The CVFL Constitution
By-Laws of the Capitol Valley Forensic League
Article I: Finance
Section 1: Assessments and Fees
A. School assessments: All schools shall pay $150 per year for CVFL membership.
1. Invoices shall be sent by CVFL in September.
2. Upon receipt of the official invoice from CVFL each school shall mail its payment to the Treasurer whose address shall be found on the form.
3. All checks shall be made payable to CVFL.
4. November 1st of each year shall be the deadline for payment. A late fee of $50 shall be assessed for payment after November 1st.
B. Tournament Fees: Contestant schools in a CVFL Tournament shall pay fees as outlined below.
1. All entry fees for regular tournaments for the league schedule shall be $6 per person per event.
2. Entry fees for any two day tournament (eg: qualifying tournaments) shall be $10 per person per event.
3. All tournament entry fees before January first of any year must be paid by January 10th in order to compete in future tournaments. Failure to comply will result in delinquent status.
C. Judging Quota: Each school entering a tournament shall be required to provide one
judge per every four entries. Failure to do this will result in the drop of competitors who are entered beyond the quota of judges present at the beginning of the tournament. This provision may not be waived by payment of a fine.
D. Judges Food Reimbursement
1. Host schools will be reimbursed no more than $450 for judge’s food expenses.
E. Delinquent Payments:
1. Schools whose assessments and/or entry fees are delinquent forfeit CVFL Privileges including:
i. Eligibility of qualified contestants for a tournament
ii. Eligibility for entrance in State Qualifying Contests.
2. No school shall be admitted to a State Qualifying Contest unless that schools
CVFL and CHSSA yearly assessment including all delinquent fees has been paid
on or before each tournament or two weeks prior to the state qualifying contest.
3. The Executive Committee shall enforce the above.
F. Joint membership in NFL.
The CVFL treasurer is authorized to collect a $25 local assessment fee on behalf of the Capital Valley District of the National Forensic League. This is not the NFL membership fee.
Financial Assistance
Funds shall be set aside annually after review of the CVFL budget.
Applications can be submitted for use towards the State and National tournaments.
Funds shall be applied to entry fees, travel, and lodging only.
The Scholarship Committee shall be responsible for application review and distribution of funds.
Section 2: Financial Management
A. All checks shall be received by the CVFL treasurer.
B. All funds shall be disbursed and accounted for by the treasurer.
1. Funds shall be disbursed according to the annual budget.
2. At the direction of the President, emergency or unexpected expense
disbursements may be made subject to the Council approval at the next regular
meeting of the Council.
3. The treasurer shall receive budget requests until August 15 and shall submit a budget for Council approval at the September meeting.
C. All CVFL funds shall be used for CVFL activities including tournament and operating expenses.
D. Authorized travel on CVFL business at the direction of the Council which shall be
otherwise uncompensated, shall be compensated as follows:
1. Travel by private auto shall be compensated at the IRS standard business mileage rates.
2. Travel by public transportation shall be compensated by the actual fare.
3. Other necessary expenditures such as hotel and meal cost shall be compensated.
E. The expenses of the office incurred by the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and
Treasurer shall be reimbursed by the Treasurer from the general funds. These
expenses include travel, lodging, meals, postage, telephone calls, printing and other
incidental costs resulting from the conduct of official CVFL business. Receipts for all
expenses must be submitted to the Treasurer prior to reimbursement
Article II: Elections
Section 1: The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected from among the members of the CVFL Council at a meeting held during the summer meeting before the first tournament of the league season. They may be elected for more than one term.
Article III: Duties
Section 1: President
Shall preside at all meetings of the CVFL and the Council.
Shall be responsible for the general supervision of the TAB Room during all tournaments.
Shall be responsible for the presenting of awards at the end of each tournament.
Shall represent the CVFL in all professional relationships.
Shall conduct a general meeting of the CVFL for all member coaches
between the last State Quals Tournament and the beginning of the fall term. This meeting should be conducted when a majority of coaches can attend. This meeting shall include the setting of the calendar for the following year.
Shall notify coaches of all member schools in writing of By-law changes which effect student eligibility for the State Qualification Tournament. Notification shall be by December 1 of the year the rule takes effect.
Shall be responsible for the review of all scripts submitted for the CHSSA Qualification Tournament.
Shall complete any other tasks or duties of a special nature as directed by the Council.
Section 2: Vice-President
Shall serve as co-coordinator of forensic activities. The primary responsibility shall be to conduct league tournaments through the following:
1.Acting as the official host in co-ordination with the coach of the host school
2.Managing online invitation, registration, and results of all tournaments
3.Appointing any/all personnel needed for the operation of the tournament
4.Duplication and delivery of all ballot material for each tournament
5.Assisting the President in presenting the awards at the end of each tournament.
Shall assume the tasks of the President when so directed either by the President or a vote of a simple majority of the Council.
Shall attend all meetings of the Council.
Shall complete other duties and tasks of a special nature as directed by either the President or by the CVFL Council.
Section 3: Treasurer
A. Shall be the administrator of the CVFL funds according to the Constitution and By-
laws or by the direction of the Council, including the following:
1. Collection of assessments from member schools, maintaining accurate records of payments of assessments by member schools
2. Collecting and recording all associate membership
3. Collecting all tournament fees
4. Maintaining an accurate record of all CVFL income and expenses
5. Maintaining CVFL bank accounts
6. Paying all CVFL expenses and maintaining all receipts on file
7. Maintaining and filing all tax returns, forms, account records as may be required by state and federal governments
8. Presenting CVFL with financial statements and a budget reports as required
9. Providing for official assessment accounting in the December meeting of the Council for use in the allocation of qualifiers
10. Submitting all records and accounts to the President at the conclusion of the Treasurer’s term of office
B. Shall attend all of the meetings of the Council.
C. Shall complete other tasks or duties of a special nature as directed either by the
President or the Council
Section 4: Secretary
The primary duty of the secretary shall be to record and distribute the minutes of the meetings of the Council including the following:
Distributing minutes to coaches within two weeks following the meeting
Maintaining a file of the minutes of all past CVFL meetings, which shall be submitted to the President at the conclusion of the Secretary’s term of service
Calling roll at the Council meetings and recording the official proxy of members not in attendance
Providing a roster of members which should include both home and school mailing address and telephone numbers
Providing extra copies of the minutes of the preceding meeting for Council members
B. Shall attend all meetings of the Council
C. Shall complete other tasks or duties of a special nature as directed either by the
President or by the Council
Article IV: Tournament Guidelines
Section 1: During the preliminary season the league will alternate between debate tournaments and A/B speech tournaments, offering three of each.
A panel events include:
Original Oratory, Expository, Humorous Interpretation, Thematic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, and Impromptu
B panel events include:
Original Advocacy, Original Prose Poetry, Oratorical Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, and Extemporaneous
Debate events include:
Policy, Parliamentary, Public Forum, Lincoln Douglass, and Congress.
Debate Topics
Policy and Public Forum shall follow the topics as designated by the NFL and announced on www.speechanddebate.org
Lincoln Douglas shall use the September/October NFL topic announced August 15th during preliminary tournaments and the March/April topic announced February 1st during qualifiers
Parliamentary will change at each tournament and shall include topics of policy, value, and fact.
Congress topics will be released two weeks before the tournament date.
Section 2: Student participation
All students who are ninth through twelfth grade must be enrolled in and attending a member school and be in compliance with CHSSA eligibility requirements to attend league tournaments.
Students must participate in one “like” event in a league tournament in the
current school year in order to participate in the State Qualifier. Like events are defined as:
1. Interpretative events (humorous, thematic, dramatic, oratorical, duo)
2. Original events (original oratory, original advocacy, original prose/poetry, expository)
3. Spontaneous events (National Extemporaneous, International Extemporaneous, Impromptu)
4. Debate (Policy/team, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Parliamentary, Congress)
i. Congress Presiding Officers must have competed as a Presiding Officer in the current year at a league tournament.
A coach may appeal these requirements, in writing to the Executive Committee.
Section 3: Novice-Varsity Designation
Individual events
Novice competitors include any students who have not competed in finals
All competitors who have competed in finals in a field of seven or fewer retain novice eligibility in the event.
The exception will be when an event is “collapsed” and the novice & varsity compete in an open division.
Varsity competitors include all students who have previously competed in finals in a like event with more than 7 competitors.
Debate
Students shall be eligible to compete in Novice division in any debate event until they have been undefeated in any two debate events.
Students must compete in Varsity division after they have been undefeated at two tournaments in any debate event.
Congress shall have no novice divisions.
Participation in a qualifying tournament will make the student varsity if they advance to the final round.
All non-qualifying tournaments shall offer both Varsity and Novice divisions
Section 4: The officially designated coach of a team must be present for the team to compete in any league tournament.
A. Said designation to be in writing and approved by the school administration. The
coach may be an administration-appointed parent rather than a district employee.
B. A coach from a school within the same district may supervise another school’s team,
provided that both schools agree in writing prior to the beginning of the tournament
and the CVFL President is notified of such arrangements
Section 5: Individual Event rules shall follow the guidelines provided in the CHSSA By-Laws, Article IX except in circumstances listed below:
A. Impromptu final round topics shall be allowed to include items not defined in the CHSSA By-Laws including but not limited to: images, comics, acronyms, or others approved by the executive council.
Section 6: Individual Event Tabulation shall follow the CHSSA By-Laws as closely as is practicable for CVFL
Non-qualifying tournaments shall only have 3 total rounds with the preliminary rounds randomly paneled.
B. A student who does not show up for a round shall be considered a No Show for that round. A No Show may continue competition for practice with the approval of the President but shall not be ranked with other active contestants as is practical for CVFL.
Section 7: Debate Rules shall follow the guidelines established by the CHSSA Constitution By-Laws, Article XI.
Section 8: Debate Tabulation.
Non-qualifying tournaments
The first two rounds should be randomly paired avoiding school-school conflict
Round three pairing shall be power matched based on the results from round 1
Round four pairing shall be power matched based on rounds 1 and 2.
All rounds will be single judged.
Qualifying Tournaments shall follow the guidelines as established in the CHSSA By-Laws, Article XII.
Debate teams who have been undefeated all season will not meet in the first preliminary round of qualification.
Auto qualification shall occur when a varsity debate competitor or team goes undefeated in the same debate event at all preliminary league tournaments.
An auto qualifier shall not participate in the State debate qualifying tournament.
Section 9: Congress Rules shall follow the guidelines as established in the CHSSA
By-Laws, Article XIII.
Section 10: NFL Qualifiers shall follow NFL Tournament Guidelines, rather than CHSSA rules.
Article V: Tournament Administration
Section 1: General Administration
The Vice-President of CVFL and the host school coach shall act as tournament host
The Judicial Committee shall hear all protests and grievances at a tournament
1. Any grievance shall be presented to the committee in writing by the individual
filing the protest
2. The decision of the committee shall be rendered in writing.
3. In the event that the grievance shall be upheld, the committee has the power of
disqualification at any point in the tournament
4. The decision of the Judicial Committee is final
Section 2: Judges
In all individual events one judge shall be used in each panel of preliminary rounds. Three judges shall be used in the final rounds. No judge shall judge the same contestant twice in the same event. Inadvertent errors shall not negate a round.
In Debate one judge shall be used in all rounds with the exception of qualifying tournaments.
Congress shall have 2 judges in preliminary rounds and 3 judges in the final round.
Each member school is allowed one judging strike per tournament submitted confidentially to the league president.
Schools are required to provide judges one round past where their competitors drop.
All former competitors are required to be at least 1 full year out of high school before judging any league tournament.
Section 3: Awards
The Vice President of CVFL shall be responsible for ordering the awards.
Awards of descending size shall be awarded to the top three finalists in each Individual event.
Pins will be awarded to the 4th through 7th place in each Individual event. Further place medals may be given (up to one-third of the field) at the discretion of the President.
Awards will be given to the undefeated Debate teams.
Award recipients shall appear in tournament dress. Student not dressed appropriately will be asked to sit down; their coach may pick up their awards after the ceremony concludes.
The President’s Award shall be given to all 4 year competitors who have qualified for at least one CHSSA or NFL tournament.
CVFL All-League Award
Awarded to the top 7 competitors in the league as nominated and voted upon by the CVFL coaches
Nominations will be sent via email to the league secretary along with a 100 word or less reason for the nomination. Coaches may nominate no more than 3 competitors.
Voting shall commence online via www.surveymonkey.com with only one coach representing each school casting a total of 5 votes.
Winners shall be announced at the Individual Events State Qualifier.
CVFL Secretary will compile nominations and votes for delivery to the President as soon as voting closes.
Award given shall be named “Orator’s Cup”
Section 4: Registration
Coaches will send their registration to the Joy of Tournaments website thirty-six hours prior to the tournament.
All coaches will be responsible for taking care of their drops immediately upon arrival to the tournament. A drop less than 36 hours before the start of a tournament will still result in an entry fee for that contestant plus a $25 penalty.
Failure to register within 30 minutes prior to the beginning of a tournament may result in the drop of those students not registered.
No competitors will be added on the day of the tournament.
A novice student may enter only one IE event per panel. A varsity student may enter two IE events in any panel at the discretion of their coach.
In any team entry, if one of the partners is varsity, then the team is varsity.
When a participant reaches the varsity level in one event of a kind, they are to be considered varsity for all events of that type.
Section 5: Tabulation Rooms
The Tab Room is closed to all people not assigned to the operation of the tournament. Violation of this rule shall result in immediate disqualification of the student entering the Tab Room.
Section 6: Unauthorized video and/or audio-taping of any panel of events or debate is prohibited.
Note taking or “flowing of the case” during a debate round is prohibited by anyone other than a competitor in that round or a judge.
Article VI: Reasonable Accommodation Policy
Section 1: Definitions
The term disability means, with respect to an individual:
A mental or physical impairment which substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual;
A record of such impairment; or
Being regarded as having such an impairment.
The term major life activities means:
Functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
The term reasonable accommodation means:
A modification or adjustment to any policy or rule that enables a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy an equal opportunity to compete that is not a fundamental alteration of the activity.
Any competitor may request a reasonable accommodation if such an accommodation is necessary for the competitor to enjoy an equal opportunity to compete.
Each request for an accommodation shall be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The competitor, competitor’s coach and/or competitor’s parent will be involved in the process of determining potential reasonable accommodations.
Requests for reasonable accommodation shall specify the nature of the disability, the accommodation requested and the relationship between the disability and the requested accommodation. The competitor shall not be required to disclose a medical diagnosis. The CVFL has a Reasonable Accommodation Request Form which is recommended, but not required.
Requests for reasonable accommodation shall be made to the Capitol Valley Forensics League President. Requests made more than 10 days prior to a tournament will be decided prior to the beginning of that tournament.
The Capitol Valley Forensics League President, or his or her designee, may grant the accommodation, request verification or discuss alternatives to the requested accommodation with the competitor, competitor’s coach and/or competitor’s parent.
The league president may request verification of the nature of the disability and/or the relationship between the disability and requested accommodation. Factors to be considered before requesting verification include:
Is the competitors known to have a disability?
Does the competitor have an observable disability?
Does the request expand on an existing accommodation or previously provided accommodation for which verification was requested?
The league president may deny a reasonable accommodation request only if discussions with the competitor, competitor’s coach and/or competitor’s parent have failed to reach a mutually agreeable result. The league president may deny a requested accommodation if:
The competitor’s condition does not meet the definition of disability.
The competitor’s disability is not related to the requested accommodation.
The requested accommodation is a fundamental alteration of the activity.
The requested accommodation is an undue burden on the Capitol Valley Forensics League.
Any other reason allowed by the Americans with Disabilities Act or the California Unruh Civil Rights Act.
If a request for reasonable accommodation is denied, the competitor may appeal to the three person Capitol Valley Forensics League reasonable accommodation committee.
Section 3. Effect of granting reasonable accommodation
If an accommodation that changes the conduct of competition rounds is granted, notice of the accommodation shall be attached to each ballot for rounds affected by the accommodation. The notice shall state the accommodation and that the judge shall not consider the accommodation in deciding the round. CVFL has a reasonable accommodation notification form which can be attached to ballots.
Section 4. Confidentiality
No Capitol Valley Forensics League coach or official shall disclose that a competitor has requested a reasonable accommodation beyond what is necessary for the operation of Capitol Valley Forensics League tournaments. Judges who are informed of a reasonable accommodation shall be instructed not to disclose the fact of or the nature of any disability or accommodation.
Article VII: Initiative and Referendum Process
Section 1: Any coach of a member school of the CVFL may request a change in the CVFL
Constitution or By-laws through petition and referendum process
Section 2: The coach shall submit a copy of the proposed and/or change to the CVFL President
prior to the time the matter is brought up at a League meeting.
Section 3: The President shall submit the proposal to a League meeting during one of the
tournaments or via e-mail. The proposer shall have the opportunity to explain the necessity or justification for such change.
Section 4: Each member school shall have one vote. The votes shall be in writing. The votes
shall be tabulated by the Secretary. The President shall announce the vote as soon as is practicable.
Section 5: Changes made in these By-laws shall be in effect when approved by a majority vote of
the League members at a meeting. A copy of the change indicating exact wording of said change shall be delivered to each coach within two weeks of the change or prior to the next tournament, whichever is sooner.
By-Laws of the Capitol Valley Forensic League
Article I: Finance
Section 1: Assessments and Fees
A. School assessments: All schools shall pay $150 per year for CVFL membership.
1. Invoices shall be sent by CVFL in September.
2. Upon receipt of the official invoice from CVFL each school shall mail its payment to the Treasurer whose address shall be found on the form.
3. All checks shall be made payable to CVFL.
4. November 1st of each year shall be the deadline for payment. A late fee of $50 shall be assessed for payment after November 1st.
B. Tournament Fees: Contestant schools in a CVFL Tournament shall pay fees as outlined below.
1. All entry fees for regular tournaments for the league schedule shall be $6 per person per event.
2. Entry fees for any two day tournament (eg: qualifying tournaments) shall be $10 per person per event.
3. All tournament entry fees before January first of any year must be paid by January 10th in order to compete in future tournaments. Failure to comply will result in delinquent status.
C. Judging Quota: Each school entering a tournament shall be required to provide one
judge per every four entries. Failure to do this will result in the drop of competitors who are entered beyond the quota of judges present at the beginning of the tournament. This provision may not be waived by payment of a fine.
D. Judges Food Reimbursement
1. Host schools will be reimbursed no more than $450 for judge’s food expenses.
E. Delinquent Payments:
1. Schools whose assessments and/or entry fees are delinquent forfeit CVFL Privileges including:
i. Eligibility of qualified contestants for a tournament
ii. Eligibility for entrance in State Qualifying Contests.
2. No school shall be admitted to a State Qualifying Contest unless that schools
CVFL and CHSSA yearly assessment including all delinquent fees has been paid
on or before each tournament or two weeks prior to the state qualifying contest.
3. The Executive Committee shall enforce the above.
F. Joint membership in NFL.
The CVFL treasurer is authorized to collect a $25 local assessment fee on behalf of the Capital Valley District of the National Forensic League. This is not the NFL membership fee.
Financial Assistance
Funds shall be set aside annually after review of the CVFL budget.
Applications can be submitted for use towards the State and National tournaments.
Funds shall be applied to entry fees, travel, and lodging only.
The Scholarship Committee shall be responsible for application review and distribution of funds.
Section 2: Financial Management
A. All checks shall be received by the CVFL treasurer.
B. All funds shall be disbursed and accounted for by the treasurer.
1. Funds shall be disbursed according to the annual budget.
2. At the direction of the President, emergency or unexpected expense
disbursements may be made subject to the Council approval at the next regular
meeting of the Council.
3. The treasurer shall receive budget requests until August 15 and shall submit a budget for Council approval at the September meeting.
C. All CVFL funds shall be used for CVFL activities including tournament and operating expenses.
D. Authorized travel on CVFL business at the direction of the Council which shall be
otherwise uncompensated, shall be compensated as follows:
1. Travel by private auto shall be compensated at the IRS standard business mileage rates.
2. Travel by public transportation shall be compensated by the actual fare.
3. Other necessary expenditures such as hotel and meal cost shall be compensated.
E. The expenses of the office incurred by the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and
Treasurer shall be reimbursed by the Treasurer from the general funds. These
expenses include travel, lodging, meals, postage, telephone calls, printing and other
incidental costs resulting from the conduct of official CVFL business. Receipts for all
expenses must be submitted to the Treasurer prior to reimbursement.
Article II: Elections
Section 1: The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected from among the members of the CVFL Council at a meeting held during the summer meeting before the first tournament of the league season. They may be elected for more than one term.
Article III: Duties
Section 1: President
Shall preside at all meetings of the CVFL and the Council.
Shall be responsible for the general supervision of the TAB Room during all tournaments.
Shall be responsible for the presenting of awards at the end of each tournament.
Shall represent the CVFL in all professional relationships.
Shall conduct a general meeting of the CVFL for all member coaches
between the last State Quals Tournament and the beginning of the fall term. This meeting should be conducted when a majority of coaches can attend. This meeting shall include the setting of the calendar for the following year.
Shall notify coaches of all member schools in writing of By-law changes which effect student eligibility for the State Qualification Tournament. Notification shall be by December 1 of the year the rule takes effect.
Shall be responsible for the review of all scripts submitted for the CHSSA Qualification Tournament.
Shall complete any other tasks or duties of a special nature as directed by the Council.
Section 2: Vice-President
Shall serve as co-coordinator of forensic activities. The primary responsibility shall be to conduct league tournaments through the following:
1.Acting as the official host in co-ordination with the coach of the host school
2.Managing online invitation, registration, and results of all tournaments
3.Appointing any/all personnel needed for the operation of the tournament
4.Duplication and delivery of all ballot material for each tournament
5.Assisting the President in presenting the awards at the end of each tournament.
Shall assume the tasks of the President when so directed either by the President or a vote of a simple majority of the Council.
Shall attend all meetings of the Council.
Shall complete other duties and tasks of a special nature as directed by either the President or by the CVFL Council.
Section 3: Treasurer
A. Shall be the administrator of the CVFL funds according to the Constitution and By-
laws or by the direction of the Council, including the following:
1. Collection of assessments from member schools, maintaining accurate records of payments of assessments by member schools
2. Collecting and recording all associate membership
3. Collecting all tournament fees
4. Maintaining an accurate record of all CVFL income and expenses
5. Maintaining CVFL bank accounts
6. Paying all CVFL expenses and maintaining all receipts on file
7. Maintaining and filing all tax returns, forms, account records as may be required by state and federal governments
8. Presenting CVFL with financial statements and a budget reports as required
9. Providing for official assessment accounting in the December meeting of the Council for use in the allocation of qualifiers
10. Submitting all records and accounts to the President at the conclusion of the Treasurer’s term of office
B. Shall attend all of the meetings of the Council.
C. Shall complete other tasks or duties of a special nature as directed either by the
President or the Council
Section 4: Secretary
The primary duty of the secretary shall be to record and distribute the minutes of the meetings of the Council including the following:
Distributing minutes to coaches within two weeks following the meeting
Maintaining a file of the minutes of all past CVFL meetings, which shall be submitted to the President at the conclusion of the Secretary’s term of service
Calling roll at the Council meetings and recording the official proxy of members not in attendance
Providing a roster of members which should include both home and school mailing address and telephone numbers
Providing extra copies of the minutes of the preceding meeting for Council members
B. Shall attend all meetings of the Council
C. Shall complete other tasks or duties of a special nature as directed either by the
President or by the Council
Article IV: Tournament Guidelines
Section 1: During the preliminary season the league will alternate between debate tournaments and A/B speech tournaments, offering three of each.
A panel events include:
Original Oratory, Expository, Humorous Interpretation, Thematic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, and Impromptu
B panel events include:
Original Advocacy, Original Prose Poetry, Oratorical Interpretation, Dramatic Interpretation, and Extemporaneous
Debate events include:
Policy, Parliamentary, Public Forum, Lincoln Douglass, and Congress.
Debate Topics
Policy and Public Forum shall follow the topics as designated by the NFL and announced on www.speechanddebate.org
Lincoln Douglas shall use the September/October NFL topic announced August 15th during preliminary tournaments and the March/April topic announced February 1st during qualifiers
Parliamentary will change at each tournament and shall include topics of policy, value, and fact.
Congress topics will be released two weeks before the tournament date.
Section 2: Student participation
All students who are ninth through twelfth grade must be enrolled in and attending a member school and be in compliance with CHSSA eligibility requirements to attend league tournaments.
Students must participate in one “like” event in a league tournament in the
current school year in order to participate in the State Qualifier. Like events are defined as:
1. Interpretative events (humorous, thematic, dramatic, oratorical, duo)
2. Original events (original oratory, original advocacy, original prose/poetry, expository)
3. Spontaneous events (National Extemporaneous, International Extemporaneous, Impromptu)
4. Debate (Policy/team, Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, Parliamentary, Congress)
i. Congress Presiding Officers must have competed as a Presiding Officer in the current year at a league tournament.
A coach may appeal these requirements, in writing to the Executive Committee.
Section 3: Novice-Varsity Designation
Individual events
Novice competitors include any students who have not competed in finals
All competitors who have competed in finals in a field of seven or fewer retain novice eligibility in the event.
The exception will be when an event is “collapsed” and the novice & varsity compete in an open division.
Varsity competitors include all students who have previously competed in finals in a like event with more than 7 competitors.
Debate
Students shall be eligible to compete in Novice division in any debate event until they have been undefeated in any two debate events.
Students must compete in Varsity division after they have been undefeated at two tournaments in any debate event.
Congress shall have no novice divisions.
Participation in a qualifying tournament will make the student varsity if they advance to the final round.
All non-qualifying tournaments shall offer both Varsity and Novice divisions.
Section 4: The officially designated coach of a team must be present for the team to compete in any league tournament.
A. Said designation to be in writing and approved by the school administration. The
coach may be an administration-appointed parent rather than a district employee.
B. A coach from a school within the same district may supervise another school’s team,
provided that both schools agree in writing prior to the beginning of the tournament
and the CVFL President is notified of such arrangements
Section 5: Individual Event rules shall follow the guidelines provided in the CHSSA By-Laws, Article IX except in circumstances listed below:
A. Impromptu final round topics shall be allowed to include items not defined in the CHSSA By-Laws including but not limited to: images, comics, acronyms, or others approved by the executive council.
Section 6: Individual Event Tabulation shall follow the CHSSA By-Laws as closely as is practicable for CVFL
Non-qualifying tournaments shall only have 3 total rounds with the preliminary rounds randomly paneled.
B. A student who does not show up for a round shall be considered a No Show for that round. A No Show may continue competition for practice with the approval of the President but shall not be ranked with other active contestants as is practical for CVFL.
Section 7: Debate Rules shall follow the guidelines established by the CHSSA Constitution By-Laws, Article XI.
Section 8: Debate Tabulation.
Non-qualifying tournaments
The first two rounds should be randomly paired avoiding school-school conflict
Round three pairing shall be power matched based on the results from round 1
Round four pairing shall be power matched based on rounds 1 and 2.
All rounds will be single judged.
Qualifying Tournaments shall follow the guidelines as established in the CHSSA By-Laws, Article XII.
Debate teams who have been undefeated all season will not meet in the first preliminary round of qualification.
Auto qualification shall occur when a varsity debate competitor or team goes undefeated in the same debate event at all preliminary league tournaments.
An auto qualifier shall not participate in the State debate qualifying tournament.
Section 9: Congress Rules shall follow the guidelines as established in the CHSSA
By-Laws, Article XIII.
Section 10: NFL Qualifiers shall follow NFL Tournament Guidelines, rather than CHSSA rules.
Article V: Tournament Administration
Section 1: General Administration
The Vice-President of CVFL and the host school coach shall act as tournament host
The Judicial Committee shall hear all protests and grievances at a tournament
1. Any grievance shall be presented to the committee in writing by the individual
filing the protest
2. The decision of the committee shall be rendered in writing.
3. In the event that the grievance shall be upheld, the committee has the power of
disqualification at any point in the tournament
4. The decision of the Judicial Committee is final
Section 2: Judges
In all individual events one judge shall be used in each panel of preliminary rounds. Three judges shall be used in the final rounds. No judge shall judge the same contestant twice in the same event. Inadvertent errors shall not negate a round.
In Debate one judge shall be used in all rounds with the exception of qualifying tournaments.
Congress shall have 2 judges in preliminary rounds and 3 judges in the final round.
Each member school is allowed one judging strike per tournament submitted confidentially to the league president.
Schools are required to provide judges one round past where their competitors drop.
All former competitors are required to be at least 1 full year out of high school before judging any league tournament.
Section 3: Awards
The Vice President of CVFL shall be responsible for ordering the awards.
Awards of descending size shall be awarded to the top three finalists in each Individual event.
Pins will be awarded to the 4th through 7th place in each Individual event. Further place medals may be given (up to one-third of the field) at the discretion of the President.
Awards will be given to the undefeated Debate teams.
Award recipients shall appear in tournament dress. Student not dressed appropriately will be asked to sit down; their coach may pick up their awards after the ceremony concludes.
The President’s Award shall be given to all 4 year competitors who have qualified for at least one CHSSA or NFL tournament.
CVFL All-League Award
Awarded to the top 7 competitors in the league as nominated and voted upon by the CVFL coaches
Nominations will be sent via email to the league secretary along with a 100 word or less reason for the nomination. Coaches may nominate no more than 3 competitors.
Voting shall commence online via www.surveymonkey.com with only one coach representing each school casting a total of 5 votes.
Winners shall be announced at the Individual Events State Qualifier.
CVFL Secretary will compile nominations and votes for delivery to the President as soon as voting closes.
Award given shall be named “Orator’s Cup”
Section 4: Registration
Coaches will send their registration to the Joy of Tournaments website thirty-six hours prior to the tournament.
All coaches will be responsible for taking care of their drops immediately upon arrival to the tournament. A drop less than 36 hours before the start of a tournament will still result in an entry fee for that contestant plus a $25 penalty.
Failure to register within 30 minutes prior to the beginning of a tournament may result in the drop of those students not registered.
No competitors will be added on the day of the tournament.
A novice student may enter only one IE event per panel. A varsity student may enter two IE events in any panel at the discretion of their coach.
In any team entry, if one of the partners is varsity, then the team is varsity.
When a participant reaches the varsity level in one event of a kind, they are to be considered varsity for all events of that type.
Section 5: Tabulation Rooms
The Tab Room is closed to all people not assigned to the operation of the tournament. Violation of this rule shall result in immediate disqualification of the student entering the Tab Room.
Section 6: Unauthorized video and/or audio-taping of any panel of events or debate is prohibited.
Note taking or “flowing of the case” during a debate round is prohibited by anyone other than a competitor in that round or a judge.
Article VI: Reasonable Accommodation Policy
Section 1: Definitions
The term disability means, with respect to an individual:
A mental or physical impairment which substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual;
A record of such impairment; or
Being regarded as having such an impairment.
The term major life activities means:
Functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
The term reasonable accommodation means:
A modification or adjustment to any policy or rule that enables a qualified individual with a disability to enjoy an equal opportunity to compete that is not a fundamental alteration of the activity.
Any competitor may request a reasonable accommodation if such an accommodation is necessary for the competitor to enjoy an equal opportunity to compete.
Each request for an accommodation shall be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The competitor, competitor’s coach and/or competitor’s parent will be involved in the process of determining potential reasonable accommodations.
Requests for reasonable accommodation shall specify the nature of the disability, the accommodation requested and the relationship between the disability and the requested accommodation. The competitor shall not be required to disclose a medical diagnosis. The CVFL has a Reasonable Accommodation Request Form which is recommended, but not required.
Requests for reasonable accommodation shall be made to the Capitol Valley Forensics League President. Requests made more than 10 days prior to a tournament will be decided prior to the beginning of that tournament.
The Capitol Valley Forensics League President, or his or her designee, may grant the accommodation, request verification or discuss alternatives to the requested accommodation with the competitor, competitor’s coach and/or competitor’s parent.
The league president may request verification of the nature of the disability and/or the relationship between the disability and requested accommodation. Factors to be considered before requesting verification include:
Is the competitors known to have a disability?
Does the competitor have an observable disability?
Does the request expand on an existing accommodation or previously provided accommodation for which verification was requested?
The league president may deny a reasonable accommodation request only if discussions with the competitor, competitor’s coach and/or competitor’s parent have failed to reach a mutually agreeable result. The league president may deny a requested accommodation if:
The competitor’s condition does not meet the definition of disability.
The competitor’s disability is not related to the requested accommodation.
The requested accommodation is a fundamental alteration of the activity.
The requested accommodation is an undue burden on the Capitol Valley Forensics League.
Any other reason allowed by the Americans with Disabilities Act or the California Unruh Civil Rights Act.
If a request for reasonable accommodation is denied, the competitor may appeal to the three person Capitol Valley Forensics League reasonable accommodation committee.
Section 3. Effect of granting reasonable accommodation
If an accommodation that changes the conduct of competition rounds is granted, notice of the accommodation shall be attached to each ballot for rounds affected by the accommodation. The notice shall state the accommodation and that the judge shall not consider the accommodation in deciding the round. CVFL has a reasonable accommodation notification form which can be attached to ballots.
Section 4. Confidentiality
No Capitol Valley Forensics League coach or official shall disclose that a competitor has requested a reasonable accommodation beyond what is necessary for the operation of Capitol Valley Forensics League tournaments. Judges who are informed of a reasonable accommodation shall be instructed not to disclose the fact of or the nature of any disability or accommodation.
Article VII: Initiative and Referendum Process
Section 1: Any coach of a member school of the CVFL may request a change in the CVFL
Constitution or By-laws through petition and referendum process
Section 2: The coach shall submit a copy of the proposed and/or change to the CVFL President
prior to the time the matter is brought up at a League meeting.
Section 3: The President shall submit the proposal to a League meeting during one of the
tournaments or via e-mail. The proposer shall have the opportunity to explain the necessity or justification for such change.
Section 4: Each member school shall have one vote. The votes shall be in writing. The votes
shall be tabulated by the Secretary. The President shall announce the vote as soon as is practicable.
Section 5: Changes made in these By-laws shall be in effect when approved by a majority vote of
the League members at a meeting. A copy of the change indicating exact wording of said change shall be delivered to each coach within two weeks of the change or prior to the next tournament, whichever is sooner.