Welcome to the Jefferson Joust!

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On behalf of Jefferson High School and our Cavalier family, we are thrilled to have you here today. You’ve traveled from many schools, brought your voices, your ideas, and your courage! Today, you step into an arena where words matter, thinking matters, and you matter.

Before we begin, let’s take a quick moment to explain how the day will run. All competitors will participate in three preliminary rounds, which will be flighted A and B to allow our tournament to run efficiently and on time. Students are allowed to enter a maximum of 3 events. This can be a combination of ANY 3 events. However, if a student is not at a round after 70 minutes, the round will close and the student will be ranked last. Please be sure to check postings carefully so you know your flight and round assignments!

We are also excited to announce that this will be a NIETOC qualifying bid tournament! Closer to the date of the tournament, bid numbers will be posted.

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Pattern A Events: Drama, Humor, Informative, Non-Original Oratory, Poetry, Novice Extemp, and Reader's Theatre

Pattern B Events: Duo, Program Oral Interp, Original Oratory, Informative, Domestic Extemp, and International Extemp

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Schedule:

Round 1A: 8:30 am

Round 1B: 9:45 am

Round 2A: 11:00 am

Round 2B: 12:15 pm

Round 3A: 1:30 pm

Round 3B: 2:45 pm

Pattern A Finals: 4:00 pm

Pattern B Finals: 5:00 pm

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Following prelims, we will move into three levels of finals in most events to ensure meaningful and competitive opportunities for all students.

• Novice Finals will showcase our newest competitors as they take their first steps into elimination rounds.

• Honor Finals will recognize strong competitors who just miss advancing to the top tier but have demonstrated excellence throughout the day.

• Grand Finals will feature the top competitors in each event, representing the very best performances of the tournament.

No matter which final you advance to, each one is an achievement and a chance to compete with pride.

Win or lose, remember this: every round is an opportunity. An opportunity to learn, to improve, to support one another, and to represent your school with integrity. Respect your judges, encourage your competitors, thank the people who make this day possible, and most importantly—take pride in stepping up to speak. Sharpen your speeches, and ride into competition with confidence. Let the competition begin!

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Kayden Hoeke,

Head Speech Coach

Jefferson High School