Competition Booklet

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS DESCRIPTIONS

General Rules for Prose, Poem, Drama, Duo, and Programmed Oral Interpretation: These events involve the selection, preparation and presentation of literature. The time limit is 10 minutes including all introductory and transitional material. All programs must include expository introductions. Manuscripts are required.

Prose: a program consisting of a selection or selections of from short stories, novels, essays, or other prose literature of merit.

Poetry: a program consisting of a selection or selections of from poetry of merit.

Drama: a program consisting of a selection or selections of from stage plays, radio plays, or screenplays of literary merit.

Duo: same as drama but requiring two performers. The performers may relate to one another via off-stage focus. Blocking may be used to convey the selection.

Programmed Oral Interpretation: a program combining at least two literary genre which revolve around a common theme. The program should build to create an argument for that theme using the literature as the Evidence. Intertextual approaches or transitions between selections are both acceptable.

Impromptu: The purpose of this event is to provide an analysis of the topic. Usually, each speaker selects one of 3 topics and has seven minutes to divide between preparation and speaking. The normal division at the novice level is 2 minutes prep, 5 minutes speak. Speakers must determine if they agree or disagree with the gist of the topic and then deliver a speech in defense of that position using appropriate reasoning and evidence as proof.

Extemporaneous: The purpose of this event is to provide a well-reasoned answer to a question posed that demonstrates the breadth of the speaker’s knowledge of the topic area. Each speaker is provided with 3 questions from which to choose and is given 30 minutes to research, construct and prepare to deliver a 7 minute speech. It is expected that argument will be source-cited. Notes are allowed.

Informative: The purpose of this speech is to teach an audience about an object, concept, process or event. This speech should be designed as a well-organized, researched speech on a significant topic. The speech may (but is not required to) utilize visual aids. No notes are allowed in this event. The maximum time is 10 minutes.

Persuasive: This speech should be designed as a well-organized, researched speech on a significant question of fact, value, or policy. The speech may (but is not required to) utilize visual aids. No notes are allowed in this event. The maximum time is 10 minutes.

Speech to Entertain: The purpose of this speech is to use humor as an informative/persuasive device in the context of a well-organized speech on a topic of significance. The speech should not be a series of one-liners or a stand-up comedy routine. Source-cited material is encouraged. No notes are allowed in this event. The maximum time is 10 minutes.

Communication Analysis: This speech is designed to analyze a significant instance of communicative/persuasive discourse though application of recognized communication/rhetorical theory. The speech should be well-organized and clearly explain the event, the theory being applied, the analysis, and should provide some implications of the analysis. The maximum time is 10 minutes.

TOURNAMENT READINESS REQUIREMENTS

Before you can be entered in an event for competition, that event will have to be heard by a coach and signed off. Minimum requirements for competition in an event are as follows:

Prepared Platform Events (Informative, Persuasive, STE, and CA): To be competition ready, all speech manuscripts must have been reviewed and edited by a member of the coaching staff. The speech must be memorized, with no obvious lapses, and within time limits 8-10 minutes.

Oral Interpretation Events (Prose, Poetry, Drama, POI, Duo): To be competition ready, all introductions and transitions must have been reviewed and edited by a member of the coaching staff. The introductions and transitions need to be memorized, and the performance should be free of obvious errors. The performance must be within time limits 8-10 minutes.

Impromptu: Tournament readiness is determined at the discretion of the coach. At minimum, the student should be able to prepare the presentation in two minutes, and deliver an organized presentation at a division-appropriate level. All tournament ready students will be able to use at least 6 of their 7 minutes.

Extemp: Tournament readiness is determined at the discretion of the coach. At minimum, the student should be able to prepare the presentation in twenty minutes, and deliver an organized presentation at a division-appropriate level . All participating extempers are expected to take part in preparing team extemp files. Those not completing their duties will be pulled from competition in this event.

Debate: Tournament readiness is determined at the discretion of the coach. Al1 debaters are expected to attend all announced debate meetings and to take part in regular practice. Debate teams are paired at the discretion of the coaching staff.

Deadlines: It is the responsibility of the student to get his/her name on the tournament sign-in sheet by the stated tournament sign-up deadline. All requirements for competition must be met by the sign-in date, not by the day before the tournament.

SPEECH TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES

A. All team members are expected to be making consistent process in event preparation. This means regular attendance at coaching block and the preparation of one new event per month until the competitor has at least four events (as determined by the national conflict pattern).

B. All team members are expected to engage in periodic fundraising activity to supplement the forensics budget that will be gobbled up by their competing. Currently, fund raising is limited to advertising for the Evening of Reading, and the sponsors for the Speechathon. However, the coaching staff is open to suggestions.

A1l competitors who meet the minimum standards in at least one event are eligible for local competition (defined as tournaments which do not require overnight stays).

Competitors wishing to engage in away competition must demonstrate their commitment to the program in the following ways.

B. To qualify to attend an overnight tournament they must compete in a minimum of three events (two events if the competitor is in the novice division).

C. To qualify to attend the Arizona Swing, all competitors must be competing at the junior division level in at least one event, and have four events prepared for competition.

(Competitors joining the squad late in the year may be allowed to compete at away tournaments in the spring on a slightly modified schedule.)

IV. Speech Team Expenses

All entry fees
Lodging (usually 3-4 to a room)
Air and van transportation as required
Breakfast and dinner (as needed)

Carpooling to Southern California tournaments (gas expenses can be reimbursed to the driver upon submission of a receipt)
Lunch and any snacks

GOING TO NATIONALS

The purpose of speech competition is education. We do not stress winning trophies on the Palomar Speech Team. If we win local competitions, that is fine, but if not, that is fine too as long as we are all gaining from the experience. As long as competitors meet the minimum qualifications for competition, they may attend all local speech tournaments.

The only tournaments that we strive to win are national tournaments, which occur at the end of the year. Going to a National Speech Competition is a privilege that you must earn. We will definitely attend the Phi Rho Pi National Tournament, but we are also considering competing at the AFA-NIET, CEDA Nats, and NPDA Nats depending upon available funding.

Phi Rho Pi is the national championship tournament for community colleges. It is normally held in a resort hotel. Palomar is limited by tournament rules to taking its top fourteen students to this tournament (assuming that we have fourteen qualified students). Students will be chosen on the basis of their competitive record over the year. Factored into that equation are the difficulty of the tournament, the division in which you competed, the number of students entered, and your placement. In other words, being a finalist in an open division round of informative would rank higher than a first place finish in the novice division. Additionally, a first place win at Arizona State would be considered superior to a first place win at Fresno.

The tournament lasts one week and is considered the capstone of our competitive year.

The American Forensics Association’s National Individual Events Tournament is considered by most as the premier four-year individual events tournament in the nation. Community College students who distinguish themselves at this tournament are frequently offered substantial scholarships to four-year schools. In order to qualify to go, a competitor must make it to the final round of at least three tournaments in the open division of a given event, and the total of the 3 places cannot exceed 8. For example a first place, a third place, and a fourth place would qualify.

We will try to take anyone who qualifies for AFA-NIET in at least two events providing the team has the resources to send them.