EASTMO SPEECH & DEBATE
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About MSHSAA

The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) governs most middle and high school athletic and scholastic competition within the state of Missouri.  Speech, Debate, and Theater is one of the activities that MSHSAA governs.

MSHSAA is governed by a Board that oversees all activities -- that board approves or denies any rules changes or by-law changes for all activities within MSHSAA's purview.  Each activity also has an Advisory Board that debates rules and regulations, then makes recommendations for MSHSAA's governing board.

School affiliation with MSHSAA is handled by each schools Athletic or Activities Director.  This process is not initiated by individual head coaches; instead, the AD identifies to MSHSAA who the head and assistant coaches of each team are at the beginning of each school year.

MSHSAA is divided into regions throughout the state.  Middle and high schools in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, and Jefferson City High School are all in MSHSAA District #4.  Each district is headed by:
  1. A District Tournament Manager who runs an annual "MSHSAA District Tournament" which serves as the state qualifying tournament.
  2. A Speech, Debate, and Theatre Advisory Representative who serves as the liaison between the local coaches and the MSHSSA Speech, Debate, and Theatre Advisory Board.
These two roles could be held by the same person or by two different people.  In either case, the positions are held by volunteer coaches from the local area.

The MSHSAA headquarters staff host the prestigious Speech, Debate, and Theatre State Tournament each year which determines state championships.

Most local tournaments follow the "MSHSAA Event Rules" with only minor deviations when in conflict with NSDA rules.  Always check the invitation for specific information.

MSHSAA recognizes the following events:
SPEECH
International Extemp
US Extemp
Oratory
Radio
Prose
Poetry
Storytelling
Humorous Interp
Dramatic Interp
Duo Interp
​Duet Acting
DEBATE
Public Forum Debate
Policy Debate
​Lincoln-Douglas Debate
THEATRE
Readers' Theatre
​One Act Play
MSHSAA District #4 Information
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COVID-19 DISCLAIMER
Every effort is being made to keep information on this website up-to-date and accurate.  However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, information may not be fully accurate or timely.  Please visit our CORONAVIRUS PAGE for the most up-to-date information.

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COVID-19 Information
Created in 2019, this website is a collaborative, community-based project.  Creation, maintenance, and updates are handled by a small group of volunteers from the EastMO NSDA District Committee, the GSL Board of Directors, and the MSHSAA District #4 Committee.  Parts of the website are going to be more developed than others.  We welcome your feedback about broken links, improper formatting, or missing information!  Use the "About this website" link to learn more and how you can help us make this a better resource for coaches, teachers, students, and judges!
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Join Us
    • Contact Us
  • RESOURCES
    • CALENDAR
    • Current Topics
    • Congress Legislation
    • Start of Year Information
    • Resources for Coaches
  • INVITATIONALS
    • About Local Invitationals
    • Local Tournament Invitations
    • Coach Contact Directory & Distribution List
  • GSL
    • GSL Home Page
    • About the GSL
    • GSL Leadership
    • Annual Workshop
    • GSL Registration, Forms, Manuals, and Tournaments
  • NSDA
    • NSDA Home Page
    • About NSDA
    • NSDA District Leadership
    • Join the NSDA!
    • NSDA Rules, Manuals, and Resources
  • MSHSAA
    • MSHSAA Home Page
    • About MSHSAA
    • MSHSAA District #4 Leadership
    • MSHSAA Rules Review
  • NCFL
  • STAM