Texas Forensic Association
# Texas Forensic Association

The Texas Forensic Association (TFA) is an organization that provides and regulates competition in speech and debate (forensics) for Texas high school students. The association authorizes forensics competitions nearly every weekend in Texas for the duration of the forensics season, which lasts from early August until the end of February, with the State competition typically in the first or second week of March.

## Goals

The Texas Forensic Association states that its goals are:

* to foster cooperation between the worlds of speech and theatre
* to show the importance of speech and theatre education to the public
* to create a forum to collaborate and solve common problems in the speech and theatre fields
* to forward the standards of the speech and theatre activities
* to promote cooperation and friendship among students and teachers in the organization

## Regions

TFA divides Texas into five regions for administrative purposes; there are no regional championship tournaments or limit on number of schools or students to qualify to the state tournament from each region. The regions are divided by area code, and there is a region representative from each region to coordinate the region's activities with the state association.

* Region 1 covers the Texas panhandle, area code 806. The Region 1 representative is Ryan Lovell of Tascosa High School.
* Region 2 covers Northeast Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. The area codes included are 214, 254, 469, 682, 817, 903, 940, and 972. The Region 2 representative is Rhonda Smith of Plano West Senior High School.
* Region 3 covers South Texas, including the San Antonio and Austin metro areas. The area codes included are 210, 361, 512, 830, and 956. The Region 3 representative is Davy Holmes of Dripping Springs High School.
* Region 4 covers East Texas. It is the smallest region and mainly encompasses the Houston metro area. The area codes included are 281, 409, 713, 832, 936, and 979. The Region 4 representative is Ryan Hennessey of Cypress-Fairbanks ISD.
* Region 5 covers West Texas, area code 915, 432, and part of 325. It is the largest geographical region, spanning close to 550 miles across. The Region 5 representative is Yolanda Silva of Franklin High School.

## Events offered

### State qualifying events

* Policy Debate (Cross-Examination, CX, Policy): Debate between two teams of two students on a question of policy, which remains the same for the competitive season
* Lincoln-Douglas Debate (LD, Value Debate): Debate between two students on a question of values or morality, which changes every two months
* Public Forum Debate (PF, Ted Turner Debate, Puff, PoFo): Debate between two teams of two students in which each team accepts or rejects a position
* Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking (Foreign Extemp, FX): A 7-minute extemporaneous speech on a foreign current events topic
* Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking (Domestic Extemp, DX): A 7-minute extemporaneous speech on a domestic current events topic
* Original Oratory (Oratory, OO): A 10-minute memorized speech on a topic of the student's choosing
* Informative Speaking (Informative, INFO, INF): A 10-minute memorized speech on a topic of the students choosing with the help of non-electric visual aids
* Humorous Interpretation (Humorous, Humor, HI): A 10-minute memorized humorous presentation of a published work
* Dramatic Interpretation (Dramatic, DI): A 10-minute memorized dramatic presentation of a published work
* Duet Acting (Duet, DA): A 10-minute scene from a published work, presented by a team of two students
* Duo Interpretation (Duo): A 10-minute memorized presentation of a published work, presented by a team of two students
* Congressional Debate (Congress, Student Congress): A mock congress session where students make speeches and motions on a set of given legislation
* World Schools Debate (WS, WSD): A style of debate popular in Australia and Asia, where teams of 3-5 debate upon a set of given motions, which center around principled value and practicality

### Non-qualifying events

These events are held during the TFA State Consolation Rounds.

In addition to the events that can qualify a student to the State Tournament, some tournaments also offer:

* Prose Interpretation: A 7-minute non-memorized presentation of a published piece of prose
* Poetry Interpretation: A 7-minute non-memorized presentation of a published piece of poetry
* Impromptu Speaking: A 5-minute impromptu speech on one of three topics, usually including pop culture references/ more lighthearted options that the other speaking events.

## State Tournament

The competitive season culminates in the TFA State Tournament, a three-day event held at a different Texas school each year. Competition in all qualifying events is offered, and non-qualifying events are offered as consolation events for students who did not advance in the event they qualified in.

* The 2008 TFA State Tournament was held March 6–8 at Coppell High School, Dallas, Texas.
* The 2009 TFA State Tournament was held March 5–7 at Cypress Ranch High School, in Houston, Texas.
* The 2010 TFA State Tournament was held March 10–13 at Hanks High School in El Paso, Texas.
* The 2011 TFA State Tournament was held March 10–12 at Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas
* The 2012 TFA State Tournament was held on March 1–3 at Amarillo High School in Amarillo, Texas.
* The 2013 TFA State Tournament was held on March 7–9 at South Grand Prairie High School in Dallas, Texas
* The 2014 TFA State Tournament was held on March 6–8 at Cypress Creek High School in Houston, Texas
* The 2015 TFA State Tournament was held on March 5-7 at Franklin High School in El Paso, Texas
* The 2016 TFA State Tournament was held on March 10-12 at Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, Texas
* The 2017 TFA State Tournament was held on March 9-11 at Plano West Senior High School in Plano, Texas
* The 2018 TFA State Tournament was held on March 1-3 at La Vernia High School, La Vernia Junior High School, La Vernia Intermediate School, La Vernia Primary School in La Vernia, Texas
* The 2019 TFA State Tournament was held on March 14-16 at Alief Taylor High School in Houston, Texas (Region 4).
* The 2020 TFA State Tournament was held March 5-7 at Franklin High School in El Paso, Texas (Region 5).
* The 2021 TFA State Tournament was held March 10-13 through a virtual learning campus.
* The 2022 TFA State Tournament was held March 9-12 at Gregory-Portland High School in Portland, Texas (Region 4).
* The 2023 TFA State Tournament will be held in March at the Marriott Westchase hotel in Houston, Texas (Region 4).

### Points system

To qualify for State in a certain event, a student must accumulate twelve state points in the event. Points are awarded based on the number of entries in the tournament.

**Cross Examination Debate, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Public Forum Debate**


   * 10-15 entries: Semis gets 2 points, 2nd Place gets 4, and 1st Place gets 6

   * 16-50 entries: Quarters gets 2, Semis gets 4, 2nd Place gets 6, and 1st Place gets 8

   * 51-75 entries: Octos gets 2, Quarters gets 3, Semis gets 6, and 1st/2nd Place gets 8

   * 76 + entries: Double-Octos gets 1, Octos gets 2, Quarters gets 4, Semis gets 6, and 1st/2nd Place gets 8

**Individual Events (including Duo/Duet)**


   * 10-24 entries: 1st Place gets 6, 2nd Place gets 4, 3rd Place gets 3, 4th Place gets 2, 5th/6th Place gets 1 point

   * 25-50 entries: 1st Place gets 8, 2nd Place gets 6, 3rd Place gets 4, 4th Place gets 3, 5th Place gets 2, 6th Place gets 1 point

   * 51-75 entries: 1st/2nd Place gets 8, 3rd/4th Place gets 6, 5th Place gets 4, 6th Place gets 3, 7th Place gets 2, 8th Place gets 1 point

   * 76 + entries: 1st/2nd Place gets 8, 3rd/4th Place gets 6, 5th Place gets 4, 6th Place gets 3, 7th/8th Place gets 2, any and all semifinalists get 1 point

**Congressional Debate**


   * 10-25 entries: 1st Place gets 6, 2nd Place gets 4, 3rd Place gets 3, 4th Place get 2, and 5th/6th Place gets 1

   * 26-50 entries: 1st Place gets 8, 2nd Place gets 6, 3rd/4th Place gets 4, 5th-8th Place gets 2

   * 51-75 entries: 1st/2nd Place gets 8, 2nd/3rd Place gets 6, 5th-8th Place gets 3, 9th-16th gets 2

   * 76 + entries: 1st/2nd Place gets 8, 2nd/3rd Place gets 6, 5th-8th Place gets 4, 9th-16th gets 2, all semi-finalists get 1

### State winners

**2017 Tournament**


   * Policy (CX) Debate: Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy

   * Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Saavan Nanavati, Westwood High School

   * Public Forum Debate: Miranda Nutt/Marina Leventis, Colleyville Heritage High School

   * Congressional Debate (House): Spencer Buckner, Lake Travis High School

   * Congressional Debate (Senate): John Osho, George Ranch High School

   * Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking: Sarah Lanier, Northland Christian School

   * Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking: Katherine Hu, Plano Senior High School

   * Original Oratory: Ariana Uriah Okhuozagbon, J. Frank Dobie High School

   * Humorous Interpretation: Andy VanSaders, Saginaw High School

   * Dramatic Interpretation: Taylor Woods, Grand Prairie High School

   * Duet Acting: Heaslip/Martinez, Lake Travis High School

   * Duo Interpretation: Gayton/Nunez, Ronald Reagan High School

   * Poetry: Shade Smith, Judson High School Theatre Arts

   * Prose: Sarah Skees, John Paul II High School

   * Impromptu Speaking: Gabriella Ghandour, Lubbock High School

   * Informative Speaking: Anna Olivia Speed, W.B. Ray High School

   * Program Oral Interpretation: Alfredo Antu, Central High School

   * CX Top Speaker Award: Elan Wilson, Hendrickson High School

   * LD Top Speaker Award: Lucas Clarke, Cypress Woods High School

   * PF Top Speaker Award: Jacob Tate, Bellaire High School

**2016 Tournament**


   * Policy (CX) Debate: Crayton Gerst/Vernon Johnson, Law Magnet High School

   * Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Bennett Eckert, Greenhill School (Triple Champion)

   * Public Forum Debate: Franz Brotzen/John Vick, Lamar High School

   * Congressional Debate (House): Usmaan Hasan, Plano West Senior High School

   * Congressional Debate (Senate): Angela Lytle, Cinco Ranch High School

   * Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking: Neil Patel, Plano West Senior High School

   * Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking: Marshall Webb, Saint Mary's Hall (Double Champion)

   * Original Oratory: Usmaan Hasan, Plano West Senior High School

   * Humorous Interpretation: Ryan Esparza, Klein High School

   * Dramatic Interpretation: Jaylon Bolden, J. Frank Dobie High School

   * Duet Acting: Frizzell/McIver, Central High School

   * Duo Interpretation: Ramirez/Diaz, Spring Woods High School

   * Poetry: Julie Juekeng, Cypress Lakes High School

**2015 Tournament**


   * Policy (CX) Debate: Alex Estrada/Joseph Estrada, Stephen F. Austin High School

   * Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Bennett Eckert, Greenhill School (Double Champion)

   * Public Forum Debate: Austin Tang/Joshua Yang, Clements High School

   * Congressional Debate (House): Eric Bailey, Bellaire High School

   * Congressional Debate (Senate): Preston Nieves, Pflugerville High School

   * Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking: Abhinav Sridharan, Plano Senior High School (Double Champion)

   * Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking: Marshall Webb, St. Mary's Hall

   * Original Oratory: Nikki Dargahi, Anderson High School

   * Humorous Interpretation: Seis Steves, St. Mary's Hall

   * Dramatic Interpretation: Bianca Montgomery, Andy Dekaney High School

   * Duet Acting: Schwope/McDonald, Robert E. Lee High School

   * Duo Interpretation: Velazquez/Ocampo, South Grand Prairie High School

   * Poetry: Matthew Almaguer, Harlingen South High School

   * Prose: Amani Abderahman, Garland High School

   * Impromptu Speaking: Gage Krause, Lake Travis High School

   * CX Top Speaker Award: Alex Estrada, Stephen F. Austin High School

   * LD Top Speaker Award: Nolan Burdett, Dulles High School

   * PF Top Speaker Award: Samuel Tekie, Lamar High School

**2014 Tournament**


   * Policy Debate: Emma Pabst/Quaram Robinson, Cedar Ridge High School

   * Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Bennett Eckert, Greenhill School

   * Public Forum Debate: David Ratnoff/Gregory Ross, Houston Lamar High School

   * Congressional Debate (House): Daniella Cohen, Southlake Carroll High School

   * Congressional Debate (Senate): Sankalp Singh, Plano Senior High School

   * Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking: Abhinav Sridharan, Plano Senior High School

   * Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking: Ash Malhotra, Plano Senior High School

   * Original Oratory: Sana Moti, Grapevine High School

   * Humorous Interpretation: John Biebighauser, Grapevine High School

   * Dramatic Interpretation: Abigail Onwunali, Alief Hastings High School

   * Duet Acting: Hansen/Lawson, Guyer High School

   * Duo Interpretation: Steves/Barnett, Saint Mary's Hall

   * Poetry: Alonna Ray, Centennial High School

   * Prose: Carly Suhr, Centennial High School

   * Impromptu Speaking: Sagar Segal, Summit International Preparatory

   * CX Top Speaker Award: Quaram Robinson, Cedar Ridge High School

   * LD Top Speaker Award: Shania Hunt, Northland Christian School

   * PF Top Speaker Award: Nazifa Mim, Cypress Falls High School

Individual Sweepstakes Awards

   * 5th Place: Kayla McGee, Flower Bluff High School (36 points)

   * 4th Place: Gregory Ross, Houston Lamar High School (40 points)

   * 3rd Place: Seis Steves, Saint Mary's Hall (41 points)

   * 2nd Place: Ash Malhotra, Plano Senior High School (45 points)

   * 1st Place: Sana Moti, Grapevine High School (45 points)

Regional Sweepstakes

   * Region 1: Hereford High School

   * Region 2: Plano Senior High School

   * Region 3: Harlingen South High School

   * Region 4: Houston Lamar High School

   * Region 5: San Angelo Central High School

Overall Sweepstakes

   * 10th Place: St. Mary's Hall

   * 9th Place: Guyer High School

   * 8th Place: Centennial High School

   * 7th Place: Houston Lamar High School

   * 6th Place: Plano West High School

   * 5th Place: Southlake Carroll High School

   * 4th Place: Harlingen South High School

   * 3rd Place: Creekview High School

   * 2nd Place: Grapevine High School

   * 1st Place: Plano Senior High School

**2013 Tournament**


   * Policy Debate: Holmes Hampton/Tyler Shearer, Highland Park High School

   * Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Rebecca Kuang, Greenhill School

   * Public Forum Debate: Sahil Vanjani/Cyrus Ghaznavi, Parish Episcopal School

   * Congressional Debate (House): Diane Sun, Clements High School

   * Congressional Debate (Senate): Blake Seaman, Allen High School

   * Duet Acting: Dakota Ratliff/Cody Vann, Ryan High School

   * Duo Interpretation: Keith Machekanyanga/Chris Jefferson, South Grand Prairie High School

   * Humorous Interpretation: Michael Ferguson, Creekview High School

   * Dramatic Interpretation: Aldean Pearson II, Mansfield High School

   * Original Oratory: Billy Tate, Plano Senior High School

   * Foreign Extemporaneous: Cyrus Ghaznavi, Parish Episcopal School

   * Domestic Extemporaneous: Drew Huegel, Lamar Consolidated High School

   * Prose: Cody Eilrich, North Lamar High School

   * Impromptu Speaking: John William VanDerSchans, Centennial High School

   * Poetry: Mahalia Tutuwaa Agyepong, Hightower High School

   * Policy Top Speaker: Zach Rosenthal, Kinkaid School

   * LD Top Speaker: Jeremy Dang, Strake Jesuit College Preparatory

   * PF Top Speaker: Kartik Sridhar, Plano Senior High School

**2012 Tournament**


   * Policy Debate: Rosenthal/Mitchell, Kinkaid High School

   * Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Amyn Kassam, John Foster Dulles High School

   * Public Forum Debate: Diep/Daniels, Isaac Herbert Kempner High School

   * Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking: Arvind Venkataraman, Southlake Carroll High School

   * Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking: Zachary Stone, Plano West High School

   * Original Oratory: Paige LaNasa, Centennial High School

   * Humorous Interpretation: Marah Wilson, Grapevine High School

   * Dramatic Interpretation: Robert Jackson, Alief Hastings High School

   * Duet Acting: Weston/Torres, Grand Prairie High School

   * Duo Interpretation: Hunt/Waller, Mansfield High School.

**2011 Tournament**


   * Policy Debate: Gorman/McCormick, Jesuit College Prep

   * Lincoln-Douglas Debate: Josh Roberts, Northland Christian

   * Public Forum Debate: Garg/Narayanan, Plano Senior High School

   * Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking: Lavanya Sunder, Lamar High School

   * Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking: Shikha Garg, Plano Senior High School

   * Original Oratory: Michael McBride, Plano Senior High School

   * Humorous Interpretation: Tommy Waas, Klein High School

   * Dramatic Interpretation: Keegan Latham, Plano Senior High School

   * Duet Acting: Rutherford/Tope, Plano Senior High School

   * Duo Interpretation: Flores/Martinez, Grand Prairie High School.

### Scholarship

The TFA awards a scholarship of $500 or $1,000 to two male and two female students each year at the state tournament. Any state-qualified senior may apply with a recommendation from his or her coach. The awards are given based on an equally weighted consideration of achievements, financial need, and academics.

