Bishop Kelley Comet Challenge
2023 — Tulsa, OK/US
Novice Public Forum
Event Description:
K. Public Forum Debate
*1. Debate teams must qualify together as a team and two debaters must participate in every round by giving a fourminute speech, a two-minute speech, and participating in Crossfire. No partner substitutions will be allowed after
the debate competition begins. No debater may qualify for regionals more than three separate times. Any
subsequent qualification will be invalid for that debater and his/her partner(s).
2. Sides will be randomly assigned by the tournament director. In tournaments that have 4 prelim rounds, each team
should debate the pro twice and the con twice unless a team has received a bye. In tournaments that have 3
rounds, sides in round 3 will be randomly assigned by the tournament director ensuring that no team debate the
same side 3 times.
3. The following order and times shall be observed and the timekeeper shall say stop at the end of regulation time for
each speech:
a) First Speaker, Pro, 4 minutes
b) First Speaker, Con, 4 minutes
c) Crossfire between the First Speakers 3 minutes
d) Second Speaker, Pro, 4 minutes
e) Second Speaker, Con, 4 minutes
f) Crossfire between the Second Speakers 3 minutes
g) Summary First Speaker, Pro, 3 minutes
h) Summary First Speaker, Con, 3 minutes
i) Grand Crossfire between all four speakers 3 minutes
j) Final Focus Pro, 2 minutes
k) Final Focus Con, 2 minutes
l) Preparation time will not exceed three (3) minutes per team. Crossfire is to be shared between the two sides, but
the first question should come from Team A.
4. Each judge will award the decision to the Pro team or the Con team and will award speaker points for each speaker
on 1-4 point scale.
5. All debaters shall have available during each round complete citations for each piece of evidence introduced to
include the name of the author, qualifications, complete source title, complete date and page number. Lack of a full
citation shall void any effect of that piece of evidence in the round. Should two or more quotations be used from
the same source the complete citation need be given only for the first piece of evidence used from that source.
Either no internal ellipsis (Ellipses occur after the first word of the quotation and before the final word) may be used
in evidence cited on a card, or ellipses may be shown on cards if the original source or a copy is present. The
evidence may be read in ellipse form but the entirety of the evidence must be available in one of the two ways cited.
Personal letters or telegrams shall not be admissible as evidence.
6. Judges may read evidence after the round for a period of time not to exceed five (5) minutes.
*7. Plagiarism or falsification of evidence in oratory, extemp, or debate shall result in suspension in that event for that competition.
*8. The use of profanity and vulgarities is forbidden and may result in a speaker rating of 0 or disqualification and a
protest being filed with the tournament director.
9. Verbal prompting other than calling time is considered a violation of ethics and will result in a speaker rating of 0.
Speech 2023-2024
SPE 22 OSSAA
10. The debate topic will follow the NSDA’s nationally released topic. The March topic will be used for Regional and
State.
11. The semi-final losers shall debate for third place if necessary to determine qualification.
12. Forfeiting a round to gain an advantage for the school will be a violation except in elimination rounds.
13. After teams have debated preliminary rounds (including round robin), qualifying for the placement on the bracket
will be based on the following
criteria: (1) win-loss record; (2) head-to-head meeting; (only used to break a two-way tie), (4) total speaker points;
(3) Speaker ranks; (5) opponents’ win-loss records; (6) opponents’ speaker points. In all divisions of debate, when
only 3 rounds occur, all winning records must advance.
a) Placing teams on a 16 point bracket will be in this manner: See bracket on page SPE26.
b) Placing teams on an eight-point bracket from preliminary rounds will be in the following manner. See
bracket on page SPE29.
14. In qualifying tournaments the round-robin or bracket system is optional and will be determined by the tournament
director. At least three (3) preliminary rounds must occur to result in regional qualification. If sixteen (16) or more
compete, eight (8) must be advanced to elimination rounds. If thirty-two (32) or more compete, at least sixteen (16)
must be advanced to elimination rounds. If sixty-four (64) or more compete, at least thirty-two (32) must be
advanced to elimination rounds. At the discretion of the Tournament Director, to avoid the elimination from
competition of debaters with exact won-loss records, partial-elimination brackets will be allowed, giving sufficient
byes to the higher seeded contestants to fill the bracket. Partial-brackets will not be broken.
15. In 3A/4A tournaments with nine (9) teams entered, the four (4) teams with the best records from preliminary rounds
will qualify for bracketing. When ten (10) or more teams are entered, eight (8) teams will qualify for bracketing.
In regional and state tournaments, when eight (8) or fewer teams are entered, the round robin system will be used.
16. Speaker points for byes will be awarded on average of speaker points of other rounds debated. A team who forfeits
receives 0 speaker points. A team who is forfeited to receives an average of their speaker ratings.
17. Teams from the same school should not be paired against each other in the first elimination round. The minimum
amount of bracket movement must be used. No brackets shall be broken after the first elimination round has
occurred. When moving teams to break the bracket, move the lower seeded team. Partial elimination round sare
not considered the first elimination round for the purpose of breaking brackets.
18. In all debate events, all students unable to return to scheduled competition on Saturday must notify the tournament
director before registration. Changes made after registration will be counted as a “Drop at Registration”: and fees
will be assessed by the tournament director. Students marked as “not returning” will not be reinstated after round 1
has begun.
19. a) Internet access is allowed in all forms of debate.
b) Computers or other electronic devices may not be used to receive information from any sources (coaches
or assistants included) outside the room in which competition occurs.
*c) Sanction: Contestants found to have violated the provision above shall be disqualified from the
tournament and shall forfeit all rounds. Contest directors shall be empowered with the final decision
concerning disqualification.
c) Availability of evidence: Contestants electing to use computers shall have the responsibility to
promptly/immediately provide access to any evidence read in a speech for inspection by the judge or
opponent. Printers may be used. Evidence may be printed in the round but must be provided in a format
readable by the opposing team and the judge.
d) Contestants electing to use computers are responsible for providing their own computers, batteries,
extension cords, and all other accessories. Tournament hosts shall not be responsible for providing
internet access, computers, printers, software, paper, or extension cords for contestants