Greetings to you all!   The VHSL Region 6 Region A Forensics Tournament will be held at Cosby High School on Saturday, February 12, 2022. We are conducting this tournament in-person, and we are excited to have you join us! You will find the essential information regarding the tournament below.

Format

We will run Option B in the VHSL Forensics manual – 3 consecutive rounds with 2 judges per round.  All competitors will compete in all 3 rounds.  Since there is no final round for this tournament:

·         All 6 ranks & scores will count unless dropping the worst rank is needed to break a tie in both rank and score (VHSL Handbook page 18)

·         For sweeps, a 5-3-1 scoring system will be used (VHSL Handbook page 18)        

Where to Report

Registration will be from 9:00 - 9:30 am outside of the Commons. Vending machines are available on-site for concessions.  There will be a hospitality lounge for coaches and judges.

Tournament Schedule

Our tournament schedule is as follows:

Registration:                                                                                    9:00 - 9:30 am

Judges Meeting:                                                                               9:30 am

Extemp Draw:                                                                                  9:30 am

Round 1:                                                                                         10:00 am

Extemp Draw:                                                                                  10:45 am

Round 2:                                                                                          11:15 am

Extemp Draw:                                                                                  12:00 pm

Round 3:                                                                                          12:30 pm

Lunch                                                                                               After Round 3

Closed Coaches Meeting / Announcement of Awards                             2:30 pm (or once tabulation is complete)

Open Awards Ceremony                                                                     After Coaches’ Meeting

COVID Protocols

During Competition:

• All participants will be masked OR use a plastic face-shield during the tournament and down-time 
• Each room of competition will have participants 6 feet apart  
• No observers (parents or otherwise) will be permitted in any rooms

Before Competition/in between rounds/lunch:

Each school will be assigned between 1 and 2 classrooms for their students to be when not in competition (unless the competition is very small and we could assign tables spread out in the commons.

Each coach is responsible for making sure their competitors stay distanced and in their team room/area when not in competition.  

Lunch will be “closed-campus” during tabulation to expedite the day’s schedule. Unfortunately, we will be unable to provide meals for students. We encourage schools to bring their own lunches, or take advantage of the many options for local food delivery. We encourage all coaches to come up with a plan of action for their own teams.

At the conclusion of the tournament/awards, students will return to their team classroom with their coach until their rides are here.

Please note that any of the above protocols are subject to change.

Tabulation Software

We will be utilizing Tabroom.com to operate this tournament, and for online balloting. If you do not already have one, you will need to set up an account and complete all registration via this platform. The link to the tournament site is:

http://vhsl6aregional.tabroom.com/

Additionally, every student will need to have a tabroom.com account linked to your school’s account. As a formality, please also complete the VHSL Forensics Region Entry Form, and email it to William Waddell no later than Friday, February 4th.

Judging Obligations

Please secure 2 experienced judges for the tournament.   Due to the nature of the above protocols, we ask that coaches refrain from listing themselves as judges.  Any judges used will be paid an honorarium for their service (provided by the VHSL).  Please email contact information for your judges along with your registration form. We will notify you ASAP if there is a reduced need for judges. All judges must bring a connectable device with them to complete online ballots.

Extemporaneous Speaking Topics

Topics for Extemporaneous Speaking are as follows:

                Round 1:                                                     Supreme Court

                Round 2:                                                      Refugees

                Round 3 :                                                     COVID

 Please let us know if you have any questions.  We look forward to seeing you all in February!  

 Sincerely,

 William Waddell (William_waddell@ccpsnet.net)

Jaclyn Clark (Jaclyn_clark@ccpsnet.net)

Scott McKeag (scott_mckeag@ccpsnet.net)