Community Judge registration will open at 12:00 pm Sun 12/15/2024 (Pacific)
Tournament Status will update to Open at 9:00 am Wed 01/01/2025 (Pacific)
Tournament Status will update to Drops only at 3:00 pm Wed 01/08/2025 (Pacific)
Late fee will be applied at 10:55 am Wed 01/15/2025 (Pacific)
Tournament Status will update to Closed at 6:45 am Sat 01/18/2025 (Pacific)
Meal registration will close at 5:00 pm Thu 01/23/2025 (Pacific)
Community Judge registration will close at 10:00 pm Sat 02/08/2025 (Pacific)
Setup:
This status is used while the tournament is still being setup.
Open:
This status means tournament registration is open. Families can register for the tournament.
Drops Only:
This status means only registration drops are allowed. There are no new entries allowed but families can drop entries.
Closed:
This status means registration is currently closed for the tournament. There are no adds or drops allowed. Please contact the tournament director with any questions.
Completed:
This status means the tournament is completed.
Parents
PARENTS:
You will need to check in at the same time as your student. After confirming that both competitor and parent judge are present, the student will be able to compete. You are the lifeblood of the tournament! Your presence on campus and willingness to take ballots is essential. Check with Ballot Push 45 minutes before rounds to take ballots.
TO ALL PARENTS OF COMPETITORS:
We ask that you please review and abide by the following:
Every competitor must be accompanied by a parent.
Your student will not be able to check-in at the tournament without an accompanying parent.
All parents are expected to judge.
You will need to register as a judge before completing your student registration.
For each speech event that your student(s) are registered in, you must judge at least every other round.
Judge Orientation will be offered 45 minutes before each round. All parents must report to Ballot Push 30 minutes prior to each debate round to assure that all judging slots are filled. In truth, parent judges are needed every round of the tournament, especially during this busy time of year where we may not have as many community judges available. Your willingness to judge helps to ensure the tournament runs on schedule.
Thank you for your commitment to these students. We hope that you have a great tournament!
PLEASE NOTE:
Each registered family needs to have a parent judging for them. If you can not attend the entire tournament with your student, please do not register. Thank you for your understanding and efforts to make this tournament successful.
INVITE A FRIEND:
Speech and Debate is one of the best kept secrets in the home school community, and a tournament is an excellent opportunity to introduce other families to this special community. Please invite at least one family to help judge and experience this amazing training ground for public speaking and critical thinking.
Registration Opens: Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 9:00 AM PST Registration Closes: Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 3:00 PM PST
FEES
$45 for debate event
$35 for the first speech event.
$25 for each additional speech event
A Student may register for a maximum of 6 events/ 3 per pattern. We recommend you only sign up for three events per pattern. Please use discretion when signing up for events and only register for the number that you feel confident you can handle during a round of 1 hour and 45 minutes. We are unable to let the tournament get delayed or behind if someone comes late to their last speech in a round.
Payment is due at the time of registration.
REGISTRATION IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL PAYMENT IS RECEIVED
REFUNDS
January 1 - January 17 ~
REFUNDS AVAILABLE
January 18– January 31 ~
NO REFUNDS & DROP FEE OF $20 PER EVENT
February 1 - February 6 (On Site) ~
NO REFUNDS & DROP FEE OF $30 PER EVENT
DROP FEE OF $30 PER EVENT
In order to be eligible to compete in your other events, drop fees must be paid prior to the tournament. There will be a $30 fee for ANY event that is dropped at on-site student check-in. In order to be eligible to compete in your other events, this fee must be paid in cash at student check-in before the tournament begins.
DUOS: Your duo partner must also be registered and paid to confirm that you are registered in the duo event.
THINK TWICE - REGISTER ONCE:
What do we mean? Once you register, please do NOT drop an event. Consider carefully before registering for events – do I have time to prepare for all the events I am registering for?
Registration is a commitment to compete.
It creates a great deal of work for volunteer staff running registration.
It creates a serious disruption for the tournament
Tabulation has to redo the postings
Trophies and awards are disrupted
It can create cost waste because it affects the awards order
It can create a situation where we do not have the minimum number of competitors which causes us to cancel an event.
NOTIFY REGISTRAR
of any event drops after registration closes and prior to the tournament day. Tournament directors have the option to incorporate a policy where registration fees are not returned.
DROPPING AN EVENT:
Dropped events will incur a $30 fee PER EVENT payable (IN CASH ONLY) at check-in!
First speech event $35 Each additional speech event $25
Limited Prep Apologetics Extemporaneous Impromptu Mars Hill
Interpretive Dramatic Interp Duo Interp Humorous Interp Open Interp
Platform Original Oratory Persuasive Expository
Wild Card Slam Poetry
Apologetics and Mars Hill Topics
For apologetics and Mars Hill, students should prepare for all categories. Because the Inland Empire Challenge occurs in the spring, we try to use competition conditions more similar to NITOC. At NITOC, of course, students must prepare for all topics, so we do the same.
Opens: Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 9:00 AM Closes: Saturday, February 1, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Direct questions regarding script submission to:
More details to follow soon with a link for script uploading.
PREVIOUSLY APPROVED SCIRPTS:
Scirpts that have NOT been changed and were approved by the tournaments listed below are PRE-APPROVED by Inland Empire Challenge. Scirpts and approval letter must be submitted through script submission link.
The Christmas Colloquium
The Desert Gem
The Stoa website has provided detailed information here
The deadline for ALL electronic script submission is
Saturday, February 1st at 9:00 PM.
ALL scripts must be submitted by this date.
No scripts will be accepted after this date.
The tournament will NOT receive late scripts. A script that is submitted after Saturday, February 1st at 9:00 PM deadline may be considered for review if there are extenuating circumstances and there has been communication with the script submission team. If reviewed and accepted, a $50 late fee will apply, payable by CASH at Student Check-In.
Script Submission
SCRIPT SUBMISSION
Opens: Sunday, January 26 at 9:00 AM Closes: Saturday, February 1 at 9:00 PM
INLAND EMPIRE CHALLENGE script submission is 100% Electronic.
Any competitor(s) entered in the following events must submit scripts for approval:
Interpretive Speeches (4): Dramatic, Duo, Humorous, Open
Platform Speeches (3): Expository, Original Oratory, Persuasive
Wild Card Speech (1): Slam Poetry
The Stoa website has provided detailed information at:
ALL electronic scripts MUST be submitted by SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1st at 9:00 PM. All scripts must be submitted by this date. No script submissions will be accepted after this date.
The tournament will NOT receive late scripts. A script that is submitted after Saterday, February 1st deadline may be considered for review if there are extenuating circumstances and there has been communication with the script submission team. If reviewed and accepted, a
$50 late fee will apply, payable by CASH at Student Check-In.
Upload your completed script submission materials toSUBMIT HERE
After script approval, you will print your approval email, attach it to your complete script package, and then bring them both to the tournament. You will not turn in your script but have it available if requested by the tournament staff.
Details & Instructions:
1. Submission form
a. Read page 1
b. Fill out page 2 actual submission form submit only page 2 INITIAL and sign where indicated. Electronic signatures are acceptable.
2. Name files correctly. 2 for platforms, 3 for interps
a. DO NOT combine more than one speech in a document.
b. Only PDF format will be accepted
c. Combine all documents (submission form and script ) into one file.
d. Name the file appropriately. The file name should be as follows: Last, first, event type, document type
Examples:
Jones, Jon OI
Potts, Mary, OO
3. For Platform speeches, be sure to cite sources, both in-text and orally, and include a Citation page.
4. For Expository speeches, cite graphic sources separately.
5. Do not submit incomplete or partial submissions.
6. Please double-check the guidance and rules for each event on the Stoa website. All submissions are expected to be in compliance with the Stoa rules.
7. If your initial script submission needs to be changed or is incomplete, we will tell you what it needs to be approved. When you resubmit your script, it will be treated as a new submission.
8. You will be sent an email notifying you if your script submission has been approved or unapproved. Print and save your approved script email – attach it to your script and bring them both to the tournament.
IMPORTANT: Once your script is approved only minor changes are allowed prior to the tournament.
For any questions regarding script submission contact
Do you have an internet filter? Stoa has found that some internet filters, such as NetNanny, may conflict with JotForm. If you encounter any issues, you may need to disable your filter while uploading the files. If you encounter recurring issues, please contact us immediately so we can make alternate arrangements. Technical difficulties are not an excuse for late submissions.
If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledging a successful upload within 3 days, then please follow-up with an email to
Tournament Time