THE NATIONAL FORENSICS LEAGUE

AND YOU

For use by Valley High SchoolLas Vegas, NV

Introduction

The National Forensics League is the national organization of forensics chapters.

It is comprised of every high school forensics team in the country

It holds the National Tournament each summer for those who have qualified by doing well at the District Tournament

Points System

Every time a student competes, the secretary must put in how well a student did into the NFL website

The NFL uses a formula for assigning you a certain amount of points per event per tournament based upon how many rounds you did, how well you did, and what type of events you did

Earned in separate categories: Speech, Debate, Congress, Service, Districts, Nationals

Formula to determine points

PF, LD, and Policy 6 points for each round won, 3 points for each

round lost Congress

Each speech given is awarded a rank from 1 to 8 by the judge. These ranks are added together and entered

NFL Main Speech Events (Extemp, OO, Interp): Determined by room rank:

Formula to determine points

Determined by your room ranking for each round

NFL Main Speech Events (Extemp, OO, Interp): Rank of 1st is 6 points, 2nd is 5 points, 3rd is 4

points, and so on Secondary Events (Impromptu, OD,

Expos, Prose, Etc.) Rank of 1st is 5 points, 2nd is 4 points, 3rd is 3

points, and so on

Service Points

Valley Forensics Team gives opportunities to earn service points throughout the year by judging at middle school tournaments

Judging at the middle school tournament is 10 service points

Points can also be earned by doing a speech in front of a crowd of at least 25 adults, etc. Ask for a form to submit service opportunities Ex: Sun Youth Forum, Speech about magnet

programs, being an MC, Storytelling to a big group, etc.

Degrees

As more points are entered in as you compete in more tournaments, you start to earn more advanced degrees as you earn a certain amount of points

When you reach 25 points, you are officially considered a member of the NFL and receive the Degree of Merit. We are charged with a membership fee, and you are sent a certificate (handed out at the end of the year)

Advanced Degree

As you compete in more tournaments, you are eligible for even more advanced degrees as you attain a certain amount of points

Degree of Honor is given at 75 points Degree of Excellence is given at 150 points Degree of Distinction is given at 250 points Special Distinction given at 500 points Superior Distinction given at 750 points Outstanding Distinction given at 1000 points Premier Distinction given at 1500 points

Benefits of Advanced Degrees

Each new degree comes with a special seal that is placed upon your NFL Certificate to indicate your degree

Advanced degrees allow for a way to compare the forensics activities between two students

The more advanced degrees we have, the higher our chapter strength is, and thus we can send more people to Districts and Districts Congress

Tips on Getting More NFL Points

Even though you do get more points by doing well, competing itself will get you a lot more points than not competing at all. Thus, more participation is the way to get more points

Go to as many tournaments as possible, do as best as you can, and prepare for more than one IE at IE tournaments. Remember that the NFL main IE events will earn more points than the supplemental events

Some Things to Remember

Don’t get too competitive or focused on your NFL points! Focus on getting the most out of your experience through learning and self improvement, not by obsessing over points

Don’t compete with others over NFL points. Some events are easier than others in getting more NFL points.

Don’t compare yourself with varsity or JV members; they are obviously more experienced, so they have more points

Remember…

Be patient with NFL points; getting more points requires time and effort and won’t happen over night

Even if you end up not getting a lot of NFL points, at the end of the day the most important thing is that you had a wonderful experienced and did the best you can

If you have any questions ask Ms Torres or your secretaries (Justin and Jessica)

Sample NFL Certificate with Seals