ASYNC Speech & LIVE Debate

You may enter as many speech events as you want, provided the judging is provided. You may only enter 1 debate event.

Students who enter Springboards MUST provide a judge to participate.

Students must have paid team dues and turned in the APS Permission packet to participate.

Links

Student Sign Up - DUE January 13 @ 8:00pm (including link for recorded speeches) 

Judge Sign Up - NOTE: All judges must complete the Multicultural Competency judge training course.

Tabroom Link

Details

Debate:

• All debate will be held live on NSDA Campus - accessed through Tabroom.
• Congress, Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Big Questions, and World Schools will be offered. No double entry is permitted.
• Each debate event will have two divisions: an open division that anyone can enter, and a rising stars division that is limited to any middle school competitor and any high school competitor in their first year of speech and debate competition.
• Congress will do one two-hour session, and all other events will do one preset preliminary round.

Speech:

• Speech events will have two divisions: an open division that anyone can enter, and a rising stars division that is limited to any middle school competitor and any high school competitor in their first year of speech and debate competition.

• Asynchronous speech scrimmages will offer Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Program Oral Interp, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Prose, Poetry, Original Spoken Word Poetry, Pro Con Challenge, Storytelling, Declamation, and Duo Interp (competitors must record in the same physical room).

• Unlimited cross entry is permitted in asynchronous speech events.

• Prose and Poetry will have 7 minute time limits with a 30 second grace period.

• In Pro Con Challenge, students will write a 3-5 minute affirmative case and a 3-5 minute negative case on this scrimmage's topic for LD, PF, CX, or a piece of Congressional Debate legislation. Both cases must be on the same topic. They will read both of those speeches in one performance.

Schedule

• Asynchronous Speech Event - You will be given YouTube links to watch pre-recorded speeches and judge those between, approximately, 4:30-6:30pm.

• LIVE Debate is Online and begins @ 5:00 pm. It will be accessed through Tabroom.

• LIVE Congressional Debate is Online and runs 5:00-7:00pm. It will be accessed through Tabroom.

Topics

• World Schools: This House supports the expansion of nuclear energy as a strategy to combat climate change.

• Congressional Debate: Congress legislation will be on the Tabroom page 2 weeks before the Tournament

• Public Forum: PF will use the January NSDA topic.

• Lincoln-Douglas: LD (both divisions) will use the January/February NSDA topic. This scrimmage will not use the novice LD topic.

• Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly strengthen its protection of domestic intellectual property rights in copyrights, patents, and/or trademarks.

• Big Questions: BQ will use the Revised 2025-26 NSDA topic.

• For more information, please visit the NSDA Current Topics webpage.

For more information, please visit the NSDA Current Topics webpage.

Asychronous Speech Recording Rules

Deadline: Video links must be added to students' Tabroom.com registration by noon on the day of competition (same as the registration deadline).

How to add video links: Students will record their performance and upload it to any site that can generate a link to the video. The link must have permissions set so that anyone with the link can view the video. Unlisted YouTube videos are the most common. Then, the coach will take that link and copy/paste it into the student's registration by clicking the "Entries" tab of their school's Tabroom.com registration, clicking the blue and white edit button next to the relevant entry, and pasting the video link where it says "Link for Performance", and saving.

Recording rules: Students competing in asynchronous events must follow these rules, used at the 2021 National Tournament, while recording their performances.

Note: Duo Interpretation entries must record their performance in the same physical room. Split-screen Duos are not permitted.

a. Professional equipment enhancements may not be used. Professional equipment includes professional lighting kits, professional grade camera recording and audio devices, and softboxes. Students are welcome to film their recording on their school’s auditorium stage, but the use of stage lighting is not permitted. Lavalier/lapel microphones and ring lights are permitted.

b. Recordings may not be edited using any software; all submissions must be non-stop footage of the entire performance.

c. Students recording split-screen Duos may not record their performances separately and edit them together.

d. Students may not trim a recording, even to remove the seconds that they walk to and from the recording device to push start/stop.

e. The length of the recording must not exceed the time limit with the grace period.

f. Competitors may not use green screens, virtual backgrounds, or on-screen text.

g. The camera being used must remain stationary throughout the entire performance, and no zooming or panning is permitted.

h. The camera must remain on throughout the duration of the performance; a student may not turn off their video at any point during their recording.

i. The use of lighting tricks like shadow puppets are not permitted.

j. Students may move closer to and further from the camera to simulate zooming, though the camera must remain stationary.

k. Students may cover the camera with their hands or body.

l. Students may move out of frame during the recording.

m. Other individuals may be present while filming, but audience interaction (laughing, applause, etc.) must not be included in the performance.

n. Competitors may determine how close or distant the camera is set up in order to maximize both verbal and nonverbal communication.

o. If possible, it is recommended that students and judges remove items that may be distracting in the background. Backdrops of a solid color with no special markings may be used by competitors and judges.