SCU Dempsey Cronin Invitational
2019 — Santa Clara, CA/US
Open Public Forum Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideLike to stay in the current state of affairs and like public forum debates given the relevance. Been judging PF style debates for over a year across several tournaments
For both sides:
I want to see all the claims supported by a reliable evidence and reasoning, a thoroughly proved and a clearly explained link chain towards the impact. The impact has to be relevant to the standard provided which should be relevant to the resolution.
Neg:
Neg should not have to show solvency.
As an experienced judge I will flow all parts of the debate.
A few things I like to see in a debate:
-engaging cross-ex
-clash of arguments
-clear crystallization in summary and final-focus
Please speak clearly, not too fast, and be respectful of your opponents and me.
I am a third year parent judge. I judged LD in Year 1 and PF in Years 2 & 3. I have judged about 30 rounds in total and consider myself a Flay judge. I can follow a well-made argument. You don't have to make too much of an allowance for me, but know that if I can't track your argument / rebuttals / response to rebuttals, you can't really expect it to work for you. So do try to be as clear as you can. Draw your through lines clearly. Don't get super-technical and jargony if you would like me awake. Spreading will also lose me. There is a fine balance between coverage and ease of comprehension. Try to find it.
Be honest in presenting evidence. I might ask to see your cards if it piques my interest. You don't have to go out of your way to be nice to your opponents, but jerk and bully behavior WILL lose speaker points and may be enough to lose the round too.
Feel free to chat with me before or after (as long as I have finished scoring in Tabroom) but I will not discuss results or give you live feedback. I will give (hopefully) meaningful feedback in Tabroom.
Don't take everything, including yourself, too too seriously. Here, and in life! :)
I am a lay judge, so speak clearly and at a speed that I can understand. Speaking quickly is fine so long as it's comprehensible. I like it when debaters use evidence to back up their arguments and logical analysis. Speak to me while you are talking, and be respectful during cross.
**tl;dr read the bold. I like starting on time/early if possible.
For background, I debated PF 4 years at Newton South and it's my 4th year coaching at Nueva. I feel like it's best if you probably treat me like a flay leaning tech judge? If you have issues with any parts of my paradigm I'm happy to discuss and/or potentially change some preferences for the round. The later in the day it gets, the more tired I get, so if I'm grumpy it's not you, it's me.
---Most normal tech things apply: here are more unique thoughts
Tech~Truth: I will buy anything that at least kinda makes sense as your arguments get more extreme/factually incorrect. I will need more work from you to win it and less work from opponents to lose it.
You need cards, but more importantly warrants; I will buy a strong analytic over a unwarranted card. Extend internal links (logical warranting) in addition to overall links/impacts otherwise I won't want to vote on it (99% of the time this is the reason I squirrel in out rounds). This isn’t Pokémon, I don’t want to hear why your card beats their card.
Please do not signpost by cards (ideally, number voters and use contention tags)
---Other stuff
- Speaking: Speed is fine short of spreading. Speaks are based on speaking and content, I will bump if you pull off a cool strategy in round well. Don't be a bully, don't let yourself be bullied. I might not be looking/flowing during cross but I'm listening, make jokes and stuff, have fun :)
- Theory/Progressive args: Run at your own risk, I'm not an expert but know the basics. I tend to think theory disadvantages new debaters so I'll probably only vote on it if: y'all all are down for it pre-round (and my level of judging lol) and/or there's actual discrimination happening and/or it's drop the arg not the debater
- Weighing: "Strength of link," "urgency," and "clarity of impact" mean nothing unless you warrant and implicate them. I think you should consider thinking of weighing less with buzzwords and more by literally thinking about why one is more important than explaining it (truth is convincing).
- Evidence: Don't lie. Even if it’s an accidental miscut, drop it. Find cards within a couple minutes or I'll ask you to drop them. I'll call cards if you tell me to, but won't do it on my own unless a card is both important and sketchy - if it is bad, I won't consider it regardless of whether your opponents called it or not.
- Be sensitive and respectful: Co-opting issues for a strat is not ok - care about the issue, have a productive debate. Consider if you need a content/trigger warning + spare contention. These issues are real and affect the people around you, possibly including me and those in your round and I will not hesitate to vote you down and drop speaks if something is up. That being said, let me determine that: please don't make "they don't care enough" args.
Last thoughts: I generally don’t presume and instead just lower my link/round standards til someone meets them. Let your parents watch your rounds! They've earned it. And remember to eat!
Email: kaylaxchang@berkeley.edu. Please feel free to reach out for any concern, round/not round related.
I would prefer the debaters to talk at an appropriate speed.
Another thing I would appreciate asking for cards only when actually its needed, unnecessary demands about cards consume time and also breaks the debate rhythm.
I am a parent judge for LD and PF.
I prefer clarity over speed. Instead of flying through sentences, you should focus on laying the ground for your arguments. Also, please be polite and professional.
I'm a lay judge. I have kids who debates, so I've judged some local circuit tournaments, but that's it. Please do not speak too quickly. Please be clear and nice to your opponent.
Please don't use too much debate jargon.
Otherwise, have fun in the round, make me laugh, and let's debate!
I did PF in high school and I've been coaching primarily PF since I graduated (6 years!). I would consider myself a more traditional judge, but I am familiar with circuit debate.
GENERAL
I'm okay with speed. If you're going to spread, please include me in the email chain. If you're not outright spreading, I'm still cool with speed... I should just be able to understand what you're saying and flow without missing a lot.
Fence post what you're attacking or I won't flow it. I also prefer to see attacks going down the flow (cont. 1 first, cont 2. second, etc.) rather than jumping around. It makes for easier flowing and a more ordered argument.
Also, please note that I don't flow cross. If something comes up in cross and you want to make sure it's on my flow, you need to mention it in the speech following cross.
PF
I vote based on overall flow and on voters offered in FF, unless someone has glaringly lost during the round. But I generally try not to make a solid decision until after the debate is finished.
I love framework debate. However, I know that not every topic lends itself well to a framework and that a lot of debaters don't enjoy framework arguments in PF. That being said, if any framework is offered during the debate, I will likely make my primary voter the framework (unless it is egregiously abusive).
LD
I am significantly less familiar with LD than I am with PF, but I know it well enough. I like to see a lot of debate on values in round. You should carry your value through the round, not just mention it at the top of your case and in your voters.
I'm pretty open to seeing whatever you want to do in LD! Don't feel like you have to do something specific to cater to me. I'll judge whatever you give me.
My kids wrote this for me: I'm an experienced parent judge who has been judging for 5 years. I like turns (sometimes I'm even ok with impact turns), weighing and impacts. I hate bad evidence, and will call for cards if I think evidence is suspicious.
I'm familiar with some jargon, but not all of it. I don't really know how to evaluate theory or K's. Please be civil during cross. I do understand the flow, I just don't use jargon to describe it. I will know if you dropped something. FF matters a lot to me.
******EXTEND FULL ARGUMENTS******DO COMPARATIVE WEIGHING******HAVE FUN******
^the holy trinity
Hey! My name is Seb and I love debate.
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My pf debate judging preferences
- I flow, but above all else I want to be persuaded
- I like when speeches are filled with jokes, analogies, and metaphors
- I dislike roadmaps, you can just tell me where you are starting and signpost the rest
- I like when rounds move quickly and debaters speak slowly
- I think the simplest strategy is usually the best strategy
- I dislike card dumping strategies, and more broadly prefer depth to breadth
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My pf debate philosophies
I think that:
- Paraphrasing is good
- Disclosure is a bad norm
- Theory should only be used when necessary
- Non topical k’s are unfair
- I should only flow what I hear
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My pf debate advice
1. Collapse on your most important argument. If you are winning your entire case, you have no reason to go for all of your offense in Final Focus- extend the best offense you have, because it'll outweigh the rest of your case anyways. If you're getting up in FF and telling me that there are four voters in the round, you are doing it wrong.
2. Have a consistent narrative throughout the round. Everything that you go for in your Final Focus needs to have been in your Summary, and you cannot introduce new arguments after Rebuttal. I should be able to flow your arguments from Constructive all the way to FF.
3. Treat your opponents with respect. Debate has a tendency to get heated, which is perfectly fine. However, being in the zone is not an excuse to be rude in CX or any other part of the round. Please be courteous and chill when speaking to one another, even if it means that you wont have time to get to that one GaMe ChAnGiNg crossfire question you have.
4. Debate in the style that you are the most comfortable with. I am familiar with everything from very traditional to very technical pf. While my judging philosophy is on the technical side, every round can be won with smart debating, no matter what style that is. Don't feel the need to go fast or use more debate jargon just to win my ballot.
5. Signpost Signpost Signpost. I should be told exactly where the arguments you are making need to be flowed. If there was an argument that you thought won you the round but I don't have it on my flow, you probably didn't signpost it well and I had no idea where to put it. Bad signposting is the #1 cause of debate judge migraines.
6. Do comparative and meta-weighing. Claiming that you "win on magnitude because your impact is 3 million lives" or that you "win on probability because it's gonna happen" is bad weighing. Comparative weighing is making a weighing analysis directly between your impact and your opponents' impact. Meta weighing is comparing two different weighing mechanisms against each other (like saying why probability is more important than scope, etc.). Using these methods to weigh your impacts properly will go a long way.
7. Be Personable! At its core, debate is a game of persuasion. To me, the best debaters are always smiling, engaged, friendly, and working to simplify the round the best they can. Charisma and critical thinking are the most portable skills that you develop in this activity, and they are the fundamental to both your performance in round and interactions outside of debate.
I am a lay judge. My son does debate currently I prefer slower speaking and clear points. Make sure to be confident in your speeches.
Speak at a normal speed- do not spread or go fast.
Make logical arguments.
Weighing- make sure to tell me why your impact is actually more important
Be polite during cross! I will tank speaks if you are rude or obnoxious to your opponents during the round.
Hi, I'm Julie Guilfoy (she/her), I have been working with the Bishop O'Dowd debate team for the past 4 years as a coach and judge.
Give content warnings before the speeches start please. I'll disclose and do a verbal RFD and feedback if time and tournament rules permit. I welcome fast speaking and evaluate on what is on the flow and evaluate on the strongest case. I appreciate debaters that sign post their case well and go beyond citing warrants; that is, tying their claims and evidence to unified story. Pet peeve of mine is debaters that try to win on overzealous POO's. Be aggressive, not abusive. I welcome debaters running a critical theory based argument as long as they are explained well and don't exclude any debaters from the round. Make sure to engage in the standards, debates and talk about fairness and education.
I am a parent judge who has experience judging the Public Forum debate. I prefer clear argumentation that directly relates to the topic and for students to provide voter issues for me in the final rebuttal speeches. I don't like it when debaters dodge questions in cross-ex.
Lay Judge
* Speak slowly and clearly. Keep things simple and logical. Don't use debate jargon.
* When you read evidence, please say reasons behind it also (don't just say we have _ card and move on).
* I prefer reason over evidence. I like when teams remind me of their final case arguments but don't spend a whole minute on it - just say it in one or two sentences.
* If you collapse, please say clearly that you are collapsing.
* I don't believe improbable arguments like nuclear war and extinction. A piece of advice is to run smaller impacts for me to believe and vote for it.
* Please be respectful to each other
Thx and have fun.
Hello,
I am a parent judge since 2018, judging PF Novice and Varsity tournaments.
* I try to take notes as much as I can on the content, facts, rebuttal and reasoning. However, if the speaker presents too fast, then I may not be able to comprehend. So, try to pace it at a medium to fast speed.
* I typically judge on how clear and effective the speaker is, and the facts that are presented to prove their contention
* I like when facts are juxtaposed compared to the opponent, not only numbers but reasoning as well
* I like to hear cross examination, to see how you defend you case and respond to opponents in an effective way
Please be respectful to your opponents and have fun debating!
- Stuti
Paradigm for Speech Events:
I value the following aspects during judging:
- In terms of content of the speech, a clear line of sight from [ the central theme to supporting arguments to reasoning and evidence] would help me follow the speech.
- Creativity and uniqueness of arguments
- In terms of style : Reasonable pace with thoughtfully inserted pauses.
I do take notes, as detailed as possible.
Paradigm for Debate Events:
This will be my 4th year judging PF. Parent judge, so nothing crazy/too tech. I do take copious notes, and I'm probably tech>truth to some extent. Anything outright false/offensive will not be considered.
Procedural fairness is quite important to me, so don't steal prep, go over time, miscut evidence, or bring up new things in later speeches.
A few things:
- Please extend warrants in back half speeches (if your link chain is conceded and fully extended in the back half it's GGs)
- Don't be rude in CX, but don't be boring either (stay professional)
- Warrant your evidence, contextualize everything to your arg
- Don't run trivial args, run something that actually matters or just introduce your weighing early on (case/rebuttal)
As always, ask me any questions you have before round. (my kid wrote this so clarify if needed)
I am a former high school policy/LD debater. I also competed in many individual events. Now, I am a trial lawyer. I seek to reward the speaking that connects most directly with the professional and personal activities that high school debaters will be performing in just a few short years.
For policy debaters: Debate is a game. And, in my opinion, policy is a place where (almost) anything goes. You can spread, you can run K, you can read a poem. If you've signed up for policy, you know the world you have signed up for. But, note the following: If I can't understand you or write/type/think fast enough, I might miss your brilliant argument. The stranger or more counterintuitive your argument is, the more proof I will need for it. Style and persuasion still mean something to me in policy debate, so if you can spread while being persuasive (yelling is not persuasive), you will have an advantage. Those who abandon speed altogether AND who make a good argument for why they should win even if they can't cover everything -- those people might very well win. As I say, debate is a game.
Public forum: If (almost) anything goes in policy debate, then public forum is its more constrained, conversational, and accessible cousin. My understanding is that it was created as an alternative to what policy has become, and therefore I am less receptive to spreading and absurdist styles in PF. As a result, I will not necessarily vote on dropped arguments. Two minutes is simply not enough time to cover everything in a debate, so it is entirely possible to pick an argument to the exclusion of others and win -- just tell me if that is what you're doing, and tell me why that argument is the winner. Please consider whether your tone, your speed, and your use of jargon are at all applicable to: a class presentation, a conversation with a professor, an informal discussion with friends or colleagues, a courtroom, a pitch to a boss, etc. These are the places in which your debate skills will be applicable.
For all debaters: If you are rude in any way (prematurely cutting opponents off in crossfire, ad homs in speeches, gesturing from your chair while others speak), you will lose speaker points, and possibly the round. Aggressiveness is fine, but I can't abide jerks.
Background
I debated parli for four years in high school for both Livermore High School and Mountain View/Los Altos. For two of these years I was active on the NorCal high school circuit. I am continuing debate with Santa Clara University. I am a Computer Science and Engineering student so please don't lie about tech.
Approach to judging
I am not a tabula rasa judge, but I am not going to do work for you or throw out arguments I do not like. Simply I am more likely to buy certain arguments and less likely to buy others.
I come to debate seeing some of the split in the community as a competitor. I believe that debate is both a game and an educational activity. Debate does not occur in a vacuum, and as public speakers or future policy makers, debaters have a responsibility to not use rhetoric upholding racist, sexist, etc ideologies. I will average speaker points based on the tournament average, but will save 30s for exceptional speeches.
Argument preferences
Counterplans: Counterplans are great, but the neg should explain how it competes coming out of the 1NC. Permutations are legitimate, but they are a test of the advocacy, if the aff advocates for the perm, I view that as severance. Kicking CPs is fine as are multiple CPs or advocacies, although I am open to the theory arguments against them as well.
Evaluation order/methods: Framework and arguments may change my evaluation order, but this is the default.. In a tie, I vote neg unless the neg has a CP or other advocacy flowed through at the end of the round, in which case I vote aff. I vote on prefiat before postfiat, and default to net benefits for both..
Impacts: Have impacts and terminalize them. Don’t worry about getting to nuke war unless you have a good linkstory. Dehumanization is important, and discussion of systemic impacts is encouraged. I also like the environment and technology, so impacts based around that may earn you higher speaker points.
Kritiks: I am happy to listen to most kritiks, aff or neg. Kritiks requiring spreading your opponents out of the round are difficult for me to accept and I am more likely to vote on speed theory than many judges in the circuit. If your opponents call slow or clear, slow and/or clear, DO NOT just ignore it. If you are going run a K, make sure you clearly explain how it functions and the literature. I am not conversant at a high level in most literature, and even if I am, it will make the round clearer and more educational for everyone involved. Signpost your K and keep it clear and organized. Also be prepared to give your opponents a copy of the alt text if they ask. I tend to evaluate prefiat arguments first on framework, but I am willing to weigh discursive implications of the postfiat arguments/case against them. I do expect that those facing a K will put in good effort to engage with the K, even if they are looking for me to vote other places on the flow, so argue more than just framework or theory (unless you’re being spread out, in which case that is more acceptable). I am also more willing to weigh generic arguments against the K, but make sure to explain how they interact with this K in particular.
Also stealing something from Julie Herman in how I deal with K alts to encourage more variety and better Ks:
I am trying something new here. I am pretty sure it's only possible for me to performatively embrace/reject something once, so if your alt is straight "vote to reject/embrace X," you're going to need some arguments about what repeatedly embracing/rejecting does.
Theory/Topicality: If you want me to vote for theory, you need to make sure to give it impacts/voters. If you want it to do something else in the round, explain how it should function in the round. I will listen to any kind of theory argument, but please don’t use theory just to beat a less technically skilled debater. Theory has a place both as a strategy and to maintain fairness, but don’t overuse it. I err towards voting to maintain fairness and education, and default to competing interpretations on theory. I will vote on RVIs but not commonly, so make sure you have good reasons for it (ie critical turns or clear times skew).
Presentation preferences
Formatting: I can follow any formatting, but I prefer advantage/disadvantage for policy rounds. I can follow best if you signpost and have a clear structure. Impact calculus and an overview in the final round make my job the easiest.
Tag-teaming: I am fine with tag-teaming, though I will only flow what the current speaker says. If it takes over, it may impact speaker points.
Questions: Points of information are good. Use them strategically to either get the opponents onto another topic or clarify the case or debate. Points of Order stop time, with the side calling the point of order gettting to make their case, then the side defending getting to respond. There shouldn’t be back and forth in this time. I will make a ruling and then time will start again.
Respectfulness: Be respectful! Rhetoric is important and I am very open to voting on issues about speech in round if one side is hostile/offensive towards an oppressed group. I will buy rhetoric turns and rhetoric can undermine your case. I will penalize speaker points for hostile or offensive speech acts regardless of your opponent's’ responses.
Speed: I can follow moderate speeds, but may penalize speaker points if your speed interferes with comprehension. Be respectful of your opponent. If they have a high level of difficulty following your speed and make an impacted argument about it in round, I am open to voting on it. You can decrease the chance of me doing this by slowing/clearing if they yell SLOW or CLEAR. If you repeatedly ignore these requests, I will punish your speaker points. I will call slow or clear if I cannot understand you, but will do this a maximum of 3 times, after that I will just put my pen down and stop flowing if you’re going too fast.
Other: I expect you to provide a written copy of a plan/CP/K thesis/K alt/Interpretation to the opponent if asked, you may want to write it out ahead of time. Any team should be able to call “text” during your speech and you should get them a copy by their speech, but preferably asap. Please read these parts or your speech twice and slow down a little if you are going at any sort of speed.
If you have any questions about my paradigm, feel free to ask before the round.
I was a high school debater back in the 1970s. I have been judging debate for approximately 5 years. I am a math and physics graduate from the University of Illinois and a EECS graduate from UC Berkeley.
I am a volunteer judge for Wilcox HS and this is my second year of judging.
● Speak clearly. Spreading won't help.
● Keep your own time.
● Off time road maps are preferred. Deliver organized speeches.
● Stay away from overly technical, high-leveled debate jargon.
● I don't disclose.
● Stay polite and calm during crossfire.
● Clearly state voting issues in your final speech.
paradigm written by my son (leon huang)
don't read china bad (he will hack against)
Pays attention. Likes logic. If something doesn't make sense to him he won't like the argument (and might drop you). In other words, read warrants and slow explanations.
Ways to get higher speaks/make a better impression/probably win the round:
1. Be confident and assertive, but don't be rude.
2. Crossfire is cool.
3. Be confident during speeches.
If the tournament allows, I can provide you disclosure if you reach out.
I am a parent judge and this is my 3rd year judging PF.
-I value each debater's preparation, commitment and passion in debate. In order for the judge to be fair and objecive to evaluate your arguments and performance, please talk with reasonable speed, fully explain your arguments with logic and clarity. Explain your jargons or acronyms and don't assume the judge is a professional debater.
-I give extra speaker points to the debater who is respectful and thoughtful to his/her opponents, especially during the crossfire. At the end the competition is a game. Winning is great, but being kind with each other will have better long-term impacts.
Be yourself and enjoy the game!
I am a lay judge. Please speak at a normal pace.
I am a parent judge and this is my 5th year judging for PF. I am comfortable with medium pace of talking. Please state clearly whether you speaking for Aff or Neg, introduce yourself and debate! I do like a civilized and respectful debate no matter how cut throat your competition is.
Good luck and enjoy!
I have been judging since 2018 in tournaments from the rookie to varsity levels. I have been a lawyer in the past and like to view both viewpoints with good supporting evidence. Support for your contentions have to hold solid ground.
I also love clarity over ambiguity. I do not prefer spreading/speaking fast.
Hi,
I am a parent judge for Saratoga High School. I don't have much experience judging.Make sure you speak clearly and slowly enough so that I can actually evaluate your argument. I will try my best to keep up with the flow. There could be some arguments that I may not catch the first time. Please make sure you explain in such a way so that someone who does not do debate can understand the arguments.
Thank you
Have fun Debating!
Background
I have no personal speech and debate competition experience. I began judging in early 2014; I have been involved in the community ever since and have attended/judged/run tournaments at a rate of 30 tournaments per year give or take. The onset of online in early 2020 has only pushed that number higher. I began coaching in 2016 starting in Congressional Debate and currently act as my program's Public Forum Coach.
General Expectations of Me (Things for You to Consider)
Consider me "flay" on average, "flow" on a good day. Here is a list of things NOT to expect from me:
- Don't make assumptions about my knowledge. Do not expect me to know the things you know. Always make the choice to explain things fully.
- Post-round me if you want, I don't care. If you want to post-round me, I'll sit there and take it. Don't think I'll change my mind though. All things that should influence my decision need to occur in the debate and if I didn’t catch it, that’s too bad.
- Regarding Disclosures/Decisions. Do not expect me to disclose in prelims unless the tournament explicitly tells me to. I will disclose all elim rounds unless explicitly told not to.
- Clarity > Speed. I flow on paper, meaning I most likely won't be looking at either competitor/team too often during the round. Please don't take that as a discouraging signal, I'm simply trying to keep up. This also means I flow more slowly than my digital counterparts, so there may be occasions that I miss something if you speak too quickly.
- Defense is not sticky in PF. Coverage is important in debate; it allows for a sensible narrative to be established over the course of the round. Summary, not Rebuttal, is the setup for Final Focus.
Should other things arise, I will add them to this list at that time.
General Debate Philosophy
I am tech > truth by the slimmest of margins. I am here to identify a winner of a debate, not choose one. Will I fail at this? At times yes. But I believe that the participants in the round should be the sole factors in determining who wins and loses a debate. At its most extreme, I will vote (and have voted) for a competitor/team who lies IF AND ONLY IF those lies are not called out/identified by the opposing competitor/team. If I am to practice tabula rasa, then I must adopt this line of reasoning. Will I identify in my ballot that a lie was told? Absolutely.
Why take this hard line? Because debate is a space where we can practice an open exchange of information. This means it is also a space where we can practice calling out nonsense in a respectful manner. The conversations of the world beyond debate will not be limited by time constraints or speaker order nor will there be an authority or ombudsman to determine what is truth. We must do that on our own. If you hear something false, investigate it. Bring it to my attention. Explain the falsehood. Take the time to set the record straight.
Public Forum / Lincoln Douglas Paradigm
Regarding speaker points:
I judge on the standard tabroom scale. 27.5 is average; 30 is the second coming manifested in speech form; and 20 and under is if you stabbed someone in the round. Everyone starts at a 27.5 and depending on how the round goes, that score will fluctuate. I expect clarity, fluidity, confidence and decorum in all speeches. Being able to convey those facets to me in your speech will boost your score; a lack in any will negatively affect speaker points. I judge harshly: 29+ scores are rare and 30 is a unicorn. DO NOT think you can eschew etiquette and good speaking ability simply due to the rationale that "this is debate and W's and L's are what matter."
Do not yell at your opponent(s) in cross. Avoid eye contact with them during cross as much as possible to keep the debate as civil as it can be. If it helps, look at me; at the very least, I won’t be antagonistic. I understand that debate can get heated and emotional; please utilize the appropriate coping mechanisms to ensure that proper decorum is upheld. Do not leave in the middle of round to go to the bathroom or any other reason outside of emergency, at which point alert me to that emergency.
Structure/Organization:
Please signpost. I cannot stress this enough without using caps and larger font. If you do not signpost or provide some way for me to follow along your case/refutations, I will be lost and you will be in trouble. Not actual trouble, but debate trouble. You know what I mean.
Framework (FW):
In Public Forum, I default to Cost-Benefit Analysis unless a different FW is given. Net-Benefit and Risk-Benefit are also common FWs that I do not require explanation for. Broader FWs, like Lives and Econ, also do not require explanation. Anything else, give me some warranting.
In Lincoln Douglas, I need a Value and Value Criterion (or something equivalent to those two) in order to know how to weigh the round. Without them, I am unable to judge effectively because I have not been told what should be valued as most important. Please engage in Value Debates: FWs are the rules under which you win the debate, so make sure your rules and not your opponent's get used in order to swing the debate in your favor. Otherwise, find methods to win under your opponent's FW.
Do not take this to mean that if you win the FW debate, you win the round. That's the beauty of LD: there is no dominant value or value criterion, but there is persuasive interpretation and application of them.
Should other things arise, I will add them to this list at that time.
Regarding the decision (RFD):
I judge tabula rasa, or as close to it as possible. I walk in with no knowledge of the topic, just the basic learning I have gained through my public school education. I have a wide breadth of common knowledge, so I will not be requiring cards/evidence for things such as the strength of the US military or the percentage of volcanos that exist underwater. For matters that are strictly factual, I will rarely ask for evidence unless it is something I don’t know, in which case it may be presented in round regardless. What this means is that I am pledging to judge ONLY on what I hear in round. As difficult as this is, and as horrible as it feels to give W’s to teams whom I know didn’t deserve it based on my actual knowledge, that is the burden I uphold. This is the way I reduce my involvement in the round and is to me the best way for each team to have the greatest impact over their debate.
A few exceptions to this rule:
- Regarding dropped points and extensions across flow: I flow ONLY what I hear; if points don’t get brought up, I don’t write them. A clear example would be a contention read in Constructive, having it dropped in Summary, and being revived in Final Focus. I will personally drop it should that occur; I will not need to be prompted to do so, although notification will give me a clearer picture on how well each team is paying attention. Therefore, it does not hurt to alert me. The reason why I do this is simple: if a point is important, it should be brought up consistently. If it is not discussed, I can only assume that it simply does not matter.
- Regarding extensions through ink: This phrase means that arguments were flowed through refutations without addressing the refutations or the full scope of the refutations. I imagine it being like words slamming into a brick wall, but one side thinks it's a fence with gaping holes and moves on with life. I will notice if this happens, especially if both sides are signposting. I will be more likely to drop the arguments if this is brought to my attention by your opponents. Never pretend an attack/defense didn't happen. It will not go your way.
- Regarding links/internal links: I need things to just make sense. Make sure things are decently connected. If I’m listening to an argument and all I can think is “What is happening?” then you have lost me. I will just not buy arguments at that point and this position will be further reinforced should an opposing team point out the lack of or poor quality of the link.
I do not flow cross-examination. It is your time for clarification and identifying clash. Should something arise from it, it is your job to bring it up in your/team’s next speech.
Regarding Progressive: I'm not an expert on this. I am a content debate traditionalist who has through necessity picked up some things over time when it comes to progressive tech.
A) On Ks: As long as it's well structured and it's clear to me why I need to prioritize it over case, then I'm good. If not, then I'll judge on case.
B) On CPs: Don't run them in PF. Try not to run them in LD.
C) On theory: I have no idea how to judge this. Don't bother running it on me; I will simply ignore it.
Regarding RFD in Public Forum: I vote on well-defined and appropriately linked impacts. All impacts must be extended across the flow to be considered. If your Summary speaker drops an impact, I’m sorry but I will not consider it if brought up in Final Focus. What can influence which impacts I deem more important is Framework and weighing. I don’t vote off Framework, but it can determine key impacts which can force a decision.
Regarding RFD in Lincoln Douglas: FW is essential to help me determine which impacts weigh more heavily in the round. Once the FW is determined, the voters are how well each side fulfills the FW and various impacts extending from that. This is similar to how I vote in PF, but with greater emphasis on competing FWs.
SPEED:
I am a paper flow judge; I do not flow on computer. I’m a dinosaur that way. This means if you go through points too quickly, there is a higher likelihood that I may miss things in my haste to write them down. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, SPREAD OR SPEED READ. I do not care for it as I see it as a disrespectful form of communication, if even a form of communication at all. Nowhere in life, outside of progressive circuit debate and ad disclaimers, have I had to endure spreading. Regardless of its practical application within meta-debate, I believe it possesses little to no value elsewhere. If you see spreading as a means to an end, that end being recognized as a top debater, then you and I have very different perspectives regarding this activity. Communication is the one facet that will be constantly utilized in your life until the day you die. I would hope that one would train their abilities in a manner that best optimizes that skill for everyday use.
Irrational Paradigm
This section is meant for things that simply anger me beyond rational thought. Do not do them.
- No puns. No pun tagline, no pun arguments, no pun anything. No puns or I drop you.
Should other things arise, I will add them to this list at that time.
I am a parent judge with not much exposure to debate. Please be clear in your arguments, use lots of data/evidence, and refer to real-world examples.
Hello!
I am a lay judge and would just like to see a CLEAR and CLEAN debate.
CLEAR:
- Don't speak fast and don't be too aggressive
- Explain your arguments well and don't expect me to know everything you know about the topic
- Have an order to your speeches, don't jump back and forth between different parts of the debate and expect me to easily follow along
- Don't use technical debate terms. Keep everything simple.
CLEAN:
- Be respectful to your opponents
- Don't bring up new arguments late in the round
- Make sure to interact with your opponent's arguments instead of just listing off random ideas
At the end of the day, debate is an educational activity so have fun and be respectful.
Please speak clearly and do not go too fast. I am a parent judge, but I do understand content well as long as it is explained well in all of your speeches.
Please specify your contentions and impacts very clearly in your constructives and make sure to explain the entire argument that you are going for in summary/final focus.
Please do not go for all of your arguments in later speeches. Also, do not make claims without giving a reason as to why it may be true.
Do not make any responses to your opponents’ case if it is not explained properly.
Do not misconstrue your evidence or your speaker points will be deducted.
Have a good round!
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!
I am a parent judge. I value truth over tech. Please go slow and be engaging. Never judged ld before.
Background Info
I work in Visa in product management, and am a judge from Dougherty Valley High School. I have judged many tournaments over the course of five years. Earlier on I judged Policy, I’ve judged some Parliamentary, but most commonly I judge Public Forum. I care greatly about selecting the right outcome of the debate, so I pay close attention to the debate. I also always take note if there is something someone did exceptionally well or poorly to help me decide on the outcome.
Voting
I give out speaker points based on the persuasion, preparedness, and presentation skills of the debaters. The better you fulfil these characteristics, the higher the speaker points you will be given are. I will give lower speaker points for rude behavior and/or language as well.
Besides case and refutations, there are other points that may make me lean towards a specific side. These points are the debaters’ general understanding of the topic, following the rules of debate, and the confidence level of the debaters.
Other
The number from 1-10 is the impact the point has on how I vote.
Clothing/Appearance - 4: Clothing doesn’t really have an impact on the debating abilities of the debaters, so it doesn’t influence my decision very much
Use of Evidence - 8: Arguments can’t be supported without solid evidence to back it up. It has a major influence on how I weigh the validity of a contention.
Real World Impacts - 7: Impacts are necessary to show what the contention will ultimately lead to. It is necessary to weigh contentions against each other.
Cross Examination - 8: The way the debaters interact during the cross-examination displays the analytical abilities of the debaters and their presence of mind.
Debate Skill vs Truthful Arguments: Although both are very important I ultimately weigh truthful arguments over debate skill. It is more important that the substance of the contentions are factual rather than someone who is well-spoken, but arguing completely made-up contentions. But it is important to know that it is very rare that the two sides will be on the extremes of these two characteristics. This means that it is still critical to have both traits.
I am a Parent Judge and been doing this since 2017, I mostly judge debates. I am convinced with the team/person who were able to convince me regarding the resolution. I would like the debater's not speak too fast, but clearly. I am of the opinion of being respectful of others opinion and wait for their turn to speak. I am mostly swayed who is able articulate with cool head. I am interested most of the topics and does some research.
1) I like watching debates that would inspire an average student who doesn't do debate to join the activity, or an average parent/guardian judge to urge their student to join.
2) Everybody in the round should be able to watch back a recording of the round and be able to understand what was going on. In other words, don't intentionally run arguments that your opponents won't understand.
3) While developing the skills to win the game on the circuit is certainly laudable--because of debate, I now listen to everything on x2 speed--I don't enjoy watching most circuit debates. I prefer debaters to hover around 200-250 words per minute. Choose quality arguments instead of gish galloping around the flow, and collapse on your one or two best pieces of offense. Weigh those key arguments against your opponent's, taking them at their highest ground.
3) Don't make claims that your evidence doesn't support. Powertagging is bad scholarship. If I call for a piece of evidence and see that it is powertagged, I will intervene.
4) I am more likely to intervene in a theory-level debate than a case-level debate. If you tell me that your opponents' practices are making the activity worse, I will consider their practices in the context of what I know about the activity. I am open to my mind being changed on these issues; my knowledge of the activity is limited. However, I am biased against evaluating what I see as frivolous theory arguments or tricks.
5) Tell me where I should be flowing at all times. If you don't tell me, I may mess up.
6) I don't find rudeness to be a persuasive rhetorical tool. You can be an incredibly effective debater and advocate while focusing on your opponent's arguments, not their personal deficiencies.
7) It's helpful to acknowledge where your opponents may be winning. Give me a permission structure to believe some of their arguments but still vote for you. "Even if..." "The tiebreaker is..."
I have very limited experiences in judging debate. I have a hard time to take note while listening, and may miss argument points when people speak too fast.
Occupation: Software Engineer
School Affiliations: DVHS
Years of Judging : None
How will you award speaker points to the debaters?
Talk clearly and slow. Make eye contact. No stalling. No Public Forum jargon.
What sort of things help you make decision at the end of the debate?
Who most effectively argued their position. How they handle counter and interactions
Do you take lot of notes or flow the debate?
Flow the debate
Clothing / Appearance - Somewhat (5)
Use of Evidence - Weighed Heavily (10)
Real World Impacts - Heavily (8)
Cross Examination - Somewhat (5)
Debate Skill over truthful arguments - Weighed Heavily (10)
I am a parent judge. I have judged LD and PF in the past years and like both formats.
Please email me your cases so that I can better understand what you are speaking in a virtual round: manumishra@yahoo.com
I appreciate well constructed arguments and clear speaking. There is no need to show over aggression in your speeches. Please don't spread but if you do that there is a chance I may not hear you and flow. Yes, I do flow a little though if it is in the context. I consider cross-X sessions also in my evaluation, so be clear when you answer and respectful when you question. Do not interrupt your opponent excessively and let them speak. If I am unable to hear clearly I will not be able to give any credits.
Please respond to all of your opponents arguments with proper justifications. Have proper evidences in support. Be truthful. If I find any indication of falsifying any evidence, that's a disqualification.
Off-time roadmaps are OK. Please stay within the time limits for your speeches.
Be well behaved and respectful to your opponent(s) and enjoy the debate rounds, good luck!
I generally take a tabula rasa approach to judging. However, having experience as a former debater, I will not evaluate arguments that are blatantly incorrect or offensive. I will normally disclose but If you want a good oral critique, then be willing to get roasted.
In the round:
- I need impact calculus with comparative analysis in the final speeches, otherwise I’ll be forced to evaluate your arguments myself which will likely not be as favorable for you.
- Don’t extend through ink.
- I only weigh arguments in the final focus if they were also in your summary.
- Don’t go for everything past the rebuttal. Employ strategic issue selection and tell me what the important voters are and why you are winning them.
Arguments:
- I’m fine with most arguments but if you choose to go progressive (kritiks, theory, etc.) do it right, don’t butcher it, and stick to the procedurals.
- Framework is not an essential part of public forum. That being said if you choose to read a framework, utilize it because I will vote off it.
Delivery:
- I’ll give extra speaks for a tastefully savage remark. This is NOT an invitation to be rude which I have no tolerance for.
- When it comes to your rate of delivery, I’m fine with whatever but be sure not to sacrifice clarity for speed.
- I don’t flow cross so don’t get upset if I’m not writing while you and your opponent compete to talk over each other. This means that if you want me to account for an argument, you need to bring it up in a speech.
I prefer speak clearly with a clear logic frame, state your opinion with evidence and data.
I prefer very well structured argument and convincing argument.
I expect respectful behavior. I value well-structured cases and clear arguments.
PF: Please be very organized in your speeches and signpost. It makes it easier to flow. Speak slowly and clearly for all your speeches and please provide an off time road-map. Please don't disrespect your opponents. Have fun!
I am a lay, parent judge.
Please talk clearly and slowly (no spreading). Please debate a PF round (no kritiks or theory or counter plan). Please be polite, especially in crossfire. I like signposting and please make each response clear.
Looking forward to the debate.
Hello,
* I'm an experienced parent judge with 2 years of experience with public forum events.
* Make sure that you present cases, contentions, impact(s) clearly.
* Often I read topic analysis before judging the topic. Definitions are optional for me unless you want to make them clear to the opposite team.
* Evidence-based argumentation, logic, and reasoning are key elements to determine the winner in PF debate.
* Quality is more important than quantity. It's important to have a few quality cases than a high number of cases.
* I'm not a big supporter of "spreading" aka speed reading in PF. For speakers: I look for a speed of fewer than 220 words per minute. This speed enables me to take notes and weigh your arguments against the other team.
* A good framework is important for the public forum event.
* Be respectful with other teams.
* Do not bring in new arguments/cases or new data points at the final focus or summary.
* Crossfire sections are for Q & A. Do not use this time to reinforce your cases again and again. In other words, do not take away 2.5 minutes out of 3 min grand-crossfire section - just to re-emphasize your points
* Wish you the best! Enjoy your journey!
Debate Voting:
I judge based on flow with weightage in rebuttals and how you protect your arguments against opponent rebuttals. I judge unbiased and according to the debate rules.
Speaker Points:
Presentation of constructive pro and con arguments is prepared speech and it establishes base for speaker points. Good presentation of Rebuttal and summary speeches which are not prepared ahead will push speaker points higher.
Judging History:
SCU Dempsey Cronin Invitational 2019 Varsity Public Forum
Stephen Stewart Middle and High School Invitational at Milpitas 2019 Varsity Public Forum
Georgiana Hays Invitational 2019 Varsity Public Forum
Cal Invitational UC Berkeley 2019 Varsity Public Forum
33rd Annual Stanford Invitational 2019 Varsity Public Forum
SCU Dempsey Cronin Invitational 2018 JV Public Forum
32nd Annual Stanford Invitational 2018 JV Public Forum
Middle School Speech and Debate Fall Classic 2017 Public Forum
Stephen Stewart Middle and High School Invitational at Milpitas 2017 Public Forum
School Affiliation: Torrey Pines High School
Experience: I am a parent judge and this is my first year judging PF
In Round
I try to have average speaks be around 27.5-28. I will drop you if you are rude, racist, sexist, etc.
Please speak clearly at a moderate speed, and please don’t use too much jargon. You can also look at my face to see if I am confused or lost so that you can slow down or explain a little more.
I won’t have as much knowledge about the topic like debaters will, so please explain everything well.
I will be take notes but I will be trying to listen more to the arguments to understand them better.
I did 2 years of circuit debate pretty competitively.
I try to be flow, only two things kinda different about me:
1. Terminal defense exists to infinity. If you never frontline an argument your opponents defensive ink still exists on my flow. Them not extending responses is not an excuse. Extensions of terminal defense are never necessary, just appreciated. You will never win an argument if defense against it is dropped.
2. I care more about warrants than impacts. Weighing an impact is irrelevant at the point that you do not win the links into the impact. If there is clash at the warrant level make sure to weigh links and actually explain to me why your warrant should be preferred to that of your opponents.
I'll evaluate any claim backed up in evidence or logic, run crazy shit, it's fun
Tell me why I should vote AFF/NEG, it helps if you:
- Present a clear link story
- For Kritiks, give me a reason to prefer your role of the ballot
-For Perms, is it mutually exclusive
Be respectful to your opponents, in regards to spreading.
This is my third year judging Public Forum Debate. I understand spreading and progressive arguments.
The winner will be decided based on who best communicates the most logical arguments. When judging communication, I take into account your pace and organization of the speech. Being aggressive is fine, just make sure you are clear, keeping in mind the time.
I do not like students who read off of their laptops. I prefer eye-to-eye contact which exhibits confidence while speaking/ debating. I am very keen on Cross-Examination and you will score higher speaker points if you are effective in cross -ex and give proper rebuttals.
Additionally, good evidence comparison is key but also focus on extending your case as well.
Overall, have fun, and try to do your best! Good luck with your debate!!!
I have judged Varsity PF for 2 years. I don't have many pet peeves but do make sure to be respectful of each other. I focus on presentation and arguments made. Make sure to explain all arguments thoroughly with evidence as that is what I vote off of. Speed is fine as long as you talk clearly.
I am a lay judge. I will flow your arguments, but please do not go fast as I will not be able to keep track of everything. I will not evaluate progressive arguments. If your opponents are being unfair just tell me why that's the case. Please weigh clearly and present warranting that makes sense. Have fun!
I am a parent judge, and am fairly well read on most world affairs.
I prefer clear communication, so please do not go too fast. I also would like decorum, so please be polite and do not speak over each other. I would also recommend that you respect your fellow debaters, and not whisper or talk when your opponents are speaking.
I must be able to understand and agree with your logic to vote for you. I expect you to back up your statements with evidence - any evidence that is not challenged may be viewed as "good" evidence - however, I may ask for evidence in certain cases. An exception to the above is well established, and well-known facts. I realize that this may appear to be a bit subjective, but if someone challenges an opponent on what could widely be recognized as well-known facts, that would not be helpful. Additionally, I also expect that you have a good understanding of the topic, and the arguments you are making - so good preparation will hold you in good stead.
Finally, establishing a greater impact, through a combination of your argument, debating skills and ability to effectively counter your opponents' argument will help you in securing my vote.
I am an old policy debater from high school and college. A very successful one at that, although that was a long time ago (yes, I too went to TOC and yes, they had it back then). I do flow and will do my best to render my decision solely on the arguments presented in the round. I have no preconceived biases for or against any position on the topic. It should be your job as debaters to tell my why your evidence is superior or why your position outweighs at the end of the round. If you have a framework, you should use it in rebuttals and/or final focus to frame why it means you should win. If both teams offer frameworks, there should be some clash to explain why I should choose one framework over the other.
I have a strong opinion about evidence: I have been told that the minimum standard for citing evidence in rounds is author's last name and date; if you don't have that much, it isn't treated as evidence, it is just you speaking your mind. If you want something considered as evidence in a round, you have to *read it in the round.* You can't just say "we have a card which says..." and somehow assume that now counts as evidence.
A note on jargon: there are a few terms of art that I have heard a few times in Public Forum and they are not very clear. Frontlining, for example, is used by some people to basically mean what we used to call "preempts" meaning an argument made before the opponent in the expectation that the opponent will make that argument. Like "they will get up here and say sunlight is good but here are 3 reasons why that is wrong." Coaches have told me this is the correct usage. Other teams have used it synonymously with "response" as in "I am going to frontline their case then go to my case." That is apparently the incorrect usage, but if you are going to use the word, explain what you mean by it. Offense and defense are also super overused since your offense is their defense and vice versa so asserting that I "shouldn't give them any offense on this" ends up being confusing. Just tell me why they are losing an argument - if they have lost the argument it is irrelevant whether it is an offensive argument or a defensive argument and for which team; they have lost it. Unless you are punting (granting) something, in which case just tell me why that argument doesn't matter (e.g. outweighed, de-linked elsewhere, irrelevant according to the framework I should be using, etc.). Saying I shouldn't give them any "offense" on that argument is just extra words - you have already explained why it doesn't matter so I can figure out for myself that that means...well, it doesn't matter. Terminal defense - I have heard this a couple of times and nobody has/can explain what it is supposed to mean, including the head of the judges room at Stanford. If you say this, tell me what you think it means!
Co-Director: Milpitas High Speech and Debate
PHYSICS TEACHER
History
Myers Park, Charlotte N.C.
(85-88) 3 years Policy, LD and Congress. Double Ruby (back when it was harder to get) and TOC competitor in LD.
2 Diamond Coach (pretentious, I know)
Email Chain so I know when to start prep: mrschletz@gmail.com
Summer 87: American U Institute. 2 weeks LD and congress under Dale Mccall and Harold Keller, and 2 more weeks in a mid level Policy lab.
St. Johns Xavierian, Shrewsbury, Mass
88~93 consultant, judge and chaperone
Summer 89 American U Coaches institute (Debate)
Milpitas High, Milpitas CA
09-present co-coach
Side note/pet peeve: It is pronounced NUUUUUU-CLEEEEEEE-ERRRRRRRRR (sorry this annoys the heck outta me, like nails on the blackboard)
ALL EVENTS EXCEPT PARLI NEED TO KNOW NSDA RULES OF EVIDENCE (or CHSSA RULES OF EVIDENCE) OR DO NOT EXPECT ME TO COUNT IT(NSDA MINIMUM IS "NAME" AND "DATE" ****READ IN ROUND****) Anything else is just rhetoric/logic and 99% of the time, rhetoric vs card mans card wins. ALSO: SENDING ME A SPEECH DOC does NOT equal "READ IN ROUND". If I yell clear, and you don't adapt, this is your fault.
If you put conditions on your opponent getting access to your evidence I will put conditions on counting it in my RFD. Evidence should be provided any time asked between speeches, or asked for during cx and provided between speeches. Failure to produce the card in context may result in having no access to that card on my flow/decision.
Part of what you should know about any of the events
Events Guide
https://www.nflonline.org/uploads/AboutNFL/Competition_Events_Guide.pdf
13-14 NSDA tournament Operations manual
http://www.speechanddebate.org/aspx/content.aspx?id=1206
http://www.speechanddebate.org/DownloadHandler.ashx?File=/userdocs/documents/PF_2014-15_Competition_Events_At_A_Glance.pdf
All events, It is a mark of the competitors skill to adapt to the judge, not demand that they should adapt to you. Do not get into a definitional fight without being armed with a definition..... TAG TEAM CX? *NOT A FAN* if you want to give me the impression your partner doesn't know what they are talking about, sure, go ahead, Diss your partner. Presentation skills: Stand in SPEECHES AND CX (where applicable) and in all events with only exception in PF grand.
ALL EVENTS EXCEPT PARLI NEED TO KNOW NSDA RULES OF EVIDENCE (or CHSSA RULES OF EVIDENCE) OR DO NOT EXPECT ME TO COUNT IT(NSDA MINIMUM IS "NAME" AND "DATE"****READ IN ROUND****) Anything else is just rhetoric/logic and 99% of the time, rhetoric vs card means card wins.
PUBLIC FORUM:
P.S.: there is no official grace period in PF. If you start a card or an analytic before time, then finish it. No arguments STARTED after time will be on my flow.
While I was not able to compete in public forum (It did not exist yet), the squad I coach does primarily POFO. Its unlikely that any resolution will call for a real plan as POFO tends to be propositions of fact instead of value or policy.
I am UNLIKELY to vote for a K, and I don't even vote for K in policy. Moderate speed is fine, but to my knowledge, this format was meant to be more persuasive. USE EVIDENCE and make sure you have Tags and Cites. I want a neat flow (it will never happen, but I still want it)
I WANT FRAMEWORK or I will adjudicate the round, since you didn't (Framework NOT introduced in the 1st 4 speeches will NOT be entertained, as it is a new argument. I FLOW LIKE POLICY with respect to DROPPED ARGUMENTS (if a speech goes by I will likely consider the arg dropped... this means YES I believe the 4th speaker in the round SHOULD cover both flows..)
Also: If you are framing the round in the 4th speech, I am likely to give more leeway in the response to FW or new topical definitions in 1st Summ as long as they don't drop it.
Remember, Pofo was there to counteract speed in Circuit LD, and LD was created to counter speed, so fast is ok, but tier 3 policy spread is probably not.
ALL EVENTS EXCEPT PARLI NEED TO KNOW NSDA RULES OF EVIDENCE (or CHSSA RULES OF EVIDENCE) OR DO NOT EXPECT ME TO COUNT IT(NSDA MINIMUM IS "NAME" AND "DATE" READ IN ROUND ) Anything else is just rhetoric/logic and 99% of the time, rhetoric vs card mans card wins.
PLANS IN PF
If you have one advocacy, and you claim solvency on one advocacy, and only if it is implemented, then yeah that is a plan. I will NOT weigh offense from the plan, this is a drop the argument issue for me. Keep the resolution as broad as possible. EXCEPTION, if the resolution is (rarely) EXPLICIT, or the definitions in the round imply the affirmative side is a course of action, then that is just the resolution. EXAMPLE
September 2012 - Resolved: Congress should renew the Federal Assault Weapons Ban
the aff is the resolution, not a plan and more latitude is obviously given.
If one describes several different ways for the resolution to be implemented, or to be countered, you are not committing to one advocacy, and are defending/attacking a broad swath of the resolution, and this I do NOT consider a plan.
ALL EVENTS EXCEPT PARLI NEED TO KNOW NSDA RULES OF EVIDENCE (or CHSSA RULES OF EVIDENCE) OR DO NOT EXPECT ME TO COUNT IT(NSDA MINIMUM IS "NAME" AND "DATE" ****READ IN ROUND****) Anything else is just rhetoric/logic and 99% of the time, rhetoric vs card mans card wins.
POLICY:
If your plan is super vague, you MIGHT not get to claim your advantages. Saying you "increase" by merely reading the text of the resolution is NOT A PLAN. Claiming what the plan says in cx is NOT reading a plan. Stop being sloppy.
I *TRY* to be Tabula Rasa (and fail a lot of the time especially on theory, Ks and RVI/fairness whines)
I trained when it was stock issues, mandatory funding plan spikes (My god, the amount of times I abused the grace commission in my funding plank), and who won the most nuclear wars in the round.
Presentation skills: Stand in SPEECHES AND CX (where applicable) and in all events with only exception in PF grand.
Please don't diss my event.
I ran
Glassification of toxic/nuclear wastes, and Chloramines on the H2O topic
Legalize pot on the Ag topic
CTBT on the Latin America topic.
In many years I have never voted neg on K (in CX), mainly because I have never seen an impact (even when it was run in POFO as an Aff).(Ironic given my LD background)
I will freely vote on Topicality if it is run properly (but not always XT), and have no problem buying jurisdiction......
I HAVE finally gotten to judge Hypo-testing round (it was fun and hilarious).
One of my students heard from a friend in Texas that they are now doing skits and non topical/personal experiece affs, feel free, BUT DON'T EXPECT ME TO VOTE FOR IT.
I will vote on good perms both ways (see what I said above about XT)
SPREAD: I was a tier B- speed person in the south. I can flow A level spread *IF* you enunciate. slow down momentarily on CITES and TAGS and blow through the card (BUT I WILL RE TAG YOUR SUBPOINTS if your card does not match the tag!!!!!!)
If you have any slurred speech, have a high pitched voice, a deep southern or NY/Jersey drawl, or just are incapable of enunciating, and still insist on going too fast for your voice, I will quit flowing and make stuff up based on what I think I hear.
I do not ask for ev unless there is an evidentiary challenge, so if you claim the card said something and I tagged it differently because YOU slurred too much on the card or mis-tagged it, that's your fault, not mine.
LD
I WILL JUDGE NSDA RULES!!!! I am NOT tabula rasa on some theory, or on plans. Plans are against the rules of the event as I learned it and I tend to be an iconoclast on this point. LD was supposed to be a check on policy spread, and I backlash, if you have to gasp or your voice went up two octaves then see below... Topicality FX-T and XT are cool on both sides but most other theory boils down to WHAAAAAAHHHH I don't want to debate their AFF so I will try to bs some arguments.
-CIRCUIT LD REFER to policy prefs above in relation to non topical and performance affs, I will TRY to sometimes eval a plan, but I wish they would create a new event for circuit LD as it is rarely values debate.
- I LOVE PHILOSOPHY so if you want to confuse your opponent who doesn't know the difference between Kant, Maslow and Rawls, dazzle away :-).
Clear VP and VC (or if you call it framework fine, but it is stupid to tell someone with a framework they don't have a VC and vice versa, its all semantics) are important but MORE IMPORTANT is WHY IS YOURS BETTER *OR* WHY DO YOU MEET THEIRS TOO and better (Permute)
IF YOU TRY TO Tier A policy spread, or solo policy debate, you have probably already lost UNLESS your opponent is a novice. Not because I can't follow you, but because THIS EVENT IS NOT THE PLACE FOR IT!!! However there are several people who can talk CLEARLY and FAST that can easily dominate LD, If you cannot be CLEAR and FAST play it safe and be CLEAR and SLOW. Speaker points are awarded on speaking, not who wins the argument....
Sub-pointing is still a good idea, do not just do broad overviews. plans and counter-plans need not apply as LD is usually revolving around the word OUGHT!!!! Good luck claiming Implementation FIAT on a moral obligation. I might interrupt if you need to be louder, but its YOUR job to occasionally look at the judge to see signals to whether or not they are flowing, so I will be signalling that, by looking at you funny or closing my eyes, or in worst case leaning back in my chair and visibly ignoring you until you stop ignoring the judge and fix the problem. I will just be making up new tags for the cards I missed tags for by actually listening to the cards, and as the average debater mis-tags cards to say what they want them to, this is not advisable.
PLANS IN LD
PLANS
If you have one advocacy, and you claim solvency on one advocacy, and only if it is implemented, then yeah that is a plan. I will NOT weigh offense from the plan, this is a drop the argument issue for me. Keep the resolution as broad as possible.
EXCEPTION, if the resolution is (rarely) EXPLICIT, or the definitions in the round imply the affirmative side is a course of action, then that is just the resolution. EXAMPLE
September 2012 - Resolved: Congress should renew the Federal Assault Weapons Ban
the aff is the resolution, not a plan and more latitude is obviously given.
If one describes several different ways for the resolution to be implemented, or to be countered, you are not committing to one advocacy, and are defending/attacking a broad swath of the resolution, and this I do NOT consider a plan.
I repeat, Speed = Bad in LD, and I will not entertain a counter-plan in LD If you want to argue Counterplans and Plans, get a partner and go to a policy tournament.
GOOD LUCK and dangit, MAKE *ME* HAVE FUN hahahahahah
Focus on clear articulation and strong final focus. Discussions during cross is important for me to understand the contentions better.
I’ve been judging for a while. My decisions are based of persuasive arguments backed up by evidence. Please, speak slowly and clearly. Good luck!
I am a “flay judge” so I have knowledge of debate, mainly PF. As for speaking preference you can speak at your pace as long as you enunciate your syllables. Do not expect that I have topical knowledge or understand acronyms, explain them in speech or in your constructive. A couple of simple rules
a) No off-time roadmaps as these don't add value to the debate
b) Asking for everyone ready - not necessary as long as prep isn't running then everyone should be ready.
c) Do not exceed your speech by 15-30 seconds as I will deduct speaker points for that
In principle my preference is not to run theory but if you are going with it, please explain it in a logical manner and do not assume that I know a lot of the debate jargon. Explain it in your speech. Keep it short and do not just run theory to throw off the other team; it needs to be purposeful and rarely used, especially in a lay debate such as PF.
I ask that you use argumentation and back up your ideas with evidence. Logical analysis is okay if you use logic and not assumptions. Respond to your opponent's ideas.
WEIGH!! In your final focus, tell me why your arguments matter more.
Hi I'm a new judge so please speak clearly and be courteous during the debate! I value clear to the point arguments with lots of facts rather than opinions.
***TOC '22: The activity has evolved to a point where it will be difficult for me to follow and give best decision unless speech docs and cases are sent to me via email so I can follow along. <alexthesherer@gmail.com>
Some notes about my style:
If the round is getting super messy/hard to follow, I tend to default to whoever is being the most truthful. Debates do not happen in a bubble insulated from reality, and I am NOT a tech > truth ideologue. That being said, I only intervene on the side of blatant mistruths/exaggerations. This is not necessary in good rounds.
Calm and collected debaters get the highest speaks from me. Let your opponents talk and don't yell over each other in cross pls.
UPDATED 6/1/2022 NSDA Nationals Congress Update
I have been competing and judging in speech and debate for the past 16 years now. I did Parli and Public Forum in High School, and Parli, LD and Speech in College. I have judged all forms of High School Debate. Feel free to ask me more in depth questions in round if you don't understand a part of my philosophy.
Congress
Given that my background is in debate I tend to bring my debate biases into Congress. While I understand that this event is a mix of argumentation and stylistic speaking I don't think pretty speeches are enough to get you a high rank in the round. Overall I tend to judge Congress rounds based off of argument construction, style of delivery, clash with opponents, quality of evidence, and overall participation in the round. I tend to prefer arguments backed by cited sources and that are well reasoned. I do not prefer arguments that are mainly based in emotional appeals, purely rhetoric speeches usually get ranked low and typically earn you a 9. Be mindful of the speech you are giving. I think that sponsorship speeches should help lay the foundation for the round, I should hear your speech and have a full grasp of the bill, what it does, why it's important, and how it will fix the problems that exist in the squo. For clash speeches they should actually clash, show me that you paid attention to the round, and have good responses to your opponents. Crystallizations should be well organized and should be where you draw my conclusions for the round, I shouldn't be left with any doubts or questions.
POs will be ranked in the round based off of their efficiency in running and controlling the round. I expect to POs to be firm and well organized. Don't be afraid of cutting off speakers or being firm on time limits for questioning.
Public Forum
- I know how to flow and will flow.
- This means I require a road map.
- I need you to sign post and tell me which contention you are on. Use author/source names.
- I will vote on Ks. But this means that your K needs to have framework and an alt and solvency. If you run a K my threshold for voting on it is going to be high. I don't feel like there is enough time in PF to read a good K but I am more than willing to be open to it and be proven wrong. For anyone who hits a K in front of me 'Ks are cheating' is basically an auto loss in front of me.
- I will vote on theory. But this doesn't mean that I will vote for all theory. Theory in debate is supposed to move this activity forwards. Which means that theory about evidence will need to prove that there is actual abuse occurring in order for me to evaluate it. I think there should be theory in Public Forum because this event is still trying to figure itself out but I do not believe that all theory is good theory. And theory that is playing 'gotcha' is not good theory. Having good faith is arbitrary but I think that the arguments made in round will determine it. Feel free to ask questions.
- Be strategic and make good life choices.
- Impact calc is the best way to my ballot.
- I will vote on case turns.
- I will call for cards if it comes down to it.
Policy Debate
I tend to vote more for truth over tech. That being said, nothing makes me happier than being able to vote on T. I love hearing a good K. Spread fast if you want but at a certain point I will miss something if you are going top speed because I flow on paper, I do know how to flow I'm just not as fast as those on a laptop. Feel free to ask me any questions before round.
LD Debate
Fair warning it has been a few years since I have judged high level LD. Ask me questions if I'm judging you.
Framework
You do not win rounds if you win framework. You win that I judge the round via your framework. When it comes to framework I'm a bit odd and a bit old school. I function under the idea that Aff has the right to define the round. And if Neg wants to me to evaluate the round via their framework then they need to prove some sort of abuse.
I am a parent lay judge. I look for clarity of thought, concise and well-articulated presentation of ideas and your contention points rather than speeding through your material at breakneck speed. Of course I appreciate a civil and courteous behavior and respect for your opponents across the entire debate.
Also, be prepared to show your cards quickly rather than wasting time looking for them during the debate.
I am a former high school debater- I did Policy debate for 4 years and I loved it. I have been judging at debate tournaments since 2012. I have judged Policy rounds, Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, Parli and Congress.
I flow my rounds, and therefore, I appreciate offtime roadmaps. I am comfortable with spreading. However, I do not like the trend where Public Forum and LD are morphing into Policy debate in terms of speed. That being said, if you wish to speak fast, it's up to you to be understandable and to speak clearly. If I didn't hear your argument, then I can't count it in my evaluation/RFD.
I look for good clash in a round, but this is not to be confused with overly aggressive behavior, as explained below. There is a difference between aggression and hostility. I hope debaters can tell the difference.
I come into every debate with an open mind, as if I know nothing about the topic and have not judged this topic before. However, I do know HOW to debate, so I am looking for the technical aspects of debate. This is to your advantage because if you can make an argument (however outlandish) and support it, and your opponents cannot refute it effectively, then you win that argument. I look for dropped arguments, but I also need the debaters to recognize when an argument has been dropped by the opposing team and to acknowledge it. For Varsity debaters, I expect that your arguments will consolidate down to whatever you think are your most important, win-able arguments.
I look at frameworks and impacts, so I include a comparison of the "affirmative world" vs the "negative world" in my consideration of how to vote. I also need you to weigh your impacts for me- tell me why your arguments are more important than the other team's.
I believe in the value and significance of debate, and therefore, I expect debaters to conduct themselves in a mature and respectful manner. Please be respectful of each other. If you ask a question, let your opponent answer- do not cut them off. No name-calling or shaming (yes, I have seen this in rounds, and it is very disappointing). Do not try to intimidate your opponent or the judge. This hostile behavior is very obvious and it will show up in your lackluster speaker points.
I understand that debaters may be nervous, and I am very sensitive to that. I don't generally dock speaker points for nervousness, but I will dock points for hostile behavior and attitude.
I have decent experience judging PF and LD.
I am okay with speed, but make sure you have clarity in your arguments. It’s not about how fast you go, but how good your arguments are.
I give more weight to cross-examination while evaluating the round.
I will flow the round, but I may not consider arguments that you do not extend throughout all of your speeches. Emphasize the arguments you want me to prioritize.
I prefer an evidence-based debate. Include strong warranting in each of your arguments and emphasize the impacts. The more specific your cards, the better.
Please be respectful to your opponents and have fun debating!
Good luck!
I will judge based on argumentation, use of evidence, and logic. I am not a big fan of spreading either, so please talk clearly.
Also, it would be great if you could send a speech document after the constructive speech as my Wifi is not very good and I would not want you to lose because of that.
I’m a parent judge. I’m looking for mainly clarity and articulation throughout the debate, so please, no speed. I’m not experienced in theory so please keep it to substance. Don’t make crossfire a yelling match and have fun!
I am a lay judge. Don't spread.
Truth > Tech
Please do not just hand me 80 cards and say look we have evidence. Make sure you explain your evidence.
Anything in final focus must be in summary.
It's fine if you are passionate in crossfire but yelling will result in lower speaker points. Also do not laugh at your opponents or I will lower your speaker points. Doing well in crossfire is important to me as well.
Also Theory and K cases are not appreciated.
I do not disclose (in prelims) unless required.
Hello, I am Vasanthi, I have judged Public Forum debate for five years now. I am a flay judge.
Speaking: Please don't spread and be respectful during cross-ex (I will tank speaker points for rude behavior).
Cards: Don't drop cards (I need warrants and impacts for all important/collapsed on impacts), I don't care if you don't extend author name all the way to Final Focus, I just need the impacts and warrants extended. I may call for cards if serious disputes arise during the round.
Weighing: Both sides should weigh in Summary and extend all impacts. Any impacts and/or points dropped will be dropped from my flow. The second speaking team must respond to the first speaking team’s weighing or it will go conceded and I will weigh the round on the first speaking team’s weighing.
In General: Second speaking team must frontline briefly at least in rebuttal. First speaking team should frontline during summary. I will flow during cross if something really important comes up, but otherwise, it should be extended to other speeches.
I'm a lay judge, so please speak slowly and make your points very clear especially during summary and final focus.
I am a lay judge please treat me as such thank you
I'm a CS student at UC Davis. I currently coach.
I did Public Forum and LD in high school.
Please don't post-round me. If you have questions, I would prefer if you messaged me via messenger or email (accounts below)
MAIN PREFS
1. I did a lot of LARP in high school. This doesn’t mean I won’t evaluate theory/Ks(in fact I love hearing it), but please explain them as best as you can and how they interact with your opponents. Especially do this if you're running unique Ks and theory. If I don’t understand it, chances are I will not vote for it.
2. I am fine with spread, unless the other team clearly says they have a low speed threshold and you spread. That is exclusionary. I will tank your speaks. Word economy>>>>speed.
3. I am generally tech>truth. I care a lot about evidence ethics (don't lie about your evidence please)
4. Impacts are literally the most important thing in debate in my eyes. If you do not weigh an impact, I won’t evaluate it.
5. NO RVIs, NO TRIX. I really HATE this stuff.
6. I reward smart strategy with higher speaker points. Speaking nicely is cool too, but I believe having substance is of higher priority than speaking pretty. Average is 28. 30 means you’ve impressed me.
7. I weigh offense and defense equally in most cases.
8. If you are in PF, LD or CX, I would like if you gave me a hard copy or emailed your case and speeches to me. It’s fine if you’re not comfortable with that, but it helps me out because it makes it easier for me to flow and it’s harder to mishear things when you’re reading it.
9. In Parli, ask questions and answer questions. Saying "I'll take questions at the end" is a cop-out.
10. What even is disclosure theory in parli?
11. I come from events where tag-teaming isn't a thing, so I will only evaluate what the main speaker says unless they repeat it.
12. I don't shake hands.
13. If you have questions related to a certain aspect of my paradigm, ask me before the round starts.
14. Yes, you can use your phones to time. No, I do not care who watches.
15. Do whatever you need to do to make the round interesting for you and me. Make me laugh, make jokes, and use anecdotes.
Email: vvennelakanti@ucdavis.edu
You can also message me on Facebook (Vishnu Vennelakanti)
I debated from 16-19 doing PF and LD and coached a top 10 parli team in the 19-20 season. Davis CS '23. This is my fifth year judging and eighth year in the debate-space.
Three absolute essentials from my friend Zaid's paradigm:
1. Add me to the email chain before the round starts: vishnupratikvennelakanti@gmail.com. Make sure that the documents are .pdfs (so that I can open it directly within the browser).
2. Preflow before the round. When you walk into the room you should be ready to start ASAP.
3. 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.
I do not view debate as a game, I view it almost like math class or science class as it carries tremendous educational value. I generally dislike how gamified debate has become - especially LD. There are a lot of inequities in debate and treating it like a game deepens those inequities. Progressive argumentation is a practice which big schools utilize to extend the prep gap between them and small schools. Hence, I believe that traditional debate is the MOST educational way to go about this activity.
Your job as a competitor is to make my job AS EASY as possible. The easier you make it, the greater the likelihood of getting my ballot. The less truthful the argument, the more work you have to do to convince me that your argument is true. I am tech over truth generally but it's a lot of work to prove factually untrue arguments. It's in your best interest to make sure your arguments are truthful because then you do a lot less work to convince me which makes the round easier for you to win.
I'll accept theory on the condition that there's real demonstrated abuse in the round(going over time repeatedly, spreading when asked not to etc). You should be willing to stake the round on theory - meaning that it should be the only argument that matters in the round. Running shells and dropping them is dumb. Breaking "norms" are not indicative of abuse - you cannot expect someone new to debate to be familiar with every norm on the national circuit.
I generally dislike theory shells like Nebel or hyperspecific/friv shells. You have to do a ton of work to convince me that bare plurals is actually abuse and not just an article written by some random guy at VBI - and there's a variety of other shells that this applies to.
Disclosure theory created by big schools to trick smaller schools into giving up their prep advantage on the wiki because it's "more equitable". A fundamental part of debate is developing the ability to think and interact with your opponents' case, not reading off pre-written responses that coaches write for you (which is really easy to tell when you're doing it and irks me).
Performance Ks, K Affs, RVIs and tricks are a byproduct of debaters seeking to win this "game" of debate so needless to say I don't really enjoy listening to them.
Ks are fine. If it's something unique, you need to explain it thoroughly. If I don't understand the K, I can't vote for it.
Spreading is silly. Slow and good >>> fast and bad. I don’t think being unintelligible on purpose is a very good strategy to winning debates in real life either.
Thus, my threshold for progressive debate is high.
Generally in LD, the arguments in which you will have to do the least work to convince me are substance debate and policy debate. Phil is enjoyable as well. But you need explain explain explain explain.
I don’t think off-time roadmaps are a real concept. When you speak, outside of introductions and niceties, it should be running on someone's time.
Framework debate is good but I'm not a huge fan of value/VC debate (because the analysis is really shallow - "they don't support my VC so they auto lose". If its not that then I really enjoy it. )
If I am judging PF and you run progressive nonsense, it's an automatic loss. PF is MEANT to be accessible to the public. My 90 year old grandpa should be able to judge a round and understand what is happening.
In all events, I don't really care about cross since it's an opportunity for you to set up future arguments. I usually know who's won by the second to last speech (1NR in LD and negative summary) so unless the round is particularly close I don’t flow the last speech (2AR or FF).
It will serve you best to think of me as a deeply experienced flay judge rather than a circuit judge.
I will reward smart arguments with higher speaker points. Weigh effectively and weigh often and provide warrants for your arguments. This is the path to my ballot! Just tell me how and why to vote for you, do not trust me to understand and extend your implicit arguments.
+ speaks for Lebron.
I have been a judging PF from 2018 onwards. I have judged varied tournaments from Novice to Varsity levels.
Present your story clearly. My preference will be clarity over ambiguity.
I don't mind if you speak fast.
I also weigh based on maturity of the thought, clear communication and metrics relating to your argument
I am a flay judge in that I have lots of experience judging, but I'm not an actual flow judge. I know how the debate process works, and I've judged in over 15 tournaments.
Good rhetoric and lay appeal and I will most likely vote for you. If you don't know something or are otherwise unsure/unready for something just fake it until you make it; I like seeing confidence.
I will not flow cross-ex but I will be paying attention. If you bring something up in cross-ex and want me to flow it, remember to say it in speech as well. Emphasize important points with speech inflections, as well as bring up things you want me to remember/write down several times. Don't put down your opponent (like in LD) and don't bully during cross-ex, although remember to be assertive and stand up for your partner (during grand) if you have to.
Speech
It doesn't matter to me what you do while you speak, as long as you make eye contact regularly. Sit, stand, meditate, doesn't matter to me. Please try to signpost as much as possible, it really helps, and it makes it a lot easier to follow what you're saying. It also helps your speaks (now you're listening, huh?). Gesticulate, use ethos, pathos, logos, talk loud, whatever you have to do to get my attention and my vote (and high speaks).
Kritik
Since I'm not a professionally trained judge, I don't have any specific policy against K's, but don't expect me to go with your point of view without strong rhetoric. I must need to know exactly WHY their view on a policy is wrong, and WHY your take matters more. If I were you, I would not run a kritik.
Etiquette
Insulting your opponent is DIFFERENT FROM arguing with them. You can say the same thing by yelling as you can by assertively speaking to your opponent. Please do not argue/yell/bully your opponent. That is a sure way to lose speaks and maybe the entire round.
Speed
I, like the vast majority of other judges, will have an easier time listening and understanding to you if you speak slower. Note: I prefer slower speaking, but I can handle faster speed to some degree. I may look confused/stop writing/not take note of important parts if you are going to slow; that means I do not understand you, and you may need to slow down.
Other
I can promise you that I will understand these issues more than most judges. Please make sure to time yourselves, if there is a discrepancy between the prep time, speech time, etc., try to work it out yourselves, although I will interfere if too much time is taken.
Thanks for reading this information, although I know it's long and boring. Good luck!
I definitely cannot follow very fast speed. Just do what you normally do and I’ll drop my pen if you’re going too fast. Do be clear on tags and signpost though.
I’m fine if you ask for some cards, flash cards, or whatever. However, there are two things I really don’t like when people do.
First, do not prep when people are finding cards. This is rude.
Second, find cards in a timely manner. You should be able to provide cards with proper citations and bolded/highlighted parts in a manner that does not hold up the debate. This makes the round run smoother and is a debater's responsibility.
My paradigm is pretty similar to this one: https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?judge_person_id=35843
*EXCEPTION* I will accept what the evidence says unless the other team asks enough questions that make it sound stupid. I will not vote for anything that sounds incredible or just completely dumb.
General:
1. Assume I'm bad at debate. I hate doing work.
2. If you read two cards correctly and they make sense, I will buy them instantly. (these are not specific for a reason)
- Guardian card that says 420.
- A card that says chance of civil war jumps to ~77.6%.
3. I don't know how to evaluate theory. Shoutout to Kyle Chong.
Speaks:
1. I don't often give 30s but if you make me laugh or make me cringe, I’ll give you a 30. Also, if you make a half decent pun with the topic, I’ll give you a 30.
2. If you go more than 5 seconds over time I’ll take off 0.5 speaks per second after.
3. I’ll take off a point every time a terrible analogy is used. (selling an apple for $5 is not comparable to international trade)
Evidence:
1. Make me call for it. I also hate reading a lot, so don't tell me to read it unless you think it’s critical.
2. If you read a card I know, you should hope you're not misrepresenting it.
Case read:
Speed is not an issue.
Cross-x:
1. You get first question if you speak first.
2. Don't be mean.
3. Refer to point 2.
4. Refer to point 2.
5. Point 2 is really important.
Summary/FF:
1. Anything works.
2. No new evidence in FF.
Argument stuff:
1. If you read a link turn and say "if you don't buy that", then proceed with an impact turn, you better explain why I can't evaluate your impact turn under your link turn. Otherwise, it's a double turn.
2. If you read anything diabetes or sugar related, I will not like the arg. Although it is important to recognize that whether I like the argument does not matter. If it’s well developed, I'll vote for it.
Hello, my name is Wenzhou.
Background
I am a software engineer who works in the Bay Area. This is my first year judging so Public Forum, as well as all other speech and debate events, are very new. As a heads-up, "flowing" is a foreign concept for me so if I take notes throughout the debate it may not be in the format you are used to seeing.
Speaker Points
I will give speaker points from 27-29 if you:
a) Speak clearly and slowly. Please no "spreading". I will not be able to understand what you are saying so speaking slower will allow me to process your arguments as you go.
b) Are polite and fair to your opponent. If you are outright rude/unfair (ie. yelling, mocking, laughing, cutting opponents off) you will not get good speaks.
c) Explain arguments thoroughly. Remember I have no background in debate nor in the topic so make sure that you put things in terms that I can understand. This means if you use debate terminology you will probably need to explain what it means for me to actually consider it.
Decisions
I will try to be as fair as possible and explain my decision in the best way I can. I will vote for the team that explains their warrants and why their impacts matter to me. Additionally, because I'm not familiar with the topic, presentation will probably also influence my decision. Be confident, if you make it seem like you are losing then I will think that.
Other
Clothing/Appearance; this will not influence my decision, however, please do respect the tournament dress code. Use of evidence; this will be weighted heavily in the debate, I want to know that your arguments have evidence to back up your claims. If you think that I should look at your/your opponent's evidence, please let me know. Real world impacts; this is also important to me. If your impacts do not show me why a normal person like me should care, then I will probably be less likely to vote on it. Cross-examination; this does not matter as much to me, although I will be listening. Debate skill over truthful arguments; I value both skill and arguments highly. I do believe that truthful arguments should be prioritized, however, if you lack the presentation skill or argumentation skills to sell your argument, then truthful arguments may not matter as much if your opponent is able to convince me better of their argument.
Good luck
Paradigm only applies for PF.
See Jimmy Lin's (the Harker School) Paradigm (https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?search_first=Jimmy&search_last=).
Two places where i disagree with jimmy
1. go slow (<800 word cases)
2. i dont believe in theory as much as jimmy but it is acceptable
I am a parent judge. I will try to take notes on key parts or your speeches so please sign post and speak clearly/at a normal pace. I will judge based on 2 key factors:
1. Logic: whichever team has the most logical links between claims and provide reasoning (warranting) behind their claims
2. Weighing: proving which impacts have the most political, health-wise, etc. impact in different ways
Thanks and good luck!
I am a parent judge and have judged at several tournaments in the past. Thanks.
I'm a non-interventional judge. Debaters should advocate or reject the resolution in a manner clear to the non-specialist citizen judge.
Debaters are evaluated based on the quality of the arguments, logic and reasoning, utilization of evidence, clear communication, and flow. Debaters should not blindly denied opponent's arguments. No new arguments may be introduced in the Final Focus, however, debaters may include new evidence to support prior arguments.