Van Horn High School Speech and Debate 

Independence Winter Classic Invitational

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

We cordially invite you to the Independence Winter Classic - Van Horn HS Novice  on  December 1st and 2nd!

 

We are pleased to partner with William Chrisman High School this year. We will host Novice and Chrisman will host Varsity; please contact Shelia Holt (shelia_holt@isdschools.org) for varsity information. The Independence Winter Classic Novice Tournament will be open to competitors in their Novice year.

 

Entries for the Novice tournament should be entered online at https://www.speechwire.com/      by registering with the tournament:

Independence Winter Classic - Van Horn HS.

 

Please Note: We will accept as many entries as we can, but may have to limit entries based upon room availability.

 

We will be offering the following events: Policy Debate, Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, United State Extemporaneous Speaking, International Extemporaneous Speaking, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Humorous Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation (Not Duet), Prose/Poetry Reading, Storytelling, and Student Congress. Congressional Debate legislation will be the legislation published by the NSDA on their website in November of 2023.

 

Your team’s $8.00 entries are due by Monday, November 20, 2023 at 3PM. There will be no refunds for cancellations made after the entry deadline. We look forward to seeing your team on December 1st and 2nd! 

 

Each school must have a coach or adult sponsor available to judge.  

WE WELCOME YOUR VARSITY STUDENT JUDGES!

 

Thanks,
Katelynn Wilson, Van Horn Head Coach Rachel Piper, Van Horn Assistant Coach

Tariyah Williams, Tournament Chair Danielle Hougland, Tournament Chair

 

Email: katelynn_wilson@isdschools.org Cell: 417-827-5296

Please note the spelling of my first name to ensure email delivery

 

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

 

Friday, January 6th

Please do not arrive before 1:30PM Registration in the Fieldhouse 

Your students will enter into the back of our building. They will be held in the Fieldhouse Gym until 2:55. At that point, you’ll be released to our Cafeteria.

Drop Off Pictures

              
1:30 Registration

3:15 Extemp Round Draw I 1st speakers in extemp will begin at 3:45; 

all other events begin at 3:30.

3:30 Individual Events Round I

4:30 Extemp Draw Round II

5:00 Individual Events Round II

6:30 Debate Round I

8:00 Debate Round II

 

Saturday, January 7th

7:45am Draw for Extemp Semifinals - 1st speakers in extemp will begin at 8:15;

all other events begin at 8am.

7:45am Congress Super Session

8:00 Semifinals Individual Events

9:30 Rd. III Debate

11:00 Rd. IV Debate

12:30pm Draw for Extemp Finals

1:00 Finals of Individual Events

2:30 Quarterfinals of Debate

4:00 Awards Assembly

4:30 Semifinals of Debate

6:00 Finals of Debate

 

 

Independence Winter Classic Tournament Rules

 

• Schools must provide two student judges. If a judge is not provided coaches will be used.  Please report to the Judges table 15 minutes prior to the start of the event.  

• Each school must be accompanied by an adult sponsor.

• A student may enter two individual events and debate.

• Students entered in Student Congress may not perform in another IE event.

• Debaters may enter only one of the following: Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, or Public Forum Debate.

• Fees will not be refunded for cancellations made after 3PM the Monday before the tournament.

• Please Note: Your team will lose 5 Sweepstakes points for each change made after 10AM on the day of the tournament!  If you have NO Shows that are dropped from the tournament you will lose 10 Sweepstakes for each.  It is important to call early so changes can be made to the schedule promptly and the tournament can run on time. 

• Novice students shall be defined as in their first year of competition.

• Van Horn is a smoke-free campus, including vapes or other nicotine products. 

• No food or drink is to be taken into classrooms. Failure to comply with this regulation will result in the contestant being eliminated from the competition.  Water is the sole exception to this rule.

• NO music (earbuds only) or musical instruments are allowed!   

 

• Do not write on the Smart Boards; use only the white boards in each room. 

JUDGING RULES

• Student judges may be used and all schools should provide 2 student judges in the interest of the tournament.

 

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS RULES

• U.S and International Extemporaneous Speaking: Topics will be based on current events. Consultation during prep time is prohibited. Time limit: 7 minutes.

• Original Oratory:  The speech must be the original work of the student and may contain no more than 150 words of direct quotation. Time limit: 10 minutes.

• Informative Speaking:  The speech must be the original work of the student and may contain no more than 150 words of direct quotation. You can use props. Time limit: 10 minutes

 

• Humorous, Dramatic Interpretation: Selections may be taken from published novels, short stories, or plays.  Selections must possess literary merit and be of good taste.  Time limit: 10 minutes.

• Duo Interpretation: This is not duet acting.  Selections should be from any appropriate novel, short story, or play.  Performances should be memorized, use offstage focus, and incorporate limited movement. Time limit: 10 minutes.

• Prose and Poetry Reading: Students who compete must have a selection of prose or poetry while holding a script book. Selections do not need to be memorized but the introduction should be. Time limit: 6-8 minutes.

• All students who are double entered must notify their judges of their double entry!

 

GENERAL DEBATE RULES

• Entries must remain constant in personnel throughout the tournament.

• NSDA evidence rules will be enforced.

• Being more than 10 minutes late to a round, through no fault of the tournament, may result in a forfeit.

• Novice Debaters should be in their first year of competition.

• Runoff debates may be held before quarterfinals to prevent undefeated teams from elimination. 

 

ELECTRONIC DEVICES
1. The internet should not be used to communicate with people outside the room of competition.

2. Contestants may use electronic devices (including laptop computers, tablets, and/or cell phones) to access the internet during debate rounds with the following conditions:

a. Computers or other electronic devices may not be used to receive information for competitive advantage from noncompetitors (coaches, assistant coaches, directors, other students) inside or outside of the room in which the competition occurs. Information that would be restricted would include, but not be limited to, coach/director/nonparticipating competitor general arguments, advice on arguments to run, questions to ask during cross examination, and other information not generated by the participating competitors.

b. Internet access may be used to retrieve files, exchange evidence and/or arguments, research arguments, and partner to partner communication. These electronic device guidelines do not limit communication between debate partners during the debate round.

 

LAPTOPS RULES

1. Contestants are not to unplug any device or equipment already in use in the contest rooms.  Contestants found tampering with Van Horn High Schools’ or teachers’ equipment and/or property will be disqualified from the tournament.

2. Van Horn High School is not personally responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged contestant computers or computer equipment.

 

POLICY DEBATE RULES

• Time limits will be 8-3-8-3-8-3-8-3-5-5-5-5.  Prep time: 8 minutes.

• The national topic will be debated.

Policy Debate – 2022-23 Topic

Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase fiscal redistribution in the United States by adopting a federal jobs guarantee, expanding Social Security, and/or providing a basic income.

• The following criteria will be used to determine quarter finalists: win/loss record, speaker ranks, win/loss record of team inflicting loss, total opposition record, opposition’s opposition record.

• All teams will be limited to reading only positions and evidence which appears in the novice NDCA packet. 

a. While teams cannot read an advantage/disadvantage area not in the files, teams can read their own original taglines and analytics.

b. While teams cannot read evidence that does not appear in files linked above, teams can re-cut the cards from the files (no teams should be cutting cards from the original sources, but rather re-cutting from the google docs to ensure that they are in compliance with this rule).

• Affirmative teams will be limited to one of the four novice case areas within the novice NCDA folder linked above: 

a. The United States federal government should substantially increase fiscal redistribution in the United States by adopting a Green New Deal federal jobs guarantee.

b. The United States federal government should provide a means tested basic income in the United States, funded by a carbon tax.

c. The United States federal government should substantially increase fiscal redistribution in the United States by adopting Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust.

d. The United States federal government should substantially increase fiscal redistribution in the United States by providing a universal basic income.

• All teams are prohibited from reading kritiks (no positions in the “Kritik” files [preceeded by a “K-”]  within the NCDA folder linked above are to be read). All other positions within the folder linked above (counterplans, topicality, etc.) are allowed.

• Since debate is oral communication, evidence shall be presented in an understandable fashion. NSDA speaking guidelines are advised; NSDA evidence rules will be enforced.

 

• No maverick teams. Team personnel must remain constant throughout the tournament.

• Opponents will be randomly paired for the first two preliminary rounds, after which opponents will be paired against those with the same win-loss record from the first preliminary rounds. 

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE RULES

• Time limits will be 6-3-7-3-4-6-3.  Prep time: 4 minutes.

• Rounds will be flighted and will take place during other debate rounds.

•  Topic Resolved: The United States ought to prohibit the extraction of fossil fuels from federal public lands and waters.

PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE RULES

• Time limits will be 4-4-3-4-4-3-3-3-3-2-2 Prep time: 3 minutes.

• Rounds will be flighted and will take place during other debate rounds.

•  Topic Resolved: The United States federal government should forgive all federal student loan debt.

• In a case of forfeit or bye, the winning team’s speaker points will be marked as 1/2, as will opposition record.

• The following criteria will be used to determine quarter finalists: win/loss record, speaker ranks, win/loss record of team inflicting loss, total opposition record, opposition’s opposition record.

• Each round shall begin with a coin toss.  The winner of the toss may select the side (pro or con) OR select the speaker order (begins the debate or has the last speech).  The loser of the toss chooses speaker order (if the winner has chosen the side of the topic) OR chooses side (if winner has chosen speaker order).  Please note: The negative may begin the debate as first speaker and argue against the topic.

• The CX periods are crossfire periods and both speakers may ask and answer questions in a polite but argumentative exchange. (The first question is asked to the speaker who just finished).  There is also a Grand Crossfire for all four debaters.

• No plans, counterplans, kritiks, or spreading are allowed. 

• Quarter Finalists will be determined by win/loss record, win/loss record of debater inflicting loss, total opposition record, opposition’s opposition record.

 

STUDENT CONGRESS

• Session one and two will convene during round one and two of individual events.  Supersession will convene during I.E. semifinals and finals.

• Students entered in Student Congress may not be entered in any other IE event.

• In Novice Student Congress, we hope to have a permanent presiding officer assigned to each chamber.

• We will be using the November 2023 Docket.

The docket will be set as follows:  

Session 1: 1, 2, 3

Session 2: 4, 5, 6

Super Session: 7, 8 , 9, 10 

• Please keep in mind that Presiding Officers are trusted to honor parliamentary procedure and award speeches according to precedence.  Enter your students in Congress with the knowledge that human error does occur. Please do not complain to the tournament personnel about errors beyond their control.

SWEEPSTAKES RULES

Sweepstakes awards will be awarded to 1st-3rd overall in each division. There will be separate divisions of large and small entries. The list will be split in half with the top half as a large school entry and the bottom half will be our small school entries.

 

The top two entries in each event will count for sweepstakes.

• 5 points for qualifying for semifinals in individual events.

• 10 points for qualifying for finals in individual events.

• 5 points for placing third in individual events and Congress.

• 10 points for placing second in individual events and Congress.

• 15 points for placing first in individual events and Congress.

• 10 points for qualifying for the super session in Congress.

• 5 points for each win in preliminary debate rounds.

• 15 points for qualifying for quarterfinals in debate.

 

Awards will be presented to the top six in each individual event, debate competitors advancing to quarterfinals, and beyond.  

 

Thank you. We hope to see you on December 1st and 2nd! 

(vr24)