Florida Forensic League

Macaw Region (4) Tournament

Saturday, February 5, 2022

 

Dear Coach,

Happy New Year!

As you return to school from a (hopefully) restful holiday break, it is time to plan your entry for the 2022 Florida Forensic League Macaw Region Qualifying Tournament! This event will be held on Saturday, February 5, 2022, on the campus of American Heritage Boca/Delray, 6200 Linton Blvd, Delray Beach FL.

 

DIRECTIONS TO AMERICAN HERITAGE BOCA/DELRAY:

Via I-95: Take I-95 to Linton Blvd. (Exit 51). Head west. The school will be on the south side just before Jog Road.

Via Florida's Turnpike: Take the Turnpike to Atlantic Blvd. (Exit 81). Head east to Jog Rioad. Head south on Jog Road to Linton Blvd. Head east. The school will be on the south side.

Via US-441: Take US-441 to Linton Blvd. Head east. The school will be on the south side just after Jog Road.

 

This tournament is the gateway into participation in FFL activities for the remainder of the year. The Top 6 entries in each event will qualify to compete at the FFL State Championship tournament, which will be held on Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6 at Apopka HS in Orlando, FL.

Whether or not your students qualify to the State Championship, participation at the Regional Tournament will allow your school to enter the Novice State Tournament in April.

 

Here are the 4 most important things you need to know when planning your entry:

1. If your school fails to enter the Regional Tournament, it forfeits the opportunity to attend Novice State and participate in Coach of the Year voting.

2. The number of qualifiers in each event is based on the number of schools that participate in the previous year’s Regional Tournament. Thus, it is imperative that every member school in the region send at least one student to compete at the qualifying tournament. If only a few schools in our region fail to participate, we could lose qualifying spots in 2023!

3. Every student you enter into the Regional Qualifying Tournament must be available to compete at the State Championship Tournament if he/she qualifies. There are substantial financial penalties for dropping from the State Tournament. Thus, you should make sure that every student from your school who wants to enter this tournament is available to compete on March 5-6.

4. First-year students are welcome to attend the Regional Tournament and are eligible to qualify for the State Championship. They WILL NOT lose their eligibility to compete at Novice State. In theory, a novice could win the State Championship and still compete at Novice State the following month!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact your Regional Director - Traci Lowe (traci.lowe@palmbeachschools.org).

 

MACAW REGION COACH OF THE YEAR BALLOT - EACH COACH  MUST VOTE BY THE MORNING OF THE TOURNAMENT: https://forms.gle/s2bycWMbrqYpCdXr7

QUESTIONS

- Meals and Directions: Tournament Host Bo Lint (bobby.lint@ahschool.com) (561) 602-8937

- Entries, Fees, Drops, Rules: Tournament Director Traci Lowe (traci.lowe@palmbeachschools.org)

- Day of Tournament Emergencies: Angie Anyzeski (561) 371-6890

 

ENTRY PROCESS

Entry will take place on www.speechwire.com. You must have a SpeechWire account to register for any of the FFL Tournaments.

***If you are entering Student Congress, you must submit at least one bill/resolution for the agenda. Please send bills as a Word attachment and make sure they are in FFL format (see Student Congress manual) to pbcflcongress@gmail.com. Legislation is due 3pm Friday, January 21, 2022. We anticipate legislation to be posted by Wednesday, January 26, 2022.

 

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENT & SCHOOL-SANCTIONED ADULT

Only schools that are members of the league for 2021-22 may participate at this tournament. Also, please remember that a school-approved adult must accompany students to the tournament and remain on site for the entire competition. If the school-approved adult is NOT the Head Coach or Assistant Coach on record with the league, then a letter signed by the school principal and printed on school stationery MUST be submitted with the school’s entry. The letter needs to specifically name the adult in charge. The penalty for failing to submit this document is disqualification of all contestants from the school involved.

 

EVENTS OFFERED

NEW! After Dinner Speaking, Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, NEW! Impromptu Speaking, Informative Speaking, International Extemporaneous, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Original Oratory, Program Oral Interpretation, Public Forum Debate, Student Congress, US Extemporaneous, World Schools Debate

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF WE DO NOT HAVE 12 ENTRIES IN A SPECIFIC EVENT FOR THE STATE TOURNAMENT, THEN WE WILL NOT RUN THE EVENT.

 

ENTRY LIMITS

Each member school may submit up to six (6) entries per event, except for World Schools. (1 entry per event).

Schools that purchased a membership supplement may enter up to four (4) additional entries per event, except in World Schools. All entries on the supplement must be students in 9th grade (for ninth grade supplement).  Entering students in grades 10-12 on the supplemental form will result in automatic disqualification of those students. Entey of mixed teams/units (eg: a 9th grader and 11th grader on a Policy Debate team) does not count for the 9th grade supplement; it counts as a regular entry.

 

DOUBLE ENTRY

Double entry and double qualification is permitted, except in World Schools Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, and Student Congress. Also, cross-entry between US Extemporaneous and International Extemporaneous is prohibited.

 

NEW! AFTER DINNER SPEAKING INFORMATION

Purpose: A speech designed to entertain by advancing a relevant point through the use of humor.

Description: ADS are characterized by  humorous content development, creativity, uniqueness, timeliness, clear organization, significance, credible sources, and vocal and nonverbal delivery choices that reflect the speaker's purpose.

RULES:

- All speeches must be original, constructed and delivered by the student.

- Speeches should adhere to the NFA Code of Standards, Rules and Procedures.

- Source citation should be specific, accurate, and honest.

- Speeches should be delivered from memory.

- No visual aids allowed.

- Maximum time of 8 minutes.

 

NEW! AFTER DINNER SPEAKING AND IMPROMPTU NOTES

- Since Extempers can only enter in either US or International Extemp, Impromptu is an easy option since it is also limited prep (with no source requirement! And it's always huge at state, even as a supplemental). 

- ADS is also a great option for extempers because the humor and range of emotions required for ADS will enhance their extemp delivery (help them emote).

- Interpers & OO/Info students who are only single-entered could easily enter in Impromptu because they just need to present a semi-organized speech on a prompt using pre-existing knowledge (no research required!)

- Interpers are funny & smart so they are a natural fit for ADS! And since the time limit is shorter and there are no visual aids allowed, they only have to write a speech - they don't have to worry about constructing visuals! 

 

FFL WORLD SCHOOLS DEBATE RULES

1.  Teams must be homogeneous (no hybrid teams – all competitors must be from the same school)

2.  Teams will consist of 3-5 students

3.  Each School may enter 1 World Schools Team at the Regional Qualifier.

3.  If more than one-third of the members of a World Schools Team cannot compete at the State Championship Tournament after qualifying at the Regional Tournament, that team shall drop and the alternate group shall be invited to compete.

4.  Judging Requirements - One (1) judge per entry in World Schools.

5.  Double Entry is not permitted.  

6.  Each district will qualify the top 2 entries in this division for the varsity state tournament
. If a district does not fulfill its two entries, the vacant entry slot will go to the third place   team in the District tournament that has the most world schools entries at their district qualifier.
 Remaining vacant entry spots will continue as outlined above and fall to the District tournament with the next largest number of entries.

7.  In Prelims - There will be 3 prepared motions and 2 impromptu motions – Round 1 and Round 5 will be the impromptu rounds.  Semis and Finals will be impromptu motions.

8.  In impromptu rounds the proposition will use the competition room as prep and the opposition will prep just outside the competition room.

9.  During preparation, as prescribed by NSDA rules, teams will only be allowed to use a dictionary, a single volume encyclopedia, or a World Almanac as a resource. No electronic devices will be allowed and possible suspicion of using one will result in a loss of the round and zero speaker points for the round.

9.  Speech times, appropriate times for POIs ("points of information"), and all other rules and procedural guidelines will fall in line with the NSDA national tournament guidelines.

10. Details on prepared motion topics will be provided later.  

 

EVENT REMINDERS

The By Laws and Standing Rules of Florida Forensic League, Inc. shall govern the operation of this event. All coaches and students are responsible for reviewing the rules in the Governing Documents. Questions about rules should be addressed to the President, who serves as the Tournament Director for the State Championship.

 

ALL EVENTS

Laptop Computers: The use of laptop computers shall be permitted in all debate events at all FFL sanctioned events during the 2021-2022 season. During debate rounds access, use of e-mail, instant messaging, or other means of receiving information from sources inside or outside the “competition room” are prohibited. (This does not prohibit non-electronic communication between debate partners during prep time). Contestants found to have violated the provisions above may face the following actions: forfeit the round of competition and receive zero points or disqualification from the tournament and forfeiture of all rounds.

 

Availability of Evidence: The FFL will be following the NSDA Rules in regards to evidence in debate events.  

 

Rules in A Nutshell – Regarding Evidence

- Debaters are responsible for the validity of all evidence that they introduce in the debate.

- Evidence must be provided orally or written and must include primary author(s) and year of publication. Any other information such as qualifications etc. may be given, but not required.

- Judges are responsible for resolving disputes between debaters – both oral and written sources.

- Judge decisions may not be appealed unless – judge misapplied, misinterpreted, or ignored the rule.

- EVIDENCE CHALLENGES DO NOT GUARANTEE A DECISION REVERSAL

 

Extemporaneous Speaking: 

In Extemporaneous Speaking, students will be permitted to use WiFi ONLY IF WIFI IS AVAILABLE TO ALL COMPETITORS. They must report on time to the Extemp Prep Room and follow all instructions given to them by the Extemp Prep Room personnel.

 

TOPICS

IX: Asia; Europe; Middle East; Africa; Latin America; International Economies; World Leaders.

USX: Biden Administration; Congress; US Economy; Education; Infrastructure; Environment; Social Issues.

Lincoln Douglas Debate: Prep time is 4 minutes per debater. The tournament will use the NSDA January/February topic. Resolved: The appropriation of outer space by private entities is unjust

Public Forum Debate: Prep time is 3 minutes per team. The tournament will use the NSDA February topic. Resolved: On balance, Turkey’s membership is beneficial to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

World Schools Debate: Prepared topics TBD

Student Congress will follow the FFL Congress Manual. Entries will determine the number of chambers; if there are two or more chambers, there will be a Super Congress. All schools must submit legislation (see ENTRY PROCESS above). Legislation will be available on the SpeechWire site and the Palm Beach/Martin Debate Portal (www.pbcfl.net) for Regional Qualifiers.

 

All Speech/Interpretation Events:

1. There is a 30-second grace period in these events. A contestant who goes beyond the grace period may not be ranked first in that round.

2. All contestants (or their coaches) must have a copy of their piece/oration available for review by tournament officials. Failure to present a copy of the applicable document and evidence of publication will result in disqualification.

 

ANTI-VANDALISM REQUIREMENTS

To protect the property of our host school, the following rules are in effect:

1. No contestant or student observer shall enter or remain in a contest room without a judge present. The penalty for violation of this regulation shall be immediate disqualification from the tournament.

2. Vandalism of property by any person at an FFL tournament shall result in immediate notification of school and/or local police authorities. The Board of Directors shall notify the principal of the school associated with the vandal(s) in writing and insist upon appropriate remuneration. In the case of vandalism by a contestant, the additional penalty of immediate disqualification from the tournament shall also apply.

 

RULES COMPLIANCE

Reviewing the following documents in advance of the tournament will help to ensure that your students comply with all FFL rules and regulations.  Questions regarding these rules should be addressed to the Tournament Director.

All of the following documents are available online at https://floridaforensicsleague.com/forms-documents-2/

1. FFL Governing Documents 

You should review the general tournament rules with your students.

2. FFL Civility Code

This document prescribes rules of behavior that are generally observed by all contestants and adults at forensic contests.  If you have inexperienced contestants and/or judges, you should give them a copy of this document.

3. Student Congress Manual

You should make available a copy of this document to each of your contestants in Student Congress.

 

JUDGES & REQUIREMENTS

1. All judges should be properly trained using the statewide judging manual. Online training available: http://www.manateedistrict.org/

2. All judges should bring and use a reliable digital timer.

3. The following judge requirements are in place for this tournament:

- Lincoln Douglas Debate: One judge for every two debaters or fraction thereof

- Public Forum Debate: One judge for every two teams or fraction thereof

- World Schools Debate: One judge for every team.

- Speech/IE: One judge for every five entries or fraction thereof. Each Duo counts as one entry only
- Congress: One judge for every 10 entries or fraction thereof.

The Tournament Director reserves the right to disqualify students from any school that is unable to meet its judging quota. Judges must be in Speechwire by 3pm Thursday, February 3.

 

ENTRY FEES

$25 per student ($12 for FFL; $3 for regional expenses; $10 for lunch). This is a “per student” entry fee; thus events with 2 people per entry pay 2 fees; World Schools, pays as many entry fees as there are students in the group; THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL FEE FOR DOUBLE ENTRY

Extra Lunches: $10 each (purchase for all coaches, judges, observers, etc.)

Fees are due at registration; no exceptions!  Please check with the Tournament Director regarding check payments and to whom the checks should be made payable.

 

DROP FEES

Drops Fees are $10 per instance in addition to the forfeiture of entry fees. Drop fees go into effect Thursday, February 3, at 3pm.

 

MEALS

Contestant meals are included in the cost of entry. Additional meals for coaches, judges, parents, observers, etc. are $10 each and must be ordered on SpeechWire as well

The tournament will be “closed campus.” Any contestant found leaving campus is subject to disqualification.

STUDENT MEAL OPTIONS: Cheese Pizza; Pepperoni Pizza; Turkey Sub; Ham & Cheese Sub; Italian Sub; Veggie Sub

ADULT MEAL OPTIONS: It’ll be a buffet for adults.

 

TOURNAMENT FORMAT & SCHEDULE

Final Registration: 7:30-8 am.

Any school not registered by 8am will be eliminated from competition. Round One will begin shortly after 8am.

The format for each event will depend on the number of entries received. The Tournament Director will publish the number of preliminary and elimination rounds (if any) along with any power-matching schemes at final registration.

Plan for an awards ceremony beginning in the late afternoon or early evening.

(vr)