Colorado NSDA National Qualifying Tournament at Cherry Creek HS

March 13-14, 2026

General Information:

• WE NEED AND WANT YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TOURNAMENT!
• This tournament determines who competes from our district at the NSDA National Tournament June 13-20, 2025 in Richmond, Virginia.
• This is the best tournament of the year!
• The more students and schools that participate, the more students that are able to gain from the experience and the more students that attend nationals.

More Specific Information:

• Important Dates and Deadlines—
  • Monday, March 2 - Pre-registration due - just let us know that you will be attending, prelim numbers, and work assignment preferences by clicking on this link to pre-register.
    OR copy and paste this link into your browser
  • https://forms.gle/g5b4L1sSXtK6KCrw6
  • Monday, March 9- Last day to add members to increase number of entries and students must be a member by this date and time.
  • Monday, March 9 at 4pm- Final Registration due with all information (including interp titles and authors).
    • Oratories and Informatives are also due on this day.
    • This is the complete school registration that is needed. This includes interp titles, informatives, and oratories.  Please note the OO and Info rules on works cited pages.
    • In order to compete, students must be members of NSDA by Monday, March 9.
• The number of students you may send to the tournament is determined by the members and degrees that your school has on record on Monday, March 9 at 4pm (CST).  So… be sure to enter your NSDA/NFL points to increase your number of degrees.
• In order to be a member and have degrees count, your student must be fully eligible. This means the student has affirmed the honor code and registered online.
• The entry fees are $30.00 per team entry and $20.00 per individual entry. In addition, there will be a school fee of $20 per school.
• Registration will take place at www.speechwire.com
• READ all of the information provided to you and review the tournament rules before the tournament.  

FORMULA FOR DETERMINING ENTRY NUMBERS:

·     Chapter Schools may enter entries based on the table below and based on the members and degrees on record by 4pm (CST) on Monday, March 9.

·      A Duo Team, CX Team, or PF Team counts as one entry.

·      Students may double enter. See doubling information on this website.

·      Bonus Entries- A school that enters 2 entries in each and every NSDA category (CX, PF, LD, OO, DR, HU, DUO, NX, FX) who actually compete (participation in at least 1 prelim round) may enter 2 bonus entries in the tournament, but not more than 4 entries in any event. 

NFL Members and Degrees	Entries
1-15	4
16-20	6
21-30	10
31-40	12
41-50	15
51-60	16
61-70	18
71-80	21
81-90	23
91-100	24
101-120	27
121-140	29
141-160	32
161-180	33
181-200	34
201-230	35
231-260	37
261-300	38
301-350	39
351-400	40
401-500	42
501-600	43
601 +	44

Events: Drama, Humor, Duo Interp, POI Program Oral Interpretation, National Extemporaneous Speaking, International Extemporaneous Speaking, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Cross-Examination Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Public Forum Debate.

Registration Sheets—Registration will take place at www.speechwire.com

Entries-- Please remember that each school may bring entries based on your members/degrees on record as of Monday, March 9 at 4pm (CST).  You still have time to enter some more NSDA/NFL points online!  Each student competing must be a confirmed NSDA-NFL member as of March 9.

Judging-- Coaches will be used to judge some rounds.  WE NEED JUDGES!  Please hire judges and remember they must have graduated from high school in 2024 or earlier to judge in prelim single judge rounds. 

WE NEED TO START THE TOURNAMENT WITH 70 JUDGES!  

On Saturday, judges who graduated in 2025 will be used on panels. 

Please encourage any first-year out judges to judge on Saturday.

Judges will be paid $10 a round and will be paid by venmo or check on site at the end of the tournament.  Food and munchies will be provided.

Judging Concerns— Occasionally someone raises a concern regarding a judge, please read the info from the NSDA Manual below regarding these concerns.  Please remember that judge names are listed on the competition postings for each round.

"Protest of Judges. Judges assigned by the tournament committee shall be final unless protested before the beginning of the tournament. If a judge is added to the pool after the tournament begins, any protest must be made prior to the round in which that individual is assigned to judge.  If protested, the District Committee will hear the protest, and its decision is final.  If a member of the committee is involved in the protest, they should be recused."

Original Oratory and Informative—The typed copy of the speech must identify the quoted materials and state the exact number of quoted words.  No more than 150 words of the oration may be directly quoted from any other speech or writings.  Extensive paraphrasing from other sources is also prohibited. The script must include a works cited page in A.P.A. or M.L.A. format.  Include this statement: “This is the original work of this student and meets all NSDA rules governing Original Oratory/ Informative.” Both the author and the coach must sign this form.  Please title the speech so the subject is clear.  These are due with the final registration.

Tournament Rules-- Please take a moment to review the District Tournament manual before the tournament begins so that you are familiar with the rules and procedures.

Qualifiers—Qualifiers are based on the number of entries in each event.  As a Level 2 District, we will qualify 2 entries in each event that has at least 4 entries.

We would love to qualify 3 or 4 in an event.   

4-29 entries in an event = 2 qualifiers

30-49 entries in an event = 3 qualifiers

50+ entries in an event = 4 qualifiers

Awards—Qualifiers will receive a qualifying trophy.  A third-place trophy/medal will also be presented. Finalists receive medals.

Double Entry—Please read VERY carefully to ensure you meet the doubling guidelines.

Doubling Guidelines

1. CX students may not double enter.
2. Students may enter only one debate event (LD, PF, or CX).
3. PF may double enter, but not in CX, or LD.
4. LD may double enter, but not in CX or PF.
5. Students may not double enter in both FX and NX.
6. Students may double enter in any 2 events, as long as rules 1-5 are followed.  Judges will be instructed to remain in the room for 90 minutes from the time the round begins. Any student who is double entered must be responsible for competing in both of his/her events within this 90-minute time frame.
7. Extemp Draw will run on a 8-minute stagger and students must draw at the scheduled time or forfeit part of their prep time.
8. Students may not enter more than 2 events. 
9. Students must adhere to all NSDA rules regarding double entry. These rules can be found in the District Tournament Operations Manual.
10. A student may not enter a partnership debate event and Duo Interpretation with different partners.
11. If a student qualifies in a partnership event (PFD, Policy, or Duo) and an individual event, the student must attend the national tournament in the partnership event.
12. If two students qualify for the national tournament in a partnership event and both individuals qualify for the national tournament in their respective individual events, the students may choose to enter the national tournament in their individual events if indicated on their single-entry letter of intent.
13. A student who is double entered in two individual events at the District Tournament must determine in advance, in writing, the individual event that s/he will enter at the National Tournament.
14. No student may go to nationals in more than one event.
15. The Single-Entry Letter of Intent Form must be completed and submitted at or before final registration- prior to the start of the tournament.  Failure to submit this form will result in the student being removed from competition.
16. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in disqualification and may invalidate the results of the entire NSDA District Tournament.

Fees-- Entry fees are $30 per team entry and $20 per individual entry.  In addition, there is a $20 school fee for each school.  Fees are set on Monday, March 9. Checks should be made payable to the Colorado District of NFL and sent to Marti Benham, Cherry Creek High School, 9300 E. Union Avenue, Greenwood Village, CO 80111.  The Colorado District of NFL operates an individual account. We must have money in the account in order to pay the fees associated with running the tournament (judges, etc.).  We strongly encourage you to pay all tournament fees on site or in advance.

NSDA Fees-- All outstanding balances to the NSDA national office must be paid before your students may compete in the tournament.  This may be paid in cash, credit card, check or by purchase order.

Final Registration—Any changes to registration (drops and substitutions of students are the only changes allowed at final registration) should be called in to Marti as soon as possible (303-921-9411 cell).  Registration is at 4pm. Plan to be there at 4pm- it makes the tournament run much smoother.  ALL SCHOOLS MUST BE REGISTERED BY 4:15pm.

Schedule- Tentative- may change as we finalize numbers

Friday

Registration 4:00- 4:15 (Tab Room)

Coach Meeting 4:15 (Tab Room)

Judge Meeting 4:30 (Judge Lounge)

Round I  4:30pm- All events and debates

Round II 6:30pm- All events and debates

Saturday

Judge/Coach Check In 8:00am

Rounds will begin at 8:30am. 

Rounds will continue all day.

Awards 7:00pm or as soon as possible

 

Supplemental Event Entries for 2026 National Tournament

For the 2026 National Tournament, every member school will have the opportunity to enter up to two districts-eligible member students who did not qualify to nationals into supplemental events at the 2026 National Tournament.

Debate Resolutions: 

CX Debate 2025-2026 Topic:

Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly increase its exploration and/or development of the Arctic.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate March/April 2026 Topic:

Resolved: The United States military ought to abide by the principle of non-intervention.

Public Forum Debate March 2026 Topic:

Resolved: The United States federal government should ban corporate acquisition of single-family residences.

Extemporaneous Speaking

• CX Format in Finals- We will use the national tournament final round cross-examination format in the final rounds of International and National Extemporaneous Speaking.  The rules can be found in the National Tournament manual.
• Topic Areas- We will have a different topic area for each round of extemporaneous speaking.  This year's topic areas are listed below.  The order of the topic areas will be posted at the beginning of Round I of the tournament.  

International Extemp Topic Areas

• East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania
• Americas
• Europe and Central Asia (Russia and Post-Soviet States)
• Middle East (or Western Asia)
• Africa
• International Relations, International Economy, and World issues

National Extemp Topic Areas

• U.S. Foreign Policy
• U.S. Politics
• U.S. Economy
• Health Care and Entitlement Programs (Welfare, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid)
• Education & Social Issues (Crime, Racial Discrimination, Media, Social Justice Issues, Income Inequality, Gender Inequality, Etc, Etc.)
• Science, Technology, and the Environment
• Business and the U.S. Military

Miscellany-- Please remember there must be a coach on site at all times and that coach must be available to judge any and all events the school is entered in.

Questions, concerns, or comments... please feel free to contact us! 

We are looking forward to a successful and fun NSDA District Tournament!

Have a great day!
Marti

Ms. Marti Benham
Cherry Creek High School
English Department
Head Speech and Debate Coach
9300 E. Union Avenue
Greenwood Village, CO  80111

720-554-2216 School Phone
Email: mbenham@cherrycreekschools.org

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Colorado NSDA Mission, Vision, Inclusion, Harassment, and Discrimination

At Colorado NSDA Speech and Debate Tournaments, we embrace and support the mission and vision of the NSDA, the CHSAA Speech and Debate Inclusion Statement, and the NSDA Harassment and Discrimination Policy.

NSDA Mission and Vision

Mission: The National Speech & Debate Association connects, supports, and inspires a diverse community committed to empowering students through speech and debate.

Vision: We envision a world in which every school provides speech and debate programs to foster each student’s communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creative skills.

CHSAA Speech and Debate Inclusion Statement

The CHSAA Speech and Debate community believes inclusion is vital to our community. We are committed to providing a safe and equitable learning and competitive environment that fosters a mindset of empathy, respect, and belonging for all involved in Speech and Debate, including, but not limited to students, coaches, judges and community members. We honor differences including races and cultures, genders and sexual orientations, abilities and aspirations, identities and affiliations, socioeconomics and worldviews. Embracing our diversity prepares our community to thrive. Individuals found to have violated this policy will be subject to the full range of sanctions, up to and including removal from the tournament premises.

National Speech & Debate Association Harassment and Discrimination Policy

The National Speech & Debate Association is committed to providing its participants, judges, coaches, and staff the opportunity to pursue excellence in their endeavors. This opportunity can exist only when each member of our community is assured an atmosphere of mutual respect. The NSDA prohibits all forms of harassment and discrimination. Accordingly, all forms of harassment and discrimination, whether written or oral, based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by any applicable federal, state, or local law are prohibited, whether committed by participants, judges, coaches, or observers. Individuals who are found to have violated this policy will be subject to the full range of sanctions, up to and including removal from the tournament premises.

 

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