Events

A list and description of Individual and Debate events

Individual Events

Impromptu- Very easy event. The competitor is given 3 topics, which can be a word, a saying or a quote. The competitor chooses one, and has seven minutes to prepare and give a speech on that topic. Key points are organization, and sounding intelligent.
Humorous Interpretation (HI)- 8-10 minute piece, which is, you guessed it, funny. Must be published, memorized, and have an introduction of 30 seconds or less.
Dramatic Interpretation (DI)- Also an 8-10 minute piece, but dramatic, not humorous. Memorized, published, introduction of 30 seconds or less.
Duo- Like HI and DI, but with two people, hence "duo". Can be dramatic or funny, or somewhere in between.
Prose and Poetry Interpretation (PPI)- 10 minutes, unmemorized, kept in a little black binder. Must have at least 1 prose piece, at least 1 poetry piece, and at least 3 pieces total. All pieces must be on a common theme. Varsity is called Thematic Interpretation (TI).
Original Oratory (OO)- 8-10 minute memorized persuasive speech. No props may be used.
Expository Speaking (Expos)- 8-10 minute memorized speech, using Visual Aides. Informative speech.
Extemporaneous Speaking (Extemp)- Extremely difficult. The competitor has news articles on everything, is given 3 topics, chooses one, and has 30 minutes to come up with a memorized speech, citing sources. Extemp Commentary is a similar event, given sitting down with more general topics.
Oratory Declamation (OD)- Not commonly available. An 8-10 minute published oratory.

Debate Events

Policy (CX)- Very difficult. Two people per team. A topic dealing with a US policy is given and stays for the entire year. The trick is to get as much in as possible.
Lincoln-Douglas (LD)- One person in each side. A topic is given for two months, and the debaters argue whether or not it is morally possible.
Public Forum (Ted Turner)- Two person teams. A topic is given for one month. There is no fancy jargon, and a normal people should be able to understand the arguments.
Congress- A mock congress. Each school sends in up to two pieces of legislation. The competitors give up to 3 minute speeches on whether or not the legislation should be passed.
Spontaneous Argumentation (Spon Arg)- Not always available. The competitors are given a topic and must argue it on the spot.