Community Judges 2023

Community Judge registration opens up on Tuesday, March 28

We are grateful for your willingness to participate in the Grand Canyon Challenge II Speech & Debate Tournament as a Community Judge!

Your service is greatly appreciated and your registration below will help the tournament run smoothly and help make your experience a good one. If you have any questions prior to the tournament, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or call Trish at (480) 521-1526.

Here is a PowerPoint presentation that will give you a little more information about Stoa and the what to expect at the tournament.

3.-what-to-expect-when-judging-at-a-tournament-powerpoint-presentation.ppsx

Reminder on Community Judge Qualifications

  • Judges must be at least 18 years or older, graduated from high school, and no longer competing in any junior or high school speech and debate tournaments or leagues.
  • Judges may be friends or co-workers of a competitor's parents, extended family members, former competitors who have graduated from high school, neighbors, or anyone from the community who is willing to serve.

Registration Information

  • Please click on the "JUDGE REGISTRATION" tab at the top of the page and follow the prompts.
  • PLEASE KNOW THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO JUDGE CONSECUTIVE ROUNDS. With that in mind, and if you are available to judge more than one round on a given day, please make sure they are not consecutive rounds. You will need the time between rounds to fill out your ballots.
  • Please indicate on the Judge Registration if a competitor has invited you by typing the competitor’s name in the “Conflict” box. This will help Tournament staff maintain integrity and fairness in the judging as much as possible.

Directions and Parking

This speech tournament will be held at:
Park University
92 W. Vaughn
Gilbert, AZ 85234

GOOGLE MAP DIRECTIONS
[CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS]

Arrival, Check-In and Orientation

  • Judge Orientation and Training Sessions take place 30 minutes before your scheduled round so please arrive at the Tournament location at least 35 minutes before you are scheduled to judge.
  • Proceed to Community Judge Check-In (location will be provided at time of arrival)
  • Once you have checked-in, you will then be directed to the Judges Orientation room for your Judge Orientation and Training Session.
  • The round should take approximately 90 minutes to complete.
  • After the round, please allow 30-45 minutes to fill out your ballot(s) in the Ballot Return Area and enjoy refreshments prepared for you. Your feedback to our young speakers is invaluable.
  • From start to finish, including Judge's Orientation, it takes approximately 2.5 to 3 hours to complete this process.
  • Due to time constraints, it may not be feasible to judge 2 speech rounds consecutively. Judging every other round, however, is easily done.

Terminology Notes

  • "Pattern A" = speeches in the following events -- Mars Hill Impromptu, Open Interp, Duo Interp, Impromptu, Persuasive
  • "Pattern B" = speeches in the following events -- Apologetics, Dramatic Interp, Humorous Interp, Extemporaneous, Original Oratory, Expository

Information about each speech event can be found here: http://www.stoausa.org/speech-events

Preview and Getting a Head Start

  • Judges Orientation and Training is required for all of our Community Judges because we believe it is the best way for you to learn about our speech competition and how to be a good judge for this competition. Any questions you might have will be answered at the Orientation.
  • We do, however, understand that you may want to learn on your own as well. You may do so by going to the Stoa USA website or clicking on the following link: https://vimeo.com/showcase/4996205

Thank you again, for your support and willingness to judge! Your involvement is so important!