Palm Beach Middle School Forensic League Tournament #5 (PBMSFL #5) Invitation

 

COACHES - PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE INVITATION CAREFULLY!

 

Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025

 

​​Location: Wellington Landings Middle School

1100 Aero Club Drive

Wellington, FL 33414

Time: 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM

 

Deadlines:

• Wednesday, January 8th at 5:00 PM is the deadline for entering students (both competitors and observers).
• Friday, January 10th at 5:00 PM is the deadline for entering judges and meals.
• **You are REQUIRED to buy meals for all judges and coaches; the meal is included in the entry fee for students.**

 

Tournament Guidelines:

• This tournament is open to all students from PBMSFL member schools.
• The following events will be offered: Congressional Debate (separate Novice and Varsity divisions), Declamation, Dramatic Performance, Duo Interpretation, Extemporaneous Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Program - - - Oral Interpretation, Informative Speaking, Original Oratory, and Public Forum Debate.
• There is an option to enter students as “observers.” Again, this is for STUDENTS-ONLY!
• The top six students in each event/division will receive awards
• Speech students may double enter. 

 

Fees:

• The entry fee is $15 per student. This entry fee includes registration costs and dinner. Students who are double entered will pay for each entry separately.
• The entry fee is $7 for observers. This entry fee covers the cost of dinner.
• Schools are REQUIRED to buy meals for all judges and coaches at $7 per person.
• Students dropped after Wednesday, January 8th at 5:00 P.M. will incur a $15 drop fee, in addition to forfeiting the cost of entry ($30 total). 
• Students added or dropped the day of the tournament, Wednesday, January 15th will incur an additional $30 fee, in addition to the cost of entry ($45 total). 

 

Meals:

The cost of dinner is included in the $15 entry fee for students and the $7 entry fee for “observers.” Schools are REQUIRED to buy meals for all judges and coaches at $7 per person. The meal will include pizza (cheese or pepperoni), chips, and water.

**You must enter your meals on Speechwire under “Update your Meal Order” by Friday, January 10th at 5:00 PM.

 

Judge Information:

• Schools are required to provide a specific number of TRAINED judges based on their entries (judge quotas are listed below).
• Judges MUST provide a cell phone contact number on Speechwire.
• Please use the JUDGE NOTES to annotate conflicts, event preferences, or other pertinent information (i.e., the judge has a different last name than their child(ren)).
• Included in the "Files for Download" section is the Judge Cheat Sheet, and guidelines for judging impromptu.
• Remind your judges that double-entered students are allowed to leave their competition room early to go to their other event.
• Only judges with an e-ballot are permitted to be in the competition rooms. Adults without e-ballots should stay in their designated waiting area.  

 

Judges will go to the password-protected Speechwire website, to access their e-ballots. The ballot will also provide space to write a reason for decision (RFD) explaining their ranks, as well as space to leave individual feedback for the competitors. This feedback is important to competitors. Even though we’re in-person, the tournament will still use e-ballots on Speechwire. Judges MUST bring a laptop or tablet!

 

Any high school sophomore, junior, or senior with 150 NSDA points is allowed to judge.

Schools will be fined $50 for each missing judge and will be required to drop students until your school complies with the judge quotas.

 

Judge Quotas:

Congress - 1 judge for every 5 entries, or fraction thereof

Lincoln Douglas - 1 judge for every 2 entries, or fraction thereof

Public Forum - 1 judge for every 2 entries, or fraction thereof

Speech - 1 judge for every 5 entries, or a fraction thereof

 

Topics:

Lincoln Douglas Debate will use the Jan/Feb Topic: “Resolved: The United States ought to become party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and/or the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”

 

Public Forum Debate will use the January Topic: “Resolved: The African Union should grant diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state.”

 

Impromptu Topics:

1) Children’s Literature

2) Latin American Countries

 

Extemporaneous Speaking Topic Areas:

1) U.S. Healthcare

2) Europe 

 

Congressional Debate legislation is posted under “Files for Download.”

(vr24)