Entry Information
Note: While the Wilkes University Invitational, counts in the annual CFA competitions awards, it is not per se a CFA tournament, so some of the particulars below may not apply to that tournament. Please consult that invitation for specific information
ENTRY FORM
Click here for a universal tournament entry form.
EVENTS OFFERED
All CFA tournaments offer two rounds and finals in all ten NFA individual events, along with Declamation. CFA also offers Lincoln-Douglas and Parliamentary debate. At all tournaments, we offer four rounds of Parly with a final round if appropriate. There are three rounds of L-D Debate. Debate counts toward pentathlon and sweeps.
LIMITATIONS ON ENTRIES
The following entry limits apply.
Each competitor may enter only two events per bracket.
L-D Debate is considered part of Bracket C. A competitor entered in L-D Debate may enter one additional Bracket C event. L-D debaters must compete in the debate round first and then go to the non-debate event.
There may be no more than six entries per event per school.
Maximum entries for debate are six competitors per school for Lincoln-Douglas and six two-person teams per school for Parliamentary.
A competitor may enter dramatic duo twice (with a different partner and using a different selection). Doing so counts as two entries for that person in the bracket.
Please note the specifications for pentathlon entry in the previous section. In addition, note that a competitor may count only one dramatic duo in pentathlon should he/she be entered in two. Coaches must inform the Tab Room which duo will count or the Tab Room staff will choose one at random.
AWARDS
We will give first through sixth place awards in all the non-debate events. In Parliamentary Debate, awards are given to the top six teams as well as the top six individual speakers. In L-D Debate, awards will be given to the top six debaters. The awards for first, second, third, places are handsome, custom-designed plaques; the awards for fourth, fifth and sixth places are elegant, custom-designed certificates.
Plaques are given for first through sixth places in both pentathlon and team sweepstakes. Sweepstakes points are calculated as follows. In final rounds, first place receives six points; second place receives five points and so on. In preliminary rounds, first place receives three points, second place receives two points and third place receives one point. In preliminary rounds, though, to “level the playing field,” points are awarded only to each team’s top three competitors in each event.
Should a small entry in an event result in three rounds for all participants rather than two rounds with finals, the number of total preliminary round points is capped at six. In Parly debate, each win receives 1.5 points (with a cap at six points). In Parly Debate, the top two teams will earn six points, the next two will earn four points and the next two will earn two points. In L-D Debate each win receives 2 points (with a cap at six points). The top six debaters will each earn points consistent with their final placement.
Pentathlon points are awarded in the same manner. Because the spirit of the pentathlon is demonstrating one’s versatility as a speaker in varied situations, the five events offered as one’s pentath array must include at least one interpretation event (poetry, prose, SDI, duo, declamation), at least one platform speaking event (informative, persuasive, after-dinner, communication analysis) and at least one limited preparation event (extemp, impromptu).
L-D debate may count as either a platform speaking event or a limited prep event. Parly debate is a limited prep event. Competitors may participate in more than five events; however, only five count toward pentath, and these five must include one from each of the three categories.
Special Awards
We give yearlong awards in all our recurring events. A plaque is awarded to the competitor with the best record; a certificate to the runner up. A participant’s best four tournaments will count toward this award. Results from Wilkes also count toward these awards.
We also give two very special awards for excellence in certain events. The John B. Mingus Yearlong Pan-Interpretation Award is given to the competitor who has performed best across the oral interpretation events. The Barbara F. Sims Award for Yearlong Excellence in Lincoln-Douglas Debate is given to honor excellence in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.
We award certificates to graduating students who have participated extensively in CFA events. We also award certificates to outstanding novices—nominated by their respective schools. Because of the time constraints involved in tabulating the Beach tournament and finishing computing yearlong awards, the names of graduating seniors and outstanding novices must be provided not later than the beginning of the Beach tournament (and preferably before) or no certificate will be given.
Each year, CFA awards the Welch-Strine Trophy to the school that has accumulated the best yearlong record. Again, we’re counting a school’s best four tournaments, including Wilkes. Previous winners are:
2022 Bloomsburg University
2021 Randolph-Macon College
2020 Bloomsburg University
2019 Randolph-Macon College
2018 Randolph-Macon College
2017 Florida College
2016 Randolph-Macon College
2015 Randolph-Macon College
2014 Florida College
2013 Randolph-Macon College
2012 Randolph-Macon College
2011 Randolph-Macon College
2010 Alderson Broaddus College
2009 Alderson Broaddus College & Shepherd University (tie)
2008 West Chester University
2007 Shepherd University
Finally, there is an outstanding judge award—cash and a certificate. We will solicit
nominations in early February and expect that these nominations, even if not authored by
student participants, will reflect their judgment on who has been the most helpful in
his/her critiquing of performances. We want competitors to tell us who is the best judge.
To be considered, the nomination for a particular judge must include samples of ballots
that were considered helpful.
FEES
There is a once-a-year CFA membership fee of $100, payable at a school’s initial 2022-2023 CFA tournament. This fee covers the organization’s general administrative costs. Programs which have limited funds or which are attending only one CFA tournament should talk with the CFA President about a reduction or waiver of the membership fee.
There are per-school fees, per-person fees, per-slot fees, hired judging fees and late entry fees.
The per-school fee covers costs associated with that particular tournament. The fee varies from event to event because these costs vary. In general, when we’re on a campus, these fees are low, but when we are competing at a hotel, fees can be high because of the costs for meeting rooms, etc.
The per-person covers the costs of food provided at a tournament, and, again, that varies from event to event.
The per-slot fee is $7 for slots 1-30 and $10 for slots 31+. The bump-up is because, at 31+, a school’s designated judges become very difficult to use, requiring the organization to hire extra judging.
A designated judge covers 8 forensics slots; a designated debate judge covers 2 entries (2 students in L-D or 2 teams in parly). The hired judging fee allows us to compensate the judges we must hire when a school’s judging pool proves limited. The fee is $15 per slot for each uncovered slot.
Setting up one of these tournaments is time consuming and requires concentration. All deadlines for the CFA tournaments in the 2022-2023 competition year will be at 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday prior to the tournament. A late entry fee of $25 will be assessed to teams missing an entry deadline. Wilkes will set its own deadline.
The exception to this general deadline is this season’s CFA in Canada Tournament in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The logistics for this tournament require that the tournament directors fly – and carry with them all the materials needed to run the tournament. The entry deadline for Ottawa will be Tuesday, October 11, 2022.
Finally, CFA reserves the option to charge a “nuisance fee” designed to deter behaviors that create extra, last-minute scrambling (and often errors). This fee is $10 for each change that occurs after the entry deadline. Generally, “nuisance fees” are not charged if the change poses no problems (e.g. if schematics have not yet been prepared or if the change is very easily addressed and does not involve significant revisions to the schematics).Finally, CFA reserves the option to charge a “nuisance fee” designed to deter behaviors that create extra, last-minute scrambling (and often errors). This fee is $10 for each change that occurs after the entry deadline. Generally, “nuisance fees” are not charged if the change poses no problems (e.g. if schematics have not yet been prepared and/or if the change is very easily addressed and does not involve significant revisions to the schematics).
PAYING FEES
Please pay fees at registration in cash or by a check issued to “Collegiate Forensic Association.”
If requested in advance, the tournament director can e-mail an invoice or provide a registering school with CFA’s TIN.
Bracket Configuration
Please note the following configuration of brackets. Make sure you remember this as you are considering your entries. L-D Debaters who are entered in another Bracket C event must compete in their L-D Debate rounds before competing in their other events. A third round of L-D Debate will be scheduled at a workable time frame during each tournament and may vary from tournament to tournament.
Bracket A Events – Extemp, Prose, ADS, Declamation
Bracket B Events – Impromptu, Duo, Informative, CA
Bracket C Events – Persuasion, SDI, Poetry, L-D Debate
BREAKING TIES
Ties do sometimes occur. What follows are descriptions of how various ties will be broken. Breaking Ties in Preliminary Rounds – If competitors are tied in rankings that determine the sixth competitor to break into finals, the tie will be broken on speaker points. If there is still a tie, that tie will be broken by the number of first places in those preliminary rounds. If a tie still exists, seven people will move to finals.
Breaking Ties in Final Rounds – If a tie in rankings occurs in a final round, the tie will be broken on speaker points. If the competitors are still tied, the tie will be broken based on the total rankings in preliminary rounds. If there is still a tie, it will be broken on the number of first place rankings awarded in preliminary rounds. If a tie still exists, a tie will be declared, and a duplicate plaque or certificate will be given in that event.
Breaking Ties in Pentath – If a tie exists in the number of points earned in Pentath, the tie will be broken based on the number of finals in which the students competed. If a tie still exists, it will be broken on the number of first places in those finals. If there is still a tie, a tie will be declared, and a duplicate plaque or certificate will be given.
Breaking Ties in Lincoln-Douglas Debate – If there is a tie in the win/loss records, the tie will be broken by the number of points earned by the debaters. If a tie still exists, it will be broken on adjusted points. Adjusted points are calculated by eliminating the high and low scores and using the middle score. If there is still a tie, a tie will be declared, and a duplicate plaque or certificate will be given.
Breaking Ties in Parliamentary Debate – If there is a tie in the win/loss records, the tie will be broken by the number of points earned by the debaters. If a tie still exists, it will be broken on adjusted points. Adjusted points are calculated by eliminating the high and low scores and calculating the total of the middle scores. If there is still a tie, a tie will be declared, and a duplicate plaque or certificate will be given.
Breaking Ties for Parliamentary Debate Speaker – If there is a tie in the number of points earned by the debaters, the tie will be broken on adjusted points. Adjusted points are calculated by eliminating the high and low scores and calculating the total of the middle scores. If there is still a tie, a tie will be declared, and a duplicate plaque or certificate will be given.
Breaking Ties for Year Long Awards – If a tie exists in the number of points earned in the competitors’ best four tournaments, the tie will be broken by the number of first place final round finishes earned in that event at the counted tournaments. If there is still a tie, a tie will be declared, and a duplicate plaque or certificate will be given.
Breaking Ties for Year Long Sweepstakes – If a tie exists for first place in the number of points earned in the teams’ best four tournaments, the tie will not be broken. Instead, a tie will be declared, and the two teams tied for first place will transfer possession of the Welch-Strine Trophy at mid-season. Both schools’ names will be engraved on the Trophyfor that year.
CORRECTIONS TO THE RECORD
In the event that a team discovers an error in the record for a tournament, the team must make a request to correct the record within three weeks of the end of the tournament (if tab sheets are distributed at the tournament) or from the day that results are sent (if tab sheets are distributed electronically). If the error is confirmed and results in a change in an event’s final results, an appropriate plaque or certificate will be mailed to the team. If the error occurs at the CFA-at-the-Beach tournament and affects a yearlong award, an appropriate plaque will be mailed to the team. In both instances, all teams participating in that tournament will be informed of the correction.