Dear Central Nebraska Speech Coaches,

I hope your school year is off to a great start. With speech season right around the corner, I would like to invite you and your team to the 2027 CNFL Tournaments.

This year's tournaments will take place on Saturday, January 16, 2027, and Saturday, January 30, 2027. Both meets will be hosted at Grand Island Senior High.

NEW THIS YEAR: To help keep CNFL affordable for all schools, we have updated our pricing structure. We will no longer be charging a flat rate to join CNFL. Rather, this year, entry fees are $8 per entry, with a maximum entry fee cap of $200 per team for BOTH tournaments combined.

Each participating school must provide one judge for every six entries or pay $75 per judge for any uncovered entries. Please ensure that the judges you bring are well-prepared and knowledgeable so that our students receive high-quality feedback and critiques.

Please note that CNFL will not be providing meal tickets to school coaches or judges. PLEASE INFORM YOUR TEAM AND JUDGES IN ADVANCE so everyone can plan accordingly. Concessions will be available for purchase throughout the day.

As in the past, CNFL will continue to have a hospitality room with donuts and coffee in the morning. Lunch hospitality will NOT be provided by the CNFL. 

All registrations should be completed through speechwire.com.  Registration for each meet is due the Sunday prior to the tournament. Schools registering between Monday and Wednesday before the tournament will incur a $100 late fee. No registrations will be accepted after Wednesday. Any subsequent changes to your entries must be emailed directly to the Tournament Director.

Students may enter up to three events per tournament, with competition available in both Novice and Varsity divisions. The Novice division is strictly for students in their first year of speech competition; any student with prior experience in ANY event must compete in Varsity. CNFL #1 will feature 3 preliminary rounds with no finals using paper ballots. CNFL #2 will consist of 2 rounds with finals using eBallots. Medals will be awarded to the top 10 novice entries, top 15 varsity individual entries, and top 10 group event entries across both meets.

Students that participate in CNFL #1 or #2 are eligible to apply for the CNFL Scholarships. Our scholarships may vary from year to year. Last year we gave 5 $300 scholarships to students.

We recognize that coaching staffing changes frequently. If you notice a colleague missing from our mailing list or know of a school interested in joining, PLEASE forward this invitation to them or share their contact information with us!

Thank you for your time and for everything you do for your students.  Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance.

Sincerely, 

Brian Gibson - CNFL President

Elias Dallman - CNFL President Elect