Dear Kentucky Speech and Debate Coaches:

You and your teams are cordially invited to participate in the 33^rd annual Kentucky Educational Speech and Drama Association State Tournament live and in person, February 18-19, 2023. For the second year, the tournament will take place on the campus of Georgetown College in Georgetown, KY. This will be our first time offering KESDA Junior and KESDA Senior simultaneously, and we have high hopes for great competition and that traditional KESDA camaraderie.

Throughout our history, KESDA has given Kentucky’s middle and high school students a unique tournament experience combining multiple days of challenging competition and plenty of opportunities to socialize and bond with students from throughout the state. Students have always loved this tournament for those qualities. The last three years have made it impossible to replicate some of the familiar KESDA activities, but we hope to instill new ones to help students reconnect with old friends and make a few new ones.

For the first time since March 2020, we are thrilled to be offering an old favorite--Group Interp!

We intend to offer the same type of great speech experience people have come to expect from KESDA. As always, we require no prequalification for entry; your entire team may compete. All entries are unlimited. High school students may enter a maximum of five events and Junior students may enter a maximum of four, making KESDA a great opportunity to try something new!

Individual awards will be presented for 1st-6th place in each event as well as Pentathlon at the senior level and Trithon at the junior level. The Pentathlon winner will earn a one-time college scholarship. In addition to recognizing the top, non-advancing novice in each event, as well as the non-advancing quarter and semifinalists, we intend to offer at least one final round for non-advancing novices. There are several opportunities for teams to take home team hardware. In addition to the overall team sweepstakes, up to three team awards will be given for the “Greynolds Sweepstakes,” open to schools with twenty or fewer entries. The Senior traveling trophy, based on team efficiency, will also be awarded.

We are so excited about the prospect of seeing everyone in person again and giving your students a chance to shine. We look forward to seeing you February 18-19 at the 2023 KESDA Tournament!

Sincerely,

Dr. Edward B. Smith & Betsy B. Smith

Executive Directors, KESDA

Georgetown College, 400 East College Street, Georgetown, KY 40324

1-859-492-9163; betsywritesitall@gmail.com; ed_smith@georgetowncollege.edu