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MSHSL Rules and Guidelines

  • Participation in Extemporaneous Reading teaches a student to introduce and read excerpts from prose or poetry for the purpose of appreciation or enjoyment. The student will declare, prior to each draw, his/her choice of genre.
  • Specific sources for reading will be announced in the fall of each year. The League Office will identify specific poems and stories for contests. NO CUTTINGS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE BEFORE THE ACTUAL CONTESTS.
  • The order of speaking shall be determined by lot. Thirty (30) minutes before the contest begins, the first reader shall draw three cuttings. The reader shall immediately choose one of them, and return the other two which will then be placed with the other cuttings remaining to be drawn. The cuttings chosen shall be recorded by the event manager. Each of the succeeding readers shall, at intervals of eight (8) minutes, in turn, follow the same procedure. The student may not perform a cutting that she/he has performed in any round of that competition. In the event that the student draws a previously performed cutting, she/he shall draw a substitute cutting.
  • After the contestant has drawn a cutting, the student shall not confer or have any communication with a coach or others until the reading has been delivered. Each reader shall present the cutting draw slip to the Room Manager or Judge(s) in the round.
  • While the inadvertent skipping or substitution of a single word or phrase in an Extemporaneous reading may occasionally and understandably occur, students must be careful that entire sentences or more are not skipped during the presentation. Contestants must not read more of the selection than is included in the drawn cutting.
  • For poetry, students must read selections in the order listed on the draw slip. For prose, students must start at the beginning of the prescribed cutting and read as much of the complete cutting as time permits. Students are allowed to stop reading at any point within the last minute. If the time has expired, the student shall complete only the sentence already begun. Allowable cutting would include the elimination of "he said" and "she said" once a character has been established or the omission of language objectionable to the contestant.
  • The student should be judged on the ability to introduce the excerpt with a few appropriate extemporaneous remarks, and to read the selection with effective vocal and bodily expression.
  • The student may use a "teaser" as a part of the introduction. However, the "teaser" must be a part of the actual drawn section of the story or poem, and the “teaser” passage may not be eliminated within the reading subsequently presented.
  • THE ENTIRE DELIVERY TIME, INCLUDING THE REQUIRED INTRODUCTION, SHALL NOT EXCEED SEVEN (7) MINUTES.

Draws Info

Extemporaneous Reading Pamphlet