I am looking for competitors who speak clearly and present their material so that it can be uderstood easily. Those that speak too fast so that I can't follow will lose points in my book. Clever and original materials and presentations are my favorite. Have fun and be respectful.

I'm a very simple judge. I have experience judging Congress, PF, Policy, LD, and all other IEs. At the beginning of the year, I am lax, understanding, and offer constructive criticism. However, I get more strict as the year goes on. I firmly believe that it is up to you as debaters to impress me. However, this is DEBATE! Have fun! Make yourself at home. I'm a person, not a evil heartless zombie.

On that note, there is one major thing with me as a judge; DO NOT SPEW! I can listen fast, but if it gets to the point I can't understand you, I can't judge you and you WILL be marked last.

I was a debater in high school, and I have loved debating ever since I started in the 9th grade. As I judge I am looking for convincing evidence and confidence. As long as your evidence is convincing, and you are confident about your case, you will get my vote.

Do not speak too quickly as it does not allow me to fully grasp what you are saying. I understand that sometimes a lot of information needs to be shared, but not at the expense of understanding for those listening.

Pretend that I know nothing (but I do, I have a lot of judging experience) about your topic, which sometimes may be true, and explain what you think I may not know for clarity (i.e. abbreviations, acronyms, jargon, etc). Then convince me why your side should win.

Very traditional, if you spew or i cant understand you, you will lose. Do the work for me. I want to know why you won the arguments, and impacts.

I’m a very willing lay judge. I want to give the most impartial verdict possible. Please help me out by doing the following:

Please, no observers. Having them around distracts me from the work needed to give you an impartial verdict.

Please don’t be frustrated if I don’t give you comments. Keeping up with your intellect in order to declare a fair verdict quickly enough to keep the tournament running on time is challenging. I will *work very hard* to give helpful comments, but make no promises.

Please be aware that your speed may be detrimental to your desired outcome. You may present a brilliant contention, but if I can’t understand it, it won’t help you win. Remember, NSDA says, “The objective is to convince the judge that [your] side of the resolution is preferable.” If I can’t understand you, I’ll not likely find your side to be preferable. Please slow down when identifying tags. Like another judge said, “Clarity is far more important than speed. I personally prefer a slow, deliberate, thoughtful speech over a speech that is simply trying to wedge as much as possible into a short window of time.”

Please give me off time road maps. Other judges may not like them, but I find them very helpful. Also, punctuating your speeches with hand gestures indicating numbers is welcome and helpful.

Please keep emotion in check. This is a contest of rationality, not of passion, speed or volume.

Please be respectful. Be kind and civil. If you are condescending or disrespectful in any way, expect penalization.

Please know that I am rooting for you. I love that you are debating! Deep respect for your work and risk taking!

I look for the debaters to tell me how I should vote. I go into a debate with a clear and open mind leaving my personal ideals aside. All agruments should be clear and to the point with facts to support them. Speaking fast so that no one can keep up or understand your case does not sit well with me. Doing such leads me to believe that the debater is not secure with their case and they are trying to rush through and confuse everyone listening. Finally I look to the debaters to be professinal and respectful. Debaters must have all evidence accurately sited and quoted word for word. The actual evidence must be shown without going online within the round of asked.

If I can't understand you I can't judge. Making eye contact with the judge. If your points are not clear and understandable I can't judge.

I've been a debate coach for many years and have a good understanding of how each event should be done.

I believe that a good debate is one that focuses on the intention of the resolution. I'm not a big fan of definition-based debates that try to win based on how one team interprets the resolution over another.

Evidence is also key. All evidence should be properly cited and relevant. It should also be presented in a way that maintains the original positions of the author(s).

Respect is key. Debate is a civil event. There is never a need to shout or use foul language. You should treat your opponent with respect and remember that we can only hold debates if there are individuals willing to do the activity. Speaking poorly about someone, either in round or outside of a round is uncalled for.

In speech events, I respect originality. I'm not too much of a fan of speaking given solely to create shock and discomfort. I believe that serious issues can be discussed without having to focus on how negative everything is.