We’re pleased to invite you to the Online Edmonds-Woodway High School Speech Tournament!

We will be offering our tournament as an IE-only online Asynchronous tournament this year. We’ll also work to provide high-quality judging with abundant feedback for each round. This will allow your students to get plenty of advice for their events before the January rush at an affordable price, while still getting to enjoy the holidays!

We offer the following events:

Individual Events

Informative (Novice-Open) Original Oratory (Nov-Open)

Extemporaneous (Nov-Open) Program of Oral Interp (Nov-Open)

Duo Interp (Nov-Open) Impromptu (Nov-Open)

Dramatic Interp (Nov-Open) Humorous Interp (Nov-Open)

Editorial Commentary (Open) Tall Tales (Open)
After Dinner Speaking (Open) Radio (Open)

If a division has fewer than 10 contestants, the event will be collapsed into one division.

PLEASE READ THE EVENT RULES CAREFULLY

If you are coming from out of state, you may want to consult the Washington Forensics Association Rules found here: https://wiaa.com/ConDocs/Con1144/2019-20%20Bound%20for%20State%20Regs.pdf.

EDITORIAL COMMENTARY: A scripted speech which is intended to be an analysis of a news event rather that a running synopsis of news. Speakers will read their manuscript from a seated position. The script should be timed to end between 1:45 and 2:00. Any speaker ending before 1:45 or after 2:00 shall be ranked one score lower. There is only open division for this event.

INFORMATVE: A speech that is designed to be informative in nature. Visual aids and note cards are permitted, but are not required. Time: ten minutes (10) maximum, with thirty seconds (30) grace.

DRAMATIC INTERP: One or more cuttings from a published play, prose, poetry, TV, or radio script, which is serious in nature. The presentation is MEMORIZED. Time: ten minutes maximum with 30 seconds grace. Novices may use scripts.

DUAL INTERP: A cutting from a published play, prose, poetry, TV, or radio script, which may be either humorous or serious in nature. The selection must be memorized but given without props or costumes. Time: ten minutes (10) maximum with 30 seconds grace. We are currently planning on allowing submissions of videos filmed either with both students together on camera or split screen. Judges will be instructed to not favor either method. If COVID restrictions change, we may change this. If you need help figuring out how to film a duo with this limitation, check out some advice from the NSDA. https://www.speechanddebate.org/duo-interp-split-screen-demo-nats-2020/

Novices may use a script.

EXTEMPORANEOUS: Thirty minutes before speaking time, each speaker will select a topic from a choice of four. Questions will be based on current events of the last three months. Speaker will be expected to organize and analyze material relevant to the subject area and answer the chosen question. One note card for novices only is permitted. Time: seven minutes (7) maximum, with thirty seconds (30) grace.

ORATORY: An original speech designed to persuade—that is, to change or reinforce an existing belief, to eulogize, to cause agreement with speaker’s position, or to motivate to action. Notes may be used in Novice Oratory: Time: ten minutes (10) maximum, with 30 seconds grace.

IMPROMPTU: Student will enter the room and be given a choice of three topics. The student will choose a topic and have six minutes to prepare and speak on the chosen topic. Time may be used in any manner the speaker chooses (example-2 minutes prep and 4 speaking or 4 minutes prep and 2 minutes speaking). Time: six minutes (6) maximum, with thirty seconds (30) grace. This event will be done live on Saturday.

HUMOROUS INTERP: One or more cuttings from a published play, prose, poetry, TV, or radio script, which is humorous in nature. The presentation is MEMORIZED in open, but novices may use scripts. Time: ten minutes with 30 seconds grace. Novices may use scripts.

Program of Oral Interp: At least one cutting of prose and one cutting of poetry and/or drama linked thematically. We will follow WSFA rules. Time: ten minutes maximum with thirty seconds grace.
TALL TALES: The best tall tales honor the tradition of the genre, with outlandish exaggeration and ridiculous stories. The contestant has six (6) minutes to prepare a tall tale which includes the three words in the prompt. Time limit: preparation and speaking time shall be a total of six (6) minutes. Contestants may use the time as they wish. If the speaker goes over a 30 second grace period the contestant may not be awarded first place in the round. Prep time must be included in the recording. No minimum time limit. If the speaker does not use all three of the words included in the prompt, they may not be awarded first place in the round.

AFTER-DINNER SPEAKING: The student chooses their own subject and develops an original speech. "Original" means "not copied, reproduced, or translated; a novel, fresh; not borrowed from some other source." The speech should have an undertone of seriousness. Humor must always be in good taste. Offensive humor and material shall not be permitted. There is no minimum time limit; the speech shall be no more than 8 minutes in length with 30 seconds of grace allowed. If laughter delays the speaker, the judges should take that into consideration when ranking. speech is prepared in advance and should be delivered from memory. No notes are permitted and no promptings are allowed during the delivery of the speech.

RADIO: The student entering radio speaking shall prepare and present a script which contains news, weather and sports. Copy used to prepare the script shall be no more than 24 hours old as of the tournament’s first round. No commercials may be used. The speaking time shall be not more than five minutes. Each presentation shall be read over a microphone when provided. If so, the judge shall hear the presentation from another room. If not, the judge shall face the back of the room while hearing the speaker’s presentation. The contestant's voice shall be pleasing when heard on radio. The contestant’s articulation should be clear; enunciation distinct and pronunciation accurate. The student's voice, including quality, pitch, volume, modulation and rate, should be used to good advantage. The individual should have an understanding of microphone technique and a thorough understanding of the material read.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION/TOURNAMENT ENTRY FEES

$20 school fee. Entry fees will be $5 per entry. We welcome your participation and hope you enjoy the opportunity for feedback! Make checks or Purchase orders payable to Edmonds School District, C/O Edmonds-Woodway HS Speech and Debate.

All registration will be done through www.tabroom.com. If you do not have an account at the site, follow the instructions to create one and then click on the Edmonds-Woodway Invitational link to register. Please email Derek Hanson at derek.hanson@sno.wednet.edu if you need help.

Registration Deadlines

Registration Deadline: Friday, December 15th at 9:00 PM.

Fees will be assessed at 9 PM on December 15th. Any drops after that time will be included in the fees. Please notify us of drops as soon as you know of them. Any changes on Friday the 15th should be emailed to derek.hanson@sno.wednet.edu.

JUDGING: All ballots will be submitted via Tabroom. We also highly recommend that judges take the NFHS judging course found here: https://nfhslearn.com/courses/adjudicating-speech-and-debate

Please ensure that your judges are trained! We would like your students to receive the best feedback possible for the last half of the season!

Time Commitments

Judging will take place over a two-week period. Judges who have not accepted their ballots by 11am on the 27^th will have their ballots pushed and fines imposed. All ballots must be complete by Friday, 12/30/23.

DIVISIONS: Novice division is open to any student who has not competed in debate before the current school year or attended a summer debate camp/workshop. Open IE’s are for all contestants, regardless of prior experience. If a student competed last year in anything for 6 or more rounds, they must be in open division. Novice IE entries must be in the first year of competition.

AWARDS: Award certificates will be emailed to coaches following the completion of the tournament.

Schedule

All times are Pacific Standard Time

Wednesday 12/5

9:00 p.m. Registration opens!

Tuesday 12/19

9:00am – Tall Tales and Impromptu, and Extemporaneous Topics Released on Tabroom (We’re using the honor system here; Do not look at the topics until prep time starts, please!)

6:00pm – Submissions are due for ALL speech events (link needed) from students to coaches for Tabroom entry.

10:00pm Deadline for coaches inputting URL into Tabroom for each contestant in the Video URL section of the entry.

Thursday 12/21

10:00am – Rounds will be paneled and available to judges.

Friday 12/23

10:00am – Ballot reminder blasted to all judges.

Tuesday 12/27

9:00am – Judges must have accepted ballots by this time

11:00am - Ballots that have not been accepted will be pushed, and fines imposed.

Wednesday 12/28

9:00am Pushed ballots must be completed

Friday 12/30

5:00pm – All detailed ballots from judges due

Monday 1/2

Awards Slides Presentation! Certificates will be completed and emailed to coaches following the completion of the tournament.