The Showdown

2026

Dear Colleagues,

 

You are cordially invited to the 8th Annual RMP-RISE Showdown! This speech-only competition will be held at RMP-RISE High School on Saturday, November 7th.  

Tournament Highlights:

The Showdown is a NIETOC Bid tournament. We call it “I.E. Heaven” but it’s a “fast and furious” tournament. There will be 4 prelim rounds for all events with the chance to double or TRIPLE enter!*

We’ll be recognizing the top triathlete of the tournament with a special (and very cool) “Triathlete Award” for the top performer entered in three events (sorry, Extempers–you can only be double entered). This award is based on the number of times triple-entered competitors appear in finals and their placement therein. (Any student who double or triple enters is responsible for making it to all of their rounds. Special consideration won’t be given to anyone who misses a round.)

Events Offered: HI, DI, POI, Poetry, Duo, INF, OO, Mixed Extemp

Schedule (please note our schedule times! The building will not be accessible before 8am):

8:00am - Doors Open & Registration

8:30am: Judges Meeting & Rd. 1 Extemp Prep

9:00am: Round 1

10:30am: Round 2 (Extemp prep at 10am)

Noon: Round 3 (Extemp prep at 11:30am)

1:30pm: Round 4 (Extemp prep at 1pm)

3:00pm: Finals (Extemp prep at 2:30pm)

4:30pm or ASAP: Awards 

Teams are encouraged to plan their lunch time around the rounds. We will be selling concessions throughout the day and pizza at lunch. There are also plenty of food options within walking distance of our school, but please mind your time! Those options may appear closer than they really are because our campus is a shared campus at Regis Groff and can take a long time to get off the campus.

*Doubling/Tripling: Due to time constraints, Extempers may only double enter, not triple enter.  All other students may triple enter. Extempers will be given the choice of IX or USX topics before draw. 

NIETOC Bid Tournament: We are proud to be a bid tournament to the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC), also known as the Speech Tournament of Champions. Bids can be earned in the following events: HI, DI, Duo, POI, OO, INF, and Extemp. 

NIETOC 2027 is coming to Colorado! If you have any questions about the tournament experience, we would be happy to answer them. NIETOC will take place this year at Cherokee Trail High School from May 14-16, 2027. Please go to www.NIETOC.org for more information about this national tournament.  

Judges: 

1. All schools are asked to bring 1 judge for every 5 entries. There is a $35 fee for every uncovered judge (note: NOT uncovered entry)

2. Schools should register their judges on Speechwire. 

3. Please add notes on Speechwire if a judge’s time is limited and work to cover your judging quota for the duration of the tournament. (Example:1 AM-only judge and 1 PM-only judge = 1 judge per 5 entries) 

Mixed Extemp Topics:

Topics will be released to registered teams at least 1 week before the tournament.

AI Policy at the Showdown:

At the Showdown, use of AI Generative Models and Large Language Models is both discouraged and prohibited. Students who navigate to these websites during the tournament will face consequences up to and including disqualification. For example, Extempers should not navigate to these websites during prep time. Presenting AI work as your own is viewed as plagiarism. 

Our expectation is that students have not used these websites in the creation process of their speech or performance. Navigating to AI websites during competition, even to retrieve previously searched information, is against this policy. Ultimately, this policy seeks to preserve and prioritize student critical thinking and reading comprehension in their performance.

Fees and Payment:

The entry fee will be $12 per student, per event ($22 per Duo).

Please bring payment to the tournament, due at registration (cash or check), or send and make checks payable to: 

RMP-RISE High School

18250 E 51st Ave

Denver, CO 80249 

ATTN: ANNA STEED

Site:

This tournament will be hosted at RMP-RISE HS at 18250 E 51st Ave, Denver, CO 80249. We are conveniently located off Pena Blvd and Tower Rd. in Denver on the Regis Groff Campus, not the Evie Dennis campus, which is located nearby. 

 

Finally, we hope you are able to join us for a fun, competitive, and unique tournament early in the season. Additionally, hosting this tournament is a tremendous source of pride for the students and faculty of RMP-RISE. Your attendance and contributions to this tournament are truly appreciated.

 

Best,

Anna K. Steed - asteed@rmp.org

Jeffrey Haynes

Michael Suomi

RMP-RISE 

                                                         

 

(vr24)