- National Speech and Debate Tournament
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The National Speech and Debate Tournament is a week-long high school championship forensics competition hosted by the National Forensic League (NFL). It is held annually in early June, and is hosted in a different part of the United States every year, although it tends to be hosted in cities that are amenable to the large influx of students and coaches, and have reasonably-priced accommodations.
Also called "Nationals" by many forensic competitors, the National Tournament involves competition between NFL competitors across the United States; thousands of competitors from across the country attend each year. The 2009 tournament was held in Birmingham, Alabama. The 2010 tournament took place in Kansas City, Missouri. The 2011 tournament took place in Dallas, Texas. A list of all the participants in the latest tournament (as well as several past tournaments), including the unofficial results, is available.
Contents
Qualifying at the District Level
Competitors qualify to the National Tournament by placing in the top spots at District Tournaments. The number of competitors in each event in each district determines the number of competitors that will qualify to the National Tournament from that event. For example, smaller districts of 200 competitors may only be able to send the top one or two teams from each event, while larger districts may be able to send up to four. Those who qualify at the district level then move on to participate in the National Tournament.
In most districts, there are two qualifying tournaments. For example, some districts may opt to split the qualifying competition for Student Congress from the remaining events, or hold separate tournaments for Individual Events and Debate. Additionally, some districts allow competitors to "double enter". This means that rather than entering in a single event at a district qualifying competition, a competitor enters in two events. A competitor competing in multiple events must sign a letter of intent beforehand, stating which event they choose to go in if they qualify for nationals in both events. If they register in a team event, that event takes precedence over an individual event.
Competition at the National Tournament
After a competitor gets eliminated from a qualifying event, they may move on to a supplemental event. If the competitor is eliminated later in the competition in a qualifying event, or is eliminated from all of their supplemental events, they may compete in a consolation event. A competitor may register to compete in two supplemental events and one consolation event, but these registrations must be filed by the coach before the tournament begins.
Tournament Events
Qualifying Events
- Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking
- Duo Interpretation
- Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking
- Humorous Interpretation
- Dramatic Interpretation
- Lincoln-Douglas Debate
- Original Oratory
- Policy Debate
- Public Forum Debate
- Congressional Debate
Supplemental Events
- Extemporaneous Commentary
- Expository Speaking
- Prose Interpretation
- Poetry Interpretation
- Supplemental Debate
Consolation Events
- Impromptu Speaking
- Storytelling
External links
Categories:- Educational organizations based in the United States
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