NFL Nationals: Breaks

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Here is a list of the debaters advancing to Rounds 7 and 8. Congrats!

Nicholas Albertazzi

Nithin Alexander

L348: Nicholas Anderson (Christopher Columbus, FL)

Hunter Baehren

Raghav Bansal

Jamis Barcott

Cole Brown

Michael Brummett

Dwayne Carter

Catherine Cho

Austin Cohen

Keith Cozart

Cole Culp

Sarah DiMagno

192: Priya Diwakar (Leland, CA)

Eric Dreischerf

Tauheed Epps

Robert Erikson

Kegan Ferguson

L112: Patty-Jane Geller (Harrison, NY)

Nidhi George

Leonard Giarrano

Mitchell Grove

Nicky Halterman

Justin Dean Hankins

Caitlin Haynes

Hannah Haynes

Carter Henman

James Hintson

Isabelle Holland

Joe Hurley

L290: Grant James (Cypress Woods, TX)

L209: Miriam Kelberg (Apple Valley, MN)

Barrett King

L317: Thomas Lee (Taipei American School, Taiwan)

Donovan Lemaster

L232: Terrence Lonam (Lake Highland, FL)

Younos Ali Manfoud

Mackenzie Marquess

Tommy Marts

L133: Ryan Mather (Eastview, MN)

L191 Sam Mathews (Kent Denver, CO)

Jake Mazeitis

Alexis McCathern

Ryan McEvoy

Peter McGahren

L221: Andrew Meleta (Timothy Christian, NJ)

Mikhail Meller

Alex Meneses

Victor Mezacapa

Wyatt Moorer

Elizabeth Claire Morris

Ethan M Myers

Tiffany Perry

L207: Miriam Pritschet (Brainerd, MN)

Samir Reddy (Brophy Prep, AZ)

Jonathan Roberts

Miranda Rosen

Diya Uday Salian

Emma Sapat

152: Omkar Savant (Bellarmine, CA)

193: Laith Shakir (Leland, CA)

Marina Shew

Katelyn E. Shipp

L200: Richard Shmikler (St. Louis Park, MN)

L298: Ethan Singer (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

L319: Hiyawan Solomon (Immaculate Heart, CA)

Celisia Antonia Stanton (Robbinsdale Cooper, MN)

Soreti Teshome

Nathan Thompson

Greer Wagner

Benjamin Wallach

Jonathan Wei

Benjamin Welton

Alexis Williams

L285: Micky Wolf (Winston Churchill, TX)

Zachary Zertuche (Winston Churchill, TX)

Lawrence Zhou

Bill Batterman: BBQ in Birmingham

Policy debate coach/judge, Bill Batterman, has several recommendations for BBQ in Birmingham. Be sure to check a few of these places out while you're here!

I've gotten a lot of questions emailed to me about Birmingham barbeque, so I figured I would post here in case others are interested. I'm not an expert, but I've eaten a lot of barbeque in Birmingham (and in other places). Birmingham folks (or others with experience enjoying Birmingham and Alabama barbeque), please chime in with your thoughts. 

General tips:

Birmingham specializes in pork — ribs and shoulders. Sauce is plentiful and encouraged but most joints dry-rub their meat, too. They also do a lot of chicken, and they pair it with a white barbeque sauce that is unique to the area. The white sauce goes with the chicken, not with the pork (although putting it on the pork doesn't taste that bad). Some places do beef, but it's an afterthought. Sides tend to be southern comfort foods — deep fried items, vegetables slow-cooked with hunks of meat, cornbread, etc. A lot of places have incredible pies (icebox/chess-style — usually served cold) and puddings (especially banana).

Simple Version:

If you want the best authentic experience, I recommend Bob Sykes and Saw's (in that order, although I can't imagine skipping either one). 

If you want to try a good barbeque meal but you have a big team and/or you don't care as much about authenticity, head to Jim 'N Nick's. 

If you need a fast food-style meal, go to Full Moon instead of Arby's or Wendy's or whatever. It's surprisingly good. 

If you want to go to the most famous place, hit up Dreamland (although I will warn you that I found it very disappointing). 

If you're up for a drive, go to Bob Gibson's in Decatur. 

Local(ish) Chains:

1. Dreamland Bar-B-Que — one of the most famous rib joints in the country. The first one opened in Tuscaloosa and it has since become an eight-location chain with a restaurant in downtown Birmingham. I was underwhelmed, but it has many fans and is an iconic Alabama restaurant. 
2. Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q — more than 30 locations throughout the Southeast, but it started in Alabama. Good place to take a team — it's a nice sit-down restaurant and it appeals to non-barbeque lovers (including vegetarians), too. The barbeque is actually pretty good, as are the sides. Make sure to get pie. 
3. Full Moon BBQ — a local "fast food" barbeque chain. Try this instead of a burger place for lunch or a quick dinner. Surprisingly good quality for a chain restaurant.

Local Non-Chains:

1. Saw's BBQ — my pick for best in Birmingham proper (bested only by Bob Sykes in Bessemer for best in the metropolitan area). I missed this one in the original tour in 2009 but have been there a couple times since then. It's consistently great. Really small place — if you're with a team, probably best to get an order to-go and eat in a parking lot. (Note: there is another place called Saw's Soul Kitchen that I have not visited. I think it's good, but my understanding is that it specializes in Southern food and not barbeque.)
2. Demetri's BBQ — a cool, quaint, and very old place in downtown Birmingham with unique barbeque (lots of Greek herbs and spices). The great vegetables and other side dishes appeal to vegetarians and non-barbeque lovers. Pretty sizeable seating area should be able to accommodate teams. 
3. Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Q — another one I missed on the original tour and another small, quaint joint. Located in Vestavia, this one should be easy to get to for most people at the tournament. Very well-respected by locals, but I think Saw's is better. Go to both and decide for yourself. 

Worth the Drive:

1. "Big Bob" Gibson Bar-B-Q — located in Decatur, about an hour and a half north of Birmingham. It's become sort of a spectacle — there are two locations in Decatur and another in North Carolina and they get a lot of press on TV and by selling their sauces — but I was very impressed. The chicken with the famous white sauce is big here, but I also thought the pork was great.
2. Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q — this was my favorite joint of the 2009 trip. It's located in Bessemer, part of the greater Birmingham area, but it's about 30 minutes from the tournament locations. Incredible ribs — on my short list of Best in the World. 

Other Places I Have Not Visited:

1. Moe's Original Bar B Que — this is another regional chain with locations in several states. Have heard that it's okay, but can't confirm. 
2. Johnny Ray's Bar-B-Que — I'm not sure if this place is still open. This was one of the iconic old Birmingham barbeque joints but I think it is well beyond its prime. 
3. Carlile's Barbecue — I have seen this place mentioned a few times but it seems better known for burgers than barbeque. 
4. Golden Rule Barbecue — yet another regional chain with a bunch of locations in various parts of Alabama. There are several in Birmingham. 
5. Costa's Famous Bar-B-Que — another place with a lot of non-barbeque items on the menu and a couple locations. 

NFL Nationals: Debater Codes

Hello from Birmingham, Alabama! We are going to try to collect as many debater codes as possible so that you can follow the results of names instead of numbers. Please comment with your codes (and your friend's codes) below!

CEDA/NDT Topic Committee Meetings Video

Last weekend the college community met to choose wording options for next season's resolution. Gordon Stables, the director at USC, posted a video after each day of meetings.

Each video is between 2 hours and 4 hours. There are 6 of them. Enjoy.

Bored in Birmingham: Places to Go and Things to See

Birmingham, Alabama may not be the biggest city in the US, but that doesn't mean there's a lack of fun things to do when you're not busy debating. The following is a list of attractions to visit throughout the city during your downtime.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

This historic museum traces the journey of the civil rights advocates of the 1950s and 60s, who changed the course of American history. The struggle for equality for Black Americans is chronicled here, from the Jim Crow laws in the 1800s to the freedom rides, sit-ins and demonstrations of the 1960s.

Regions Field

In April of 2013, the Birmingham Barons Baseball Club played their first game in their new ballpark, Regions Field. The state-of-the-art 8,500 seat facility in the heart of downtown replaced Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, the home of the Barons since 1988. There are home games on both the 16th and 17th of June. Plus, they have AMAZING hotdogs. Kevin Roberts can confirm.

16th Street Baptist Church

Four young girls were killed when a Ku Klux Klan bomb exploded in this historic church in 1963. The girls are remembered with a shrine in the crypt where they died, and a vibrant stained glass window donated in sympathy by the people of Wales adorns the historic church.

Alabama's Splash Adventure Waterpark

A 200 acre waterpark just outside of Birmingham. Tickets are relatively inexpensive and they have group discounts. Go cool off from the hot Birmingham sun! Besides, who doesn't love a good water slide?

Whatever you do, make sure you take some time to just enjoy the city. Like JRob said in his interview, Nationals is a LONG tournament, so be sure to relieve some of the stress during your time off!

- Jared Woods

PS: According to Wade Houston --  "I went to Regions Field for the first time last night, and it was pretty cool. There's a Dreamland BBQ there now. There's also the botanical gardens and the zoo (I can verify that the zoo lets you congregate with the kangaroos and wallabies while they eat). Let me know if y'all need any food recommendations."