-letter code which will identify each school throughout the tournament. The program will accept any two letters, but you should avoid the use of letter combinations which could be confusing to the contestants (i.e. avoid having both a PE and a PF code -- they are too similar in appearance). You might decide to assign the letters in some way that will help you visually identify regions (i.e. all schools from a certain region starting with the letter H). You might, of course, decide to assign letters in a completely random way. Be aware, however, that the assignment of the two letter code is not optional; this program uses the two letter code for a variety of functions. Each school must have a code. Each school must also have a name. The entry of a region is, however, optional. The region is a number from one through nine. If a region is entered, the program will try to evenly distribute regions in prelim sectioning.
A school is deleted by typing the letters "del" in the space where the code normally goes. If a school is deleted, the program will automatically delete all contestants competing with the two-letter code for that school.
The school entry program is designed to start with a blank entry screen, showing only one previous entry at the top of the screen (if at least one has been entered). If you wish to see previous entries, click in the up-down bar at the left side of the screen.
Contestant Entry: You have two options for assigning codes to contestants. The first option is to allow the computer to automatically assign the number. If, for example, you enter a two-letter school code and push the return, the computer will automatically assign the next unused number for this school (beginning with 101). You also have the option of fully assigning the number by entering a five digit code (BC131, for example). You must, however, assign three numerical digits following the two-letter school code. Once the code has been entered, you can enter a contestant name. The entry of a contestant name is optional. If a name is entered, the program will not allow two identical names from the same school (you can, however, fool the computer by putting two spaces between the first and last names, rather than the normal one -- the computer will then think that it has two different people).
For each contestant entered, you may enter up to four event entries by entering the event codes in the boxes following the contestant name. If any one of the events is a duo event, you will be asked for the partner's 5-digit code.
The program is designed to start up with a blank entry screen, showing only one previously entered contestant in the top line. If you wish to see more of the previous entries, you can click in the bar at the left side of the screen.
A contestant may be deleted by typing the letters "del" in the place where the contestant code goes. This will take the contestant out of all events and remove any data record of the contestant.
NOTE: If a contestant drops out of a single event, you indicate the drop by removing the event entry at the right of the contestant name or code. Once this code has been removed, the contestant will not appear in any subsequently printed sectioning (even if the sectioning is not re-done). The program is designed to close up the space and re-number the contestants, omitting the deleted contestant. The only time that sectioning needs to be re-done is when so many contestants have dropped that sections become uneven (one with eight students and another with five, for example). The program is designed to allow you to re-section as many times as you would like; the action of re-sectioning automatically deletes any pre-existing sections.
Judge Entry: Enter judge names last-name first. Judge names are limited to 16 digits, so some abbreviation will likely be necessary (listing just first initials, for example). The program will allow entry of up to seven school codes that the judge should be blocked against (places the judge coached before or attended school, etc.). There is, however, a significant difference between the school code entered in the top box and the ones below it. If a school code is entered in the top box, the program will assume that the judge is judging FOR THAT SCHOOL as part of a school commitment. Accordingly, the judge's name will appear on the registration sheet for that school. If the judge is hired by the tournament, you would not want to enter the blocking code in the top box because you would NOT want the judge's name to be printed on the registration sheet for the school.
If the "stop scheduling" box is clicked, a judge will not be scheduled for any subsequent events. This is a better practice than to delete the judge. Judges should not be deleted once the tournament has actually begun.
The program will ask how many debate rounds and IE rounds should be judged; it will also ask whether the judge is hired. The entry of numbers in these boxes is essential for the operation of the program which automatically assigns judges to event pools.
Judge Ratings: If you intend to use any of the automatic judge assignment options, you need to rate the judge for various events. The ratings will be from zero to five in each event type. Be aware that the computer will not automatically assign a judge to any event where the rating is less than three. The computer will not assign a judge to any elim round if the rating for the event is less than four. The computer will not assign a judge to any final round if the rating is less than five. The automatic assignment function tries to assign the judges to the types of event they are BEST at. If, for example, you assign a higher rating in policy debate than in LD debate, the judge will be assigned to policy debate (for judges rated the same in policy and LD, the program will provide an assignment to policy debate on the assumption that those judges are harder to find).
Judge Availability for Time Blocks: The bottom of the screen will show all of the time blocks that you have entered. By default, each judge is shown as available in each of the time blocks. This is shown by the check mark in each box to the right of the time block. If you know that a judge will not arrive at your tournament until the third time block, you should click OFF the first two time blocks.
Judge Assignment to Pools: The edit boxes at the right of the time blocks are designed to show event codes that the judge will be targeted for. I recommend that this information NOT be entered at the time you enter each judge. Wait until all of your judges have been entered and it is the day before the tournament begins. At that time, once all entry information is substantially complete, you can use the option to "automatically assign judges to pools." The program will divide up your judges and assign them to event pools that will make best use of their capabilities. AFTER that step has been completed, you can manually click back through your judges and make whatever changes you wish.
The "second" edit box for judge pools: You will notice that there are two edit boxes at the right of each time block. The second of the edit boxes is for solely for the indication of standby assignments; if the judge is a standby for an event, the event code would appear in the first box (USX, for example) and the letters "ST" would appear in the second edit box. Once the automatic pool assignment is complete, if you want to take a judge off of standby, you would remove the "ST" letters from the second edit box. To put a judge on standby, you would type in the letters "ST."
What are the edit boxes at the top right corner of the screen? These are boxes which allow you to move consecutively through the judges which match the characteristics entered in these boxes. If you wish to view all judges targeted, or pooled, to HI, for example, you could enter HI in the event box and click the blue forward button (>) located to the left of the edit boxes. The program would stop only on those judges which have been targeted to hear at least one HI round. Suppose you wish to click through those judges which are rated as "5" (the best) in oratory events. You would enter the number 5 in the rating box and the number 4 in the type box (Types are in the order listed 1=policy debate 2=LD debate 3=extemp events 4=oratory events 5=interp events 6=congress events 7=other public speaking events). After entering 5 and 4 in the "rating" and "type" boxes, the program will stop only on those judges which are rated "5" in oratory events. Once the automatic judge pool assignment program has been used, these edit boxes are helpful for checking the assignments the computer has made.
Room Entry: Enter room names (maximum of sixteen letters) just as you would want to have them printed on your schedules. The building number (a number from 1 to 9) is really not used at all in the TRIEPC program, but it is used in the TRPC debate program. Since room information can be exported to TRPC, the building number entry box is provided. Simply give your first buiding the number one, your second building the number two, etc.
Rooms should be manually assigned to events on the entry screen. The program will automatically assign IE sections to rooms, but it will select from rooms that you have targeted for each event when you entered the rooms. You can manually type in the event codes at the right of each time block or you can use the pink button at the top right side of the entry screen to target a room for all prelim rounds in a certain event. The elim rounds have to be typed in manually (thankfully there will not be many of them).
What are the edit boxes at the top right corner of the screen? These are boxes which allow you to move consecutively through the rooms which are targeted to certain events or available in certain time blocks. Suppose, for example, you wished to click through all of the rooms targeted for the event HI. You would type the event code HI in the event box. Then click the blue forward button (>) to the left of the event box. The screen will stop only on those rooms which have been targeted or pooled to HI.
Paradigm Entry: There is a place under "Judge Pools Management" for the entry of judge paradigms in LD and policy debate. This program is specifically designed for the Texas Forensic Association State tournament. You may certainly use it if you so desire; it is unlikely, however, that you would have the time or interest in doing so in something other than a state tournament environment. The paradigm entries do NOT interact at all with the judge assignment functions. This paradigm information is entered purely for the purpose of printing a paradigm booklet for distribution to contestants.
Steps to Prepare for Auto Sectioning:
Prepare Judge Pools: Explore the options under "Judge Pools Management" which are located under the "Entry Menu." The first step in preparing judge pools is to enter the number of judges to be assigned to each event. The computer will read the number of contestants in each event and show you the number of judges you would need for various section sizes. You will then need to enter your choices for the numbers of judges you will need for each event in prelims (the computer can automatically calculate the number of elim judges needed). The second step is "Automatic Assignment to Pools." The computer, using the information you have entered in judge ratings and number of rounds to judge will try to target each of your judges to events and rounds. Be aware that the automatic assignment function will not assign a judge to hear more than one round of a given IE event (this will not be true of debate events). If, for example, you say that a judge is rated "4" or "5" in interp events, the program will likely assign this judge to hear numerous interp events HI, DI, PO, PR, DUO, etc., but it will not assign the judge to two rounds of HI. You can manually assign the judge to two HI rounds, but the automatic assignment will not do so.
Manually examine judge pools: Go into judge entry to examine how well the auto assignment program did in allocating your judges. The summary boxes at the screen bottom will show you how many judges you need versus how many you have targeted. You need to make sufficient manual adjustments so that you have enough judges in each round. You probably will need to make some use of judges in events where they are rated less than 3 -- the computer will not automatically target any judge to an event where their rating is less than 3.
Check your room numbers: Go into room entry to verify that you have a sufficient number of rooms for each round. The summary boxes at the screen bottom will show you how many rooms you have versus how many you need.
NOTE: This program can be used without entering any judge information. If judge information is not entered, the program will print blank lines where judge names can be entered at the ballot distribution table or by staff members who are using manual judge cards.
Perform Auto Sectioning: Use the Sectioning Menu to section your first prelim round. You can, of course, section all your prelims at once, but most tournaments have so many changes (no shows, etc.) in the first round that it is better to wait for the sectioning of the subsequent prelim rounds.
Check Each Section: An easy way to visually check that all rooms and judges have been assigned is to go into the "Manual Room Change" option under the "Sectioning Menu."
Print Your Sectioning: Choose the option from the "Print" menu to print your sectioning for each event.
General Recommendations & Procedures:
1. Return to the main menu from any of the subprograms by clicking the GREEN Main Menu button rather than by clicking off the check box in the top right corner of the screen.
2. Move through the entry options within an entry screen by pushing the carrier return if the program does not automatically advance to the next entry box. You can, of course, also use the tab key or directly click on an edit box in which you wish to enter something.
3. Backup your data files regularly. Backing up is simple; put a blank floppy in your disk drive and select the "7. Backup Data" option from the "Format" Menu. The backup procedure will take less than a minute. Cycle your backup disks so that you are not simply re-using one diskette for backup purposes. Use three or four backup disks, re-using the oldest backup disk once all of them have been used. Be sure to write on each disk the time of the last data backup. The backup disk provides an essential element of security because it contains ALL of the data specific to your tournament. If you ever needed to, you could restore this data by simply issuing the "8. Restore Data" command from the "Format" Menu.
Index of TRIEPC Menu Sections
Quit
Format
1. Format Blank Files for a New Tournament
Tournament Setup
2. Enter Tournament Name
3. Enter Tie-Breaking Procedures
4. Enter Sectioning Procedures
5. Enter Sweepstakes Point System
6. Backup Data
7. Restore Data
8. Erase Data
9. Export Debate Data to TRPC
Upload Data From an Access Database
Upload Data From the Fullerton Web Entry System
Upload Data From a Textfile
Upload Data From the Grapevine/JoyOfTournaments Web Entry System
Entry
10. Time Block Entry
11. Event Entry
12. School Entry
13. Contestant Entry
14. Judge Entry
15. Room Entry
16. Judge Pools Management
17. Specify Number of Judges Needed for Each Event in Prelims
18. Automatic Judge Assignment to Pools
19. Enter Judge Paradigm Information
Enter Judge Strikes
20. Ballot Entry
Print
21. Print Events
22. Print Schools
23. Print Contestants
24. Print Judges
25. Print Rooms
26. Print Double-Entry Double-Check
27. Print Master Ballots
28. Print Sectioning
29. Print Results
Cards
30. View Contestant Cards
31. View Judge Cards
Sectioning
41. Section Prelims
42. Section Elims
43. Manual Judge Assistance
44. Manual Room Assistance
Congress
Tabulate Congress
TRIEPC QUIT Menu
There is only one choice under the Quit Menu: Quit. Selecting this option will close down the program, but all of the data files will be saved. All of the entries and sectioning changes are stored to the hard disk.
Only the main menu has the buttons in the top menu line for minimizing or maximizing the window. This allows you to minimize the TRIEPC window without quitting so that you can use your computer screen for word processing or some other program function.
Throughout the TRIEPC program it is a preferred practice to return to the main menu by clicking the dark GREEN main menu button. This is the best way to assure that all changes made are stored to the hard disk. If you click off a window with the check box in the top right corner, you may be leaving a subprogram without saving the changes that were made within that subprogram. Once you return to the main menu, all necessary disk saving operations have been completed.
TRIEPC FORMAT Menu
1. Format Blank Files for a New Tournament
This option is used as the first step in setting up for a new tournament. It pre-formats blank files, erasing any data remaining from a previous tournament. You would NEVER use this option during a tournament. That is why the format operation uses the protective device of requiring you to type the word "proceed" before the erasure/reformatting will begin.
You will see the format submenu screen when you first start up the program. This is because TRIEPC is distributed without an accompanying IEData folder (the folder which will contain all of the data files specific to your tournament. When TRIEPC is first started up, it will detect the absence of the data folder and will ask whether you wish to create one.
Tournament Setup
2. Enter Tournament Name
Whatever names you enter on this setup screen will be printed at the top of most of your tournament printouts, especially the ones for public consumption. This is the way that you can personalize the program to your tournament. The program assumes that you will enter the main tournament name in the top line (i.e. 1998 TFA State Tournament); the tournament location in the second line (i.e. Colleyville Heritage High School); and the tournament dates in the third line (i.e. March 1-3, 1998). In truth, however, you can enter on these three lines whatever you would like to have printed at the top of your printouts.
Cursor Movement From Ranks to Ratings: This is relevant only if your ballots call for the entry of rates as well as ranks. The question is simply this, when ballots come in do you want to enter all the ranks before any of the rates? If so, then select the option to "move down." If you would prefer to enter the rank for a contestant, then the rating for that same contestant before moving to the next contestant, you should select the "move across" option.
Cursor Movement in Multiple Judge Rounds: In elims, your entry staff will have three or five ballots to enter for each section. Do you want them to enter all of the information from one judge before moving to the second judge? If so, select the "down" option. Do you want them to enter the ranks/rates for one contestant from all of the judge ballots before moving on to the next contestant? If so, select the option to move across.
Specialized Tournament Formats: Most tournament directors will want to leave this on the default selection of "Normal Tournament." By selecting the Texas Forensic Association option, you are pre-setting a group of procedures and tie-breakers that conform to TFA rules. If you select this option, the program will assume that you are not entering ratings (only ranks); it will assume that the slate is wiped clean with each elim round (no accumulation of prelim rankings); and it will employ the tie-breaking procedure in multiple judge rounds of (a) lowest total ranks; (b) judge preference to break ties between two tied contestants; and (c) decimal conversion. The Massachusetts format will cause sectioning and other public consumption printouts to be printed without the identifying school codes. The Crestian Classic format assumes that you wish to drop the worst prelim rank/rate, but that the worst rank/rate will be utilized as a third place tie-breaker in entering elims. It will also assume that ranks and rates accumulate through the elim rounds. It also assumes that the tournament director will advance the same number of contestants from each prelim round section.
Once you have selected a specialized tournament format (or normal format), you should click forward to the next setup screen so that the specialized tie-breaking procedures will be read and stored (this will happen automatically).
If your tournament follows a rule structure or tie-breaking procedure which is not shown in the setup screens, you should contact me -- I may be able to add your tournament to the specialized choice list.
3. Enter Tie-Breaking Procedures
If you have selected a specialized tournament format, you will see much of the tie-breaking procedures choices have been disabled. You will not be able to change any of these pre-selections unless you go back to the previous Setup Screen and select "Normal Tournament." This action will allow you to select your own tie-breaking procedures.
Prelim Tie-Breakers: The normal procedure would be for the program to order contestants by the lowest total ranks, the highest total ratings (if ratings are present), and decimal conversion. Decimal conversion works as follows: each prelim ranking is converted to a decimal by dividing the number one by the prelim ranking. For example, a ranking of one is worth 1.0; a ranking of 2 is worth 0.5; a ranking of 3 is worth 0.333, etc.
Ballots Ask For Ratings: Click this check box if your tournament ballots will ask for ratings as well as rankings.
Drop the Worst Prelim Round: This option is used in numerous IE tournaments in the Southeastern United States. This practice makes sense if there are numerous prelim rounds (5 or 6). It allows a margin of error both for the tournament and for the contestant. Suppose, for example, that a contestant had to move quickly from one event to another but had trouble finding a building. By the time the contestant arrived at the correct building and room, the judge had already left. Rather than to be forced to make a decision about whether the tournament has some responsibility for the contestant's failure to show up (poor signage, judge left too soon, etc.), the tournament director can simply point out that the worst prelim round will be dropped anyway. This option is not, however, a good idea for tournaments where there are only two or three prelim rounds; there is too great a likelihood of having large blocks of tied contestants going into elims.
Elim Tie-Breakers. What happens to prelim ranks once elims begin? Will the prelim ranks become irrelevant once elims begin? If so, click the first box to "Wipe the slate clean." Some tournaments accumulate ranks/rates all the way to finals but have the final round (usually with five judges) stand alone. To select this option, click the second box. If prelim ranks accumulate all the way through finals, select the last of the boxes.
Elim Tie-Breakers: How are ties to be broken in multiple judge rounds? You may select up to four tie-breakers. Most of the options are self-evident, but the UIL option needs explanation. If the "Agreement of Ranks" option is selected as the first tie-breaker (the University Interscholastic League of Texas system), the program will determine the finishing ranks one at a time, asking in each case whether a majority of the judges have ranked a contestant at the current rank level.
How many elim sections are to be scheduled for each elim level? The program will default to an assumption that there will be 1 section in finals, 2 sections in semis, 4 sections in quarters, 8 sections in octas, etc. If you intend to have 3 semifinal sections (as an example), you should change the default of 2 semifinal sections to 3. The ONLY effect of these changes is that the judge pool computation system needs to know how many elim judges it should plan on allocating. In order to perform this computation, the program needs to know how many sections there will be in semifinals, quarterfinals for EACH event. By entering 3 semifinal sections, you are saying that there will be 3 semifinal sections in EACH event which has semifinals. If the event does not have semifinals, then these numbers are irrelevant anyway. Regardless of what numbers you enter here, the program will still ask how many sections you will have at the point where you are actually scheduling the elim rounds. The numbers entered in this setup screen really have no effect other than in calculating the appropriate number of judges needed.
4. Enter Sectioning Procedures
How should speaker positions be determined in Prelims where double-entries are concerned? The only choice here is whether you wish for the program to automatically adjust speaker positions for double-entries. If you do select computer adjustment, the following scheme will be used: (a) Duo event double-entries will be placed near the end of their duo section and near the beginning of their other event; (b) Extemp event double-entries will be placed near the beginning of their event section and near the end of the other section; (c) Contestants double-entered in two extemp events will be placed near the beginning in one extemp event and near the end in the other; (d) Other double entries will be managed by placing them earlier in the event which is alphabetically first and later in the event which is alphabetically last.
Priorities for Prelim Sectioning: The program tries to provide regional balance and to avoid same section placement of contestants from the same schools. Neither of these constraints can be absolute (consider, for example, the problem of sectioning a 40 contestant event where 15 of them come from the same school). You can change the formula for section placement, however, by indicating the relative importance of these considerations.
How Should Elim Speakers Be Placed in Sections? TRIEPC begins by placing contestants into sections so as to even the difficulty of each section. Specifically, the program uses the "snaking process" which is illustrated in the following semifinal example. The top contestant is placed in section 1, the second contestant in section two, the third contestant in section two, the fourth contestant in section one, the fifth contestant in section one, the sixth contestant in section two, and so forth.
The setup choice for placing elim speakers simply asks whether you desire the program to make any alterations in section placement for same-school issues. Suppose, for example that the placement default has created a situation where one semifinal section has two contestants from the same school and the other semifinal section has none. Do you wish for the computer to even out the contestants so that they are not competing against one another. If yes, select the "adjust section placement" option. If this option is selected, the program will perform the switch with the least impact upon section difficulty possible. If your tournament rules require that placement in the elim sections is absolute, then select the "placement is absolute" option.
Option in moving from one elim round to the next. Do your tournament rules require that the same number of contestants advance from each section? If so, select the option "same number of contestants move on." If you do not accumulate ranks from prelims, then you would always have the same number of contestants advancing, regardless of the choice selected here. The problem comes in with tournament formats which accumulate ranks. You could easily have a situation where the fourth place speaker in one semifinal section has a higher cumulative ranking than the second or third place speaker in the other section. By some tournament rules, this situation is fine; the fourth place speaker would advance. This option allows you to decide whether you will require that the same number of contestants advance from each ELIM section. The choice made here has no effect at all for the selection of contestants in the first elim round.
How should speaker order be managed in elims? Unless your tournament rules require otherwise, I would recommend that you select the option to make speaker placement random throughout elims. In most tournaments, speaker placements are so skewed by double-entry considerations that it is really impossible to equalize placements in an early, middle, late scheme. If you select the random placement option, the program will still optimize double-entries unless you instruct otherwise in the next set of button choices. If you select the position equalization option, the program calculates the total of the earlier speaker positions for each contestant in the section. The contestant with the highest earlier total is placed earliest in the section, and so on. Remember, however, that if you select the later option for optimizing double-entries, the computer will still allow changes in these equalized placements. Many speakers have been placed early or late because they were double-entered.
How should double-entries in elims be managed? There is a special problem with optimizing double-placements in elims because the program needs to section some events before it knows whether the contestant will qualify for elims in their other event. There are three ways that this problem can be handled. First, the program can simply ignore double-entries for the purpose of placement. Second, the program can place contestants early and/or late in elim sections just because they were in prelims in two events happening at the same in elims. The third (recommended) option is to ignore the double-entry issue until the second event is sectioned in elims. This means that the first event ignores the potential for double-entry, placing contestants randomly or by position equalization (whatever was selected in the earlier option). If the same contestant later qualifies for another event in elims, the program will leave the first speaker placement alone, but will try to provide separation by the way the speaker placement is selected in the second event. If the speaker was already placed early in the first elim event, the speaker will be placed late in the second event. If the speaker was placed in the middle of the first section, the speaker will be placed at the end of the other event section, and so forth.
5. Enter Sweepstakes Point System
This setup program simply lets you customize the way that sweepstakes points will be allocated in the sweepstakes point report. This program will only know results from individual events; debate events points will need to be managed by hand or within the TRPC program. The "maximum number" options work as follows: If your rules call for a maximum number of contestants per event, enter that number in the appropriate edit box. If, for example, the number 3 is entered, the program will count only the top three contestants from each school for each event. Some sweepstakes systems establish a maximum number of contestants per school, regardless of the number in each event. If a number such as 10 is entered in this edit box, the program will count only the top ten contestants from each school.
. 6. Backup Data
This "Format" Menu option will create complete data backup files on a floppy disk or to a selected location on your hard disk. The superior backup practice, however, is to backup to a floppy disk. Backing up to a location on your hard disk will not protect you in the event of a hard disk crash (admittedly a rare event). If your files are on a floppy disk, you could always install the TRIEPC program on another computer and upload the floppy disk data files.
The procedure for backing up is simple. Insert a blank, formatted floppy disk into your disk drive and then issue the backup command. The whole procedure will take about one minute. Follow a practice of cycling your backup disks so that you do not continually save to one floppy disk. Using multiple disks provides an additional margin of safety. Be sure, however, to properly label the disks with the time that you completed your last backup. I recommend that you backup at least once a day when you are in the pre-tournament entry process; during the tournament, you should backup during the downtime while each round is in progress.
The IEData backup files require about 1 megabyte of disk space. If you perform a backup on a disk used for an earlier backup, the new backup will completely replace the older backup files with the new files.
. 7. Restore Data
This menu choice will take files from a floppy disk (or from elsewhere on the hard drive) and replace the current files in the TRIEPC program. This will result in the replacement of the existing data files within TRIEPC. Since there is a risk of inadvertent erasure of files, the program requires that you type the word "proceed" in the edit box.
After the data files are restored, TRPC will automatically shut down. You will then need to re-start the program. The reason for the shutdown is that TRIEPC reads the disk files at startup. By re-starting, TRIEPC reads the contents of the "restored" data files.
. . 8. Erase Data Files
This program will erase existing sectioning and results while leaving entries unchanged (time blocks, events, schools, contestants, judges, and rooms). The erasure program would not normally be used during tournament operation; it is provided mainly to facilitate pre-tournament testing of the program. If you re-section an event, the program will automatically erase any existing sections for the same event and round. It is not, therefore, necessary to erase existing sectioning before re-doing the sectioning. During testing of the program, however, a tournament director might wish to wipe out any existing sectioning/results records so that the tournament staff can experiment with sectioning and results entry procedures.
The erasure program has two options: The first erases all sectioning in all events; the second erases all sectioning for one particular event. In either case, the program will ignore the erasure command unless the word "proceed" is typed in the edit box. This protective feature is designed to prevent accidental erasure.
9. Export Debate Data to TRPC
This program is capable of creating the school, contestant, judge, and room files used by the TRPC debate program. This allows the tournament director to keep all entry files in one place so that registration sheets can be printed with debate entries along with IE entries. Judge assignments can be divided among debate and IE functions. Rooms can be assigned in a centralized place. After the registration sheets are printed, judges and rooms have been assigned, the data can then be exported to the debate program.
The easiest way to transfer the data is by exporting the data to a floppy disk. Once the TRPC program is up and running, you can simply select the option to "Restore" the data files (an option available in TRPC's "Format" menu.
Be aware, however, that the transfer of data from TRIEPC to TRPC will completely replace all existing data files within TRPC. This would normally not be a problem since the room and judge information can be entered within TRIEPC
For each debate division exported, you will be able to decide whether you wish to use school names or contestant codes only. If you select the option for names, the program will enter the school name with two capital letters following. In team debate, the two capital letters are the first letter of each contestant's last name. In Lincoln Douglas debate, the program will use the first letter of the first name and the first letter of the last name.
For each debate division, you will also be asked to enter the event code to be transferred (CX, for example) along with a starting number. If you are only transferring one debate event, the beginning number would always be one.
Consider the following two scenarios:
Suppose first that you have a tournament where there is a large division of policy debate and a large division of Lincoln Douglas. Because of the size of the divisions, you plan to run each of them out of separate computers. The proper procedure for exporting is to do one division at a time. The first time you run the export program, you would enter the code for the policy debate event and indicate that the starting number will be one. Then issue the command to export the data to a floppy disk. Mark that floppy disk as containing your policy debate files and set it aside. Next issue the export command, this time listing the Lincoln Douglas event as division one. Export this division to a separate floppy disk. Take the policy debate disk to your policy debate computer and upload the files into TRPC by using the "Restore" function from the "Format" menu. Take the LD debate disk to your Lincoln Douglas computer and upload the files into TRPC.
In a second scenario, suppose you have entered four debate events into TRIEPC, varsity CX (VCX), novice CX (NCX), varsity LD (VLD) and novice LD (NLD). Each of these divisions are relatively small, so you are planning to run all four divisions out of the same TRPC folder. In this case, you would want to export all four divisions at one time. Enter the event code for division one and list the starting number as one. Enter the event code for the second division and list the starting number as 101 (or any other number between 1 and 400 that you would choose). Enter the event code for the third division and the number 201. Enter the event code for the fourth division and the starting number 301. Click the "Export Files Now" button to automatically transfer all four divisions into the TRPC program.
After exporting the data to TRPC, be sure to carefully examine all the TRPC setup screens to check the accuracy of the information. TRIEPC does not have as many setup options as does TRPC. Accordingly, you will notice that many of the setup options are not properly set during the transfer process. Set each of the setup options as they should be set.
Upload Data From an Access Database
This menu option allows the immediate upload of data held in a Microsoft Access database. This is the option currently used by the Harvard University IE tournament and the Heart of Texas tournament at St. Marks and Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas. The Access database is created by a Web entry system.
Upload Data From the Fullerton Web Entry System
Jon Bruschke, a professor at California State University at Fullerton, has designed a Web entry system for debate and IE tournaments. This system is increasingly in use in high school and college debate tournaments throughout the country. This menu choice allows the user to directly upload into TRIEPC the data collected from the Fullerton Web Entry System. If you would like more information about the Fullerton Web Entry System, email me at Richard_Edwards@baylor.edu.
Upload Data From a Text File
Some TRIEPC users prefer to collect entry information in their word processor. This menu choice describes the format for saving a text file which will make possible direct upload of data into TRIEPC.
Upload Data From the JoyOfTournaments Web Entry System
Brent Hinckle markets a tournament operating system (both for debate and IE tournaments) which is available at . The JoyOfTournaments system also, however, markets a Web entry system which directly interfaces to TRIEPC. This menu choice allows the user to upload into TRIEPC the data collected from the joyoftournaments Web entry system. If you would like more information about the JoyOfTournaments system, contact Brent Hinckle at .
TRIEPC ENTRY Menu
10. Time Block Entry
The entry of time blocks is essential to the operation of the TRIEPC; the program uses this information to keep track of which events happen at the same time. Such information is vital in managing double-entries, preventing double assignment of judges, and preventing use of one room for multiple events happening at the same time.
By entering time-block information, you can fully customize the operation of the program to your particular tournament time schedule. The tournament time schedule typically sent to schools with the tournament invitation provides the necessary information for time block entry.
Up to thirty time blocks can be entered, though the typical two-day tournament would not require more than fifteen time blocks. The following list provides an example of a few time-blocks:
1. Fri. 4:30-6:30 p.m. All IEs Round 1
2. Fri. 6:30-8:00 p.m. All IEs Round 2
3. Fri. 8:00-10:00 p.m. All IEs Round 3
4. Sat. 7:30-9:00 a.m. All IE Semis
5. Sat 9:00-11:00 a.m. All IE Finals
In addition to the entry of the time block name, you will be asked to enter a start time and a draw time (if applicable). Whatever time is entered in the Start Time edit box will be printed on the sectioning for events happening in that time block (though the printing program will allow you to change the start time). The draw time will be printed only on event sectioning for those events which are entered as extemporaneous speaking events.
11. Event Entry
Before any school or contestant entry can begin, you must enter each of the events. Examine carefully each of the event entry options to be sure that it has been correctly entered. TRIEPC allows the entry of up to 20 events.
Upon first entering the Event Entry screen, you will find the cursor in the search box. If you intend to enter an event, click in the first edit box just below the "Main Menu" button. It is in this box that you should enter the desired code for the event.
Event Code Entry: The event code is either two or three capital letters. Typical examples would be HI for extemporaneous speaking, OO for original oratory, FX for foreign extemporaneous speaking, LD for Lincoln Douglas debate, CX for team debate, etc.
Event Type: Clicking an event type is important for several reasons, but mainly for the proper assignment of judges. Only events clicked as "Team Debate" or "LD Debate" can be exported to the TRPC program for scheduling of debate rounds. Only events clicked as "Extemp" will have draw times printed on the sectioning. Events clicked as "Team Debate," "LD Debate," or "Congress" will not be counted as significant in double-entry considerations. It is assumed that contestants participating in these event types will be competing exclusively in those events for any given time block.
Duo Event: Click yes for such events as Duet Acting, Duo Interpretation, and Team Debate where two contestant codes will be entered as partners. The TRIEPC program is not designed to track more than one Duo event. If your tournament has more than one duo event and you wish to use TRIEPC, you have two alternatives: (1) Divide your events into two or more computers, having only one duo event in the group of events tracked in each computer. The disadvantage of this system is that it is then necessary to print two or more registration sheets for each school; (2) Enter the second duo event as if it were not duo (in other words, click "No" on the Duo Event button). Enter the duo partnership under a single code and list the two last names of the partners (such as Edwards/Rollins) in the place where the first and last names of one contestant would normally be placed.
Round Structure for the Event: Enter the number of prelim rounds for the particular event (enter a number from 1 to 6). TRIEPC will not manage more than 6 prelim rounds of an event.
First Elim Round: Enter a letter indicating what will be your first elim round for the event. Possible entries are D for double octafinals, O for octafinals, Q for quarterfinals, S for semifinals, or F for finals.
Number of Judges to be Assigned: Enter the number of judges to be assigned in the prelim rounds. Judges in prelim rounds would normally be limited to one judge. In the elim round boxes, leave blank any rounds where no elim round will be held. Typically in elim rounds there will be either three or five judges. TRIEPC is not designed to handle more than five judges in a single section.
Time block for each round. This information is essential to proper operation of the program. The program will display in the edit boxes all of the time blocks you have entered. For each prelim round, enter the number of the round in the edit box at the right of the appropriate time block. For each elim round, enter the letter identifying the round (D, O, Q, S, or F) in the edit box for the appropriate time block.
Deleting an event: If you wish to permanently delete an event, click the "Delete Event" button. This will cause the event to be permanently erased from the computer record.
The A to Z Events Button: Each of the entry screens contain a similar blue box which can be used to click through each of your entries. When you click the "A" button, the first entry (alphabetically) will be displayed. When you click the "Z" button, the last entry (alphabetically) will be displayed. Clicking the back button () will move forward through the alphabetical group one event at a time. The events box in the middle allows you to click anywhere in the middle of the alphabetical range. If you click at the left of the box, you will move to an event early in the alphabetical list; if you click at the right of the box, you will move to an event late in the alphabetical range.
The Save Button: The program saves event entry changes regardless of whether the "Save" button is clicked. Clicking the "Save" button is useful during event entry, however, because it automatically moves to the next empty file in preparation for the next entry.
The Search Button & Box: Most of the entry programs allow you to move to a particular entry by entering all or a portion of the name you are searching for. You may then either push the carrier return or click the search button. If the program can find a match to the phrase you have entered, it will display the record for you. If more than one record matches your search, you can click the "Search" button again to move to the next match.
12. School Entry
The normal entry procedure for schools would be to enter school codes, school names and regions, moving on to the next school. . Pushing the carrier return is the preferred means of moving from one edit field to another. Once you have entered the school on the bottom line, the program will automatically provide a new blank entry screen (showing only the last school entered on the top line). You can at any time receive a new entry screen by clicking the "Next Entry Group" buttons.
If you wish to see the schools already entered, click in the bar at the left hand side of the screen. Clicking in the arrows at the top or bottom of the bar will move one school at a time; clicking in the bar itself will move up or down a full screen.
When you first enter the school entry program, the cursor should be in the Code box. You should enter a two letter school code, the name of the school, and a region number (optional).
School Code: Use two capital letters to uniquely identify each school; when you later enter contestants, each contestant participating from a school will have the same two letters at the beginning of the contestant code. This is the way the program identifies contestants as belonging to the same school (preventing them from being judged by coaches or judges from that same school). When assigning two-letter codes, be sure to avoid assigning codes which could easily be confused with one another (DE and DF, for example).
School Name: The school name is not printed on any sectioning destined for public consumption while the tournament is in progress. Having the school name available allows the program to print school names on the final round result sheets (in preparation for announcements in the awards assembly). The sweepstakes awards printout also needs to have the school names present.
Region: You may enter region numbers from one through 9. Once a region number has been entered, you will see the name associated with the region appear in the shaded box to the right of the region number.
School Arrangement Options: By default, schools are arranged by code. You can change this default by clicking the school name or region buttons.
Deleting a School: Type the letters "DEL" in the box where the code would normally go. This will cause the school to be permanently deleted along with any contestants matching the two-letter school code. This would be an appropriate procedure to follow whenever a school cancels all contestants before the tournament begins.
The Search Button & Box: Most of the entry programs allow you to move to a particular entry by entering all or a portion of the name you are searching for. You may then either push the carrier return or click the search button. If the program can find a match to the phrase you have entered, it will display the record for you. If more than one record matches your search, you can click the "Search" button again to move to the next match.
The Next Entry Group Button: Clicking this button will clear the entry screen (except for the last school entered, which will remain in the top line). The new screen can be used to enter another group of schools.
13. Contestant Entries
The normal entry procedure for contestants would be to enter contestant codes, contestant names and event entries, moving on to the next contestant. Pushing the carrier return is the preferred means of moving from one edit field to another. Once you have entered the contestant on the bottom line, the program will automatically provide a new blank entry screen (showing only the last contestant entered on the top line). You can at any time receive a new entry screen by clicking the "Next Entry Group" buttons. Whenever you enter a contestant in a Duo event, the program will automatically move to the box where the code of the duo partner should be entered.
The program will operate normally without the entry of contestant names. Some tournaments use a simplified entry blank which lists only the number of entries in various events, omitting the names of particular contestants. In such cases, you could just enter a contestant code.
If you wish to see the contestants already entered, click in the bar at the left hand side of the screen. Clicking in the arrows at the top or bottom of the bar will move one contestant at a time; clicking in the bar itself will move up or down a full screen.
When you first enter the contestant entry program, the cursor should be in the Code box. You should enter contestant code, contestant name (optional), and the event codes for any events the contestant will enter.
Contestant Code: The contestant code must be five letters long, but you have the option of simply entering the first two letters (the school code) then pushing the return. The computer will select the next unused number for the school. If you enter all five digits of the code, the program will assume that you wish to over-ride the automatic assignment function. Once the code is entered, you will see the matching school name appear in the school name box.
Contestant Name: The contestant name is optional, but if you choose to enter the name, enter it first name first (rather than last name first).
Event Entries: Enter the event code for each event (up to four). If you enter an event code for a duo event, the program will automatically move to the duo partner code box.
Entering Duo Events: Enter the event code for only one of the two partners. In Team Debate or Duo Interpretation, or any other duo event, make the event entry under just ONE of the two contestants. If you enter the event code under both of the contestants, your duo entries will be double counted. Even though you have listed only one of the two contestants in the entry box, the names and codes for both contestants will be printed on the sectioning (if you request the printing of names).
Deleting a Contestant: Type the letters "DEL" in the box where the code would normally go. This will cause the contestant to be permanently deleted.
Deleting a Contestant From a Single Event: Simply click on the event code and delete it. For any subsequent sectioning, the contestant will be omitted from the event. Even for events which have already been sectioned, the deleted contestant will disappear from any subsequent printing of section schedules.
Adding a New Event for a Contestant: Click in an empty contestant entry box to the right of the contestant name. Enter the contestant code for the new event. The entry here will not cause the contestant to automatically be added to a section for those rounds already sectioned. For any subsequent sectioning, however, the contestant will appear in the event. Also, you can manually add the contestant to an event by going into the Results Entry screen for the section and typing the 5-digit contestant code into an empty contestant code box.
The Search Button & Box: Most of the entry programs allow you to move to a particular entry by entering all or a portion of the name you are searching for. You may then either push the carrier return or click the search button. If the program can find a match to the phrase you have entered, it will display the record for you. If more than one record matches your search, you can click the "Search" button again to move to the next match.
The Next Entry Group Button: Clicking this button will clear the entry screen (except for the last school entered, which will remain in the top line). The new screen can be used to enter another group of schools.
The Drop Box: This feature was added at the suggestion of Beth Goldman and Mary Schick, high school coaches in Florida, who were looking for a way to better track drops at registration. They explained that tournament directors need a way to record and print the drops which were made after the drop deadline. Use of this system is purely optional, but any information entered here can be printed out in the “Print Schools” menu choice by selecting the “Print Drop Report” button. Following is how the system works: When a contestant drops, record the drop in two ways; first remove the event code to the right of the contestant name and second place the number of such event drops in the text box at the far right side of the contestant entry line. Do not delete the name of the contestant (removing the event code will be sufficient to keep the contestant from being sectioned in that event). Leaving the contestant name in TRIEPC will allow the Drop Report to print (by school) the names of contestants who have dropped from an event. This system also gives the tournament director complete discretion over whether to charge a drop fee (sometimes a contestant entry is the result of a tournament director’s mistake and sometimes the director wishes to make an exception to the general drop rule because of an extenuating circumstance). In such cases, simply remove the event code, but do not enter a number in the drop box. Why does the drop box call for a number (as opposed to a check mark, for example)? The reason is to give the director control over whether drops are to be charged per contestant drop or per event drop. Sometimes one contestant is entered in two or three events. If the contestant drops from all of those events, some tournament rules call for multiple drop fees to be charged for that one contestant.
14. Judge Entry
Judge entry is optional in the TRIEPC program. If you prefer, you can use the program to section your events and record/print results while still assigning judges manually. The program does, however, make available to you a sophisticated means of allocating your judges to events which they are best able to judge.
Judge Name: Judge entry begins with the entry of a judge name (last name first). I recommend that you enter the judge last name and then the first initial.
School Code: Enter the two-letter code for the school in the top school code box if the judge is judging for a school. The entry of this school code will prevent the judge from being assigned to judge a contestant from that same school. The entry of a school code in the top school code box will also cause the judge name to be printed on the registration sheet for the school as a school judge. In many situations, though, a judge should be blocked against certain schools even though the judge is really not a school judge. In such cases, list the two-letter blocking codes in any of the bottom six school code boxes. Any such entries will suffice to prevent the judge from hearing contestants from the blocked schools, but the empty top box will prevent the judge name from being printed on the school registration sheet.
Debate Rounds to Judge: The TRIEPC program is designed to serve as a host program for the TRPC debate scheduling program. Judges can be stored (in pre-tournament preparation) all in one place and allocated to various events, including debate divisions. In order to facilitate this process, TRIEPC asks how many debate rounds the judge should hear (both prelims and elims up to semis). The automatic judge allocation system will not assign judges to semifinal or final round time blocks in debate events.
IE Rounds to Judge: Enter here the maximum number of IE rounds that the judge should be scheduled to hear (including prelim and elim rounds).
Hired Judge: Click the hired judge box to indicate that the judge is hired. The automatic judge pool program gives priority to the assignment of hired judges.
Stop Scheduling box: By clicking this box, you cause the program to avoid scheduling the judge for any sectioning done after the button is clicked. Clicking the button WILL NOT automatically remove judges from events already sectioned before the button was clicked. It is a better practice to click the Stop Scheduling button than to delete a judge, especially if the judge has already judged any rounds.
Delete Judge: Clicking this button will cause the computer to erase any record of the judge. This button should not be used once the tournament has begun -- use the Stop Scheduling button instead.
Judge Rating: Some tournament directors have an aversion to the rating of judges. It is important, however, to recognize the importance of assigning judges to those events that they enjoy judging and are good at judging. Some judges do an outstanding job in interpretation events but do not enjoy or appreciate original oratory competition. It makes sense to assign judges to those events where their talents would best be utilized. The rating system works as follows: Judges are rated from 0 to 5 in each event. A rating of 5 targets a judge for being a final round judge in a given event. A rating of four means that the judge should be assigned to elimination rounds in an event. A rating of three means that a judge enjoys judging an event and should be assigned to the event in prelims. Judges assigned ratings of two or less in an event will not be automatically assigned to judge that event.
Judge Availability in Time Blocks: All judges are (by default) made available in all time blocks. As evidence of this availability, you will see that each little box is clicked (just to the right of the displayed time block name). To make a judge Unavailable in a given time block, click off the little box.
Judge Assignment to Pools: A judge is targeted, or "pooled," to a given event by entering the event code in the edit box to the right of the little availability box. The second edit box to the right will contain the letters "ST" if the judge is to standby for the given event. I recommend, however, that you wait to make adjustments in the judge pools until all judges have been entered and you have used the automatic judge pool function. The most efficient process is to allow the computer to assign judges to pools and then begin the process of making adjustments by hand in this judge entry screen.
The A to Z JUDGES Button: Each of the entry screens contain a similar blue box which can be used to click through each of your judges. When you click the "A" button, the first judge (alphabetically) will be displayed. When you click the "Z" button, the last judge (alphabetically) will be displayed. Clicking the back button () will move forward through the alphabetical group one judge at a time. The JUDGE box in the middle allows you to click anywhere in the middle of the alphabetical range. If you click at the left of the box, you will move to a judge early in the alphabetical list; if you click at the right of the box, you will move to a judge late in the alphabetical range.
What are the boxes along the bottom of the screen? These boxes show the number of judges needed (at the left) and pooled (at the right). The prelim rounds (up to six) are shown when you first enter the program. You can, however, shift the boxes to show elim rounds by clicking the "Move v" box in the far left corner of the screen. This button toggles, so clicking it a second time will return you to the prelim rounds. The second "Move>" button shows more events (if you have entered more than eight events). These boxes are used primarily to make sure that you have the proper number of judges allocated for each event.
What are the little edit boxes up in the top right corner of the screen? These boxes impact the way that the forward and backward buttons move through judges. If, for example, an event code is entered in the event box, the movement buttons will stop only on those judges who are targeted or "pooled" for at least one round of the chosen event. If a time block number is entered in the "Time" box, the movement buttons will stop only on those judges available for the chosen time block. The "Type" and "Level" boxes work in conjunction with one another. "Type" refers to the type of event where 1=team debate, 2=LD debate, 3=extemp, 4=original oratory, 5=interp, 6=congress, 7=public speaking events. "Level" means the judge rating (0 through 5). Suppose, for example, you wish to cycle through all those judges which have been rated as "5" in original oratory. You would enter "4" in the type box and "5" in the level box. Then click forward or backward in the blue buttons at the top of the screen -- the program will stop only on those judges who have been rated as "5" in oratory. The little "H" button in the top right corner will, if clicked, cause the judge entry program to stop only on HIRED judges.
The "Save" button: The program automatically saves changes regardless of whether you click this button. During the original process of entering judges, however, the normal means of moving on to the next judge entry is by clicking the "Save" button. When clicked, the program will move to the next available empty judge file and move the cursor to "Judge Name" in preparation for your next entry.
15. Room Entry
Room entry is optional in the TRIEPC program. If you prefer, you can assign rooms manually, simply writing the rooms of your choice on the sectioning printouts. The program does, however, provide a simple means of allowing you to control such matters well before the tournament begins.
Room Name: Enter the room name just as you would like to have it printed out on your sectioning. Assign a building number (1 through 9) to each of your rooms to show which rooms are together in the same building. If all of your rooms are in the same building, just make them all building one. The TRIEPC program does not make use of the building numbers, but the TRPC program does. Since data can be exported to TRPC, the building number is collected here. You will notice that each room is (by default) made available for every time block. This is indicated by the little check marks in the boxes to the right of each time block. If there are particular blocks where the room is unavailable, you can click off the little check mark. You do not, however, have to click off the availability boxes just because you don't want the room to be used for certain events. The program WILL NOT automatically assign any room unless an event code is present in the edit box to the right of the time block.
I recommend that you enter all of your room names (and building numbers) before entering the rest of the room information. Once all rooms are entered, you can print (from the computer) a list of your rooms. This list will be printed in alphabetical order, which is the same order that TRIEPC will cycle through your rooms when you click the blue forward button (>) to look through your rooms one at a time. Using your printed list, group the rooms by the events they will house and write the event codes on the printed list. Now you are ready to go back into the room entry program and tell the computer which events will be housed in each room. Instructions are provided below for doing so.
Targeting rooms to prelim rounds for events: Be aware that TRIEPC will not assign any rooms to events unless they are targeted or "pooled" for that particular event and round. This is done by entering the code for the event in the edit box at the right of the appropriate time block (the time blocks you have entered will be printed on the screen). You have two options for entering these event codes. You can manually type in the codes, selecting the right time block for each prelim round of the event (assuming that the same rooms are used for each prelim round). The best way to do this, however, is by typing in the event code to the right of the "Target this room" button at the right edge of the screen. Suppose, for example, the event is USX; type USX in the event edit box and click the "Target this room" button. You will see that the code USX automatically appears in each of the time blocks that a prelim round of USX happens. You can then click forward (>) to the next room to be used for USX and click the "Target this room" button again. Through this method you can rapidly target all of the rooms to the prelim events they will house. Elim rooms will need to be entered manually, however.
Targeting rooms to elim rounds for events. Because there are fewer elim sections for events, I have left this system as manual, meaning that you will need to type in the event code to the right of each time block in which a particular room is to be used for an elim round.
What about debate event rooms: I recommend that you allocate your rooms to debate events just as you do for IE events. The TRIEPC program exports room information to TRPC, so the information you are entering about which rooms should be used for which events will be transferred to TRPC when you issue the "export" command. This IE program provides the best place to organize all of your pre-tournament planning as to rooms in one centralized location.
Stop Scheduling box: By clicking this box, you cause the program to avoid scheduling the room for any sectioning done after the button is clicked. Clicking the button WILL NOT automatically remove rooms from events already sectioned before the button was clicked. It is a better practice to click the Stop Scheduling button than to delete a room, especially if the room has already been used for any rounds.
Delete Room: Clicking this button will cause the computer to erase any record of the room. This button should not be used once the tournament has begun -- use the Stop Scheduling button instead.
The A to Z ROOMS Button: Each of the entry screens contain a similar blue box which can be used to click through each of your entries. When you click the "A" button, the first room (alphabetically) will be displayed. When you click the "Z" button, the last room (alphabetically) will be displayed. Clicking the back button () will move forward through the alphabetical group one room at a time. The ROOM box in the middle allows you to click anywhere in the middle of the alphabetical range. If you click at the left of the box, you will move to a room early in the alphabetical list; if you click at the right of the box, you will move to a room late in the alphabetical range.
What are the boxes along the bottom of the screen? These boxes show the number of rooms needed (at the left) and pooled (at the right). The prelim rounds (up to six) are shown when you first enter the program. You can, however, shift the boxes to show elim rounds by clicking the "Move v" box in the far left corner of the screen. This button toggles, so clicking it a second time will return you to the prelim rounds. The second "Move>" button shows more events (if you have entered more than eight events). These boxes are used primarily to make sure that you have the proper number of rooms allocated for each event.
What are the two little edit boxes up in the top right corner of the screen? These boxes impact the way that the forward and backward buttons move through rooms. If, for example, an event code is entered in the event box, the movement buttons will stop only on those rooms which are targeted or "pooled" for at least one round of the chosen event. If a time block number is entered in the "Time" box, the movement buttons will stop only on those rooms available for the chosen time block
"Save" button: The program automatically saves changes regardless of whether you click this button. During the original process of entering rooms, however, the normal means of moving on to the next room entry is by clicking the "Save" button. When clicked, the program will move to the next available empty room file and move the cursor to "Room Name" in preparation for your next entry.
"Make This Room Available" button: This button will restore the default condition of making the room shown on the screen available in every time block (after clicking the button you should see check marks in all of the little boxes to the right of the time block names). Clicking the button would be necessary only if you have manually clicked off some of the boxes and you wish to restore the default condition of availability in all time blocks.
"Make This Room UNavailable" button: This button will remove the check marks in ALL of the time blocks. Suppose, for example, you are entering a room which you know is available only in ONE time block. Rather than manually clicking off fifteen little check marks, it is easier to click the "UNavailable" button to remove all the check marks and then manually click on the one time block in which the room is available.
"Target This Room for All Prelim Rds in Event" button: This button works in conjunction with the event edit box to the right of the button. If no event code is entered in that box, then clicking the "Target" button will have no effect. If, however, an event code is entered in the edit box, clicking the "Target" button will cause the desired event code to appear in each prelim round time block for that event. This is the simplest way of letting the computer know to use a room in each of the prelim rounds for a certain event.
"Erase All Existing Event Targeting" button: If you have changed your mind about how a room is to be used, you could manually click on each of the events listed beside time blocks and delete the event codes. The easiest way to start over, however, is by clicking the "Erase" button. This will eliminate all of the event codes in the edit boxes beside the time blocks. You can then start over, assigning the room to the proper event codes in each time block.
JUDGE POOLS MANAGEMENT
17. Number of Judges Needed for Each Event in Prelims
Several of the TRIEPC entry screens (notably the judge entry and room entry screens) show you the number of judges and rooms you will need in prelims. This provides guidance as to how you should allocate the judges and rooms to various events. The automatic judge targeting system also needs to know how many prelim sections there will be in each event. The computer can never dependably calculate the number of prelim sections because it doesn't know how many contestants you will assign to each section. The typical number is either 7 or 8, but some tournament directors want as few as 6 or as many as 9 contestants in each section.
When you enter the "Number of Judges Needed" program, you will see that the program shows you each of the events you have entered along with the number of contestants entered in the event. It will show you how many sections you would need if you had 7 per section or 8 per section. Based upon this information, you should then make a choice about how many sections you expect to have for the event. Note that the choice you make here is not final and it has NO effect on the operation of the program other than in the allocation of rooms and judges. You will still be asked, when you are sectioning each event, how many contestants you wish to have per section.
Debate events: If an event is a debate event, the 7 or 8 per section issue is irrelevant. Room and judge needs are calculated differently. In team debate, you will need one judge and room for every two teams. In LD debate, you will need one judge and room for every four contestants (assuming you are flighting LD). Check carefully the numbers that the program displays in debate events and change the number of judges number as you see fit.
18. Automatic Judge Assignment to Pools
The TRIEPC program has a sophisticated means of using information you have provided at judge entry to target judges to particular events and rounds. Here are some of the assumptions made in this automatic targeting system:
a) The program assumes that judges should be used in events they are best at judging; if a judge is rated 4 or 5 in interpretation events, the program will try to use that judge in a variety of events shown as interp type events;
b) The program will not automatically assign any judge to an event where the rating is less than 3; you can still manually assign the judge to the event, but the automatic assignment system will not do so;
c) The program will not automatically assign a judge to more than one round in a given event; I realize that it may often be desirable for a judge to hear more than one prelim round and you can make such assignments by hand. The program does, when assigning judges, select sections where the judge has not heard any of the contestants before. This means that it would normally be OK, assuming you have many contestants in an event, to manually assign a judge for more than one prelim round of the same event.
d) The program will not automatically assign any judge to an elim round in an event if the judge rating for that event is less than 4.
e) The program will not automatically assign any judge to the final elim round in an event if the judge rating for the event is less than 5.
f) The program assumes that hired judges should be assigned to judge something for all of the rounds where they are shown as available. Accordingly, the program assigns hired judges first and will attempt to assign them for the full number of rounds you have said they could judge (the numbers in the Debate Rounds and IE Rounds to judge boxes). The constraints about not assigning judges to more than one round of an event still apply, however, to hired judges; this may result in a hired judge being assigned to fewer total rounds than you wish.
g) The program assigns school judges in such a way as to even out the total number of rounds they are judging. Be aware, however, that if you rated as judge as nothing more than 2 in ANY event types, that judge will not be automatically assigned to anything. If you truly expect for a judge to be used, you need to rate the judge as 3 in some event type.
h) If you have clicked the "General ALL Judge Pools" button, the program will begin with the final rounds in each event and then move backward through elims and backward through prelims in allocating judges. The reason for this is that judges who will hear the final rounds in IE events should not hear earlier elim rounds in the same event (this would assure that they would have earlier heard final round contestants). In fact, because of the "one round per IE event" constraint, the program will not even assign a final round judge to a prelim round of the same event. You may wish to change this manually, but be aware that you might make a final round judge ineligible to judge the final round if they happen to judge a contestant in prelims that makes it to finals.
i) Here is the way judge pooling works for DEBATE events: The program does NOT employ the normal constraint about judging just one round of the event. In fact, if you marked a judge with a good rating in team debate, they will likely be assigned to all prelim rounds in team debate (up to the limit of the number of debate rounds you said they should judge). If a judge has the same rating in team debate and in LD, the program will give preference to team debate (on the assumption that it is harder to find team debate judges than LD judges). If the judge has a higher LD rating than a team debate rating, the program will likely assign the judge only to LD rounds. Judges in debate events are not automatically pooled for semis or finals; the program assumes that you will wish to select those judges manually.
While the program allows you to automatically select pools in prelims only or elims only, the strong preference should be given to the use of the "All Judge Pools" button. This allows the program to start with final rounds and move backward through other elims and prelims.
In many tournaments, it is important to have gender balance in final rounds of events. If this constraint is important to you, remember this consideration when you are rating judges in the various event types. Keep in mind that the program will select its final round judges from those judges rated as "5" in the event type. You can control gender balance by the selection of judges you have rated as 5 in the various events.
The "Erasure" buttons: The program provides these buttons in the event you wish to eliminate all existing judge targeting information and start over. Keep in mind, the erasure buttons will erase all manual targeting as well as any automatic targeting.
After you have run the automatic pool assignment program, you should then go back into the judge entry screen and see if you have enough judges assigned in each time block. Typically, depending upon how many judges you rated as 3 or above in events, you will be short a few judges in most of the time blocks. This means that you will need to manually cycle through your judges and add some judges to certain time blocks. In some cases this will mean adding judges with ratings less than 3; in other cases it will mean adding judges to more than one prelim round of the same IE event (both things the computer will not do automatically). Be careful, however, to keep your final round judges clean for that particular event.
Be sure to check your hired judges to verify that you are assigning them to judge the appropriate number of rounds.
Handling of standby judge assignments: If the automatic program has more judges than it needs for a given time block, it will assign three or four additional judges as standby for that time block. The program will mark any such judges by putting the letters "ST" in the edit box to the right of the event code in the judge entry screen.
Once you have the judge pools targeted as you like them (through a combination of the automatic function and your manual adjustments) you can print judge pool information from the "Print Judges" menu choice.
19. Judge Paradigms
This program is provided for the Texas Forensic Association state tournament; you will probably not find this program necessary or useful. The TFA tournament requests paradigm information from all debate judges and provides a printed booklet to all debate participants so that they can see (going into a given debate round) what things their judges want and don't want.
This paradigm program uses the judges that you have entered in the normal judge entry screen; it allows you to enter information about each judge in terms of their expectations in debate rounds. Obviously this information would be impossible to enter unless you had earlier distributed questionnaires to the judges themselves.
The paradigm information relates to debate events only. Any information entered here has no impact at all upon the way judges are assigned or pooled to events. Its only purpose is to print a booklet designed to inform debaters of the preferences of their judges.
Enter IE Strikes
In the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament, the current process is to allow each school to strike three IE judges. Keep in mind, this is a tournament where there are hundreds of IE judges and dozens of sections in each event. In a smaller tournament, allowing a school to strike even one judge might make that judge totally unusable. In many tournaments, schools have so many IE entries that they literally have contestants in each and every section of an event. Striking a judge might mean that the judge could not hear any rounds. Judge strikes should be used only in very large tournaments, and even then, they must be used sparingly.
20. Ballot Entry
Once the tournament begins, this is the main screen you will use for the entry of results or for the manual addition of speakers to sections.
Once you have entered an event code in the event box and clicked the desired round number, the program will default to section number one for that event and round. You can move to a different section by either clicking in the section box and entering the desired section number or clicking the "Advance to Next Section" button until you reach the desired section. The easiest way, however, to move to a particular section is to click the section number at the far right side of the screen. You will see displayed there the numbers of all sections which are outstanding (ballots not recorded). Once the ballot has been entered, the section number will disappear from the screen.
For each section, the program will display the speaker order, event codes of contestants, names of contestants, room number, and judge names. If results have earlier been entered, the results will also appear on the screen.
If you are entering results for the first time for the section, you can simply type in the desired rankings and ratings. Under each judge, the first edit box (the one to the left) is the rank (a number from one to nine); the second edit box (the one to the right) is the rating (a number from one to one hundred). The program should move in the order that you have instructed in the setup screen. If you are entering a rank, the computer should automatically advance to the next box after you enter the one digit number; if you are entering a rating, the computer will wait for you to press the "enter" or "return" key before moving to the next box.
If you want to change the speaker order: Click in the box where the speaker order number is shown and change the number there to the one you desire. Once you have made all of the necessary changes in those numbers, click on the button to "Re-Print the Speaker Order." The program will then re-arrange the screen to display the new speaker order.
If you need to add a contestant: Find an empty box in the column where contestant codes are displayed. The program will check to see whether the contestant is entered in the event shown on the ballot entry screen. If so, the contestant name will appear in the name line and the contestant will be entered in the section. You should then click in the box at the far left where the speaker position numbers appear; enter the number showing the proper speaker position for the new contestant.
Whenever a contestant is manually added to a section, the program also will check to see if the contestant appears in another section. If so, the program will remove the contestant automatically from the other section.
Changing rooms from the ballot entry screen: If the room selection box is blank (or the number there is zero), it means that the section has not been assigned a room. The program will operate just the same regardless of whether rooms are entered. If you wish for the room to print out on subsequent printings of the sectioning, however, you can manually enter the room from the ballot entry screen. Do so by entering the COMPUTER number of the room in the "Room Selection" box. Print the simple list of rooms and judges from the "Room Print" and "Judge Print" menu choices. These printouts will show you the computer number for each of your rooms and judges. If you enter the computer number in the "Room Selection" box you will see the room name appear just below the box.
Changing judges from the ballot entry screen: You will see a judge number appear in the "Judge" edit box for each of the judges already assigned to the section. To manually add or change a judge, just enter the desired COMPUTER number for the judge in the box. You will see the judge name immediately appear below the box. It is from this screen that you should change judges to match the changes made at the ballot table when judges were handed out. When you print a simple list of judge names, the printout will show you the computer number associated with each judge.
What are the numbers in the edit boxes at the right of the contestant names? These numbers indicate the finishing order for speakers in the section. The numbers will appear once rankings have been entered for the first three contestants. In single-judge rounds, these numbers provide no additional information; contestants are always ranked the way that the single judge ranked them. In multiple-judge rounds, however, the finishing order numbers are helpful in showing how that program has broken ties.
If you wish to have a printout of the finishing order and of relevant tie-breakers, click the button to "Print This Section." The program will immediately send to the printer a one-page record showing this information. This printout is very useful as a permanent record for multiple-judge rounds. I recommend that the printout be stapled to the group of official ballots from the section. Any coaches who wish to challenge tie-breaking procedures can then examine the paper copy of the results. If the section is a final round section, the program will also print out a reading copy for the tournament director to read in the awards assembly. This reading copy will list the contestants in reverse finishing order (climactic order) and will print the school name along with the contestant name (or names in the case of duo events).
TRIEPC ENTRY Menu
21. Print Events
Simple List of Event Names: When you click this button the program will print for you a list of events along with the numbers of contestants in each event.
Complete List: This list will provide a complete record for you of how you answered the various questions involved in event entry.
The Vertical and Horizontal Position Bars: One of the biggest problems I have had with TRPC and TRIEPC printing is in programming page positioning for the large variety of printers used with PCs. If your printouts are doing strange things (printing only two-thirds of the way down the page, for example), try changing the vertical and/or horizontal position bars to fix the problem. By pulling the vertical position bar upward, you are really telling the program to reduce the overall vertical size of the printout (by 5% for each notch on the bar). By pulling the horizontal bar to the left, you are reducing the horizontal size of the printout by 5% for each notch.
22. Print Schools
Print List of School Names and Codes: This printout will become an important reference source in the tab room. The program will actually print two complete lists of schools; the first will be arranged alphabetically by code and the second will be alphabetically arranged by school name.
Print List of Schools Showing Number of Entries: This printout will provide a summary by school of the number of entries in each event.
Print Registration Sheets: The printing of the registration sheets is a key part of preparing for tournament registration. You should allow each coach at registration to examine and verify the list of contestants in each event. Design a system for communicating any changes from the registration table back to the folks managing computer entry. In an optimal arrangement, the entry computer could be located on a table next to registration so that changes could be immediately entered. If you leave blank the "Begin With" and "End With" boxes, the program will print registration sheets for all schools. If you want to print a registration sheet for a single school, you can enter the school name in both the top and bottom box. You can print any alphabetical range you desire (you could enter the letter A in the top box and the letter B in the bottom box, for example, to print all schools starting with A).
Omit Lines in the Printout: The complete list of schools printout will print lines between each school. These lines help make the printout more readable. I have been told, however, that some printers have difficulty with the printing of the lines, so I have created a check box which allows the printing of the printout minus the lines.
The Vertical and Horizontal Position Bars: One of the biggest problems I have had with TRPC and TRIEPC printing is in programming page positioning for the large variety of printers used with PCs. If your printouts are doing strange things (printing only two-thirds of the way down the page, for example), try changing the vertical and/or horizontal position bars to fix the problem. By pulling the vertical position bar upward, you are really telling the program to reduce the overall vertical size of the printout (by 5% for each notch on the bar). By pulling the horizontal bar to the left, you are reducing the horizontal size of the printout by 5% for each notch.
23. Print Contestants
Print List of Contestants Showing Event Entries: This printout will be arranged alphabetically by contestant code and will show the event entries for each contestant along with the duo partner (if applicable).
Print Contestant List for Event Shown: In some situations, a tournament director may desire a simple list of contestants entered in a single event. This button provides such a list for the event code listed in the edit box above the button.
Print Contestant Cards for Event Shown: The program will print contestant cards (four to a page) suitable for manual sectioning or double-checking the computer sectioning. These contestant cards will look very much like the kinds of cards that are used in manual IE tab rooms. If results have been entered for any sections, the cards will show these results.
Omit Lines in the Printout: The list of contestants printout will print lines between each contestant. These lines help make the printout more readable. I have been told, however, that some printers have difficulty with the printing of the lines, so I have created a check box which allows the printing of the printout minus the lines.
The Vertical and Horizontal Position Bars: One of the biggest problems I have had with TRPC and TRIEPC printing is in programming page positioning for the large variety of printers used with PCs. If your printouts are doing strange things (printing only two-thirds of the way down the page, for example), try changing the vertical and/or horizontal position bars to fix the problem. By pulling the vertical position bar upward, you are really telling the program to reduce the overall vertical size of the printout (by 5% for each notch on the bar). By pulling the horizontal bar to the left, you are reducing the horizontal size of the printout by 5% for each notch.
24. Print Judges
This program provides a variety of printouts for managing judge assignments.
Print List of Judge Names: This button prints a simple list of judges in alphabetical order, showing the computer number for each judge. This list is an important reference source in the tab room. If you wish to change a judge from the ballot entry screen, you will need to know the computer number for the desired judge.
Print Complete Judge Information: This button prints a list providing a record of the information that you entered in the judge entry screen for each judge.
Print Judge Cards: The program will print for you a set of judge cards suitable for manual assignment of judges. The cards will show you the events and rounds for which the judge was targeted or "pooled." It will also show the rounds that the judge actually was scheduled to judge. The codes that the judge is blocked against will be shown at the top of the card. There will be an alphabetical list of event codes and contestant codes that the judge has heard before. The judge card printout system provides a variety of ways to limit the number of cards printed. You can limit card by listing some name or names in the "Begin with" and "End with" boxes. You can limit judge cards to particular round and event (meaning the program will print only those judges either judging or targeted for the selected event in the selected round.
Print Sheets for Judges: Some tournament directors like to provide judges at registration with a list of the events and rounds they will be judging (this is the system used, for example, at the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament). Once you have targeted all of your judges to particular events and rounds, you can select this printing option which will print a separate sheet for each judge which can then be handed to each judge.
Print Judge Pools: This printout will print a list by event of the judges targeted to judge that event.
Omit Lines in the Printout: The complete judge information printout will print lines between each judge. These lines help make the printout more readable. I have been told, however, that some printers have difficulty with the printing of the lines, so I have created a check box which allows the printing of the printout minus the lines.
The Vertical and Horizontal Position Bars: One of the biggest problems I have had with TRPC and TRIEPC printing is in programming page positioning for the large variety of printers used with PCs. If your printouts are doing strange things (printing only two-thirds of the way down the page, for example), try changing the vertical and/or horizontal position bars to fix the problem. By pulling the vertical position bar upward, you are really telling the program to reduce the overall vertical size of the printout (by 5% for each notch on the bar). By pulling the horizontal bar to the left, you are reducing the horizontal size of the printout by 5% for each notch.
25. Print Rooms
This program provides a variety of printouts for managing room assignments.
Print List of Room Names: This button prints a simple list of rooms in alphabetical order. This list does provide an important reference for the tab room because it also lists the computer number for each room. It is this computer number which is needed to enter the room on the ballot entry screen (if sections are to be manually placed in rooms on the ballot entry screen).
Print Complete Room Information: This button prints a list of much of the room information you entered in the room entry screen.
Print Lists of Rooms to Use (by event): The program will provide a list of the rooms which are targeted for each event. This list provides a useful tab room reference.
Omit Lines in the Printout: The list of contestants printout will print lines between each contestant. These lines help make the printout more readable. I have been told, however, that some printers have difficulty with the printing of the lines, so I have created a check box which allows the printing of the printout minus the lines.
The Vertical and Horizontal Position Bars: One of the biggest problems I have had with TRPC and TRIEPC printing is in programming page positioning for the large variety of printers used with PCs. If your printouts are doing strange things (printing only two-thirds of the way down the page, for example), try changing the vertical and/or horizontal position bars to fix the problem. By pulling the vertical position bar upward, you are really telling the program to reduce the overall vertical size of the printout (by 5% for each notch on the bar). By pulling the horizontal bar to the left, you are reducing the horizontal size of the printout by 5% for each notch.
26. Print Double-Entry Double-Check
The TRIEPC program attempts to facilitate double-entries by placing contestants early in one section and late in another. If, however, you would like to examine the way the program managed the double-entries (always a useful thing to double-check), you should print this double-check. Do so by clicking the time-block you wish to examine and then the top "Print" button.
When the double-check list is printed, the contestants are printed in problematic order. If, for example, a contestant is scheduled to go first in one event and first in another event, there is a big problem. If a contestant is scheduled to go third in one event and fourth in another, there is still a relatively big problem. If there are two or three speaker positions difference between the one event and the other, there is not much of a problem. As you examine the double-check sheet, you will notice that the difference between the speaker positions grows larger (less problematic) as you move down the list. Accordingly, it is the contestants near the top of the list which must be examined carefully to verify that your double-entry management system will work.
If you have very large numbers of your contestants double-entered, it may be impossible to prevent some double-entry problems. It is always good, however, to know what problems to expect. You can, of course, manually change speaker positions in some sections by using the ballot entry screen options. Be careful, however, that you are not creating more problems than you are resolving.
27. Print Master Ballots
Many tournament directors will choose to use their own pre-printed ballots, especially if those ballots include extensive instructions to judges. There is, however, an advantage to having ballots which include the printed codes and/or names of the contestants in each section. TRIEPC has the capability to print such master ballots. You will be asked to specify an event code and round number; the program will then print master ballots for each of the sections in that event and round. If there are multiple judges, the program will print one master ballot for each judge.
Names or Codes: You can choose whether you wish to limit what is printed to contestant codes only. You can also decide whether you wish to have an "official timer" statement printed at the bottom of the ballot (this is the language used in the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament).
Round Start Time: Once you select an event and round, you will see the round start time that you entered (with time block entry) show up in the "Round Start Time" edit box. You can change this start time in the edit box if you so desire.
The Vertical and Horizontal Position Bars: One of the biggest problems I have had with TRPC and TRIEPC printing is in programming page positioning for the large variety of printers used with PCs. If your printouts are doing strange things (printing only two-thirds of the way down the page, for example), try changing the vertical and/or horizontal position bars to fix the problem. By pulling the vertical position bar upward, you are really telling the program to reduce the overall vertical size of the printout (by 5% for each notch on the bar). By pulling the horizontal bar to the left, you are reducing the horizontal size of the printout by 5% for each notch.
28. Print Sectioning
This program prints sectioning schedules suitable for distribution to tournament participants. You will be asked to specify an event code and a particular round. The program will then send the selected printouts to the printer.
The round start time entered at setup will appear in the setup screen and that time can be modified before printing.
The Vertical and Horizontal Position Bars: One of the biggest problems I have had with TRPC and TRIEPC printing is in programming page positioning for the large variety of printers used with PCs. If your printouts are doing strange things (printing only two-thirds of the way down the page, for example), try changing the vertical and/or horizontal position bars to fix the problem. By pulling the vertical position bar upward, you are really telling the program to reduce the overall vertical size of the printout (by 5% for each notch on the bar). By pulling the horizontal bar to the left, you are reducing the horizontal size of the printout by 5% for each notch.
29. Print Results
This program prints the results sheets, event by event. The printout is designed to show how each contestant was rated and ranked in each round, along with the tie-breakers used to order contestants going into elims.
This results program will also print a sweepstakes report. This report uses the values entered in the sweepstakes setup screen to determine a sweepstakes order for each school. The sweepstakes calculation includes only individual events, however. The tournament director will have to request a sweepstakes printout from the TRPC program and determine a way to merge that report with the sweepstakes report from individual events.
Omit Lines in the Printout: The list of contestants printout will print lines between each contestant. These lines help make the printout more readable. I have been told, however, that some printers have difficulty with the printing of the lines, so I have created a check box which allows the printing of the printout minus the lines.
The Vertical and Horizontal Position Bars: One of the biggest problems I have had with TRPC and TRIEPC printing is in programming page positioning for the large variety of printers used with PCs. If your printouts are doing strange things (printing only two-thirds of the way down the page, for example), try changing the vertical and/or horizontal position bars to fix the problem. By pulling the vertical position bar upward, you are really telling the program to reduce the overall vertical size of the printout (by 5% for each notch on the bar). By pulling the horizontal bar to the left, you are reducing the horizontal size of the printout by 5% for each notch.
TRIEPC CARDS Menu
31. View Contestant Cards
This program provides a way for you quickly to view how contestants did in each of their prelim and/or elim rounds. The contestant card program provides an alphabetical list of contestants. The blue movement buttons in the top right corner of the screen allow you to click consecutively through each contestant or to move to a particular alphabetical range. Once you find a contestant, the various event entries for that contestant will be shown in alphabetical order. In other words, Chris Jackson in HI will be one entry and Chris Jackson in USX will be the next entry.
The Search Box: You can search for a particular contestant by entering an event code and then entering a portion of the contestant name. At that point, either push the return or click the "Search" button. The program will display all results information for that contestant and event.
This program is NOT designed to allow changes in ranks/rates, judge assignments, etc. Any such changes should be made through the ballot entry screen.
32. View Judge Cards
This program provides a way for you quickly to view the events and sections judged by a particular judge. You can use the blue movement buttons in the top right corner of the screen to move through the alphabetical list of judges.
You can also use the search box to enter all or a portion of a judge name. By then pushing the return or clicking the "search" button, the program will try to find a match to the judge name entered.
The judge card program is NOT designed to allow changes in judge assignment or in judge ranks/rates. Any such changes must be made either in the ballot entry program or in the "Manual Judge Assistance" program.
TRIEPC SECTIONING Menu
41. Section Prelims
This is one of the most essential TRIEPC programs; it is the one that organizes your contestant entries into sections. The program works by performing the following steps:
a. Determining which contestants are currently entered in the desired event (by examining contestant entry data);
b. Randomizing the list of contestants in the event
c. Moving through the contestant list one at a time, determining the desirability of placement in each section before selecting any one section. The computer literally computes a "demerit" number for each section. A certain number of demerits are added if a section already has a contestant from the same region or from the same school. After each section has been examined, the program places the contestant in the section with the lowest demerit number.
d. Once all contestants are assigned to sections, the program determines the optimum speaker order. Double entered contestants are arranged as instructed in the setup screen. The contestants not double entered are arranged randomly in the first round and by position equalization in later prelim rounds.
e. The program then selects a room for each section; TRIEPC chooses randomly from the rooms that were targeted or "pooled" for this event and round at room entry. The program will never select a room that was not targeted for this event and round. If some sections are left without rooms assigned it is most likely because an insufficient number of rooms were targeted for the event and round in the room entry process. You have two alternatives for filling in the blank rooms: (1) Using the "Manual Room Assistance" program under the "Sectioning" Menu, or (2) Writing in the desired rooms by hand on the printed sectioning.
f. The program now assigns judges to each section. Only those judges targeted for this event and round at judge entry are available for selection. Using the list of targeted judges, the program first determines how many sections a judge would fit into (looking at blocks and judge-before issues). Before any assignments are made, the judges are arranged into a "difficulty-of-placement" order, with the most difficult to place judges listed first. The program then moves through the list of judges, placing them randomly into those sections where they will fit. By placing the most difficult judges first, however, the program provides an optimum means of finding a place for all judges. The program will never automatically place a judge in a section where there is a judge block or where the judge has heard one of the contestants before in the same event. This program does NOT consider judge ratings (the 0 to 5 ratings used in judge entry). Those ratings are relevant only in establishing the pool of judges -- they are used exclusively in the "Auto Judge Assignment to Pools" program. Once the pool is established, the program treats all judges in the pool the same. If some sections have no judges assigned, it is because too few judges were targeted for the event and round or because one or more judges don't fit into any section (because of blocks or judged-before constraints). You can fill in any judge blanks in one of two ways: (1) Using the "Manual Judge Assistance" program under the "Sectioning" Menu, or (2) Writing in the desired judges by hand on the printed sectioning.
Once the program has completed all of its tasks, it will show you the sectioning on the screen. If you see something you do not like, you can click the "Re-Randomize" button, which causes the program to start over in its sectioning process for the event and round. This program will not show you room and judge assignments on the screen. Once you approve of the sectioning, you can click the "Save and Return" button. The program will return you to the sectioning menu where you can section another event or round.
Each time you re-section an event and round, the computer will erase any previously existing sectioning for the same event and round.
NOTE: BE CAREFUL not to re-section an event already happening. Because of randomization, this program will NEVER give you the same sectioning twice. You could click the re-section button hundreds of time and still never produce the same sectioning that you distributed to the tournament. The risk of unintentional re-sectioning needs to be given careful consideration in the training of your computer staff. This is one of the major reasons why the regular backing up to a floppy disk is so important. The computer will display a message warning you that you are about to erase existing sectioning, but that message will give a choice whether to proceed or abort. If a staff member issues the re-sectioning command and then ignores the warning message, proceeding anyway, a major tournament problem will result. Train your staff never to re-section an event without explicit instructions from the tournament director or event director to do so. It is appropriate to re-section an event if you have not yet distributed the sectioning to the tournament, you can tear up any sectioning that you have printed and start over. You might wish to start over because of a large number of drops at registration, for example. Just be sure that you have trained your computer staff NOT to re-section an existing round section unless they have explicit instructions to do so.
View Existing Sectioning: If an event is already sectioned and you wish simply to view the sectioning on the screen, you can select this button. This function will leave existing sectioning unchanged, but will show you the sectioning on the screen, just as it looked when it was originally sectioned.
42. Section Elims
This program would not be used until you have completed results entry from the last prelim round. You might, however, want to practice the use of this screen beforehand. It is usually true that the movement from prelims to elims happens in a time-crunched place in your tournament schedule. Be sure that you have looked at this screen enough ahead of time to know what steps need to be performed to prepare for elims. Though preparation is important, the steps are very simple:
a. Enter the desired event code.
b. Enter the desired round number. If you are starting with an elim round which is different from the one you originally planned, be sure to go into the event entry screen for that event and update the information.
c. The screen will now fill with the top contestants after prelims (or after the previous elim round as the case may be).
d. Examine carefully the list of contestants. The screen will print names for the first twenty or so contestants, but only codes after that. Up to 84 contestants will appear on the screen.
e. Determine from looking at the screen (and where ties are broken) how many contestants you will take into this elim round. Fill in the number of contestants who will qualify for the round and then list the number of sections that you will have in this elim round. If this is an elim round OTHER than the first, you may be asked for the number of contestants you will take from each previous elim section (rather than the total number of contestants who qualify). This question will appear if you have selected the option to advance the same number of contestants from each previous elim section.
f. Once you have carefully read and answered the questions about the number of contestants advancing and the number of elim sections, click the "Section This Round" button. The program will then take you to a second screen where you can examine each of the elim round sections.
g. The answers that you gave during tournament setup will determine how the program will section elim rounds. One of the options was to make elim placement absolute (rather than to make same-school adjustments). If you selected the absolute option, you should be able to verify that the program has "snaked" the earlier contestants through the elim sections in this way (the example here supposes you are going to semis): The first place contestant will go into section one, the second place contestant to section two, the third place contestant to section two, the fourth place contestant to section one, the fifth place contestant to section one, the sixth place contestant to section two, and so on. If you selected the option for school adjustment, the program will attempt to maintain the approximate difficulty level of each section while also evening out the same-school contestants (so that one section doesn't have multiple same-school contestants while another section has none).
h. Speaker positions will be determined in the way you requested in the setup process.
Each time you section an elim event and round you will be replacing any pre-existing computer record of the same event and round. If results have been entered for the elim section, you would wipe out those results by re-sectioning. In the case of elim rounds, however, the resulting sectioning would usually be identical to what you had done before; the choice of elim section placement is not random as is prelim placement. There is some randomization involved in speaker position placement and in the adjustment system for same-school placement. Just be sure that you are not re-sectioning elim rounds over top of elim rounds which are truly happening. It is not a problem for you to practice during a tournament with the sectioning of elim rounds BEFORE those rounds are ready to happen. You will automatically erase the earlier sectioning when you do the real elim sectioning.
By clicking the "View Existing Sectioning" button you can examine any previously sectioned elim rounds without changing any of the sectioning performed earlier.
Print a Hard Copy of Contestants in Order: It is a good idea to have a paper copy of the contestant list (along with tie-breakers) that you saw on the screen when you made decisions about how many contestants would make it to elim rounds. This printout will provide such a record. Just click the button to send the printout to the printer.
Assign Judges to Previous Sectioning
Some tournament directors wish to hand out sectioning at registration but do not wish to assign judges at that time. In the Texas Forensic Association State Tournament, for example, sectioning is handed out at registration on Thursday morning at registration, but judges cannot be assigned until all IE judge strikes have been received at registration and entered into the computer. We print out the sectioning using the option to omit judge assignments. We then re-assign the judges (after all strikes and conflicts gathered at registration have been entered); any judges assigned earlier will be replaced in this process.
43. Manual Judge Assistance
This program makes it possible for you to examine each of the sections for a given round and event to determine that all judges have been assigned. If you wish to remove a judge, click on the judge name on the screen. The program will prepare a stack of potential judges (according to the criteria you have selected by clicking the little boxes (hired judges only, judges pooled for this event only, etc.). You can move forward through this potential judge stack by clicking the forward button (>) or backward by clicking the backward button () or backward by clicking the backward button ( ................
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