FRENCHTOWN

SPEECH AND DEBATE

PARENT HANDBOOK
2019-2020 SEASON
Welcome!
I am thrilled to welcome all of you to the 2019-2020 speech and debate season. As you
know, our team has been hard at work for almost a month, gearing up for the start of
what promises to be an exciting season! We have our largest team yet, and practices are
off to a great start.

I hope this document will provide some helpful resources for parents and guardians as
our season gets underway. If you have any questions about the team, your competitors,
or anything else about the season, please contact me, or any one of our other coaches.

Best,
Paul Hutchison, Head Coach
Paulhutchison@ftbroncs.org
614-557-0812

Handbook Contents

Overview of the Program 3

Practice Schedule 5

Tournament Schedule 5

What Happens at a Tournament? 6

Behavior and Expectations 9

Competition Attire and Materials 10

Volunteer Opportunities 11

Other Resources 11

Please see our season information online at

https://frenchtownspeechanddebate.weebly.com/

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Overview of the Program
Speech and Debate at Frenchtown consists of four types of events:

● Interpretation of Literature

Students select a work of published literature and present a selection from that
work that tells a complete story in ten minutes. Students bring the literature to
life through voice, gestures, and movement. No props, costumes, or other
dramatic aids are allowed. The question of what constitutes a work of literature is
ever-evolving and students have wide latitude in selecting their source material.
Books, plays, movies and television, and online publications are all open to be
interpreted.

There are two events that we compete in at every tournament: ​dramatic

interpretation of literature​ and ​humorous interpretation of literature​. At some
AA tournaments we attend early in the season, two students may collaborate on a
duo interpretation of literature​, but this is not an event at the Class A state
tournament.

● Platform Speaking

Students prepare and deliver a ten-minute speech, of one of the following types:

Original Oratory: ​The speech is written by a student and must be persuasive in

nature. Persuasion encourages the listener to adopt a particular point of view.
This speech must be memorized. Students must maintain a bibliography of all of
their research used in preparing the speech.

Memorized Public Address with Analysis:​ These students deliver an address

which was originally presented by an author as an address in a speaker/audience
situation. At least 20% of the speech must be the student’s own analysis of the
speech. The address selected by the student must have statewide, national or
international significance, and this speech must be memorized.

Informative Speaking​: The speech is written by the student and must be

designed to instruct, to demonstrate, or to enlighten, without taking a position.
Students may prepare visual aids to enhance understanding of their subject
matter. The speech may be delivered from memory, but students may use notes
or manuscripts in their presentation. Students must maintain a bibliography of
all their research used in preparing the speech.

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● Short Prep

Walking into each round, students do not know what they’ll be asked to speak
about. Students must develop a broad knowledge base from which to draw and
have a good understanding of how to structure a speech. There are two short prep
events:

Impromptu Speaking. ​Upon entering the competition room, the student will be
presented with a cartoon or quotation. The topics should be of a general nature
and have to do with cultural, moral, or social issues. The students are not allowed
any outside resources. Each student has three minutes to prepare a three to
five-minute speech related to the topic – students who deliver speeches under
three minutes will be given last in the round.

Extemporaneous Speaking​. Students have half an hour to prepare a five to

seven-minute speech on a difficult question pulled from current events. Students
may bring in research material to use in preparing their speech and are expected
to cite sources directly in their speech. Most competitors store their research on
laptops – they may use downloaded electronic resources to prepare their speech
but may not connect to the internet. They may not bring research or electronic
material into the room when it is time to deliver their speech.

● Debate

There are three types of debate at the Class A level:

Lincoln Douglas.​ Students compete as individuals. Two students from different

schools will argue for and against a resolution selected at the national level. The
topics focus on conflicting values of social and philosophical issues, examining
questions of morality, justice, democracy, etc. LD debates concern themselves
with deciding whether or not certain actions, or states of affairs, are good or bad,
right or wrong, moral or immoral. The topic changes twice through the course of
the season.

Public Forum Debate​. Students compete in teams of two. They are asked to
debate a topic concerning a specific current event or question. Speeches are no
longer than four minutes, and students are expected to respond to their
opponents’ points using both logic and evidence. The topic changes twice through
the course of the season.

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 Policy Debate​. Students compete in teams of two. The first team to speak
presents a policy proposal that sets the topic for the rest of the round – that
policy proposal must fall within the scope of the resolution, which stays the same
throughout the season. Students are expected to support each argument made
with one or more sources, and as a result, these students build boxes full of
evidence that they carry around throughout the season.

Practice Schedule

Students are expected to attend 3-4 practices per week, and to work on their
event outside of practice as required. Students are also expected to attend a short
weekly meeting of the full team. At this weekly meeting, coaches will discuss
upcoming tournaments, changes to the practice schedule caused by the school
calendar, and address any other issues affecting the team.

While the coaches understand that students have many commitments, and we
have worked to coordinate with known conflicts such as the Frenchtown High
School exam schedule and the fall and winter sports calendars, attendance at
practice is considered required for all students participating in the speech and
debate program. Attendance will be considered in deciding who is selected to
compete at tournaments, particularly later in the season when competition for
tournament spots increases. If your student’s coach does not feel a student is
adequately prepared to compete at a tournament, the student will not be allowed
to compete until they are ready.

The current season’s practice schedule is attached to this handbook, can be found
on our team website, or can be found by contacting a coach directly.

Tournament Schedule

Please see the attached tournament schedule. Bus departure times are subject to
change if the coaches determine that, due to weather, an earlier departure time is
needed. Students will be informed of any changes at our team’s Monday
meetings.

Because every tournament runs differently, it is difficult to predict when our

competition bus will return to Frenchtown after each meet. Students are
encouraged to contact their parent or guardian once we leave a tournament at the
end of the day and will be reminded to contact their rides again as we get closer
to the school.

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What Happens at a Tournament?

Unlike other sports or activities, there is generally not a spectator element to a speech
and debate tournament. Family and friends are welcome to watch speech and debate
rounds, but frequently students do not want an audience. Whether you should attend
and watch a competition is up to your competitor, and we ask that you respect their
wishes. The best way to understand how a tournament runs is to attend and judge or
volunteer at our Frenchtown tournament. This season, our tournament will be held on
January 11, 2020.

The following schedule is typical for a Saturday-only tournament:

● Students arrive at Frenchtown for early bus departure​. Typically, we do

not have much flexibility to wait for late students, because we must be ready to
compete at a specific start time for each tournament. If your student is not on the
bus by the departure time, they may be left behind and dropped from the
tournament. Girls and boys are strictly prohibited from sitting next to each other
on the bus.
● Students arrive at the host school(s)​. After arriving, students will head to
the common area, set up a table for our Frenchtown team, and head to a
bathroom to dress in their competition best. Usually, speech and debate events
are held at two different schools in the area, because most schools are not large
enough to hold an entire tournament.
● Coach obligations​. During the tournament, coaches are expected to assist in
tabulating results and other activities that require coaches to be pulled away from
the students. We make a strong effort to “check in” with students throughout the
day, and students are able to find us if anything comes up. Team captains should
also be available to answer student questions and solve issues. However, students
are not directly supervised throughout the day. Students are expected to follow
the Frenchtown code of conduct, and to watch the tournament schedule carefully
so that they attend all rounds. Failing to attend any round that the student is
competing in is grounds for suspension from the team at the coach’s discretion.
● Student Competition Rounds​. There are 3-4 rounds of competition, and
students compete in each round. After the preliminary rounds, there will be a
finals round for the top 8 competitors. In debate, the number of students
competing in finals may be lower, depending on how many rounds are held. We
expect students that do not make the finals round to go and watch finals. There
are several reasons for this. Students will learn from watching successful
competitors in their event. This is useful to pick up techniques that students may
incorporate into their speech preparation, or arguments that debaters can use in

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 future tournaments. Students may also use this time to support a teammate who
is in a final round.
● Awards Ceremony​. After all rounds are completed, the host school will put on
an awards ceremony that honors the top eight competitors in each event and the
top three schools.
● Bus Home​. After awards, we will head back to Frenchtown, often arriving quite
late.
Overnight Tournament Specifics:

● During our season, we have one scheduled overnight tournament during regular
competition, and will also stay overnight for divisionals and the state
tournament.
● Hotels. ​Students will follow the Frenchtown High School code of conduct at all
times, including during hotel stays. This means students will follow all
coach-imposed curfews. Students will not leave the hotel for any reason without
first obtaining coach permission. After curfew, students will not leave their hotel
room for any reason without first obtaining coach permission, and students
should expect that coaches will monitor the curfew carefully. Failing to comply
with any curfew or other school policy during a hotel stay is grounds for removal
from the current tournament and/or suspension from the team.
● Hotel Room Assignments​. Students will be assigned to rooms in groups of
four, and students are expected to sleep in their assigned rooms. If students have
any concerns about their assigned rooms, they are encouraged to speak to a coach
immediately so that the concern can be addressed.
Other Tournament Issues:
● Food. ​Students are encouraged to bring healthy snacks and lunches to get them
through a long day of competition. We also like to provide some team snacks to
make sure everyone has something to eat. Most, though not all, host schools will
provide concessions for the competitors, and we will make every effort to warn
students if concessions will not be available so that they can bring extra food.
Coaches are happy to assist students in ordering in dinner (usually, pizza), if food
is not available and the tournament is running late. If students have not eaten, we
sometimes make a group decision to stop for food on the way home from a
tournament, and students buy their own dinner.
● Health. ​Students and/or their parents or guardians should speak with a coach
about any health issues that we should know about. We will do our best to
address the concern and encourage open communication. Students that are ill
should not attend practices or tournaments, and no student will be penalized for
“sitting out” because they are sick. If a student falls ill during a tournament, they

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 should let a coach know as soon as possible. A student can always drop out
mid-tournament due to a health concern.
● Alternative Transportation​. Sometimes, a parent or guardian will want to
pick up a student from a tournament. We can accommodate this, but coaches
must be made aware of this issue ahead of time and that parent or guardian must
sign the student out from the tournament with a coach. Generally, we discourage
parents or guardians from signing out a student before the tournament is over,
and if there is a pressing need to do so, it should be raised with the coach before
the tournament begins.
● Cell Phones.​ Students are allowed to bring cell phones to tournaments but must
have them turned off during all competition. There are significant penalties in
our statewide handbook if students have a phone go off during rounds.
● Emergencies. ​If you cannot reach your student during a competition, there’s a
good chance they have their phone off during a round. Please feel free to contact a
coach if you need to reach your student, as we are able to find them throughout
the day and will do so if needed. Please keep in mind that there are times that a
coach may also need to have their phone off (if, for example, we are called to
judge a round), but we will do our best to be available.
● Behavior.​ We will hold all students to the Frenchtown High School code of
conduct and want to hear immediately from students or parents if they have any
concerns about behavior at a tournament from one of our team members or a
student from another team. The statewide handbook also sets out policies for
tournament behavior and these may be enforced by coaches or administrators
from the host school as well as your student’s coaches.
● Harassment. ​From the statewide handbook: ​The MHSA sexual harassment
policy is in effect for all MHSA events. Any allegations of sexual harassment or
bullying during speech/debate/drama events must be reported by the
tournament director to the administration of the school(s) involved and to the
MHSA Executive Director.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY​ The MHSA believes that all individuals
should be treated with respect and dignity. Students should be able to
participate in MHSA sponsored activities in an environment that is free from
sexual harassment and sexual violence. Each member school is responsible for
taking such action and enacting such policies as may be necessary to address
incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence and to ensure that an
environment free of such prohibited conduct is maintained. Any member school
which sponsors or tolerates such activity is subject to expulsion from the MHSA.

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Behavior and Expectations

Frenchtown School District and your student’s coaches have the following expectations
for student behavior during the season:

● Students will attend all scheduled team meetings, practices, and tournaments
unless they notify the coach of a conflict.
● Students will be on time for bus departures.
● Students will arrive on time for each competition round and will prearrange for a
ride home from each tournament.
● Students will dress in competition-appropriate attire for each round and for each
tournament awards ceremony.
● Students will keep track of their personal belongings and make sure to take
everything they need for the competition day when they get off the bus. Students
should not expect that the bus will be available during the competition day.
● Students who are not competing in finals rounds are expected to watch the finals
round of their event or support a teammate competing in another event’s finals.
● Students will support their teammates. Students will not take any action that may
disadvantage another Frenchtown teammate, such as sharing speech topics,
debate cases, or evidence with students from another school. Students will never
disparage a teammate to another competitor.
● Students will follow the Frenchtown code of conduct during all practices,
meetings, travel, and tournaments. Students will comply with instructions
received by all coaches, whether their coaches or another school’s coach, and
should raise any concerns with these instructions with their own coach as soon as
possible. Students will always comply with the Frenchtown and MHSA
harassment policies, including in their use of social media or messaging with
teammates or competitors from other schools.
● Students will treat judges and coaches from other schools with respect at all
times. If students have a particular complaint about the conduct of a coach or
judge, they are encouraged to speak with one of their coaches as soon as possible
so that the concern may be addressed.
● Students will comply with all rules of their individual event to the best of their
ability and knowledge. If a student believes that another competitor has broken a
rule of their individual event, or if something unexpected or unusual happens
during a round, that student should speak with a coach as soon as possible after
the round so that the issue can be addressed. If a student is sanctioned for failing
to comply with an event or tournament rule, they will take the sanction and learn
from the incident. Students can expect their coaches to support and defend them

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 against unfair application of competition rules and to help explain how to avoid
these penalties.
As appropriate, coaches may reach out to the Frenchtown High School administrators to
discuss or report any conduct or behavior violations that occur during the speech and
debate season. School disciplinary procedures will apply.

Competition Attire and Materials

As with any sport or activity, students must dress for competition. The typical attire for
speech and debate competitors is formal and professional. Students should take care to
make sure their appearance is neat and not distracting. As a rule, competitors will wear
something like one of the following:

● Suits, blazers, or professional sweaters

● Button-down shirts
● Professional or “Business casual” pants, dresses, or skirts
● Professional shoes that the student can walk in comfortably
Students should avoid:
● Denim or “athleisure” (yoga pants, sweats, etc)
● Hats
● “Prom dresses,” tuxedos, or other formal clothing that would not be appropriate
in a professional setting
● Loud or distracting clothing or clothing with logos
● Clothing or accessories that portray a particular social or political point of view
● Clothing that does not fit, either too small or too large
Clothing that identifies a student as attending Frenchtown should be avoided during all
rounds, as students are prohibited from identifying their school affiliation to judges.

Please ask a coach if you or your student has any questions about what to wear –
students are also encouraged to ask these questions of their team captains. We can
provide suggestions for where professional clothing can be acquired affordably. We
particularly encourage students to check out second hand and thrift shops, as it’s very
common for there to be a wide selection of appropriate clothing at these places.

Depending on your student’s event, they may be required to provide their own materials
for competition. This will likely include a timer that can be used to time their event, and
may include notepads and other materials needed to present their event. If you have any
concerns about materials that students are asking you to provide, please don’t hesitate
to contact a coach.

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Volunteer Opportunities

We could not run this program without our volunteers, and we are so grateful and
honored to have families and friends who support our event.

New this year: We’ll be using signup.com for parents/guardians to sign up for our
volunteer opportunities. You can find our sign-up page at
https://signup.com/Group/12170013182072160104/​ or by going to our website and
clicking on the Parents/Guardians tab. This year, we’ll need your support with:
● providing snacks/drinks for competitors for bus rides and tournaments
● judging events at our hometown meet and helping us find other community
members willing to judge as well
● providing potluck/snacks/drinks for judges and coaches at our hometown meet.
● planning/working fundraising events
● other things that come up (please check back frequently!)
Any and all support will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

Other Resources
● Parent/Guardian Meeting Handout
● Frenchtown Speech and Debate Website:
https://frenchtownspeechanddebate.weebly.com
● Frenchtown High School Code of Conduct
● The MHSA website has additional resources about the season, including a
handbook that describes every event in detail. ​https://www.mhsa.org/Speech
● The National Speech and Debate Association website has additional competition
resources for your students. ​https://www.speechanddebate.org

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