Unless otherwise noted on an individual tournament's page, this is the schedule we make every effort to follow:
Arrival & Registration 4:15
Judge Training 4:30-5:25
Round 1 will begin at 5:30 (approximately)
Round 2 will begin at 6:45 (approximately)
Awards will begin at 8:00 (approximately)
Every school is required to provide judges to cover their entries. Without judges, we cannot run a tournament.
SPEECH & CONGRESS: (1) judge for every (5) entries
DEBATE: (1) judge for every (2) entries
Almost anyone can be a judge! Judges do not need to be "qualified" or "experienced." The minimum requirements are pretty basic:
Must be (18+)
Must not be a high school student
Must be able to understand English and provide written feedback
We provide judge training at every tournament. This is a great place for new judges to gain experience. Please bring your judges!
Unfortunately, if a team cannot cover their entries, they will be required to drop some or all entries. While we never want to do this, the logistics of running a tournament require that we have volunteer judges. Upon check-in, any team with dropped judge coverage will be asked to drop entries until the logistics of the tournament can be satisfied.
Legislation Submission: Congress legislation must be submitted by the deadline. Legislation submitted after the deadline will not be included in the legislation docket. Entries without legislation will be dropped.
The submission link for Congress legislation will be posted on each tournament's individual page.
Category Standard Rules: Follow all VHSL rules during a tournament unless otherwise noted on the individual tournament page. We recognize that many teams use these tournaments as preparation for the VHSL season. That is why it is very important that all rules are followed in preseason so that competitors understand what is and is not allowed in season. The following is not an exhaustive list of VHSL Rules. It is simply an "at a glance" overview of the most common rule violations or areas of confusion we see each season.
Interp Events:
With the exception of Prose and Poetry, all Interp Events should be "off-book."
All Interp Events should include an introduction. This can be done at the beginning of the piece or after a short "teaser." The minimum requirement for an introduction is to include the title and author of the piece.
Except during the introduction, Duos may not look each other in the eyes or touch at any point in their piece.
Public Speaking Events:
Original Oratory
Oratory competitors should not use a manuscript during competition. Competitors are allowed to use two index cards (4x6).
Extemp:
Extemp competitors may not access the internet during their prep time.
Extemp competitors may not use a written manuscript in competition. Competitors are allowed to use one index card (4x6).
Impromptu:
Time for Impromptu competitors begins as soon as the first chosen topic slip is turned over.
Debate Events:
Debaters may not access the internet during rounds.
There are no "grace periods" in debate timing. Judges may cut speakers off at the end of their allotted time or allow them to finish their thought.