KENNEDY

Dear Coaches and Competitors,
We are excited to welcome you to the 2023 Kennedy Middle School Speech Tournament, as we enter our eleventh year of hosting this annual middle school tournament!

We sincerely believe that it is more important than ever to cultivate the voices of the next generation through this great activity. In light of the many obstacles the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, we’re thankful and excited for the chance to host this in-person tournament after three years of conducting it virtually, which allows us to invite talented middle school speakers from all over the nation.

The 2023 Kennedy Middle School Speech Tournament will be held on Sunday April 2nd, 2023, and will be hosted in person at Kennedy Middle School. Our tournament will be hosted by the Kennedy Middle School Speech Team; it will be organized, judged and run by experienced members, captains and coaches from the award-winning Monta Vista Speech Team (ranked 7th in CA; top 3 titles at Berkeley, Stanford and James Logan Invitationals).

Please read below for important details pertaining to the tournament — if you have any questions or concerns regarding any information provided, please contact Nadia and Victor.

We look forward to hosting you, and for a lively weekend of passionate speaking. Best of luck to your team; we can’t wait to see you in April!

Tournament Format
Entirely In-Person. The 2023 Kennedy Middle School Speech Tournament will be held at John F. Kennedy Middle School (821 Bubb Rd, Cupertino, CA). All preliminary and elimination rounds will be held synchronously in classrooms.
Three preliminary rounds. The tournament will host three preliminary rounds, breaking to finals or semifinals as entries warrant.
Tabroom. All students must be linked to their school via Tabroom.com prior to the tournament. Students will not be able to access their round pairings without it.

Events and Rules

The Kennedy tournament will be offering 5 events: Dramatic Interpretation (DI), Humorous Interpretation (HI), Duo Interpretation (DUO), Original Oratory (OO), and Impromptu (IMP). Rules and guidelines for each event are provided below. Please note that we reserve the right to collapse events based on the number of entries.
No student will be penalized for being undertime, but may be ranked down in a round if the length of the speech detracts from the quality of performance.
Students exceeding the grace period may not be ranked first in a round, and may face a penalty per the judge’s discretion if the length of speech detracts from the quality of performance.

Dramatic Interpretation (DI)
A piece of published work that is written by someone else (books, plays, movies are all accepted), with multiple different characters, and performed like a one-person play. Generally a more dramatic script that includes serious plots and tragic events.

Timing: A 10 minute speech; 30 second grace period
Rules/Regulations: Performers may only use their own bodies, and any use of props will result in a penalty within the round. Students may not consult the script during their speech and will be penalized at the judge’s discretion if caught doing so.

Humorous Interpretation (HI)
A piece of published work that is written by someone else (books, plays, movies are all accepted), with multiple different characters, and performed like a one-man play. Generally a more humorous script that includes jokes, silly gags, and fast-paced action.

Timing: A 10 minute speech; 30 second grace period
Rules/Regulations: Performers may only use their own bodies, and any use of props will result in a penalty within the round. Students may not consult the script during their speech and will be penalized at the judge’s discretion if caught doing so.

Duo Interpretation (DUO)
A piece of published work that is written by someone else (books, plays, movies are all accepted), with multiple different characters, and performed like a two-person play. Can be dramatic, comedic, or a combination of both.

Timing: A 10 minute speech; 30 second grace period
Rules/Regulations: Performers may only use their own bodies, and any use of props will result in a penalty within the round. Students may not touch their partner or make eye contact with their partner. Students may not consult the script during their speech and will be penalized at the judge’s discretion if caught doing so.

Original Oratory (OO)
A self-written, persuasive speech on a topic of the speaker’s choosing. Competitors craft an argument using the foundations of rhetoric, including utilization of evidence, logic, and emotional appeals. Topics range widely, but should be informative or persuasive in nature and call for the audience to resolve the issue. The speech must be delivered from memory.

Timing: A 10 minute speech; 30 second grace period
Rules/Regulations: All direct quotations and primary sources must be cited verbally within the body of the speech (up to 150 quoted words). Use of another person’s words or ideas without crediting them is plagiarism and is strictly forbidden. No props, audio, or visual aids may be used. Profanity, obscene content, and vulgar language are strictly prohibited. The speech must be written entirely by the speaker, though quotes from verbally cited sources may be included. Students may request time signals from the judge, but are responsible for ensuring that their performance is within the aforementioned time guidelines.

Original Advocacy (OA)
A self-written, persuasive speech on a topic of the speaker’s choosing. Competitors craft an argument using the foundations of rhetoric, including utilization of evidence, logic, and emotional appeals. Topics range widely, but should be informative or persuasive in nature and call for legislation/government to resolve the issue. The speech must be delivered from memory.

Timing: A 10 minute speech; 30 second grace period
Rules/Regulations: All direct quotations and primary sources must be cited verbally within the body of the speech (up to 150 quoted words). Use of another person’s words or ideas without crediting them is plagiarism and is strictly forbidden. No props, audio, or visual aids may be used. Profanity, obscene content, and vulgar language are strictly prohibited. The speech must be written entirely by the speaker, though quotes from verbally cited sources may be included. Students may request time signals from the judge, but are responsible for ensuring that their performance is within the aforementioned time guidelines.

Impromptu (IMP)
A spontaneous event in which competitors construct a speech given random topics, which can range from objects around the house to current events. Competitors will generally be offering analysis and commentary on social phenomena and tendencies, but have the creative liberty to present their given topic in a manner of their choosing.

Timing: 2 minutes of preparation for a 5 minute speech; 30 second grace period.

Rules/Regulations: Notes may be taken during prep time, but cannot be used or consulted by the competitor while speaking. Competitors are not allowed to consult outside resources or materials (i.e. previously taken notes, Internet, etc.) during preparation or while speaking. No props can be used. Competitors are welcome to ask judges for time signals, but are ultimately responsible for ensuring that their speeches are within the timing guidelines above. Competitors are also welcome to time themselves for their reference, though the judge’s time is official.

Fines
Please note that the Kennedy Tournament will be instituting a drop fee. Students who do not show up for a round or cancel last minute after registering will be charged a $30 drop fee.

Judging Policy
Teams are not required to provide any judges or chaperones. Students will be receiving high quality feedback from experienced captains and varsity members of the MV Speech team.
Parent chaperones will be provided by Kennedy Middle School. Parent chaperones will be present in each room to monitor behavior; therefore, you do not need to provide additional parent chaperones.

Divisions
The Kennedy Middle School Speech Tournament will be a middle school only tournament, and there will be no distinction between novice/varsity competitors for each event. All middle school competitors (grades six through eight) are welcome to compete.
All competitors must be in middle school. Competitors must be in either sixth, seventh, or eighth grade. No high schoolers will be allowed to compete.

Observer Policy
While the Kennedy tournament is an excellent opportunity for competitors to showcase their own skills, it also provides the opportunity for parents to observe their child’s progress in public speaking and for students to spectate final rounds and learn from fellow speakers.
Parents and coaches will be allowed to spectate during all preliminary and final rounds.
Competitors will be allowed to spectate during final rounds. Competitors are highly encouraged to spectate.

Double-Entry
Double-entry is allowed with all events. Competitors are allowed to double-enter in any combination of the events offered: Original Oratory, Original Advocacy, Duo Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, Impromptu
No triple-entry allowed. In the interest of ensuring the tournament runs on schedule, competitors are not permitted to enter in three or more events. Competitors may enter in up to two events.
Competitors are responsible for getting to their rounds on time. If a competitor is double-entered, they should ask to go first for the event they plan to do first. Judges will be made aware of expected double-entries and will accommodate accordingly.

Liability Form/Waivers
Below is the liability form required for every competitor attending the tournament. Please submit the signed form along with your registration.

Equity Statement/Online Etiquette Expectations
Competitors are expected to be on their best behavior, and failure to meet our expectations may result in follow-up with school administrations and subsequent disciplinary action. All competitors are expected to follow standard Speech tournament etiquette, including but not limited to: showing support to teammates and competitors, being respectful to judges and competitors, and being punctual to rounds.
We have zero-tolerance for harassment, bullying, and/or discrimination of any kind. We expect all competitors, coaches, judges, and staff to make a commitment to providing a safe environment for all students to compete.

KENNEDY MIDDLE SCHOOL SPEECH TOURNAMENT

2 April 2023

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