Forensics is a speaking competition in which the art of rhetoric is utilized - speaking effectively to persuade or influence [the judge].

I take Socrates's remarks in Plato's Apology as the basis of my judging: "...when I do not know, neither do I think I know...I am likely to be wiser than he to this small extent, that I do not think I know when I do not know" (Ap. 21d-e).

My paradigm of any round is derived from: CLARITY!!!

All things said in the round need to be clear! Whatever it is you want me to comprehend, vote on, and so forth, needs to be clearly articulated, while one is speaking. This stipulation should not be interpreted as: I am ignorant about debate - I am simply placing the burden on the debater to debate; it is his or her responsibility to explain all the arguments presented. Furthermore, any argument has the same criteria; therefore, clash, at the substantive level, is a must!

First and foremost, I follow each debate league's constitution, per the tournament.

Secondly, general information, for all debate forms, is as follows:

1) Speed: As long as I can understand you well enough to flow the round, since I vote per the flow!, then you can speak as slow or fast as you deem necessary. I do not yell clear, for we are not in practice round, and that's judge interference. Also, unless there is "clear abuse," I do not call for cards, for then I am debating. One does not have to spread - especially in PF.

2) Case: I am a tab judge; I will vote the way in which you explain to me to do so; thus I do not have a preference, or any predispositions, to the arguments you run. It should be noted that in a PF round, non-traditional/abstract arguments should be expressed in terms of why they are being used, and how it relates to the round.

Set a metric in the round, then tell me why you/y'all have won your metric, while your opponent(s) has lost their metric and/or you/y'all have absorbed their metric.

The job of any debater is to persuade the judge, by way of logical reasoning, to vote in his or her favor, while maintaining one's position, and discrediting his or her opponent's position. So long as the round is such, I say good luck to all!

Ask any other clarification questions before the round!

I am a parent judge, who has been judging for 2 years. I flow while judging.

I flow the rounds and appreciate reasonably-paced speaking, good evidence and knowledge of your sources.

I would suggest kids to not rush. Make eye contact with me and your opponent and convince me with good evidence and a carefully made argument.

I have been a parent judge since November 2022. I have primarily judged LD but have judged one round of Parli. Please speak clearly at moderate speed so that I can understand your arguments. Please be polite to your opponent. Please provide sufficient evidence for your arguments when asked by your opponent. Don’t introduce new evidence in final speech.

I am a new parent judge. I prefer good speaking style, clear, concise, and easy to understand arguments.

I have been judging LD debates for over four years, with occasional experience in Parli and PF formats. I prioritize clarity, substance, and respect in rounds. If any technical terms are used, please provide clear definitions. I value substantive contentions and points over intimidation or mockery. I flow during the round to track the arguments.

While I remain open-minded and impartial, I expect debaters to uphold the principles of sportsmanship and respect throughout the round. Mockery and intimidation have no place in constructive debate.

Impact calculus is highly appreciated as it helps in evaluating the significance of arguments.

Please include me (karthikakrishnna@gmail.com) in any email chains for reference. Best of luck to all debaters!"

If you need any further adjustments or clarifications, feel free to let me know!

• My name is Samir Boubezari. I am a parent judge and this is my fourth time judging debates.
• I vote on any argument that is clearly explained and articulated. It doesn't matter how fast you are if I can't understand your arguments. Please explain the claim, show the impact and the reason why you should win
• Debate is a professional activity showing great respect between the opponents. No need for aggressive and useless attacks to win and instead show you have a strong argument/case.
• I am open to listen and flow all kinds of affirmatives/Negs as long as it is clearly explained and supported by strong arguments

Please Note: ADD me to the Email Chain [dbraswell@chicagodebates.org]

My Paradigm is as follows,

I am a stickler for structured organized debate. As a previous high school and college debater; I stress the importance of the AFF team hitting all stock issues (Inherency, Harms, Solvency, Plan, and T), signposting, line by line clash, Impact Cal, poise during cross ex, and leaving no argument unaddressed. For the NEG Team, I welcome off case and on case arguments, they must be clearly signposted (If DA- Uniqueness, Link, Internal Link, Impact. ETC for T/K/CP/Theory arguments), use line by line, Impact Cal, and politeness as well during cross ex (Keep It Cute). I am a firm believer of strategy as well, so go for whatever strategy you feel works best for you IN the debate round. I can flow spreading however IF you are spreading, IT MUST BE CLEAR AND CONCISE. Actual spreading doesn't sound like gibberish and run-on sentences. If it is a digital debate with files online, PLEASE set up Email Chains and Flash Drives before the round, it takes away from actual debate time. I do signal how much time you have as time goes down and you can finish your sentence when the timer goes off. In the event someone has to go to the restroom, it would be counted as prep time. I have judged the following debate/speech events: CX, PF, LD, Congress, College Parli, OO, and other speech events. As I have been a debater, debate team captain, coach, and program assistant; My goal is to educate and build upon your knowledge of debate as well as help you grow as an aware and autonomous being. Debate has played a tremendous role in my growth and development; I hope it does the same for you. I do not disclose unless instructed to by the league however I do believe in giving meaningful feedback at the end of the round.

Respectfully,

Derrick Braswell

Hello,

I am interested in

1. consistency in argumentation which makes it logically stronger

2. slow and clear speaking

3. respectful attitude

Good luck to all!

Don't go too fast. Be clear and concise.

Be respectful to your opponents. It goes a long way! I do not tolerate homophobic, racist, or sexist comments.

Email Chain: traviscornett16@gmail.com

Remember to have fun!

Hi,

My name is Li Ding. I am a parent judge. I have some experience in LD debate, limited experience in judging. Here is a list of preferences in debate, hope you have a fun experience in debating:

1) Don't speak too fast, this helps me better understand your arguments.

2) Be respectful to your opponents in cross-fire. I will also watch your body language close. Everyone wants to win but be respect to your opponents.

3) My judge primarily based on framework and how you support the framework. If your arguments don't link well to the framework, you probably will not get my vote.

4) It's better to have a strong evidence to back your arguments

Happy debating!

I am a new judge. Please speak deliberately and clearly. It would be great if you can stick to the timings prescribed in the tournament.

As a practicing lawyer for many years, I appreciate arguments that are logical and supported by credible evidence. I realize there are many sides to a story and therefore will focus on whose arguments are logical and the most persuasive. Develop your case and clearly articulate your points in a concise manner.

I appreciate traditional debating and probably value arguments over style. I find arguments grounded in real-world impacts to be the most persuasive. I prefer debaters who speak at a conversational pace (ok to talk fast) compared to spreading; too fast of a rate of delivery has made it difficult for me to understand all the arguments in the past. This is the same when too much jargon is used.

I try to keep a rigorous flow - taking notes and mapping arguments so I can recall and access the points made by each side.

I will try to be tabula rasa; however, if something seems to be blatantly false, I may make connections myself or research something I do not know. If your opponent raises such arguments, I expect you to challenge it. I may disagree with something you say – but I will keep an open mind on solid arguments.

-Debated 4 years LD, graduating in 2013; qualified to TOC twice and reached Quarterfinals my senior year.

-Have coached for 10 years; am currently the Head Debate Coach at Lynbrook High School.

PF paradigm for Last Chance Qualifier:

1. Keep in mind that I don't know the topic at all -- you'll have to walk me through the links/the story of your argument.
2. Weigh your arguments and also respond to your opponents' weighing. A lot of the PF that I judge gets decided on the basis of drops -- you should be interacting in the last few speeches with any arguments that respond to what you're going for.
3. Please don't take too long sending evidence/don't excessively ask for evidence unless you really need to see it. I judge many rounds in which one side asks to see a ton of evidence and then barely references it later in the speech, yet the effect is still a considerable delaying of the round. If this becomes a problem I will be reducing speaker points.

LD paradigm from TOC (will probably update soon):

There was a misunderstanding about my paradigm, so am rewriting to be especially explicit:

The one argument I won't ever vote for is disclosure theory. I don't think anyone has to say anything to their opponent before the competition begins -- the concept of having to tell your opponent what your strategy is in advance is prima facie absurd in my opinion. I recognize that disclosure is a norm now, but it wasn't when I competed, and I think it's a bad addition.

I am truly horrible at adjudicating policy style debate. You should really only pref me for Phil and sometimes for theory.

I'm a lay parent judge but some things I value are:
1. A deep body of knowledge

2. Not cheating

3. Clear speaking and signposting

Enjoy debates that are fact based, with evidence where possible. Please be professional and respectful at all times. I also listen to the counters during CX carefully. Strong evidence will earn you points (over eloquence)

She/Her

If you know you know.

2/18/24 Update - Final Update:

Abstractly T-FW is true, but concretely K Affs still have the ability to win these debates because 95% of all topics are reactionary. In other words, I'm a T hack but I'll vote for the K Aff if you beat T.

• I am a parent judge.
• I will be flowing so I can track your arguments and rebuttals.
• Provide supportive evidence of your core arguments.
• Please speak clearly with signposting at a reasonable pace. I do not prefer spreading.
• Define anything technical so I can understand it.
• Please respect your opponent(s) and be courteous.
• Good luck on your rounds and all the best!

Here's my approach to judging. First and foremost I assess each debater on the merit of their core arguments as well as their use of supportive evidence. I also look for how the debater rebuts their opponent arguments. Finally I am looking for each debater's overall organization, clarity and presentations style. I suggest to keep the arguments simple so they can be explained without involving too much theory like spreading.

As a lay judge, I place high importance on receiving arguments that are straightforward and structured for easy comprehension.
Please ensure that your presentations are clear and digestible. A respectful demeanor is essential throughout the debate.
Additionally, I prefer arguments that emphasize real-world truth over technical debating skills.

Also, for my reference, kindly add me to the email chains at sajeesh.mathew@gmail.com.

I am a LAY judge. Please go at 1x speed, NO SPREADING. I judge arguments by a balance of evidence and logic. Please introduce yourselves before the round starts, and which speaker position you are.

Please do not spread, be respectful, and best of luck.

This is my first year judging - Sundar Mudupalli

Hello All,

My name is Debanjan Mukherjee and this is my second time judging speech and debate tournaments.

Some tips:

• Speak loud, slowly, and clearly
• Explain the topic/resolution and your side of the argument in a detailed manner
• Explain topic-specific "slangs" or abbreviations before using them
• Be respectful

Hi,

I am a parent judge. I have some experience with judging LD

Please be respectful, stick to the facts, manage your time, and speak clearly.

Fewer well developed points is my preference

Hey friends!
TLDR; 10+ years of experience coaching and competing in all formats of debate and all styles (traditional and progressive). I'm fairly open-minded to any argument that is well justified and I'm going to vote for the team that paints the best picture via their impact comparison. I want you to write my ballot for me in your closing arguments. Also please note I will not vote on any argument that isn't extended in your final speeches. If you want me to vote on something you need to extend it and tell me why I'm voting for it. Other than that, just have fun, debate is your space.

*Speaker points are arbitrary but here’s something that isn’t: If you give all of your speeches without reading cards, I’ll give you a 30 as a baseline (may still deduct a bit from this for certain things). Of course, please refer to cards and summarize your them in your own words. Evidence debate has led to people not listening to each other’s arguments and IMO it’s net worse for debate. Constant powertagging means paraphrasing theory is probably irrelevant (but I’m very open to criticisms that a team said that a card said something that it didn’t)

Here are just a few specifics about my philosophy, feel free to ask about more:

On Evidence:
I believe there is far too much emphasis on evidence in many rounds of LD and CX as of late. Cards are important for backing up a claim which specifically needs evidence (think statistics, quotes, etc). Some folks are quick to dismiss their opponent's arguments by saying "no evidence" without actually responding to the merit of the argument. Conversely, the overemphasis on evidence has made some students afraid to get up and make an argument simply because they don't have a card on it. Perhaps it is because of my background in NPDA, but I strongly believe that many claims can be made and warranted via analytics and in fact that these arguments are even preferable because they demand that debaters think on their feet and respond to the argument specifically instead of searching desperately for a card that may or may not actually verify the claim they want to make. An argument has 3 parts: Claim, Warrant, Impact. A card is one type of warrant but historical and or/material analysis is another which is just as valid and I encourage debaters to make whatever argument occurs to them so long as they can warrant said argument.

On Strategy:
In general, I don't care what you read. Debaters should make their own strategy and use whatever they think is competitive. That said, I am of the opinion that "6 off" strategies tend to be uncompetitive because no arguments are really developed and I will lean towards skepticism of neg blocks which develop a lot of new arguments because their initial constructives refused to engage the debate in depth. Quality tends to prevail strategically over quantity but I won't impose this belief onto you, if you think 6 off is more strategic, then prove it and I'll vote for it if you win. There is no K, CP, or theoretical argument I will reject outright on principle. Some arguments are likely more theoretically legitimate than others (An uncondo K is probably pretty alright and 8 condo delay CPs may not be) and some arguments are certainly more true than others but what I think is irrelevant in context of what is said in the round. Whatever it is you decide to go for, I do believe "collapsing" is good and makes debates simpler and also that arguments should be explained in context of one another. That's to say, how does "straight-up" make sense of the K, how does theory make sense (or not make sense) of the Aff, so on and so forth. Framework is the most important aspect of debate (followed by links). Tell me what my role as a judge is or the role of my ballot is and precisely how I ought to use it. I want to do as little as possible when writing my ballot and want as much of the argument as possible to be framed and explained for me. You should understand the difference between defense and offense and recognize that defense does not independently win rounds. Defense can empower offense but is not sufficient in and of itself to overcome any offense which improves upon the status quo.

*As an updated addendum to this, I would strongly prefer not to vote on violations that are alleged to occur outside of a debate round.
** A second addendum on theory - in light of some rounds that have occurred in early 2023, I'm realizing that in a debate that collapses to theory where theory truly feels like a wash, I think I'm preferring to flip to the team that didn't go for theory. This means you should use theory with me in instances that truly feel abusive. This is not to say that I won't vote on potential abuse, but it is to say you better win your shell convincingly if you intend to collapse on potential abuse

On Speed:

In general, I don't mind speed. I used to debate quite quickly, I listen to every podcast in the world on 2.0, and one of my previous partners was probably one of the fastest there ever was. That said I don't think speed should be a tool of exclusion and I do think there is a point at which speed is used (especially in evidence style debates) as a tool to lazily "warrant" an argument by reading cards that don't say what you say they say in the tagline and just hoping no one notices. Obviously, you should slow down to read taglines but even when you're "spewing" out the actual card, it should be comprehensible. This is especially true in a world of online debate which can become particularly hard to understand. I've watched some judges in a panel be too afraid to clear/slow when no one can understand a word someone is saying (especially in online debate). To be clear: I am not afraid to clear/slow you. Clear means speak more clearly, slow means I need you to slow down. I'm much more likely to say clear than I am slow as I want to hear the merits of your cards so if the card becomes an issue in a debate I can actually hear what you read. I don't mind going back to read a card that is contested but I also think that as soon as I start spending time outside the round reading, I'm now being asked to input my interpretation of what I read and apply it to what the debaters said. This quickly begins to violate the so-called "path of least resistance" that most judges are looking for. As such, my preference is to evaluate what I understood and hopefully not have to go back and read. It's the responsibility of debaters to make sure that what they're arguing is understood by the judges to the maximum extent possible. Spewing out a card at a speed you can't handle without slurring your words does not accomplish this goal. You'll get a lot further spending your time making coherent arguments everyone can understand than you will spitting nonsense to make fake claims.

*As an addendum to this, this issue has gotten a lot worse since I first wrote my paradigm. And frankly, at the highest levels (CEDA), we now see debate starting to slow back down. Honestly, I'm starting to feel like this is my preference. I'm not going to punish anyone for spreading, and I don't need you to speak your case at 2mph, "2.0 podcast" is a pretty good speed. My highest priority is understanding. Look, we are talking about some really in-the-weeds ideas in some of these debates. Debate will inevitably bastardize almost any philosophy, but I think you're going to do a lot more just interpretation of it when you slow down enough to actually explain your position and how you resolve the issues in and out of round.


If you ask me for prep, I'm just going to run your time, it's up to you to keep track of how much you're using. Flex prep is fine, but if you're going to do it, please ask your opponent and establish it at the beginning of the round. I've had some debaters ask me if flex is OK after their opponent already used some or all of their prep and this seems unfair to me. If you make an argument in CX, make sure you actually put it on the flow during your speech time.

PLEASE provide me a copy of all texts (Plans, counterplans, perms, alts, interpretations, etc)

Who is this judge?

I am an Economics and Government Classroom Teacher. I have also taught World History and United States History. My background is in Anthropology. I have co-coached debate for three years and predominately judged Policy Debate. I go by he/him pronouns.

What does this judge care about?

The debate for me is about civil discourse and should be honored in that respect. I emphasize equity of voice and time management. Debaters should not seek to dominate the air time, but find balance in the discussion. Debaters should track their own time carefully as well as that of their opponents. Before starting speeches or taking preparation time you should check with judge and opposition in order to ensure and equal and fair competition as possible. Debaters should ensure that judge, opposition and partner are ready before launching into their arguments/rebuttals.

How does he award Speaker Points?

Purely based on who the best speaker is, which is a totally subjective system. If you can speak clearly yet quickly, maintain eye contact when appropriate and keep filler words to a minimum you'll get higher speaking points. If you can find a way to speak to me instead of at me, you'll get higher speaker points. Don't feel like you need to do anything special.

How fast can I go?

As fast as you want while remaining clear. Do not spread, speak quickly. If you must spread, make sure the tag and author/date are very clear. If I can make out the individual words you're using, I can keep up. I'm not going to tell you if I can't keep up, you should be able to tell if I can keep up by watching me. I am usually much more in favor of a smaller amount of well supported and reasoned arguments though. Technical skill alone will not win a round judged by me.

tl;dr treat me as a lay judge

Competition history

2019-2023 at Bellarmine College Prep; partner debate events (CX, PF, Parli) from 2019-2021, IX 2019-2023

2022-2023 Bellarmine Extemp Co-Captain

Primary circuit: CFL

Highlights: NSDA Nationals Octafinalist, TOC Octafinalist, Two-time CHSSA State Finalist

Speech

1. Extemp

I did mostly IX during my career, but have also done NX and Open extemp. I try to weigh content and delivery equally, but will place particular emphasis on the clarity of your answer and how well it is supported by your evidence. I do not expect a hyper-technical speech with 12 citations and 4 points or anything like that--you should treat me as a lay judge and speak as you would in any other round.

2. All others

I don't have enough exposure to the specifics of the other speech events to provide much useful specific content feedback (at least, in my opinion), but I'll try to point out areas where I think improvements could be made. As such, I will focus mostly on delivery in my evaluation.

If you have any lingering questions about my feedback, you can email me at oliver.owen.pers@gmail.com. Please include in the subject line of your email the tournament in which you are inquiring about, so I don't miss your email (I will not respond to any of these emails during the tournament). I may not answer emails for a while, but I will try my best to do so within a week. Ya boy is an engineering student, cut me some slack.

Debate

I only have about a year and a half's worth experience competing in Policy, and about 2 months or so in both PF and Parli. It has been almost three years since I've even watched a full round, so my grasp of the minute details of debate is not what it once was. Point being, regardless of the event, you should make it clear how I should cast my ballot (i.e. frame, weigh arguments in terms of their effects on the entire debate, etc.)--I don't want to have to comb through my flow at the end of the debate to see which team had the most strong arguments remaining (nor do I think I can flow well enough anymore to make that a fair evaluation of the round...). Think of me like a slow judge.

Do not spread, and don't run K's. While I have been exposed to fast, I am not capable of effectively understanding/flowing once you up the WPM's. You can use a little bit of jargon (ex. I know what the stock issues are, I know what a counterplan is, I know how to evaluate T, etc.), but I would discourage it because: 1. That's not the kind of experience you're going to have most of the time, and 2. You don't know where my limit of understanding is--you could have me one moment and lose me the next depending on how complicated your use of jargon/argumentation is.

*If I'm on a panel with a majority fast judges and you think it's in your best interest to have a fast debate, clear it with the other team and all judges first. I'll try my best to stay with the round, but no promises.

Please add me to email chains! Use oliver.owen.pers@gmail.com. I probably won't check most of the evidence unless there is clash about the credibility specifically/what claim the evidence is making (ie. sketchy highlighting/sources).

Above all, keep it clean. I will not tolerate any questionable behavior in either speech or debate. At the end of the day, this activity is something that we all choose to do because we enjoy it; it stops being fun if you or your opponents take advantage of it.

Direct any further questions to the above email address.

Best of luck!

While judging for LD, I prefer the presenters to speak clearly and not in a fast pace so that the content can be understood clearly by everyone. Also the contestants should be respectful of each other no matter how the other is doing.

Although I pay very close attention to CX, I will not value it as much as the real case and rebuttals. It can be a starting point and will need to be followed on into the rebuttals for me to give it credibility.

A parent judge with six months of experience in judging.

I prefer well-laid-out contentions and point-by-point rebuttals. I generally flow and will take note of significant drops. Also, ensure that you are weighing impacts at the end of your speeches. Please be courteous to your opponent and clear in your presentation.

Current college student and former Speechie (OO) and Debater (LD).

Please state your name and pronouns at the beginning of the round. Be respectful and courteous - bigoted, disrespectful, or condescending behavior is not welcome. I don't appreciate spreading, and please stick to the rules. Please weigh and impact your arguments! Keep in mind I have not done LD for a few years, so if I am judging LD, I will do my absolute best to give you helpful feedback and make an informed decision. I still consider myself a lay judge, so please present your arguments and rebuttals as clearly as possible.

Don't forget to try your best and have fun :) The first person to say "thank you judge for your time" gets 10000 points!!!

Debate is an educational activity. Do not gamify it.

Public Forum should be accessible to the public.

Lincoln-Douglas should engage with relevant philosophies and their practical consequences.

Parliamentary should be creative, off-the-cuff argumentation.

Policy should explore policy-making and its impacts on society.

Focus on the basics of persuasion that carry over to real life.

a. Speaking extremely fast is rarely persuasive.

b. Exaggerating impacts is never persuasive.

c. Speak clearly. Stay calm.

I did not participate in S&D in high school or undergraduate or graduate school.

I have been judging for about one year, so this Paradigm is a work in progress.

I am a Chemistry Professor. This leads me to analyze your presentation from a science and academic background (my viewpoint, not yours). You should explain your warrants and arguments clearly.

I would recommend going a bit slower, especially on theory arguments, if you want to make sure that I'm able to follow everything.

I am a parent judge. I expect you to demonstrate your knowledge and depth of the content as well as the ability to make a confident argument towards your stance.

I cannot judge what I cannot understand so clear and logical communication is key.

Also, keep track of your own and other team's speech/prep times.

Basically just be nice and enjoy your passion towards debate.

Background: PF @ Mountain House High School '19, Economics @ UC Berkeley '22, Berkeley Law '26. This is my 5th year judging.

THREE ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS BEFORE YOU READ THE REST OF MY PARADIGM:

Due to the fast paced nature of debate nowadays and potential technical difficulties with online tournaments, I would really appreciate if you could send me the doc you're reading off of before each speech to my email write2zaid@gmail.com. If you can use Speech Drop, that's even better.

Preflow before the round. When you walk into the room you should be ready to start ASAP.

I will NOT entertain postrounding from coaches. This is absolutely embarrassing and if it is egregious I will report you to tab. Postrounding from competitors must be respectful and brief.

JUDGING PREFERENCES:

I am a former PF debater and I still think like one. That means I highly value simple, coherent argumentation that is articulated at at least a somewhat conversational speed.

In my view, debate is an activity that at the end of the day is supposed to help you be able to persuade the average person into agreeing with your viewpoints and ideas. I really dislike how debate nowadays, especially LD, has become completely gamified and is completely detached from real life. Because of this, I am not partial to spread, questionable link chains that we both know won’t happen, theory (unless there is actual abuse) or whatever debate meta is in vogue. I care more about facts and logic than anything else. You are better served thinking me of a good lay judge than a standard circuit judge. NOTE: I also am strongly skeptical of K AFFs and will almost always vote NEG if they run topicality.

That doesn’t mean I do not judge on the merits of arguments or their meaning, but how you present them certainly matters to me because my attention level is at or slightly above the average person (my brain is broken because of chronic internet and social media usage, so keep that in mind).

I will say tech over truth, but truth can make everyone’s life easier. The less truth there is, the more work you have to do to convince me. And when it’s very close, I’m probably going to default to my own biases (subconscious or not), so it’s in your best interest to err on the side of reality. This means that you should make arguments with historical and empirical context in mind, which as a college educated person, I’m pretty familiar with and can sus out things that are not really applicable in real life. But if you run something wild and for whatever reason your opponent does not address those arguments as I have just described, I will grant you the argument.

You should weigh, give me good impact calculus (probability, magnitude, scope, timeframe, etc), and most importantly, TELL ME HOW TO VOTE AND WHY! Do not trust me to understand things between the lines.

More points that I agree with from my friend Vishnu's paradigm:

"I do not view debate as a game, I view it almost like math class or science class as it carries tremendous educational value. There are a lot of inequities in debate and treating it like a game deepens those inequities.

Other than this, have fun, crack jokes, reference anecdotes and be creative.

There is honestly almost 0 real world application to most progressive argumentation, it bars accessibility to this event and enriches already rich schools.

Basically: debate like it's trad LD."

SPEAKER POINT SCALE

Was too lazy to make my own so I stole from the 2020 Yale Tournament. I will use this if the tournament does not provide me with one:

29.5 to 30.0 - WOW; You should win this tournament

29.1 to 29.4 - NICE!; You should be in Late Elims

28.8 to 29.0 - GOOD!; You should be in Elim Rounds

28.3 to 28.7 - OK!; You could or couldn't break

27.8 to 28.2 - MEH; You are struggling a little

27.3 to 27.7 - OUCH; You are struggling a lot

27.0 to 27.2 - UM; You have a lot of learning to do

below 27/lowest speaks possible - OH MY; You did something very bad or very wrong

Please speak clearly and deliver in a pace that a lay judge can comprehend. I prefer you provide me with a roadmap before the speech so I can follow each of your arguments and their supporting evidence. Good luck and have fun!