

LFA LEAGUE RULES & STANDARDS
1) School membership application and dues must be submitted to the league office
prior to the LFA Coaches Summit posted date.
2) Student fees are due before the season opener. Individual student registration
should be completed on the LFA website under the "Join" tab. Student fees
should be paid by the school via check. An invoice with all participating students
will be provided to the school's billing office. Additional students are still
welcome to join after this date but must register with the LFA with the LFA and
have his/her fees submitted to the LFA office prior to competing in any
sanctioned league tournament.
3) Tournaments- For a tournament to be considered sanctioned under the LFA,
The following conditions must be met.
a) Debate- A debate tournament must include at least a minimum of 4
preliminary rounds. *Out rounds are optional.
b) Speech- A speech tournament must include at least a minimum of 2
preliminary rounds. * Out rounds are optional.
c) Tournament hosts will have the option to host both speech & debate,
"debate only", or "speech only" tournaments.
d) Tournaments must have at least 2 participating schools.
e) Tournaments must be open to all regions for competition.
f) Tournament dates must be submitted a minimum of 4 weeks in
advance to allow time for posting & registration.
g) Tournament attire- All competitors must adhere to the LFA Dress
Code- Competitors must dress both modestly and business
professional. This includes but is not limited to:
* Gentlemen should wear either suits, or sport coats with slacks; collared shirts and ties; and dress shoes.
* Ladies should wear dresses, skirts, or suits; tops with a modest neckline; and dress shoes lengths should cover the knees when standing.
*Failure to comply may result in penalties under
"professionalism", on the competitor's ballot.
h) LFA Hosted Tournament Judge Requirement Rule-
*Season Opener- In-person (Debate=4 prelims + 1 out round / Speech= 2 prelims with
limited events)
*Any Virtual Tournament-Online (Debate 4 prelims / Speech= 3 prelims)
Each competitor is required to have a judge available for at least 2 competition
rounds per LFA hosted season opener/ virtual tournament. This could entail any
combination of speech or debate. If a student cannot provide a judge the school may
opt to have "alternate judges available" on hand to avoid any penalties. Should a
competitor fail to provide a judge, or have a committed judge be a "no show" during
the debate, that competitor's team may face a forfeit for that round. Parent(s) of
debate only students may be asked to judge a speech round as one of the "required
rounds", should the need arise and vice versa with speech only parents. A judge
orientation will be available on line and at the tournament.
Arrangements may be made ahead of time with LFA office if a competitor is unable to provide a judge. Such arrangements may incur a fee of $25.00 per required round to procure
a replacement. A school must have at least 75% of their team represented with parent/
community judges before arrangements can be made. This is to ensure that all rounds will
have an adequate number of judges so students can compete without delay.
*End of Season- Western Conference Championship-
(Debate=6 prelims + 3 out rounds / Speech= 3 prelims + 1 out round for all speech
events)
Each competitor is required to have a judge available for at least 3 preliminary
rounds and 1 out round per LFA hosted end of season Western Conference Championship.
This could entail any combination of speech or debate. If a student cannot provide a judge the
school may opt to have "alternate judges available" on hand to avoid any penalties. Should a
competitor fail to provide a judge, or have a committed judge be a "no show" during
the debate, that competitor's team may face a forfeit for that round. Parent(s) of
debate only students may be asked to judge a speech round as one of the "required
rounds", should the need arise and vice versa with speech only parents. A judge
orientation will be available on line and at the tournament.
Arrangements may be made ahead of time with LFA office if a competitor is unable to provide a judge. Such arrangements may incur a fee of $25.00 per required round to procure
a replacement. A school must have at least 75% of their team represented with parent/
community judges before arrangements can be made. This is to ensure that all rounds will
have an adequate number of judges so students can compete without delay.
i) Competitors are required to read each event's rules and adhere to it
guidelines. *Please note, a new amendment has been added to the
persuasive speech category.
*A competitor may not use an existing speech from any of his or her previous years of competition. Each year a
new speech must be used for this event.