Omaha Central High School humbly invites you to participate in the Seth Rich Memorial Speech Invite. This is our first tournament in quite some time, and we hope you all are as excited to have CHS back in the rotation as we are!

 

Tournament & District Face Covering/Mask Policy

In accordance with current Omaha Public Schools policy and the advice of medical and scientific experts, face coverings are required inside of Omaha Central and should be worn properly over the nose and mouth. This masking policy is firm, and students will be expected to comply even while actively competing and speaking. At mealtimes, masks can be removed briefly while one is actively eating or drinking, but the face covering must be properly worn immediately thereafter. To be crystal clear, masks must be placed over the mouth and nose between bites of food or drinks and should not remain down for any prolonged span of time. This is a health and safety issue that the tournament will enforce. Competitors or judges who are unwilling to abide by this district policy will not be allowed to remain in the building. Consequences for removal from the tournament are explained in sections below.

 

Events: All students may double enter, no triple entries are allowed. HI, DI, Poetry, POI, Oratory, Informative, Entertainment, Extemp., DUO, and OID.

 

Format: We will be hosting two preliminary rounds of competition and then finals.

 

Awards: Trophies will be awarded to the first place finishers and medals for second through sixth. There will also be a team sweepstakes award for the top two finishing teams.

 

Judging: We ask that you bring one judge for every five entries. Ballots will be done utilizing SpeechWire's e-ballot platform.

 

Fees: Entries at $8.00 per entry and judge fees are $12.00 per uncovered entry/slot.

 

Entry Deadlines: Registration will close at 12:00am on Dec. 1.

 

Food: There will be concessions available for purchase at the school concessions stand throughout the evening. 

 

 

 

If you have any question please email Molly Mahannah at molly.mahannah@ops.org

 

 

The Rich Memorial Trophy is given to the champion team at the Seth Rich Memorial Speech or Debate Invite. The award and our tournament are named in memory of Omaha Central alumni Seth Rich (2007). Seth was the last competitor from Omaha Central to qualify for the National Speech and Debate Association’s national tournament, and his life serves as a testament to the incredible power of the portability and life-long importance of the skills gained through Speech and Debate. After high school, Seth studied Political Science and History at Creighton University. Seth was working in Washington D.C. as the DNC’s Voter Expansion Data Director when he was murdered in a senseless act of gun violence. His memory serves as an important part of the history of the Omaha Central Speech and Debate teams, and we aim to honor him through our tournaments and sweepstakes awards.

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