2025 Gateway Forensic Tentative Tournament Schedule

Sunday, December 7--Synchronous

  7:30                                  Registration -Location TBA 

  8:00                                  Extemp Draw—TBA

  8:30                                  Round 1, Individual Events “A”

  9:45                                  Round 1, Individual Events “B”

11:00                                  Extemp Draw

11:30                                  Round 2, Individual Events “A”

12:45                                  Lunch

  1:30                                  Round 2, Individual Events “B”                                    

  2:45                                  Extemp Draw

  3:15                                   Finals, Individual Events “A”

  4:45                                  Finals, Individual Events “B”

  6:45                                  Awards--TBA

General Tournament Notes

Synchronous Format

We will be offering our tournament in an online synchronous format for this year. We plan to use zoom for the tournament. 

 Awards

Certificates will be given to all students reaching elimination rounds. We will also be giving top novice awards in all IE’s. Additionally, team sweepstakes certificates will be given to the top three teams at the tournament. Quadrathon awards will be given to the top three students as well.

Student Eligibility

Students must be currently enrolled at the college or university for which they are competing. Students may not have attended a collegiate national forensic tournament in four or more academic years OR completed eight semesters of collegiate competition. A semester is defined as having competed in more than two tournaments. Either of these standards being met (eight semesters of college competition or four years of collegiate national tournament participation) will render a student ineligible to compete in this tournament.

Local Host Entries

Webster University may enter some events. Competing Webster students will be eligible for awards.

Sweepstakes

Points will be awarded to a school’s top three individual event entries per event. ALL of a school's elimination round entries will count toward sweepstakes. The points system will be: 

              3-2-1 for a 1, 2 or 3 rank in preliminary rounds

              1 for all semifinalists

              6-5-4-3-2-1 for 1st through 6th or 7th in finals

Fees and Judging

We ask that you do your best to cover at least half or more of your entry.  We are not charging fees this year.  Schools with large entries that do not bring judges for at least half of their entry will be charged $9.00 for any entry over that mark.  One individual events judge will cover ten entries.

 Entry Deadlines and Instructions

This year’s Gateway Swing is using the tournament entry services at www.forensictournament.net. The invitation, tournament notes, and tournament entry are all located at this site. Search for Webster University Gateway Swing.  Schools not using this service in the past will need to enter a roster of students and judges prior to entering the tournament. This site will also allow schools to view the entire tournament entry. All schools must submit entries on www.forensictournament.net. Entries will not be accepted in any other form. Entries are due Tuesday, December 2^nd   at 6 pm CST.

Direct questions to Gina Jensen at jensen@webster.edu or 314-968-7164.

Individual Events Notes

 Events/Flights

All 11 AFA-NIET events will be offered in two flights.

Flight A—dramatic, extemp, persuasive, poi, prose

Flight B—after-dinner, communication analysis, duo, impromptu, informative, poetry

 Rules

AFA rules will be followed for all events. Students should not enter material that has been used in competition before September 1, 2025. 

Extemp topics will be taken from socio-political, international, and economic areas.  Each round will be one of these three. In the instance that the tournament holds semifinals, final round topics will be editorial cartoons. For extemp draw, we allow electronic sources and the internet. Wi-Fi is allowed.

 Students in impromptu will have a choice of two topics that will vary by round and section. Topics will be selected from philosophical quotations and song lyrics.

Cross-Entering

Individual event competitors may enter up to three events per flight. We are, however, committed to running a tournament that stays on time.  Critics will be instructed to not wait beyond the allotted ending time for each round.  A student may enter only two duos with different partners. We will make efforts to accommodate multiple entered students in flight A with early speaking positions in extemp. 

Elimination Rounds

Semi-finals will be held in all events with 50 or more entries. Semi-final round brackets will be seeded into unbroken brackets. Final place finishes will be determined based on (1) majority of 1's, (2) ranks, (3) judges' preference, (4) points, and (5) seedings.

 Quadrathon

In an attempt to reward diversity in competitive excellence, students must enter a minimum of four events and compete in two of the three event genres (public address, limited preparation, and interpretation events) to be eligible for quadrathon. A student’s best four events will count toward this award. The sweepstakes points formula will be used to determine quadrathon placings. 

Novice Awards

The top novice in each event will be given a certificate.  To be eligible, the student should be in his/her first collegiate year in the appropriate genre of event (public address, interpretation, or limited preparation).

IMPORTANT IE JUDGING NOTE:  In addition to the obligation of the final round in each flight, all judges are obligated forany semifinal rounds in either flight regardless of whether or not they are used in or qualify students for semi-final rounds.

 Breaking Brackets

The tournament will not break brackets for elimination rounds.

 Sexual Harassment

The tournament will adhere to the Pi Kappa Delta Statement on Discrimination. Please report any incidents to the tournament director immediately.

 C. Thomas Preston Jr Study Break Debate Tournament—Saturday

A separate IPDA  tournament is being held Saturday. This is a four round/one final round tournament with a novice division for “pure” novices and a junior division for “experienced” novices and less experienced juniors. It is not part of the Gateway Swing, but information is available on forensictournament.net.