Tournament General Information

NORTH CATHOLIC FORENSIC TOURNAMENT

REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION

FEES: $6.00 per entry in speech, LD, and congress

$12.00 per team in Duo Interp, Parliamentary Debate, and PFD

Checks made payable to “North Catholic Forensics”

ENTRIES: Schools may register four entries in all live speech events and six in congress.
Schools may register any number of entries in the asynchronous events and in the virtual debates.

Registration in speech and congress is open UNTIL an event has reached the max that we can hold in that event. At that point, the next entries will be put on a waiting list. Please note that the waiting list pays no attention to schools and the numbers of entries by any school. In other words, register early!

Because of space limitations, some categories may close before the registration deadline.

FORMAT: There will be four rounds of competition and no final round in speech events.

There will be two sessions of congress.

There will be four preliminary rounds of public forum and Lincoln Douglas debate, and three preliminary rounds of parliamentary debate. These rounds will be held virtually, beginning on Friday afternoon.
The top eight entries in PFD and LD will advance to live debate on Saturday
The top four entries in parliamentary debate will advance to live debate on Saturday.

JUDGES: 1 per 5 in speech, or fraction thereof

1 per 2 in debate, or fraction thereof

1 per 6 in Congress, or fraction thereof

Judges in the asynchronous events on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and in the virtual debates on Friday can be reused on Saturday.

Judges must be present for all rounds. If a judge leaves early without notifying the tab room and/or without providing a replacement, that school will be disqualified. Judges may be moved from one event to another if the tab staff feels that is necessary to move the tournament along!

EVENTS:

Asynchronous Events

Informative, Programmed Interp, Declamation 10 minutes maximum

Storytelling, Pro-Con Challenge 5 minute maximum

In Person Events

Oratory, Prose, Poetry, Duo Interp, HI, DI 10 minutes maximum

Impromptu PHSSL time limits and format

Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas NFL time limits and topics

Parliamentary Debate PHSSL time limits

Student congress PHSSL rules

PHSSL rules apply for all events except Oratory and Declamation which will follow CFL rules and Pro-Con Challenge which will follow NSDA rules. Slight modifications will exist for Declamation and Pro-Con Challenge; please see the website for details.

Please note: “The coaches’ of the Pittsburgh NFL district are in agreement with the statement issued by PHSSL after its summer 2000 meeting.”Material that is presented in competition must be suitable for a high school audience. Contestants presenting material that is not suitable may be penalized.” This tournament supports this policy.

CONGRESS: Congress legislation will come from the district congress bank. Please check your Google Drive account/Files Shared with Me, or the website of this tournament.

SNACKS/LUNCH:

Snacks will be on sale throughout the day.

Orders for lunch must be placed in the morning before rounds begin.
Lunch includes pizza, a drink, and a snack and sells for $5.00

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

Asynchronous speech events – judging opens 7:00 AM Tuesday December 5 and closes at 8:00 PM on Thursday December 7.

Debate – Registration online, Friday December 8 at 3:30 PM
Round 1 4:00 PM

Round 2 in PF and LD 5:00 PM
Round 2 in Parli 5:30 PM

Round 3 in PF and LD 6:30 PM

Round 3 in Parli 7:00 PM

Round 4 in PF and LD 8:00 PM

All events Registration, Academic Wing 7:45 - 8:15

Advancing debaters need to re-register

Speech: Assembly 8:30 - 8:45

Round I 9:00 - 10:00

II 10:00 – 11:00

III 11:00 – 12:00

Split Lunches 12:00 - 1:00

IV 1:00 – 2:00

Congress: First session 9:00 - 10:45

Second session 11:30 - 1:45

PF, LD Quarters 9:00

PF, LD, Parli Semis 10:30

Lunch 12:15 - 1:00

PF, LD, Parli Finals 1:15

Awards: 3:00

AWARDS:

Medals will be presented to the top 3 award winners in each asynchronous category and to the non- advancing quarterfinalists in debate.

Plaques will be presented to the top 5 award winners in each live speech category with a field of 10 or more.

Plaques will be presented to the top 4 debaters in each category and to the top 3 members of each chamber of congress.

Sweepstakes will be divided into two categories: large schools (10 or more total entries) and small schools (9 or fewer entries). The top two schools in each category will receive sweepstakes awards. Sweeps will be based on the top ten entries in all categories.

Speech 6 minus each rank for each speaker

Debate 5 points for a win, 2 points for a loss

Congress Outstanding Speakers 20 points

DEADLINES: REGISTRATION DEADLINE: THURDAY DECEMBER 7 5:00 PM
(OR MONDAY DECEMBER 4 5:00 PM FOR ASYNCHRONOUS SPEECH)

Registration can only be done at www.tabroom.com Create an account if you don’t already have one, then go to the list of tournaments and click on the North Catholic tournament. You can then begin your registration.

Fees for the asynchronous part of the tournament are set at the registration deadline of Monday December 4 at 5:00 PM.

Fees for the in-person part of the tournament are set at the registration deadline of Thursday December 7 at 5:00 PM. Please note that you will not notice these deadlines until after the asynchronous part of the tournament has started.

You may continue to make changes (drops but no adds) to your in-person registration until 8:00 AM on Saturday, but the fees are set on Thursday at 5:00 PM.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Double entries are permitted in all asynchronous events. Double entries are also permitted between any async event and ONE live event.

Non-advancing debate entries may reregister for congress.

Tournament registration begins at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. Text 412 376-3490 between 7:30 and 8:15 if there are any problems. If you know that you will be arriving late, please text in drops. We will begin round I as scheduled.

PLEASE USE THE BUS DROP OFF ENTRANCE TO THE BUILDING. This is on the “side” of the building as you come up the back driveway from Hillmont Drive. The main entrance will NOT be open. Busses should park in the side parking lot until lining up on the “busses only lane” at the end of the tournament for pickup.

WE ARE USING ONLINE BALLOTING FOR ALL EVENTS. Please be sure that your judges are linked to your school with a Tabroom account and that they bring a device on which they can input their ballots!!!

If your judges would like to see a copy of the Judges’ Handbook, please refer them to the Taboom.com website.