Welcome to Speech State Talk-a-Lot Tournament

Hosted by IPOD (In Pursuit of Dispute) Speech and Debate Club

Our purpose is to train Christian homeschool students in the skills of presentation, critical thinking, and debate in an environment of honorable competition; to cultivate maturity, wisdom, grace, and poise, bringing glory to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Date
Saturday, March 14, 2026

Location
Gentian Baptist Church
3853 Gentian Blvd
Columbus, GA 31907

Registration
Opens - Friday, February 13, 9:00 am ET
Closes - Friday, February 27, 11:59 pm ET

Meal Registration Closes - February 28, 11:59 pm ET

Events & Fees
We are attempting to prepare students to compete in STOA-modeled tournaments. STOA rules for events, conduct, and dress code will serve as guidelines but will not be strictly enforced.

  • $7 per event, limit 3 events
  • Late Payment Fee $15 will be applied on February 28.
  • Drop Fee $20 for any drops after February 27.

PLEASE NOTE: These events are for students who have not competed in Stoa Speech tournament events before. Please register for the appropriate level based on your child's age and experience. If you have questions, you may email the tournament directors at [email protected].

Junior (JR) Events
(ages 5 - 8, on or before October 1, 2025), limit of 3 events

  • JR Bible Story Impromptu (Limited Prep)
  • JR Duo Interpretive
  • JR Open Interpretive
  • JR Platform Original Oratory (Persuasive & Informative)

Junior Varsity (JV) Events
(ages 9-13, on or before October 1, 2025), limit of 3 events

  • JV Impromptu (Limited Prep)
  • JV Group Impromptu (Limited Prep)
  • JV Salesmanship (Limited Prep)
  • JV Duo Interpretive
  • JV Open Interpretive
  • JV Platform Original Oratory (Persuasive & Informative)

Waitlist
Events may fill during registration, but please register to secure a place on the waitlist.

Refund / Drop / Late Payment Policy


  • Refunds will be issued (minus processing fees) until close of registration on February 27 at 11:59 pm ET. No refunds will be issued after this date.

  • Late Payment Fee $15 will be applied on February 28.

  • Drop Fee $20 for any drops after February 27.

  • Barring illness or emergency, failure to show up to compete in all rounds of an event will result in a forfeiture and will incur the $20 fee.

  • All add, withdrawal, refund and drop requests must be submitted by e-mail to the Tournament Directors at [email protected]

Parent Judging Commitment
When you register your student(s) to participate in this tournament you are also committing your time and energy to the tournament. You, or another person over the age of 21, agree to be present at the tournament at all times and will serve with a willing spirit as a judge or in another support role. We want our tournament to be able to run on schedule in order to honor the time of parents, participants, and more importantly community judges. This requires parents to judge at least three (3) rounds, over the course of the tournament, depending on community judge response There will be Judge Orientation at the tournament to give parents the necessary tools to make informed decisions. The host club will make every effort to recruit as many community judges as possible for the benefit of our competitors and parent judges.

PLEASE NOTE: Varsity student judges will assist with judging the JR/JV speech rounds. In return, we ask that parents of JR/JV students be willing to judge the speech rounds of Varsity competitors.

If you are unable to meet the parent commitment, please contact the Tournament Directors, Heather Todd and Amanda Peck at [email protected]