Questions & Answers

• How do I correct mistakes in point recording?
• How do I enter points when no ranks are awarded (non-competitive contests/festivals)?
• How do I record points for the American Legion Oratorical Contest or We the People program?
• How do I record points for the VFW Voice of Democracy contest?
• How do I record points for Congress when there are multiple judges/scorers?
• How do I convert Congress point values when an invitational/local tournament does not use a 6-point scale.?
• How do I convert Congress point values when a tournament uses ranking instead of rating/points?
• Is my log in information for the Joy of Tournaments Web site the same as the NFL Points system?
• How does the online points system compute our chapter's total members and degrees?
• Main Frequently Asked Questions Page

Recording points online is easy! To begin recording points, a school must be in good standing with the NFL, and the coach/advisor must and have a user ID and password. If you are unable to log in after receiving your authorization or are experiencing problems, please contact us.

Q: How do I correct mistakes in point recording?

A: Corrections for the current school year may be made directly in the system by the NFL Advisor. Note: Point corrections not made within 24 hours will result in duplicate billing. You also may e-mail point corrections.

Q: How do I enter points when no ranks are awarded (non-competitive contests/festivals)?

A: Various forensic organizations, such as in Iowa, Wisconsin and FBLA holds interscholastic "festivals"/contests, where students are rated with points, rather than ranked. These are still recorded under the “Speech” (not Service) area. If the maximum speech time is five minutes or less, make sure points are recorded in the "Other Speech Contests" area.

° Severe deficiency, and therefore, not worth any points.

Q: How do I record points for the American Legion Oratorical Contest or We the People program?

A: For both, you enter speech contest points, and if the speech was presented in front of an audience of 25 or more adults, record the appropriate number of service points (depending on the student’s degree on record as of the date of participation).

• American Legion Oratorical Contest: record the placement at each level of competition (lodge, district, state, national) as a single ranking of that placement, or record the points as per the A, B, or C guidelines under "Festivals" above. Contest points may be recorded for both:
  • Oration (8-10 min.) - record as "Oratory" (first place rank = 6 pts.)
  • Assigned Topic (3-5 min.) - record as "Spontaneous Argument" (first place rank = 4 pts.)
• We the People program, if it’s the simulated Congressional hearings, as competition, the contest portion is considered First Place 4 points, because it’s like a discussion. However, (only) if there was an audience of at least 25 adults, you can also record the appropriate number of service points (depending on the student’s degree on record as of the date of participation).

Q: How do I record points for the VFW Voice of Democracy contest?

A: If you download the NFL Chapter Manual (the first document), you will find on p. CM-5 reference to “Voice of Democracy” - First Place 4 points (as competition). Because it is audio recorded, there is no audience, so VOD does not count as service/audience speaking.

Guidelines regarding recording points in both contest and service areas are on p. CM-6: “If an interscholastic debate or contest is held under conditions qualifying it as a service project (over radio/TV/cable or before an adult audience or high school assembly), it is to be listed in a competitive category and also in the service category. Points are to be awarded in both categories.”

Visit our Service Project page for more information.

Q: How do I record points for Congress when there are multiple judges/scorers?

A: Each time a student speaks the judge awards the student between 1 and 6 points (the higher the better). So if a student speaks four times in one day with the following scores: 6, 4, 5, 5 (in this example there is only one judge), those four are added (20 in this example) and that is the point total reported for the student (up to five speeches and 24 points per day). Make sure to check the box “Official Scorer”.

When there is more than one judge/scorer, the points for each speech are averaged (and rounded to the nearest whole number). Here's an example:

• Speech 1 = (5+6+5=16)/divided by 3 (number of judges) = 5.33 = 5 (rounded value)
  • Judge 1 - 5 pts.
  • Judge 2 - 6 pts.
  • Judge 3 - 5 pts.
• Speech 2 = (4+5+4=13)/divided by 3 = 4.33 = 5
  • Judge 1 - 4 pts.
  • Judge 2 - 5 pts.
  • Judge 3 - 4 pts.
• Speech 3 = (6+6+5=17)/divided by 3 = 5.67 = 6
  • Judge 1 - 6 pts.
  • Judge 2 - 6 pts.
  • Judge 3 - 5 pts.
• Speech 4 = (5+5+5=15)/divided by 3 = 5.00 = 5
  • Judge 1 - 5 pts.
  • Judge 2 - 5 pts.
  • Judge 3 - 5 pts.

Next, add all the individual speech averages (up to five speeches). That is the number you enter, unless it is above 24 (limit for the day). Always round up to a whole number. In the example above, the total points entered are 21 (5+5+6+5).

Q: How do I convert Congress point values when an invitational/local tournament does not use a 6-point scale?

A: Some critique sheets use a 30-point scale, so just divide each speech by 5 and round to the nearest whole number. If a panel is used, follow the instructions above. For an 8-point scale, convert the points, realizing a maximum of 6 points per speech or hour of presiding, and a maximum of 24 points per calendar day. For example:
Day 1: 7, 6, 6, 5 - and - Day 2: 7 ,5, 7, 6
Figure by subtracting two points each:
Day 1: 5, 4, 4, 3 = 16 - Day 2: 5, 3, 5, 4 = 17
For a 10-point scale, use a percentage:
Example, a 7 out of 10 points = 70%; 70% of 6 pts. = 4.

Q: How do I convert Congress point values when a tournament uses ranking instead of rating/points?

A: ONLY if individual speech/presiding points are unavailable, use the following conversions, per day ranked by judges:

Remember, only 24 NFL points per day may be awarded for Congress. ° If a panel of scorers, use the overall placement in a continuous session, or average ranks of the whole day to figure the conversion.

Q: Is my log in information for the Joy of Tournaments Web site the same as the NFL Points system?

A: No, they are separate. When registering for Nationals, you will be asked for your points system password, but you must first create a unique account on the Joy of Tournaments Web site.

Q: How does the online points system compute our chapter's total members and degrees?

A: This handy chart outlines the levels of NFL membership, and how it figures a school's "strength," as well as individual levels of service points that may be awarded: