Welcome to the WASDL Public Forum and Policy 4 tournaments

Dr. Jackie Poapst, the Director of Debate at George Mason University, and her marvelous GMU Debate Team are hosting the WASDL Public Forum and Policy 4 tournaments on Saturday, January 10, 2026 at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. Registration opens at 10:00 am ET on December 14, 2025 and registration deadlines are—

Competitors: 9:00 pm, Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Judges: 9:00 pm, Thursday, January 8, 2026
Drops/Name Changes: 9:00 pm, Friday, January 9, 2029

Public Forum Topic— Resolved: The People’s Republic of China should substantially reduce its international extraction of natural resources.

Policy Topic— Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly increase its exploration and/or development of the Arctic.

Please check the tournament's Email Archive upon registration to catch up on any communications. Feel free to contact Mark Deaton at mdeaton@wacfl.org with questions.

Please note that competitors who do not have Tabroom accounts linked correctly to your Competitors Roster will not receive round notifications, which means you will have to look up room assignment, side, opponent, and judge information for them at the beginning of each round. Nor will they have access to their ballots after the tournament. Ensure all of your competitors are linked.

An authorized adult representative or coach MUST be with the students at the tournament site at ALL times.

The Johnson Center is the tournament hub. The Johnson Center (the cool kids call it The JC) is at 4477 Aquia Creek Lane, Fairfax. This is where everyone will gather in the morning, lunch will be served, and the Awards Ceremony held at the end of the day. Debate rounds will be held both in The JC and in about 10 academic buildings close to The JC. Refer to this map for location of competition rounds. Based on entry numbers, we will work to keep each division in one or two adjacent buildings, so students don’t need to walk far between rounds. The JC will open at 7:30 am, so people can arrive earlier than our typical tournaments. Parking will take longer, so everyone should budget additional time to make it from the parking areas to The JC.

Parent drop offs and pickups. Parents not planning to stay for the tournament and are just dropping off or picking up students at the end of the day should set Google Maps, Waze, et al. set for "Johnson Center, GMU" and choose the "drop-off" or "pick-up" route to get real-time traffic and the most efficient path, often guiding you via Mattaponi Drive. The JC is a central campus location, so be mindful of pedestrian traffic and other vehicles.

Parking. You can’t park directly at the Johnson Center, but there are several daily options. Here’s a GMU Parking map where you can see all campus parking. The JC is building #31, in the middle of the map.

• The closest parking is the Mason Pond Parking Deck at 4500 Aquia Creek Lane. It’s #42 on the map and costs $10 for the day. People parking at the Mason Pond Deck should exit on the 3^rd floor, which is on the same level as The JC. Payment can be made at the on-site pay station.
• The second closest area is the Shenandoah Parking Deck at 10400 York River Rd. It’s #44 on the map and also costs $10. There is a pay station at the garage, or you can pay via ParkMobile (code: 4999.)
• Free parkingis available at Lot K at 4352 Mason Pond Drive. This is not covered and is about a 10-minute walk to The JC. People choosing Lot K must create a guest account on the Mason Parking Portal and get a virtual pass.

Lunch. The GMU Debate Team will be selling breakfast and lunch items for students on the main level of The JC. Food will be provided to registered judges at no cost.