2025 Silicon Valley Speech Tournament

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:6

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, February 1, 2025
• Location: Crosswalk Community Church, 445 S Mary Ave, Sunnyvale, CA
• Parking:
  • Use this Google map link for parking at the lot on Valencia Ave.
  • Please note: The parking lot does not have enough spaces for both community judges and parents.
  • After judge check-in and ballot push, we request that at least 1/2 of the parents move their cars to nearby streets to make room for community judges.
• This is a qualifying Stoa speech tournament, hosted by Legacy Speech Club. All competitors must meet Stoa Eligibility Rules and be members of Stoa.

Student Lounge:

There will be outdoor and indoor areas available for the student lounge. Please bring awnings and camping chairs for an outdoor hangout space!

Students will speak to Community and Alumni Judges:

We are actively recruiting around 100 community judges so that students have the chance to make an impact on people outside of the Stoa community. We want the tournament to run on time so that these valued volunteers aren't waiting around for rounds to start.

Please invite anyone who can serve as a judge! Judges can sign up by clicking "Community and Alumni Judges" on this website or go here: https://stoahub.org/tournament/silicon-valley-speech-tournament-2025/communityjudgeregistration 

Please help our tournament run on time!

Students

• Check in with a parent or responsible adult who will judge: 7-7:25 am. After 7:25 am, students risk forfeiting the first round. If you are going to be late or need to drop last minute, please text Sarah Hong at this number: (650) 996-8721‬
• Get to your rooms and deliver your speeches promptly to avoid delays and keep rounds running efficiently! Don't keep judges waiting.

Parents: 

• Come to Ballot Push 40 minutes before rounds start, and be ready to judge at least 3 rounds! Your availability will help us start rounds on time.
• Please wait at Ballot Push, because we will prioritize giving ballots to Community Judges first. We will especially need parents for the first round and final round, when there will be fewer community judges.

Patterns

• Students are responsible for getting to events on time. Judges will not wait more than 10 minutes for the last speech in the room. 

Pattern A (updated 1/9)

• Extemporaneous
• Humorous Interpretation
• Mars Hill
• Original Oratory
• Slam Poetry

Pattern B (updated 1/9)

• Duo Interpretation
• Expository
• Open Interpretation
• Persuasive
• Apologetics
• Dramatic Interpretation

Note: Impromptu will not be offered. 

Registration has closed.

• Fees: $30 per speech event
  
  • Beginning Jan. 14 at 9 am, late fees of $10 for late registration payments
  • Beginning Jan. 14 at 9 am, a fee of $20 if an event is dropped, and there will be no refunds for drops.
  • No refunds starting Jan. 14 at 9 am.

Questions?

• Registration questions: legacyregistrar@gmail.com.
• Script submission questions: script.siliconvalley@gmail.com
• Community judge questions: judges.sv@legacyspeechclub.com
• Other questions: tournament@legacyspeechclub.com.
  For last minute drops or late arrivals, text Sarah Hong at (650) 996-8721‬

Thank you!
Silicon Valley Speech Tournament Team