Coaches:

 

Bradley University cordially invites you to the 2024 George Armstrong Heart of Illinois Individual Events Tournament to be held ONLINE via Zoom on Friday & Saturday, December 13-14, 2024. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.  

 

More information is enclosed, including standard event rules and tournament logistics. We look forward to making this a fun and educational event for you and your students!

 

All the best,

 

Andrew Eilola

Director of Forensics

aeilola@bradley.edu 

218-290-5574

 

 

P.S. For additional copies of this invitation, information about our Summer Forensics Institute for high school students, or information about the Bradley University Speech Team or collegiate forensics in general, please email Andrew Eilola at aeilola@bradley.edu. 

 

ENTRY PROCEDURES:

1.    Two divisions of competition will be offered: Open and Novice. Novice designates students participating in their first (academic) year of forensics activity. (IT IS THE COACH’S DUTY TO DENOTE ANY AND ALL NOVICE COMPETITORS) We reserve the right to collapse a novice event into the open and recognize the top novice when a novice event has fewer than 12 entries.

2.    Each student may enter a maximum of two events per group. Students entered in Extemp or Radio cannot be double entered in one of those same events, in other words, only one event that requires a preparation period.  

 

        GROUP A:                                        GROUP B

        Extemporaneous Speaking            Impromptu Speaking

        Prose Interpretation               Poetry Interpretation

        Duet Acting                        Duo Interpretation

        Radio Speaking                     Declamation

        Informative Speaking               Original Oratory

        Humorous Interpretation            Dramatic Interpretation

        Special Occasion Speaking          Original Comedy

        Program Oral Interpretation         

                       

3.    Semi-finals will be held for all OPEN and NOVICE events with entries of 25 or more. 

4.    Entries should be submitted via SPEECHWIRE.COM. The tournament website can be found at: http://www.speechwire.com. Entries must be received by 6:00 p.m., CST, Monday, December 9, 2024. 

 

AWARDS:

1. Individual event recognition will be awarded to the top six competitors in each Open and Novice event.

2. All semi-finalists will also be recognized.

3. Team sweepstakes trophies will be awarded to the top five schools. In addition, small-entry sweepstakes trophies will be awarded to the top three schools with an entry total less than the average team entry at the tournament.

4. Individual sweepstakes trophies will be awarded to the top five students of the tournament. To be eligible for Individual Sweepstakes, a student must be competing in four events. Declamation is counted as interpretation OR public address. NOVICE events do NOT qualify for Individual Sweepstakes.

5. Team and Individual Sweepstakes are calculated according to the following point scale. Preliminary rounds are not tabulated for sweepstakes points.

* 12 points:    1st place in open finals              * 6 points:    1st place in novice finals

* 10 points:    2nd place in open finals              * 5 points:    2nd place in novice finals

* 8 points:    3rd place in open finals               * 4 points:    3rd place in novice finals

* 6 points:    4th place in open finals               * 3 points:    4th place in novice finals

* 4 points:    5th place in open finals               * 2 points:    5th place in novice finals

* 2 points:    6th place in open finals               * 1 points:    6th place in novice finals

* 1 point:    non-advancing open semifinalist

 

 

EVENT RULES

 

PLEASE READ ALL EVENT RULES AND DESCRIPTIONS CAREFULLY, AND PASS THEM ALONG TO ANY AND ALL OF YOUR JUDGES.

 

GENERAL: All speeches and presentations must be in the English language; this does not preclude, however, the use of foreign phrases for artistic effect. ALL EVENTS REQUIRE THE CONTESTANT TO USE SPEECHES AND/OR PROGRAMS WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN USED BY THAT STUDENT IN COMPETITION PRIOR TO AUGUST 1, 2023. NO ONE PERSON, GROUP OF PEOPLE, OR SCHOOL MAY USE THE SAME SCRIPT OR PARTS OF THE SAME SCRIPT IN MORE THAN ONE EVENT. DISQUALIFICATION WILL RESULT FOR ALL STUDENTS INVOLVED IN REFLECTED EVENTS. STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO PERFORM INTERP SCRIPTS THAT ARE PUBLISHED OR UNPUBLISHED.

 

INTERPRETATION EVENTS:

 

Dramatic Interpretation: Selections used in this contest shall be a cutting from novels, short stories, plays or poems and should be of a serious nature. Adaptations shall be for the purpose of continuity only. A contestant shall, during his/her presentation, name the title and author of the piece. Contestants are to use the same program in all rounds. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

Humorous Interpretation: Selections used in this contest shall be a cutting from novels, short stories, plays or poems and should be humorous in nature. Adaptations shall be for the purpose of continuity only. A contestant shall, during his/her presentation, name the title and author of the piece. Contestants are to use the same program in all rounds. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

Poetry Interpretation: Contestants may read from one or several poetry selections during the time allotted. If several selections are presented, they should be related by a central theme or subject. The introduction and any transitions should be included in the maximum time limit. Play cuttings, novels, short stories or essays are not permitted.  Manuscripts must be used. Contestants are to use the same program in all rounds. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

Prose Interpretation: Selection must be a cutting from a novel, short story, or essay.  Contestants may read from one or several selections during the time allotted. If several selections are presented, they should be related by a central theme or subject. The introduction and any transitions should be extemporaneous and should be included in the maximum time limit. Play cuttings and poetry are not permitted.  Manuscripts must be used. Contestants are to use the same program in all rounds. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

Duo Interpretation: Presentation of a cutting from a play, poem, or story/novel by two performers working as a team, each creating sustained and/or multiple characters. This presentation allows for direct contact between performers during the introduction, but requires offstage focus during the scene. The scene may be humorous or dramatic or a combination of both. The use of props and costumes is prohibited. Use of manuscripts is optional. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

Dramatic Duet Acting: Presentation of a dramatic and/or humorous selection by two individuals. Cuttings from plays, verse plays, or other works may be presented. A selection may include the portrayal of no more than two characters. The selection shall be presented from memory. A table and two chairs will be the only properties provided and permitted. A manuscript will not be used. No lights, costumes, make-up, sound effects, etc., will be permitted. Characters may speak to off-stage characters or to silent characters. Contestants are to use the same program in all rounds.  Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

Program Oral Interpretation: Using selections from Prose, Poetry and Drama students create a performance around a central theme. Program Oral Interpretation is designed to test a student’s ability to intersplice multiple types of literature into a single, cohesive performance. A manuscript is required and may be used as a prop within the performance if the performer maintains control of the manuscript at all times. Performances can also include an introduction written by the student to contextualize the performance and state the title and the author of each selection. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

PUBLIC ADDRESS EVENTS

 

Radio Speaking (A student entered in Radio or Sports Broadcasting cannot be entered Extemp).  Radio Speaking is the presentation of a newscast, including a commercial. The purpose of Radio Speaking is to encourage concentration on delivery and style. One script for all preliminary rounds approximately fifteen minutes in length will be provided by the tournament hosts.  All Radio contestants are expected to attend, minimally, the FIRST Radio Prep before Round One. From this, the contestant will prepare a five-minute newscast by deleting or editing any parts. For those contestants who advance to semi-final and final rounds, a different script for each outround will be provided by the tournament hosts The newscast shall include one or more “commercials” advertising some well-known product or service. The commercial may be inserted at any point but must be included in the time limits. The preparation period will begin 30 minutes before the round is scheduled to begin. The time limit is five minutes, and the speaker is expected to finish “on the nose;” however, if a speaker concludes his/her presentation between 4:50 and 5:05, (s)he will not be penalized beyond those time parameters penalties will be administrated at the discretion of the judge(s). The organization of material should be logical; transitions should be smooth.

 

Extemporaneous Speaking: (A student entered in Extemp cannot be entered Radio or Sports Broadcasting). Contestants will be given three topics in the general area of current events, choose one, and have 30 minutes to prepare a speech. All Extemp contestants are expected to attend and draw questions at EVERY Extemp Prep. Posting of topics will be staggered at 8/9-minute intervals. Maximum time limit is 7 minutes. There is no minimum time limit. Judges should provide time signals. Inaccurate time signals will not be reason to challenge students’ rankings.

 

The use of laptop computers in Extemporaneous Speaking is permitted. This rule in no way prevents students from still utilizing traditional paper copy files.

i. Extemporaneous Speaking contestants may make use of electronic retrieval devices to store and to retrieve their subject files. 

ii. Contestants with laptops are responsible for providing sufficient battery power. No electrical power will be supplied by the tournament 

iii. Electronic retrieval devices are defined as laptop computers, netbooks, iPads, or other portable electronic retrieval equipment. Secondary devices such as flash drives or external hard drives are allowed as well. Cell phones or smart phones are prohibited from being used while preparing or before speaking at tournaments. 

iv. Students from the same school may share computers during preparation. However, communication among contestants during preparation time is strictly prohibited.

v. Pre-written Extemporaneous speeches or outlines are prohibited from the prep room, whether stored electronically or present in hard copy form. 

vi. Internet: Extemporaneous Speaking contestants shall not access the Internet or communicate electronically with any other individual while in the prep room 

vii. Penalty: Contestants found to have violated these provisions will be ranked last in the round. 

 

Impromptu Speaking: An impromptu speech is a presentation, serious in nature, with topic selection varied round by round, section by section. Speakers will have a total of 8 minutes for preparation and speaking and may divide the time at their discretion. Each speaker in a section will speak on the same topic. Topics will come from sources such as contemporary figures, movies, and music quotations. Judges should provide time signals. Inaccurate time signals will not be reason to challenge students’ rankings.

 

Original Oratory: Original Oratory shall comprise only memorized orations actually composed by the contestants and not used during a previous year. Any appropriate subject may be used, but the orator must be truthful. Any nonfactual reference, especially a personal one, must be so identified. Not more than 150 words of the oration may be directly quoted from any other speech. Extensive paraphrasing of another source is prohibited. Contestants are to use the same program in all rounds.  Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

Informative Speaking: Students author and deliver a speech on a topic of their choosing. Competitors create the speech to educate the audience on a particular topic. All topics must be informative in nature; the goal is to educate, not to advocate. Visual aids are permitted, but not required. The speech is delivered from memory. A fabricated topic/subject may not be used. Maximum time of presentation is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

Original Comedy: The presentation of a humorous script composed by the contestant. Contestant may use notes or speak from memory. If they desire, they may introduce their selections. An introduction, if used, will be included in the presentation time. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

Special Occasion Speaking: The original work of the student in which they are at their current age speaking in a realistic situation for the purpose of entertaining an audience. The purpose of SOS is to provide an opportunity for contestants to present a practical message in an entertaining manner under simulated “real life” conditions. Contestants are to use the same program in all rounds. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

INTERPRETATION/PUBLIC ADDRESS EVENT:

 

Declamation: The oral interpretation of persuasive or inspirational material of high literary merit, such as editorials, essays, or speeches, originally prepared by another person. Selections must be from printed, published sources. It is recommended that the material be pertinent to current problems. The purpose of Declamation is to acquaint students with notable examples of persuasive or inspirational literature and give them the opportunity to develop skills of interpretation and delivery through preparation and presentation of such examples. Contestants are to use the same program in all rounds.  Maximum time limit is ten minutes. There is no minimum time limit.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Andrew Eilola

Director of Forensics

Bradley University

aeilola@bradley.edu 

 

 

FEES:

1. The entry fee is $3 per slot. 

2. One judge is needed for every 6 slots entered. Judges may be hired through Bradley for an additional $10 per slot not covered by a judge.

3. Drop penalties are as follows:

•    NO CHARGE for drops up to noon, Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

•    $10 charge per dropped slot in addition to original entry fee and $50 charge per dropped judge in addition to original entry fee and new uncovered slots after Noon, Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

•    $25 charge per dropped slot in addition to original entry fee and $100 charge per dropped judge after 10pm CST Thursday, December 12, 2024 in addition to original entry fee and new uncovered slots.

(vr24)