'25 - '26 Trips & Tournaments

Students may NOT compete as part of the Hays Speech and Debate team until they have submitted the paperwork found HERE.

The Speech and Debate Handbook can be accessed by clicking HERE.

Our students compete under the purview of several different organizations:

The Texas Forensic Association (TFA) - Schools across the state host state-qualifying invitational tournaments between August and January.  Competition in the invitationals is not restricted by school size or geographic boundaries.  Students compete in up to fourteen different speech and debate events, accumulating state qualification points when they advance to the final round of TFA Invitational Tournaments.  The exact number of points is determined based on the size of the competition pool.  (CLICK HERE for the IQT Qualification Chart.)  Students earning at least twelve TFA points in any given event qualify to compete in that event at the TFA State Tournament in March.

National Circuit Tournaments (TOC) - Students who perform well at some of the more prestigious TFA tournaments we attend can earn invitations to the Tournament of Champions, Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions, and National Individual Event Tournament of Champions.  The TOC tournaments limit student participation to the nation's top hundred or so students.  It is challenging to earn the opportunity to compete in TOC tournaments, but Hays students have a record not only of competing but also of doing well there.

University Interscholastic League (UIL) - Schools host practice invitationals in January and February to prepare students for the District UIL Competition in March.  Students have six competition events to choose from.  The UIL Speech and Debate competition pool is determined by the same UIL alignments our sports teams adhere to.  Alignments are determined by the size of our school (5A) and geographic location.  Advancement is determined based on the results of the tournament's final round.  The top three students in each event advance from District to Region; the top three from Region advance to State.