California Middle School Speech and Debate Championship Tournament

Hosted ONLINE SYNCHRONOUSLY via NSDA Campus

Thursday, May 11th, 2023 - Saturday, May 13th, 2023

Live Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/194S4S3tKTe_lVoXZbLm7Jr2mHzgskdQYVtGQ3CL8ess/edit?usp=sharing (Will be updated with important information about the Tournament and has basic judging resources)

Extemp and Parli Prep Zoom Link (FOR STUDENTS ONLY): https://stanford.zoom.us/j/97499930715?pwd=dlc1emRzSmJvNFlvM2ZSaDVMTEpsZz09

Extemp Prep Live Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vGjQx_5zOlsvvISu4kwwbOBYyEB7IjUJwGIpkgigWhs/edit?usp=sharing (Students are expected to Prep in the Zoom room)

Judges' Lounge (FOR JUDGES ONLY): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86336147249?pwd=YXRlcVU4REVaMUp6SENvd1VIUEllZz09

Helpdesk Email: middleschool@chssa.org

Welcome:

On behalf of the California High School Speech Association, I'm excited to welcome all California Middle Schoolers! Our synchronous, online tournament dates are Thursday, May 11th - Saturday, May 13th, 2023.

All middle school competitors in sixth through eighth grades in public or private programs in California are welcome to compete with other outstanding students from across the state.

Structure of the Tournament:

1. Structure: We will offer six (6) preliminary rounds of debate and three (3) preliminary rounds of speech; breaks will depend on entry but are tentatively scheduled for octofinals for debate and semifinals for speech & student congress.
2. Cross Entry: Cross entry between Debate and Speech and Congress and Speech is allowed. Cross entry between Debate and Congress is prohibited. If students are double entered or cross entered, it is THEIR and THEIR COACH'S responsibility to ensure that they attend rounds on time. Our schedule is tight cross enter at your own risk! Debate judges will enforce a strict 15 minute forfeit time for all competitors. Speech judges will be instructed to wait 15 minutes after the final speaker has finished speaking for students. If a student does not show up by that time, they will receive last place in the round.
3. Double Entry: Double entry is permitted in Speech events ONLY. Students may enter up to TWO events in Pattern A and Pattern B for a maximum of four events across the two patterns. If students are double entered, it is THEIR responsibility to ensure that they attend rounds on time. Rounds will NOT be rerun if a student is late to their round. Extra Prep will NOT be given to students in Extemp Prep if they are late to draw.
4. Rules: The Tournament will operate under CHSSA Rules and Regulations as linked here. SPAR shall operate using Stanford rules.

Events Offered:

A. Speech:

1. Speech: We will offer all CHSSA speech events synchronously. Competitors may choose to upload a prerecorded video of their interpretation & platform speeches to be used in case the competitors experience technical difficulties during their rounds. Students who experience tech issues during rounds will have their video watched by their respective judges. Students who choose NOT to submit a video will receive last place in the round should they be unable to perform their speech. Video links must be uploaded to Tabroom by 7 PM on May 5, 2023. EXTEMP, IMPROMPTU, and SPAR will NOT have video submissions. There will be TWO Patterns:
2. Speech Pattern A is: SPAR, Dramatic Interpretation, Extemp, Informative, Declamation, & POI
3. Speech Pattern B is: Duo, Original Prose & Poetry, Humorous Interpretation, Impromptu, & Persuasive.

B. Debate:

1. Debate: Debate events offered are Congress, Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, and Parliamentary.
2. Public Forum will use the NSDA April topic.
3. Lincoln-Douglas will use the NSDA March/April topic.
4. Teams are welcome to submit Congress legislation for consideration. Congress Legislation is now posted on Tabroom and can be found here.
5. Topic Areas: Congress legislation and topic areas for Extemp, Parliamentary Debate, & SPAR have been released here.

Judging:

1. Judge Ratios: For all debate events the ratio is 1 judge to 3 entries or any fraction thereof. For all speech events and student congress the ratio is 1 judge to every 6 entries or any fraction thereof.
2. High school competitors are welcomed and encouraged to judge either as part of a program’s entry or independently.
3. All independent judges should register by following this link.
4. This year, we will be using a hybrid system to penalize judges missing their judging assignments. Judges that miss their judging assignments will first be fined $75 for the first offense, and $150 for each subsequent offense. Schools that have 5+ missing judge fines risk having their entire team dropped from the Tournament.

Save the dates. We look forward to seeing you for our exciting tournament!

Xavier Liu

Tournament Director