September 5, 2022

Hello forensics colleagues. You are invited to the “Showdown in the Heights” speech tournament invitational at Prairie State College on Saturday, November 12, 2022. We are very excited to be hosting our regular season tournament here on the PSC campus. We are hoping that this tournament will be enjoyable, efficient, friendly, competitive, and most importantly, educational.

The tournament is a novice tournament, which means any community college competitor in his or her first two years of competition and any four year college or university competitor in his or her first year of competition will be allowed to participate.

One of the unique aspects of this tournament is that in addition to the standard team awards, we will be offering the “Quality Team” sweepstakes as well.

We will be using the Forensics Tournament host website, and during the week of registration, you will be able to enter your entire team entry using forensicstournament.net.

In this invitation you will find tournament details, including event groupings, tournament schedule, as well as food and hotel options.

If you have any questions or concerns, please see the contact information below. We hope to see you on November 12th.

Sincerely,

Joshua Green
Dana Trunnell Co-Directors of Forensics

Joshua Green: jgreen18@prairiestate.edu, 312-515-2158 (cell) Dana Trunnell: dtrunnell@prairiestate.edu, 312-533-1027 (cell)

Prairie State College
202 S. Halsted St.
Chicago Heights, IL 60411

General Information

Event groupings

Group A

Prose
Duo Informative DI

CA Impromptu

Group B

Poetry Extemp STE Persuasion POI

Phi Rho Pi rules will be followed for all of the events. Rules are posted on the Phi Rho Pi website www.phirhopi.org .

Tournament schedule

7:30 Registration
8:45 Round 1 Group A 10:00 Round 2 Group A

Lunch (on your own!) Halsted Street has an abundance of food options (Jimmy John’s does not deliver to Prairie State.)

12:15 Extemp Draw
12:45 Round 1 Group B
1:30 Extemp Draw
2:00 Round 2 Group B
3:30 Finals Group A
4:45 Draw for Extemp Finals 5:15 Finals Group B
ASAP Awards

Group A Events include the following:
• Duo Interpretation: A cutting from a single source of literature

involving the portrayal of two or more characters presented by two individuals. This is not acting so no costumes, props, lightning, etc. may be used. Presentation is from a manuscript and the focus should be off-stage and not to each other. 10 minute time limit.

• Informative Speaking: An original speech designed to describe, clarify, or explain an object, idea, concept, or process. Audio/visual aids may be used as long as they do not interfere with the speaker’s ability to communicate. 10 minute time limit.

• Prose Interpretation: Prose shall consist of single or multiple selections of literature printed mainly in paragraph form, excluding drama. If more than one selection is used, these selections should be thematically linked. All programs must include an introduction. 10 minute time limit.

• Communication Analysis: Each contestant will present an oration, that employs rhetorical principles to provide insight into a single speech, a single speaker, the rhetoric of a movement or any other legitimate communication event. 10 minute time limit.

• Dramatic Interpretation: This event consists of a cutting from a play, teleplay, or screenplay featuring monologue or dialogue. If more than one selection is used, these selections should be linked by thematic transitions. All programs must include an introduction. 10 minute maximum time.

• Impromptu Speaking: Each speaker presents a spontaneous oration based upon a choice of 3 topics (words, phrases or quotations). Each speaker has a total of 7 minutes to divide between preparing and speaking. Judges must provide oral time signals during preparation and nonverbal signals once the oration begins.

Group B Events include the following:
• Poetry Interpretation: Poetry shall include one or more selections

written in rhymed or unrhymed meter or cadence of some regularity, excluding drama. If more than one selection is used, the selections must be thematically linked. An introduction is required. 10 minute time limit.

• Speech to Entertain: An original speech, the primary purpose of which is to entertain. The speech should not be merely a series of jokes, not a “stand-up” routine, but rather designed around a central topic or theme. 10 minute time limit.

• Persuasive Speaking: An original speech on any topic that is designed to convince, stimulate, or actuate the audience regarding some significant issue. Audio/visual aids may be used as long as they do not interfere with the speaker’s ability to communicate. 10 minute time limit.

• Program Oral Interpretation (POI): Contestants must present a program consisting of 2 or more different forms of literature (prose, poetry and/or drama) and including appropriate introductions and transitions. 10 minute time limit.

⁃ Extemporaneous Speaking: Each contestant will be given a choice of 3 topics drawn 30 minutes prior to speaking. Topics will concern

national and international events.. Judges must provide time signals. 7 minute time limit.

Ranks & Awards

The top six individuals in each event will advance to the final round. Ties will be broken in this order: speaker points, judges’ preference (where applicable), and number of firsts. We will not break an event into a semi-round unless there are more than 60 entries in the event.

The top five schools accumulating the most points will receive team sweepstakes awards. Final round points will be awarded as follows:

6th place = 2 points 5th place = 4 points 4th place = 6 points 3rd place = 8 points 2nd place = 10 points 1st place = 12 points

There will also be a “QUALITY” TEAM AWARD for the top five schools. This will be based on the total number of team points in finals divided by the number of entries.

Food

Doughnuts, bagels, juice & coffee will be available in the morning. For lunch, a list of area fast food restaurants will be provided.

Fees

Tournament registration will open Monday November 7th. There will be a fee of $8.00 per entry slot and $10.00 per slot not covered by a judge; each school should provide one judge for every 6 slots. (If you know of any judges that would like to be hired by the tournament, please have them call Joshua Green or Dana Trunnell). Each drop after Wednesday November 9th at 12:00 p.m. will be assessed at $10.00 per slot. Each drop after Friday at 12:00p.m. will be assessed at $15.00 per slot and each drop at registration will be at $25.00 a slot. A dropped judge at registration will be $60.00. Also, we will not accept substitution entries for those students who are unable to attend the tournament after Wednesday at

12:00 p.m. Entry and judging fees will not be reduced for dropped entries. If there are any last minute drops on the day of the tournament, please call or text Joshua Green’s cell phone from the van.

Hotels

All hotels are located East of I-57, just north and south of Lincoln Hwy (Route 30)

Hampton Inn & Suites Chicago Southland—Matteson 20920 Matteson Avenue
Matteson, Illinois, 60443
Phone: 708-748-4102

La Quinta Inn Chicago Matteson 5210 West Southwick Dr Matteson, IL 60443
Phone: 1-708-503-0999

Country Inn and Suites (has a pool) 950 Lake Superior Drive
Matteson, IL 60443
Phone: 708-748-4740

Holiday Inn Chicago Matteson Conference Center (has a pool) 500 Holiday Plaza Drive
Matteson, IL 60443
Phone: 708-747-3500

NOT recommended, but probably the most economical:

Americas Best Value Inn Matteson (67.38, tax included) 5200 West Lincoln Highway
Matteson, IL 60443
Phone: 708-481-3900