ALL DEBATE JUDGES - Instructions

This page covers the following items

I.  Your three jobs as a judge

II. This tournament is "double flighted".  What does that mean?

III. Judging logistics - What to do BEFORE the round and AFTER the round

IV.  Differences between this and some other tournaments

I. Your three jobs as a judge

(1) Decide who won the round:

Judge based on *what you hear in the round*.  As much as possible, set aside your opinions and outside knowledge so that neither team is debating *you* implicitly.  Also - if a team does not respond to an opponent's argument, then they have *conceded* that argument.  Note - During the round, please do not engage in substantive discussion of the arguments with the debaters - e.g., you may not ask them questions about their arguments.  Only after you enter your ballot (see below) may you discuss the arguments. Do *not* disclose your decision after the round, even in elimination rounds with multi-judge panels.  

(2) Award speaker points

Award each speaker in the round speaker points ranging from 25 to 30.

(2a) Public Forum - Award speaker points in half-point increments - e.g., 28 or 28.5.  

(2b) Lincoln Douglas - Award points in tenth-point increments - e.g., 28.2 or 28.3. 

Consult the scale on the right side of the ballot (scroll down a bit) for guidelines.  

(3) Provide written feedback on the ballot

Please focus on why you voted for one team over the other.  Which argument or arguments were most important?  Why did you find the opponent's responses to those arguments uncompelling?  Or - Perhaps both sides had good main points, but one side's arguments were more "weighty" than the other side's.  Please be sure to provide *WRITTEN* feedback on the ballot, even if you also provide oral comments after the round.  That way, coaches can see what happened (and the kids won't forget what you said).  YOU CAN GO BACK AND EDIT COMMENTS UNTIL THE END OF THE TOURNAMENT.

Note - the speech sequence and durations appear on the right side of the ballot - scroll down a bit.  

II. This tournament is "double flighted".  What does that mean?  

At most tournaments, each round consists of a single set of debates that all take place at the same time.  So - if you are a judge during "Round 1", you will receive an assignment to judge a debate between a pair of teams, and that's it.

This tournament is "double-flighted".  That means that during each round, half the debates take place during "Flight 1" (roughly the first hour of that round), and the second half of the debates take place during "Flight 2" (roughly the second hour of that round).

So - As a judge, you will typically judge TWO debates during each round that you judge - both in the same classroom, with one following the other.  For example, if you are a judge during Round 1, you might be assigned to classroom 123.  When you get your judge assignment and click on your username in Tabroom (your email address in the upper right corner of the screen), you will see TWO debate assignments, each with a START button next to it.  

In this example, you will go to Classroom 123 and start the first debate (the "Flight 1" debate) at 9:00 AM.  Let's say that debate is between Lake Placid and Northville.  After that debate concludes, say at 9:50 AM, you will fill out the ballot, and submit it (see JUDGE LOGISTICS, below).  You might choose to briefly talk to the debaters about the round.  Then Lake Placid and Northville will depart the classroom, and a second pair of teams - say Long Lake and Piseco -  will enter Classroom 123.  You will judge that round and submit that second ballot. 

Note - We understand that judging two flights is hard work.  The good news is that *on average*, judges will be assigned two rounds out of three.  So - you might Round 1 and Round 2 and then get Round 3 off.  Each round, being double-flighted, lasts a couple of hours.  So - you might want to bring something to read for rounds you have off.   

III. Judging logistics - What to do BEFORE the round and AFTER the round

BEFORE THE ROUND

(1) Watch your texts AND emails when the next round is due out (see schedule - to be posted). 

(2) If you do not get a message saying you have a round, please be available in the judge lounge areas so that we can find you in case we need backup judges.  We will have information on the location of the judge lounge areas by the day of the tournament.

(3) When you get an assignment, you will see TWO green START buttons at the top of your Tabroom screen (click on your username in the upper right to see if  you have an assignment).  One START button is for Flight 1, and one is for Flight 2.  Click BOTH START buttons as soon as you see them!  That way, *we* know that *you* know that you have a round assignment.  When you click START, your ballot will appear.

(4) Please proceed to your room in a timely manner so that the round can start.  Room monitors will check on each room to see if participants are missing.  

(5-PF) FOR SIDES AND SPEAKING ORDER in PUBLIC FORUM - In the old days, we had actual coins and did actual coin flips in the classroom to determine which side was PRO and CON, and which team spoke first and second.  Now, Tabroom conducts the coin flip over the internet and the debate teams select sides and speaking order without the judge's involvement.  SO - When you get to your room, (a) reload the Tabroom webpage displaying your ballot so that it displays updated information based on that virtual coin flip; and (b) verbally check with the debaters that the information on your ballot is consistent with their understanding.  The ballot displays the team speaking first above the team speaking second, and toward the LEFT side of each team's listing, it specifies the side they will defend (PRO or CON).  

(5-LD) FOR SIDES AND SPEAKING ORDER FOR LINCOLN DOUGLAS - The tab staff specifies who is AFF and NEG.  AFF always speaks first.  Just double check with the debaters that what you see on your ballot is what they think is going on.

(6) Before the round starts, make sure you know which team is which. We have two recommendations:

(6a) Ask the PRO / AFF to ALWAYS sit to your LEFT in front of you and the CON / NEG to always sit to your right.  That will make intuitive sense because PRO / AFF always speaks first at this tournament.  If the debaters have positioned themselves before you arrived in the room, feel free to ask them to switch places if necessary.  

(6b) Before the round starts, verbally confirm the team designations.  For example, "I have Keene Valley on my left speaking on the PRO, and Lake Placid sitting on my right, speaking on the CON".

(6c) Write the team designations at the top of your notes (flow) sheet.  So - in the above example, you would write "Keene Valley - PRO" in the upper LEFT corner of your flow sheet, and "Lake Placid - CON" in the upper RIGHT corner of your flow sheet.  

(6d) For Public Forum - Write down which debater is speaking first and second on each team so that you can properly award speaking points after the round.

 AFTER THE ROUND

(7) Enter your decision when the round concludes - BEFORE speaking to the debaters and BEFORE entering your written comments on the ballot (that's step 8).  At this tournament, do NOT disclose whom you voted for or make any comments that may suggest whom you voted for.

(7a) Select the winning team from the drop-down at the bottom of the ballot and by clicking on the radio button indicating their side of the resolution. 

(7b) Enter points for each speaker (see guide at right on ballot). 

(7c) If you award MORE points to the LOSING team (uncommon), check the LOW-POINT WIN box toward the right, below the ballot. 

(7d) Click the SUBMIT button at the bottom, right corner of the ballot.

(7e) Remember to click the big, green CONFIRM button after checking that your entries are correct.

(8) Enter your written comments in the REASON FOR DECISION box and, if you have specific comments for either team, enter those comments in the other comment boxes.  You may do so through the end of the tournament - although we suggest that you not wait too long because you may not remember details from the round.  For the Flight 1 debate, we recommend entering comments sufficient to help you remember the debate.

(9) If you just completed Flight 1, we recommend calling Flight 2 in within 5-7 minutes of completing Flight 1.

IV.  Differences between this and some other tournaments

 Many national circuit tournaments direct judges to say whom they voted for at the conclusion of each round.  We ask that you NOT reveal whom you voted for at the end of each round.