MSCA Spring Meeting Agenda
April 12-13, 2019

I.  Call to order - Mike Worcester, MSCA President  

II. Officer Reports
    A. Secretary - Ceil McDonald
    B. Treasurer - Zach Prax
    C. President Elect - Kasey Wacker
    D. Past President - Jason Olson
    E.    MSHSL Board of Directors - Bonnie Spohn Schmaltz

III. Committee Reports
    A. Advisory Committee
         1. Next meeting is May 6, 2019
         2. Advisory Committee members
              Linda Neugebauer - term expires in 2019 (AA)
              Stewart Wilson - term expires in 2019 (A)
              Meg Krekeler - term expires in 2020 (AA)
              Karen Lee - term expires in 2020 (A)
    3. Persons wishing to submit proposals must use submission form, linked on web site
    B. MSHSL - New section assignments for the next two seasons.
    C. Awards Committee-Scott Sieling and Tim Coleman
        1. Let Scott or Tim know Section Speech Coach Award Winners
    2. Award winners must be MSCA members.
    D. MSCA Website
         1. Join and contribute to the site.
         2. Tournament Calendar - Put your date on the website
    E. Category Committees
         1. Discussion – Mike Worcester, Rachel Schott
         2. Extemp Reading - Kathy Martin
         3. Storytelling - Kathleen Westgard, Max Wojtanowicz
    F. MSHSL Hall of Fame Committee - Jennifer Parker, Eric Meyer
    G. New Coach Mentorship Update - Jody Saxton West (jsaxtonwest@northfieldschools.org)

IV. Old Business
    A. Professional Development Opportunities
         1. Speak2Compete Coaching Institute - July
         2. NSDA Conference
    B. Make sure your coaching and judging information is up-to-date on the MSHSL web site.

V.  New Business
    A.    February 2020 Calendar - Quirk with Feb. 29 - Cal Vande Hoef
    B.     State next year at Wayzata High School, April 17 (A) & 18 (AA), 2020
    C.     CTAM - Holiday Inn, St. Cloud, Sept. 12-13-14. Submit session ideas on CTAM web site.

​

2018 MSCA Business Meeting Agenda CTAM Annual Conference
St. Cloud Holiday Inn
September 15, 2018, 10:20 – 11:30 a.m.
1. Call to order–Mike Worcester,MSCAPresident
2. Officer Reports
  1. Secretary-CeilMcDonald
  2. Treasurer - Zach Prax
  3. PastPresident–JasonOlson
  4. PresidentElect–KaseyWacker
  5. MSHSL Board of Directors-Bonnie Spohn Schmaltz
  6. PresidentMikeWorcester
     1. Encouraging continued membership growth
     2. State Tournament Judge Voting – We can still do better
3. Committee Reports
  1. Advisory Committee
     1. Update from May 2018 meeting
2. Advisory Committee Elections
  1. One(1)eachClassA&AA
3. MSHSL
  1. Cliff Janke - Rule Clinician
  2. State Tournament Jury
     1. AtLargeRep–Now open,need to elect.
     2. ‘A’ Rep – Rachel Schott – Term runs through 2019
     3. ‘AA’ Rep – Dillon White – Term runs through 2020
  3. The State Tournament will be April 12 (A) and April 13 (AA) Wayzata High School.
     1. Schools who wish to be considered for hosting starting future state tournaments should make            your interest known sooner rather than later by contacting Chris Franson.
  4. MSCA Website
     1. Join and contribute to the site. Find it at http://mscaspeech.weebly.com/
     2. Send CTAM materials to sdsieling@gmail.com to have them posted.
     3. Still running the Speech Tournament calendar through CTAM website.
  5. CategoryCommittees
     1. Discussion
     2. Storytelling
     3. Extemp. Reading
  6. MSHSL Hall of Fame Committee.
  7. New Coach Mentorship Update - Jody Saxton West
4. Old Business
  1. Professional Development Opportunities
     1. NSDAProfessionalDevelopment
     2. Speak2Compete
  2. New judging cycle so you need to get registered.
     1. $15 for two years.
     2. Must take the on-line rules test.
     3. State Ballot is opt-in and you need to complete application by November 1st.
          1. Remember to vote for state judges on Coach’s Clipboard.
               We have room to improve our voting numbers and need to
                encourage fellow coaches to be a part of the process.
           2. Likely deadline for balloting is mid-January 2019.
5. NewBusiness
      1. President Elect - Class AA
      2. Ideas from CTAM Sessions
​      3. Other

2015 MSCA Business Meeting Agenda – St. Cloud Holiday Inn – CTAM Annual Conference
September 19, 2015

I .Call to order-Jason Olson, MSCA President  
II. Officer Reports
    A.   Secretary-Ceil McDonald
    B.   Treasurer- Zach Prax 
    C.   President Elect-Mike Worcester
    D.   Past President- Scott Sieling
    E.    MSHSL Board of Directors- Chris McDonald
          1.  Need candidates for MSHSL Board – 2016-2019
    F.    President Jason Olson
          1.  Call for Committee
           2.  Newsletter           
III. Committee Reports 
    A.  Advisory Committee –
        1.  Update from May, 2015 meeting
    B.  Advisory Committee elections
        1.  Jill Lofald - term expires in 2016 (AA)
        2.  Kathy Martin - term expires in 2016 (A)
        3.  Travis Rother - term expires in 2017 (AA)
        4.  Cal Vandehoef - term expires in 2014 (A)
    C.  MSHSL 
        1.  Cliff Janke is the MSHSL Rules Clinician
        2.  MSCA Appointed Jury was well-received last year.
               a.  Ceil McDonald – term expires in 2015 – Need to elect new “at large” representative
               b.  Margaret Kitterman – term expires in 2016 (A)
               c.  Jody Saxton West – term expires in 2017 (AA)
        3.  The state tournament will be April 15(A)-16(AA) at Lakeville North H.S.
    D.   MSCA Website
        1.  Join and contribute to the site.  
        2.  Send CTAM materials to sdsieling@gmail.com to have them posted.
        3.  Tournament Calendar-put your date on the website
             a.  Discussion – Is this still considered a valuable resource?
    E. Category Committees
        1.  Discussion – Mike Wocester, Rachel Schott
        2.  Extemp Reading- Kathy Martin
        3.  Storytelling- Marie Kreft, Kathleen Westgard
    F.  MSHSL Hall of Fame Committee  -   Jodi Anker and Howard Vaillaincourt
    G.  New Coach Mentorship Update -  Jody Saxton-West  Jody.Saxtonwest@nfld.k12.mn.us
 IV. Old Business
    A.   Professional Development Opportunities
        1.  NSDA Professional Development and Accreditation www.nflonline.org
        2.  Speak 2 Compete Institute @ St. Thomas-July
    B.   Second year of judging cycle so if you registered last year you should be ok, but head coaches           still login to your Coach’s Clipboard to Vote for State Judges!  Less that 80 people voted last 
          year.  
V.  New Business
    A.  Constitutional Revisions
    B.  Ideas from sessions.

MSCA Spring Meeting Agenda
April 17-18, 2015
I .Call to order-Scott Sieling, MSCA President  
II. Officer Reports
     A.   Secretary-Ceil McDonald
     B.   Treasurer- Ross Eichele 
     C.   President Elect-Jason Olson
     D.   Past President- Kathy Martin
     E.    MSHSL Board of Directors- Chris McDonald
     F.    President Scott Sieling
          1.  Treasurer position
          2.  MSCA Constitution/By-Laws
III. Committee Reports 
     A.  Advisory Committee –
          1.  Next meeting is Monday, April 27, 2015
          2.  Advisory Committee members
                Jill Lofald - term expires in 2015 (AA)
               Kathy Martin - term expires in 2015 (AA)
               Travis Rother - term expires in 2016 (AA)
               Cal Vande Hoef - term expires in 2016 (A)
     B.  MSHSL-Cliff Janke -MSHSL Rules Clinician
     C.  Awards Committee-Scott Sieling and Tim Coleman
          1. Let Scott or Tim know Section Speech Coach Award Winners
          2.  See Fall Awards (attached)
     D.   MSCA Website
          1.  Join and contribute to the site.
          2.  Tournament Calendar-put your date on the website
     E. Category Committees
          1.  Discussion – Mike Worcester, Rachel Schott
          2.  Extemp Reading- Kathy Martin
          3.  Storytelling- Marie Kreft, Kathleen Westgard
     F. MSHSL Hall of Fame Committee  -   
          1.  Joni Anker and Howard Vaillaincourt
          2.  Due Date is December 11, 2015
     G.  New Coach Mentorship Update -  Jody Saxton West (Jody.Saxtonwest@nfld.k12.mn.us)
IV. Old Business
     A.   Professional Development Opportunities
          1.  NSDA Professional Development and Accreditation www.nflonline.org
          2.  Gustavus Coaching Institute-July
     B.   This is the new year in the two-year judging cycle.  
     C.  Proposals
          1.  MSCA Code of Ethics was approved at CTAM 2014 and is now on the MSCA website.
          2.  A proposal to change Ex. Reading failed on a vote at CTAM 2014.
          3.  A proposal to change Great Speeches was tabled at CTAM 2014.
          4.  Other proposals will be discussed and finalized at the Advisory meeting.  (see attached)
V.  New Business
     A.     State next year at Lakeville North, April 15-16, 2016
     B.     Nominations for awards through CTAM
     C.     CTAM-Holiday Inn, St. Cloud, September 17-19, 2015
     D.    Submit session ideas to Suzanne Stangl-Erkens:  erkens@stcloudstate.edu 
             (Due Monday, June 8, 2015)

MSCA YEAR’S OF SERVICE AWARDS (2013-2014)
5 years:  Bethany Piety, Peter Schreifels
10 years: Brian Stoebner
15 years: Lisa Letcher, Thomas Lucas
20 years: Lisa Goihl
25 years: Dale Neuschwander, Mark Thul
30 years: Roxy Janke, Sandra Wieser-Matthews, Stewart Wilson
35 years: Kathy Detloff, Cheryl Neidt, Carol Purrington
45 years: John Fogarty
Class A Coach of the Year:  Cliff Janke, Fairmont
Class AA Coach of the Year:  Travis Rother, Chanhassen

PROPOSALS
STATE TOURNAMENT JURY ROTATION PROPOSAL:  A rotation will start with the 2015-2016 school year for the State Tournament Jury. At the 2015 Fall CTAM meeting, a new Jury member will be elected to replace the at-large member, followed by replacement of the Class A member in the Fall of 2016, followed by replacement of the Class AA member in 2017.  This cycle will continue to repeat into the future.
RATIONALE:  This will allow for more consistency in the Jury so that all members will not leave at the same time.

POETRY CLARIFICATION PROPOSAL:  Add clarifying language to the poetry rule.  Current language:  Selections for poetry may include one poem or several clearly-identified poems.  ADD THIS LANGUAGE:  The titles and authors of each poem must be stated either in the introduction or throughout the performance.
RATIONALE:  This clarifies the meaning of  “clearly-identified.”

TIME LIMITS PROPOSAL:  All draw category time limits will be 7 minutes and all non-draw categories will be 10 minutes.  Discussion would remain the same.  The grace period would be eliminated.
RATIONALE:  Having only two time limits would provide simplicity and consistency to tournaments.  The 10 minute time limit in non-draw categories would put Minnesota in line with the national standard of 10 minutes.    

September 13, 2014
I .Call to order-Scott Sieling, MSCA President  

II. Officer Reports
    A.   Secretary-Ceil McDonald
    B.   Treasurer- Ross Eichele 
    C.   President Elect-Jason Olson
           1.  Election for a President-Elect for 2015-2016
    D.   Past President- Kathy Martin
    E.    MSHSL Board of Directors- Chris McDonald
    F.    President Scott Sieling
           1.  Treasurer position
           2.  MSCA on social media
           3.  MSCA Constitution/By-Laws
III. Committee Reports 
    A.  Advisory Committee –
        1.  Update from May, 2014 meeting
    B.  Advisory Committee elections
        1.  Jill Lofald - term expires in 2015 (AA)
        2.  Kathy Martin - term expires in 2015 (AA)
        3.  Mike Worcester - term expires in 2014 (AA)
        4.  Rachel Schott - term expires in 2014 (A)
    C.  MSHSL 
        1.  Cliff Janke is the MSHSL Rules Clinician
        2.  MSCA Appointed Jury was well-received last year.
                  a.  Well-received last year.
                  b.  Tweak it so there is a rotation so all 3 do not leave at the same time.
        3.  The state tournament will be April 17(A)-18(AA) at Lakeville North H.S.
    D.   MSCA Website
        1.  Join and contribute to the site.  
        2.  Send CTAM materials to sdsieling@gmail.com to have them postedl.
        3.  Tournament Calendar-put your date on the website
    E. Category Committees
        1.  Discussion – Mike Wocester, Rachel Schott
        2.  Extemp Reading- Kathy Martin
        3.  Storytelling- Marie Kreft, Kathleen Westgard
    F.  MSHSL Hall of Fame Committee  -   Jodi Anker and Howard Vaillaincourt
    G.  New Coach Mentorship Update -  Jody Saxton-West  Jody.Saxtonwest@nfld.k12.mn.us
    H.  State Committee-Bethany P., Jody, Annie, Jill

 IV. Old Business
    A.   Professional Development Opportunities
        1.  NSDA Professional Development and Accreditation www.nflonline.org
        2.  Gustavus Coaching Institute-July
    B.   This is the new year in the two-year judging cycle.  Everyone will need to register by going to 
           the MSHSL website and using the Coaches' Clipboard.  
V.  New Business
    A.  Ideas from sessions.

MN winners at National Speech and Debate Tournament 2014
School of Outstanding Distinction:  Eagan
Speech Schools of Excellence:  Apple Valley, Moorhead
Speech Schools of Honors:  Chanhassen

HUMOR:  Stephanie Kahle, Apple Valley, 10th
DUO:  Matt Wisenden & Jordan Hartjen, Moorhead, 1st; Drew Swenson & Karina Twedt, Moorhead, 8th
OO:  Laurel Scott, Eagan, 2nd; Aunika Schraw, St. Cloud Tech, 4th; Moti Begna, Apple Valley, 5th
USX:  Adam Stromme, Eagan, 9th
IX:  Dylan Adelman, Lakeville South, 2nd
IMPROMPTU:  Haley Brahmbhatt, Chanhassen, 4th
STORYTELLING:  Sam Scarlato, Chanhassen, 1st;  Micah Spieldenner, Chanhassen, 3rd; Stephanie Butler, Lakeville North, 5th

MSCA "AA" Coach of the Year for 2014:  to be announced
MSCA “A” Coach of the Year for 2014:  to be announced

MSCA Years of Service Awards for 2014
5 years  
Bethany Piety (Orono)
Peter Schreifels (Eden Prairie)

10 years 
Brian Stoebner (Cass Lake-Bena)

15 years 
Lisa Letcher (Windom)
Thomas Lucas (Bemidji)

20 years 
Lisa Goihl (Kasson Mantorville)

25 years
Dale Neuschwander (Sauk Center)
Mark Thul (St. Francis)

30 years 
Roxy Janke (Fairmont)
Sandra Wieser-Matthews (Perham)
Stewart Wilson (Walker)

35 years 
Kathy Detloff (Swanville)
Cheryl Neidt (Springfield)
Carol Purrington (Marshall)

45 years
John Fogarty (Cannon Falls)

MSCA Advisory Meeting Minutes
Monday, May 5, 2014
MSHSL Office, 2100 Freeway Blvd, Brooklyn Center

I.  Pay for room managers and judges
     A.  Increase pay for both
     B.  Offset cost by creating a more graduated mileage scale (like athletic officials).
     C.  This has yet to be decided
II.  Poetry rule
      A.  Some sections had different interpretations of what “clearly identified” meant for the title(s)            of the poem(s).
      B.  Define what “clearly identified” means or remove.  (To be decided at CTAM).
III.  MSCA appointed State Jury
      A.  Well-received this year.
      B.  Tweak it so there is a rotation like Discussion so not all 3 leave at the same time.  (We can 
            do this at CTAM)
IV.  Judge Hiring
      A.  Issue with gender balance with discussion and great speeches.  
      B.  Add more judges or hire off list in special circumstances?  (No.)
      C.  Chris F. and Cliff J. will start with "tougher" categories first to get a balance as best as 
            possible. 
V.  Proposal:  Team Awards for MSHSL State Speech  (on the October Board Agenda for   
      implementation in 2015-2016).
      A.  The MSCA proposes through the MSHSL Speech Advisory Committee that the
            MSHSL Board of Directors approve the awarding of team trophies at the MSHSL State 
            Speech Tournament.
      B.  Rationale:
              1.  Providing Speech Team Trophies to the top 3 schools at each of the MSHSL State    
                   Speech Tournaments would provide schools with a tangible reward for their overall 
                   team efforts in the form of a beautiful trophy that can be displayed prominently in 
                   their school trophy case.  This provides speech teams with higher visibility within their 
                   schools and prominently displays the MSHSL’s support of fine arts programs.
              2.  Providing Speech Team Trophies to the top 3 schools at each of the MSHSL State 
                   Speech Tournaments would provide consistency with other individual interscholastic 
                   activities like Boys and Girls Track.
              3.  Providing Speech Team Trophies to the top 3 schools at each of the MSHSL State 
                   Speech Tournaments would provide consistency with the Section Speech Tournaments, 
                   which currently award team trophies.
VI.  Discussion of future consideration items:
       A.  Does the 3D Visuals rule allow for students to “wear” their visuals?  
       B.  Can a student write their own piece, publish it online under a pseudonym, then perform it 
             in a category other than creative expression?
       C.  For state finals tie-breaking, in the case of a 3-way tie, does finals recips have to be the first 
             tie-breaker used?
       D.  Should Rules and Criteria for judging Discussion be revised to make the event more 
             consistent with “real world” group problem-solving activities?
       E.   Should the name of (and perhaps also the Rules for) Great Speeches be revised?
       F.   Should the "quoted word" limits for Original Oratory and Informative Speaking be 
             increased?  Should submitting a Works Cited be required for these events?
       G.  Should the requirements regarding writing critiques at the State Contest be changed?  
            Should critiques be written for Final Rounds?  Should critiques be eliminated entirely or 
            revised for all rounds?
       H.  Should rules for Extemporaneous Reading be revised to include drama selections (in 
             addition to prose and poetry)?  Should all contestants in Extemporaneous Reading be 
             prepared to read all listed selections, regardless of genre (assuming the lists of selections 
             are considerably shortened)?
        I.  Should all time limits (and grace periods) be reconsidered and perhaps revised?
        J.  Should MSHSL Speech Rules be made more consistent with National Speech and Debate 
            Association rules?
       K.  Should MSCA consider naming Academic Champions in speech, much as is done by athletic 
            coaches’ organizations?
       L.  Should the number and assignment of judges at the State Contest be reconsidered?

MSCA Code of Ethics (A Proposal) 

As a professional speech coach, I will: 
1. Strive to develop in each student speaker the qualities of leadership, initiative and good judgment. 
2. Respect the integrity and personality of each individual team member. 
3. Encourage the highest standards of conduct and scholastic achievement. 
4. Embrace cultural differences and tolerance. 
5. Encourage a respect for all competitors and their values. 
6. Promote freedom of expression that does not degrade individuals and humanity. 
7. Advocate honesty, accuracy, and reason as essential to the integrity of communication. 
8. Exemplify the highest moral character, behavior and leadership. 
9. Provide ethical relationships among coaches. 
10. Stay current on all league/activity policies. 
11. Abide by the rules of the activity in letter and spirit. 
12. Be responsible for bringing well-prepared, fair, and constructive judges to tournaments. 
13. Respect the integrity and judgment of tournament judges and officials. 
14. Display modesty in victory and graciousness in defeat. 
15. Demonstrate a mastery of and continuing interest in coaching principles and techniques through professional improvement.

MSCA Spring Meeting Agenda – April 11 and April 12, 2014- Blaine High School
I .Call to order-Scott Sieling, MSCA President  sdsieling@gmail.com
II. Officer Reports
     A.     Secretary-Ceil McDonald
     B.     Treasurer- Ross Eichle  (Don Fosburgh stepped down after 26 years as treasurer)
     C.     President Elect-Jason Olson- term starts May 15, 2015
     D.     Past President- Kathy Martin
     E.     MSHSL Board of Directors-Chris McDonald
     F.     President Scott Sieling
III. Committee Reports
     A.     Advisory Committee
          1.     Mike Worcester (AA) and Rachel Schott (A)-terms expire 2014
          2.     Jill Lofald (AA) and Kathy Martin (A)-elected this fall.  Terms expire 2015.
          3.   Next Advisory meeting – April, 2014
     B.   Awards Committee –Tim Coleman– Let Tim know your Section Speech Coach Award                            Winners  (See attached-Fall awards)
     C.     MSHSL
          1.     Cliff Janke is new rules clinician.
          2.     State Tournament Jury is now elected by the MSCA.   Jury members will serve a 3 year 
                  term, with 1 AA coach, 1 A coach, and 1 at-large.  Jury members are Jody Saxton West 
                  (AA), Margaret Kitterman (A), and Ceil McDonald (at-large.)
     D.    MSCA Website www.mnspeechcoaches.org
          1. Create a username and password to contribute to discussion board.
          2. Tournament Calendar-put your date on the website (through CTAM)
     E.    Category Committees
          1.  Discussion – Mike Wocester, Rachel Schott.-Voting
          2.  Extemp Reading- Kathy Martin
          3.  Storytelling- Marie Kreft, Kathleen Westgard
     F.    MSHSL Hall of Fame Committee  - Joni Anker and Howard Vaillancourt
     G.    New Coach Mentorship Update Jody Saxton-West Jody.Saxtonwest@nfld.k12.mn.us
     I.      10 Minute Time Limit committee-Mark Thul
IV. Old Business
     A.  Professional Development Opportunities
          1.  NSDA Professional Development and Accreditation www.speechanddebate.org
          2.  Gustavus Coaching Institute July 19-26, 2014
     B.  MSCA grant funds available.
V.  New Business:  
     A.  State next year at Lakeville North.
     B.  Nominations for awards through CTAM
     C.  CTAM:  St. Cloud Holiday Inn, September 12-13, 2014.
     D.  CTAM Session Updates
          1.  10 Minute Time Limit:  Mark Thul
          2.  Original Advocacy:  Jenn Baese
          3.  Ex. Reading proposal:  Kathy Martin
          4.  Ethics:   

MSCA "AA" Coach of the Year for 2013:  Tim Newcomb, Forest Lake
MSCA “A” Coach of the Year for 2013:  Kathy Martin, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton

MSCA Years of Service Awards for 2013-14
5 years  
William Deane (Dilworth Glyndon Felton)
Joe Drevlow (Thief River Falls)
Phyllis Hagen (Crookston)
Jill Hietala (Virginia)
Brianna Jensen (River Valley)
Erica Oehlerich (Mapleton)
Leanne Overlander (Redwing)
Tracy Striker (Park Christian)
10 years 
Susan Christenson (Tracy-Milroy)
Janet Depuy (Redwood Area) 
Renae Elert (Hill-Murray)
Crystal Hoekstra (Underwood High School)
Zach Prax (Chanhassen)
Travis Rother (Chanhassen)
Sean Voysey Olson (Eastview) 
Valerie Williams (Winona)
15 years 
Anna Amundson (Mib/vhs)
Audrey French (Milaca)
Judy Schue (Red Lake County)
Scott Sieling (Bloomington)
20 years 
Jen Baese (Lakeville North)
Kari Kunze-Hoeg (Mounds Park Academy)
Tom Siekkinen (Rocori)
Cort Sylvester (Rosemount)
Mike Worcester (Buffalo)
25 years
Cal Vande Hoef (Cannon Falls)
30 years 
Kelly Fahrni (Cambridge Isanti)
Margaret Kitterman (Sauk Centre)
35 years 
Mark Quinlan (Centennial)

SUMMARY of RULE CHANGES APPROVED BY THE SPEECH ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR 2013 - 2014

The Speech Advisory Committee, elected to represent Speech Coaches throughout the state, approved the following Rule and Policy edits and modifications. These have been adopted for 2013 -2014 competition:

1.  Changed language in the Speech Rules from “Consultant” to “Rules Clinician” to reflect personnel changes.
2.  Added language to Extemporaneous Reading Rules (and to Rank Adjustment provisions) clarifying penalty for reading “more of the selection than is included in the drawn cutting.”  This clarification is consistent with current practice.
3.  Added language to Storytelling Rules (and to Rank Adjustment provisions) clarifying penalty for making “revisions to the story’s actual events.”  This clarification is consistent with current practice.
4.  Changed language in Extemporaneous Speaking Rules to clarify that what was previously titled U.S. News and World Report is now called U.S. Weekly News (in what is now an online-only format).
5.  Added language to Serious Poetry Interpretation Rules clarifying that, when a collection of poems is presented by a contestant, the individual poems must each be “clearly identified.”  This edit responds to judges’ concerns that contestants sometimes “merge” poems without clarifying the source of each selection’s language.
6.  Clarified current practice that “In the case of a declared violation or a decision in a disputed situation that results in disqualification or rank adjustment, the affected contestant’s coach will be notified.”
7.  Added emphasis to the current requirement that scripts submitted at contests must include introductions and citations of sources used.

OTHER OPERATIONAL/PROCEDURAL PROVISIONS

The Speech Advisory Committee and League officials also agreed to the following for 2013 -2014:

1.  When timely notification of  “drops” for the State Tournament create an imbalance among the four preliminary round sections of more than one contestant (i.e., four contestants in one section and six in one or more others), Tournament Management will “rebalance” sections using the following priorities:
    a.  A student will be selected from one of the largest remaining section that (1) ranked the same at his/her competitive Section as the lowest-ranked absent student, and (2) will not be placed in direct preliminary round competition with another student from his/her competitive Section.
    b.  In the case of multiple students’ being eligible to be moved, a blind draw by the MSHSL Tournament Director will determine who is moved.
    c.  Should a situation arise in which multiple students need to be moved, they are prioritized according to (1) smallest section, then (2) lowest missing seed.
    d.  After moving one student, all sections are reprioritized until relative section balance is achieved.
    e.  In addition to posting the change, all Room Managers of affected sections, whether by addition or subtraction, will announce the changes prior to the start of each round.

2.  For the State Tournament, the limit of two judges from a single high school will apply only to the Class (A or AA) in which the judges’ school competes.  The limit will be raised to three from a single school judging the other class. ·      

3.  League Staff will compose and post Rule Interpretations (FAQs) clarifying that students may use electronic readers and original publications as “scripts” during contest performances.

4.  League Staff will compose and post Rule Interpretations (FAQs) clarifying acceptable use of music when singing, whistling, or humming is indicated in the text of the original selection.

 

ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY THE SPEECH ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION

In addition to changes recommended above, the Speech Advisory Committee hopes that communication among coaches, judges, and Committee members continues actively throughout the coming year(s) and has listed these issues among those that might be considered for the future:

1.   Should Rules and Criteria for judging Discussion be revised to make the event more consistent with “real world” group problem-solving activities?

2.   Should the name of (and perhaps also the Rules for) Great Speeches be revised?

3.   Should the "quoted word" limits for Original Oratory and Informative Speaking be increased?  Should submitting a Works Cited be required for these events?

4.  Should the requirements regarding writing critiques at the State Contest be changed?  Should critiques be written for Final Rounds?  Should critiques be eliminated entirely or revised for all rounds?

5.  Should rules for Extemporaneous Reading be revised to include drama selections (in addition to prose and poetry)?  Should all contestants in Extemporaneous Reading be prepared to read all listed selections, regardless of genre (assuming the lists of selections are considerably shortened)?

6.  Should all time limits (and grace periods) be reconsidered and perhaps revised?

7.  Should MSHSL Speech Rules be made more consistent with National Forensic League rules?

8.  Should MSCA consider naming Academic Champions in speech, much as is done by athletic coaches’ organizations?

9.  Should the number and assignment of judges at the State Contest be reconsidered?