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The Ohio University Speech and Debate team, in conjunction with the Ohio Forensics Association, cordially invites you to the 2025 Ohio University 1804 Tournament on January 24^th and 25^th, 2025. In addition, Sunday, January 26^th, the Ohio University Speech and Debate Alumni will be hosting a tournament.

On Saturday, the tournament will offer Open and Ohio Novice in all NFA IEs and Open Divisions of OFA Broadcasting. The tournament offers two rounds and finals in all Open IE divisions and Novice divisions (for competitors from Ohio schools only).

We will be concurrently hosting the Ohio Forensics Association Novice State Championships on Friday and Saturday. Judge pools for both tournaments will be merged, and a joint awards ceremony will be held on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, the Ohio University Speech and Debate Alumni will be hosting an additional IE tournament.

You will find all of the necessary tournament information enclosed in this invitation, including a tournament schedule, event rules, lodging and entry information. We look forward to seeing you here in Athens in January.

If you have questions regarding the tournament, please contact Jennifer Talbert at 216.410.0041, or email jtalbert@ohio.edu.

Events: NFA event rules apply for all individual events. Event description for Broadcast Journalism is included in this invitation. We do not limit a school’s number of entries per event, however, individuals may enter no more than three events in each pattern. Students who are entered in more than one event in any pattern are responsible for signing into the round prior to the start of each round. Judges will not wait for contestants longer than the scheduled times. The following individual events will be offered:

Entry Deadline: The deadline for all entries will be Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. The deadline for changes (late adds or drops) will be Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 5:00 pm. Late adds and drops will incur a $10 per change fee. Drops at registration are $25/slot.

Judges: Each school is required to provide one judge for every six (6) individual events entries. Since judging pools will be merged, judges cannot simultaneously cover entries for both the 1804 and the OFA tournaments. Instead, judge coverage obligations will be based on total slots across the divisions. Please attempt to cover your judging obligation; we would rather have your judges than your money. Dropped judges the day of the tournament will incur a $100 nuisance charge in addition to uncovered judging fees.

Fees: Entry fees for individual events are $10.00 per slot for the 1^st half of the tournament and $10 per slot for the 2^nd half. Debate slots are $15.00 each. Schools MUST try to cover their Debate entries. Hired judges are $15.00 per slot.

Parking: You will need to pay for parking on Friday. Your two options are either the surface lot or the parking garage at the Baker University Center. The service lot utilizes the ParkMoblie App (which you can download to your phone) and the parking garage has a paystation for cash or credit cards. Parking in the Walter Hall Lot is free on Saturday and Sunday. Parking meters are monitored 24/7 and you will need to either pay with coins or utilizing the ParkMobile App.

Registration: Registration and the information table will be in the lobby of Ellis Hall. We will also be using Tupper and Gordy Halls adjacent to Ellis Hall. To get to Ellis, ride the elevators up to the fourth floor in Baker. Go out the front doors and turn right. Ellis is to the right of the library. NONE OF our classroom buildings OPEN before 7 am. Additionally, we are sharing our campus with a number of events this weekend. Please be courteous of our other guests and respect shared spaces.

Hospitality: Lunch will be provided on Saturday and Sunday during the tournament in the lobby of Ellis Hall for all competitors. A judge’s lounge with ample food will also be provided.

Awards: Trophies will be awarded to all finalists in all events. Sweepstakes Awards will be awarded to the top three Open Entry Schools. Individual Sweepstakes awards will also be presented to the top competitors entered in four or more events. Sweepstakes will be based on points from the final rounds for Individual Events and out rounds of Debate for 1^st half of tournament. Sweepstakes for the Alumni Tournament (2^nd) half will be calculated based on only Individual Events Final Rounds. To be eligible for overall sweepstakes, a school does not have to compete in the debate portion of the tournament.

Additional Note on Trophies: For the 1^st half of the tournament, trophies will be from Passion Works. Passion Works is a non-profit organization in Athens. According to their website, “Passion Works creates opportunities for all people to explore and socially connect through the process of making art. We follow the aesthetic lead, talents, and interests of people with developmental differences and support collaborations to encourage vibrant and inclusive communities. We upcycle otherwise discarded materials and produce environmentally responsible items. No voice, no resource, and no region are abandoned as the studio fosters purpose, connection, and belonging.”

Entries: Please register for the tournament at speechwire.com. If you have not used this site before, you will need to create an account before you will be able to register. You will need to register for each tournament separately.

Content Warnings: The tournament recommends the use of content and/or trigger warnings when possible for competitors who may be performing material that may be perceived as sensitive. The tournament will operate with an open-door policy. Competitors are encouraged to watch and support their fellow competitors; however, if a student believes they will be negatively impacted by sensitive material, they may elect to leave the round without repercussions.

Visual Aids: We would like to try something new. All public address rounds will be scheduled in classrooms with electronic capabilities to project images or videos from your computer. A set of instructions will be provided if students would like to use electronic visuals in lieu of using paper visual aids.

Broadcasting - For each round, contestants will receive a selection of media stories drawn from the past week and will have 30 minutes to prepare a 5-minute news broadcast. Notes are permissible, and the speaker may perform seated, facing the judge. Contestants may include original call letters and transitionary remarks. Broadcast packets will be distributed electronically. The broadcast should be organized, clear, well-delivered and adhere to the time frame of the event. Contestants are encouraged to time themselves. 5-minute maximum time limit.

Jennifer L Talbert
Email address: jtalbert@ohio.edu
Phone number: 2164100041

1 Ohio University Drive
School of Communication Studies, Suite 400 Schoonover
Athens, OH 45701

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