Forensics team hosts tournament

First-year+forensics+students+look+through+scripts+for+material+to+use+as+pieces.+

First-year forensics students look through scripts for material to use as pieces.

Raven Fletcher, Business Manager

For most school activities, the Kansas High School Athletic Association sponsors games or meets, provides referees and determines location. However, forensics events are put on by the squads and involve political strategy, as well as fundraising. This year, the forensics squad held its annual tournament on Feb. 17 and 18.

The responsibility of running a tournament falls upon the students.

“There are a ton of different jobs from calculating scores, to keeping time, to giving judges and coaches food,” tournament director senior Maggie Wolf said.

KSHSAA does not regulate the tournament locations, oversee events or provide judges.

“The biggest challenge to hosting is always finding judges,” coach Timothy Leffert said. “Forensics is not like basketball, football or volleyball where the school pays KSHSAA referees to adjudicate what is happening.  We have to recruit parent and volunteer judges to come in and judge rounds for us.”

Tournaments play a big role in the forensics world. They are not only a fundraiser to help pay for entries at other tournaments, but they also can provide leverage for gaining more entries at other schools.

“We are able to get more entries and thus more kids are able to compete if we can trade entries with other schools, and this requires us to host our own tournament,” Leffert said.

For example, if the Piper tournament allows 10 poetry entries per school, but Lawrence needs 16, then a deal can be made to allow Piper to have six extra entries at the Lawrence tournament. This allows more students to participate at tournaments, which creates more opportunity for them to state qualify.

This year, Piper hosted a Friday tournament along with the usual Saturday tournament. This opens up opportunities for more favors and more fundraising.

“We host Friday night events because we attend Friday night events at other schools and forensics is big on reciprocity,” Leffert said.

Hosting a tournament can be a lot of work, but students said that it is a rewarding experience.

“Although hosting is stressful, it’s nice to see the other side of forensics,” senior Anissa Brantley said. “Understanding the struggles of the coaches and seeing how much the judges do for performers is very enlightening and eye-opening.”