WELCOME TO THE WIAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS!

It is time for our WIAA State Speech and Debate Championships! This year’s event will be Thursday- Saturday, March 19-21, 2026 at the beautiful University of Puget Sound, hosted by Dr. Derek Buescher. Thank you to this college program for welcoming us to their campus for the culmination of our competitive season!

Please reach out to your district chair or the WSFA Board if you need any help or have questions. I will also be available on Thursday, February 5th from 5-6pm to help with any concerns you may have; here is the link: Questions about State!

We look forward to seeing the best our state has to offer in a few short weeks,

Kelley Kirkpatrick- WSFA President

Sarah Sherry- Western Vice-President

Robin Montieth- Northern Vice-President

Vicky Hyde- Eastern Vice-President

Erika Moore-WSFA Secretary

Paul Sealey- WSFA Treasurer

TOURNAMENT HOTEL

The Hampton Inn- Tacoma will be our main tournament hotel for this year's event. If you would like to reserve a room in this block, please contact Amber atamber@hiex.com or (253) 539-2288 and she will take care of your booking!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Registration is due by Wednesday, March 11, 2026 by 9:00 pm. Each student may enter two speech events that they have qualified for at the district level. Each student may enter one form of debate if they have qualified at the district level. We ask that all drops are done by March 11, 2026 by 9pm (no other changes are permitted.)

We ask that you let us know about open spots as soon as possible, ideally by March 11, 2026. We would like to notify alternates as quickly as we can so that they may have time to prepare for the competition. Please contact kkirkpatrick@mvsd320.org with this information.

Judge entries must be completed by Friday, March 13.

Here is the current version of our BOUND FOR STATE Rules!

Individual Event Judges

1. One judge is required for every 4 entries.
   
   

2. This year, former students who graduated in 2025 may judge. We ask that coaches use their best discretion when choosing to use these young judges. These young judges are still REQUIRED to complete the appropriate NSDA trainings before the tournament begins.
   
   

3. Please list any schools or competitors a judge cannot judge.
   
   

4. Please indicate whether judges are a coach. We try to place at least one coach on each final panel.
   
   

5. Each school is required to provide enough qualified, experienced judges to cover their entries. This is the time to bring your best judges! Judges must complete the NSDA judge accreditations to be entered as a judge. Here is a link to the trainings: NSDA Judge Training

1. All preliminary rounds will be double judged and the final round will have three judges.
   
   

2. Schools will be assessed a $100 fine for each ballot their judge misses, with a one ballot grace period. When the second ballot is missed, the $100 fine will be retroactive to the first ballot missed. Meaning if a judge misses one ballot, we will forgive them; if they miss two ballots, your school will be assessed a $200 fine.

1. All ballots will be on-line! Judges must have their own account on Tabroom.com. Please include any limitations in the notes section. If you need help with tabroom.com, here is a helpful guide from Eastern Vice-President and Chiawana coach Vicky Hyde: Tabroom Help

1. Interpretation Information

For Dramatic, Humorous, Duo, and Program of Oral Interpretation events, the WSFA Script Check Cover Sheet (WSFA Script Check Cover Sheet) must be completed to compete at State. Coaches should maintain all of the forms for their students and be ready to provide a copy during the tournament if asked to provide one. The contestant is required to have the original copy/copies, plus a photocopy of their script, which includes the changes (cuts), introduction, and transitions, which are highlighted at the State Tournament. These must be provided in electronic form (scans, high quality pictures) if asked by tournament tab staff during competition.

Please email your scripts to be checked to WAScriptcheck@gmail.com. The Script Check Committee will need the original pages of the interpretation marked with the words used, a copy of the script, and the cover sheet for each interpretation entry. We recognize that this is a new process and appreciate your patience! If you have questions, please contact Andrew Shimer at ashimer528@gmail.com.

10. Oratory Scripts

Students competing in Oratory are required to have an electronic copy of their speech available if a judge requests it or the tournament headquarters needs to verify the work. Quoted words (not to exceed 150 words) should be highlighted.

11. Judges are obligated two rounds past their school’s elimination. For speech events, this means judges are obligated for all of the rounds.

Debate Judges

1. One experienced judge is required for every debate entry for Policy, Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, and Worlds School Debate.

2. One experienced judge is required for each school in congress. In the notes section of tabroom.com, please indicate if your congress judge is comfortable serving as a parlimentarian.

If you have three entries in congress, your judge must be neutral (that doesn’t mean School A can hire School B’s judge to make them appear neutral. We need neutral judges in each chamber, please.)

3. Judges may only be entered in one judging pool: Policy, Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, Worlds or Congress. Schools must cover the event that corresponds with their student entries. For example, if you are bringing LD competitors, you need to provide LD judges, not Congress judges.

4. A judge must have graduated no later than 2025. Coaches, we ask you to use your discretion when hiring these young judges.

5. All Lincoln Douglas and Policy judges must have a paradigm on tabroom.com that is linked to their tabroom account.

6. The tournament will strive to provide judges for hire, but cannot guarantee availability. The earlier you ask for help, the more likely we can find someone for you to hire.

7. The tournament will hire judges to ensure we have enough judges for both days. These judges are not available for hire by schools.

8. If your judges leave the tournament, or you do not cover your commitment, your team will forfeit its debaters.

9. Judges are obligated two rounds past their school’s elimination.

Failure of each judge to cover their elimination round commitment will result in a $200 fine.

10. All ballots will be on-line! All judges will need a tabroom.com account. Please include any limitations in the notes section. If you need help with tabroom.com, here is a helpful guide from Eastern Vice-President and Chiawana coach Vicky Hyde: Tabroom Help

11. Please bring your best judges for this event.

ERIK HELPPIE AWARD

The Erik Helppie Award and scholarship is to recognize not necessarily the best debaters and speech competitors, but debaters and speech competitors that exemplify a spirit of helping and giving back to their community and/or debate team. The committee will interview the selected candidates during the State Debate Tournament. The top three finalists will be recognized at the Awards Assembly on Saturday, 3/21. Applications must be received by Saturday, 3/8 and should be sent to kkirkpatrick@mvsd320.org.

Background

Erik Helppie was a speech and debate competitor at Interlake High School in the 1960s. After Erik graduated from Interlake he began attending college. He soon learned that the Interlake debate team was now without a coach, and would cease to exist unless they found a replacement. Erik also learned he had cancer. Despite the arduous fight with cancer, and the full college course load, Erik also began to coach the Interlake team. When Erik died a few years later the Interlake community, and the entire speech and debate community lost a terrific mentor and friend. It is in his honor the WSFA awards the Erik Helppie Award, not necessarily to the top speech and debate competitor, but to a speech and debate competitor that exemplifies the spirit of Erik Helppie. A competitor that gives back to their community and team.

Criteria

The Erik Helppie Award is one in which a coach nominates a student that they feel is an outstanding individual who exemplifies the qualities of a leader and community member. Explain what this student has done to promote forensics on your team, in the school, and community. Please indicate a list of major awards both in forensics and school activities. Be specific and cite examples. The student must be a graduating senior to qualify. Both the coach and the student must be present at the State Speech Tournament, on Saturday, 3/21, as the finalists selected by the committee and their coaches are interviewed.

LOIS GORNE PRESIDENT’S AWARD NOMINATION

The Lois Gorne President’s Award honors students that have demonstrated outstanding achievement in speech and performing arts. This reaches beyond speech and debate and includes theatrical performances, public address, and similar activities. The committee will interview the selected candidates during the State Individual Events Tournament. The top three finalists will be recognized at the Awards Assembly on Saturday. Applications must be received by Monday, 3/9 and should be sent to kkirkpatrick@mvsd320.org.

Criteria

Coaches should include in their nomination an explanation of what the nominee has done in the performing arts (including speech and debate) and what qualities you believe make them qualified for this honor and scholarship. Please include a specific list of major awards and honors. The student must be a graduating senior to qualify. Both the student and coach must be present at the State Speech Tournament, as finalists will be interviewed by a committee appointed by the WSFA President.

In keeping with the goals and ideals of Lois Gorne, nominations should address these areas:

• Describe the various performing arts/speech events the nominee has chosen to participate in throughout high school, and give specific examples of the nominees work – i.e. names of cuttings for interp performances, favorite orations, other speech topics, etc.
  
  

• Describe why the nominee would be a good candidate for the award, including financial need.
  
  

• Describe how the nominee anticipates utilizing his or her performing arts skills at the college level.
  
  

• Describe how the nominee is an above average example as a group or team leader.
  
  

Your nomination paper, including the achievements should not exceed two typed pages.

SCHEDULE

Please feel free to distribute this link to those who need it…thank you! SCHEDULE

TOURNAMENT FEES

Individual Event Tournament School Fee… $30

Individual Event entry… $10

Lincoln Douglas entry… $30

Policy entry… $30

Public Forum entry… $30

Congress entry… $15

Worlds School Debate Entry… $30

Pre-pay WSFA Dues… $30

Checks and purchase orders are acceptable to pay fees. Fees are to be paid at the tournament registration or mailed to the billing address prior to the state competition. If a school has entries in the IE and Debate tournaments, the check may include both in one check. If mailing payment, please send to:

WSFA Treasurer Paul Sealey

PO Box 23185

Federal Way, WA 98093

TOPICS

Congress:

Here is the link to CONGRESS LEGISLATION!

Policy:

Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly increase its exploration and/or development of the Arctic.

LD: To be released by NSDA on 2/1/26.

PF: To be released by NSDA on 2/1/26.

World Schools Debate:

* Specific round information is available on the schedule.

This House would lower the voting age in the United States to 16 years of age.

This House, as a democratic government, would ban political advertising on social media platforms.

This House believes that charter schools have done more harm than good to the education system.

(Info Slide: A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autonomy for accountability, that it is freed from the rules but accountable for results.)

This House believes that the African Union should prioritize strengthening regional alliances as opposed to continental unification.

(Info Slide: Regional alliances refer to cooperative blocs among nearby African nations (such as ECOWAS, SADC, or the East African Community) that coordinate on security, trade, and political issues within a specific sub-region. Continental unification refers to broader, Africa-wide integration efforts (similar to the structure of the EU) that aim to centralize political decision-making, harmonize institutions, or move toward continent-wide economic or political union. )