FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Please check the PHSSL bylaws for all of the official rules about each event. Bylaws can be found under the Membership tab on this website.

Speech events include:
-Commentary – Students are given a limited amount of time to prepare a five-minute speech on a topic from current events, history, or pop culture, citing evidence and expressing opinions.
-Dramatic Interp – .Competitors perform a literary cutting from a play, focusing on developing distinct characters and emotional expression from memory.
-Duo Interp – Two competitors perform a scene from a play or story, either dramatically or humorously, relying on their acting and movement to create a scene
-Extemporaneous Speaking – After receiving a prompt about a current event, a competitor has a limited amount of time to prepare and deliver a seven-minute speech explaining the topic.
-Humorous Interp-   Similar to DI, but the material is comedic, showcasing lighthearted or funny aspects through characterization. 
-Impromptu – Students are given a short period to prepare and then deliver a speech from memory on a topic they have just been given. 
-Informative – The goal is to inform the audience about a topic of choice, structured logically, often with the support of visual aids. 
-News Broadcasting – A competitive event where participants create and present a simulated news program, showcasing their journalism, writing, and presentation skills.
-Persuasive – A form of communication where a speaker aims to convince an audience to accept their point of view, agree with a belief, or take a specific action.
-Poetry – Competitors present a selection of poetry, using vocal technique and emotional connection to interpret the poem’s meaning. 
-Programmed Interp – This event allows students to combine excerpts from different forms of literature—like poetry, prose, and drama—into one cohesive program. 
-Prose – Competitors perform from memory a single piece of literature that is not a play or poetry, such as a story or novel excerpt. 
-Storytelling – A performance of a pre-written story, emphasizing engaging narration and characterization to capture the audience’s imagination. 

Debate events include:
-Congress – A simulation of the U.S. legislative process where students debate and vote on bills and resolutions they have prepared
-Extemporaneous Debate – A fast-paced debate event where competitors have limited preparation time to prepare for a topic and then present their arguments in a one-on-one format. 
-Lincoln Douglas – A one-on-one debate that focuses on philosophical and ethical topics, emphasizing argumentation and strategic persuasion. 
-Parliamentary Debate – Parliamentary debate is an extemporaneous and formal style of debate where teams argue for and against a resolution, using rhetorical skill and logical analysis rather than pre-prepared evidence.
-Policy Debate – A two-person team proposes a plan to enact a policy change and the opposing team argues against it, all based on a single topic for the entire year.
-Public Forum – A debate format that focuses on current events, with two teams of two students arguing for or against a resolution topic. 

To register for PHSSL, go to either the Home or the Membership tab of this website. 

On the home tab, scroll down to the registration steps.
On the Membership tab, go to the Docs and Forms dropdown, the scroll down to the Forms table.

You will want to complete the online membership registration form, download a dues invoice for your business department, and download (or forward) the insurance statement for your business department. The insurance form will need to be uploaded to the PHSSL site.

Every school that registers with PHSSL and pays its yearly dues is entitled to participate in their district qualifiers in order to send students to the State Tournament, held in mid-March at the Bloomsburg campus of Commonwealth University.

Schools that are fully registered can enter several students to the State Tournament in non-qualifying events: extemporaneous debate, news broadcasting, impromptu speaking, storytelling, and congress.

In addition, some districts also include local competitions throughout the school year.

Students can qualify to the State Tournament in one of three ways:
-earn “bids” throughout the normal competition season
-participate in and rank among the top students at the District Qualifiers (usually held in January or February)
– register for the “non-qualifying” spots in categories like Congress (House), news broadcasting, impromptu speaking, storytelling or extemporaneous debate.

Details about each of these methods can be found in the PHSSL Bylaws under the Membership tab of this site.

If you are coming to the State Tournament you will need to make the arrangements for each of the following, including any costs that might be involved for each:

–  Registration for the tournament takes place through Tabroom.com and involves an entry fee for each student competing.
– Judges will need to be provided for students competing.  Tabroom.com will give you the number of judges needed when you register for the tournament.
– Transportation arrangements are the responsibility of each school coming to the tournament.  Arrangements should include travel to and from Bloomsburg and then transportation between your hotel and the university.
– Hotel arrangements are the responsibility of each school traveling to the tournament.
– Meals are offered for sale during tournament hours; details are sent out to member schools well in advance of the tournament.  Several restaurants are available in the area for meals outside of the tournament hours. 

Please note the “States” tab on this website for examples of a tournament schedule, a map of the university, hotel accommodations, and other tournament related concerns.

PHSSL uses the topics provided by the National Speech and Debate Association for Policy, Lincoln Douglas, and Public Forum debate.

Parliamentary and Extemporaneous Debate topics are only available at the start of each round of competition and are not published in advance.  Students and coaches now have the opportunity to provide suggestions for topics for these two events.  To do so, please check the Membership tab on this website, then use the Docs and Forms drop down.

Extemporaneous Speaking and Commentary topic areas are announced in the fall and are posted on the Home page of this website.

Impromptu topics are not available in advance. 

Yes, there are several sorts of deadlines that exist in PHSSL.

Registration with the league: December 1, using the online registration form. Dues must be submitted by that date, using the invoice available under the Home and/or the Membership tabs. 

Congress legislation: Students and coaches may submit legislation for consideration for use at the State Tournament from September 1 through February 25. Legislation will be collected online.

Parliamentary and Extemp Debate: Students and coaches may submit topics for consideration for use at the State Tournament from September 1 through February 25. Topics will be collected online.

All District Tournaments must be completed by the last Saturday in February.

Registration for the State Tournament varies depending on the date of the tournament, but schools should plan on registering for competition at least two weeks in advance. 

No! – A team can do as many or as few of the competition events as it would like. 

There are quotas for participating in District Qualifiers and the State Tournament, but a school can choose to do as many or as few of the offered events as they would like.

Schools start their competitions whenever they can fit into their local competition calendar and compete in as many tournaments as they would like.

However, PHSSL dues are due by December 1.

And PHSSL District Qualifiers tend to run in late January through the end of February – depending on the district to which you are assigned.
The State Tournament has been in mid-March in recent years.  If your school competes after the State Tournament is a choice that you make.

There is no set number for any team!  That is your decision, based on the amount of interest in your school and based on the support that you will receive from your administration.

Some teams only have one or two members; others have between 150-200! 

In addition to the Executive Director, the Site Director, and the State Secretary, individuals with questions or concerns can contact members of the Executive Board, found under the About tab of this website.

The About tab also lists District Chairs for each geographical region of the state. Schools can find the district to which they belong by looking at the District Map under the Membership tab of this website.

The email submission form under the Contact tab is sent to the PHSSL account and will be directed to the appropriate person who can answer questions that might not be included in this FAQ section.

Yes, there are two leagues that sponsor local competition that leads to competition on the national level.

The National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) was formerly called the National Forensic League (NFL).  Schools that are members participate in a district qualifier that determines which schools will advance to national competition in June of any academic year.  

In addition, the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) offers a national level of competition over the Memorial Day weekend. To qualify to the NCFL Grand National Tournament, schools participate in their local diocesan competitions.  Membership in this league is not limited to Catholic schools.

Information about both of the above can be found on their websites.