Dear Middle School Speech and Debate Coach:

We invite you to Westside High School's speech, drama, and debate tournament. This tournament will be hosted at Westside High School in Houston ISD.

All events will occur on Saturday, April 26, 2025.

Schedule

This is a Saturday-only tournament. Tournament schedule will be posted soon.

We will keep a strict late policy of ten minutes. If a debater is not in the room within ten minutes of the start time, they will forfeit that round. If a competitor is not in a room by 10 minutes after the last speaker in the round, we will attempt to contact the coach to find the competitor's location. The competitor will be marked as a no-show after fifteen minutes. For individual events, we will ask the judges to stay fifteen minutes past the last performer for any cross-entries to arrive. We will notify judges if a round or section is running late so they can adjust their times.

Cross Entry

***Debaters cannot cross-enter in Section B or C***

When deciding to make cross-entries, please consider the timing of events. We will make every effort to section the students in their events so they can make them all. Please communicate with your students the importance of going to a section at the right time, so that we can keep the tournament on schedule. Judges will know which students are cross-entered on their ballots. If the student is cross-entered in an extemp and another event simultaneously, please have them adhere to their sectioning. We will bump up speakers when we can, but if too many students have gone to their other events, they will lose some of their prep time because we have to keep the tournament moving. Students are cross-entering at their own risk.

When looking at your sectioning, please go to the event where you are earliest in your room. Let the judge know that you are cross-entered to perform earlier. Then, go to the next event. If you are in the last position in an event because you are cross-entered, please attend that event LAST.

Karina Barbosa, Debate Coach at Westside High School