Dear Coach and Team:

The Fort Osage Chapter of the National Forensic League cordially invites you to our 2017New Year Kickoff to be held January 6 & 7, 2017. We are pleased to partner with Grain Valley High School this year. Fort Osage will host the Varsity competition and Grain Valley will host the Novice. Our Varsity tournament is also a National Individual Event Tournament of Champions (NIETOC) bid tournament and students advancing to qualifying rounds will earn one official bid for the 2017NIETOC Championship hosted at Liberty North HS onMay 12-13, 2017.

Fort Osage will host the following varsity events: Champ Lincoln-Douglas, Regular Lincoln-Douglas, Champ Public Forum, Regular Public Forum, Champ Policy, Regular Policy, Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Duo InterpretationProgram Oral Interpretation (POI), Poetry, Prose, Storytelling, International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, and Congressional Debate.

NEW EVENT!!! We will also be offering Big Questions Debate this year. This will be run independently during IE rounds and participants may not enter any other IE events. There will be four rounds with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places being awarded insignia NSDA plaques. It is also an opportunity for your debaters to qualify to the national tournament, where the top 50 Big Questions Debaters will be competing. If you haven’t already, check out for more information on this new event. I will be sending out a separate emailing for registration.

The debaters will have four rounds of preliminary competition, breaking to quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Individual Events will have two preliminary rounds, breaking to semifinals and finals. Congress will have two preliminary sessions breaking to a final two-part Super Session.

Each school must be have a coach or adult sponsor available to judge, if the need arises. If you request extra entries, please plan on bringingjudges to cover your extra entries.Also, if you know of any recent grads and/or adults that would be willing and able to be a judge at our tournament, please help us contact them.

Except for Big Questions Debate, for which we will use email and paper, we will be using SpeechWire Tournament Services, and registration will be online through the website, Our entry deadline is Friday, December 16th, 2016, before kids leave for break. There will be an opportunity to adjust entry numbers after we get back from break. Entries will be guaranteed two per event, with wait-listed entries being granted as equitably as possible.

We look forward to hosting you at our tournament.

If you have any questions email or call Bobby Phelps at 816-650-7263 (room) or 816-204-0842 (cell).

Sincerely,

Bobby PhelpsQuinn Foose & Elias Vaoifi

Director of Speech and DebateNFL Chapter Co-Presidents

Tournament Co-Chairs

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday, January 6, 2017

2:30-3:00-Registration in Library/Media Center

3:00--Round 1 Extemp Draw

3:15--Congress Session I

3:30--Round 1 Individual Events

4:30--Round 2 Extemp Draw

5:00--Round 2 Individual Events & Congress Session II

6:30--Round 1 Debate

8:00--Round 2 Debate

Saturday, January 7, 2017

7:00--Re-Registration by phone. Call or text 816-204-0842 with any drops.

7:30--Semifinals Extemp Draw

8:00--Semifinals of Individual Events & Congress Super Session (part 1)

9:30--Round 3 Debate

11:00--Round 4 Debate

12:30--Extemp Draw for Finals of Individual Events

1:00--Finals Individual Events & Congress Super Session (part 2)

2:30--Quarterfinals Debate

4:00 or ASAP--Awards Assembly in the Performing Arts Center

4:30 or ASAP--Semifinals Debate

6:00 or ASAP--Finals Debate

General Rules:

  1. A student may enter a maximum of two individual events plus debate; Congress and Big Questions may only enter that specific event during IEs plus debate; debaters may only enter one debate event and extempers may onlyenter IX OR USX, not both.
  2. Each school must supply a qualified school judge for each day of their school competition.
  3. Trophies will be awarded to the top three places in Individual Events (with medals for 4th-6th place), and 1st through quarterfinalists in Debate.
  4. Entry fees are $8 per event. No entry fee adjustments for cancellations will be made after January 4, 2017.
  5. All NSDA, MSHSAA, and Fort Osage High School policies will be in effect; competitor misconduct (smoking, harassment, assault, vandalism, etc.) could result in disqualification.
  6. No playing of musical instruments (guitars, mandolins, harmonicas, harps, etc.) or electronic music without the use of headphones is permitted in the school.
  7. A concessions stand for competitors will be open, as well as a hospitality room for adults. Please have students keep food and drink in the cafeteria.
  8. Tab will be open throughout the tournament. Viewing stations will be available to coaches for access to SpeechWire. Results will become permanent 10 minutes after final tabulation.

Sweepstakes Rules:

1. Sweepstakes points in debate will be awarded as follows:

Debate win------5 points

Qualifying for quarters------15 points

2. Sweepstakes points in IEs will be awarded as follows:

Semifinals------5 points

Finals------10 points

Third place------5 points

Second Place------10 points

First place------15 points

3. Sweepstakes will be determined by the TWO BEST ENTRIES in each event.

Individual Events Rules:

1. US & International Extemp: Question topics will be current events on national and international issues. Time limit will be 7 min.

2. Original Oratory: The speech must be written by the student. It must be memorized. Time limit is 10 minutes. Not more than 150 words may be direct quotation.

3. Humorous & Dramatic Interp: Selections must be memorized and possess literary merit. Time limit is 10 min.

4. Duo Interp: Selections must be memorized and possess literary merit. Selections may be from any appropriate novel, play, or short story. Time limit-10 min. Movement is limited and students must have offstage focus.

5. Poetry & Prose Reading: Must be performed using performance binder. Selections may not be from

plays. Prose may only include 50% dialogue. Time limit-8 min.

6. Storytelling: Selections must be published, copyrighted, printed story originallyintended for

children. No costumes or props are to be used. The story should be well enough in mind to share it

adequately with the intended audience. The story must be shared from a seated position.

Time limit- 8 min.

7. Congressional Debate: We will use the second semester GKCSC Legislation. A setdocket will be

sent with entry confirmation. Coaches will be assigned to serve asParliamentarians. If coaches fail

to report to their assigned chambers, their school will be docked fifty sweepstakes points. No

legislation will be allowed from the floor.

8. Informative Speaking: The speech must be written by the student. It must be memorized. Time

limit is 10 minutes. The purpose of the speech is for the audience to gain understanding and/or

knowledge of a topic. Visual aids may or may not be used. No electronic equipment is permitted.

Not more than 150 words may be direct quotations.

9. Program Oral Interpretation (POI): The use of a manuscript is required. Time limit is 10 minutes. At

least two separate pieces of literature from at least two separate genres must be used. The primary

focus of the program should be on the development of the theme or argument through the use of

narrative, story, language, and/or characterization. The intact manuscript may be used as a prop as

long as it remains in the contestant’s control at all times.

Advancing in Individual Events

Advancing inIEswill be based on ranks, preferences (if paneled), reciprocals, and quality points. The top 6 will advance to finals. In Congress, we will use judge ranks, preferences (if paneled), reciprocals, and Parli rankings to break ties. Prelim ranks may be used to break ties for placing in Congress finals.

Policy Debate:

  1. All NSDA/MSHSAA rules apply.
  2. Time limits will be 8-3-5, with a 5 minute block of prep time.
  3. Mavericks may be allowed in the case of an emergency, if deemed appropriate by the tournament director, but may NOT advance.
  4. The 2016-2017 NSDA policy resolution will be debated.
  5. A team more than 10 minutes late to a round shall forfeit, unless it is the fault of the tournament.
  6. At the end of preliminaries the eight top teams in each division will advance to quarterfinals based on the following determinant order: Win/loss, speaker rankings, record of opponent lost to, total opposition record, opposition to opposition record.
  7. Rounds 3 & 4 shall be power matched based on the records from rounds 1 & 2.

Lincoln Douglas Debate:

  1. All NSDA/MSHSAA rules apply.
  2. Time limits will be 6-3-7-3-4-6-3 with a 4 minute block of prep time.
  3. Rounds will be flighted. Competitors serving as timekeepers for the opposite flight are appreciated.
  4. The resolution will be the NSDA January/February 2017 topic.
  5. A competitor more than 10 minutes late to a round shall forfeit, unless it is the fault of the tournament.
  6. At the end of preliminaries the eight top teams in each division will advance to quarterfinals based on the following determinant order: Win/loss, record of opponent lost to, total opposition record, opposition to opposition record, speaker quality points.
  7. Rounds 3 & 4 shall be power matched based on the records from rounds 1 & 2.

Public Forum Debate:

  1. All NSDA/MSHSAA rules apply
  2. Time limits will be 4-4-3-4-4-3-2-2-3-2-2 with a 2 minute block of prep time.
  3. Rounds will be flighted. Competitors serving as timekeepers for the opposite flight are appreciated.
  4. Mavericks may be allowed in the case of an emergency, if deemed appropriate by the tournament director, but may NOT advance.
  5. The resolution will be the NSDA January 2017 topic.
  6. A team more than 10 minutes late to a round shall forfeit, unless it is the fault of the tournament.
  7. At the end of preliminaries the eight top teams in each division will advance to quarterfinals based on the following determinant order: Win/loss, speaker rankings, record of opponent lost to, total opposition record, opposition to opposition record.
  8. Rounds 3 & 4 shall be power matched based on the records from rounds 1 & 2.