March 3, 2022

Dear FFL Coaches,

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to provide the following information regarding the 2022 NOVICE STATE TOURNAMENT & MIDDLE SCHOOL STATE TOURNAMENT, to be held on SAT., APRIL 9^h & SUN. APRIL 10^th on the campus of CYPRESS BAY HS in Weston, Florida. Our hosts, Rachel West & Nick Montecalvo are carefully planning a wonderful experience for your novice and middle school students.

Please remember that the Novice State Tournament & Middle School State Tournament is only open to those member schools that actually competed with at least one student in a Regional Qualifying tournament (this does not apply to middle schools). Schools that do not meet the above requirement will be unable to register for the tournament. Registration will take place via www.speechwire.com

Please read the information in this invitation carefully. You must adhere to ALL deadlines—failure to do so will result in the penalties listed. We are committed to running an efficient and on-time event, but we will only be successful if all member schools follow the published requirements.

Good luck to your novices on their preparations for the tournament. I look forward to seeing you in April!

Yours very truly,

Carol Lynne Cecil

President, Florida Forensic League, Inc.

2022 Novice State Championship Tournament Director

*** Email is the preferred method of contact for all questions and concerns ***

**** Coaches Only ****

INFORMATION FROM FLORIDA FORENSIC LEAGUE, INC.

SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY

In order to register for this tournament, a school must:

1. Hold membership in the Florida Forensic League for the 2021-2022 school year, AND

2. Attend and compete at least one (1) student at the regional qualifying tournament in the region to which the school was assigned.

Any school that registers for Novice State without meeting the above requirements will be notified that its students are ineligible to compete.

MIDDLE SCHOOL TOURNAMENT ELIGIBILITY

1. Any student in grades 6^th – 8^th is eligible and may continue to compete at this tournament until they reach high school. Schools must be member schools as previously mentioned.

2. If you are a middle school that did not initially join FFL, you may do so and we will add registration fees to your tournament fees – School Registration/Membership Fess will be $35.

Please complete this Google Form In Order To Register Your Middle School For FFL Membership. There are further steps so please read the steps on the form carefully. There is a file that must be downloaded, signed and returned to Carol Cecil via Email - https://forms.gle/thp2ChuDSsLgRvFk7

Any school that registers for the Middle School Tournament without meeting the above requirements will be notified that its students are ineligible to compete.

NOVICE ELIGIBILITY

From the Standing Rules of the Florida Forensic League:

RULE 8: ELIGIBILITY FOR NOVICE STATE COMPETITORS

PLEASE READ CAREEFULLY – THESE REQUIREMENTS HAVE CHANGED!!!!!

In order to compete at the Novice State Tournament, students must meet all of the following requirements:

1. The student must not have competed at any previous Novice State Tournament.

2. This is the first year of competition as a high school student (grades 9 through 12). If the student has competed in a total of two or fewer tournaments in previous high school years, that student would/shall still be considered a Novice competitor.

3. Middle School students will no longer compete at Novice State, but we are offering a Middle School State Tournament so they can sign up for that tournament – which is running in conjunction with the 2022 Novice State Tournament.

4. Please note that a student’s novice eligibility is not affected by his/her performance in the 2022 regional qualifying and State Championship tournaments. In theory, a novice could compete at regionals, qualify to the State Championship Tournament, win a State Championship, and still compete at Novice State!

EVENTS & ENTRY LIMITS

This tournament offers competition for NOVICE EVENTS in the following thirteen events: TD, LD, PF, SC, DEC, DI, DUO, MX, HI, IMP, INFO, OO, POI Due to a new rule change – an event must have 6 competitors/teams registered for the event to be considered viable. If an event drops below 6 entries - that event will not be held. The Executive Board will examine numbers for events on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. If at that time an event does not have at least 6 entries, then the event will be closed and not held at the 2022 Novice State Tournament/ Middle School State Tournament. Double-entry is permitted but only under limited circumstances; see below in the section on double-entry for more information. Each member school is entitled to a maximum of six (6) entries in each event for Novices and six (6) entries in each event for Middle School. We will be instituting a waitlist. Entries more than six (6) are not guaranteed entry.

MIDDLE SCHOOL EVENTS - TD, LD, PF, SC, DEC, DI, DUO, MX, HI, IMP, INFO, OO, PROSE, POETRY

EVENTS MAY FILL BEFORE REGSITRATION CLOSES!

DOUBLE ENTRY

Free double-entry is a membership benefit provided to all member schools. However, there is no double entry in TD, LD, PF, and Student Congress. Double entry is permitted in all other combinations of events. For Novice State, each school is limited to a maximum of five (5) double-entered students. For Middle School State, each school is limited to a maximum of five (5) double-entered students.

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. Computers equipped with removable wireless cards must have the cards removed/disabled (if possible) before the beginning of any round of competition. It is the responsibility of the contestant to disengage equipment. Computers with built-in wireless capability may be used only if the wireless capability is disabled. It is the responsibility of the contestant to disable the equipment. Wired connections (Ethernet or phone) during rounds of competition are not permitted. During debate rounds computers or other electronic devices may not be used to receive information from any source (coaches or assistants included) inside or outside the room in which the competition occurs . During debate rounds Internet 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

· If you need further clarification please see the NSDA Evidence Rule as posted on FFL.

Extemporaneous Speaking

In Extemporaneous Speaking, students can access information on jump drives, which will be screened by a tournament official/extemp prep room proctor. Competitors will be permitted to use the internet at all FFL Sanctioned Tournaments when internet access is publicly available. Publicly available being defined as – WiFi internet access is available to all students competing or all competitors will have access to desktop computers with internet availability. In the event that internet access cannot be made available to all competitors, contestants shall be prohibited from the use of any electronic retrieval system (recording or information retrieval system) now known or to be invented during any round in any event at any FFL-sanctioned tournament including the Extemporaneous Speaking preparation room(s), except that electric or electronic devices that are incapable of sending or receiving information between persons may be used for the sole purpose of keeping time. The League will make accommodations for students with disabilities in regard to the use of technology. Documentation of the disability must be provided ten days prior to the Tournament and State Tournaments. The documentation must be available for review by the Executive Board.

Policy Debate: Prep time is 8 minutes per team. The tournament will use the 2021-2022

National Topic.

Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its protection of water resources in the United States.

Lincoln Douglas: Prep time is 4 minutes per debater. The tournament will use the NSDA March/April topic.

Resolved: In a democracy, a free press ought to prioritize objectivity over advocacy.

Public Forum: Prep time is 3 minutes per team. The tournament will use the NSDA April topic, which was made available by the NSDA on March 1.

Resolved: Japan should revise Article 9 of its Constitution to develop offensive military capabilities.

Student Congress: Each school may submit up to two (2) pieces of legislation for the agenda. Legislation must follow FFL format (see FFL Congress Manual, Appendix B for details) and emailed as a Microsoft Word attachment to Paul Gaba (paul.gaba@palmbeachschools.org ) Legislation that is not properly formatted, not submitted as a Microsoft Word attachment, sent without a legislator’s name attached or not received by the deadline will not be placed on the agenda. Bills are due by 5 pm Wednesday, March 23rd and legislation will be released to schools via SpeechWire under “Files For Download” – We will send a notice when legislation has been posted.

Speech Events: Please remember that a copy of each student’s script and proof of publication when applicable, should be brought to the tournament in case of protest. You will be required to enter script titles and ISBN information on www.speechwire.com . For Oratories

coaches should have on hand a copy of competing OOs with quoted words highlighted and a works cited page in MLA format.

COACH ATTENDANCE RULE

The Head Coach or Assistant Coach of a member school (as designated by the principal on the membership authorization form) qualified for the State Championship must attend with his/her students. If neither designated individual can attend the tournament, then a letter from the principal (signed and printed on school stationery) must designate the adult in charge and be submitted to the Tournament Director no later than Wednesday, April 6th. See the Standing Rules of the League for more information.

ENTRY PROCEDURE

1. SpeechWire will be used to submit entries, judges, and meals for Novice/Middle School State. By rule, only the Head Coach or Assistant Coach of a member school may register for that school. Entries submitted from accounts opened or maintained by anyone other than a registered coach will be deleted.

2. Entries will be accepted on www.speechwire.com beginning WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9th. From March 9th until Monday, April 4th at 5:00 pm, schools can add or delete contestants, judges, and meals at will. The website will automatically reconfigure fees as changes are submitted. REMEMBER – EVENTS MAY CLOSE BEFORE REGISTRATION CLOSES – IF EVENTS BECOME FULL WE WILL INSTITUTE A WAITLIST – ENTRIES WILL BE CLEARED ONLY IF SPACE BECOMES AVAILABLE

3. Entries will be accepted on a first come, first-serve basis. Registration may close prior to the announced deadline if high entry volume causes the host school’s facility to reach capacity.

4. At 5:00 pm on Monday, April 4th registration will close.

--No adds will be accepted after this date.

--Meal orders will also be finalized at this time. Any school that has not ordered enough

meals for all contestants will automatically have additional regular Friday dinners and

additional Saturday lunches added to its order.

--Fees will also be calculated. Drops after this date will forfeit the entry fee.

5. From 5:00 pm on Monday, April 4th to noon on Thursday, April 7th, all contestant drops, contestant name changes, and judge changes must be emailed to Carol Cecil (ccecil@dadeschools.net). Receipt of emailed changes will be acknowledged and the SpeechWire website will be updated to reflect those changes. Coaches will be able to log in to www.speechwire.com to view their entry and invoice, but will not be able to make changes themselves. Please note that changes made after April 9th at 5:00 pm will incur additional penalty fees beyond forfeiture of entry fees.

IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES

Wed, March 09: Entry period begins on www.speechwire.com

Wed, March 23 @ 5:00 pm: Student Congress legislation deadline; submit bills to Paul Gaba (paul.gaba@palmbeachschools.org )

Wed, April 06: Last day to submit supervising adult letter

Monday, April 4 @ 5:00 pm: Entry period ends—no adds allowed; drops forfeit entry fee

Last Day To Drop Without Penalty Beyond Forfeiture Of Entry Fees Before 5PM

Thursday, April 07 @ 5:00 pm: Forfeit entry fee + $15.00 drop fee

Friday, April 08 @ Noon: Final drop deadline— forfeit entry fee + $30.00 drop fee

ENTRY FEES

Make All Fees Payable To:

FLORIDA FORENSIC LEAGUE

DO NOT MAIL FEES IN ADVANCE

Student Fee = $50.00 per student; includes Saturday lunch & Sunday

Lunch (TD, PF, Duo count as 2)

Extra Sat. Lunch = $10.00 per meal; must order for extra individuals not listed in the

judge pool – including coaches/parents/observers - judge meals are

free (do not enter more judges than needed to cover your obligation)

Extra Sun. Lunch = 10.00 per meal; must order for extra individuals not listed in the

judge pool – including coaches/parents/observers - judge meals are

free (do not enter more judges than needed to cover your obligation)

While conducting meal audit, meals may be adjusted by tournament personnel to reflect meals for all coaches, judges, parents, observers in attendance – even if the aforementioned parties are not listed in the judge pool.

PENALTY FEES

Drops 5:00 pm Mon., April 4 to 5:00 pm Thurs., April 7: forfeit entry fee

Drops 5:00 pm Thurs., April 7 to Noon on Fri., April 8: forfeit entry fee + $15.00 drop fee

Drop after Noon on Fri., April 8 or at registration: forfeit entry fee + $30.00 drop fee

Unreported drop discovered at tournament: forfeit entry fee + $50.00 drop fee

Yes, these drop fees are punitive. Drops, especially those just before the tournament, interfere with our ability to run an on-time event.

Judge changes after 5:00 pm on Mon., April 4: $10.00 hassle fee per change

Failure to bring written documentation of a

student judge’s 250+ NSDA points to registration: $10.00 hassle fee per student judge

Missed judge calls: $10.00 per instance

NSDA Points Qualifications May Also Be Emailed To Carol Cecil – ccecil@dadeschools.net

JUDGES

This is a tournament where Juniors and Seniors with a minimum of 250 NSDA points are permitted to judge. You may provide proof of NSDA points in one of two ways: 1) Submit NSDA Points via email to Carol Cecil – ccecil@dadeschools.net by Friday, April 8, 2022 2) Bring a copy of the NSDA Points to registration. Please only bring enough judges to cover your obligations.

ALSO PLEASE DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF JUDGING WITH YOUR STUDENTS! DON’T ASSUME THAT THEY KNOW EVENT RULES. ALSO WE WILL NOT TOLERATE JUDGES (ADULTS OR STUDENTS) BEING RUDE OR DISCOURTEOUS TO STUDENT COMPETITORS. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REMOVE JUDGES FROM THE POOL.

The following judge quotas and requirements are in effect:

Policy Debate: 1 judge for every 2 teams or fraction thereof

Lincoln Douglas Debate: 1 judge for every 2 debaters or fraction thereof

Public Forum Debate: 1 judge for every 2 teams or fraction thereof

Speech/IE/Congress 1 judge for every 5 entries or fraction thereof

***A Duo team counts as 1 entry; double-entered students count as 2.

Each school’s judge quota will be determined on the www.speechwire.com registration website. The Board of Directors asks that all coaches make themselves available to adjudicate the Final Rounds.

NOTE: As a result of the 2006 voting, the governing documents now contain this under Rule 4 (Judging Responsibilities) – Letter L: Any coach in or out of the judge pool that refuses or fails to pick up an elimination round ballot, his/her school shall be fined $50.00 and the school of the person who judges the round shall be credited $25.00.

CONDUCT OF PARTICIPANTS

Coaches, judges, other observing adults, contestants, and student observers shall comply with the rules set forth in the FFL Civility Code, which is available for download at www.floridaforensics.org Please review this document with all participants from your school.

FFL PROPERTY PROTECTION POLICIES

In the fall of 2005, FFL member schools voted to establish anti-vandalism measures. All coaches should read Standing Rule 19 and share its contents with their students, which include:

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.

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.

THERE WILL BE NO E-REGISTRATION FOR NOVICE STATE SCHOOLS MUST REGISTER IN PERSON ON SATURDAY AM 4/9/22 AT CYPRESS BAY HS

FINAL REGISTRATION

Final registration will be held at the Cypress Bay HS - on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Registration will begin at 7:30 AM and close promptly at 8:30 AM. Please note:

The purpose of this registration is to make final payment (unless fees were mailed in advance) and pick-up school codes and meal tickets. It is not a place to report drops and change judge names.
Registration should be conducted by the Head Coach or Assistant Coach for the member school. If those individuals are not available, an adult proxy may complete registration. However, that person must be able to answer all questions about a school’s entry. Students will not be permitted to register for a school or be present in the registration area.
Schools not registered by 8:30 AM will be dropped from the tournament
Make all fees payable to FLORIDA FORENSIC LEAGUE.

SPRING MEETING

The FFL will return to the format of hosting a Spring Meeting in-person at the Novice/Middle School State Tournament. We will provide more information on that in the future, but we have generally had the meeting on the 2^nd day.

ARRIVAL AT CYPRESS BAY HS

More Information Will Be Forthcoming

OVERVIEW OF SCHEDULE

We will publish a tentative schedule as we get closer to the event.

TOURNAMENT MEALS

The host school will serve a LUNCH ON SATURDAY and LUNCH ON SUNDAY. By rule, student dinner and lunch fees are included in the cost of entry. Judge meals are free. You must order extra meals for all coaches, parents, observers who are not listed in the judge pool. While conducting meal audit, meals may be adjusted by tournament personnel to reflect meals for all coaches, judges, parents, observers in attendance – even if the aforementioned parties are not listed in the judge pool.

Saturday Lunch

TBD

Sunday Lunch

TBD

CONCESSIONS

There will be small snacks, soda, water, etc. sold throughout the tournament

During The Tournament Please Contact The FFL Help Desk via Email
FFLSpeechAndDebateHelpDesk@gmail.com
FL