Students can only participate in one event at the National Tournament, which we refer to as single entry. If you and your partner compete in a partner event and you both compete in individual events, you and your partner must indicate your preferred event on the Single Entry Letter of Intent (SELI) prior to the start of the district qualifying tournament. If you qualify in your partner event AND both you and your partner qualify in your individual events, you will go to the National Tournament in the event that you both preferred on your SELI form. However, if you qualify in your partner event and ONLY you qualify in your individual event, you cannot leave your partner behind, and you will attend the National Tournament in the partner event.
If students are double entered in two partner events (e.g., Public Forum and Duo or Public Forum and Policy) students must have the same partner in both events if the events are held on the same weekend. If the events are held on separate weekends, the partnership can vacate their qualification/alternate status of their first event in order to create a new partnership for the second event.
If one partner is not able to attend the National Tournament, other partners may not be substituted. However, a partnership may vacate their qualification/alternate status in their partnership event to allow the individual that can attend Nationals the opportunity to attempt to qualify in an individual event if the individual events portion of the tournament is held on a later date.
Be sure to review all rules related to partnership events by downloading the High School Unified Manual or email info@speechanddebate.org with follow-up questions.