I am looking for argumentative and persuasive skills of participants. I don't bring my own views.

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.

Good luck with your rounds. I look forward to a fair and friendly debate. Keep the following in mind:

-Avoid technical terms -provide guidance through your points and explain your case clearly.

-No spreading and make sure to sign post

-Avoid running Theory or Ks. If you chose to, be as clear as possible or just explain it without the technical terms.

-I will vote for the side that provides the best logical arguments with warrants to back it up!

Please be polite during the rounds. Any inappropriate arguments (racist, sexist) will get you dropped.

PF debate judging:

I am a parent and have about a years worth of experience with PF judging.

Case construction:  Explicitly state your contentions during case construction. I understand the need to cram several arguments into one round and word economy with speed does help, but qualitative, thought-out, pithy arguments make it easy to follow along, so spread at your own risk.

Signposting is going to allow me to track where you are in the flow. Frontline the arguments that you plan to extend. Even though I refrain from judging your cross, I will be paying subtle attention to it, so please don't try to hog up your opponents time or start a rebuttal in the cross.

Evidence and Card Verifications: Citing sources is helpful but needs to be in the context of your argument with an explanation of the linkage, I should be able to determine the veracity of the cards and sources quickly (as in 30 secs).  Card verification can be done off prep but you better have those ready. I have seen so many teams start to pull up websites and fail to do so if the signal is not strong. Remember, the burden of proof is on you if you cite evidence.  Also - persuasive speaking is better than an evidence versus evidence debate. 

Ground rules: Purposeful distortion of evidence from cards is dishonesty, they violate the code of honor, and as such will be given the rightful consequence. Please refer to https://www.speechanddebate.org/wp-content/uploads/Debate-Evidence-Rules-2015-2016.pdf Section 7.4 (c).  Please remember, the only thing you win in life with winning this debate is just "this debate". Building back a tarnished reputation is harder than winning another round after a loss.

Win: High points for a very persuasive argument. Your goal in a debate should not just be to refute the other teams claims, but to demonstrate the  power of your persuasion. There are extra points for extemporaneous speech. I really enjoy seeing you clash!

Impacts: I will weigh the impacts, based on their applicability to your argument, your case structure and flow. Generic card citations or dry usage of jargon is less effective.

Timekeeping: Please do not bother to ask me to keep time, I am hopeless at it, I don't mind you using a few extra seconds for prep but please don't abuse it. If your are dishonest or if your opposition raises a concern, I am going to assume you abused it.

As always, keep it civil and maintain decorum, anything less is an automatic drop. Good luck!!

This is my first year judging PF. This means that you must do your job to adapt to me as a judge, but at the same time, I will do my best to follow what you say and take notes.

Please speak slowly, and explain everything that you are saying very clearly. Do not skip any steps in your logical chains – things that are intuitive to you might not seem that way to me. If you see me lift up my pen or not write anything for a while, it means you are going too fast for me.

Slow down and speak at an understandable pace. I will do my best to judge the round fairly as long as you do your best to convince me why you should win. Please speak in a conversational tone – don’t yell – and be as persuasive as you can.

Hello my name is Sal. I am a parent judge,

About Me:

I work as an electrical engineer at Intel, and like to read a lot about current events and stay informed with the news. I have judged a lot over the past year, so I am pretty familiar at this point with the format of PF.

Stuff to note:

Content > Pretty Rhetoric

Obviously don't go to fast since I'm a parent

Don't be rude or get too aggressive in the round, make sure to respect your opponents.

Crossfire is important to me.

My English is my 2nd language so please try to talk in simple words.

I will try my best to make a good fair decision and not just sit there and not pay attention. I know it may be frustrating to have a parent judge instead of a professional judge, so I really will try my best to give you all the respect you deserve.

I am a parent judge who has little judging experience. I will vote for the team with the clearest argument. Have fun and respect each other.

Debate, for me, is a very powerful tool/activity that helps students in developing and honing their skills and confidence in public speaking and expressing their ideas cogently and eloquently in a limited amount of time. It is an activity where people put for the their arguments, either for or against, a particular topic and are able to defend their positions through well researched data. The person who is able to make their case, either for or against a topic, and back it up through their well thought out arguments ends up winning the round.

Kindly note the following about me:

I am relatively new to judging so am not a big fan of speed (spreading) - but as long as you are able to pace yourself properly, while staying on point with your arguments and back-up data, and are able to clearly articulate and put forth your arguments, I am fine.

Please do not be condescending in your interaction with your opponents (no scoffing or any other disparaging behavior - debates need to be civil - if I see this kind of behavior then you stand losing the round and I will inform your coach through the Tabroom and include my comment in the RFD) and do not be unnecessarily aggressive in your speeches (a little bit of emotion while making or defending your point is ok).

Cheerios, and best of luck!!

Happy debating ...

FOR EVERYONE:

Do NOT bring up victims of police brutality just for your intros or as an additional piece of evidence you immediately move on from. people's lives should not be used as a piece of 'gotcha' evidence or a card to win a judge. if you are ignoring people's humanity to win a round you are not doing this activity correctly.

For Congress:

40% presentation, 60% content. There MUST be refutation in every speech after the authorship. your job as the author/sponsor is to explain how the mechanisms of your legislation work, not just give the first aff speech-explain what your legislation does and how it solves the problems in the status quo. If you speak twice on the same bill I will drop you. If you refer to male presenting competitors as 'representative/senator' and female presenting competitors as 'Ms.' I will drop you. If you are aggressive in direct cross I will want to drop you. Please give me clear impacts and ask questions often. I also coach extemp, so I don't want to see you just reading a prewritten speech off your legal pad. I love good POs and I will rank you high for it!

For PF:

I'm not going to time you. I'm not going to flow cross. As long as you're not an LD or Policy debater turned PF debater, I'll be fine with your speed (as long as your constructive is under 900 words you're probably fine). I need impacts and clear taglines. Organization is a huge thing for me. It is not my job to weigh the round for you, so you need to be doing impact calculus and giving me key voters all the way through. SIGNPOST. If you are rude in cross I will give you low speaks and I will want to drop you. If you run a K I will drop you. Also I do not flow the authors of your cards are so if you refer to cards by the author only I am not going to be able to find it on my ballot-give me a source name, a key word or phrase, something.

For IEs:

Your Infos/Oratories should all have quality cited evidence. Your Infos should give me impacts, and your Oratories should have solutions. For Interp, you should not be performing a character with a disability piece if you do not have that disability. In Humor ESPECIALLY, if you do a racist caricature/accent, I will drop you. Please use good judgement.

Email: erinmguiney@gmail.com

I am a parent judge. Please speak slowly and clearly, and try to avoid jargon. Also, no theory or Ks, and please do not be abusive or exclusive to your opponents.

PF

PLEASE SIGNPOST - tell me where you are during your speech

Extend the full argument and explain it - don't just tell me to "extend [card name]" or "extend [contention]"

Please weigh - tell me which impact is more important and why

BE NICE - I'll drop you if you're rude/disrespectful to your opponents

let me know if you have questions.

LD

I have gotten very dumb in my old age (22) so please take it easy on me and debate slowly and as clearly as possible. I am very familiar with PF but am new to judging LD.

I am a lay judge with only around 10 debates under my belt.

I am looking for how clearly/logically you present your case with special emphasis on how well you can counter your opponent's points.

All the best.

Public Forum

Experience:

Coached PF and LD for the past 5 years at Phoenix Country Day School in Arizona where I also teach economics. PF and LD competitor in 2003. I have judged Public Forum and LD at all levels over the past 15 years.

Bias:

I do believe that Public Forum should be accessible to all levels of judge experience, and I am less inclined to see arguments that serve to exclude the general public amicably. That being said, I hate intervening in rounds, so it is your opponents' job to explain why those arguments do not meet the spirit of public forum, are antithetical to the educational purpose of the event, and/or create levels of abuse that tip the balance towards one side or the other.

General Philosophy:

Tabula Rasa - I'll only intervene if something egregious or offensive occurs that an educator needs to step in and correct. Otherwise, I'll vote on the arguments in the round and weigh the impacts through the frameworks that are presented. If there are competing frameworks in the round, show me why you win through both of them.

I have a judged a few times before but I am still very new. Clarity is most important to me so make your arguments understandable and don't go too fast. I will do my best to evaluate the round and the team that seems most prepared and defends their points best will win.

Almost all my debate judging has been in PF, so please understand I am not familiar with jargon or terms for other debate disciplines. Also, please speak slowly and clearly enough so that I can understand you. Be kind and civil with your opponents. Thank you!

Parent judge, please go slow and explain thoroughly. I don't speak English well, so please warrant!

I am a lay parent judge. I value the following:

- depth in understanding of the core issue;

- relevancy of evidences and sources;

- overall delivery/presentation, including your manners to your opponents;

Other notes:

• Please don’t spread;
• Keep track of your own time and your opponent’s time.

A little bit about me: I competed in speech and debate for three years during high school, specifically in PF, Congress, limited prep, and interp events. I even dabbled a little in LD and World Schools. Now, I stay involved with the speech and debate community by coaching PF at Phoenix Country Day School in AZ.

As far as paradigms go, I'm open to pretty much any argument you can warrant properly and impact out. I will vote off the flow, but that means your arguments need to be made clear to me. I can keep up with speed, but if I put my pen down, you've lost me. At the end of the round, I am looking for offense, which includes both the impact and the link into that impact, that has been extended cleanly through the debate. Then, it comes down to the weighing that you have done for me on that offense. Don't make me do that work for you because it probably won't turn out the way you want it to!

General things to note:

• Please stand for your speeches unless there is a legitimate reason you are unable to. It helps your public speaking, your persuasiveness, your confidence, you name it.
• For the love of all things holy, SIGNPOST, SIGNPOST, SIGNPOST!!!! I want clear taglines and numbered responses. The more organized you are in your responses, the more likely I will follow every piece of your argument, meaning the more likely I am to vote for you.
• I like off-time roadmaps. That means something short like, "I'm going aff then neg," or, "The order will be overview, their case, our case." It shouldn't be anything more than telling me where I will be flowing.
• I will not call for a card unless you specifically ask me to during one of your speeches.
• If something important happens during CX, bring it up during a speech.
• Don't be rude to your opponents. I love a little sass and sarcasm because debate definitely calls for that sometimes, but don't blatantly disrespect one another.

Technical things to note:

• Second rebuttal should frontline (quickly) anything that will be extended in summary.
• Extend important defense. Defense is sticky, but it strengthens your position if you hang onto important defense throughout the round.
• Counterplans: These don't belong in PF. They are a clear violation of rules. Counter advocacies with the necessary probability weighing are fine, but no plan text or specific implementation plan.
• Kritiks: I find Ks really interesting, and I am all for their entrance into PF when you have a tech judge/panel. I want you to read your K to me as if I have not read the literature surrounding the issue though. Just because you say a buzz word, does not mean I understand the argument. Make sure it is well formulated if you want my ballot.
• Theory: If there is a clear violation of PF rules, don't run a shell. Just tell me about the violation during a speech, and that will suffice. If there is a violation of norms that you feel is genuinely worthy of bringing up (i.e. no frivolous theory), I am willing to hear it out. That being said, I am not super well-versed in theory debate, so you just need to make sure you explain to me what the impact of your argument is on the round and why I should care about it. In all honesty, if a team runs theory, you are probably more likely to get my ballot without running a counterinterp and just responding to it the way you would any other argument. All the jargon starts to get lost on me.

I started this technical section based on questions I am frequently asked in round. It is nowhere near exhaustive, so if you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to ask me when both teams are present before the round!

Also, please include me in the email chain: mittelstedt.taylor@gmail.com

This is my first year judging PF. This means that you must do your job to adapt to me as a judge, but at the same time I will do my best to follow what you say, take notes and provide feedback. I understrand that you have spent time and effort on it so I take judging very seriously.

You can speak as fast or as slow as you want, however, explain everything that you are saying very clearly. Do not skip any steps in your logical chains – things that are intuitive to you might not seem that way to me.

I will do my best to judge the round fairly as long as you do your best to convince me why you should win. Please speak in a conversational tone – don’t yell – and be as persuasive as you can. Be respectful!!

For the October Topic, I do have a little topical knowledge on it and I've seen unique arguments for both sides!

I am a parent judge! That being said I have judged countless rounds on the Nat circuit and local circuit for 5+ years.

A few things I prefer:

Keep speed and clarity in mind when debating.

For any complicated economic argument please provide actual warranting when you are extending it.

Collapse and do weighing on the argument you want me to vote on, I won't do it for you.

Debate is about having fun so don't let the round get too heated.

Signpost, Signpost, Signpost

I usually won't question your evidence myself, so if you find bad evidence on your opponents side bring it up in round and in a speech as a response.

Defense is not sticky; make sure to extend it in summary if you are going for it

Frontline in second rebuttal, second summary is way to late in the round for your first time frontlining.

Comparative weighing wins rounds

Parent/Lay judge- I vote off of presentation and logic

I am a lay judge. I prefer if you go slow. Make sure I understand all your arguments and refrain from excessive debate jargon.

I am a lay judge. My son has competed in PF debate at Hamilton High School in Chandler, AZ for about 3 years now and I have judged a few tournaments in the past. I therefore have some knowledge on how debate works and what to look for. I will be voting for whoever convinces me the most in the round, and I will not use outside knowledge to make my decision. I will only vote off of what I have heard in the round. Please speak slowly and clearly and put quality before quantity. I cannot vote for you if I can't understand you. I do not value crossx, so if something important is said then say it in a speech. I will try my best to disclose after I have submitted my ballot, assuming we have time for it and both teams agree to it. I want to enjoy listening to your debate, so anything you say or do to make me laugh will get you more speaker points. Have fun, and good luck to all.

This is my first time judging. I'll try my best to to be fair and objective in scoring your efforts. I hope to learn from the arguments on both side of the motion. I'll be paying attention to the persuasive power of your arguments, supporting facts, strength of your rebuttals and clarity of speech.

Please treat your opponents the way you'd like to be treated - with respect and courtesy.

I am the Speech and Debate advisor at BASIS Chandler. I have some experience with debate, but I'm mainly looking at communication.

I am new to judging so please no spreading. Make sure to explain what you are arguing. I like to see clash in a round, I don't want two ships passing in the night. DO NOT attempt to justify racism, it will be a drop. I won't weigh evidence without credibility. If there is ANY abuse it will be a drop, debate with honor. TELL ME WHY YOU WON THE ROUND.

be respectful- any sexism, racism, etc will mean an auto drop. above everything, everyone should feel comfortable in round

wear whatever shoes or clothes you're comfortable in, you dont have to look "professional"

weigh extend collapse

pls signpost - no offtime road maps unless youre doing something special

the most important thing you can do to win is weigh. tell me why your impacts matter and why as a judge should care about your impacts over your opponents

if offense is not in your summary, I wont weigh it in your final focus. make sure to extend the warranting for your argument instead of just saying "extend this". also if you wanna win the argument make sure you frontlined it, pls dont flow through ink

1st summary only needs to extend defense on args frontlined in 2nd rebuttal

turns must be responded to in the next speech

cant put defense on previously unresponded arguments in summary

2nd rebuttal should at least frontline arguments you are probably going for in summary but not mandatory (still must respond to turns)

dont go for every argument- collapse on 1 or 2

quality of arguments > quantity

well warranted arguments > cards

if something is not clear, its probably your fault and not mine, especially if its the main argument your going for. overexplaining >> underexplaining

i wont read/call for cards unless I am told to or if there was no warrant comparison done in round (but its better to not let me do that)

the faster you go, the worse my flowing skills become

im not the best judge for progressive arguments, but if you warrant them well/there is a blatant abuse then I will try my best to judge it( but I dont have much experience w it so be cautious)

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!

My paradigms:

1 - Clear and well cited arguments

2- Respectful behavior towards judges and competitors.

3- Active engagement during crossfire rounds.

4- Talk at a reasonable speed so that others can understand you well 

About me:

I am a father of two children and hear a healthy amount of debate and various banter all of the time. Furthermore, I am trained in legal theory and I am a practicing lawyer in the state of Arizona. I do not have much in the way of formal debate judging. But I know a good argument when I hear it and I know how to win the forest from the trees. I expect my debaters in front of me to be respectful. I expect them to be knowledgeable and expect them to put forth the very best effort. I will be rewarding points on logical statements, impacts and similar matters that get the point directly across. At the end of the day I realize that debaters are given their topics and their point of view and it is with that emphasis that they prepare. I will therefore judge the debaters accordingly. There’s probably no reason to use too much in the way of technical jargon and keeping things fairly straightforward is always a good idea. I will be taking notes most likely. That should help me stay organized. Thank you.

take risks, have fun, be respectful!

My primary coaching event is Congressional Debate. Don't freak out, I prefer the debate portion of the event as my high school background is in PF/LD.

For CD: I’ll always consider a balance of presentation, argumentation, and refutation. If you happen to drop the ball on one of those traits during a speech, it won’t ruin your rank on my ballot. I look for consistency across the board and most importantly: What is your speech doing for the debate? Speaking of which, pay attention to the round. If you're the third speaker in the row on the same side, your speech isn't doing anything for the debate. I definitely reward kids who will switch kids or speak before their ideal time for the sake of the debate, even if it's not the best speech in the world.

For both PF/LD: As long as you're clear/do the work for me, I have no preference for/against what you run/do in the round. I'll vote off of what you give me. With that, I really stress the latter portion of that paradigm, "I'll vote off of what you give me". I refuse to intervene on the flow, so if you're not doing the work for me, I'm gonna end up voting on the tiniest, ickiest place that I should not be voting off of. Please don't make me do that. Respect the flow and its links.

PF specific: I love theory. I don't prefer theory in PF, but again I'll vote off of where the round ends up...it'd be cool if it didn't head in that direction as a good majority of the time you can still engage in/ win the debate without it.

I don't time roadmaps, take a breather and get yourself together.

Speed isn't an issue for me in either event.

Avoid flex prep.

I prefer googledocs to email for evidence sharing (brittanystanchik@gmail.com).

I am a lay judge, but I have watched dozens of rounds of PF before. I will consider arguments if they are made clearly and consistently in the round.

Please make sure your voice is clear.

Refrain from using debate jargon in general... if you want me to understand how your actions play into the round, explain why they matter

Scientific jargon is welcome

Make sure to signpost in every part of your speech

Do not be exclusionary towards your opponents; you will be dropped immediately

Explain why your arguments are more important instead of using weighing jargon

Do not run theory or Ks; I will not know how to evaluate them on my ballot.

Truth over tech unless one side is clearly winning

Gained lots of experience in PF judging over 3 years, have a good idea on how to evaluate arguments and the flow. If you just debate how you normally do, it should be sufficient to win my ballot.

This is my third year judging as a parent judge. I don’t have many rules. Just make sure you interact with each others arguments. In addition make sure you are kind and respectful to your opponents.

I am a lay parent judge, with 3 yrs of experience judging PF and LD.

Public Forum:

I’m okay with most arguments as long as the evidence provided is clear and concise and I can see a clear link from your argument to the conclusion you make. Be sure to extend your arguments through Final Focus, I’m only going to consider them if you do. Impact weighing is crucial and wins rounds: tell me why your impact outweighs. Don’t spread; if I can’t discern your words, I won’t flow them.

Cross Ex: I believe that Cross Ex is a crucial part of the round. Maintaining composure and delivering sound responses is an essential part of debate and shows your knowledge of the case and ability to think fast on your feet.

Lincoln Douglas:

DO NOT SPREAD !! If you do I will drop you. Use logical, well reasoned arguments, support it with evidence and also highlight their value and impact. Dont simply read lengthy quotations - instead summarize them to explain how they support your contention(s).

And finally, be respectful of your opponents, and have fun.

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.

I've coached Speech & Debate for around a decade now. I do not support any form of progressive debate in PF. Prove you understand the resolution and the content of the topic. Here’s some advice:

- No spreading, I’ll say “clear” if you need to slow down

- Use taglines and signpost to maintain clarity of flow

- I do not flow cross examination so be sure to include ideas in speech

- I am a believer in pragmatism over the ideological

- Clear elaboration and correlation is as important as card use

-Link the arguments, don't make assumptions or just point to a card

-It should not take over a minute to find cards, please be familiar with your evidence

- Keep the round moving, I’ll keep time of speeches and prep

I am a parent lay judge. This is my 3rd year judging PF. Please be polite and respectful to judges and your opponents, and display good sportsmanship.

Make sure you explain your link chain properly and tell me why your contentions or responses make sense.

I would also appreciate it if you tell me why your contentions are more important than your opponents'.

Please speak slow enough so I can understand you and take notes.

Enjoy your debate!

I am an 8 year PF coach but never competed in debate myself. I love it when teams make arguments that make sense. I am not a fan of jargon and believe public forum debate was intended to be accessible to amateur judges so I hate spreading. I never vote for a team who cannot articulate an understanding of the opposing argument. I entertain framework arguments and definition battles but calls for evidence need to be followed up by a use of what you found or I will punish you for wasting everyones time. I don't flow crossfire and expect any admissions you reveal there to be used in follow-up speeches. The summary is for impacts and the final focus is for weighing voting issues. If you are still arguing cases after the rebuttal I will think you believe you are losing and I will agree with you.

You are young and intelligent and spend your leisure time on competitive public speaking. You are a nerd. Don't take this round, your opponents or yourself too seriously. Your future is very bright, so have fun, treat each other with respect and you may just earn my vote.

Do what you need to do to win.

Unless the debate is about nuclear war, total world destruction is hard to get behind.

I will attempt to flow debate rounds. Clarity of your claims, warrants, evidence, and impacts will score you higher. Spreading only undermines clarity so please speak clearly at a normal conversational pace. Less is more.

Off-time roadmaps and signposting are totally acceptable and help me follow your logical construction.

Use Crossfire periods in Public Forum to gather clarifying information, not to further argue or press a point. I will not be paying attention to what is said during those periods unless I deem debate ethics are being violated.

Simply put, I like facts, solid logic, and clear presentation.

I am a parent lay judge. This is my third year judging PF.

Please speak slowly and clearly. Clearly express your side and argument. Be polite and respectful to judges and your opponents, and display good sportsmanship.

I am a parent judge new to the national circuit. I'd like to see debaters debate in a civil and professional manner demonstrating sound logical reasoning while building a strong case. Please pay attention to your warrants, link chains, and questions you may ask during crossfires. Please speak clearly and do not spread or speak too fast, so I can fully understand you. Please do not use too many technical jargon but treat me as someone who had minimal knowledge on the topic, so please explain your logic and convince me fully why I should vote for you. I am looking forward to seeing you in rounds. I wish you all the best!

I am a parent judge and have judged more than thirty rounds in several tournaments since October, 2021.

I favor clear structure, comprehensibility, and the quality of arguments over quantity and complexity. I am not a subject matter expert on the topics you are debating. So I will listen to you very intently, take notes, and do my best to render a fair and balanced decision.

Please number your contentions so that I can keep better track of them, as well as using your opponent's numbers in your rebuttal. In judging, I will consider the clarity and organization of your case, whether and/or how well you respond to your opponent's case, the impact of your case vs. the impact of your opponent's case as well as your professionalism, clarity of speech and sportsmanship.

I really care about final summary and final focus which can give you another chance to convince me to vote for you. I am not a native English speaker, so please speak clearly and slowly. If I can not understand you, I cannot vote for you. I am not a professional judge which means that I don't know the detailed technique debate skills. I only vote for the team who can make me understand and convince me by their well organized and thorough arguments. 

By the way, I don't like the very aggressive attitude. Please be polite and respectful to your opponents. 

Have fun and good luck!