Speech for Success - Women’s Words Matter Speech and Debate Meet (in person)

November 2, 2024

 

Meet Information:

Note: We are continuing this meet that was started by WHS graduate Sabrina Richard for a Girl Scout Gold Award.

"After attending the 2019 NSDA Nationals in Dallas and seeing a lack of girls in many categories and overwhelming male dominance in others, I decided to focus on encouraging females to learn the power of public speaking. This is an all-girl* Novice and Varsity Speech and Debate meet. All Girl Scouts (students, judges, coaches) will be honored at the event. Thank you for showing girls that Women’s Words Matter."

Sabrina Richard - Westfield High School ‘22, Premier Distinction       

 

This is an all-girl* Novice and Varsity meet for Indiana High Schools. (Males may compete with a female partner).

The goal of this meet is to encourage girls to learn from and lift up each other in speech.

*Should a team be mixed gender, a male competitor may participate as a double entry in other individual events

Should that duo drop from a team event, the male competitor is scratched from their remaining entries and all rounds.

*Any gender-neutral, gender-nonconforming, or gender-questioning competitors are welcome and encouraged to join.

Males not competing who have 250+ NSDA points may sign up to judge novice rounds (please make a note of this in the judge's notes section). 

 

We are making it a shorter day, with Speech and Debate both being run as three straight rounds. Congress will have two sessions.

Speech events: IX, USX, Discussion, Radio, OP, OO, DI, HI, Duo, Poe, Pro, POI, Imp, Info, and Dec.

Debate events: Congress, LD, PF (open to running WSD and Policy if there is enough interest and we have a coach available to assist in Tab).

Contestants can double enter in speech events (except for Discussion), but not debate.  

There will be separate Novice and Varsity competitions, but some categories will run together; there will be separate awards. Novice is for any competitor that is in their first year of high school competition and/or has less than 75 NSDA points.  

 

Judges: Please provide 1 judge for every 5 speech contestants and 1 judge for every 3 debate entries. We will use electronic balloting at this tournament, so please bring a device. Judges will need a Speechwire account. 

 

Events will use ISSDA rules, but we are very novice-early-in-the-season-friendly. 

 

Broadcasting will run News (original and up to the contestant) twice and Editorial once, with the topic "Gender Health Gap." Use student creativity for a commercial and music choices.

Discussion artifacts will be posted to the Files for Download section one week in advance of the meet.  

 

Debate will use the NSDA November-December topics:

LD - Resolved: The United States ought to adopt a wealth tax.

PF - Resolved: The United States should substantially reduce its military support of Taiwan.

 

Congress will have two sessions and will use current fall ISSDA legislation: 1st session - B/E2 Bill to Ban Pharmaceutical Drug Ads and FP2 Resolution to Restructure UN Security Council. 2nd session - SC1 Bill for Efficient Secret Service and SC2 Resolution to Affirm Right to Protest on College Campuses

 

Awards: Top six in each division of each event will be awarded a ribbon. Note that we are trying to stay within a budget and will be attempting to use ribbons from our past surplus. Top 3 schools will receive sweepstakes trophies.

There is no entry fee for competitors. Please encourage students to purchase our concessions. 

 

If a judge, competitor, or coach is a current member of Girl Scouts, (including those man enough to be a Girl Scout) they will be honored. 

 

Please submit initial entries and judges by Oct. 25, but you may continue to make changes after that date. 

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