Welcome!

 

Hello to our Speech friends from coast to coast!

The Cornell Speech Program is excited to invite you to this year’s Big Red Tournament of Love hosted in-person on February 18th, 2023, in Ithaca, New York! BRTOL will serve as the first day of a swing tournament, with the SNAFU Charity Ball taking place on Sunday, February 19th, 2023. We promise a day jam-packed with impressive advocacy and great community. Hosted just one week after Valentine’s Day, the Big Red Tournament of Love is a Cornell tradition that stretches back several decades. We’re excited to bring back our BRTOL classics, including the Big Red Heart Award, the Big Red Advocacy Telethon (BRAT), and others. This year, we also have a few new plans that we think you’ll love!.

This year’s tournament will offer the traditional 11 AFA-NIET events as well as an additional event in Spanish Language Performance. The deadline to register is Wednesday, February 16th at 6:00pm EST. For questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me either by email or by phone at 618-977-8038.

We can’t wait to see you all in February!

Sincerely, 

MacLain Naumann

Director of Speech

mn497@cornell.edu

Registration

 

1. There is no cap on the number of students each school can register.

2. Each IE-only competitor can enter a maximum of three events per flight.

3. Patterns will be as follows:

   1. Flight A: EXT, DI, ADS, PERS, POE, SPAN

   2. Flight B: IMP, DUO, PRO, POI, CA, INFO

4. Flight A events will take place in the morning and Flight B events in the afternoon.

5. Registration is due on Wednesday, February 15 at 6:00pm EST. Registration is through Speechwire. 

Fees

 

Please do not send checks directly to the Cornell Speech & Debate Program. You will receive an invoice via email from noreply@salesforce.com on behalf of ILR Customer Services (ilrcustomerservices@ilr.mail.cornell.edu) with your invoice.

Please mail all check payments to ILR Accounts Receivable, PO Box 6838, Ithaca, NY 14851-6838.

Payment should be made payable to “Cornell ILR-AR” and should reference the invoice number listed on the invoice. Cornell ILR accepts payment by check, money order, or credit card. To obtain wire transfer payment instructions or make inquiries, please call the Customer Service Department at 1-866-470-1922.

1. Entry fees

   1. $20 per school

   2. $8 per IE event

2. Each judge can cover 6 slots. Please make every attempt to cover your entry!

3. Fees for slots uncovered by a judge will be assessed as follows:

   1. $10 per IE event

4. Drop fees

   1. Add/drop on Thursday, February 16 and Friday, February 17: $10 per change plus entry fee

   2. Drop on Saturday, February 18: $30 per change plus entry fee

Competition Rules

 

1. All IE events will fall under AFA-NIET rules. Please take note of these guidelines, as they may differ from those in your region.

2. As per AFA-NIET guidelines, there will be a 15-second period in which competitors in impromptu can read their prompt before prep time officially begins.

3. We at the Cornell Speech and Debate Society believe the skills and education found through forensic participation is not limited to the English language. In response, we will offer the non-traditional event of Spanish Language Performance for students who wish to improve their public speaking in the second most spoken language within the United States. 

   1. Students competing in this event will present either a traditional interpretation of literature (PRO/DUO/DI/POE/POI) or a public address (INFO/PERS/ADS/CA) in the Spanish language. Performances must be 8-10 minutes in length and adhere to all other standards upheld by the AFA-NIET guidelines placed upon their English language counterparts. 

   2. NOTE: While we will do our best to have rounds judged by Spanish speakers, students may have non-Spanish speakers evaluating their performance. All judges will be instructed to evaluate the performance based on both the verbal and nonverbal elements of the performance-much of which transcends language barriers. 

   3. Please indicate by email if you or any of your judges speak the Spanish language and would be interested in being prioritized for the event.

Awards

 

1. Awards will be given to all finalists in IE events as well the top three teams in IE sweepstakes.

2. In individual events, sweepstakes points are awarded as follows:

   1. 12 points - 1st in finals

   2. 10 points - 2nd in finals

   3. 8 points - 3rd in finals 

   4. 6 points - 4th in finals 

   5. 4 points - 5th in finals

   6. 2 points - 6th/7th in finals 

3. Individual Sweeps: In addition to finalists, we will recognize the top three students competing in three or more IE events.

4. Team Sweeps: The three schools with the best IE results will be recognized. There will be separate sweeps for Limited Entry teams.

5. Big Red Heart Award: Each competitor will vote on which of their fellow competitors is most caring. The person with the most votes will win a “super secret special prize”.

Tournament Schedule

 

ALL TIMES ARE IN EST

(vr)