Background:

I debated PF for four years at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Massachusetts. I'm currently a sophomore at Georgetown University and I've coached for a variety of camps and schools over the past couple of years. This isn't fully comprehensive of my preferences as a judge, but definitely feel free to ask me questions before the round.

Things I like:

- Consistency between the summary and the final focus. This also means full extension of arguments (ie warrant and impact extension) in both speeches.

- Weighing. Make sure it's comparative, not just general reasons your argument matters. Beyond just regular magnitude, scope probability, I think the best teams go deeper with their weighing (ex: Strength of Link, Clarity of Impact, etc). Weighing should start as early in the round as possible.

- Frontlining in the second rebuttal. I don't think you need to do a full 2-2 split in the second rebuttal but you are obligated to respond to any new offense brought up in the first rebuttal. I definitely think it is strategic to frontline the argument you are going for.

- Extensions of defense. Every back-half speech is obligated to respond to your opponents' case and with a three-minute summary, this is certainly doable.

- Jokes. Making me laugh gives you a nice bump in speaks, just don't try to be funny if you're not.

Things I don't like:

- Speed. I can handle some speed but I don't write too fast and have always preferred slower debate. Along the same lines, I have never been a fan of really blippy rebuttals where you read a lot of random cards.

- New offense in the second rebuttal. I am not a fan of new offense being read in rebuttal as an overview (weighing overviews are nice though). I think turns are great, but if you're speaking second in the round, I require that you weigh any turns that you read. This is specifically to encourage you to not read a bunch of blippy turns in second rebuttal. I think it is strategic for the first rebuttal to weigh their turns as well, but I don't require it.

- Theory. I definitely think theory and other types of critical arguments have a place in this activity, but only in certain, very limited circumstances (ie read theory when there is clear, substantial abuse in the round). If you think something abusive happens, call it out. In general though, I don't have a lot of experience with critical argumentation and those types of debates will probably naturally end up with you getting a) a worse decision and b) less educational value from me as a judge.

- Tabletotes. They honestly just look silly and are a pretty weird flex.

TL;DR: Just look at the bolded stuff in the Flow Section if you don't want to read everything.

Background: I debated 4 four years in high school in Public Forum Debate (2016-2020). I dabbled in Extemp.

Lay Stuff:

Don’t be a jerk, otherwise I'm going to give you low speaks and a low point win if you happen to win by flow. If you are any type of -ist in round or has an argument that is- you are dropped. Be inclusive and kind

Speed = fine, but I will say “clear” and stop flowing if too fast.

Speaks: high avg speaks if you do everything right- 28. Ill drop speaks if you are not civil, have an abusive argument/fw. If u make me laugh/snicker +.5 speaks. Also if you do key voters right +.5 speaks.

Clipped or Falsified Evidence = drop, be ethical, stop clipping

Time yourselves and hold each other and your opponents accountable.

CX: it’s for you guys to clarify things/poke holes (it's ok to use it to clarify, don't feel bad). I may listen I may not, I'm still not gonna flow it either way. Whatever you or your opponent says that is important in CX better be brought up in speech otherwise it doesn’t count. Don’t be abusive with follow up questions.

Flow stuff:

I really don't care for Rhetoric heavy debate, just get to the point. I want clash and clear warranting.

I expect 2nd rebuttal to respond to the first rebuttal responses. (The fact that some people don't do this is weird to me).

SIGNPOST WHEREVER YOU GO, it’s a basic skill every debater needs to do.

In general I prefer the Quality > Quantity of responses. Please Don't Card Bomb Me.

Don’t flow through red ink, I will likely catch you and what you say won’t be counted in round. Additionally I have a pet peeve of saying “flow through contention 1” or "flow through smith 19" and then moving on, u better explain to me exactly how your contention/warrant/card actually flows through and what the argument/content is.

I like Key Voters but if you don’t know how to do them I’m fine with down the flow as long as u signpost and condense/collapse well. In Summary since it’s now 3 minutes, I want some weighing analysis at the end, but there should be more weighing in FF.

In your final speeches (esp Summary): Extend your warrants otherwise I am not giving you access to your impacts. If something is brought up in FF that isn't in Summary, it doesn't count- don't flow through red ink, and be consistent with your partner.

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING GOOD WEIGH IN YOUR FINAL SPEECHES. If you don’t weigh you essentially leave it up to my opinion on what I value the most. If you guys can use and talk about multiple weighing mechanisms like the probability, scope, time-frame, magnitude of your impacts in relation to each other, and which mechanism should be preferred over the other- you'll catch my interest. Alongside any logical fallacy names like; “slippery slope”, and “straw man”.

Also you can definitely talk about cards and methodology in your speeches. Just don't let evidence debate be all that the debate boils down to. I may ask for and read for critical cards after the debate too, regardless of evidence debate.

Ill probably disclose at the end if you made the debate clean and easy (and if I am allowed to) but if not I detail the ballot.

Framework/Nontraditional stuff:

Don’t ever give me a “framework is utilitarianism” in case because that is inherently what Public Forum debate is (you can use it as a response in rebuttal and so on). This also goes for "Cost Benefit Analysis" if it is in the resolution. That being said I welcome non traditional frameworks and interpretations of the resolutions that have a rational basis that you can explain well and have cards to back up. I really enjoy and love fw debates. Also shouldn't be an abusive fw.

Please respond to your opponents framework if they have one, cuz that could ultimately cost you the round.

I'd rather not judge a K/theory/plans in PF please (don't really know about them in depth anyway). Although I would rather not judge it, I am open to hearing these Kritiks/Theory but you will need to be able to explain VERY clearly and how it works in round not only to me but your opponents, because if they don't know what you are doing it kind of ends up being abusive cuz they can't or don't know how to respond to them. If you end up using progressive debate techniques in PF I hope it is supplemental to traditional debate cuz as I said above I have a very loose understanding of this stuff and would likely be a time waste.

Plans are not allowed in PF (NSDA Rule). You can have a advocacy (NOT A PLAN- difference is in a plan you specify how you are going through with it, advocacy is just a general recommendation) as long as u can explain how it makes sense under the resolution in round (not after when u are trying to persuade me). Also make sure its not overly abusive to your opponents and puts them in a corner where they can't get out, that ties into being a jerk.

Feel free to ask me questions about any of this or something not here.

I am an experienced parent judge. Please go slow and clear so I can understand what you're saying. Please don't use any discriminatory language.

Hi everyone, I am a new/lay judge (haven't judged any tournaments before) so please keep this in mind when speaking (don't spread/use a lot of debate jargon). Please explain any arguments in detail and try to make sure that I can flow easily; I'd greatly appreciate that. Additionally, I would prefer a quantifiable impact over simply stating that something will happen (i.e. try to quantify the impact of your statements if applicable).

I am an attorney with trial experience and have judge mock trials as well as and a handful of speech and debate tournaments. I don't, however, consider myself an expert at judgeing debate tournaments. I do have more than a basic knowledge of politics and current events.

Give me a clear road map as to where you will be taking me. Make arguments simple and at a pace were I, with only a few debates under my belt, can understand. When words are flying fast and furious, I sometime cannot follow the argument, which is bad for me as well as the contestant. The most important thing is that I hear and UNDERSTAND the argument.

Finally, I need cues (sign posting) to emphasis important points and facts (i.e., fluctuate voice, hand gestures, pound table, repeat a point, etc.) to your arguments. Have fun!!!

I am generally a flow judge and can follow fast paced debate.

Framework should be established and followed throughout the round. Tell me why your framework is superior and back up your claim with evidence in contentions. If there is no framework debate, the round will rely on weighing evidence in contentions.

Contentions should be clearly stated with supporting evidence and analysis. Your evidence should be fully explained and analyzed as to its impact on the debate. I prefer evidence be referred to by subject/topic throughout the round rather than simply the author's name. Know your evidence well enough defend it in cross-examination.

Your case should be organized, focused and come to a reasonable conclusion that convinces me to vote in your favor. Failure to communicate the importance of evidence, weighing values and impacts, or extending key arguments may result in a loss.

I am a parent judge, who has some experience judging public forum rounds. I like a few things in a speaker.

For the First Speaker:

When presenting your case to me, I would like you to speak clearly and slowly. If you start speaking too fast, I'll stop flowing. Make sure that you're emphasizing what contention you're on and organize your case by subpoints, making it easier for me to flow your case.

For the Second Speaker:

When you are rebutting your opponent's case, make sure that you tell me what on their case you are responding to, and I would prefer you to go down the flow. If you do something else, tell me in an off time roadmap. Also, clash is very important in a round so I would like to see a lot of it from you.

During your final focus, I would like to hear Impact calc and why you win the round. Your impacts should be resolutional. Also tell me the reasons why you should win.

Cross Ex:

I want you to be respectful to your opponent. I don't care about where you're facing, either me or your opponent. During Grand CX, teams can either stand up or sit down.

CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE

As a Congressional debate judge, I am listening for fervor, passion, and rhetorical integrity. Students who begin or lapse into reading their speeches will not receive high marks from me - extemporaneous speaking is key here with ideas presented in flavorful tones without the monotone elements that derive from reading a series of sentences. The proficient asking and answering of questions is key to receiving a high score from me. I listewnt to your words and expect clear pronunciation, medium pace, and enlivened debater from you and your peers. Once the session has ended, please accept my 'virtual high five' as a response to your gestures of 'thank you for judging' mantra.

DEBATE

I am primarily a tabula rasa judge, adjudicating arguments as presented in the round. Theoretical arguments are fine as long as they contain the necessary standards and voting issue components. I am not a huge fan of the kritik in PF and tend to reside in that camp that believes such discussions violate the legitimacy of tournament competitions; that being said, I will entertain the argument as well as theoretical counter arguments that speak to its legitimacy, but be forewarned that shifting the discussion to another topic and away from the tournament-listed resolution presents serious questions in my mind as to the respect owed to teams that have done the resolutional research deemed appropriate by the NSDA.

I am adept at flowing but cannot keep up with exceptionally fast-paced speaking and see this practice as minimizing the value of authentic communication. I will do my best but may not render everything on the flow to its fullest potential. Please remember that debate is both an exercise in argumentation as well as a communication enterprise. Recognizing the rationale behind the creation of public forum debate by the NSDA underscores this statement. As a result, I am an advocate for debate as an event that involves the cogent, persuasive communication of ideas. Debaters who can balance argumentation with persuasive appeal will earn high marks from me. Signposting, numbering of arguments, crystallization, and synthesis of important issues are critical practices toward winning my ballot, as are diction, clarity, and succinct argumentation. The rationale that supports an argument or a clear link chain will factor into my decision making paradigm.

RFD is usually based on a weighing calculus - I will look at a priori arguments first before considering other relevant voters in the round. On a side note: I am not fond of debaters engaging with me as I explain a decision; that being said, I am happy to entertain further discussion via email, should a situation warrant. Also, Standing for speeches is my preference.

Hi, I'm Alice, a current freshman at Harvard studying Economics. As a debater and judge, the majority of my experience in debating has been in parliamentary styles (Canadian, British, American) as well as World Schools. Generally, I have very few specific preferences and am relatively adaptable, so feel free to debate in styles most comfortable for you. If you have any questions, please reach out at alicechen@college.harvard.edu. I am always happy to answer whatever concerns you may have. That being said, a few key points:

1) Please do not spread! Do not exceed a reasonable speed that you would use with a lay judge or a judge unfamiliar with spreading. Speak clearly; I flow slowly.

2) Please weigh. Please be clear about what you think I should consider round-winning metrics and frameworks, and contest the weighing of other teams.

3) I am unfamiliar with many types of progressive frameworks, but I will do my (unqualified) best to understand you.

PF: I am a former policy debater who just started judging and coaching public forum. That being said, my philosophy is that you should run whatever you feel fit in a round. Run any Kritik, theory, disadvantage, etc. that you think would benefit your side in a round. Let it be known though that I am not a big fan of theory arguments. I think that theory is a wonderful toolset to check microaggressions, and racism, and create a leveled playing field in rounds, but this is a double-edged sword. Unless something absolutely egregious happens, I have a high burden of proof. However, a well-run theory argument is an argument nonetheless. I leave that to your best judgment.

FOR EVERYONE: BE CAREFUL WHEN USING HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS AROUND ME. I AM GETTING MY PHD IN HISTORY...I WILL FACT CHECK YOU INTO OBLIVION

Policy: I am still getting back into spreading, while you can spread try to say the taglines clearly so I can flow them.For Negs I hold Ks to a higher standard, if you run a K you have to show adequate knowledge that you understand what the K is, so don't run a psychoanalysis K without first understanding its implications since otherwise you're just saying gibberish without fully explaining its consequences. Critical Affs are okay, but know that the K standard for the Neg also applies to the Aff.

LD: I have experience in LD judging and debating, I'm a flow judge who pays attention to the ultra technical and specifics of the debate. While your speaking style matters incredibly to your speaker points and persuasiveness, I pay attention more to the flow and arguments.

Have fun, be nice, be a good sport win or lose.

I competed in Policy for three years in high school, and Parliamentary debate in college for three years. I've been judging PF since then.

Columbia University 2018

New York University School of Law 2022

Speed

It is your burden to make sure that your speech is clear and understandable and the faster you want to speak, the more clearly you must speak. I am generally fine with spreading.

I never time debates. That's not my job. Therefor, it is your job. Police yourselves and eachother. There is an art to this. Opposing teams can hold up their iPhones to indicate their opponent has run out of time.

I generally allow for a 15 seconds grace period to finish sentences.

Posture

Circumstances permitting, you must stand up, in a centralized spot, and face me during constructive arguments. This is preferred but not necessary during cross.

Evidence

If you fail to call out bad evidence, it will be accepted as true for the round.

Judging style

If there are any aspects of the debate I look to before all others, they would be impact analysis and weighing. Not doing one or the other or both makes it much harder for me to vote for you, either because I don't know how to evaluate the impacts in the round or because I don't know how to compare them. If you don't compare them for me, I will do it on my own and no one wants that.

Burden Interpretations

The pro and the con have an equal and opposite burden of proof.

About me : I am parent volunteer judge, This is my second season jugdging.

Comments:

-Please be nice, and please be clear

-Explain speech/debate topic and Format

-Speech and Debate should be logical and engaging, I like value argument over style.

-Keep medium speaking pace

-I take notes in contructive, rebuttal and crossfire(pf)

- Please add me to email chain with both cases

I competed in high school speech and debate all four years back in the 1990s and have been judging Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum debate for the last eight years.

Well reasoned arguments and high quality evidence are more convincing to me than twenty evidence cards- quality not quantity please! Speech and Debate is fundamentally an oral communication event and if I can't understand you your arguments can't persuade me.

Although NSDA rules allow citing sources as "Jones 2020", if I need to weigh competing evidence, knowing that "Jones 2020" is from The Washington Post instead of Wikipedia is important.

If you can't find the evidence in 30 seconds, we will move along- Organization is part of the preparation for this event.

Learning how to organize your thoughts quickly and how to stay cool under pressure/cross examination is a terrific life skill- this is an amazing activity and will help you in your later professional life no matter your high school win-loss record.

I am a lay judge and prefer traditional debate and limited speed.

I judge based on persuasive debate. No spreading, please.

I debated PF for 4 years in high school, some nat circuit tourneys but pretty lowkey

River Hill '20 Duke'24 (GTHC)

I miss debate a lot :( Enjoy it while it lasts.

Speed is fine as long as it's not Policy speed (I spoke way too fast anyways).

I like to see good clash. This means responding to rebuttals (for second rebuttal I do like to see a bit of frontlining, though not required), not extending through ink, not just simply stating the author of a card (I probably forgot it already) but also explaining what said author does, and not extending any arguments through FF not brought up in Summary. Engage with your opponent.

I like signposting and line by line, but honestly I didn't do a great job of doing that in HS, so it's not that big of a deal? Organization is very very important though; as long as you have organization then I'm fine with however you decide to structure your speech.

Frameworks are fine, but just make sure to talk about why it's valid and why your arguments best fit the framework. Personally, I don't really think frameworks are all that useful, mainly because 90% of teams that run frameworks don't actually sustain their arguments throughout the round.

You can ask to show me cards/evidence if it is in dispute, but I personally will call a card if it is so influential to the round that I can't make a decision without seeing it. That being said, if you mislead or use fake evidence, I will most likely drop you right there.

I probably won't flow cross, but that doesn't mean take cross off. Have questions prepared. Be polite. Let your opponent speak.

Impacts, Impacts, Impacts. These are the most important pieces of information. Please make sure to do comparative weighing throughout the round, whether it be on probability, magnitude, scope, etc. In the end, your warranting could be completely undisputed, but if I believe that your side's impacts are not as important (very broadly defined based on how they are weighed) as the other side's you will most likely lose.

Something I've realized after I left PF is that debating and discourse really involves going on a personal level, beyond the evidence. Yeah, data, statistics, research papers, etc. are good, but the best way of really convincing someone is to make your argument as relatable, understandable, and believable as possible. That's really what I'm looking for. Admittedly, my rebuttals (I was second speaker) did not follow this trend, but I think it's still very important. That's not to say that having data/statistics is bad, it's just that there's more to a debate than just evidence.

Side note: I like Worldstar. So I'll just copy and paste what it entails here.

"If your partner roasts their opponent in cross (without being douchey) you are expected to yell "WORLD STAR!." If you do so and I find the roast amusing then you and you're partner each get 1.0 added to your speaks. If you misjudge a roast and I think it's lame you get deducted 0.1 speaks for interrupting cross."

On the topic of speaks, I will try and be very friendly, unless you are being rude/racist/sexist/a bigot. Don't do those, and I'll be a speaks fairy.

I am a parent judge, and am so impressed by the work and effort that all of you have gone to in order to debate today -- so please know that first of all. Having said that, I expect clear, concise and coherent speaking of a reasonable pace; please no spreading. I want to be able to understand all of the arguments you have prepared, but if you speak too quickly or spread, I cannot evaluate you properly. I am looking for organized, structured arguments, and will be a big fan of clearly articulated contentions, evidence/sources, and quick thinking cross-examinations. Please give me full-circle argumentation from contentions to voting issues, and please note I would value quality over quantity all day long. Come prepared to time yourselves, but I will also be timing to hold accountable. Be courteous, respectful and professional during the debate which will only enhance your performance from my perspective.

Howdy, y'all!

My name is Tarun. I did 3 years of Debate for Bentonville HS and currently compete in college. I specialized in BQ and PF and competed in LD, Congress, Policy, and have a base knowledge of Worlds. I also know a lot about speech, so that shouldn't be an issue.

General notes for all styles [PF, CX, LD, WS, BQ]

Add me to the email chain pls(taruneisen61@gmail.com)! I am tech > truth. I will buy any arguments, as long as they are extended, warranted, etc. Make sure to collapse on weak args and extend on the winning ones. I think that while FW is important, it isn't the main attraction. If you're running prog, make sure everyone is okay with it. Please don't run Trix and theory shells just to get that easy dub against a novice. I prefer debates on substance, but if it turns into a technicality debate, make sure it's good. If the round turns into a definition debate, I will give everyone 26's. Please bring up all-new cards before FF. I also will not evaluate new contentions beyond 1st AC/NC. Please signpost as well, and give a roadmap. This allows everyone to keep everything organized and allows a clear mind. All weighing and impacts should start in Rebuttal, but I will buy it in Summary if it's strong enough. Link chains should also be presented in Rebuttal and extended through FF. I am not a fan of judge intervention, so make sure the ballot is crystal clear. I will also keep time, so if you go over time, I will stop flowing. You can finish your sentence, but beyond that, I won't flow anything else. Also, speed is fine, but don't spread (unless policy). Again, don't run abusive args. 

Evidence

I love evidence. If you are paraphrasing in your case, make sure you have the cut card, or at the very least, the URL for me to find it. Please warrant cards and show why they are both unique and impactful. I will call for any cards that I need, so please have them handy. I always had cut cards when I competed, so please have them. Make sure the cards actually say what you're telling. If you're going to present more cards in Rebuttal and Summary, warrant them and tell me why they outweigh the other side. Make sure those cards are also cut. If you just say the card (e.g., Jones 20) and give me info, but don't warrant it and show why it actually matters, I most likely won't buy it. If the source is biased or flawed, make it an issue. I won't buy new evidence past Summary, so any significant cards have them before that.

Cross X:

Please be respectful. I don't flow CX, but I will pay attention. If you're rude or a bully, I will down your speaker points. I am also chill with flex prep, but make sure your opponents are also okay with it. This time also shows how you flourish with direct questioning, so try your best.

Weighing/Voters:

Just because you say something's a voter does not automatically make it one. Make sure you tell me why this warranted voter is crucial. I will weigh probability, magnitude, timeframe (in that order of importance). Please do all weighing starting in Rebuttal, but I will accept it if you start in summary if it is crazy important. Any beyond that will not be bought. Be sure all voters are fleshed out, warranted, all that jazz. All voters should be in Summary. You can do voters in Rebuttal, but Summary is that last chance. Please show why you outweigh the opponents. It does me and you no good to show weighing A, B, C, but not why they matter more than opp. weighing D, E, F.

Last-minute thoughts:

-I will ave. speaker points at 28.5, but will go up and down accordingly.

-If you make a joke, I will up speaker points, but it has to be good or so bad it's amazing. Any bland jokes will lose speakers.

-Any Eisen cards will raise speaks by 0.5

-If you run Texas theory shell, I will give you L20. So just don't do it.

Otherwise, I am looking forward to seeing y'all debate!

I am a parent judge who has judged my older son and my sophomore over the past four years and have some experience judging public forum and Lincoln Douglas debate format.

There are several items that I would encourage the debaters to do:

1. Make eye contact with me and look me in the eye, I wont bite.
2. Smile. Have fun and enjoy yourself.
3. Take breath, relax
4. Speak slowly! Be clear, confident and don’t rapid fire your sentences
5. Make clear arguments. Try to make me understand your points and arguments
6. Be animated. Use your hands, fluctuate your voice to get your points across

Good Luck Debating.

Build a unique narrative and it’s a dub.

Find the easiest path to the ballot.

I’ve always thought of summary and final focus as an alley-oop. You pass your partner all the cards they need for final focus, and hopefully they slam it home.

Voters at the end would help me a lot, and please extend author names along with the ideas they convey. That will help me flow and communicate RFD better.

Confidence, voice projection, thought process/organization, eye contact and factual examples are the elements I would like to see during a speech and debate competition. Well thought out counter arguments can also make or break a competitor.

I judged LD for the 4 years when my daughter was on the circuit and am now back in the mix with my son. Mostly, I judged in local and regional tournaments, but did a few JV rounds at Harvard, NSDA regionals, and NCFL nationals. I also debated LD when I was in high school (yes, we had LD last century), so I am more old school than new school.

General

- I am pretty big on framework and impacts. Give me a clear idea of how your arguments link to weighting mechanisms, impacts, etc.

- I will not do your job for you. Extend your arguments, draw links to your framework, and make it clear what you think the voting issues are in the round

- I judge strictly on what is presented in the round, but clearly bogus arguments or "evidence" will have little or no weight with me

- Be competitive but cool.

Speed

- I am not afraid of the spread, I can read fast enough to follow when you flash the doc - but during round when you are addressing arguments that are not on the doc, or identifying voters, or telling me why you win - then you need to SLOW DOWN.

- If you are discussing a deep philosophical idea, then it's probably a pretty good idea to slow down.

- Don't try to spread your opponent out of the round if they are clearly out of their depth, again = be competitive but cool

Theory/K

- I can't say I am the most well-versed theory judge ever. If you make a good argument that is well structured, then I am fine with it. That said, there is no way you can skew your opponent out of the round or sneak in some spike that automatically wins the round for you. So, I wouldn't spend too much time on it.

- I like the K and think it can really open up some interesting avenues for the debate. But, be careful of layering arguments that contradict your a priori arguments for why we shouldn't be having this particular debate in the first place.

- Have a STRONG link. I will be sensitive to the argument that the K is trying to grab infinite ground - because without the link, you are.

Speaks

- less than 25 means you were NOT COOL. You will know at the end of the round, or maybe during, if it gets to that point

- 25-29 most of the time, I will give low point wins if your logic/evidence/case was just better at the end of the day

- 30 for the exceptional

I have judged for almost four years.

I don’t have any specific preferences for the students I judge other than the following:

• I like professionalism: act respectfully towards your opponent (don’t interrupt them, talk over them, personally attack them, etc.)

• Please have thoroughly developed evidence and impacts (if you don’t impact your arguments they lose a lot of weight in the round for me)

• Articulation is key when reading evidence/convincing me to believe your claims

• I like nice, well thought out presentations of the cases I hear.

• Don’t talk fast or try to spread

Thank you for keeping the aforementioned preferences in mind! I look forward to judging you.

Hello, Greetings !!!

I am a parent judge and have some experience judging public forum debate format. I am aware of incredible time & effort debaters put in for preparation and how much they value and look for judge's feedback. I would like to be fair in judging and would suggest following,

1. Speak Clear,loud, confident and concise.
2. Speed - Like medium so that i can flow. No spreading.
3. Please do not bring up new arguments in Summary and Final Focus. Extend your arguments and collapse in Summary and FF.
4. Do not personally attack or use offensive language towards your opponent. I expect this to be a sportive and enjoyable experience.
5. Stick to the time limits.
6. I expect clear evidence and warranting when supporting arguments.
7. Voters - If you want me to vote for you, please make it clear what arguments you are winning on.

Good Luck debating !!!

I am a lay judge, but have judged a few debates. It is helpful if you speak slowly and clearly.

I will look for a well-rounded argument. I prefer that debaters aren't rude or condescending during crossfire.

1. Speak at medium speed. I am a novice judge so you know the game and I don't.

2. Keep it simple, be confident and be organized in your approach

3. Evidence should be current/relevant and quality trumps quantity.

4. I will be judging you on who educated me using evidence-based arguments.

5. Presentation style is important.

6. Enjoy being in the game!

I'm a law student and competed in PF for Cary Academy. I have not competed since 2015 and have only judged a couple times since then, so anything overly technical and/or confusing will probably go over my head. In my opinion, PF is valuable for how it helps students develop strong critical thinking skills, learn the ability to dissect arguments, and hone their public speaking abilities. Accordingly, these are the skills I emphasize and look for when I judge, because I think it's what is most helpful to you going forward. I'm happy to answer questions you have on my paradigm if you have any.

Flowing – I will flow, but keep it reasonable. I will write down everything I catch, but clarity is more important than quantity. Make sure you bring your key points through to summary and FF. Typically, my decision will be made on those two speeches.

Cross – I don't write anything down during cross. It matters for speaker points, but make sure you bring up a substantive point in later speeches if you want me to take note of it.

Speaker points – Be clear, professional, and respectful. If your argument makes sense, and you've explained it to me in a compelling way, I'm happy.

Substance – Don't just tell me in summary/FF that you "won" a point, tell me why it's a winning point. Address your opponents' counterpoints. I don't make decisions on quantity—if you bring three points to your FF and your opponent brings two, for example, that's not a clear win. I need to know why those points are the ones that matter.

General points – I'm a big fan of weighing. I think in good rounds, that's what it comes down to: the resolutions are supposed to be complex issues with no clear answer, and your opponent will inevitably make some points that hold water. That's the fun part, and it's more compelling to me if you tell me why your argument is more important. Giving me a framework helps with that.

Good luck, and most importantly, have fun!

Parent judge with 4 years of experience, I do flow the entire round.

If possible, please make it easy for me, collapse or go for a very well explained turn.

I am not a a pro and wont necessarily understand all the jargon and nuance.

My prefs:

1. yes - signpost; off-time roadmaps, extending from SUM to FF;

2. warrants > blips = I will have a hard time voting for poorly explained arguments;

3. no - spreading, anything new in 2nd SUM or FF;

4. Happy to skip grand-X if you are...

5. If K and Theory is read, I will do my best, but no promises that I will do a good job of it.. so swim at your own risk.

you can add me to email chains and case - viettagrinberg@gmail.com

Backgroud/"qualifications:"

I debated for 4 years for Charlotte Latin School. I did congress for 3 years and switched to PF my senior year. I qualified to TOC and NSDA Nationals in both events, finaled at Emory and Harvard in Congress, won Durham Academy in PF, and made semis at Bluekey in PF.

PF Paradigm:

I'm a flow judge and can handle reasonably fast PF teams, but if you want to spread, switch events.

A few important things for me:

Signposting: Please tell me where on the flow I should be putting responses. This does not mean an off time roadmap before rebuttal where you tell me "I'm going to start on my opponent's case and then go back to mine." Rather, just say, "as an overview" or "starting on my opponent's first contention" before you make your overview or first response. This will help me actually consider your responses at the end of the debate rather than spending half your rebuttal trying to figure out where to flow things.

Responses: Please make sure your responses actually engage with your opponent's arguments and aren't just the same three cards you read against every Aff case. I would much rather you analytically attack an argument which you are unprepared to answer than attempt to misapply evidence you've already cut.

On that note... Evidence: I have no problem with paraphrasing evidence as long as you stay true to the author's original intent. Conversely, just because you directly quote or line down a card does not mean you are fairly representing the author's point of view.

Evidence indites: If you indict a card, that's great, but explain why that indict matters. Ex. Don't just say "the thinktank our opponent cites is funded by big pharma" explain how that conflict of interest led to poor scholarship or data manipulation on the part of the author.

If you have any other questions about my preferences feel free to ask before the round.

Congress Paradigm:

Here's how my rankings usually turn out at the end of the round:

Last. The kid that actually says nothing

6. The kid that speaks, but says nothing of value

5. The kid that says nothing of value, but confidently

4. The kid that says something of marginal value to the round but poorly delivered

3. The kid that does the same in a more compelling manner

2. The kid that borderline spreads to cover the flow, but does so well

First. The kid that does the same as #2 but with better word economy

As you can see by these rankings, I value argumentation above delivery but consider delivery a tiebreak between equally skilled debaters. I think later round speeches should do more refutation/weighing, but if you have an actually unique constructive point late-round, I understand that you don't always get to speak as early as you might want. I also pay attention to when you start standing and I'll be impressed if you switch sides/rewrite your speech because you aren't called on early. On that note, please don't give the *insert number greater than one* aff/neg in a row. You'll always be better off switching sides and giving a slightly worse speech than speaking on the same side as everyone else in the round.

As far as writing bills is concerned, if you submit a bill I will take into account the quality of the debate and the saliency of the issue. Since congressional debate requires lots of people to speak, a bill with a very limited scope of argumentation is not a good bill. Since congressional debate is meant to model the US congress, it should be conceivable that what you submit could be brought before congress. And most importantly, since congressional debate is meant to be a debate, your bill should have arguments for and against it, not just enough ground to give an authorship speech and then shame everyone who goes neg because it's an impossible position to defend. I know that by the time you read this, it's too late to change what bill you have submitted, but these are the things you should consider before you ever begin writing legislation in the first place.

Lastly, if you use rhetoric that either A) I came up with, B) one of my teammates came up with, or C) I've heard used verbatim before, I won't be impressed and might count it against you. I'd much rather you give a brief intro based on some historical fact than steal catchy rhetoric (trust me, I've heard it all and you won't be able to reuse rhetoric without me noticing).

Father of a debate student. First time judge. Physician.

I have been coaching public forum at Shrewsbury High (MA) since 2014, and am now the head coach there. Please note that Shrewsbury PFers have been instructed not to send their cases to their opponents or their judges. They also will not partake in Theory or K debates since they have no place in Public Forum Debate. They will be debating the resolution as is the entire goal of PF debate.

I have a lot of experience judging, but have also been in the tabroom a lot recently. I believe in the values of public forum debate, meaning that the debate should be able to be adjudicated by a citizen judge. I will flow, but I'm looking for clear signposting and a clear structure to each speech. This is just good practice.

I love a good narrative, but not at the expense of solid evidence and impacts.

I want logically sound warrants, please don't just say that my card is from 2023 when theirs is from 2021...I want a real reason for why your evidence is better in relation to your contentions.

Please give me clash and weighable impacts. But please don't just say you outweigh on scope or magnitude without telling me why.

I really don't want to call for evidence, so please don't use false figures or try anything dodgy. This includes things like, "our opponents didn't respond..." when they clearly did respond.

I will not judge based on any plans, counterplans or critical theories. That is simply not in the spirit of public forum debate.

I don't like roadmaps. Your speech should be clear enough for me to follow without one and it's a problem if you need one, and although I'll probably let you give it, I won't be listening to it.

Don't be rude. This includes good etiquette in crossfire. Condescension will make me look for a way to give you the loss.

I do really like cases I haven't heard before. Just be careful though, the reason they're new is that there's usually an issue with them! That's the fun of all this right!?

4 years of PF, UVA '23

Winning my ballot starts with weighing, in fact, weighing is so important I'd prefer if you did it at the begiNning of every speech after first rebuttal. Be cOmparative, I need a reason why I should look to your arguments firsT. Please collapse, don't go for more than one case arg in the second half, its unnecessaRy. I'm a lazy judge the easIest plaCe to vote is where I'll sign my ballot. I'm not going to do more worK than I need to. I will not vote off of one sentence offense, everything needS to be explained clearly, warranted, and weighed for me to evaluate it(turns especially). I try not to presume but if I do, I will presume whoever lost the coin flip.

I will evaluate progressive arguments.

If you are going to give a content warning please do it correctly - this means anonymized content warnings with ample time to respond.

I'm very generous with speaks, speaking style doesn't affect how I evaluate the round and I don't think I'm in a place to objectively evaluate the way you speak. With that being said I will not tolerate rudeness or ANY bm in round. I can handle a decent amount of speed but do not let speed trade off with quality.

Online debate I will be muted the entire round just assume I'm ready before every speech and time yourselves and your own prep. I will disclose if the tournament allows.

Questions: chashuang1@gmail.com

Hi there! I work as a journalist and a writer, and this influences the way that I think about judging. My job, if I do it right, is to learn and tell a complicated story in a way that people can understand it after hearing it just one time. In interviews, my job is to ask questions that point to holes or contradictions in someone's story.

As a PF judge, I'll be asking basic questions. Did you give a clear and logical presentation that's persuasive? Did you find and expose flaws in the opposing case? My knowledge of the finer points of debate scoring is probably less than yours.

You'll help me follow your case through good pacing. Take your time speaking; be willing to pause for emphasis, or to check your notes. Just talk. Pacing is more than just the speed at which you talk. It's also the way you develop your ideas. Organize your thoughts in a way that they flow logically so that I can follow them.

If a good pace makes your speech too long, edit. Choose your most persuasive points. Express them in a tight logical progression. Sometimes a speech is not in the best order, and finding the right order makes it both better and shorter.

If reading your case aloud takes exactly four minutes, it might be a bit long. Consider allowing some time to improvise.

In crossfire, think of short, simple questions that challenge your opponent to defend or explain something they have not.

A sense of humor is welcome and appreciated.

Debaters are most persuasive when they are civil. Sarcasm or scorn draws my attention to the person expressing it, rather than the flaws they see in their opponent's case. You should stick up for yourself and your case--graciously.

Finally, be creative and think for yourself. Other than the part about civility, disregard my suggestions if you or your coach know a better way to make your case. You may teach me something. I'll be listening. Have fun!

I am a lay judge with some experience in public forum and speech, and limited experience in Lincoln Douglas and Congress.

Please don’t spread or do anything that would make it hard for me to understand you.

Tell me why you are winning, tell me what’s important, don’t make it hard for me to figure that out. WEIGH.

If you have a speech document and are comfortable with sharing it, that would ensure that I do not miss anything you say.

My email is djacobs@mytruloan.com if you want to share anything.

I am a former policy debater and current speech and debate coach. I coach policy, LD, and PF. I am a flow judge. I want to see good communication in round.

Background:

I do not have any formal debate experience. I have a Master's degree in Accountancy and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, and work as a CPA (financial professional). I am well versed in business and economics, as well as technology.

Preferences:

1) Don't speak so quickly that you are unable to articulate your thoughts in a clear and concise manner. Slowing down and clearly communicating your points will yield a more favorable result than speaking too quickly for anyone to understand.

2) Don't just tell me why your opponent's position is unfavorable, but also explain why your position is the more favorable in spite of your opponent's position. Make sure to point out which of your opponent's points of contention you are addressing/rebutting.

3) This is my first time judging, so I'd appreciate it if you could time yourselves and hold each other accountable. I expect your arguments to be communicated completely within the time limit, but allow for finishing a sentence when the time limit is reached.

4) Try to organize your argument, such as listing your argument points and noting when you are moving from one point of contention to the next.

5) Each team needs to be courteous and maintain good sportsmanship.

6) Have fun! The goal is to convince me of your position(s); how you do that is up to you!

I am a parent lay judge! We would all benefit if you present your arguments at a pace and in an outline format that ensures I can flow them correctly. I have no issues with an off-time roadmap if you desire.

I value logic with supporting evidence over emotional arguments. I would prefer to hear coherently linked arguments rather than an assortment of arguments unrelated to each other.

Hello, I am the parent of a Junior Public Forum debater from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Here are some things about my judging style (written by son)

1. Please be nice and respectful. There is a fine line between assertiveness and aggression.

2. Do not use debate jargon. If you want to explain how you outweigh, just say "this is more important because...". I'm not going to understand what you mean if you say things like "our framework is a prerequisite so you can't flow their impacts". Talk to me like a normal person please .

3. I do not flow, but I take very organized notes. I should be able to grasp your main points from your case.

4. State your reasons why something will happen (warrants & data). Its good to have a source for your claim, but I care more about the reason why that claim is correct. Debate this over the card. (truth>tech)

5. If I can clearly understand what you are saying your speed is fine.

6. The best path to a W is telling me, clearly, what is going to happen with the resolution. Always explain why. Explain why your opponent's reasoning is wrong. I'm not bias but I'm not stupid, if you say something clearly incorrect or arbitrary I'm not voting for it.

7. Look like you are having fun. Probably won't affect my decision but its important to enjoy it

8. No theory, I probably have no idea what theory is, you are here to debate the topic.

9. Use time responsibly. Maybe I am timing, maybe I'm not, better to just stay in time

I usually do not disclose.

Hi friend

My name is Nevin and my pronouns are they/them.

This paradigm is for LD mostly.

Sparknotes

(1) Please give me your case (if possible before the round) nevinekara@gmail.com

(2) Be super big picture and weigh (why should u win and they lose)

(3) I like non T stuff, Ks, and performance. But dumb down the Ks and make sure the performance makes sense.

(4) T and theory are fine as long as u aren’t rude about it.

(5) don’t be messy

On speed/speaking

(1) Email me your case, flash me your case, make a speech drop, or something. I just need to see a case.

(2) I disassociate when people spread sometimes so make sure that what you are saying is in the doc or slow down when you want me to hear something specific.

(3) If you don’t read something that is in the doc, edit it and send a new copy.

(4) Please don’t yell or talk aggressively.

Aff

(1) Do whatever you want, but make sure everything you are doing has a purpose.

(2) If you want to read something nontopical or anti topical, a good chunk of the 1AC should be explaining why you are doing that and make sure you don’t lose that explanation in the 1AR and 2AR.

(3) If you aren’t topical, don’t pretend to be. But if you just have an interesting interpretation of the resolution that isn’t common, be prepared to defend why your interpretation is good for debate under your own standards and theirs.

CX

(1)) Ask strategic questions or forfeit the rest of your time (no penalty to speaker points).

(2) CX is binding. No take backsies.

(3) flex prep is NOT binding as is preferably only for clarification.

Ks

(1) I like Ks. I don’t like when people kick Ks. Neither of those things affects how I vote (unless it’s a white boy reading wilderson).

(2) please be super big picture and dumb down the K. Not for your opponent, for me.

(3) If you don’t understand the thesis of your K, maybe don’t read it.

(4) I like identity Ks. Just make sure the links are clear. They can all be generic links if you want but I prefer that at least a few are specific to the round and what your opponent did or said wrong. It’s always more fun that way.

Performance

(1) I did this :D

(2) reading a 30 second poem does not necessarily make your case performative. A big part of performance (in my opinion) is gut checking.

(3) make sure to be super big picture about why your performance is necessary and why the ballot/judge’s support is key

(4) Don’t be afraid to divorce yourself from debate norms.

(5)Your opponent might try to out tech you. Don’t let those bastards win! Spend the majority of your time in all your speeches contextualizing your case and explaining why an Aff/Neg ballot matters.

(6) point out when they are doing things that are harmful and make sure to say something like “vote them down for this” or “they should lose because of this”

(7) don’t read against a novice unless they deserve it (i.e. they are known to be racist or something)

DAs

(1) This is just a fancy contention, so I refuse to flow them on separate sheets of paper.

(2) Make sure to weigh. Extinction doesn’t outweigh just because you or your card without a warrant says so.

CPs

(1) Stupid CPs make me laugh. The others hurt my brain.

(2) Don’t accidentally do a CP that links into a criticism you make of the AC (I wish I didn’t have to say this) If you contradict yourself and your opponent calls you out, I won’t let you kick out of your CP to resolve the contradiction because I will consider that an offensive argument for the Aff

T

(1) Make sure the violation is clear and specific

(2) Make sure the shell functions as a unit (its just tacky if I can tell you copy pasted parts of the shell from other shells)

(3) I don’t mind if you read T just to waste time (this is NOT how I feel about theory shells though)

(4) Don’t read T against a performance unless you are going to go all in on it and are prepared to defend why a topical world is a good one for 6 minutes in the NR.

Theory

(1) Don’t read frivolous theory or tricks. We both know what that means.

(2) Don’t be afraid to read a shell in front of me. If you have a good abuse story and some bomb standards, I will easily vote for you.

(3) Don’t spread the whole thing and really try to give a good 30 second big picture overview at the end.

(4) If you are winning on the standards debate, you win the round. You don’t have to extend every part of a shell to win with me as a judge.

(5) I like RVIs they make me laugh and I enjoy voting on them when someone drops or mishandles them

(6) don't read theory or T in front of me if your opponent is lay or from a small school.

Other stuff

(1) Be nice and don’t be racist

(2) Keep your own time

I am a parent judge. Please don't talk too fast.

Thanks!

Hi, I'm Vijay. Here are my preferences for the round:

- Clearly state your contentions

- Speak slowly

- No theory. I don't understand it.

Other than that, everything else is up to you. Have fun!

Carmen Kohn’s Paradigm

I have been judging speech and debate events since 2016. I am also currently the Director and Head Coach for Charlotte Catholic HS in NC.

Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum:

I enjoy both the ethical component of the discussions in LD and the current topicality of most PF topics. I appreciate the informative nature of these debates, especially in the current political climate.

I am a classic flow judge for both events and am looking for good clash between opponents. In LD, I place more emphasis on contentions rather than value, however, that evidence must clearly link back to the VC. I am also more interested in the impacts. A dropped contention is not automatic grounds for a win. It depends on the relevance of the argument. When rebutting, don't just extend the author's card. I am not writing down all of the authors. Please remind me of the evidence that was presented. I prefer the well-thought out, well-paced arguments. While debates are won based on evidence presented, I do find a direct correlation between technical speaking abilities and evidence offered. I also make a note of how professionally debaters present themselves and behave towards myself and each other.

I would classify myself as a advanced traditional lay judge. I am not a progressive judge. Do not run theory shells or any other "progressive" argument with me. While I do appreciate the occasional non-traditional argument, especially towards the end of the topic time frame, all cases should be realistic and applicable in the current environment in which we find ourselves. Please debate the current resolution.

Absolutely No Spreading!!! I cannot follow it, especially with online tournaments. You will lose the round. This is probably my biggest pet peeve. I feel there is no educational value to that in a competitive environment. You run the risk that I will not have caught all of your arguments and may miss a main point in my flow. Please keep technical jargon to a minimum also. Throwing around debate jargon and just cards identified by author gets too confusing to follow. And if you ask a question during cross-ex, please let your opponent answer and finish their sentences. It’s unprofessional to cut someone off. Signposts and taglines are always appreciated. I generally do not disclose or give oral RFD. I want time to review my notes. Debates where opponents respect each other and are having fun, arguing solid contentions, are the best ones to watch.

Congress:

I've just started judging Congress. My "comments" are usually summaries of your speeches. Occasional commentary on the delivery and/or content. Please interact with previously given speeches (by Rep name also) and don't just rehash a "first speech". If you can bring a new point to the discussion 6 speeches in, that is awesome.

I will give points to POs. I appreciate what is involved in POing. During nomination speeches, it can be assumed that a PO will run a "fast and efficient" chamber. No need to state the obvious. However, if that actually doesn't take place, a lower rank will result.

Good luck to all!!

I greatly prefer a slow, articulate speaking style to one that's fast and messy and am not a fan of spreading. Usually, I'll vote on whichever team can extend their most important points with well articulated facts to back them up, and explain why I should way them as more important than their opponents.

Hello! I have been judging speech and debate for the past two years. I would consider myself a flay judge, I take both the flow and speaking style into consideration when making my decision. I will flow and see what arguments are brought up and being responded to. Make sure to weigh your arguments during the debate, so that I have something to vote off of. Please do not spread, instead talk at an understandable pace. I like to see confidence because it shows me that you are prepared. Good Luck!

Hey guys, I did PF for about 3.5 years with decent success on the local and national circuit, so I know how the debate will go. Also, you can go any speed just don't speak to the point of spreading. Don't be nervous I don't expect you to be extremely serious at all times you can crack a joke before the debate begins or comment about my Mamamoo or Playboi Carti stickers on my laptop. Let's go over each part of the debate and what I value:

General Rules

*I will disclose at a tournament if and only if they allow it but always feel free to ask me about the rules

*There are a lot of germs out so fist bumps or air fives are greatly appreciated

*Please do not cap (lie) about info and create a situation where officials need to included in

* Please have your cards ready to be called if needed because I do not enjoy spending a minute for a team trying to find a card that they have probably been using for two tournaments before this situation

* If you want to wow me knowing the in's and out's of your information i.e sources and dates is Pog ( really good ), knowing the opponent's sources and calling them out is an absolute 200 IQ/5Head play and I will be in awe of the brain waves radiating from your cranium

* Even if the debate is sloppy still fist bump, shake hands, or acknowledge the work the everyone has put in to get to this point

Debate Rules

1. The constructive

Please speak decently loud because my hearing is the best, but do not yell at me. If you want some more closure you can ask me a good pitch before the debate. Also, it is okay if you stumble on words just please recover and do not panic because of a mistake we are all human.

2.

CrossFire/Grand Cross

Please be respectful, one of my biggest pet peeve during the debate would be when someone would filibuster and complain that their opponent would not let them respond or just generally speak over there opponents in a rude manner. With the previous statement in mind do not be passive during the debate because confidence is key and is a general component for me to vote for you (remember as a judge I'm a blank canvas and you are the artist). The order for cross should be question-answer-question-answer, but if the opposition does not have a question exploit that weakness and continue on. In grand cross please don't introduce new arguments or read new cards because they will not be weighed are a waste of time.

3. Rebuttal

PLEASE SIGN POST! Although im pretty leaniant with mistakes during the debate this one of skills that I value the most because if an argument is being fed towards me during rebuttal especially without structure I might miss it or not understand it fully which would be disadvantageous towards you. Also, I like off time roadmaps even if the direction of the rebuttal is predictable because they give me a break to ingest fully what is to come. Finally just because you overload me with a lot of reasons against your opponent's case does not mean you just completely eviscerated them, unless they fail to recognize them or they are quality arguments.

4. Summary

Since I did first speaker for all of my tournaments that I competed at except for about four, I have grown to realize how important the summary is and how hard it is. You guys have a little bit of a break with 3 minutes, because back in my day we only had 2 minutes ( I wanted to have an older voice for this part but this is on a laptop and I'm not reading out loud to you and I just graduated high school this year so I thought it was funny but to be honest it was not). I really need the 1st speakers to pop off and not int (INTentionally feed/ do bad) for the summary. The summary is where I will be weighing the majority of the debate on. For the summary I need the 1st speakers to please WEIGH and show me why you win and the other team loses. ALSO, I still need you to signpost through all speeches.

5. Final Focus

For the 2nd speaking team please do not say any new arguments that can not be responded to by the opposition. Flow over the voters to which should have been introduced in the summary and generally collapse on the debate with telling me why you won. To be honest, just take a deep breath and go crazy; and I believe you will be successful.

I am a parent judge, although I did compete in forensics competitions in high school.

My Speaking Style Preferences are as follows:

I appreciate assertiveness when presenting arguments and debating, but only when that assertiveness does not get in the way of a civil and professional demeanor.

Make sure to speak clearly and at an understandable pace. I will not be able to judge you on arguments that I can’t understand when they’re presented.

Also make sure you stick to your time limits, and please don’t go too far over since that puts the opponents at a disadvantage.

As for argumentation:

The team that is able to support their contentions with strong logic and good evidence while effectively refuting their opponents' case will win the round.

If you want me to vote on an argument, make sure to carry it through your speeches so that I can follow it through the debate, I cannot judge you on arguments I cannot follow.

Your arguments should be topical, I will not vote on arguments which are not connected to the topic.

As a final note,

I know that all debaters have prepared themselves extensively, which I very much appreciate. Make sure to remember that the goal of debate is to learn and grow as well as have fun. Good luck!

Hi,

I am a UC Davis student with a few years of experience in PF and Parli debate from high school so I'm excited to judge you! I am not a lay judge and will be judging your points and overall skills.

Decision making:

I may or may not flow, but please go in order. I will look for who has won arguments-wise, or I will go by who has better proved the standard (If there is one). I will particularly be looking at weighing impacts. Personally, I find weighing impact super important, so please do that. My expectation for each part of the debate has been posted below:

First Speaker Speech

- Pretty Standard

- You have fifteen seconds to finish your speech after your time is up

All Crossfires

- Ask actually questions

- Don't just waste time asking stupid questions

- If your question is related to cards or sources, just check the card in Prep, don't ask them to read it out loud.

Summary

- 3 minutes long

- I will pay special attention to this speech; use it well!

- Weigh, Weigh, and Weigh! If your opponents don't weigh, and you do weigh, you will automatically be put up in my decision making for the round.

Final Focus

- 2 minutes long

- Anything you mention in this speech I will consider in my decision, so if you had something important, bring it up again here

- Like summary, Weigh!

Prep time

- 3 minutes

- You can ask for cards here

Sources

- If your opponents ask for a card, you have 1.5 minutes to bring it up, or it will be dropped

- If I find your sources fishy or suspicious, I will check them

- If I catch you with fake sources, you will lose the round

- Don't search anything up during the debate

- Don't make things up during the debate

Speaker Points / Cheating

- Being formal and good etiquette will win you some speaker points

- If you get heating up or start yelling you will lose speaker points

- There is a fine line between provoking and straight-up bullying

- If you cheat in any way, You will get a significant deduction in speaker points.

- I will not tolerate, sexual, racial, or offensive statements of any manner.

- Any offensive comments will not only cause you to lose the round, but I will also report you to the tournament officials or tabroom.

Good luck with it and have fun with the debate!

*Any other information I bring up at the start of the debate is included in my paradigm.

Hi! I have been judging debate for the past 5 years and I would consider myself a flay judge. I look at the warranting behind an argument and how it all links together. Weighing impacts is really important to me and should be done throughout the debate. I also believe you should be a good speaker. Confidence is key because it shows me that you know what you are saying and are well prepared. Good luck! --

I am first time judging LD, I havd done judging for 4 PF tournaments, but this is the first time I am judging LD.

I would prefer if debaters speak slow so that I can totally comprehend the content. The fact that I am a parent judge (not professional judge), coupled with technical issues around bandwidth when we have debates over video conferences makes it harder to understand if people speak too fast.

I try to do very objective evaluation of the debate based only on the content shared during the debate. So it is up to the debaters to define the argument and weighing mechanism. I will be judging based the definitions provided in the debate. I expect debaters on both sides to take time to focus on these aspects.

I prefer if debaters not use debate jargon, spread or theory to win the debate.

I will prefer if the teams track theirs and opponents time and keep themselves and others in check. Let me know if you would rather want me to keep the time check.

Lastly, however heated the debate goes, it should be 100% respectful. Teams should respect the rules, time limits and other team mates.

I believe that 'Debate is a way of understanding a problem deeply and from various perspective to be able to make better decisions!'

Been judging debate (PF and LD only) for almost 20 years. Coached PF at Cary Academy last year. While I try to stay up on the "technical stuff," to me, this misses the point of debate as an educational or, for that matter, a persuasive activity. So, while I can probably follow whatever case you want to run, put me in the truth (vs tech) camp. Running a well executed rhetorically sound argument will be the best way to win my ballot.

As for style, clear communications will win the day. Can probably flow at whatever speed you choose to run, but I don't value quantity over quality, whereas I do value clarity over vagary.

In addition to advancing rhetorically sound arguments, I expect debaters to find the clash in the round and give me a standard with which to weigh it. Don't expect me to do that work for you. You don't want me imposing my sensibilities by picking some arbitrary standard for the round. Moreover, between two sound cases, I will prefer any reasonable standard to no standard at all (even for an otherwise compelling/sound cases). Word of caution, though, don't let the round devolve into a pure weighing debate. At the end of the day, I will vote for the side that presents the most compelling case for affirming or negating the resolution.

debated for a fat bit in hs

i will flow

be nice

extend links and impacts

speed threshold ~200 wpm if more then send a doc

frontline in second rebuttal

read content warnings

please weigh - that includes links and impacts

Don't be racist, transphobic, homophobic, sexist, ableist, or exclusive in any way please or we will not b having a good time and i will drop u

ask me for any specifics

also gabe rusk's paradigm is v good use that one

or kyle kishimoto's that one's also v good

Hello there, my name is Christopher Patrick. I was a competitor in Congressional Debate for four years, so I know my way around a debate. I've never actually debated in the PF format but I've flowed enough rounds to understand what is you do and how to judge properly. Here's a couple of personal Do's and Don'ts when it comes to a debate round:

-Be courteous to one another. This is just a tournament, not your livelihood at stake. There's no need to be over-the-top aggressive when it comes to cross-ex. Make sure you're asking the right questions but with the proper etiquette. Sometimes it's not what you say, but how you say it.
-Make sure your argument can be understood. I know you feel the need to get out a lot of content but if I can't understand you, that's bad. You never want to see a ballot that says, "I can't judge what I can't hear". Be slow enough that someone typing along will be able to keep up with you.
-Show me a solid contentions. You all know what debate is, so I don't need to elaborate on that. I'm not sure how to judge different PF-related alternate structures (like K's), so keep it clean and don't try any funny business.
-Frame the debate. I love hearing, "The framework of today is...", or, "The winner of today's debate shows...". The judges decide who wins but you can set the criteria! Let me know what to look for in your blocks. If your opponent sets up a different framework, show them why your framework is the best standard for the debate, or better yet, explain why your case wins in BOTH frameworks.
-Finally, have fun. PF is an awesome format and it takes a lot of time and effort to get to where you are now. Show me a smile, crack a joke before speaking, relax a little bit. At the end of the day, make sure you had a good time because you won't want to keep going to these amazing tournaments anymore if you aren't enjoying yourselves.

Happy prepping!

I am a fair open-minded judge who is able to discern a good argument, and have on many occasions awarded the debate win to a contention I do not personally agree with. A debate should be decided on who was more convincing regardless of the judges personal views. It is important I can understand you so that I can effectively judge your argument against your opponent, so speed is not as important as being articulate.

I believe that an argument should be well thought out, well structured, and cogent. I do prefer a fairly bullet-proof framework on which to hang the contentions and I am open to theoretical foundations once that framework has been articulated and defined, but ultimately a contention supported by facts and figures is more convincing as it is more quantifiable and less subjective.

I like to see debaters who challenge their opponents on their points with a crafty and well-timed rebuttals, in other words, able to think on their feet. I listen, take copious notes, and when I give my decision, I clearly state why I picked one side over the other.

I have judged speech and debate events for the past 13 years. My son was in Congress.

General thoughts

Regardless of the event, I expect professionalism and preparation from all competitors. Showing up unprepared or engaging in unprofessional behavior wastes your time, my time, as well as that of the other competitors and your coaches.

Public Forum Debate & LD

Although I’ve judged PFD more than LD, I feel comfortable with both events. I appreciate assertiveness but actively dislike aggression. Clarity is extremely important. Don’t be cocky: instead, try to convey how deeply you’ve researched the topic. I always leave my personal opinions on the topic aside in order to be fair to all debaters.

Interp/speech

I started off my judging career judging interp, even though lately I’ve been judging debate more. Regardless of the piece, you have to give your best when performing. Delivery must always be clear and interesting. Tech should be smooth and reflect the norms of the event itself (tech in DI is very different than tech in HI).

I am a relatively inexperienced judge. I won't be able to get arguments down if you spread, so don't speak too fast.

I value clean extensions and cross-examinations when I make my decision.

Impacts and weighing are probably the biggest factors that affect my final decision.

Tech>Truth

Put me on the email chain: drewpeterson2002@gmail.com

For some background, I have previously competed for 3 years on the national circuit, been coaching / judging for 4 years nationally and also served as the the Tournament Chair for the Florida Blue Key Speech & Debate Tournament.

I strongly prefer hearing smart arguments over a large quantity of them.

My threshold for warranting and explanation is likely much higher than you think. Warrant is severely lacking in PF. In order for me to vote on argument, all parts must be clearly extended and explained in the later speeches.

Do not just do impact calc just for the sake of doing it. Impact calc is not nearly as relevant / important to most of the decisions I make as it can be. Make your analysis truly comparative.

However, all of my rules and preferences are negotiable. Debate is up to the debaters. Go for whatever type of argument you want, but stick to what you do best. That includes theory and kritiks.

Updated 10/28/20

1. Personal background: I debated traditional LD in OH for four years (2015/16 - 2018/19). I also have experience counseling/coaching, and now mostly judge PF

2. I pick a winner based on who I thought did the better debating (i.e. not whoever has the most and biggest numbers, but rather whoever takes the time to slowly and deeply engage in analytics, unique and nuanced clash, well-thought out round strategy, and of course, persuasive speaking).

3. THAT BEING SAID, I am not a "lay judge." I will flow on my computer, and write down everything that seems relevant and that I can catch (don't speak too quickly, both for the sake of your clarity and your appeal)

4. I have a personal preference against "progressive" / non-traditional strategies. I always strongly prefer something topical over Ks, theory, etc. IF you intend to utilize one of these types of arguments, PLEASE ask your opponent their level of comfort with it before the round begins, and if they are not comfortable or experienced with progressive argumentation/style, don't go down that route, or I'll probably drop you right there.

5. I do not intend to read your evidence after the round. It's on both teams to explain and settle evidence debates in speeches

6. If you read evidence, READ THE WARRANTS. For me, evidence w/o logical explanation > nothing, logic w/o evidence > evidence w/o logic, and evidence w/ logic > all. It also makes my life infinitely easier if, when extending arguments toward the end of the round, you take the five to ten seconds to re-explain the warrant behind the argument

7. I don't typically time prep. You can keep track of it yourself, or have your opponents keep you accountable. Just don't be scummy about taking extra

PF specifics:

a) please do not read a framework

b) collapse asap (at second rebuttal ideally)

I am a lay judge.

I am inexperienced with debate. Please make clear arguments and logically explain the things you say. I'm probably going to side with you more if you are backing your claims with reasoning as opposed to just reading card names.

Also: sign my ballot for me. Explain why you should be winning off of an argument or why it matters in terms a layperson can understand.

In short: make the round clear and understandable and you will probably be winning.

I have experience in speech from high school and British and French parliamentary debate from college. This means that while I can follow you if you spread or otherwise speak rapidly, I may not understand specialized terminology. As a judge, I value three things: clarity of argument, reasoning, and clash. Above all, however, I value consistency, so don't use one framework to justify one set of claims while adopting a different one just to be able to make some other claims to try and increase the volume of claims made. But in truth, I consider myself more of a one-man jury than a judge. I will never call for cards - that is your job - and I will only drop contentions if they are never defended or are successfully rebutted, and not because I personally find them incredible. You should also time yourselves and maintain a calm and civil crossfire; I should not have to interrupt.

Good luck!

I have previously judged local league tournaments, but I have yet to judge at an invitational. When judging a round, I prefer when the debaters have a medium talking speed and enunciate their words well, as it makes it easier to understand what points they are trying to make. During the crossfire, I prefer to have a respectful and professional environment with a demonstration of a deep understanding of the topic. To me, the team that wins is the team that demonstrates a full understanding of the resolution. I find it to be better when teams focus more on factual evidence that can be solidly proven, rather than theories and assumptions.

However, I am always amazed by the bright minds that give me hope for the future, you are all fantastic and should be proud of yourselves.

I don't judge often, so excessive speed is counterproductive on the debaters' part. I follow where the rounds are going, and expect to be led to the big arguments for either side, which I hope will somehow conflict with one another. In the average PF round I've seen, decisions boil down mostly to a couple of points, so if each team has three voters separate from the other side's voters, you're asking me to intervene. Pick the arguments you really want me to decide on.

I am a very lay judge. I don't understand jargon so please avoid using it. Speak at a understandable pace that is clear. I will try to take notes.

Hello! I have been judging debate for a couple years now and I did speech in high school.

I expect you to be respectful towards one another and to efficiently keep your own time to keep the debate moving forward.

I give speaker points based on who was the most natural speaker. I am okay with you spreading, however, please be aware that on this format the audio may lag and I may miss some of the things you say.

I love cross-examination. A big deciding factor will be who can effectively get their point across while debunking the other team's points through questioning and rebuttal arguments.

Parent judge of former and current PF debaters. Judged mostly PF and some LD debates over past 4.5 years. I have a financial background so emotional arguments backed up by facts are very convincing where as emotional arguments without support are not. I generally have a hard time following arguments based on what is or isn't covered by the semantics of the resolution wording. Keep pace as slow as you can (and conversational if you can) so it is easy to follow arguments...sometimes less is more. Be respectful to opponents during crossfires, acknowledge or rephrase their arguments then rebut. "I understand your point but if you consider X,Y,Z then it does not hold up, etc. Avoid saying "makes no sense" etc... if it really makes no sense say something like we are not following your logic. Leave enough time at the end each speech strong and not rushed for your last impression. I wouldnt say "must" vote... urging or should vote are ok.

Intro

If you're on this page, you've probably just gotten a notification from tab about your next round pairings and you wanted to see your judge for next round. Here's a couple of the top questions you have in the easiest to read format.

FAQs

My Background?

Did PF Debate for 4 years throughout high school in the Northeast including a bid to TOC from Penn. Did a bit of other debate forms but PF was by far the favorite. I'm currently a student at Georgia Tech but not doing much debate at college.

Speaking Preferences?

I understand the need to get out as much information as possible in constructives. That being said, there is only so much information my brain can process and I can write down. If you think something is important and don't want me to miss it, inflection and repetition are your best friends.

Flow? Lay? Flay?

I can flow but not to the extent of transcribing everything you say. I will write down what I think is important but if you don't trust that to win you the round, you should tell me what is important and why. I do enjoy people talking to the judge like a conversation, not as a yelling competition. That being said, facts and logic will always overrule speaking skills unless delivery places a restriction on how much I can understand the facts.

TLDR; I will flow and whoever has the most offense left at the end will take my ballot, but you have to extend throughout the round and signposting is always good to tell me where to look on my flow.

Calling for Cards?

I will rarely call for cards myself unless I think it is so amazing it can not be true or it must be poorly cut. However, the probability of me calling for a card drastically goes up if you give me reason to believe it is wrong. How should you do that? Call for a card you want to see on prep, and if it's wrong, your next speech should include exactly what the card said. That will for me negate the card and its effect on the round. If that card then becomes contested, I will call for it at the end of the round and draw my own conclusion. If I catch someone cutting cards poorly, I will determine how much it impacted the round and make a decision on its impact on the ballot based upon that.

RFD/Feedback?

I've had my fair share of judges that just give a ballot based off of no feedback and its infuriating. Based on that, I will provide limited speaking feedback and whatever in as long as I have after the round ends. RFD's given on tab will be much more detailed and disclose what arguments I bought, didn't buy, any confusion I had, and any other feedback I wanted to give on the round. If you don't think that my feedback is an accurate description of how the round went in your mind, suck it up and move on because debate is all about learning how to play the game and if you can't convince the judge to pay attention to your side and that you won, you don't deserve the ballot anyways.

Any other preferences?

Just like treat everyone with respect and have a good time. No matter how good you are or how serious you take this, debate is a game and its supposed to be fun so treat it that way. In the long run one round won't matter anyways.

Update for Peninsula 2021: I am sick and hence will have my camera off. I would especially appreciate it if you kept your own time and made me speak as less as possible. I would also appreciate if you send your case to rsarwal@gmail.com with your team code on the subject line so I can follow better. Apologies for the inconvenience, have fun debating!

Hey y'all. (If you see a lot of debate jargon here, blame it on my son).

I am a parent judge but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. So disclaimer if you're gonna try and go full "lay" or think I'm going to let an argument past me, you're wrong. However, don't start running K's, Theory Shells or any other of that progressive stuff because if you are reading this you very well know this is a traditional local tournament.

Preferences-

SPEAKING- Be clear, concise. Don't be mean. That's the main gist. If you can't speak in the best way or you have a speaking impairment, don't worry! All I should see is you trying.

-Speaker Points

30- You spoke really well. You demonstrated a well-versed understanding of the topics. You won all the arguments, and it seems as if the world relies on this ballot. You made me smile and gave me new insight.

29- You were excellent. Only very minor flaws, maybe in just not extending an impact or not explaining values that well. Other than that, you were pretty solid.

28- I see a lot of potential. You may lack in certain areas but you put up a, if not good, then reasonable fight.

27- You had a reasonable case. You couldn't defend your case, perhaps only one or two arguments. No solid offense but tried.

26- You need to go over the resolution again, understand it well. Learn to give voter issue, impacts, explain values.

**BELOW a 26**- If you were mean, super mean, violated rules like had a evidence violation or were 'super duper really you should learn how to behave' mean.

VALUES- I really really think values are really important. It gives me a weighing mechanism to judge the round and makes things easier. I expect you to tie back your arguments to your value structures. I generally prefer if you agree on a value premise but if you oppose your opponent's value structure, be clear. Don't use complicated theories of ethics and expect me to nod my head. Keep it clear, simple and explain your stuff.

WELL ORGANIZED ARGUMENTS- I don't want you to be going everywhere making a round hell for me. Be organized, be clear. Signpost. Refer to your card names, tell me where your argument is (ie Contention 1, Sub Point C). I also like Off Time Road Maps.These skills not only help me in round but also will help you as a debater. Also, do NOT drop arguments. I may be a parent but I judge off of arguments.

REBUTTALS- I honestly think rebuttals are very, rather the most important. If you come up with one on spot, that you warrant really well, without any evidence, I will really like that. That being said, if you use evidence or a card, then I still won't mind. Just warrant it out and explain it to me. Just reading evidence is useless.

What I don't like

- You either being super tech or super lay. Talk like I'm a lay judge, argue like a tech one. But not too tech, it will only go against you.

-Being mean. You know the reasons. I will deliberately judge screw you if you are mean or sarcastic. We all know how oof being judge screwed is.

-Super advanced stuff. Maybe you even explain it, I will still not understand it. But at the end of the day, I hardly know what a K or theory or plan is. (This is my son assuring me that I don't know this stuff).

-Giving impacts without reasons. I don't want to hear "Climate Change is bad." Tell me how it is bad and connect your value premise's to it.

In the end, I appreciate you, your time and your skills as a debater. I may sound super picky in this paradigm but my son says it helps debaters. All this is for you to learn.

Good luck debating!

I was a 4-year high school debater in Public Forum at and currently a debate coach for Cary Academy in NC.

A few things I look for in round:

As a general rule respect all aspects of the debate: be presentable, not overly aggressive, and try not to offend anyone. I generally think cross is useless, but it becomes insufferable if it’s an intelligible, angry mess.

No “progressive” debate: no Ks, spreading, and keep theory to a minimum (although I am flexible on this based on the circumstances).

Frameworks do not have to be explicitly stated in case, I would prefer them to naturally form from the debate and for both sides to agree, or at least do framework analysis, before FF. I think first cross is a great time for the first speakers to engage in a framework debate.

Roadmaps are not necessary, but sign posting is crucial. Be sure to let me know if your responses are targeting towards specific links or impacts, and clarity in the second half of the round goes a long way.

Weighing is more important than extending every card in you case. I would like to see the scope of the debate narrow in summary, for clearer narratives and more weighing. Weighing should start as early as the second rebuttal.

Extensions in FF have to be present in summary, and voters would ideally be clearly articulated.

Bonus speaks to debaters who use quality puns, jokes, humor, etc., in moderation.

Feel free to ask for further preferences/clarifications in round.

-Primarily a PF coach and judge with experience in all debate events.

-I'm a note/flow judge, although arguments are still weighed on their quality rather than just quantity "pulled through". The earlier and more consistently an argument is made, the more weight it will have if carried to the end of the round.

-This is in addition to weighing arguments on their evidence and impact(s). While I won't insert outside arguments into the round, a weaker argument will still be weighed accordingly even if the opponents don't respond sufficiently (although a team that clearly rebuts bad argument will win the point more strongly).

-Evidence is important, especially the more specific the data or the more counter-intuitive a claim is. I remember citations in round by their content more than the author: so rather than only saying e.g. "our Smith card already refutes that point", be sure to also bring the simple explanation of what the evidence says and how it applies.

-Because topics will often provide contradictory evidence for debaters to use and my ability to investigate authors/credibility/etc in round is limited, it's often the case that the side that offers the best warrant analysis in round can make the difference (explain why your evidence makes more sense).

I'm not really good at putting this into words so if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

I competed in Public Forum nationally and locally (AZ) all four years of high school, and dabbled in Extemp and Congress.

Speeches: In rebuttal, it is really easy to try to talk fast and have 7-10 responses per argument, but most of the time that means that each response is barely covered and there is a high chance that one response has been reiterated a few times, just with different words/cards. Please don't do that, I would much prefer quality of your responses to quantity of your responses. I expect that you maintain consistency between summary and final focus. If they are not consistent I will not weigh something said in summary and not FF and vice versa. However, just telling me to 'flow through ____ card' is not sufficient, I must get the link chain, and explanation of why that card is important. Also, WEIGH, I am sure that if you don't, and I end up doing the work, neither of us will have a fun time with the decision. Make sure that you collapse in summary and final focus, this makes it easier to judge the round and it makes everything much clearer. Also, make sure that your narrative is strong. Remember, you should tell me a story, don't just read cards and expect me to understand your argument, make sure that I understand step by step why your argument functions and makes sense.

Evidence: If you read something in any speech, it should be readily available and so if the opposing team asks for it, I will give you 30 seconds to look for it before I start cutting into your prep time. Also, please abide by evidence rules. I will ask for evidence if hotly contested or if its validity is questioned.

How to win my ballot: Basically, do all the things you were taught to do: Link out and warrant each argument you are going for, make sure you have offense, and most importantly, tell me why you win and why I vote for you.

Notes:

- Please try to respond to every argument brought up in constructives, otherwise it allows for easy offense for your opponents.

- Don't flow through red ink, I will be flowing and I will know if the argument has been responded to.

- I won't listen to CX wholly, bring it up in a speech if its mentioned in CX

- Only use FW/Observations/Definitions if they really are beneficial to your case/the round. If it is just "cost-benefit analysis" or "Merriam-Webster defines ___" it just takes away from the substance of your case.

- Run whatever arguments you want but just make sure that the link chain is clear, and everything is properly warranted and linked.

- Don't be racist, sexist, ableist, etc. Just be a nice person, its easy.

- Signposting is nice, please do it.

I also have two huge pet peeves:

1) Please please please do NOT give me an off time roadmap if it is "down their case, then if time permits mine" or "the three voting issues". Only give me a roadmap if it is something completely out of the ordinary that I should know.

2) Do not count down the time to your speech "3, 2, starting... now". Just start talking, I trust you to take time for yourself.

I really am bad at saying what I look for in a round so if you have any specific questions don't hesitate to ask!

Please generally slow down in online/virtual speech & debate events.

Experience: Most of my personal experience is in speech events, however I've coached and judged all events for several years.

For debate events, I am a flow judge. Online flow will be recorded in tabroom "everyone" ballot.

Things to keep in mind:

No off-time road maps. Everything you want to say to me, the judge, is on-time for speeches or crossfire / cross-examination.

I evaluate the rounds based on the framework provided by debaters.

When extending evidence to support a contention or claim within a contention, be sure to extend the warrant, not just the author or source (because sometimes I don't write down the author/tag and just record the warrant).

I am a PF judge and coach that prefers arguments based on logic. I don't care much for evidence based clash, rather I want to see how well you can point out logical flaws made by your opponent via in-depth analysis of their case. I encourage the use of a framework, as that helps direct me as to what I should be looking for, and I do like seeing impact analyses in Final Focus.

To ensure that I am able to make a fully informed decision, PLEASE DO NOT SPREAD EXCESSIVELY! I won't be able to understand what you're saying, nor will my flow reflect your case. I don't mind kritiks, but you need to do them well in order for me to evaluate them. Regardless, I prefer traditional-style debates.

I do judge tabula-rasa and my RFDs will reflect that, but if you display a lack of basic understanding of the necessary economic, political, or whatever background concept pertaining to the resolution, I will point that out in my comments to you. Basically come to round having done your research.

Parent judge who prefers slower speaking.

Truth heavy judge, do not run frivolous or clearly wrong/confusing arguments. (Please avoid running progressive arguments)

Be clear in your later speeches why you are the team that won with a wholistic summary of the round.

Be respectful and time yourself accurately.

Overall, have fun!

I competed in PF at Nova High School in South Florida from 2014 to 2019. I just graduated from Duke University and am finishing up my fourth year coaching PF at Durham Academy.

For Nats 2023, please put me on the email chain- smith.emmat@gmail.com.

How I make decisions-

I tend to vote on the path of least resistance. This is the place on my flow where I need to intervene the least as a judge in order to make a decision. Explicitly identifying your cleanest piece of offense in the round, winning that clean piece of offense, completely extending that clean piece of offense (uniqueness, links AND impacts in BOTH summary and final focus), and then telling me why your cleanest piece of offense is more important than your opponents' cleanest piece of offense is usually an easy way to win my ballot.

General Stuff-

- Do all the good debate things! Do comparative weighing, warrant your weighing, collapse, frontline, etc.

- Please preflow before the round. Holding up the tournament to take 15 min to preflow in the room is really annoying :(

- Warrants and full link chains are important! I can only vote on arguments I understand by the end of the round and won't do the work for you on warrants/links. Please do not assume I know everything just because I've probably judged some rounds on the topic.

- I won't read speech docs, so please don't sacrifice speed for clarity.

- I have a really low threshold and 0 tolerance for being rude, dismissive, condescending, etc. to your opponents. I'm not afraid to drop you for this reason. At the very least, I'll tank your speaks and write you a kindly worded educational ballot about making rounds unnecessarily hostile.

Evidence-

- I personally feel that calling for evidence as a judge is interventionist. I will only do it if 1- someone in the round explicitly tells me to in a speech or 2- reading evidence is literally the only way that I can make a decision (if this happens, it means both teams did a terrible job of clarifying the round and there is no clear offense for me to vote on. Please don't let this happen).

Progressive Stuff-

- I'll vote on Kritiks if they are clearly warranted, well explained, and made accessible to your opponents. (I am admittedly not a fan of K's but will vote on them if I absolutely must.)

- I will also vote on theory that is clearly explained, fleshed out, and well warranted. I believe that theory should ONLY be used to check egregious instances of in-round abuse and reserve the right to drop you for frivolous theory. I won't buy paraphrase or disclosure theory.

- HUGE DISCLAIMER: My biggest pet peeve in PF right now is the use of progressive args to make rounds inaccessible to teams who don't know how to handle them. Reading progressive args against a clearly inexperienced team to get a cheap win is an easy way to auto lose my ballot. ALSO I am really not confident in my abilities to evaluate progressive arguments. If you choose to run them, you take on the risk of me making the wrong decision despite doing my best. Proceed with caution!

- If you plan on reading arguments about sensitive topics, please provide a content warning before the round.

Hello! This is her daughter! She knows the general idea of PF, but she is a first time judge, so treat her like one! and speak slowly.

Hi, I have been judging since 2020 which includes Duke and national tournaments. I expect the speak should be at reasonable pace with great clarity which is your responsibility. Each argument, you should explain and weigh the argument. Warranting is important. Extending an impact, without explaining its warrant won’t win you the impact. The accuracy, reasonable statistics and possible solution to your stance will be the final focus. Certainly want to hear why you should win. No new analysis in second FF. Other than that, don't run theory or K as I won't evaluate them, will try my best not to intervene.

Speaks: Making your point in calm and composed way that clearly communicates your point will get you higher points

Timing: Time yourself (rounds and prep)

I have been judging public forum debate for two years.

I prefer debaters who are articulate. For me, quantity is NOT better than quality, so no spreading. Please, stay away from debate lingo, as I am not familiar with all the verbiage that is common the debate world.

Please do not bring up new evidence in the second summary and final focus.

Go slow. Be clear. Be nice.

If you would like more, I have written detailed paradigms for each style I judge:

PF paradigm

Parli paradigm

Middle school paradigm

I haven't judged debate in around 1 and a half years. However, I worked for 2 years as the GA for Western Kentucky. Coached at Ridge High school for 3 years primarily focusing on PF, but also helping with policy, Parli, and LD. I also competed for Western Kentucky University for 4 years doing LD. So I am experienced with debate, but keep in mind I may be rusty, so please focus on solid impact calc. and keeping the round clear/clean.

-------General Thoughts---------

I like speed! I think fast debates advance the bounds of possible argumentation within the debate space. Although, I do think people should avoid spreading if it is going to propogate structrual disadvantages or your opponents have asked you not to & would hear out speed bad in those instances. Additionally, I do need pen time. I think there should be pauses between arguments delivered at max speed and without them I may miss something

I like debate to be focused on topical advocacy. This means I prefer when debaters do research related to the topic at hand and my ballot in some way affirms. This doesn't mean I am not willing to vote for resistance strategies on the AFF/Neg but that I like to see research connected to the topic within those strategies. Not purely generic arguments. This also applies to theory. While I like T debates. I am fairly unpersuaded by theory argument completly seperated from the topic-- although I have voted for them before.

I am a flow judge but not fully tab. I dont think the role of the judge is to vote for unwarranted arguments. This means 1 sentence analytics (especially spikes or 'tricks') have little value to me and even if conceded are unlikely to be voted on. However, if evidence is conceded I am almost 100% going to vote on it. Basically, ev = fully tab. Blips = not fully tab.

------NFA LD--------

When I did NFA i ran primarily policy arguments, so as a judge I am best evaluating policy arguments. However, this doesnt mean I don't want people to run K's if thats your thing-- you just need to 'tuck me in' more in those debates or I may make a mistake.

As a judge I feel like the most important thing to me is that your reading arguments that are well researched and you can easily explain neuonced details of the arguments. This means reading arguments that you dont understand well with me in the back is not a good decision-- I wont want to vote for it. Also please cut new evidence, evidence quality is very important to me.

GO FAST!! I love spreading. I think debate is a highly competitive activity build upon using skills and tactics to overwhelm your opponent and make them lose.

Generally I would say, I'm cool with just about any argument if the round isn't close. But when rounds are close and competitive there are a few important things to note

For Theory-- I default to competing interps. I want theory positons to have direct in round implications as they relate to the affirmatives plan-text. This means I really hate 'trolley' theory. for example high school LD rounds about robot theory would be a non-starter for me; or if you read 'go to the beach thoery' i will stop flowing the position and you just wasted your time. Essentially I think T, Spec args, or CP theory-- but don't like random interps that aren't clearly derived from debate norms.

For the K-- I'm pretty comfortable with evaluating the K, however if its a more obscure K then i would prefer you to go slower during the collapse or contextualize it so i know what im voting for. I'm really into philosophy from a person level, especially Marxism and psychoanalysis-- so the odds are fairly high I'm relatively familiar with the literature. However, this doesn't mean I'm the most informed about kritique tricks and strategies you may carry out with your specific K (since I didn't read the K in many rounds), so just be sure not to assume too much from me from a knowledge standpoint.

Non-T AFFs: I'm willing to listen to the debate, and in a round thats a crush I would consider myself a fair judge. However, I definitely lean toward prefering that AFFs are resolutional. I have no issue with non-T affs from an ideological standpoint, but I do really have an issue with non-resolutional arguments because of the sheer impossibility of predicting them. So while I'm not going to hack in these rounds, I do think as a competitor you want to prefer resolutionality when possible

My favorite rounds are a really good policy debate. DA + CP's are great for me. Contrary to the K, it's going to be almost impossible for you to loose me on policy tricks or strategy. I love it when people set NC's up to cleaverly get their opponent for example T to force DA links or other creative policy strategies (doing these things, or generally impressing me with the policy strat is a great way to boost speaks.)

------High School LD------

^Read above 1st^

-Other things-

This is only my first year coaching HS LD, so LD specific tricks (in progressive rounds) are a little risky for me. Essentially, if you wouldn't ever see it in a policy round (RVI's, Spikes, NIBs, friv. theory, actions theory style phil) then it might not be the best argument to run for me. But that isn't to say I would never vote for that stuff

On theory:

-I don't like RVI's on T. I think the neg gets to test T at least once. However, on other theory args RVI's are cool.

-I don't like when the 1ar completely collapses to theory. This doesn't mean I won't vote for it. However, it isn't a good way to get high speaks

-I don't love disclosure debates. I think people get to break new affs. If people never disclose I will fairly evaluate the arg.

-Nothing truely frivilous please

-I don't like spikes/ one sentence theory args. Theory needs warrants too

-I am used to college LD where the AR is 6 minutes. As a result, I generally do think the aff has it a little worse-- do with that what you will

On Phil:

All phil debates aren't my favorite/ I am not the most familiar with them so tread lightly. However I will hear out the arg and totally try my best to evaluate it. I got a degree in phil so I am likely familiar with the authors, but not the specific debate applications/ tricks

------High School PF-----

Weighing is one of the most important things for me in PF because i find rounds often get muddled and lack an easy place to vote so i want to be told exactly what issues are the most important and where to vote. This means there needs to be a clear collapse in summery with that argument well impacted out in final focus.

Clash is also extremely important to me in PF. This means a few things. The second speaking team must cover the ink that was just put on their case in the first rebuttal as it makes the round easier to follow and fosters more clash if you choose not to and then the first summary makes extensions I'm not going to be very receptive to your new responses in second summary. Additionally please avoid only responding to taglines, if you don't give a warrant for your response, or concede their warrant the argument is functionally conceded.

Please give me a clear road map because I'm flowing and hate it especially in summaries when they don't make sense or aren't easy to flow due to lack of a road map. This doesn't mean you can't get creative in your order just have one and make it clear.

Beyond this I'm willing to vote on just about anything as long as it isn't blatantly offensive. I also really like when debaters try new things so step outside of the box, so especially in PF don't be afraid to try arguments that may not generally be the norm.

UPDATED: 2/15/2024- California Round Robin

Quick Tips:

-Please be clear- No exaggeration my eardrums are nonexistent. I'm like half deaf.

-Over explanation> Blips- I understand your arguments, I just haven't judged them enough to make extrapolations for you.

-Send analytics too- Its ethically shady to not. Debates are won by the better debater, no the better trickster. Also, see tip 1.

Paradigm Proper

TL;DR: Check Bolded

GENERAL STUFF:

I wanna keep this relatively simple, so: Hi, I'm J.D. Swift. I am a former competitor and former coach of Holy Cross School, currently an Assistant at The Delores Taylor Arthur School for Young Men (New Orleans, La). I'm too old to use this platform as an ego boost so I won't bother re-putting my qualifications, accolades, etc. I have either judged, coached, or competed (or done all of the above) in nearly every event under the sun, so I'd call myself pretty familiar.

My resting face may not prove it, but I am always approachable. If you have any questions about stuff before or after around, and you spot me, please don't hesitate to have a conversation, its why I still do this activity.

For Everyone:

+ I do not tolerate any forms of: racism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, or ableism. This activity is special because it is the most inclusive activity that I know of. This space actively works to include all members of society and I will not stand for any tarnishing of that. I do not believe that you will be any of those things, but if it happens in round, I will stop the debate, give you a loss with the lowest possible speaks, and have a conversation with your coach.

+ I prefer an email chain, please add me:jdswift1028@gmail.com

+ I prefer to disclose. You won't be able to adjust from round to round if you don't know exactly how you won or lost a round. That being said: if any competitor in the round would prefer me not to disclose, I will not.** I also don't disclose speaks, that's just kinda weird to ask **

+ On Postrounding: I'm absolutely down to answer any and all questions as long as time permits. I take pride in the notes I take alongside the flow to give back to debaters. However, if you begin to challenge my decision, or (yes, this has happened before) you get your coach to challenge me, you can finish postrounding with the empty chair I left behind.

+ I know you care about speaker points. I don't give a whole lot of 30s (you can fact check me on this) so if you get one from me, I will be speaking high praises to others about your stellar performance. 2 rules of thumb for if you have me as a judge: 1. Make the debate accessible, 2. Let your personality shine through. No, I won't clarify on what those things mean. ;)

+ My face is very readable. This is semi-intentional. If I'm confused, you will see it. If I'm impressed, you will see it.

+ If you don't see me writing, specifically if my pen is obviously away from the paper/iPad (usually palm up) and I'm just staring at you, then I'm intentionally ignoring your argument. (I only do this when you are clearly over time, or if you are reading new in the 2)

+ In terms of intangibles such as: Your appearance, dress, how you sit or stand, etc. I do not care at all. A wise man once said: "Do whatever makes you comfortable, I only care about the arguments." -JD Swift, (circa 20XX)

For Novices:

+ I hate information elitism, meaning, if any jargon or terms in my paradigm confuse you-- please, please, please ask me for clarification.

+ Debate is a competitive activity, but it is foremost an educational one. If you see me in the back of the room, please do not feel intimidated, we as coaches and judges are here for y'all as competitors.

For LD & Policy:

+ Run whatever you like, please just explain it well. If you don't trust your ability to provide quality warrants on an argument, do not run it.

+ Please extend full arguments, most importantly the warrants. Not just impacts, Not just card names, but all of it.

+ No amount of signposting is too much. The more organized you are, the better I can give you credit.

+ Speed does NOT impress me. I can hang, but if you're sacrificing clarity for speed, I won't strain myself trying to catch the argument. If you want to go fast, go for it, just make sure you're clearly distinguishing one argument from the next, and that your tags and authors are clear.

+ Please do not reread a card, unless the card is being re-read for a different purpose(re-highlighting, new warrants, etc.). You're killing your own speech time.

+ If an argument or concession is made in cross, and you want credit for it, it has to show up in speech. I'll listen out for it, but if I don't hear it, in speech, it didn't happen.

+ Not a fan of petty theory at all. If there is real, round impeding abuse, I'll vote on it in your favor. If the theory argument is petty, I give RVI's heavy weight.

+ I don't like tricks. This is not a forum for deception.

+ If you're gonna kick the alt on the K, and use it as a disad, please articulate why the disad is a sufficient reason to not pass the plan.

FOR PF

+ Framework is important, otherwise I believe topic areas get too broad for this format. Win your framing and then use that to win your impact calculous. That's the fastest way to my ballot.

+ I have little patience for paraphrasing. If you want credit for evidence, read the card and give context.

+ I hold PF to the same evidence ethics and standards as Policy and LD.

Most importantly: please have fun; If what you are doing is not fun then it's not worth your time.

hi! i debated pf in hs. toc '19! i was a former co-director for nova debate camp and go to uva now. i also coach ardrey kell VM and oakton ML. add me to the email chain: iamandrewthong@gmail.com

tl;dr, i'm a typical flow judge. i'm tab and tech>truth, debate however you want (as long as it does not harm others). for more specific stuff, read below

most important thing:

so many of my RFDs have started with "i default on the weighing". weighing is NOT a conditional you should do if you just so happen to have enough time in summary - i will often default to teams if they're the only ones who have made weighing. strength of link weighing counts only when links are 100% conceded, clarity of impact doesn't.

other less important stuff:

online debate: unless you're sending speech docs, please just make a shared google doc and paste cards there. i get it, you want to steal prep while waiting. but really, it's delaying tournaments and i get bored while waiting :( (you don't have to though, esp in outrounds - but i will be happier if you do)

also, if you're debating from the same computer, it's cool, just lmk in the chat or turn your camera on before the round so i know, because i usually start the round when i see 4 ppl in the room

speed is ok. i think it's fun. i actually like blippy disads (as long as they have warrants). but don't do it in such a way that it makes the debate inaccessible - drop a doc if your opponents ask or if someone says "clear".

whenever you extend something, you have to extend the warrant above all else.

defense is not sticky, but my threshold for completely new frontlines in second summary is super high. turns must be frontlined in second rebuttal.

new implications off of previous responses are okay (in fact, i think they're strategic), but they must be made in summary (unless responding to something new in final). you still need to have concise warranting for the new implication, just as you would for any other response.

i don't listen during cross - if they make a concession, point it out in the next speech.

weighing is important, but comparative and meta weighing are even more important. you can win 100% of your link uncontested but i'd still drop you if you never weigh at all and the opps have like 1% of their link with pre-req weighing into your case. don't just say stuff like "we outweigh because our impact card has x and theirs has y and x>y", but go the next step and directly compare why your magnitude is more important than their timeframe, why your prereq comes before their prereq, etc. if there is no weighing done, i will intervene.

i encourage post-round questions, i'm actually happy to spend like however long you want me to just answering questions regarding my decision. just don't be rude about it.

progressive arguments:

i will evaluate progressive arguments (Ks, theory, etc).

no friv theory, no tricks

i default to reasonability, RVIs, and DtD *if not told otherwise* - before you start e-mailing me death threats, this is just so teams can't read random new shells in summary unless they're going to spend the time reading warrants for CI and no RVIs - i prefer theory debates to start in constructive/rebuttal, and i'll be sympathetic to teams that have to make new responses to a completely new shell in summary or final focus

i'm less versed on Ks than i am theory. i can probably follow you on the stock Ks (cap, sec, etc), but if you're going to run high level Ks (performance, afropess, etc), i'll still evaluate them, but i advise you run them with caution, since i might not be able to get everything down 100%. it's probably best to make these types of Ks accessible to both me and your opponents (you should honestly just explain everything like i'm a lay judge, and try to stay away from more abstract phil stuff like epistemology/ontology/etc).

if you have any more questions, feel free to ask or e-mail me before the round!

Hi I am Miranda Vega. I competed in PF debate, Congress, info, and various interp events in high school, and now I am the assistant coach for ACPHS. This will be my 4th year judging debate, so I am looking forward to it! I will disclose quickly after the round if time permits; however, I will not disclose if the tournament directors explicitly tell me not to, or if one of the competitors are not comfortable with it. I do try and provide really extensive feedback within the ballots but for some reason if I forget to finish it or it cuts off please email me @ mirandakathleenvega@gmail.com you put in a lot of time and effort and you deserve your feedback.

(ASU Congress scroll all the way to the bottom)

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Here is some general paradigms I have:

Spreading: I think this is an educational activity; therefore, I do not like any sneaky tactics that give you an unfair advantage, like talking at the speed of light. For this reason, I HATE SPREADING, I think this makes debate inaccessible for the general person, and forces your opponent to also spread so they can respond to all of your points. This is especially true for debate formats like PF and BQ, as they are meant for lay judges. DONT SPREAD IN PF AND BQ. If you spread in PF or BQ two things will happen. Generally I will be very annoyed and hate judging the round, and I will not get very much down on the flow which will more likely than not lead to you losing the round. At a certain point I just stop flowing, and as a tech judge you are probably going to get the L. If you are going to spread in LD and CX, that is fine. HOWEVER, you should only be spreading the card text and I should still be able to understand what you are saying. If you are mumbling and I don't know what you are saying then I am not going to understand the evidence being read. You need to slow down on the Contention Names, card names, tags, warrants, and analytics. Spreading anything that isn't card text will ultimately end up with me not really flowing and you, most likely, losing the round. Debate is an oral argument so I should be able to hear and understand what you are saying. That is why if you are going to spread you only spread card text. Anything else I won't get on the Flow

Evidence Violations:If I catch you committing an evidence violation I will automatically drop you and cite that as the reason for the loss. Evidence violations are getting worse on the circuit and I believe it is no longer enough to just drop the argument. So make sure your card says what is says and don't misconstrue the evidence. This also includes debater math. You can't just mush two stats together and call it a day.

Cross examination/fire: I never flow this. I am typically writing in the ballot during this time; however, I am still paying a bit of attention to make sure you guys are being respectful to each other. If I notice it is getting out of hand I will give a warning to the person being disrespectful, and if it happens again then I will drop debater. If something completely and horribly disrespectful happens in round (racism, sexism, xenophobia, ableism), I will just drop debater. This is also a period for you to clarify things, not do another rebuttal. CX no tag teaming. The reason I say this is that 1). It was never originally meant to be that way anyway 2) that is time that your partner can be prepping. No tag teaming.

Tech>truth: you still have to tell me that your opponents dropped something I am not just going to automatically flow that through. Also, if you run something really far fetched you can, but the second your opponent calls it out as such I am less likely to buy it.

No sticky defense: if you drop an argument it is conceded in the round. That doesn't mean I am just going to automatically flow it to the opposing team. They still have to extend in every speech that it is conceded. If you pick up a dropped argument, I will not weigh it at the end of the round. Generally, when you do that you are wasting time that you can be telling me why you should win the round.

Signpost:Please please please signpost! Telling me you are responding to the first contention isn't enough. Tell me "On their C2, "specific warrant", we have "number" of responses". Or for progressives tell me what part of the progressive you are going to attach. If you are responding to a DISAD tell me if you are responding to uniqueness, external link, impact or internal link. Please be as organized and specific as possible. If you are going to address an argument as a whole TELL ME THAT, and tell me why that should be enough.

Weigh: Tell me why you win! Please weigh for me! If I have to do this you may not like the outcome. Also, it is not enough to tell me "I outweigh therefore I win". How do you outweigh? Are you outweighing on magnitude, scope, timeframe???

Extensions:You MUST extend in every speech. However, just saying EXTEND is not an extension. You need to analytically interact with your opponent's responses and tell me why I should buy your argument over theirs.

Everybody should time their own prep: I am timing speeches and cross. There is no 10 second grace period, I don't know where everyone got this rule from, but it doesn't exist. I stop flowing at the end of the time regardless if you keep speaking.

STAND FOR ALL SPEECHES AND CX PLEASE (exception GCF in PF)

If aff doesn't win enough offense or impacts for me to weigh that offense I presume negation.

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PUBLIC FORUM

The paradigms mentioned above are pretty much it.

If no framework is mentioned my default is a cost-benefit analysis.

The team that wins my ballot will tell me why their impacts outweigh the others.

NO PROGRESSIVE ARGUMENTS. I can't believe that I have to say this, but this is a lay friendly debate format. There is also not enough time to properly run and respond to them. I will drop the argument if it is run. Please just don't I will be so annoyed. If that is something you love to do then join LD or CX, but no progressives in PF.

I don't take prep time for calling and reading cards. That being said. If a card is called and it cant be located within 2 min it is dropped. It should be already cut and easily found. If there is a tech issue that is different. That being said. If you are reading the card don't take an eternity either.

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POLICY DEBATE

Refer to the general paradigms I listed above.

You can put me on the email chain with my email, but know that I am only flowing what I hear you say. You can spread but ONLY CARD TEXT. You need to slow down on your tags, warrants, impacts etc and for your analysis for why I should extend your argument further in the round. I am NOT going to yell clear, so if you see me stop flowing you need to slow down otherwise you are most likely going to lose the round.

Run whatever you want, just make sure that what ever you are running is formatted correctly.

SIGNPOST SIGNPOST SIGNPOST PLEASE I BEG OF YOU For some reason policy people don't sign post enough. If you are reading responses to a disad or the plan you should tell me what parts you are responding to so for example this is what I am expecting:

"Onto the [BLANK] Disadvantage. First onto uniqueness, we have [#] of responses. 1) response response response 2) response response response. Then onto the external link we have [#] of responses" That is what I am expecting when I say signpost.

Any other questions please ask me!

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LINCOLN DOUGLAS

I think I have judged LD on a circuit only a few times. I judge my LD kids all the time, and judge Policy now on the circuit regularly.

Like I said no spreading but card text. If there is an email chain put me on it, just know that I am only flowing what I hear.

The way I will judge the round is whoever wins under the winning framework. So just because you don't win your framework doesn't mean you can't win the debate. If you can still prove to me that you solve for the standard better than your opponent I will vote for you. That being said I understand that sometimes your arguments may be mutually exclusive from your opponents.

Since I judge policy so often I am fine with progressives run whatever! I am cool with K's, performance K's if you want (just make sure your K's are well linked), any plans or CPs I am cool with.

If you have any other questions please let me know!

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CONGRESS

For the love of all that is holy, this is Congress not debate. Do not use debate jargon. Dont say drop, extend, my opponent, vote aff.... this is Congress you say "pass this bill" or "fail this bill", "my fellow representative/senator" etc...

PLEASE TAKE YOUR SPLITS BEFORE THE ROUND! My biggest pet peeve judging Congress is when y'all agree on a docket, and there is no first aff or neg. And you have to take a bunch of 1 minute recesses. Those are also a pet peeve.

I really do not like rehash, at a certain point in the cycle you need to start doing rebuttal speeches and if you are all the way at the end of the cycle then do a crystallization speech.

Try not to rely heavily on your legal pad.

The more you sound like a Congress person the better you will rank. Rhetoric is your best friend.

I will rank PO pretty high if you do a good job. I won't rank PO in the top 6 though if there are A LOT of precedence and recency errors.

An argument can be unpersuasive even if not addressed by your opponents.

I value quality of arguments over quantity.

Your speech should be a leisurely stroll, not a furious sprint.

Evidence is nothing without logic.

If you're discussing evidence in the final focus, you're not finally focusing.

Don't worry about calling for cards---I won't.

I find debate jargon tedious.

Civility in discourse is a crucial life skill.

***

Judging experience: 14 years

Debating experience: 9 years

Events, in descending order of experience: PF, WUDC, World Schools, Moot Court, NPDA, CUSID, APDA, Policy, LD, Extemp, Congress

Please speak clear and understandable, explain your points in simple terms, respect your opponents.

Have fun and enjoy your experience!

I competed in PF for 4 years (2015-2019). Please feel free to ask questions any time on Facebook Messenger.

I presume for the neg.

No new weighing in 2nd FF.

No Ks and use theory only for egregious abuse.

Cross isn't that serious.

L0 if you make any ___ist arguments.

I am a lay judge who believes in persuasive debate that adheres to the rules. Style and eloquence are more important than speed.

In debate, I prefer clear, concise, well-expressed, and concrete arguments that are logically coherent and focus on impacts that would be meaningful to the decision makers in the real world. Tell me what to view as most important in your round. If not, I am compelled to make that choice myself. Do NOT read your case off of a screen or a piece of paper--deliver it while making eye contact, using only words you are comfortable using and pronouncing, and expressing yourself clearly. All things being equal, I am persuaded by a debater who knows their stuff rather than a debater who reads a prepared text.

Spreading is very strongly discouraged. If I can't hear or understand the points you are making when you first make them, those points will not figure in my decision. Put succinctly: a case presented too quickly for me to grasp will ALWAYS lose to a case that I can understand.

For speech events, I value fluidity, eloquence, eye contact, and natural expressions that neither over dramatize things or present them without emotion.

Do not be abusive to other competitors. Repeated interruptions, demeaning comments, and other disrespectful conduct will NOT win my vote.

yes I want to be on the email chain: junewearden05@gmail.com

Pittsburgh Central Catholic '18

Pitt '22

WARNING: I have only been peripherally engaged with the immigration topic - if you're going to use acronyms / do in-depth law analysis you're going to have to slow down and explain it to me

When I debated in high school I primarily ran soft-left affs, but I don't (think) I have a strong ideological preference. I'm not going to pretend I'm tabula rasa but there are very few arguments I will a priori vote down. (For instance, I'm never going to vote for racism = good)

As long as you can provide me with a coherent explanation of your world-view and how that relates to what is being said in the round you'll be okay.

If you have questions about more specific arguments/positions feel free to ask.

I did extemp and policy debate in high school at College Prep in California. I did policy debate in college, at UC Berkeley. I am a lawyer, and my day job is as a professor of law and government at UNC Chapel Hill. I specialize in criminal law.

I coached debate for many years at Durham Academy in North Carolina, mostly public forum but a little bit of everything. These days I coach very part time at Cedar Ridge High School, also in North Carolina.

I'll offer a few more words about PF, since that is what I judge most frequently. Although I did policy debate, I see PF as a distinct form of debate, intended to be more accessible and persuasive. Accordingly, I prefer a more conversational pace and less jargon. I'm open to different types of argument but arguments that are implausible, counterintuitive or theoretical are going to be harder rows to hoe. I prefer debates that are down the middle of the topic.

I flow but I care more about how your main arguments are constructed and supported than about whether some minor point or another is dropped. I’m not likely to vote for arguments that exist in case but then aren’t talked about again until final focus. Consistent with that approach, I don’t have a rule that you must “frontline” in second rebuttal or “extend terminal defense in summary” but in general, you should spend lots of time talking about and developing the issues that are most important to the round.

Evidence is important to me and I occasionally call for it after the round, or these days, review it via email chain. However, the quality of it is much more important than the quantity. Blipping out 15 half-sentence cards in rebuttal isn’t appealing to me. I tend to dislike the practice of paraphrasing evidence — in my experience, debaters rarely paraphrase accurately. Debaters should feel free to call for one another’s cards, but be judicious about that. Calling for multiple cards each round slows things down and if it feels like a tactic to throw your opponent off or to get free prep time, I will be irritated.

As the round progresses, I like to see some issue selection, strategy, prioritization, and weighing. Going for everything isn't usually a good idea.

Finally, I care about courtesy and fair play. This is a competitive activity but it is not life and death. It should be educational and fun and there is no reason to be anything but polite.

Hello! I'm fairly new to judging, this being my 3rd tournament. I appreciate when teams go "slow" and ensure that their arguments and points are clear.

I am a parent judge. I prefer a moderate speed. I need clear weighing and extension of warrants, links, and impacts.