Competitive Speaking
STUDENT DRESS/BEHAVIOR AT TOURNAMENTS
The following are suggestions supplied by coaches from ASCA who expect good
sportsmanship and positive attitudes from squad members. You may elaborate
on any/all of these to create your own set of standards for your team.
- You should dress for tournament with your event(s) in mind. You should try to
make a positive impression with the dress you choose. Usually the better you look,
the better you feel about yourself. (Some coaches enforce a "no jeans" policy,
while others do not allow body piercings or tattoos to be exposed, and some do not
allow "fad" clothing to be worn.)
- BE ON TIME!!! It is your responsibility to know where you
should be and when. Being late can cause you to be eliminated from competition.
- If you are double-entered, send word to the judge via another student from your
school or go to the room yourself and write on the board that you are double-
entered. This will insure that the judge knows you are coming and will wait for you.
- Be conscious that students are performing in classrooms and avoid loud, disruptive
noise in the hallway.
- Do not enter or leave a room while someone is performing.
- While in a room, do not talk, whisper, make faces, eat, sleep, or engage in any
distracting activity during the round.
- Be supportive of performers from other schools. Avoid negative comments about
any student's performance.
- If you are not entered in two events during the same time slot, stay in your round
and watch the other performers.
- Avoid bringing a large group in to watch your performance and then upon
completion, leave the room ignoring other students and their performances.
- Try to find something positive in every performance you see. Applaud after EVERY
performance. It is okay to compliment others after their performance is over.
- If you do not advance, suffer silently!!! It takes a big person to congratulate the
winners. Your time will come too, if you continue to work hard.
- Avoid negative comments about other students or judges. Overheard comments
breed resentment and cause embarrassment.
- If a problem arises during a round, inform your coach and let her/him deal with the
problem. Always be polite and don't over dramatize!!!
- Students involved in improvisation events should refrain from using profanity and
inappropriate material. If you have any question about appropriateness, don't do it!
- If you receive an oral critique, be polite and receptive even if it contradicts
every suggestion your coach has made. Just remember, it is only one person's
opinion and defending/arguing is not appropriate.
- Good sportsmanship is expected. This requires a positive attitude during the
entire tournament. If you are eliminated, support fellow squad members during
their rounds.
- Plan on attending the awards ceremony whether you are in final rounds or not. It
demonstrates a positive team effort.
- Wait until you are away from the tournament site to discuss dissatisfaction
related to the tournament. It is fine to discuss these things, but do it in a place
where you will not be overheard by someone other than your coach/teammates.
This is an opportunity for students to express dissatisfaction in a positive manner
that does not demean others.
- Be gracious winners/losers at the awards assembly. Applaud the efforts of
others, as well as your own teammates. Remember, this is NOT an athletic event!
- Your competitors at tournament may someday be your classmates at college, so
treat others in a way that you would like to be treated, and GOOD LUCK!!!
TRAVEL RULE EXAMPLES
The following are suggestions for rules you may choose to use when traveling
to speech tournaments with students. You may also add more specific rules designed for your
squad's personality. The behavior of your squad is your responsibility, not your
colleagues.
- The use of alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs will not be permitted.
- Students are not to leave the campus during competition, or the motel at night
without the specific permission of a sponsor.
- A curfew (a time for students to be in rooms and not leave for any reason) should be
set and enforced for overnight stays. Go to each room at curfew to visually verify
the presence of all who should be accounted for. (Curfews will vary depending on what
time the tournament events are over on Friday night, if practice sessions are held,
how long it takes to get the students fed, etc.) *** see helpful hint below***
- Make sure students are aware that there will be other guests staying at the same
motel, and courtesy is important. Students should stay inside rooms and keep
noise to a minimum.
Examples:
a. You may not leave the room for any reason after curfew,
unless there is a fire.
b. Before curfew, appropriate clothing should be worn in the
motel/hotel hallways.
c. No running, screaming, yelling, in rooms or hallways.
d. No loud music.
e. Visit vending machines prior to room check.
- On trips where the school has provided bus transportation, students are not
permitted to ride in automobiles. (You may establish rules for bus travel concerning
tape/cd players, food, noise, etc.)
- Profanity and vulgarity of any kind is prohibited.
- The primary purpose of speech tournaments is to extend the learning environment
from the classroom. As a competitor, your primary objective on these trips is to have
an opportunity to compete and to learn from watching others. Any other motivation
which is counterproductive to this goal will not be acceptable
(Before you check out of the motel/hotel, make a visual inspection of each room for
damage.)
It will be necessary to establish penalties for infractions of established rules.
Some infractions may call for suspension from squad trips, a telephone call to parents, being sent
home at the parent's expense, or contacting law enforcement. You be the judge regarding the
infraction and the fit punishment.
***Some coaches put masking tape on the outside of the doors of student rooms (at the top of
the door) after curfew check. If the tape is not in contact with the door AND the facing the next
morning, you will know that someone left the room after curfew.
