Individual Events
Note from an IE Captain
Welcome to the University of Florida Speech and
Debate Team! We are a fun, intelligent, and competitive group of
people dedicated to improving ourselves and the world in which we
live. We are constantly working to expand our pool of knowledge
and our capacity to communicate it. The UF Speech and Debate
family is always looking to grow, so welcome aboard!
Individual Events, one of the two types of competition that UF
participates in, has excelled in recent years. Last year, the
Individual Events squad consistently placed in
the top 5 at all regional and national tournaments. We also had
our most succesful finisih ever- 17th place overall at the American
Forensics Association National Individual Tournament (AFA-NIET) hosted
by the University of Florida. And we anticipate more success in
the future.
This year, we expect to exceed the standards of previous seasons. If you are new, make sure to thoroughly read Speaking Like a Gator, a manual on all you need to know about being a successful Individual Events competitor. It is posted on the resources page of this website. You should also come to IE practice sessions after our weekly meetings. We also have additional practices as tournaments approach. Please feel free to email me for assistance, questions, or comments. (crawls@ufl.edu)
Remember, besides the healthy competitive atmosphere that surrounds the Forensics community, we are family. Debate is about the people we compete with, the friends we make on the way, and the family that will be with us forever.
Welcome to the family. Lets get started on our speeches, and of course, Go Gators!
~Colin Rawls
University of Florida Speech and Debate Individual Events Captain
2006-2007.
The University of Florida competes in all eleven AFA events. For a brief description of each of these, check out Speaking Like a Gator (PDF 202kb) by Elenore Klingler.
Acrobat Reader (for .pdf files)
Legs
Legs are required to become eligible to attend the American Forensics
Association's National Individual Events Tournament(AFA-NIET).
Legs are earned by finishing in the top 6 in an event at a tournament with at least 10 teams in attendance. (Note: no more than half the participants can earn legs, so if there are less than twelve competitors, a rank higher than 6 is necessary to earn a leg.) To qualify-at-large for the AFA-NIET, a competitor needs three legs that add up to no more than 8. For example, finishing first, second, and fourth in an event at three different tournaments would give you three legs with a cumulative total of 7; thus qualifying for AFA-NIET.
IE Humor
If you'd rather have humor than try and answer Extemp questions, why
not check out some Forensics Top Ten lists.
New Member Travel Rules
Much of learning what you are supposed to do can best be learned by
watching other competitors in your rounds. Therefore, we have imposed
different rules for new members wanting to travel to tournaments their
first semester on the team. The following chart illustrates the minimum
and maximum number of events that new members may compete in this
semester.
| Tournament | Minimum # of Events | Maximum # of Events |
| First Tournament | 3 | 3 |
| Remainder of First Semester | 3 | n/a |
| Second Semester | 3 | n/a |
All returning members are still required to compete in a minimum of three events with no limit to as to the number of events they compete in unless limited by specific tournament rules.
AFA Nationals Requirements
In order to attend AFA Nationals this year at team expense, a
competitor must qualify in at least three events at large. The 2007
National Tournament is being hosted by The Univeristy of Minnesota. A
student may also attend AFA Nationals if he/she has any events
qualified (either at large or via districts), and is willing to pay for
their travel and entry fees.
Practice Rules
Note: these rules only express the minimum practice required. As the
old maxim says, practice makes perfect. We can't guarantee you'll be
perfect if you practice more, but we'll certainly try to make you
better.
| First Tournament of the Year | Remaining Tournaments | |
| New Collegiate Competitors | Must practice all events for a coach or returning member. | Must practice worst event for a coach. |
| Returning Collegiate Competitors | Must practice 1 event for a coach. | Must practice worst event for a coach. |
Note: it is the competitor's responsibility to make arrangements for practice. Anyone failing to complete the minimum practice requirements for a tournament will not travel to that tournament.
Links
Please be sure to check out the Individual
Events Resources, available on our Links
page.
