Welcome to the home page for the 2025 The Oakton Owl Annual Themed Tournament: A Novice Tournament NEW! With a Musical Twist! tournament hosted by Oakton College on Feb 1, 2025 for College students.

Status: System shutdown (No new schools, changes, adds, or drops )

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS TOURNAMENT INVITATION IS A DRAFT AND WILL BE UPDATED SOON.

 

 

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS TOURNAMENT INVITATION IS A DRAFT AND WILL BE UPDATED SOON.

For the THIRD POINT 5 TIME Ever ;), 

The OCC Competitive Speech Society Proudly Presents:

 

The OCC Owl Annual: A Novice Tournament! 

(An IE & IPDA Tournament)
Oakton Community College -Des Plaines,  Illinois - BUT Hosted ONLINE ONLY

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS TOURNAMENT INVITATION IS A DRAFT AND WILL BE UPDATED SOON.

Oakton Community College cordially invites you to attend our THIRD POINT 5 (had to cancel last year ;)) annual “OCC Owl Annual”  Novice Speech and Debate Tournament on Saturday, February 4th, 2023. Oakton will offer a novice competition in PRP events, as well as IPDA Debate! We know you have other options this weekend and it’s all the more that we want to deeply thank you, as a fledgling program for your support in these uncertain times.

 

Tournament Features

  • Two preliminary rounds and finals of competition in All Phi Rho Pi events. 

  • Team Sweepstakes awards for the top three teams per division plus debate Team Sweeps. 

  • Quadrathon (possibly tri) competition for individual sweepstakes. 

  • Awards for the top six finalists and top  three in Quadrathon (possibly tri). 

  • Unlimited team entry per event & students may triple enter per flight!

 

We reserve the right to organize sections to make use of all judges; debate judges for all formats will be combined into one pool. Registration begins at 7:30 am. on Saturday online in the help room. Extemp. draw at 10:45 am. and IE Rounds at 9:45 am. Entries are accepted through www.forensicstournament.net by Tuesday, January 31st before 6:00 pm. We have some really cool and engaging awards for your novice members to not only remember, but to interact with and make their own.  It’s just one of the little tweaks and surprises to come (including some fun memes in this invitation ;)) and we look forward to seeing you soon!    Rock on!  ;)

 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS TOURNAMENT INVITATION IS A DRAFT AND WILL BE UPDATED SOON.

A novice is defined on the Phi Rho Pi website and this will be a tournament run in the Phi Rho Pi format.  BUT for your convenience, a novice is someone within their first two years  (up to four semesters) of competition.

 

AWARDS

The top finalists per event and top three in Quadrathlon (possibly tri) earn custom awards. We will recognize the 3 students who earn the most points at the tournament. The top three teams per division (based on entry size) receive awards.  The top three teams in debate receive awards as calculated by win quantification.  The top 2 students per event will be used to calculate team sweepstakes. Our awards will all be artistic and creative in nature in honor of the creativity each of us puts into our work.  These works will be created by regional artist Benjammin’ Gauthier.

 

SCORING

IE Breaks-We will break all cumes of 4(PRP Style). If that does not represent 20% of the field or 6 students, we will break all cumes of 5 (and so on). In events in which more than 7 students break, we will hold multiple sections of finals for that event. We will use “prelim ranks + final round ranks (3 judges)” to determine silver/gold. “Next in” students will receive Bronze. For instance, if cumes of 5 break. All 6’s will be considered “next in.” 5 points Bronze 7.5 Silver 10 Gold.  IE TIE BREAKERS- 1) Prelim Round ranks, 2) Judge’s Preference. 

 

DEBATE SCORING—We are offering 4 preliminary rounds for Public Debate (IPDA) and there will be a final round for IPDA.  See “Debate Notes” for further information.

 

IPDA Breaks - All winning records (4-0 or 3-1) will advance to the Final round. We will use a 2-2/high-speaks records to fill out bracket if necessary. “Next in” debaters will earn Bronze. Finalists will earn Gold for a win and Silver for a loss .5 points Bronze 7.5 Silver 10 Gold 

 

Debate Tie Breakers 1) Win/loss, 2) Speaker Points, 3) Head-to-Head, 4) Wins Minus Byes. 

 

QUADRATHON (As stated above, we reserve the right to lower Quad to Tri based on entries?)

Students entered in four or more events will be eligible for Quadrathon Individual Sweepstakes. Only the contestant’s four highest scoring events will count toward Quadrathon (or tri). Wildcard events & Debate will not be included in Quadrathlon tabulation.

 

ENTRIES

Schools may enter an unlimited number of contestants per event. However, if the entry is so large that the school cannot fulfill judging obligations, we reserve the right to slate rounds in order to use all judges. Depending upon event size, it is possible that students from the same school may compete against each other.   IPDA debaters can only be entered in one other Group A event.

 

Entries are accepted via FTN until January 31, 2023 at 6:00pm CST

 

JUDGING

One judge is required for every 6 IE slots or fraction thereof of N-1 debate slots (2 debate teams - 1 judge, 3 teams - 2 judges, 4 teams - 3 judges).   Regular judges are otherwise expected to be knowledgeable of rules and are asked to offer substantial justification for rank and rate. Please attempt to bring enough judges to cover your entry. All judges (including debate) are expected to be available for out rounds unless otherwise specified.  1 judge covers 6 entries.



TOURNAMENT FEES

Entries are $10.00 per IE slot, plus $12.00 per uncovered IE slot and ($50 per uncovered IPDA debate slot). Drops/adds/changes made after the registration deadline (including between swing portions) will be assessed an additional $15.00 nuisance fee.  Judges dropped after the entry deadline will be assessed at $100.00, plus the cost of their uncovered slots. All fees are due at registration.

 

Payment can be accepted via Venmo! @DNadolski 

or 

by a check written out to Oakton Community College ℅ Dan Cunningham Memo: OCC Speech Tournament Fees

1600 Golf rd. Des Plaines, IL 60016 



















TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

 

  7:30-9:30     Registration- FTN Online Tournament Help Room 

  7:40     IPDA Round 1 (Draw - 7:40 / Speak 8:05)

  8:05     IPDA Rd 1

  8:40     IPDA Round 2 (Draw - 8:40 / Speak 9:05)

  9:05     IPDA Rd 2

  9:45     R1 of Group A

10:45     Extemp Draw 10:45 / Speak 11:15

11:00     R1 of Group B (except Extemp) 

11:15     Extemp Rd 1

12:00     Lunch/Snack Break 

12:45     Extemp Draw 12:45 / Speak 1:15)

  1:00     R2 of Group B (except Extemp)

  1:15     Extemp Rd 2

  2:15     R2 of Group A

               IPDA Round 3 (Draw - 2:15 / Speak 2:40)

  2:40     IPDA Rd 3

  3:05     IPDA Round 4 (Draw 3:05 / Speak 3:30)

  3:30     IE POSTINGS!!!  & IPDA Rd 4

  3:45     Extemp Draw 3:45 / Speak 4:15

  4:00     FINALS of Group B (except Extemp) 

  4:15     Extemp Finals

  5:00     Finals of Group A - IPDA (Draw - 5:20 / Speak 5:45), Silver Gold Bronze Rounds

  TBD     Awards 

 



IE EVENT GROUPINGS
Group A (IPDA debaters cannot be entered in more than one other Group A event)

Impromptu, Prose Interpretation, Informative Speaking, Duo Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation, IPDA has one round before Rd1 Group A.  Otherwise IPDA is in Group A

 

Group B
Communication Analysis, Extemporaneous Speaking, Persuasion, Programmed Oral Interpretation, After Dinner Speaking & Dramatic Interpretation

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TOURNAMENT 8x8 ROOMS:

Registration Room: TBD

Judges Lounge: TBD (Standby judges -- please wait in this room until judges are released)

Student Lounge (We encourage you to hang out and meet competitors from other teams between rounds!): TBD

IPDA/Extemp Draw Room: TBD

Help Room: TBD

Awards Ceremonies: Awards for both days will be hosted over ZOOM -- finalists will be encouraged to turn cameras on (as though "on stage") if possible (but not required). Zoom links will be posted here after finals end to limit the possibility of Zoom-bombing.

IE Awards Link: TBD

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HELPFUL LINKS/TIPS:

Check Your Internet Speed: Speedof.me (recommended to have at least 6 mbps download and 2 mbps upload speed)

Fill Out a Sample E-Ballot: https://forensicstournament.net/sampleeballot

Debate and Time Signals: Watch this video before your debate, impromptu or extemporaneous speaking round (thanks to Jeff Przybylo of Harper College for this video!)

Creating Your Team Room: It's easy! Just begin typing a URL with https://8x8.vc/ -- then add your team name ("bestschoolever") and add a 10 digit random number ("https://8x8.vc/bestschoolever3845869735") -- this room will be live for you to use for warmups, etc.

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Notes for Online Tournaments: 

Please share with students, judges, and coaches.

 

Look Over These Guides- https://forensicstournament.net/online

 

If you are having Connection Issues

1. Use a different browser (Firefox and Chrome work best).  Make sure you are in ONE room at a time.

2. Reboot your computer

3. Make sure your mic, camera, and speaker settings are operational

4. If you are using a tablet or phone us the 8x8meet APP instead of a browser

5. Test your internet.  You need a minimum of 6mbps. https://www.speedtest.net

6.  Seek help in the help room

 

Tablet Users may want to use the "8x8 Meet" App.  When possible, PC/Laptops will be more effective than tablets and phones. However, if you have unstable internet at any point the "8x8 Meet" App is a great alternative.

 

"POSTINGS" are left of here.  Room and Ballot Links will be emailed to judges, students, and coaches 15 minutes before rounds.  In order to avoid "8x8 bombing," we cannot post the room URLs publicly. Tab Staff can also share a room with you.

 

Observers- Once emails (postings/rounds) go out, students/coaches can share their room-link with teammates.  Observers are welcome to observe.  Mics off, please. In order to avoid "8x8 bombing," we cannot post the room URLs publicly. Tab Staff can also share a room with you.

 

Private Messages- Students, please do not PM with each other in the 8x8 rooms during speeches.

 

Email-v-Text-- We have found that it's better to mark each of your judges and students as receiving their ballots through email instead of text.  You can make these choices on your student roster and judge roster.

 

Empty Room- If you or one of your students is sitting ALONE AND ONTIME in an empty 8 x 8 room something is wrong. Jump into the help room.

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EVENT DESCRIPTIONS

All IE events are governed by Phi Rho Pi rules with the exception of wildcard events. Material and speeches must be new to the academic year. Students may enter a maximum of three events per grouping, except in Debate where you will only be allowed to enter one other group A event, and no Group B events.  For double entered and beyond students participating in duo, two DUOs count as two events in Group B. 

 

[EXT] EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING
For each round, contestants will select one of three topics on a current national, international, economic, or social issue/event. The contestant will have 30 minutes to prepare a 5-7 minute speech on the topic selected. Notes are permissible, but should be kept to a minimum. Internet access is permitted for research. 7 minute maximum time limit.

 

[PRO] PROSE INTERPRETATION
The contestant presents a program of prose literature. Original introductory comments and transitional remarks are permitted. Programs may consist of single or multiple selections in 1st, 2nd or 3rd person. Plays are not permitted and manuscript is required. 8-10 minute time limit.

 

[INF] INFORMATIVE SPEAKING
The contestant delivers a memorized original factual speech on a realistic subject to fulfill a general information need of the audience. Visual/auditory aids which supplement/reinforce the message are permitted. 8-10 minute time limit.

 

[POE] POETRY INTERPRETATION
The contestant presents a program of poetic literature. Original introductory comments and/or transitions are permitted. Programs may consist of single or multiple selections. Manuscripts are required. 8-10 minute time limit.

 

[RCA] RHETORICAL/COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS
Contestants deliver a memorized original critical analysis of any significant communication event. Any legitimate critical methodology is permissible, as long as it serves to open up the communication event for analysis. 8-10 minute time limit.

 

[IMP] IMPROMPTU SPEAKING
Contestants receive prompts consisting of quotations and/or cartoons from which to create an analytical speech. A total of 7 minutes may be divided between preparations and speaking. Contestants should speak at least 3 minutes. All contestants in the same section will receive the same topic stimulus. Look for space-themed stimuli.  7 minute maximum time limit.

 

[DUO] DUO INTERPRETATION
Contestants perform a cutting from a play or other material, humorous or serious, is presented by two individuals. This is not an acting event; thus, costumes, props, etc. are not permitted. Manuscript is required and focus should be offstage. 8-10 minute time limit.

[PER] PERSUASION
Contestants deliver an original memorized speech to convince, move to action, or to inspire on an issue of significance. 8-10 minute time limit.

 

[POI] PROGRAM ORAL INTERPRETATION
A program of thematically linked selections of literary merit selected from at least 2 of the 3 genres of competitive interpretation (prose, poetry, drama). Nontraditional material may also be included. Original comments and/or transitions are permitted. Manuscripts are required. 8-10 minute time limit.

 

[ADS] AFTER DINNER SPEAKING
Each contestant presents an original memorized speech with the purpose of making a serious point through the use of humor. The speech should reflect the spirit of a humorous, comedic speech, not a stand-up comedy routine. 8-10 minute time limit.

 

[DI] DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION
Contestants present a cutting, which represents one or more characters from a play or plays of literary merit. This material may be drawn from stage, screen, or radio. Original introductory comments and/or transitions are permitted. Programs may consist of single or multiple selections. Manuscripts are required. 8-10 minute time limit

 

FINALLY,
I just want to personally thank you for considering our novice tournament one last time.  Should you need me, I will be available on my cell phone at (507) 382-9309.  Thanks again and we can’t wait to see you!!!

 

Sincerely,

 

David Nadolski

Director of Forensics

Oakton Community College