League Policies

1. In any competitive event, boundaries must exist in order to create a level playing field. These are rules that are in place to avoid a competitive advantage of any competitor over another. A confirmed violation of these rules will result in a penalty.

   1. A pre-show is not permitted. A pre-show refers to rehearsed blocking, synchronized movement, or additional performance prior to the beginning of the timed speech.
   2. Only feet are permitted to intentionally touch the floor at any time.
   3. Gymnastics are not permitted. Gymnastics include acrobatic-type blocking such as flips, cartwheels, leaping over people or objects, etc.
   4. Costumes are not permitted. Costumes include any item(s) worn in addition to the competitor’s tournament attire.
   5. Visual aids are not permitted. Visual aids are items used to enhance the speech. In an online tournament, this also includes green screens, virtual backgrounds, or on-screen text.
   6. Competitors must present their speeches center stage (or within the camera frame for online tournaments) and must not infringe on the judges’ table or personal space.
   7. Requesting verbal or physical participation (e.g., raising hand, clapping, verbal responses, closing eyes) from audience members, including judges, is not permitted.
   8. In online tournaments:
      1. Other individuals may be present during the speech but must not be intentionally visible on screen.
      2. A single, stationary camera must be used (i.e., no zooming or
         panning is permitted).
      3. Only audio presented live from the competitor is permitted (i.e., audio that is computer-generated, recorded, generated by a third-party, etc. is not permitted).
   9. Competitors must prepare for and speak on one of the two topic options assigned to them. The topic must be stated during the speech.
   10. Shared club file boxes must have a label affixed to the outside that includes all names of both the club(s) and individual competitors who have permission to use the box for that tournament.
   11. A single 3” x 5” notecard, provided by the competitor, must be prepared during preparation time for use during the speech and must document verifiable support for analysis.
   12. During preparation time, a competitor may access published material (e.g., articles, books, magazines, newspapers), which has been previously printed, downloaded, or stored offline via cloud-based files.
   13. During preparation time, a competitor must not access:
       1. the internet.
       2. help, advice, or information about the topic from another person.
       3. previously prepared notes or analysis, including debate briefs or speech outlines.
   14. At in-person tournaments, a device must only be used by the competitor who brings it into the Extemp Prep Room.
   15. Any additional notes taken during preparation time on other paper or on an electronic device must not be accessed during the delivery of the speech.
   16. During the delivery of the speech, the prepared notecard must be held.
       1. At in-person tournaments, the topic card may also be held, but no other written or printed materials may be held.
       2. In online tournaments, no other written or printed materials may be held.
   17. The competitor must retain the required notecard held in the speech until the end of the tournament.
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