Palm Beach Middle School Forensic League Tournament #8 (PBMSFL #8) Invitation

 

COACHES - PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE INVITATION CAREFULLY!

 

Date: Wednesday, April 9th, 2025

 

Location: FAU / A.D. Henderson

777 Glades Rd.

Boca Raton, FL 33431

*Please follow the directions linked below from A.D. Henderson's website to find the school.  If you try to find the school using GPS, you will not be able to find the correct entrance to the parking lot. https://adhus.fau.edu/directions/

 

Time: 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM

 

Deadlines:

• Wednesday, April 2, at 5:00 P.M. is the deadline for entering students (both competitors and observers).
• Friday, April 4, at 5:00 P.M. 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*Due to the 
• There is an option to enter students as “observers.” Again, this is for STUDENTS-ONLY! No parents or adults are allowed to observe rounds.
• The top six students in each event/division will receive awards
• No photography or videography of any kind can be used during rounds.
• Speech students may double enter. (There cannot be double-entered students in PF, LD, or Congress!)

*Due to the limitations of a 2-hour competition, we are limiting extemp entries to 2 per school. Based on the number of total entries, we may be able to admit waitlisted students AFTER the registration deadline.

 

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, April 2, 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, April 9, 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, April 4, 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 who are not in the judge lounge by Round 1 Schematics will be dropped from the tournament, and potential fees will incur.
• Judges will not be added after the judge deadline has passed.

 

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 Mar/April Topic: “Resolved: The development of Artificial General Intelligence is immoral.”

 

Public Forum Debate will use the March Topic: “Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its investment in domestic nuclear energy.”

 

Impromptu Topics:

Round 1: Proverbs

Round 2: Game Shows & Reality TV

 

Extemporaneous Speaking Topic Areas:

Round 1: Immigration

Round 2: U.S. Foreign Policy

 

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

(vr24)