The Louisiana High School Speech League's State Tournament of Champions will be held April 4-6 in Lafayette.

This year, registration for the LHSSL Tournament of Champions is open to any high school student from a LHSSL-member school who has competed in at least one LHSSL-sanctioned event during the 2023-24 school year.

All events, including Congress on Thursday and Friday morning, will be at St. Thomas More High School.

Coach of the Year Nomination Form - Coach must complete this form

Tournament Notification Form - Coach must complete this form

Selection Submission Form - Coach must upload a copy of the performance material from its original source and the publication information printed in the book or posted on a website. [Declamation, Dramatic, Duo, Humorous, Oratory, Prose & Poetry]

Registration procedures:

1. Select competing students, events, and partners (where applicable).

2. Verify each student's eligibility. You must enter the NAME of the LHSSL-sanctioned tournament the student attended to be eligible to compete at the State Tournament. Once a student is selected from the drop down menu and they are added, there is a screen with a section called "Qualification". For team events, each partner needs to have competed at a tournament. If both partners competed at the same tournament, list that tournament once. If they did not compete at the same tournament, list a tournament for each. If it's a one-person event, there would only be one row. Skip the boxes asking for "Results". If you provide this information AFTER saving initial entry, there is a small edit icon next to each contestant on your Entry page. Click that box to get back to the Qualifier box(es).

3. Contestant Entry deadlines. Thursday, March 28 at 5 pm. Nuisance fees begin on Tuesday, April 2, after 3 pm

4. Observe entry limits.
a. Students may enter only ONE event in the Debate/Duo pattern.

b. Students may enter up to TWO Main Individual Speech Events.

c. Students may enter Congress regardless of how many other events they have entered.

e. Students may pre-register for up to 1 supplemental event (Extemp Commentary or Storytelling) regardless of how many other events they have entered.

5. Enter selection information. This is a two step process:
Step 1: In tabroom, you need to complete the required information for:
OO and POI - Title
Dec, DI, HI, OI, Duo - Title and Author/Speaker

Special note about OI: For "Title", enter the Prose title first, followed by a slash (/), followed by a title of the Poetry program. If multiple poems are used, enter the name of the poem that serves as the central theme of the program. For "Author", you should also use a slash to separate the authors of the Prose and Poetry programs (list prose author first).

Note: At the State Tournament, a competitor MAY NOT perform the same selection in two or more events.

Step 2: On the tournament’s tabroom site, there are directions on how to share a PDF of the manuscript. This is required.

6. Enter Judge Names (Deadline: Thursday, April 4, at 12 pm)

a. Each judge MUST have a tabroom account, and their account must include their phone number on their profile. We will use emails and browser notifications to alert judges that they have ballots to be picked up. We may make phone calls and send texts as well. Judges should be expected to have a device with them at the tournament, as we anticipate using electronic balloting. Coaches are obligated to train their judges how to navigate the tabroom.com platform in order to access and submit their electronic ballots.

b. Use the Judge Notes to indicate information the tab staff needs to properly place judges. For example, are there schools besides yours for which the judge is conflicted (e.g., used to teach there, graduated within the last 4 years)? You can also use the notes to tell us if there are certain events within the judge category for which the judge is better suited (e.g., Policy preferred, no interp). Do NOT use this for time restrictions (see step c). Update the Judge Notes as necessary.

c. Indicate which rounds judges are available. After step b is complete, click "Save Details". On the next screen, you will see the judges' names listed. Tabroom initially assumes that any judge listed is available for ALL rounds in the category. If that is false, please click on the words "all rounds" next to the judge name (located under the column marked "Availability" – see screen shot below). This will take you to a new screen that shows the tournament schedule for that category. If a judge is unavailable at a specific period of time, please click on the word "available" at the right (see screen shot below). This will label the judge as unavailable in that time slot. Select all slots for when the judge is unavailable. Update your judges' availability as more information is known.

Important note: the number of judges you owe for a judge category is the number of judges per time slot. If you owe 2 judges for debate, then that is 2 judges for EVERY preliminary round, and at least the first elimination round. You can have as many people as needed throughout the weekend to fulfill your per round obligation.

d. School's judge obligation is one round past your school's elimination in that category. If no one from your school reaches the first full elimination round in individual events, then your school still must provide the required number of judges for the first elim. If at least one student breaks to first elim, then your school still must provide the required number of judges for the next elim.

e. Each school must post a judge bond of $30 per required judge per category. This will appear as a line item in the school’s invoice in tabroom.

7. Wednesday registration procedures. At registration on Wednesday evening, each school must be represented. A coach (or an individual approved by the coach) must confirm the following:

a. Entry as shown in tabroom is correct. If not, tell us the changes (penalty fees may apply to drops)

b. School Consent Form has been downloaded, printed, signed by principal, and reuploaded to tabroom (directions are on the School Authorization Form subpage at the right)

c. Links to required PDFs of scripts and manuscripts in relevant events have been properly shared (see link to Selection Submission Form near the top of this page)

d. Payment (may be presented in-person on Wednesday evening) has been given to Executive Secretary. Must have two different checks - one for entry fees and one for the judge bond

Please click on the pages on the right for more information. We will add pages as we get closer to the tournament (e.g., Extemp Topic Areas, Impromptu Topic Areas, Host Site Logistics, etc.).

If you have any questions, please contact me at gregmalis@newmanschool.org

Thank you,

Greg Malis
LHSSL State Tournament Director