2021 NATIONAL ONLINE FORENSICS
    ​QUARTER 1 SPEECH AND DEBATE TOURNAMENT

    16 October 2021

    DEADLINE
    12 Oct 2021
    ELIGIBILITY
    ​​Open to elementary, middle, and high school students
    PLATFORM
    Online through
    forensicstournament.net​ and 8x8

    Information

    Dear Forensics Community,
     
    We are excited to welcome you to our 2021-2022 Regular Season online tournaments. These four tournaments are a great way to prepare your students for Nationals & afford extra rounds to students on your team. A condensed three preliminary and one final round schedule ensures students get the practice they need without the hassle of waiting around all day for rounds. Save money with $0 travel costs. Run by experienced tournament directors, these tournaments are sure to be some of the best online tournaments your students attend all year.
     
    The tournament will offer competition at all levels, from elementary to high school, in a wide range of events. We have the very best qualified tournament staff assembled to ensure a smooth day of fun competition.  Our schedule will include three prelims and a final (using Bronze/Silver/Gold award system) with each competition level taking only half the day (see schedule below). Winners will receive bronze/silver/gold medals. 
     
    Key Points:
    • The tournament will use synchronous video conferencing on the 8x8 platform. Please see the Best Practices section of this invite for tips on how to effectively prepare for competing online.
    • There will be a single division for all events.
    • All NOF individual and debate events will be offered. 
    • Most high school final rounds will be live-streamed through YouTube.
    • Students may double enter in IE events
    • Students may single enter in Debate events
    • In the event of small entry sizes, we may need to collapse events within their event category (so interp events collapse to an “interp” event).
     
    We hope you and your team can join us throughout the season for a day of summer forensics fun!


    High School Events: 
    Info, Persuasive, OI/Declamation, POI, Duo, DI, HI, Extemp, Impromptu, LD, PF, SPAR

    Middle School Events:
    Info, Persuasive, OI/Declamation, POI, Duo, DI, HI, Extemp, Impromptu, LD, PF, SPAR

    Elementary Events:
    Info, Persuasive, OI/Declamation, Duo, Impromptu, SPAR



    Individual Events (Speech/SPAR)
    • Three prelims will be held; one final round will be held.
    • Students may enter a maximum of two IE events
    • ​Prelim Ranking: Ranks/Decimal/Drop High Rank  
    • Elim Ranking: Total Rank/Decimal in Elim/Ranks in Elim
    • Speaker Points will not be used.
    • Students will be recognized with Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards. The top 5% of students in each event will be recognized with a Gold award, the top 10% Silver, and top 20% with Bronze. For example, if an event has 50 entries there will be roughly 3 Gold awards, 2 Silver, and 5 Bronze depending on tiebreakers and breaks. All students in elimination rounds will receive recognition. 
    • See the NOF Bylaws for more information about NOF events.

    Debate
    • The current NSDA topic will be used for LD and Public Forum.
    • Standard pairing will be used with 2 random rounds followed by 1 HL round. In Elims, brackets will be broken to facilitate debating. 
    • One  final round will be held Phi Rho Pi Style.  Teams winning the elimination round will be awarded a gold medal; teams losing the elimination round will be awarded a silver medal. The top non-advancing teams will be recognized with a bronze medal.
    • Students may only enter one format of debate.
    • 1 Judge is required for every 2 debate entries.
    • Speaker Point Scale will be 100-70. 
    • Prelim Ranking: Wins/Total Points/HL Points/Opp Wins/Z Score. 
    • Speakers Ranking: Total Points/HL Points/Ranks/Z Score.
    • A 5 minute forfeit rule will be put in place for all debate rounds.
    • See the NOF Bylaws for more information about NOF events.

    ​Judges
    • To ensure timely pickup of ballots, all judges should wait in the Standby Judge Room (https://8x8.vc/NOFStandby) until dismissed or they have picked up a ballot via e-mail. This will ensure judges are not missing ballots pushed to them during the tournament.


    ​Competitor Logistics / Best Practices
    • All competitors must have a verified email saved on ForensicsTournament.net. You do this by verifying your email through the notification you receive within 24 hours of signing up for the tournament. If you have verified your email in the past, you do not need to do it again.
    • Competitors will receive an email with their ePostings information. Postings will be sent approximately 10 minutes prior to each round.  
    • The ePostings will have a link to a Live Video Room where they will perform.  Click that link to go to your round.  No logins or passwords are required.  Judges will be in the same Live Video Room to listen and rank the round. The tournament will be using 8x8 video conference room software.
    • If double-entered, students should go to each room before competing and type in the chat window that they are double-entered so judges are aware. Request to compete early and leave promptly to join the next event.
    • Please do not immediately start to talk when entering a Live Video Room. Another student may be performing.  Please wait to be recognized by the judge(s).
    • Students should remain in the Live Video Room as audience members and have video on, as much as possible. 
    • Students can, if it fits their particular setup, sit while performing. Judges are instructed not to penalize students for sitting while speaking since the particular tech setup may work better while sitting. 
    • Students are also encouraged to use a mic/headphones since audio quality is much better than with an external mic. Judges are instructed not to penalize students for having mics/headphones on.
    • We recognize technological limitations create some challenges for certain events.  But we trust in the ingenuity of the forensics community to adapt to the online environment.  Some students may have better quality video, lighting, sound, etc. We will all try our best.
    • If a student’s internet connection drops or audio quality is poor, they will be required to call into the video conference room and give their speech with audio only. While not ideal, it will ensure all student’s speeches are listened to by a judge.  You can get the dial-in information from the info icon in the bottom right of the screen. 
    • Request help by going to the help room https://8x8.vc/NOFHelp and communicate promptly if any issues arise. 


    Judge Logistics / Best Practices
    • All judges must have a verified email saved on ForensicsTournament.net. You do this by verifying your email through the notification you receive within 24 hours of signing up for the tournament. If you have verified your email in the past, you do not need to do it again.
    • Judges will receive an email with their eBallot link.  Judges should click on that link within 5 minutes of receiving it to indicate that they have “picked up” their ballot.  
    • On your eBallot you will have all of the competitors listed in that round along with a link to a live video room. Click that link to go to your video conference room. Competitors who are double entered, will have that listed adjacent to their name. Please be flexible in accommodating double entered competitors.
    • Your eBallot has fields where you can add your feedback to the student. Feedback can be added while they are performing and added throughout the competition until the awards ceremony.  The eBallot also has a timer to make it easy to time each speaker.  
    • If a judge’s keyboard is loud they are encouraged to mute  audio during performances but please leave the video feed on so competitors can receive your visual feedback.
    • Judges are instructed not to penalize students for sitting while speaking since the student’s particular tech setup may work better while sitting. 
    • Judges are also instructed not to penalize students for having mics/headphones on since audio quality is usually much better using a mic/headset.
    • Judges are also instructed not to penalize students for lighting, video/audio quality, video background to the extent possible.
    • If a judge’s internet connection drops or audio quality is poor, they will be required to call into the video conference room and listen to speeches with audio only. While not ideal, it will ensure all student’s speeches are listened to by a judge.  You can get the dial-in information from the info icon in the bottom right of the screen.
    • For Impromptu/Extemp, the eBallot will have the quotations/questions listed on it under prompts - or in the case of extemp, the prompts will be provided by the tournament prior to the start of the round and competitors will arrive after their designated prep period.


    FAQ
    • Where is the Extemp Prep Topic announce Room?  Video room links will be sent out to competitors on the day of the tournament for these events with instructions.
    • How will I get my impromptu prompt/quotation? The judge will have the impromptu prompts/quotations on their eBallot. When it’s your turn to speak your judge will copy/paste the prompts into the chat window in the Live Video Room.
    • What type of awards will be given out?  Awards will be sent out to each school following the tournament.
    • What about poor internet connections? In order for the video conference to work,  Internet connections should be at least 6 Mbps. Check internet speed here.  In the event of a poor Internet connection, each Live Video Room has an option to “call in” via phone. While there will be no visual, competitors  can still present the audio portion of their speech.

    ​Entry Price

    Entry fees if parent is judging:

    One Speech Event $65
    Two Speech Events $80

    LD Only $90

    PF Only $75

    SPAR Only $65
    SPAR & One Speech Event $80

    If you are opting out of judging, you will pay an additional $70.

    Registration will not be complete until payment is received.
     
    Changes or drops after 12 Oct 2021 will be charged a $20 nuisance fee for each change or drop.
    Judges changes after 12 Oct 2021 will be charged a $20 judge nuisance fee.  Judge drops after this date will be charged a $200 judge no-show fee.  
    Teams who supply grossly unprepared judges will be charged a nuisance fee of $50.

    Schedule
    (all times Pacific)

    Middle School
    (Morning Rounds)

    8:00am
    Round 1 (all events)

    9:15am
    Round 2 (all events)

    10:30am
    Round 3 (all events)

    Noon
    Finals (all events)

    7:30pm
    Awards

    ​
    Elementary School
    (Afternoon Rounds)

    1:30pm
    Round 1 (all events)

    2:45pm
    Round 2 (all events)

    4:00pm 
    Round 3 (all events)

    5:30pm
    Finals (all events)
     
    7:30pm
    Awards

    ​
    High School
    (Afternoon Rounds)

    1:30pm
    Round 1 (all events)

    2:45pm
    Round 2 (all events)

    4:00pm 
    Round 3 (all events)

    5:30pm
    Finals (all events)

    7:30pm
    Awards

    ​

    Drop Fee

    All changes or drops after the deadline will be charged a $20 nuisance fee for each change or drop.  Judge drops after the deadline will be charged a $200 judge no-show fee.

    Please do not drop out last minute to avoid being charged these fees.

    Contact Info

    Victor Rivas Umana
    Contact email:  vrivasumana@tgsastaff.com
    Nadia Budiman 
    Contact email: nbudiman@tgsastaff.com
    Or info@tgsastaff.com

    Registration Form

    ​
    STUDENT INFORMATION
    PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION
    Your email address will be the one included when we send the logistics email.
    EVENT SELECTION
    • If double entered, students should go to each room before competing and type in the chat window that they are double entered so judges know they will be coming back
    • Debate and extemp do not allow double entry, even with speech, so don't choose a second event if you are doing PF/LD/Extemp
    • For tournament purposes, any 6-8th grader is considered middle school, regardless of how their school categorizes them.  So, if a school considers a 6th grader an elementary student, our tournament would consider them in middle school.
    ​JUDGE PROVISION

    ​First time judging? Click here to learn how to do it!
    Or watch our Youtube playlist here.
    Next, we found this judging guideline from the platform that we will be using.
    Also, if you are using eBallots for the first time, check out how they work on this link here.

    *Judges changes after 18 May 2021 will be charged a $20 judge nuisance fee.  Judge drops after this date will be charged a $200 judge no-show fee.  ​
    TOURNAMENT UPDATE REGARDING JUDGE BALLOTS:
    1. We will need to begin implementing a fine for blank/nearly blank ballots.
    2. Oral Critiques: No ballot may be returned without a written reason for decision. Oral commentary is not considered a substitute for the written ballot.
    3. Judges who are unfamiliar with events may be removed from the tournament at the discretion of the tournament staff, and fines may be applied.
    4. A good concept in writing a ballot is the compliment sandwich (write a compliment, add some constructive feedback, and end with another compliment).  It is frustrating for students to receive a speech ballot that says, “Great job!” with a 5th place ranking and with no actual useful feedback.
    TERMS AND CONDITIONS

We would love to have you visit soon at one of our open houses.
Check our home page for the schedule!

School year Hours

M-F: 3:45 pm - 8:30 pm 
Sun: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Telephone

510-270-8480
510-470-0531

Email (preferred)

For more info email us at: info@tgsastaff.com

Locations

Fremont: 200 Brown Rd #201, Fremont, CA 94539

Polygon Academy (Cupertino): 1025 S. DeAnza Blvd, San Jose, CA-95129

Aborn Institute: 2804 Riedel Road, San Jose, CA 95135 

Loving Tree Academy: 36601 Newark Blvd, #83, Newark, CA 94560