The Joan Joseph Speech League

1969 Braves Trail, Chesapeake, VA 23325 PH: 757-578-7000 Fax: 757-578-7004

Yardan.Shabazz@cpschools.com

TO: Colleagues and Friends

FROM: Yardan Shabazz, Indian River High School Speech Coach

RE: Inaugural Speech Tournament

Mrs. Joan Joseph recruited me to join the Speech Team my junior year of high school. I owe everything to her. The Joan Joseph Speech League will hold its first tournament on Saturday, January 25th at Indian River High School. Our goal is to have you return for additional tournaments for Fall 2025.

Directions to Indian River High School may be obtained through MapQuest or other GPS programs. The address to Indian River is 1969 Braves Trail, Chesapeake, VA 23325. A map for parking areas at the high school is included in this packet.

This invitational tournament will be held in three straight rounds. One judge will critique each round. The schedule of events is as follows:

8:00 – 8:30 - Registration

8:45 - Opening Assembly followed by Judges’ Meeting

9:15 - Extemp Drawing for Round 1

9:45 – 11:00 - Round 1

10:35 - Extemp Drawing for Round 2

11:05 – 12:20 - Round 2

12:25 – 1:55 - LUNCH

TBA - Extemp Drawing for Round 3

2:05 – 3:20 - Round 3

4:55 - Awards

All schematics will be done at random through the computer program.

No podiums or lecterns will be provided for any event; therefore, all students should be prepared to compete without them.

The Booster Speech Parents will provide a concession stand for pizza and snacks. Schools should also feel free to plan to bring their own lunches, since the cafeteria will be a designated area for meals.

Tournament Entry Forms: Entry forms will be made available once school participation is confirmed.

Judges: Each school is asked to provide at least one QUALIFIED judge per every 5 individual entries.

DROPS:

Drops (for any reason) are permitted up to 48 hours before the tournament with no penalty.Drops within 48 hours require schools to honor the entry fees AND still require the original judging quota. If the original judging quota is not met upon registration, students may not be able to compete and there will be a $50 dropped judge fee.

AWARDS:

Trophies/Medals will be given to the top 3 finishers in each category.Sweepstakes and runner up sweepstakes trophies will be given to the schools with the most points in each division (speech and debate).

COSTS:

Schools will be assessed a $10 fee per competitor ($20 for Duo Teams)

REMINDERS

1. Extemporaneous Speaking contestants must not leave the prep area with any materials other than their question strip and optional note card.

2. Original Oratory contestants must present the same speech in each round of a given tournament.

3. All Interpretation Event contestants must present the same selection in each round of a given tournament.

We look forward to seeing you and your contestants on Saturday, January 25th.