National Speech and Debate Tournament

2025 — Des Moines, IA/US

Dimitra Stratis-Cullum Paradigm

Lincoln-Douglas
Lincoln Douglas Debate Judge Philosophy

Your experience with LD Debate (check all that apply)

Community judge

How many years have you judged LD debate?

1

How many LD rounds have you judged this year?

0-10

What is your preferred rate of delivery?

3/91 = Slow conversational style
9 = Rapid conversation speed
 

Does the rate of delivery weigh heavily in your decision?

Y
 

Will you vote against a student solely for exceeding your preferred speed?

N

How important is the criterion in making your decision?

It may be a factor depending on its use in the round
 

Do you feel that a value and criterion are required elements of a case?

Y

Rebuttals and Crystallization

 

Voting issues should be given:

At the end of the speech
 

The use of jargon or technical language ("extend", "cross-apply", "turn", etc.) during rebuttals:

Is acceptable
 

Final rebuttals should include:

Both
 

Voting issues are:

Absolutely necessary

How do you decide the winner of the round?

I decide who is the winner of the key argument in the round

How necessary do you feel the use of evidence (both analytical and empirical) is in the round?

8/91 = Not necessary
9 = Always necessary

Please describe your personal note-taking during the round

I keep detailed notes throughout the round
Additional remarks: This is my second year judging PF and first judging LD. Please note that I consider myself a traditional, new judge and need you to speak slowly with very clear sign posts. The slower the better for me, but I also realize you have a lot of ground to cover. Just understand I do my best to follow and if I miss something that is the risk of speaking more quickly. I prefer PRO or AFF to sit to my left and CON or NEG to my right. Whether you face each other or forward to the judge is your collective preference. The same goes for if you stand or sit. If you keep your time, politely share with me and your opponent (for both the cumulative prep time as well as the timing for crossfire, rebuttal, etc.) The better you are with roadmaps, signposts, and clearly pointing out drops and turns, the better I will flow your debate. In the summary compare and convince me why you won and please be clear on your framework, weighting and reasoning including the existence, relevance and validity of the cards provided by your opponent.

Note: if you wish for your pronouns to appear the debaters you judge on text/email blasts, log into Tabroom, click Profile at top, and add them in the Pronouns field.