Dear 5A Coaches:

I would like to invite you and your qualified students to compete at this year’s 5A State Tournament, Friday, March 11^th and Saturday, March 12^th, 2016 at Syracuse High School in Syracuse.  Below I’ve compiled information that will inform you of what’s to come. 

 

Director and Tournament Host:

Your 5A Tournament Host and site coordinator is Adam Hess, Syracuse High School.

Your 5A Tournament Director is Michelle D. Smith, Viewmont High School.

 

Location:

Syracuse High School

1503 South 2000 West

Syracuse, UT

 

Parking:

 

Concessions:

 

Coaches (head coach OR assistant) will be provided dinner on Friday evening and lunch on Saturday afternoon.

 

**Entry Deadline and Procedure:

Entries are due on Monday, March 4^th, 2016 at 5pm.  Registration and judge entry will take place through tabroom.com.

  

Contact Information:

If you have questions about facilities or locations, please contact Bonnie Gailey at ahess@dsdmail.net.

If you have questions or concerns about anything else regarding the tournament, please contact me, Michelle D. Smith, at michsmith@dsdmail.net or (801) 390-2162.

 

Events:

Congress

Region Reps, please forward me 4 pieces of legislation from the state pool that you would like to see on the docket by Monday, February 29th, 2016.  I will select the most requested 15 pieces of legislation: 5 per round and 5 for the supersession and forward the docket by Tuesday, March 1st. 

 

Foreign Extemp and National Extemp

Questions will be taken from the state list sent out by NFHS from March, February, and January.  Please review the rules for Extemp, specifically those regarding the use of electronic devices.

 

National Extemp

Round 1 = Federal Policy

Round 2 = Election

Round 3 = Social Issues, Health, Sports

Round 4 = Economy and Misc.

FINAL = Broad topics (i.e. Is it time to overhaul America's economic foundations?)

 

Foreign Extemp

Round 1 = Asia and India

Round 2 = Middle East

Round 3 = Europe

Round 4 = Africa and the Americas

FINAL = Broad topics (i.e. Is the UN relevant?)

 

 

 

Extemp Prep will be in chior room--1932

 

Impromptu

Topics are set as follows:

Round 1 is Open Response

Round 2 is Abstract Concepts

Round 3 is Quotes

Round 4 is Current Events

Final Round is VISUAL (paintings with title and artist)

 

Oratory

Please review the rules for Original Oratory.  Also, make sure your orators are able to produce a copy of their oratory manuscript at the tournament.

 

Lincoln Douglas

March/April 2016:  Resolved: The United States ought to promote democracy in the Middle East.

 

Public Forum

March 2016:  Resolved:  The United States should withdraw its military presence from Okinawa.

 

Policy

2015-2016: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially curtail its domestic surveillance.

 

Please review ALL rules for debate events, particularly those regarding the use of electronic devices.

 

Judging requirements

Each school is required to supply one judge for one to two Policy teams or portion thereof and one judge for every 3 teams or portion thereof in LD and PF.  For IEs, supply one judge for one to four IE contestants or portion thereof.  A full slate is required to bring a minimum of 4 debate judges and 2 IE judges.  Each region is also required to provide one Congress judge or Parliamentarian.

Judges will be expected to attend the mandatory judges’ orientation meeting to be held 15 minutes prior to the first round.

Judges will be required to carry a time card which must be stamped each round throughout the day.  School reimbursement will be settled based on the number of rounds judges were available for ballots throughout the tournament.

Judges are expected to be available for each round and at least one round beyond your students’ participation in their events.

Failure to provide adequate judges may result in dropping uncovered entries.

 

Schedule:

Friday, March 11 (CX, LD, PF):

Registration:  2:30 – 3:00pm

Round 1:  3:00 – 5:00pm

Round 2:  5:00 – 7:00pm

Round 3:  7:00 – 9:00pm

Ballot Review:  9:00 – 9:30pm

Saturday, March 12 (CX, LD, PF)

Round 4:  8:00 – 10:00am

Round 5:  10:00 – 12:00pm

Ballot Review:  12:00 – 12:30pm

Break Rounds begin at approximately 1:00pm

Saturday, March 12 (FX, NX, OO, IM)

Round 1:  8:00 – 9:30am

Round 2:  9:30 – 11:00am

Round 3:  11:00 – 12:30pm

Round 4:  12:30pm – 2:00pm

Ballot Review:  2:00 – 2:30pm

Final Rounds begin at approximately 3:00pm

Saturday, March 12 (Congress)

Session 1:  8:00 – 10:30am

Session 2:  11:00 – 1:30pm

Ballot Review:  1:30 – 1:45pm

Supersession:  2:00 – 4:30pm

 

Tab Room Assignments

Ballot Table:  Layton, West Lake, Granger

Ballot Entry (OO, IM):  Taylorsville and West Jordan

Ballot Entry (NX, FX):  Hillcrest and Hunter

Ballot Entry (CX):  Bingham and Weber

Ballot Entry (PF):  Lone Peak and Davis

Ballot Entry (LD):  Copper Hills and Jordan

Ballot Entry (Congress; using Excel):  Lehi, Roy, and Brighton

Extemp Prep:  Blake Mills

Standby for Assignments:  Fremont, West, Herriman, Riverton

 

Pairing Meeting:

The pairing meeting will be at Viewmont High School, room 221, on Tuesday, March 8th at 4pm.  All region reps should attend OR send a qualified representative.  Impromptu and Extemp topics will be finalized as well as any other final arrangements.

One Final Note:

To have a fair and enjoyable tournament, I think it’s important that each of us take the time and review the UHSAA Handbook at http://www.uhsaa.org/Publications/Handbook/ActivitiesSections/SpeechDebate.pdf

Please pay particular attention to the following:

Page 114, Article IV:  Electronic Devices

Article IV – Electronic Devices

Section 1: Events in Which Computer Use is Allowed

No electronic devices will be allowed in any competition with the following exception: The use of computers

within the guidelines stated in Section 2 is allowed at region and state tournaments in the following events:

Extemporaneous Speaking

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Policy Debate

Public Forum Debate

Student Congress

Section 2: General Rules

A. Computers equipped with removable wireless cards must have the cards removed before the beginning of

any round of competition. It is the responsibility of the contestant to disengage the equipment.

B. Computers with built-in wireless capability may be used only if the wireless capability is disabled. It is the

responsibility of the contestant to disable the equipment.

C. Wired connections (Ethernet or phone) during rounds of competition are not permitted.

D. Computers or other electronic devices may not be used to receive information from any source (coaches or

assistants included) inside or outside of the room in which the competition occurs. Internet access, use of email,

instant messaging, or other means of receiving information from sources inside or outside of the

competition room are prohibited. (This does not prohibit non-electronic communication between debate

partners during prep time if applicable.)

E. Penalty: Contestants found to have violated provisions A through C above will forfeit the round of

competition. Contestants found to have violated provision D (above) will be disqualified from the

tournament and will forfeit all rounds.

F. Availability of Evidence: Contestants electing to use computers have the responsibility to provide promptly

a copy of any evidence read in a speech for inspection by the judge or opponent. Printers may be used.

Evidence may be printed in the round or produced electronically, but must be provided in a format readable

by the opposing team and the judge.

G. Contestants electing to use computers are responsible for providing their own computers, batteries,

extension cords, and all other necessary accessories. Tournament hosts will not be responsible for providing

computers, printers, software, paper, or extension cords for contestants.

H. Because public speaking decorum remains an important element of competition, all contestants are

expected to stand at the front of the room and face the judge while speaking.

I. Contestants choosing to use a computer and related equipment accept the risk of equipment failure. Judges

and/or contest directors will give no special consideration or accommodation, including no additional

speech time or prep time, should equipment failure occur.

J. By choosing to use laptop computers in the round, contestants are consenting to give tournament officials

the right to search their files. Contestants who do not wish to consent should not use computers in the

round.

SPEECH/DEBATE

 

 

Page 119, Section 17:  Entry Substitution

Section 17: Entry Substitution

If a school qualifies more competitors than the rules allow in a particular event, the coach may choose to bring the extra qualifier to replace a region entry.

A. Extras in one event can only be entered if all entries in that event qualified outright at the region tournament.

B. Under this rule a student may only be entered in an event in which they competed at the region

tournament.

C. Non-existing entries may not be dropped to meet the limit overall (substitutions may only be made for slots filled at the region tournament).

D. Entry limits shall not be exceeded:

1. The total number of entries per school shall not exceed 25 for 3A, 4A and 5A, nor shall it exceed 24 for

2A, nor 22 for 1A.

2. A policy or public forum team counts as two entries for the purposes of substitution. Two individual

entries would need to be dropped to enter an additional policy or public forum team. Dropping a policy

or public forum team would allow two slots in events where students compete individually provided the

event limit is not exceeded.

3. No more than one extra entry per event may be made in the state tournament. (No more than four

entries in individual or debate events shall be allowed in 1A and 2A. No more than three entries in

individual events, nor more than four in debate events shall be allowed in 3A, 4A and 5A.)