ASL Bowl

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2025-26 ASL Bowl Theme

"Courage Under Fire"

ASL Bowl History

To read about GSPD ASL Bowl History, click on the following link:

GPSD ASL Bowl History

ASL Literature Explanations by Genre and Sub-Genre

ASL Storytelling

Original Fiction:  A short story with an opening and closing, a problem and solution, a clear lesson or moral,
and usually has three major events, a main character and other minor characters, and scenery.

Example:

Zander Symansky - "Football Technology"

Zander Symansky
“Football Technology” (6:30)

Tanner Wedel - "Stuck on an Island"

Tanner Wedel
“Stuck on an Island” (8:21)

Eli Grove - "The Ghost"

Eli Grove
“The Ghost” (5:10)

Zander Symansky - "Lost on an Island"

Zander Symansky
“Lost on an Island” (5:03)

Armando Alvarez - "Memories"

Armando Alvarez
“Memories” (3:50)

Narrative of Personal Experience: These stories are real-life accounts of various events, including those that are humorous or tragic and those of struggles to overcome various odds. Often these stories feature the oppression of Deaf people and how they succeed in the end…or not.

Example:

Jayman Washington - "The Journey of the Ape"

Jayman Washington
“The Journey of the Ape” (5:10)

Cinematographic Story:  These stories involve cinematographic techniques that are film-like, such as close-ups, panning, zoom-in, zoom-out, medium shots, far shots, angled shots, slow and fast motion, and morphing of objects. Sometimes it is a way to retell or re-create scenes from movies.

Example:

Ethan Bettes - "Life, Past, Present, Future"

Ethan Bettes
“Life, Past, Present, Future” (3:43)

Trenton Morse - "Journey of the Chip Bag"

Trenton Morse
“Journey of the Chip Bag” (5:57)

Tyler McCallum - "Revive-A-Thon"

Tyler McCallum
“Revive-A-Thon” (5:37)

Tyler McCallum - "Different Path"

Tyler McCallum
“Different Path” (5:02)

Tiffany McCallum - "I Love You Island"

Tiffany McCallum
“I Love You Island” (5:26)

Tyler McCallum - "World Trade Center"

Tyler McCallum
“World Trade Center” (2:52)

Wyatt Goure - "Rebels"

Wyatt Goure
“Rebels” (4:53)

Folk Tale: According to Rutherford (1993), there are various types: legends, tall tales, and traditions. Bodies of work whose origin is lost but that have been shared in the community for a long time; whose origins may have begun as narratives of personal experience and subsequently have been passed around. Sometimes they involve real historical events with fictional characters, or real characters placed in a fictional time. Some stories are a copy of well-known stories with an interesting twist or with replacements.

Example:

Jamaika Jones - "Little Yellow Riding Hood"

Jamaika Jones
“Little Yellow Riding Hood” (4:04)

Aryzona Marsh - "Man VS Deaf Community"

Aryzona Marsh
“Man VS Deaf Community” (4:45)


ASL Hand Shape Stories

A to Z: Interplay between the community’s two languages, ASL and English, where the storyteller manipulates the phonetic system of one language with the phonological system of the other. There are four general rules when creating a story with constraints in hand shape sequencing and sign selection:

  1. They must be in correct sequence (alphabetic sequence).
       
  2. They must be kept within the boundaries of allowable hand shape deviations.
       
  3. They must be clear use of paralinguistic and discourse mechanisms (shifting between characters, pausing, and use of space).
       
  4. The story itself must make sense.


Example:

Aryzona Marsh - "Cowboy Duel"

Aryzona Marsh: A-Z + 1-5
“Cowboy Duel” (2:34)

Mishalae Hayden - "Hating on Rosa Parks"

Mishalae Hayden: A to Z
“Hating on Rosa Parks” (1:27)

Ava Plummer - "Stars are Strange"

Ava Plummer: A to Z
“Stars are Strange” (0:54)

1 to 15: Interplay between the community’s two languages, ASL and English, where the storyteller manipulates the phonetic system of one language with the phonological system of the other. There are four general rules when creating a story with constraints in hand shape sequencing and sign selection:

  1. They must be in correct sequence (numerical sequence).
       
  2. They must be kept within the boundaries of allowable hand shape deviations.
       
  3. They must be clear use of paralinguistic and discourse mechanisms (shifting between characters, pausing, and use of space).
       
  4. The story itself must make sense.


Example:

Camerson Luttrell - "Evolution of the TV"

Camerson Luttrell: 0-10-0
“Evolution of the TV” (1:22)

Hand Shape Set: Use a limited set of hand shape(s): one hand shape or a set of hand shapes (i.e.: 1, A, and 5). The story must follow 2 of 3 rules:

  1. The hand shapes used need to comply with the original intent.
       
  2. Deviation needs to be within acceptable limits.
       
  3. The story must make sense.


Example:

Armando Alvarez - "My Parents, My Hero"

Armando Alvarez: 1, 5, ILY
“My Parents, My Hero” (2:43)

Sethan Rolofson - "Be One With Nature"

Sethan Rolofson: 1, 2, 5
“Be One With Nature” (4:11)

Orlando Cobos-Sosa - "Speech Revival"

Orlando Cobos-Sosa: 4, 2, 1, Moon
“Speech Revival” (3:49)

Jaeden Rolofson - "The Evolution of Hunting Technology"

Jaeden Rolofson: S, 5, 1
“The Evolution of Hunting Technology” (2:28)

Brycen Laning - "My Chapter Ends"

Brycen Laning: S, 5, 1
“My Chapter Ends” (3:00)

Orlando Cobos-Sosa - "Chernobyl"

Orlando Cobos-Sosa: 5, 1, Moon
“Chernobyl” (3;09)

Dominique Emerson-Jones - "Be a Friends"

Dominique Emerson-Jones: 1, 2
“Be a Friends” (1:38)

Plays on a Fingerspelled Word:  The story unfolds based on hand shapes that follow the sequence of the fingerspelled word (names of states, people, or activities) or by illustrating some aspect of the word.

Example:

Sethan Rolofson - "Deaf Superhero in Infinity Wars Two"

Sethan Rolofson: AVENGERS
“Deaf Superhero in Infinity Wars Two” (1:38)


ASL Poetry

Space or Signing Cohesion: Visual poetic cohesion which manipulates space or signing, showing a visual-kinetic line:
 

  • space or signing cohesion is a visual syntax of movement, design, and composition, creating an overall visual composition.
       
  • cohesion can be linear, circular, dyadic, left-to-right, back-to-front, high-to-low, etc.

Example:

Jayda Aiken - "Foster Family"

Jayda Aiken” Right/Left
“Foster Family” (1:19)

Jaeden Rolofson - "My Own Experience"

Jaeden Rolofson: Right/Left
“My Own Experience” (2:36)

Joshua Brodie - "My Hero, My Parents"

Joshua Brodie: Right/Left
“My Hero, My Parents” (1:19)

Hand Shape OR Rhythm Usage:  Visual syntax of movement in

  • sign pattern
       
  • sign repetition (3-count/2-count/1-count rhythm
       
  • sign manipulation (1-handed/2-handed)
       
  • sign pace
       
  • sign sequence
       
  • sign production manipulation (shattered, icy, happy, frightened, etc.)
       
  • palm orientation manipulation


Example:

Renate Rose - "North Star

Renate Rose: Repetition
“North Star” (2:29)

Orlando Cobos-Sosa - "Heart-Touch"

Orlando Cobos-Sosa: Sign Repetition
“Heart-Touch” (2:30)

Mishalae Hayden - "Deaf-Revived"

Mishalae Hayden: Dyadic, emphasis on negative Bent-2 and positive resistance S Handshapes
“Deaf-Revived” (2:10)

Joshua Brodie - "My Hero, My Parents"

Joshua Brodie: Repetition, 1, 5, S
“My Hero, My Parents” (1:19)

Sophia D'Angelo - "Deaf Solidarity"

Sophia D'Angelo: Rhythm or Handshape Usage, 5, 2, 1
“Deaf Solidarity” (3:14)

Rachel Taylor - "Technology Transforms Deaf-Blind"

Rachel Taylor: 1, 5
“Technology Transforms Deaf-Blind” (2:45)

Imagery OR Symbolism: This is a visual-kinetic embodied relationship of the author’s body and self, and text, using an imagery or symbolic element such as personification, metaphor, theatrical, autobiographical, narration, monologue, etc.

Example:

Aryzona Marsh - "The Evolution of Writing"

Aryzona Marsh: Characters Writing Throughout History
“The Evolution of Writing” (2:23)

Raul Melgar - "Hawaii"

Raul Melgar: Personification of a Volcano
“Hawaii” (3:33)

Renate Rose - "North Star"

Renate Rose: Symbolism
“North Star” (2:29)

Raul Melgar - "Sunflower"

Raul Melgar: Repetition, Metaphor, Personification of Sunflower “Sunflower” (3:42)

Orlando Cobos-Sosa - "The Clock Watcher"

Orlando Cobos-Sosa: Symbolism
“The Clock Watcher” (3:33)

Raul Melgar - "The Evolution of American Inventions"

Raul Melgar: Personification of a Tree
“The Evolution of American Inventions” (2:54)

Non-manual Markers: This is a visual-kinetic body-text relationship involving the author’s facial expressions: linguistic nuances of movement of the mouth, eyes, eyebrows, tilts of the head, shoulders, and so on while performing the poem.

Example:

Raul Melgar - "Hawaii"

Raul Melgar
“Hawaii” (3:33)

Sethan Rolofson - "Journey of the Dollar Bill"

Sethan Rolofson
“Journey of the Dollar Bill” (4:03)


ASL Bowl Student Video Examples by Genre and Sub-Genre (44)

ASL Bowl Tutorial Video (2)

GPSD ASL Bowl Tutorial Part 1

GPSD ASL Bowl Tutorial Part 2