Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Does every student compete at each tournament?

A: Every student whom we take to a tournament will get to compete – the rules set up by the league seem to be changing year-to-year, which means our team, at some meets, may need to scale back the number of participants; we will be sure to let you know in advance if we don’t think your student will be able to compete at any given meet.

Q: Since the weekly team practices are so brief, is each student getting to practice their entire speech?

A: This is a tough one. The first meet really does come up quickly, so we are never as comfortable as we would like to be with the one-on-one time we have been able to give. That being said, we attempt to work with each student at least once or twice before the competition. THE MORE YOU CAN HELP YOUR STUDENT PREPARE BEFORE A TOURNAMENT, THE BETTER OFF WE WILL BE! The main points to help with are:

1) The introduction should be a compelling introduction of the work and its creator, and it should last less than 60 seconds.

2) Total time, including introduction, for the entire presentation should be between 5-8 minutes.

3) Please focus on slow, clearly enunciated speech; eye contact; projection; and posture (I have included a judging score sheet so that you can see all of the things the judges will be monitoring for your individual category).

4) The presentation should be on typed, numbered pages with large font , so they are clear, and should be stapled individually to royal blue construction paper (we have provided paper during our meetings; we have plenty, and can provide more as needed).

Q: Do parents have to attend the entire meet from 8:30am – 1pm?

A: No. There is a lot of down-time during those 4 hours, so we strongly encourage you to either drop your student off or have them carpool to the meet with another student. Nobody is allowed into the performance rooms except judges and a small group of participating students, so parents will not be able to watch their children perform. The ending time for the meet is usually “soft”; as many as 2 judged performances may occur from 9am to noon, with the awards ceremony occurring last, sometime around or just after noon. Some meets may end as early as noon, while others may go a bit past 1:00pm.

Q: Do the students take breaks for a snack?

A: Yes. Our school will sit as a team at a table in the cafeteria of the host school, and they can bring lunch, snacks, or any food they would like; there will also be a concession stand selling food at reasonable prices. There never seems to be a shortage of food.

Q: Can parents volunteer as judges?

A: YES! St James needs to provide judges in proportion to the number of students we take to each competition; we have a rather large team, so any and all help we get will be greatly appreciated!

This is really meant to be a fun learning experience, so please don’t stress out – the kids will have a great time, we promise, and they will learn a lot by the end of the year!