SpeechWire Tournament Services - Forensics Tournament Software

Colleagues;

You are cordially invited to Western Kentucky University as WKU Forensics hosts the JUNIOR HILLTOPPER CLASSIC on Saturday, December 1, 2018. This page should contain all the information you need to make plans to attend. If you have any questions, contact Chris Chandler at (270) 745-6340 or directly at (270) 202-2771, or email christopher.chandler@wku.edu.

There will be no opportunity to leave campus for lunch, but we will sell pizza by the slice ($1 ea) during lunch.

All schools must be registered before 7:30 on Saturday morning as the first extemp draw begins at that time. Registration is in the lobby of Garrett Conference Center. If you will be arriving on Friday night and would like to register early, please contact us, and we will set up a time to meet you on campus.

If you need further information, don’t hesitate to call. We hope to see you on “The Hill” in December!

Sincerely,

Ganer Newman
Director of Forensics
Western Kentucky University

Chris Chandler
Tournament Coordinator
Western Kentucky University

AWARDS
Awards will be presented to the top six in each I.E. category. Sweepstakes trophies will be presented to the top five schools in I.E, using the top three scoring entries from each event.

EVENTS
The Junior Hilltopper Classic is proud to host all junior K.H.S.S.L. sanctioned individual events. You can find the 2018-19 event guidelines (times, script legitimacy) at the following link: 2018-19 KHSSL Handbook

SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY
We must receive your entry by 4:00 PM on 27 November, 2018. All entries must be made online, via speechwire.com (this website). Creating an account is easy, and the service is all free (we, the tournament hosts, pay the fees).

FOOD
Pizza is available in the Garrett Conference Center lobby during lunch, for $1 per slice. Food for judges will be available in a separate room in the same building. When you’re away from the campus, Bowling Green has a wide variety of dining options, most of which can be found along Scottsville Road. Also, many delivery options are available.

SCHEDULE
All schools must be registered before 7:30 on Saturday morning as the first extemp draw begins at that time. Registration is in the lobby of Garrett Conference Center, at no charge. If you will be arriving on Friday night and would like to register early, please contact us, and we will set up a time to meet you on campus. The schedule is as follows:

7:30       Extemp Draw (log cabin)
8:00       Round 1
9:15       Extemp Draw (log cabin)
9:45       Round 2
11:00      Broadcasting and Extemp Draw (log cabin)
11:30      Round 3
1:30       Broadcasting and Extemp Draw for finals (log cabin)
2:00       Finals
3:45       Awards

PARKING
On Saturday, you may park outside of Garrett in the metered parking lot while you register for the tournament. At registration you will receive directions on where to find parking. Parking on Saturday should be no problem, but please observe all restrictions and signs. University parking regulations are strictly enforced at all times.

A parking map will be sent days prior to the tournament to the coach who registers. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE IT TO ALL DRIVERS. Though you should not need them, other campus maps are available on the Parking and Transportation website at https://www.wku.edu/transportation/maps/index.php

DIRECTIONS
1.   Take Exit 26 off of Interstate 65.
2.   Turn toward Bowling Green onto Cemetery Road.
3.   Continue straight for three miles. Cemetery Road becomes Fairview Avenue. Continue going straight across 31-W Bypass. You will pass a fire station on your left. After passing the fire station, go through one traffic light and a stop sign, then turn left at the second stop sign onto College Street (this is a one-way street).
4.   Stay on College Street through downtown Bowling Green and continue until you reach the top of the hill. College Street will dead-end at College Heights Boulevard at a statue of Henry Hardin Cherry.
5.   Turn right onto College Heights Boulevard and stay in the right-hand lane. BUSSES MUST NOT ATTEMPT THE NEXT STEP, but instead drop students off in front of Cherry Hall before continuing down College Heights Boulevard.
6.   Non-busses can instead veer left up the hill as you pass Cherry Hall and Gordon Wilson Hall. Veer left again after you pass Van Meter Auditorium (driving between Van Meter and Potter Hall). This will bring you to the front of Garrett Conference Center.

CHECKLIST FOR JUDGES
1.   Become familiar with the rules for all events.
2.   Make sure you code yourself against any student from another school you should not be judging.
3.   Make sure you let the tournament officials know the events you cannot judge. Do not wait until the day of the tournament to do this, as assignments will have to be switched to accommodate your needs. This information should be on the entry form from the school.
4.   You will need a pen/pencil and a stopwatch or a digital wristwatch that shows seconds as well as minutes.
5.   Never switch judging assignments with anyone. This can cause problems when replacing judges in later rounds and for finals.
6.   Pick up all ballots at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the round.
7.   Make a list of all drops (if available) and check against your section.
8.   Make sure you have a complete list of the performers for your section and do not allow any student not listed for your section to compete.
9.   Never switch students from your room to another. Let the tournament officials make all changes.
10.   Do not switch rooms for any reason. Instead, report any locked room or other room problem to the tournament officials and let them make the change.
11.   Do not ask students to identify themselves by schools.
12.   Remove any disruptive audience members from your room.
13.   Make sure all the information/comments on the student ballot is correct and can be easily read by tab room officials.
14.   Always write comments on the ballots during the performance. There is no time to write a critique at the end of the performance or round.
15.   As speakers perform, shuffle your ballots in order of how you intend to rank them. When the last speaker performs, you should have ballots in order and simply need to put ranks/rates for each student and transfer this information to the speedy ballot.
16.   Do not leave the assigned room early. Instead wait for students double entered and/or contact the ballot table to find out if a student may be an unreported drop. Leaving prior to the end of the round often creates problems if a student has not yet performed and has no idea where to find you.
17.   Make sure you sign your ballot and double check to make sure the information on the student ballots matches the information on the speedy ballot-if a speedy ballot is being used.
18.   Return your completed ballots to the ballot table and wait until they are checked. Putting the speedy on top and the ballots in order of rank will enable those checking the ballots to move quickly through your packet. Be sure and report any "unreported drops" or "no shows" to the person checking your ballots.
19.   If you are listed as "stand by" for any round, always wait close to the ballot table until all ballots have been assigned.

EXTEMP PREP
Extemp prep will take place in the Faculty House, which is a log cabin between Garrett Conference Center and Cherry Hall. The use of computer files is allowed; however, the use of internet for research during prep time is strictly prohibited. Western Kentucky University is not responsible for any damage or theft of personal/team property left unattended in the Extemp prep room or anywhere else on campus.

FEES
I.E. entries are $5.00 per entry ($10.00 for each Duo Acting and Improv Duo team) and $25.00 for each judge you cannot provide (one judge covers six I.E. entries or fraction thereof). Please make this check payable to WKU Forensics. A $5.00 per I.E. entry drop fee will be charged for all drops after the 12 noon November 27 deadline. A $50.00 drop fee will be charged if you drop a judge after the deadline. All entry fees, judging fees, and drop fees must be paid at or before the time of registration. Registration is held at the ballot table, in the lobby of Garrett Conference Center.

JUDGES
An IE critic covers 6 slots. If you do not bring enough judges, there is a hefty uncovered judge fee. In other words, please attempt to fulfill your commitment. If your school can supply judges beyond your commitment we will be happy to discuss possible reductions in entry fees.

HOTELS

Getting hotel rooms early is essential for this weekend, as the campus is also hosting a large annual sports event at the same time. Below is the contact info for three hotels with which we have personally had good experience.

Holiday Inn, University Plaza: 270-745-0088
Staybridge Suites: 270-904-0480
Microtel Inn: 270-745-9922

Tournament Registration
Having now read the invitation, you should be ready to register.

We hope to see you on The Hill!

1) Students in Extemp or Broadcast Announcing (round 3) MUST compete in those events BEFORE moving on to their other events. Else, prep time will make them late. If doing both, prep Extemp first.

2) Students in duet events who are doubling or tripling should coordinate with their partners to agree whether to do the duet event first each round or last. Else, one student will try duet first and wait on their partner, who planned to do it later, making the first student late for their other events.

4) Please remember to edit and update judge details yourself, namely school or entry restrictions.

5) Please don't allow your students to bring along toys, as they will not have time to do anything but compete.

6) Deleting a name on your entry does NOT DROP that entry; it merely erases the name. You will drop an entry via the drop-down menu to the right of that entry.

7) On the morning of the tournament, please text message Chris Chandler (270-202-2771) if a student will drop an event. Do not explain why, nor give me any "maybes."

Chris Chandler
Email address: christopher.chandler@wku.edu
Phone number: 270-745-6340

Home - Order SpeechWire - Tournament results - Your account - Tournament manager

(vr)