SpeechWire Tournament Services - Forensics Tournament Software

Sponsored by the Apple Valley High School Speech and Debate Alumni Foundation & American Legion Post 1776

* This page will be regularly updated, in addition to email updates as information is added, clarified, or changed.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, January 29th by 6:00 PM. After this date and time, drops will be allowed but NOT refunded.

LOCATIONS: We intend to hold ALL NOVICE events at Valley Middle School; however this subject to change based on entry numbers for certain categories. All VARSITY events will be held at Apple Valley High School. Our tournament allows only double or triple entries in events held at the same site, including Discussion.

JUDGES: You must provide one (1) judge per six (6) entries in the BUILDING your competitors are entered. For example, if you have 6 entries at Valley Middle and 4 entries at AVHS, you will need one judge dedicated to each building. WHEN REGISTERING, CAREFULLY REGISTER YOUR JUDGES FOR THE CORRECT BUILDING'S ENTRIES. SPEECHWIRE IS SET-UP TO FACILITATE THIS. IN ADVANCE OF THE TOURNAMENT, PLEASE BE SURE TO TELL YOUR JUDGES TO REPORT TO THE BUILDING YOU SELECTED ACCORDING TO YOUR ENTRY. We will be using online ballots again this year, so please make sure your judges have devices and accounts setup prior to the tournament.

We have a limited number of judges available for hire for a fee of $125.00. Please email scott.voss@district196.org if you are in need of a hired judge, and we will try to accommodate your request.

VARSITY means the competitors are in their second, third, fourth year of the activity. NOVICE means first year competitors in the activity (not a particular category).

FEES: All entries except Duo are $8. Duo entries will cost $16. There is a flat school registration fee of $35.00 used to facilitate being in two buildings and the shuttle buses provided after Novice prelims have concluded. Please make checks payable to Apple Valley AVHS Speech and Debate Alumni Association. Fees are final as of 6:00pm Wednesday, January 29th. After that time, new adds will not be allowed and drops will not lower your total registration fee.

If you have any questions regarding payment, please contact daniel.hodges@district196.org

A fee of $125.00 per uncovered judge on the day of the tournament will be assessed and must be paid the day of the tournament.

CHANGES: If you need to make changes to your registration, please make them directly on Speech Wire until the website is closed down. Please update your changes before making your way to school on the morning of the tournament. As we are doing the schedule on-site, it would help to know of changes sooner versus later.

CATEGORY RULES AND TIME LIMITS: We will honor both MSHSL and NSDA rules. All thirteen MSHSL speech events will be offered, as well as Program Oral Interpretation (POI) in the Varsity division only! For a copy of MSHSL rules, go to the MSHSL website at www.mshsl.org. As an FYI to out-state schools, at MN invitationals competitors do not need to provide copies of material for verification--while it is stated in the rules, this is only done at the section and state tournament level. We will be offering Impromptu Speaking as a category as well (in the varsity division only).

All NSDA events will follow NSDA rules. Please visit the NSDA website at www.speechanddebate.org for rules. Because we are a NIETOC bid tournament, students in both Prose and Drama will receive bids, per the updated qualification rules. If you have questions about events, please contact us.

NIETOC: As mentioned above, we are a NIETOC bid tournament site. Students competing in Drama, Prose, Duo, Extemp Humorous, Informative, Original Oratory, and POI have the ability to earn a bid that will get them one step closer to competing at the NIETOC Tournament in Kansas City, MO from May 16th-May 18th, 2025. For more information visit their official website.

ENTRIES: We have no limits on entries per team, but will go to a waitlist once individual events are capped. We will allow double entering for both varsity and novice. Students entered in a draw event may only double enter in a non-draw event; You may not double enter in two draw events and draw event students cannot triple enter. Students in Discussion can be double entered when their second event is NOT a draw event.

Only experienced varsity competitors may triple enter and in non-draw events only. Please use caution when triple entering any varsity student. It is important that we stay on schedule.

Extemporaneous Reading Prose: Students will draw from The Moth presents All These Wonders edited by Catherine Burns

Extemporaneous Reading Poetry: Students will draw from Poetry The Name She Gave Me by Betty Cullen.

Storytelling will draw from the MSHSL list of stories 1-15. Students in varsity and novice will draw for all three preliminary rounds and finals. Students cannot repeat a story/draw from their preliminary rounds in finals.

IMPROMPTU: Students will draw their prompt in-round. Please see Improptu instructions on the Tournament Live Doc.

Discussion: The Discussion tasks will be taken from Areas I & II, of the MSHSL outline of this year's topicI. I. Personal Interests II. Corporate Interests. Tasks will not be posted in advance of the tournament. The discussion outline is available at the MSHSL website.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT: There will be three preliminary rounds and a final round for Novice competitors. There will be three preliminary rounds - semi-finals and finals in the Varsity division! We will also hold merit/consolation finals concurrent with the semi-final rounds in Varisty NIETOC events where entry numbers require it.

FINALS: Students in the Varsity division will have the opportunity to advance to semi-finals after the first three preliminary rounds. The top six overall speakers will advance to a championship final round. The Novice division will not have semi-finals. Novice final rounds will take place during the Varsity semi-final rounds. Varsity Finals AND Novice Finals will be held at Apple Valley High School (this is a change from past years), there will be a shuttle that will take studnets from VMS to AVHS after round three.

AWARDS: Our signature marble apples and ribbons will be awarded to the selected finalists and semi-finalists in all events. Team sweepstakes will be based on combined final round rankings in novice and varsity divisions. No less than the top 3 large-entry and one small-entry team sweepstakes will be awarded. We will also have Individual Sweepstakes Awards, with awards going to the Top 3 invidividual points earners in the tournament.

CONCESSIONS: Some basic concessions will be available throughout the day, as well as lucnh for purchase. We will not be selling water this year. Please bring your own bottle from home to fill at our fountains.

SATURDAY CHECK-IN: Saturday check-in will occur at the respective schools. Check-in for Varsity will be at Apple Valley High School from 7:00-7:45 am on Saturday morning, while check-in for Novice will be from 7:00-7:45 am on Saturday morning at Valley Middle School. Please check the schedule page for more information on each location.

SHUTTLE BUSES: We will only provide shuttle buses from Valley Middle School to AVHS after novice preliminary rounds. SINCE WE WILL BE HAVING TWO DIFFERENT CHECK-IN SITES, YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR TRANSPORTATION DROP STUDENTS OFF AT THEIR RESPECTIVE BUILDINGS IN THE MORNING

GOLDEN APPLE AWARD: The Golden Apple Award recognizes the outstanding achievement and dedication of an individual in the speech community. This may include a head coach, assistant coach, judge, tab room worker, friend of the speech community, etc. Introduced in 2009, the Speech Golden Apple Award is designed to parallel the Debate Golden Award, which is given out at the Minneapple Debate Tournament in November. The Golden Apple will be awarded at the Minneapple Speech Tournament Awards Ceremony.

Please note which events are at Apple Valley High School and which events are at Valley Middle School.

It is our intention to hold Varsity Finals and Novice Finals at Apple Valley High School, awards will follow asap.

Scott Voss
Email address: scott.voss@district196.org
Phone number: 9522900790

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