Invite

Lampasas / Bowie Swing — November 7, 9 & 10, 2026

Welcome to the Lampasas / Bowie Swing!

Lampasas High School and James Bowie High School are excited to invite you to the 2026 Lampasas / Bowie Swing, providing students with multiple opportunities to compete and earn TFA State qualification points through two independently operated tournaments.

Both halves of the swing will operate as Texas Forensic Association State Qualifying Invitational Tournaments (IQTs) and will follow all current TFA rules and procedures.

Schools are welcome to attend either side of the swing or both tournaments.

Bowie TFA — Saturday, November 7 — IN-PERSON

The Bowie TFA will be held IN-PERSON at James Bowie High School on Saturday, November 7, 2026.

The Bowie tournament will be both a:

• TFA State Qualifying Tournament
• NIETOC Qualifying Tournament

Lampasas TFA — Monday & Tuesday, November 9–10 — ONLINE

The Lampasas TFA is scheduled as an ONLINE tournament beginning in the early evening on Monday, November 9 and continuing Tuesday, November 10.

Each side of the swing will operate independently for TFA qualification purposes.

TFA Qualification

Both the Bowie TFA and Lampasas TFA will operate as TFA State Qualifying Invitational Tournaments.

Students will earn TFA State qualification points according to the current 2026–2027 TFA Constitution and State Points Schedule.

All TFA events will be conducted according to current TFA rules and procedures. If TFA adopts changes at the 2026 Convention that affect Invitational Qualifying Tournaments, tournament information will be updated accordingly.

Events Offered

We intend to offer the full slate of TFA qualifying events, subject to entries and tournament needs.

Debate

• Cross-Examination / Policy Debate (CX)
• Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD)
• Public Forum Debate (PF)
• World Schools Debate (WSD)

Individual Events

• Dramatic Interpretation (DI)
• Humorous Interpretation (HI)
• Duo Interpretation (DUO)
• Duet Acting (DUET)
• Informative Speaking (INFO)
• Original Oratory (OO)
• Program Oral Interpretation (POI)

Extemporaneous Speaking

• Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking (DX)
• Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking (FX)

Congressional Debate

• Congressional Debate

Additional events or divisions may be offered at the discretion of tournament management.

NIETOC Qualification — Bowie TFA Only

The Bowie TFA — IN-PERSON portion of the swing is also a NIETOC qualifying tournament.

Eligible events will award NIETOC bids according to NIETOC qualification standards and the number of competitors participating in each event.

NIETOC qualification applies to the Bowie tournament only.

Additional information regarding eligible events and qualification will be provided as the tournament approaches.

Debate Topics

All debate events will use the applicable topics designated by the appropriate governing organization for the tournament dates.

Cross-Examination / Policy Debate

Resolved: The United States federal government should establish national health insurance in the United States.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

November/December 2026 Topic — TBA

Public Forum Debate

November/December 2026 Topic — TBA

World Schools Debate Bowie and Lampasas

Round One: This House believes that environmentally sensitive regions should prioritize preservation over ecotourism.

Round Two: This House believes that environmentally sensitive regions should prioritize preservation over ecotourism.

Round Three: Impromptu

Elim 1 (if necessary): This House, as the United Nations, would abolish permanent membership on the Security Council.

Elim 2 (if necessary): This House would require social media platforms and search engines to pay news publishers for the content they share.

Finals: Impromptu

Congressional Debate

Bowie Docket:

Prelims: 21, 25, 24, 23, 22

Finals: 30, 27, 29, 28, 26

Lampasas Docket:

Prelims: 22, 23, 24, 25, 21

Finals: 26, 28, 29, 27, 30

Congressional Debate will use the applicable Fall 2026 TFA Congress docket.

Students will be permitted to run for Presiding Officer.

Bowie Novice Extemp: Middle East

Lampasas Novice Extemp: Middle East

Debate Procedures

Preliminary Rounds

CX, LD, and PF will have a minimum of three preliminary rounds on each side of the swing.

Elimination rounds will be determined based on final entry numbers and TFA qualification requirements.

Brackets

We will NOT break brackets in debate elimination rounds.

Students from the same school may debate one another in elimination rounds when required by the bracket.

Debate Panels

We will use three-judge panels beginning in Semifinals for TFA qualifying debate events.

We will attempt to panel Quarterfinals when the available judge pool permits, but Quarterfinal panels are not guaranteed.

Elimination Rounds

Except for any specifically designated novice division, we will not conduct unnecessary debate elimination rounds that do not award additional TFA qualification points.

Depending on entries:

• CX, LD, and PF divisions with 10–15 entries may advance directly to Semifinals.
• World Schools divisions with 6–9 teams may advance directly to Finals.
• Additional elimination rounds will be scheduled when required by entry numbers and TFA qualification procedures.

Tournament management reserves the right to adjust elimination structures based on final entries while remaining consistent with TFA requirements.

Individual Event Advancement

Individual Events with 16 or fewer entries may advance directly to Finals following the second preliminary round.

When this occurs, the second preliminary round will occupy the scheduled Semifinal time slot.

Final rounds of Individual Events, Duo Interpretation, and Duet Acting will be paneled.

Advancement procedures for larger divisions will be determined by final entry numbers.

Cross-Entry

Cross-entry will be permitted where the tournament schedule allows.

Competitors who choose to enter multiple events are responsible for managing their schedules. Rounds will not be delayed to accommodate cross-entry.

Specific cross-entry restrictions and event patterns for each side of the swing will be posted with the respective tournament schedules.

CX/Policy Debate competitors may not cross-enter in another event during the same tournament.

Judging

Schools are expected to provide qualified judges sufficient to cover their entries.

Judges assigned to TFA qualifying events must have graduated from high school.

Current high school students may only be used to judge specifically designated novice or non-TFA qualifying events with the explicit approval of tournament management. High school students may not be used to satisfy a school's judging obligation in a TFA qualifying event.

Schools should make every effort to provide their required judges. Missing judge fees are intended to allow the tournament to secure additional qualified judges and should not be viewed as an alternative to providing the required judging.

Specific judging obligations and missing judge fees will be posted separately.

Tabroom & Online Balloting

Both sides of the swing will use Tabroom.com for registration, electronic balloting, postings, and tournament communication.

All judges must:

• Have an active Tabroom account.
• Have an email address connected to their account.
• Have access to an internet-capable device throughout the tournament.
• Regularly monitor Tabroom for postings and ballot assignments.

Competitors should also have their own Tabroom accounts linked to their school with an active email address.

Bowie TFA — Saturday, November 7 — IN-PERSON

The Bowie portion of the swing will take place IN-PERSON at James Bowie High School on Saturday, November 7.

All competitors, judges, coaches, and school representatives should plan to be on campus for their scheduled rounds and assignments.

Additional Bowie information regarding:

• Tournament schedule
• Campus arrival and check-in
• Parking
• Food and concessions
• Building maps
• Tournament headquarters
• Awards
• Campus procedures

will be posted as the tournament approaches.

Adult Sponsor Requirement — Bowie

An adult affiliated with each participating school must be present and available on campus throughout the tournament.

The tournament must have a responsible adult point of contact for each participating school in the event of student, judging, or administrative concerns.

Lampasas TFA — November 9–10 — ONLINE

The Lampasas portion of the swing isscheduled as an ONLINE tournament on Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10, with competition beginning in the early evening each day.

Competitors and judges participating in Lampasas must have:

• Reliable internet access.
• A computer or other appropriate device capable of participating in online competition.
• An active Tabroom account.
• Access to the email associated with their Tabroom account.
• The ability to access the tournament's designated online competition platform.

Competitors and judges should monitor Tabroom closely throughout both evenings for pairings, postings, ballots, and tournament announcements.

Adult Sponsor Requirement — Lampasas

An adult affiliated with each participating school must remain available and reachable throughout online competition.

The tournament must have a responsible adult point of contact for each participating school in the event of student, judging, or administrative concerns.

Recording Policy

Audio and video recording of competition rounds is prohibited.

This policy applies to both the IN-PERSON Bowie tournament and the ONLINE Lampasas tournament.

Tournament Communication

Tabroom.com will be the primary source for tournament communication.

Coaches, competitors, and judges should ensure the email addresses associated with their Tabroom accounts are accurate and monitored.

Important announcements, schedule changes, postings, ballots, and other tournament information may be distributed through Tabroom before and during competition.

Rules & Tournament Authority

Both sides of the swing will operate under the current Texas Forensic Association Constitution and Contest Rules.

The tournament director reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments necessary for the efficient operation of the tournament, including changes to sections, schedules, elimination rounds, and event structures based on entries, judge availability, or other tournament needs.

Any adjustments will remain consistent with applicable TFA requirements.

Registration

Registration for both sides of the swing will be conducted through Tabroom.com.

Schools may register for:

• Bowie TFA — Saturday, November 7 — IN-PERSON
• Lampasas TFA — Monday & Tuesday, November 9–10 — ONLINE
• Both sides of the Lampasas / Bowie Swing

Each tournament is an independent TFA qualifying opportunity.

Entry deadlines, fees, judging obligations, drop deadlines, and payment information will be posted on the appropriate Tabroom pages.

Please monitor Tabroom as the tournament approaches for updates.

Questions?

For questions regarding registration, tournament procedures, or the Lampasas / Bowie Swing, please contact:

Julian Erdmann

Julian.T.Erdmann@gmail.com

We look forward to welcoming you to the 2026 Lampasas / Bowie Swing!