Pine Tree High School 

Walk the Plank Fall Speech and Writing Meet

Academic: Custom Prompts

Speech & Debate: UIL / NSDA

October 22, 2022

Physical and Mailing Address: 900 Northwest Dr., Longview, TX 75604

School:   903-295-5031         Email:  tdavis@ptisd.org; cdickson@ptisd.org

Dear UIL Coordinators and Coaches:

We invite you to join us in friendly competition at the first fall writing and speech tournament hosted by Pine Tree High School. We will host an organized tournament for novice competitors and judges to learn and for experienced competitors to hone their skills. Our tournament focus is to provide valuable feedback to students and coaches in order to prepare for UIL circuit competition. 

All UIL writing, journalism and speech/debate events will be offered as well as additional NSDA speech/debate events.

EVENTS:  The following academic and speech events will be offered: 

• Ready Writing and all Journalism events

• LD, CX, PFD, Informative/Foreign Extemp, Persuasive/Domestic Extemp

• Congress (UIL Region 7 Docket)

• Prose and Poetry

• Original Oratory, Program of Interp, Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Duo Interp

*All competitors will compete in a single division with awards for both novice and experienced competitors.

REGISTRATION:  Please register all speech/debate AND academic contestants through TABROOM at   http://pinetreedebate.tabroom.com.    Any questions about registration may be directed to Terri Davis (writing events), email tdavis@ptisd.org or Chris Dickson (speech events), email cdickson@ptisd.org.

DEADLINES:  We will need your registration and event competitors by 5pm, Wednesday, October 19th.

JUDGING: We ask that you provide a judge/grader for every event in which your school is entered. If you cannot provide a judge/grader, then please let us know by Monday, October 17th so that we may secure a replacement. The charge for the replacement judge/grader will be as follows:

• Ready Writing/Journalism  ($150)

• One of our goals is to help new coaches gain experience with the rubrics, so we will have a mixture of novice and experienced judges for all writing events so that new sponsors may gain valuable experience.  Our contest directors are experienced in their respective events.

• Debate/Speech ($150)  

• For debate, you must have 1 judge for every 4 LD contestants or 2 CX teams, or part thereof and 1 judge for every 4 PFD teams, or part thereof. For Interp, Speech, and Writing Events, you must provide 1 judge for every 6 participants or part thereof. Judging fees are $150/judge for debate and speaking events if you do not provide a judge; however, we prefer judges over fees. AT MINIMUM, speech/debate team coaches MUST serve as judges. 

ENTRY FEES: 

CX Entries:                $30 per team

LD Entries:                $20

Speech Events:        $10

Writing Events:        $8 per event

ENTRIES: Each school can enter unlimited entries in each event. If you need to add or delete a contestant’s name from your roster, please do so by editing your entries in TABROOM.

PROCEDURES FOR READY WRITING:

In order to allow the time we need to create a beneficial grading experience, we are offering a contest that allows students to write the essay with their coach at a time that benefits them. In a way, part of the contest will operate as a virtual event with scoring being in-person. We do ask that all competitors write the essay within the same 2-hour time period and group discussions not be allowed in order to preserve the integrity of the prompt. In other words, you will host the writing at your school as an actual contest. We are asking that coaches bring the essays on our contest day for scoring. Special attention will be given to providing all students with written feedback according to the UIL Ready Writing Rubric. Essays will be returned to the event coaches following the grading of the events.

We will email the writing prompts and contestant numbers  to coaches who will monitor their students’ throughout the 2-hour time limit within the window of October 10 - October 21. Students may save their essays to an electronic drive, but we ask coaches to please bring a printed copy of all essays. Please do not write students’ names on essays. 

Coaches will bring their students’ essays to Pine Tree High School on Saturday, October 22, meeting from 9 am-1 pm. At that time, we will gather and score the essays. Training will be provided. We will Zoom with Mr. Ruben Rodriguez, the state Ready Writing Director. Lunch will also be provided. Copies of winning essays will be given out along with past, first-place winning essays.

PROCEDURES FOR JOURNALISM EVENTS:

Journalism contestants will write at Pine Tree High School on the day of the event. Grading will follow each event and will be led by Susan Duncan, former journalism state-level coach and current prompt writer. Novice judges are welcomed and will gain valuable experience with seasoned judges.

JUDGING and MEDALS:  All schools will compete against each other. There will not be two divisions separating small and large schools. Places 1st - 6th will be awarded. In addition, “Best Novice Award” will be granted in each category as well as “Best Paper of the Day” for each category. Judging for all events will immediately follow the end of each contest. Verification will immediately follow judging and ranking, and medals will be awarded immediately following verification. Any questions may be directed to the contest director at the meet. Top school trophy will be awarded for each division. First place teams will receive plaques and individual team medals in team events. 

CONCESSIONS:  Concessions offered. Local restaurants include Little Caesar, Pizza Hut, and Domino’s. Coaches’ hospitality provided. 

PARKING:  Parking is available in the U-drive in front of the main office entrance. 

CONFIDENTIALITY:

All materials will be given out on the day of the meet. 

Thank you and Good Luck!

Lee Branson, PTISD UIL Academics Director lbranson@ptisd.org

Terri Davis, Ready Writing Coach, UIL Coordinator tdavis@ptisd.org

Ryan Stokes, Speech and Debate Director rstokes@ptisd.org

Christopher Dickson, Assistant Speech Director, Assistant UIL Coordinator cdickson@ptisd.org

Melissa Wright, Journalism Coach

Susan Duncan, Journalism Contest Director

                                        

Please mail payment to:

Pine Tree High School UIL

c/o Lee Branson

PO Box 5878

Longview, TX  75604