***LIMITED PREP PROMPTS ARE NOW POSTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE!***

 

September 2020

 

THE DR. FRANK M. THOMPSON JR.

CRIMSON CLASSIC AND UA ALUMNI ASYNCHRONOUS TOURNAMENT

 

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

You are cordially invited to attend the Crimson Classic and UA Alumni Asynchronous Tournament held virtually by the University of Alabama, named for Dr. Frank M. Thompson, former Director of our program. Dr. Thompson remains one of the great torchbearers of forensics. His name rings synonymous with both excellence and joy in what we do. We, at UA, owe him our deepest gratitude and respect.

 

We hope that you will attend our virtual asynchronous tournament September 30th through October 4th.  

 

Preliminary rounds will take place Wednesday, September 30th through Friday, October 2nd. 

 

Outrounds (if necessary) and Final Rounds will take place Saturday, October 3rd & Sunday, October 4th. 

 

In the following pages you will find tournament information for all forensic events. We greatly appreciate each of you for the time and energy you all are putting into adapting for the changes this tournament season.  If we can be of further assistance please contact us.  See you soon!

 

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Ben Pyle Cory Paul Harrison Sim Butler

Director Assistant Director Executive Director

Alabama Forensic Council Alabama Forensic Council Alabama Forensic Council

 

 

 

THE DR. FRANK M. THOMPSON JR. SWING

Crimson Classic/UA Alumni Conference

September 30th – October 4th, 2020

 

 

There will be two preliminary rounds with finals.  Events that have over 50 entries will go to semis.  A school can have unlimited entries in each event.  Material must not have been used by the student before September 1, 2020. Due to the asynchronous format, there are no restrictions on the number of entries per student.

 

FEES:  $10.00 per covered slot – An additional $15 for judge fees per uncovered slots. One judge covers 6 slots. 

 

 

JUDGES: All judges must be actively coaching faculty, graduate students, or persons with forensic experience.  All judges will be responsible for judging one round past the elimination of their students -- this means all judges are obligated to judge events in ALL flights that go straight to finals.

 

PLEASE BRING JUDGES!

 

REGISTRATION: All entries need to be entered on speechwire.com. All students and judges will need activated Speechwire accounts prior to tournament registration.

 

MAKE ALL CHECKS FOR THE DR. FRANK THOMPSON JR. CRIMSON CLASSIC AND UA ALUMNI ASYNCHRONOUS TOURNAMENT TO:  The University of Alabama

 

Please send your checks to:

 

Carol Duncan

Communication Studies Dept.

Reese Phifer Hall Room 203

Box #870172

Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

 

 

DEADLINES: All entries must be received by 5:00 p.m. CST Tuesday, September 29th.  Considering the asynchronous format, we do not anticipate drops or changes, as the complete video will be registered by Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. CST.

 

Competition will be offered in all 11 AFA – NST events following the AFA – NST rules unless otherwise indicated. (See LP)

 

Competitors will provide videos of their performances which will then be judged asynchronously. Students should record their video, then upload it to their own private (or a team) YouTube channel. Once uploaded, students can adjust the video setting to “unlisted,” making the video unsearchable, but still viewable to anyone with the URL.

 

Our tournament will follow the AFA – NST standards for videos: 

- Students are only allowed use of one microphone and one speaker.

- Duo partners are not allowed to perform in the same room for filming.

- Physically present audiences (aside from the camera operator) are not allowed.

 

When registering for the tournament, Speechwire will provide a space to enter a student name, event, and the URL for their video. 

 

The tournament will provide links for judging rounds to judges with their dance cards / eballots. We will also provide these links to other competitors in the round. Due to privacy concerns, only judges and students participating in a specific round will have access to video links for that round. Please do not share these links with others out of respect for the performers’ privacy.

 

The same video will be used for all rounds: 2 preliminary rounds and finals.

 

Note:

Competitor videos only need to be set on “unlisted” for the duration of the tournament. After the tournament is over, competitors can adjust their video setting to “private” ensuring the link will no longer provide access to the video.

 

THE DR. FRANK M. THOMPSON JR. SWING

Crimson Classic/UA Alumni Conference

September 30th – October 4th, 2020

 

Preliminary rounds will be judged on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Final rounds will be judged on Saturday and Sunday. 

 

A live streamed awards ceremony will occur on Sunday afternoon. Time: TBD

 

Limited Preparation Instructions:

 

All LP prompts will be released on Noon CST Monday, September 28th. Videos must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. CST on Tuesday, September 29th.

 

Extemp prompts will consist of questions. Students can choose any question from the provided options. From the moment of selection students will have 30 minutes to prepare and then must immediately perform and record their speech. Impromptu prompts will be quotations. Students can choose any quotation from the provided options. From the moment of selection, students will have 7 minutes to prepare, perform and record their presentation. (Prep time does not need to be filmed for either Extemp or Impromptu.) The video URL must be provided (by way of registration on Speechwire) before the 5:00 p.m. CST deadline on Tuesday, September 29th. 

 

The 1 provided video will be judged in preliminary rounds 1 and 2, and then again in Finals if that student advances.

 

Judging Expectations:

 

Once we have all entries/videos registered, we will create the tournament Tuesday evening. All judges should expect their dance cards (links to e-ballots) by Wednesday at noon. Judges are expected to watch their rounds, provide feedback and rankings. We would like for e-ballots to be returned to us as soon as possible. However, judges will have until Friday at noon to complete judging their assigned preliminary rounds. 

 

Saturday morning, Judges will receive their Outround and/or Final Round dance cards. While we would prefer e-ballots returned as soon as possible, Final round results must be returned by Sunday at noon.

 

We will hold semifinals if numbers necessitate it. 

 

AWARDS: Awards will be given to all finalists and semi-finalists, top novice in each event, and to all Quadrathon finalists.  To qualify for the Quadrathon Award a student must be entered in four events and these must be a combination of two of the following: oral interpretation, prepared speaking, and limited preparation.  The Quad Awards are based on performance in final rounds. The top three schools will receive a school sweepstakes award (based on final round performances), and awards will be given to the Top Junior College. 

 

 

LIMITED PREP PROMPTS:

 

Extemp Questions:

 

1. Will the release of Trump’s income taxes impact his chances of re-election?

 

2. How will the U.S. pulling out of the Baghdad embassy impact relations between the U.S. and Iraq?

 

3. How can Armenia and Azerbaijan calm escalating tensions?

 

 

1. What can countries learn from Sweden’s COVID-19 response?

 

2. Will Senate Democrats be able to stop Amy Coney Barrett from taking her seat on the Supreme Court?

 

3. Will Sudan become the next country to formally recognize Israel?

 

 

Impromptu Quotations:

 

I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. – Maya Angelou

 

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings. – Victor Hugo

 

Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

Peril, loneliness, an uncertain future, are not oppressive evils so long as the frame is healthy and the faculties are employed; so long, especially, as Liberty lends us her wings, and Hope guides us by her star. – Charlotte Bronte

 

Fantasy mirrors desire. Imagination reshapes it. – Mason Cooley 

 

(vr)