SpeechWire Tournament Services - Forensics Tournament Software

We’re happy to formally invite you to the York Speech Invitational held on Saturday, February 20 at York High School. This is a tournament that will be limited to a small number of schools due to Covid precautions. This will be an IN-PERSON tournament. York will be hosting district basketball on this day. Students will need to stay in their homeroom or classroom area. We will not be able to use the gym.

To make this the best and safest event for all teams involved, we will be implementing the following protocols for our tournament:

· Spectators are allowed. If a room becomes too crowded, the judge will ask that spectators stay for only their performer.

· Masks must be worn correctly by everyone in attendance, including coaches, judges, & students – When students are performing, they have the option to

keep them on or take them off – depending on their team’s expectations.

· Judge seating in each room will be at least 6 feet away from the competitor speaking and all others in the room.

· When students enter the performance room, they must be socially distanced from other competitors.

· Performance rooms, specifically the desks and chairs, will be sanitized between each round.

· Hand Sanitizer will be provided throughout the building.

· This year’s Hospitality Room will be limited – bottled drinks, coffee, and individually wrapped foods only provided.

· Concessions will be offered, but products sold might be limited. This will open at 11 am at the activities entrance.

· To limit the number of the “points of contact” between people, electronic ballots will be utilized. Please plan on each judge being registered on

SPEECHWIRE, and bringing a device so they can access ballots digitally.

· Awards WILL be done in person. However, if you are a school that does not have any students in finals, OR if you do not feel comfortable

participating, we invite you to leave early and any medals you may receive can be mailed.

If you or your administration do not feel comfortable attending in person, we understand and respect that decision! Please know that if you do not attend this year, we will still keep your name and email on the list for future contests. Also, we recognize that things change very fast with Covid 19 and statewide DHMs and guidelines from the NSAA could change at a moment's notice. If things become unsafe and we need to switch to an online contest, we will make that change and let you know as soon as possible.

Entries for this tournament are due by 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17. After that time, you may change the names of competitors or drop competitors up until the start of the tournament, but no additions will be allowed. We will be utilizing Speechwire for registration and tabulation of the tournament.

The tournament will consist of two preliminary rounds with one judge followed by one final round with two judges. The top six competitors in each event will advance to the final round of competition. If we have over 35 entries, we will have two flights of finals. Final round points will be awarded to all finalists to calculate team scores. All finalists will receive medals. The champion and runner-up teams will receive championship plaques.

Entries are calculated on Speechwire. Each entry will be $8.00. You are asked to bring one judge for every six entries. You will be charged $80 per judge if you can not provide enough judges. Please make checks payable to York Public Schools.

A hospitality room will be provided for coaches, judges, and bus drivers. There will also be a concession stand offering a variety of options throughout the day. This is a limited selection. Please pack a lunch.

Please try to bring enough judges to cover your entries. I will also be hiring judges for the day.

I will be hiring an NSAA certified judge to monitor the extemp prep room. Students will be expected to comply with the guidelines on pages 17-18 in the NSAA judges manual.

Late cancellations may require a shifting of contestants to allow a balance of competition in preliminary rounds.

Awards will be in the theater. In all categories - the Top 6 will advance to finals, and if entry numbers are larger than 35 we will break to 6 in Champs and 6 in Honors.

Duet and Oral Interpretation of Drama will have finals sections of 4 entries each for the sake of time if breaking the top 12, so the Top 12 in those categories would go to Champs, Honors, and Merit sections of finals. When students are performing, they have the option to keep masks on or take them off – depending on their team’s expectations.

If entry numbers allow, we will add more sections of finals, but this will be determined after the deadline.

Students who double or triple enter are eligible for Individual Sweepstakes Awards as well. These students need to use their time wisely so as to not hold up the overall tournament.

Again, entries are due by Wednesday, February 17. It would greatly help my planning, though, if you could register your projected entries as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. It would also help my planning if you could, at your earliest convenience, send me an estimate of the

a) the amount of students that will be traveling with you (not just competitors)

Becky Stahr
Email address: becky.stahr@yorkdukes.org
Phone number: 402-366-0908

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