Hello friends:

Greetings from the MSU Speech & Debate Council. It is our great pleasure to invite you once again to Starkville for the 8th Annual Cowbell Classic on January 12th and 13th, 2024. As usual, the awards will be top notch, the competition will be excellent, the hospitality will be outstanding, and the tournament will run on time.

We are also proud to once again offer bids to the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC). For those of your seeking qualifying legs, come on down (or up, or over) and enjoy our hospitality.

The Events

We will follow the standards MHSAA tournament format. Debate preliminary rounds will be held on Friday afternoon and evening, with elimination rounds on Saturday. All individual event rounds will be held on Saturday.

Competitors may enter up to four events total. Either (1) up to two IE's in each flight; or (2) one debate event, and up to one IE in flight A and two in flight B. This allows us to schedule debate elimination rounds parallel to flight A.

Debate Events: Congressional Debate, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Policy Debate

Flight A Individual Events: Prose Interp, Dramatic Interp, Duet Acting, Original Oratory, Program Oral Interp, Impromptu Speaking

Flight B Individual Events: Extemporaneous Speaking, Humorous Interp, Duo Interp, Poetry Interp, Declamation, Informative Speaking

Per standard practice in Mississippi, potential Congress legislation will be taken from the MHSAA 2023-24 legislation packet, which is linked on this page. Please see page 3 of the packet for the list of legislation eligible for consideration, as it varies by tournament.

Out of state schools (and only out of state schools) may submit up to two pieces of legislation each, which will have the same eligibility for consideration.

The Awards

We will offer our usual suite of top-notch individual awards, including trophies, plaques, and medals in all events. Sweepstakes will include (1) top three overall team sweeps; (2) top three debate sweeps; and (3) the coveted cowbells for the top three individual performers.

Registration, Judges, and Fees

Registration will close on Monday January 8th at 6 pm. Entry fees are simple: $10 per entry in each event. Drops or adds by registered schools are permitted without penalty until 6 pm on Tuesday, January 9th. Drop fees will apply after this point.

As usual, we will attempt to recruit a strong pool of judges from the MSU community. This will be more difficult this year, however, as (due to a scheduling conflict) our tournament is happening the weekend before students return.

Consequently, we REALLY, REALLY need schools to MEET THEIR JUDGING QUOTAS, rather than pay fees, unless it is truly impossible to do so.

As always, we are happy to waive entry fees for schools in their first or second year of forensics competition, or their first or second year back after an absence of at least five years.

Questions

If you have questions, feel free to contact Brett Harvey at brett.harvey@msstate.edu or 662-325-8124.

We're looking forward to seeing everyone on January 12-13, 2024 for a weekend of fun and great competition.

Hail State and warmest regards,

The MSU Speech & Debate Council