NSDA Online Springboard Series

These details apply to the September and October Springboard Scrimmages. More info about November – April tournaments will be released by September 1.

Debate:

• • All debate will be held live on NSDA Campus.
  • 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 three-hour session, and all other events will do two preset preliminary rounds.

Speech:

• • Speech events will have one open division of each event.
  • Live speech scrimmages will offer Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Program Oral Interp, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Prose, Poetry, Mixed Extemp, and Live Duo (competitors must perform in the same physical room).
  • No double entry is permitted in live speech events.
  • 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, and Storytelling.
  • Unlimited double entry is permitted in asynchronous speech events.

• • All competitors and judges must have a linked Tabroom.com account to compete.
  • All judges must be provided; no hired judging is available.
  • In debate, one judge is owed per 2 entries or fraction thereof in each event.
  • In speech, one judge is owed per 4 entries or fraction thereof in speech.
  • Judges in the rising stars division may be juniors or seniors in high school with at least 250 Honor Society points who have taken the required judge training course.
  • Judges in the open division must have graduated from high school.
  • Written feedback on ballots is required. Disclosure and oral feedback is optional. All judges will submit ranks and a decision at the conclusion of each round.
  • All judges must complete the Cultural Competency judge training course.
  • The Springboard Series is dedicated to helping students grow as speech and debate competitors and community members. Judges must be committed to providing constructive, culturally competent feedback and decisions that meet students where they are in order to create safe spaces, healthy competition, and encourage their growth in our activities.

Registration

• • There is no cost to attend the Springboard Scrimmages. All participation is free.
  • Students and schools do not need to be NSDA members to participate in the September and October Springboard Scrimmages.
  • There is an entry limit of 8 entries per event per school. Entries beyond this cap will be added to a waitlist.
  • Registration closes at 12:00 p.m. CT the day of competition.
  • Coaches must confirm their registration by one hour prior to round 1 through Tabroom.com.
  • Coaches will agree to a disclaimer prior to registration that confirms they have permission from their school to compete, that all students attend the school they are registered under, that the NSDA has permission to use photos and videos obtained from this event, and that school administrators are aware and comfortable with the safety measures taken if students are competing from the same room.

Post-Tournament

• • There will be no formal awards ceremony.
  • All results will be made publicly available on Tabroom.com after the tournament.
  • All students will receive a digital certificate celebrating their participation via email after the tournament.
  • All coaches will receive a survey that they’ll be encouraged to share with their judges and students.