Day-by-Day Breakdowns
Sunday
For high school teams beginning competition on Monday, registration will run from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Iowa Events Center on Sunday, June 16. An adult from each team should stop by to pick up your materials and ask any questions! Late registration will run from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for schools arriving in the evening. Additional events for coaches take place throughout the day, like the district leader reception or the new coach reception. A list of Sunday events is available on our schedule. We recommend teams drive to the competition venues before competition begins to become familiar with the daily route and expected travel times.
Monday
High school main event competition begins! Students and judges report to their designated competition venues (wearing their ribbons!) for a full day of speech and debate. Late registration will be held from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Monday morning for teams who were unable to attend on Sunday. This is for extenuating circumstances only.
Tuesday
Competition continues. The first posting of breaks are announced in the afternoon for those advancing to rounds 7 and 8 in speech or debate. Rounds 7 and 8 take place, followed by postings for the next rounds, quarters in the House, and semis in the Senate. Eliminated students who are pre-registered in supplemental events must re-register to confirm participation between 12:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. through Tabroom.com. Students who pre-registered but did not re-register will not be scheduled for competition. This includes students only attending Nationals in supplementals. All students must re-register. Registration for teams only competing in supplementals and Middle School Nationals registration will take place Tuesday at the Iowa Events Center. Registration for teams competing in only in-person supplemental events will occur on Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the Iowa Events Center in Grand Ballroom B.
Wednesday
High school main event competition continues, and supplemental and middle school competition begins. Additional main event postings will occur throughout the day. High school National Tournament participants who are no longer competing on Wednesday are welcome to judge at the Middle School National Tournament! To be eligible, they must have completed their junior or senior year of high school and have 250+ Honor Society points. More details will be available in the coming months.
Thursday
High school main event competition continues as needed. High school main event speech finalists report to a Light and Sound Check Thursday morning. High school final rounds begin at the Iowa Events Center and pause for diamond coach recognition and the Donus D. Roberts Diamond Assembly, presented by Colorado College. Supplemental and middle school competition continues and postings of advancing students occur throughout the day.
Friday
Final rounds for high school main events, supplementals, and middle school occur throughout the day at the Iowa Events Center. The Middle School Awards Assembly occurs in the late afternoon, and the week ends with the high school National Awards Assembly Friday evening where our national champions are crowned.
Belonging and Inclusion Station
The Belonging and Inclusion Station (BIS) is a tournament resource designed to support any participants who feel excluded by an aspect of the tournament. The BIS also safeguards against potential violations of the NSDA Harassment and Discrimination policy.
Reasons someone might visit the BIS include:
- Someone is overheard making inappropriate remarks or jokes about traditionally marginalized groups.
- A powerful performance (that violated no rules) triggers emotions in a contestant or judge, and they need space to process their feelings.
- A contestant feels alone at the tournament and wants to withdraw from the tournament
Sharing Pronouns
Students and judges can add their pronouns to their Tabroom.com profile. Those pronouns will be sent via email and text to other judges, other competitors, and followers of a section/debate as part of round pairings. Pronouns also will appear on judges’ online or printed ballots. They will not appear on the public Tabroom.com website either to tournament staff or on the public schematics. Pronouns can be modified at any time. Attendees can also pick up ribbons or buttons to pin on that share their pronouns. We expect you to take note of and respect other attendees’ pronouns throughout the tournament.
All Gender Restrooms
We have designated restrooms in each of the venues that can be used by anyone. We thank you for respecting our diverse community of participants, judges, coaches, and observers.
Quiet Room
Each venue will have a designated quiet room for students or adults who would like a quiet space for prayer, reflection, or just to decompress. Visit the Tournament Office for access to the quiet room.
Lactation Room
Each venue will have a designated lactation room. Visit the Tournament Office for access.
Accessibility
Need to request an accommodation for one of your school’s participants? Visit our Accessibility Accommodations form. For any additional questions about reasonable accommodations, contact Dr. Paul Porter at paul.porter@speechanddebate.org.