Speech and Debate Invitational

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

We cordially invite you to the Van Horn High School Invitational on January 10th and 11th, 2025!

 

We are pleased to partner with Fort Osage High School this year. We will host Varsity and Fort Osage will host Novice; please contact Bobby Phelps (bphelps@fortosage.net) for Novice information. 

 

Entries for the Varsity tournament should be entered online at https://www.speechwire.com      

by registering with the tournament:

Van Horn Invitational

 

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, Champ Policy Debate [IF ENTRIES ARE GREATER THAN 16], Public Forum, Champ Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, Champ Lincoln Douglas, United State Extemporaneous Speaking, International Extemporaneous Speaking, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Humorous Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation (Not Duet), Program of Oral Interpretation, Storytelling, and Student Congress. Congressional Debate legislation will be the legislation published by the NSDA on their website in December of 2024.

 

Your team’s $8.00 entries are due by Tuesday, December 19th at 3PM. There will be no refunds for cancellations made after the entry deadline. We look forward to seeing your team on January 10th and 11th! 

 

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

 

Thanks,
Katelynn Wilson, Van Horn Head Coach

 

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 10th

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 Vintage Gym until 2:55. At that point, you’ll be released to our Cafeteria. There will be restrooms available- but they are not big. 

Drop Off Pictures will be provided. 

              
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 11th

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 - this will be our final round

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 - Policy will move to semifinals if necessary

4:00 Awards Assembly

4:30 Semifinals of Debate

6:00 Finals of Debate

 

 

Tournament Rules

 

• 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: Champ Policy, Policy, Champ Lincoln Douglas, Lincoln Douglas, Champ Public Forum, 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. 

• 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. 

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.

 

- Program of Oral Interpretation: Students who compete must have a selection combination of prose, poetry, and drama. They must have at least two out of the three genres: prose, poetry, and drama (plays), while holding a script book. Selections do not need to be memorized but the introduction should be. Time limit: 10 minutes.

- Storytelling: An adequate introduction should be provided. In storytelling, competitors must deliver a performance while seated on a chair. No properties may be used. Time limit: 8 minutes, maximum.

- 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.

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

- If we have a low number of policy teams in Champ or Regular, we as the host school have a right to break straight to semifinals. 

 

ELECTRONIC DEVICES
1. MSHSAA rules shall be followed

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

3. 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 – 2024-25 Topic

Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly strengthen its protection of domestic intellectual property rights in copyrights, patents, and/or trademarks.

• 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 [preceded 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 adopt a wealth tax.

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 should substantially reduce its military support of Taiwan.

• 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 RULES

• 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 December 2024 Docket.

The docket will be set as follows:  

Session 1: 1, 2, 3

Session 2: 4, 5, 6

Super Session: 7, 8 , 9, 10 and beyond

• 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 January 10th and 11th!

(vr24)