TOURNAMENT DOSSIER — 
CFL Novice Speech 2018 (14 Oct) 

Henry M Gunn High School

780 Arastradero Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306

(Near Palo Alto VA Hospital)

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DEADLINES & FEES

Registration closes at 11:59 PM on Friday, Sep 28.
Entries not paid by this date will be dropped.

Deadline to drop is 11:59 PM, Monday, Oct 5.
Drops after this deadline will be responsible for paying the late drop fee incurred by the team, $25.

ENTRY FEES:  

$15 fee per entry.
For partner events, both partners must pay the entry fee.

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CFL NOVICE ELIGIBILITY

To qualify for CFL novice, you must meet ALL of the following requirements:

1. Be in your first Academic Year of High School competition (including debate or congress)
2. Have NOT not competed in more than 3 middle school tournaments
3. Have NOT attended a professional camp for speech events

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REGISTRATION

If you are logged in to the team website, click either of the following links to register for CFL Novice Speech.

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ENTRY LIMITS

You may enter up to two speech events.

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GENERAL RULES

All standard local tournament rules apply. Click the link or scroll down to read them.

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TRAVEL

You will be responsible for your own transportation to and from the tournament. I highly suggest looking over the entry and judge lists to see who is going and arranging a carpool among yourselves.

Sunday, October 14

7:10 AM        Arrive at Gunn High School

7:30         Judges’ Instructions

8:30        Round 1

11:00        Round 2   

12:00 PM        Lunch — Served on campus.

12:30         Afternoon Judges’ Instructions

1:00        Round 3

3:30        Final round

6:30        Awards *

7:30        Leave Gunn HS

* Tournaments make all possible efforts to run on schedule, but occasionally delays occur. The time of awards and therefore our return may vary. Given that this is a smaller tournament, we may actually return earlier than the given time. Students will notify their parents when we leave so you can be prepared.

All judges will need an account at  Tabroom.com, as all ballots will be online (yes, this includes speech this year).

I have created Tabroom.com accounts for all of you, using the email address provided when your student registered for the tournament, with the default password “msjspeech”. Please log in ASAP and make sure your information is correct.

You also need to bring a timing device with you, as timing the rounds is required. If you prefer to use  your phone to do so (as I do), I suggest you bring a charger or backup battery with you to the tournament. Please also bring a pen or two, as the supplies available at the tournament are limited.

Since this may be the first time judging for many of you, I suggest reading over and/or bringing with you a copy of the Judges Handbook for Speech Events. It’s a bit out of date, since it doesn’t include any of the e-ballot instructions, but it’s a good primer on what it is you’ll be judging. I will update this section with a link to the e-ballot guide when it is completed.

JUDGING ASSIGNMENTS:

Normally I’d split judging duty to half days, but that’s not particularly convenient for a Palo Alto tournament. That said, if any of the above judges and another parent not listed would like to split judging duty, notify me by Friday evening (9:00 pm) of who you will be splitting duty with.

Event(s)

Name

Event(s)

Name

Event(s)

Name

OI

Jiya Bhatia  

Duo

Maanav Kyabarsi

Duo

Anusha Srinivas

Duo

Trisha Bhattacharjee

Imp

Vedant Madabushi

Duo

Sathvik Sriram

HI

Aditi Chhangani

Imp

Alexzendor Misra  

Imp

Heidi Wang  

NX

Ishan Jain  

Imp, NX

Vindhya Shigehalli  

Imp

Ethan Yuan  

DI

Dishita Jhawar

If your name is in RED, I still need your membership forms

Before You Go

1. For tournaments that require you to miss school, talk to your teachers to make sure you won’t miss any important tests or assignments. Your coach will notify the office to excuse the absences. Remember to keep up with your work at the tournament; you will not be excused the day after a tournament no matter how tiresome it is.
2. If assigned, remind your judge to attend.  Entries will be dropped if a judge does not show up.
3. Come to the tournament prepared both physically and mentally to perform.  Get a good night’s rest the night before. Dress appropriately (see below).
4. Bring the following with you to each tournament:

1. All materials for your speech, including a copy of your script or oratory in case it is challenged (this is rare, but it does happen).
2. Healthy food and water (or money to purchase some at the tournament).
3. Something to do between rounds—books, games, homework, etc.

5. Be aware that tournaments do their best but do not always run on time. Be prepared to stay late if necessary.

Rules of Competition

1. Always clean up after yourself. Make sure the team area is clean. Pick up garbage even if it isn’t yours. Remember, we are guests and should act like we want to be invited back in the future.
2. NEVER enter a room at a tournament unless you are certain no one is speaking. Sometimes the tournament runs off schedule and rounds will still be going on even though the posting sheet says you should be in that room at that time.
3. DO NOT enter a competition room without a judge present. You can be penalized for this.
4. The following areas are off-limits to students:

1. The tabulation (“tab”) room. Stand at the door and ask for your coach (or just send me a text).
2. The judges’ room. Call or text your parents or coach if you need them.

5. NEVER ask a judge to reveal your score.
6. It is your responsibility to make sure you get to your rounds on time. If you miss a round you may be dropped from the tournament.

1. If you are double entered, ask your judge to allow you to leave the round early. Talk to both judges before the round if possible (your judges should be aware of this, but always ask).

7. DO NOT LEAVE the tournament without getting permission from your coach. You must always stay to the end of the tournament to support the winners from our school. You may watch other rounds of competition.

Tournament Dress

Hats are not permitted in rounds.  Typically, tournament attire is required through the awards ceremony.  No jeans or tennis shoes will be allowed during competition. Males should wear white dress shirts (with collars), nice slacks, belts, dress shoes, and solid-color ties.  Females should wear professional skirts, dresses, or pant suits. Proper hygiene (showering, deodorant, etc.) is expected. Duo performers may wish to coordinate but it is not strictly necessary.