Event information

TOURNAMENT FEATURES 

AWARDS: Awards will be presented to all competitors in elimination events in both individual events and debate. Teams must be present in order to receive their awards. Sweepstakes trophies will be awarded for the top five schools in the tournament. The following breakdown will determine sweepstakes (limited to top 3 performances per each division of an event, per school):

Prelim points:                                  Debate Elim Points:                        Speech Elim Points:

Debate win 4 points                        1^st place: 16 points                          1^st place: 12 points

Rank 1 in speech: 3 points             2^nd place: 12 points                         2^nd place: 11 points

Rank 2 in speech: 2 points             Semifinalist: 8 points                       3^rd place: 10 points

Rank 3 in speech: 1 points             Quarterfinalist: 5 points                  4^th place: 9 points

                                                            Octafinalist: 3 points                       5^th place: 8 points

                                                            2x Octafinalist: 2 points                  6^th place: 7 points

                                                            3x Octafinalist: 1 point                    Semifinalist: 6 points

                                                                                                                        Quarterfinalist: 3 points

Unfortunately, we are not able to mail awards to teams that depart early. If you are leaving before the awards ceremony for your events, please make arrangements to have your awards picked up by someone from whom you can later get your awards.

Event Descriptions 

POLICY: Policy debate features two-member teams who will debate on the 2015-2016 National High School debate topic. Novice and Varsity divisions will be offered. Novice division is limited to debaters in their first year of competition. If either member of a team is ineligible for the novice division, the team must be entered in the varsity division. The traditional 8-3-5 format will be used with 8 minutes maximum preparation time per team.

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS: Lincoln-Douglas debate features individual debaters who will debate on the NFL topic for January and February of 2016. Varsity and novice divisions will be offered. Novice division is limited to debaters in their first year of competition. L/D will use the 6-3-7-3-4-6-3 time format with 4 minutes preparation time for each debater.

PUBLIC FORUM: This event involves two teams debating over the January 2016 NFL topic.  The format is 4-4-3-4-4-3-2-2-3-2-2 with 2 minutes of prep per team. 

CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE: We will be using standard NFL procedures. See www.nflonline.org for more information. One division will be offered. We will offer three preliminary assemblies – each will be approximately 3 hours in duration. Any student may run for the position of Presiding Officer (P.O.). Each chamber elects one P.O. per session.

Each school may submit up to *2* pieces of legislation by emailing them to southwest.championship@gmail.com no later than Monday, December 7^th in order to provide schools with time to prepare before the holiday break. Our student congress legislation packet will then be compiled and posted on our website by Monday December 14^th. Legislation should conform to standard NFL formatting. Legislation will be selected for preliminary or final assemblies before the start of the tournament. Each school is permitted up to 15 entries in Student Congress. Chambers will be limited to 20 students, whenever possible.

FORFEIT RULE: Judges will enforce a twenty-minute forfeit rule for all debate competitors. 
 

STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN POLICY, LINCOLN-DOUGLAS, OR PUBLIC FORUM MAY NOT BE ENTERED IN INDIVIDUAL EVENTS OR CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE.

STUDENTS REGISTERED IN INDIVIDUAL EVENTS ARE ELIGIBLE TO ENTER CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE AND VICE VERSA.

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
DIVISIONS: All competitors will compete in a single division. Students currently enrolled in grades 9-12 are eligible to compete.

MATERIAL: Material in individual events may not have been used by that student in competition prior to the completion of the 2015 High School National Forensic League Tournament. 

ORIGINAL ORATORY: OO consists of a speech that is the original work of the student and is designed to persuade the audience. Presentation must be memorized. Any non-factual reference, especially a personal reference, must be so identified. Not more than 100 words of the oration may be a direct quotation from any other source. Maximum time is ten (10) minutes. 

PROSE INTERPRETATION: Selections used in this event shall be cuttings from published printed novels, short stories, essays (excluding plays or poetry). This is may be a memorized event but contestants must use a manuscript. Adaptations may be for the purpose of continuity only. Maximum time is ten (10) minutes, including memorized introduction, which presents the author(s) and title. 

DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION/HUMOROUS INTERPRETATION: Selections used in these events shall be cuttings from published printed novels, short stories, plays, or poetry. The presentation is memorized and is delivered without a manuscript. Costumes or props are not allowed in the presentation. Adaptations may be for the purpose of continuity only. Maximum time is ten (10) minutes, including memorized introduction, which presents the author(s) and title. 

DUO INTERPRETATION: This event involves two competitors interpreting a cutting from a play, prose or poetry, humorous or serious, involving the portrayal of one or more characters by each individual. This is not an acting event; thus, no costumes, lighting, props, etc. are to be used. The presentation is memorized and delivered without a manuscript. The competitors' focus should be off-stage and not on each other. Maximum time is ten (10) minutes, including memorized introduction, which presents the author(s) and title.

POETRY INTERPRETATION: This division is designed for the presentation of any published literature in the genre of poetry. This may be memorized but contestants must use a manuscript. Maximum time is ten (10) minutes, including the original introduction. Students may splice two or more poems by performing them in alternating order. They may NOT blend different poems from different authors and perform them as ONE poem. 

EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING: Topics for Extemp shall be based on foreign and domestic affairs for three months prior to the tournament. Speakers will be given 30 minutes to prepare after drawing from three topics suitable to their area of emphasis. Speakers may use one index card. Maximum time is seven (7) minutes. 

IMPROMPTU SPEAKING: Topics for Impromptu will be quotations. All speakers in a round will speak on one of two quotations, and thus it is necessary that competitors cannot view any contestant before them.  Each speaker has a maximum of seven (7) minutes to prepare and deliver a speech. Note cards may be used when preparing and speaking. 

EXPOSITORY SPEAKING: This event is a memorized, informative speech that may use visual amplification. For example, a visual aid may consist of an object or physical demonstration by the speaker. Maximum time is ten (10) minutes including setup/dismantling of presentation aids.

PROGRAMMED ORAL INTERPRETATION: Using selections from Prose, Poetry and Drama students create a ten minute performance around a central theme. Program Oral Interpretation is designed to test a student’s ability to intersplice multiple types of literature into a single, cohesive performance. A manuscript is required and may be used as a prop within the performance if the performer maintains control of the manuscript at all times. Performances can also include an introduction written by the student to contextualize the performance and state the title and the author of each selection.

There will be one pattern in individual events, and students can enter a MAXIMUM of 3 of the following events: 
Original Oratory, Expository Speaking, Humorous Interp, Prose Interp, Dramatic Interp, Duo Interp, Poetry Interp, Impromptu Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, Programmed Oral Interp

There will be four preliminary rounds in each event. Elimination rounds will start at quarterfinals for events with more than 55 entries and semifinals for those events with more than 27 entries. Coaches are urged to emphasize the importance of conscientious attendance in scheduled rounds, since "no-shows" make it impossible for the tournament staff to assure participants an equal level of competition.