SpeechWire Tournament Services - Forensics Tournament Software

Love,
Brandon Jo'el
Assistant Director of Speech and Debate Programs
Speech Team Director

On behalf of Cornell University, we want to (virtually) welcome you to a weekend dedicated to advocacy in AND out of the rounds. This year, we decided to mix things up: with competition now online, our program wanted to integrate some nontraditional elements to the tournament. Our mission is simple: to provide a space to uplift each other as advocates and individuals while finding broader applications to our research. Forensics offers our students a unique style of training in advocacy and research. Now more than ever, the world needs our students to translate theoretical conversations into real change. While our students know how to advocate for others, we must make sure that they are prepared to advocate for themselves in the world first. While it is great that we share our stories within our community, we know that we can do even MORE to show students how to apply speech skills to the real world. For that reason, we have adjusted our tournament schedule to make room for competition, research, and collaboration. To create a space such as this, we are having a “mini-conference” that will run concurrently throughout the tournament. We highly encourage everyone (including coaches) to join and attend! If you have students not competing, they are more than welcome to come join the festivities.

The Big Red Advocacy Intercollegiate Network will follow a conference tournament model. Co-hosted with the Advocacy Project at Cornell University, the conference will feature networking events, workshops, and panels with Cornell University faculty and staff, Maslansky + Partners executives, and forensics alumni. The concurrent tournament will have both asynchronous and synchronous elements; we want to ensure that we provide as many diverse experiences as possible. There will be many unfamiliar elements to programs, but we sincerely hope that you will be willing to try something new with us. Why not? Get ready for a weekend full of competition, advocacy, and community!

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday, November 6

6:00pm ET Registration/ Virtual Happy Hour

Saturday, November 7

8:00am Opening Ceremony

8:30 Extemp Draw/IPDA Round 1 Draw/Coffee Chat

9:00 Round IA (ADS/CA/DI/EXT/POI/PRO) and IPDA Round 1

10:00 IPDA Round 2 Draw

10:15 Round IB (IMP/DI/POE/DUO/PERS) and IPDA Round 2

12:00 Workshop Session 1

12:30 Workshop Session 2

1:00 Extemp Draw/IPDA Round 3 Draw/Grad School Networking

1:30 Round IIA and IPDA Round 3

2:00 IPDA Round 4 Draw

2:45 Round IIB and IPDA Round 4

4:15 Extemp Draw/IPDA Round 4 Draw

4:30 Finals A (IPDA Semifinals)

5:30 IPDA Final Draw

5:45 Finals B (IPDA Final ASAP)

7:00 Forensics Alumni Panel: Creating Success Beyond Forensics

7:45 Awards

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

8:00am ET Opening Ceremony

8:30 Coffee Chat

12:00 Workshop Session 1

12:30 Workshop Session 2

1:00 Grad School Networking

3:00 Workshop Session 3

4:30 Finals A on Zoom/IPDA Semifinals on Yaatly

5:45 Streamed Finals B on Zoom

7:00 Forensics Alumni Panel: Creating Success Beyond Forensics

7:45 Awards

Finals: In the spirit of making advocacy accessible, we will make all finals open for public viewing. All IE finals will be held on Zoom.

FUNDRAISING

Throughout the tournament, the Cornell Speech Team will be hosting a virtual interactive fundraiser. All proceeds will go to Mama Hill’s Help in California. The organization allocates funds to families for basic necessities. We encourage you to learn more about the organization at MamaHillsHelps.org.

YAATLY/ZOOM

1. Navigate your browser (use ONLY Google Chrome) to app.yaatly.com. You will be sent an event invitation URL to this end as well.

2. Set up your team’s organization. This is typically done by the DOF/Head Coach.

3. Add members (coaches, students) to your Organization by using the "Invite Members" button. Accepting the emailed invitation will automatically make those coaches & students members of your organization.

4. When you accept tournament invitations (emailed by those tournaments' organizers) or when you create your own event, those events will appear on your organization's home page under "Events.”

5. Workshops, Finals and Awards will be hosted on Zoom. Links will be emailed out and made available on our event Facebook page.

FLIGHT PATTERNS

Pattern A: (Extemp/POI/Duo/Prose/Informative/Persuasion)

Pattern B: (Impromptu/DI/Poetry/ADS/CA)

Async: (Poster Competition, Reader’s Theatre, and Spanish Interp & PA)

SATURDAY WORKSHOPS

Session 1:
12:00pm - 12:30pm ET

Using Your Narrative with Kristin Dade, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)

Senior Associate Director, Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives

Director, CSTEP & McNair Scholars Programs

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome with Jessie Mancilla,

Associate Director of Multicultural Affairs at Cornell University ILR School

Session 2:
12:30pm - 1:00pm ET

Resume Rhetoric Workshop with Paige Arthur and Sarah Hendry from Maslansky + Partners

Graduate/Law School Advising with Christian Stewart, Cornell J.D. ‘22

Session 3:
Advocacy Project

Effective Public Speaking with Advocacy Project staff; 3:00-3:30pm ET

Tell Your Story
with Advocacy Project staff; 3:30-4:00pm ET

This event is all about giving back, so please make sure your judging slots are covered. If you need help finding a judge go to hirejudges.com.

1. AFA-NIET rules and descriptions will govern all AFA-NIET events. Phi Rho Pi rules will govern IPDA. Please make note of these rules, as they may differ from tournaments in your region. There will be no C/X in the final round of Extemp.

2. As per new AFA-NIET language, the use of the Internet and/or electronic files are permitted in Extemp.

3. We will offer one division of Individual IPDA debate. Please make note of the following rules:

a. Debaters will be presented with five resolutions. Both debaters will alternatively strike two resolutions each, starting with the negative. The 30-minute preparation period begins at the first negative strike. We will follow the time constraints set forth by the IPDA: 5-2-6-2-3-5-3.

b. During prep time, students are allowed to access any prepared material and/or electronic materials. This includes access to the Internet. In addition, students are allowed to prep with other students, but NOT COACHES.

c. All preliminary rounds will be randomly preset. Brackets will NOT be broken in elimination rounds.

LP: Students will have prompts released to them by judges via SpeechWire Live.

Interpretation events: Inspired by Tennessee State University Director of Forensics Sean Allen, we encourage performers to add a “call to action” section at the end of their piece. This could mean creating a handout, encouraging the audience to donate to a cause, etc. The point is to bring solutions to the issues for which we advocate.

Poster Competition - This event will model a poster presentation at the conference. Since many of our students will go on to graduate school, we want them to learn how to present at a conference. This event will allow students to present independent research or extracurricular pursuits on which they may be working outside of speech. There will be two categories: STEM and humanities. The posters will be evaluated by Cornell graduate students and staff. In each category there will be one winner. The winner of each category will win $100.

Spanish Interpretation & Public Address - Spanish speaking students will be able to submit a video in any genre of their choosing. It will be evaluated by Cornell Spanish Debate Team. All Interps will be judged together and all PAs will be joined together.

The tournaments will both run in accordance with recent AFA-NIET changes for the 2020-2021 competitive season. Of particular note, please understand that:

The awards ceremony will be hosted on Zoom instead of Yaatly. After the tournament, each team will have digital certificates emailed to their coaches. In addition, all materials from the conference will be made available and sent out to all teams after the conference.

Individual sweepstakes: Students competing in 4 or more events in two different genres will be considered.

Emerging Advocate Awards: Top Speakers in Persuasion and Program Oral Interpretation will win the Emerging Advocate Award. To help promote advocacy in the community, the student winners will not only receive an award, but they will also be interviewed by the Cornell Advocacy Project and have their speeches and causes shared in the Cornell Speech Community Newsletter.