Virginia Is for Lovers

Spring 2021 Swing

 

 

Colleagues,

 

The teams from George Mason University and James Madison University cordially invite you and your students to attend the Virginia Is for Lovers Spring Swing, Feb, 13-14, 2021.  Both tournaments will be held synchronously on Yaatly and registration will be conducted on SpeechWire. We will offer all 11 AFA-NST events at both halves of the swing. More information about the tournament is provided below.

 

We hope you will join us for what will surely be a fun, informative, and competitive event! See you (virtually) in October!

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Mallory Marsh                                                Dawn Lowry

James Madison University                              George Mason University

marshml@jmu.edu                                          dlowry4@gmu.edu

                                                                                    (309) 370-2911          

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The schedule will be the same for both days of the swing.

All times listed are in Eastern Time (ET).

 

9:30 – 10 am               Registration

10:00   am                   Extemp Draw

10:30   am                   IA (Extemp/POI/Duo/Pers/Info/Prose)

12:00   pm                   IB (Impromptu/DI/ADS/CA/Poetry)

1:30     pm                   Extemp Draw

2:00     pm                   IIA

3:30     pm                   IIB

5:00     pm                   Extemp Draw

5:15     pm                   Finals A

6:45     pm                   Finals B

TBA                            Awards

 

 

ENTRY INFORMATION

 

1. There is no limit on the number of team entries per event.
2. Students may enter a maximum of 3 events per flight; 2 duos count as 2 events.
3. Entries for both tournaments are due via SpeechWire no later than Tuesday, September 29, at 5 pm ET.

 

 

ENTRY FEES AND JUDGE REQUIREMENTS

 

1. Entry fees are $7 per event slot.
2. Please provide a qualified judge for every six events. Hired judges are available at $15 per uncovered slot.
3. Any entries dropped after the registration deadline will be assessed the original entry fee plus an additional $10 penalty. Any entries dropped on Saturday or Sunday will be assessed the original entry fee plus an additional $20 penalty.
4. Any judges dropped after the entry deadline will each be assessed a $50 fee. If a judge is dropped on Saturday or Sunday, the team will be assessed a $100 fee. These fees are in addition to the stated uncovered slot fees.
5. Finalized fee sheets from SpeechWire for both tournaments will be emailed directly to head coaches on Monday, October 5, along with payment information about how to make out checks.
6. Payments are due in the form of mailed checks no later than three weeks after final fee sheets are submitted (unless other payment arrangements have been approved prior).

 

 

 

 

YAATLY AND SPEECHWIRE PLATORMS

 

We will be using SpeechWire for tournament registration for both halves of the swing. If you plan on attending the full swing, please submit your entry for both the Saturday and Sunday portions.

 

We will be using Yaatly as the platform to host both synchronous tournaments. For more information about this new platform for online synchronous tournaments, please visit its detailed “guide for participants” section. This page offers helpful information for coaches, participants, and observers alike.

 

 

“SPREAD THE LOVE”

 

In recognizing the difficult financial moment we find ourselves in as an academic community, as well as the dire budgetary cuts facing many programs, we encourage teams who have recently seen significant budget reductions (or those which are student-run programs) to reach out so that we might find a way to make competition for all students at this swing possible.

 

 

COMPETITION AND AWARDS

 

1. Both tournaments will offer 2 rounds of preliminary competition and a final round.
2. Any event with more than 50 entries competing in both preliminary rounds will feature a semifinal round. (The schedule will be updated to reflect any necessary semifinal rounds after the entry deadline.)
3. We will recognize the finalists in each event, the top five individual sweeps winners, and the top five schools at each tournament.
4. The top overall speaker for both halves and the top overall team for both halves will be recognized on Sunday.
5. We will use AFA-style rules and tabulation.
6. Recording of performances is prohibited.

 

 

RECENT AFA-NST CHANGES

 

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

 

1. Participants may use only a single microphone and camera while competing.
2. Live, in-person audiences are not permitted.
3. Participants competing in duo interpretation must compete in separate locations and are not permitted to be on the same screen as their partner.
4. Material (e.g., scripts, topics, programs) cannot have been run by a competitor prior to September 1, 2020.
5. All other relevant AFA-NST legislation for regular-season qualifying tournaments will guide the tournaments’ policies.

 

(vr)