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The United States of America Forensics Olympiad (USAFO) is a prestigious pre-collegiate speech & debate competition held annually in the United States of America. Primarily for secondary school students in the United States, it serves as the qualification path for the US International Olympiad in Forensics(IOF) teams. The USAFO currently holds competition in the debate styles Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, Policy, Congressional, Parliamentary, and World Schools Debate. The speech events held include Extemporaneous(National Extemp.), Dramatic Interpretation, Original Oratory, Informative Speaking, Duo Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, Impromptu, and Program of Oral Interpretation.
In each event, competitors compete in one of three divisions: Open, Silver, and Gold. The Silver and Gold divisions are invitational, and are only held during the annual USAFO Championship.[1] event. Top competitors from the Silver and Gold divisions represent the US at the International Olympiad in Forensics[2]
The USA Forensics Olympiad does not require participants to come from the same school for partner-based events. Thus, some of its participants come from major private debate clubs such as The Golden State Academy[3], Acclive Academy[4], and Brooks Debate Institute[5] who host online meets to partner up students across the nation, some of who do not hail from the same school or area. Other competitors are either independent or from school-based clubs.
Parts of the USAFO
editEach USAFO Season, or 'cycle', runs across an entire year, from the June of the first year to the April of the second year. Each cycle consists of the US Open tournaments(of which competitors compete for qualification into the Gold and Silver divisions of the USAFO Championships, collecting bids for qualification), a 3-day US Championships event in April, and culminates to the annual International Olympiad in Forensics.
US Open Tournaments
editThere are 11 monthly competitions held each year, held online through the Tabroom.com[6] speech & debate platform.
Starting at the open tournaments, contestants compete for bids, cash prizes, and even fame[7][8]. Winners of the monthly open are usually officially announced on the International Olympiad in Forensics(IOF website)
The USAFO uses a bid system, in which placing high enough in the US Open tournaments earns debaters bids, with at least 1 bids needed to compete in the Gold division and 0.5 bids required for the Silver division. The US Open tournaments are open-entry, and all competitors 18 and under, regardless of location, are qualified to participate. However, only competitors in the United States earn bids for the US Championship.
In the 2024-25 season, the USA Forensics Olympiad renamed their monthly open tournaments to the following[9]:
| Month | Old Name | New Name |
|---|---|---|
| May | May Open | Summer Opener |
| June | June Open | Summer Classic |
| July | July Open | Summer Cup |
| August | August Open | Fall Opener |
| September | September Open | Fall Classic |
| October | October Open | Fall Cup |
| November | November Open | Winter Opener |
| December | December Open | Winter Classic |
| January | January Open | Winter Cup |
| February | February Open | Spring Opener |
| March | March Open | Spring Cup |
US Championship
editIn addition to the ten normal US Open competitions, a championship tournament, the US Championship, is held annually in April. The Championship consists of three divisions: Open, Silver, and Gold. Only competitors who earn enough bids through the US Open tournaments are invited compete in the Silver & Gold divisions. Top competitors in the US Championship tournament make the US IOF Team.
References
edit- ^ "The Golden State Academy's listing of the USAFO Championship". thegoldenstateacademy.com/olympiad-champs.html.
- ^ "International Olympiad in Forensics". ioforensics.org.
- ^ "The Golden State Academy's Listing of the USAFO Tournament". thegoldenstateacademy.com/store/p368/USA_FORENSICS_OLYMPIAD.html.
- ^ "A post from Acclive Academy about the USAFO". cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0605/4654/7934/files/USAFO_March_Open_FREE_ONE_MONTH_TRIAL-ACCLIVE_ACADEMY_MATH_SPEECH_AND_DEBATE_-0312.png?v=1709518835.
- ^ "The Brooks Debate Institute's announcement of their students' USAFO results". facebook.com/photo?fbid=451682690527059&set=a.192362313125766.
- ^ "Tabroom.com". tabroom.com.
- ^ "Official 2024-25 Summer Opener Winner's Page". ioforensics.org/pages/usafo-summer-opener-results.
- ^ "USAFO/IOF YouTube Channel". youtube.com/@ioforensics.
- ^ "The Fall Classic, a tournament formerly named the September Opener". usafoseptember.tabroom.com.
