Canyon Tascosa Swing TFA NIETOC
2025 — Amarillo, TX/US
The Speech and Debate Teams at Canyon and Tascosa High Schools cordially invite you to attend the Canyon/Tascosa TFA/NIETOC Swing November 14-15, 2025. All rounds will take place at Tascosa High School. We will offer all TFA events, and will also offer Poetry, Prose, Impromptu, Duo Improv, and Original Spoken Word Poetry. Please note that NIETOC has revised its policy for qualifying opportunities with swing tournaments. Only one half of a swing may be a NIETOC qualifier. This year, the Tascosa Classic portion of the swing will be the NIETOC qualifier.
Students may enter three events in Pattern A, three events in Pattern B, and three events in Pattern C. Students may not enter both extemps in Pattern C. Debate and Congress may only cross enter in Pattern C. We will not break brackets in debate. Patterns A and B may not enter Debate or Congress. A limited number of Canyon and/or Tascosa students may be competing and may advance to elimination rounds. Entries are due by 7:00 pm, November 11. Please make sure drops are entered by 12:00 pm on November 12. We will be using the TFA Fall 2025 Congress docket which can be found at:
Canyon Congress Prelims will use items 24, 25, 21, 22, 23
Canyon Congress Finals will use items 30, 28, 29, 26, 27
Tascosa Congress Prelims will use items 2, 4, 5, 1, 3
Tascosa Congress Finals will use items 8, 6, 7, 9, 10
LD, CX, and PFD will use the NSDA resolutions current for November 2025.
WSD will use the following motions:
Round 1: This House would regulate artificial intelligence as a public utility.
Round 2: This House would regulate artificial intelligence as a public utility.
Round 3: Impromptu Motion (Motion will be announced in Room 2221).
Semis: This House believes that hacktivism is a legitimate tool of resistance. Info Slide: Hacktivism refers to the use of cyberattacks and hacking techniques to advance political, social, or ideological causes.
Finals: Impromptu Motion (Motion will be announced in Room 2221).
Awards in both halves of the swing will be offered to:
Individual awards for all finalists in all events (top 8 in Congress)
Team sweepstakes trophies for the top five schools (listed in alphabetical order)
Outstanding Speaker (Extemp, OO, Impromptu, Informative)
Outstanding Interper (HI, DI, Poetry, Prose, Duo, Duet, POI, Original Spoken Word Poetry, Duo Improv)
We will also recognize Outstanding CX, LD, PFD, and WSD debate Speakers (Based on prelim speaker points).
Duo Improv
In duo impromptu, two students work together to create an impromptu scene from three prompts.
A judge in each room will have three envelopes of topics for the round. One will be the setting, one the conflict, and
the final one the characters. The speakers will draw three topics from each container, choose one from each, and
return the other two to the container
The judge will start the stopwatch when the speaker draws from the FINAL container and give auditory
countdown signals every thirty seconds until speakers begin performing.
The speakers may write notes on a blank sheet of paper during preparation time, but he or she may not use or refer to
the notes during the scene.
The speakers may use the topics in any way they choose but the topics must be the central theme of the speech.
Scene creation may be humorous, dramatic, or a combination of the two.
The scene should provide a balanced performance between the two students.
Students will have 7 minutes total to both plan and perform.
Original Spoken Word Poetry
We will follow NSDA Rules
1. Material: Students will write and perform original poetry. Original Spoken Word Poetry is poetry written for
performance to express ideas, experience, or emotion through the creative arrangement of words according to their
sound, their rhythm, their meaning.
2. Quotation: No more than 150 word of the original poetry may be direct quotation from any other speech or writing,
and such quotations must be identified in a printed copy of the speech. An introduction is permitted, but not
required.
3. Delivery: The delivery must be memorized, and no book or script may be used.
4. Time: The maximum time limit is 5 minutes with a 30-second grace period. Should a
student go beyond the grace period, the student may not be ranked 1st. There is no other prescribed penalty for
going over the grace period. The ranking is up to each individual judge’s discretion. No minimum time is mandated.
Tascosa will continue its tradition of recognizing the Outstanding Speaker and Outstanding Interper with the Ann Shofner Award, and the Marti Kirk Award. These awards celebrate the lasting legacy left by two of Tascosa's most storied and celebrated coaches.
Tascosa will also offer the Spirit of the Panhandle Award. This award will be given to one student that competes in at least 5 different events at both the Canyon portion of the swing and the Tascosa portion of the swing and accumulates the most sweepstakes points in those events.
We are pleased to announce that we will also be recognizing one outstanding student with the G.L.O.W. (Go Light Our World) Award. This award will go to one student that may not be the most competitively successful, but who consistently strives through their actions and attitude to be a positive influence on their team, in their school, and in the world. Coaches may email a brief statement on why they feel a certain student should win the award. Please make sure to email nominations to Ryan Lovell at ryan.lovell@amaisd.org by noon on November 12.
Sweepstakes
Team sweepstakes awards will be calculated as follows
IEs, Duo, Duet, Congress
12 points- 1st place
10 points- 2nd place
8 points- 3rd place
6 points- 4th place
4 points- 5th place- 8th place
Debate (Debate sweepstakes points will count for the Tascosa portion of the swing)
12 points- 1st place
10 points- 2nd place
8 points- Non-advancing semi finalists
4 points- Non-advancing quarter finalists
Entry Fees are:
$20 - LD, PFD, CX, WSD
$15 - HI, DI, POI, Duo, Duet, Poetry, Prose, DX, FX, Oratory, Informative
$12 - Impromptu, Duo Improv, Original Spoken Word Poetry
The schedule will be as follows:
Pattern A: Prose, Duet, Original Spoken Word Poetry, Oratory
Pattern B: DI, Poetry, Duo, Informative
Pattern C: DX, FX, Impromptu, Duo Improv, POI, HI
Friday November 14
4:30 pm Canyon Rd 1 Pattern A, Canyon Congress Prelims, Rd 1 LD, PFD, CX, WSD (Prepared Motion - This House would regulate artificial intelligence as a public utility.)
5:30 pm Canyon Rd 1 Pattern B
6:00 pm RD 2 WSD (Prepared Motion - This House would regulate artificial intelligence as a public utility.)
6:30 pm Rd 2 LD, PFD, CX
6:45 pm Tascosa Rd 1 Pattern A
7:30 PM Tascosa Congress Prelims, WSD Rd 3 Impromptu Motion released
7:45 pm Tascosa Rd 1 Pattern B
8:30 PM Rd 3 Debate, WSD
9:00 PM Canyon Semis Pattern A&B
Saturday November 15
7:30 am Tascosa Semis Pattern A, Canyon Congress Finals
8:00 am Quarters LD, PFD, CX, Semis WSD (Prepared Motion - This House believes that hacktivism is a legitimate tool of resistance. Info Slide: Hacktivism refers to the use of cyberattacks and hacking techniques to advance political, social, or ideological causes.)
8:30 am Tascosa Semis Pattern B, WSD Semis - Impromptu Motion
9:30 am Canyon Rd 1 Pattern C
11:00 am Tascosa Rd 1 Pattern C
12:30 pm Canyon Finals Pattern A, Semis LD, PFD, CX, Finals WSD Impromptu Motion released, Tascosa Congress Finals
1:30 pm Canyon Finals Pattern B, Finals WSD
2:30 pm Canyon Pattern C Semis
4:00 pm Tascosa Pattern C Semis
5:15 pm Tascosa Finals Pattern A&B, Finals LD, PFD, CX
6:30 pm Canyon Pattern C Finals
7:45 pm Tascosa Pattern C Finals
Concerning NIETOC Bids:
During with the 2024-2025 competitive season, bids are gained at the following levels:
0-19 contestants = FIRST PLACE BID
20-34 contestants = FIRST, SECOND & THIRD PLACE BIDS
35-50 contestants = FINAL ROUND BIDS
51-70 contestants = SEMIFINAL ROUND BIDS
71-99 contestants = QUARTERFINAL ROUND BIDS
100 + contestants = OCTAFINAL ROUND BIDS
If you have any questions, please feel free to email Ryan Lovell at ryan.lovell@amaisd.org, or call at 806-640-8988.