DO NOT BE RUDE!

be professional!

slow down when talking . if I cant understand you I wont flow it .

I have been judging regularly for about 15 years; and I am in my seventh year coaching Harding Charter Prep HS in Oklahoma City. I love every single event offered for competition. They are all valid. Memes hating on particular events are lame. Follow @hcpspeechdebate on Instagram and Twitter.

LD/PFD: I prefer quality of information and sources as well as clarity and presence of speakers over speed and quantity of information and sources. The more you can tell me about the qualifications of a source, the better I can weigh them. If you give a simple (Last Name/Year) tag, you can assume I know nothing about the author. I like to see your personality as a debater and jokes/lighthearted moments are welcome as long as they are within the scope of the topic. I dislike plans and policy-style approaches to Lincoln-Douglas debate; if you want to do Policy, there's a debate for that. I believe that the heart of Public Forum debate is that it should assume any judge is a lay judge and is more informal and free of debate jargon. Limit pre-case observations and don't place impossible burdens on your opponent. Be civil and professional during cross-examination or your speaker points are toast. Use cross-examination time to ask questions, not make another speech. Use your speech time and prep time! Your constructive speeches should be as close to memorized as possible. I want to see you speaking/debating, not just reading. Cases on paper vs on a laptop gain an automatic advantage. Have fun!

Big Questions: Please, please, please read the Format Manual. Then read it again. Use the Format Manual as evidence in round if you need to. Please let this thing have a chance to become its own thing before we drown it in the other debate sauces.

Policy: If I am judging round round, I apologize in advance. Something has gone awry at this tournament and I am a kind-hearted person with a semi-functioning brain that has been put in to prevent the round starting hours late. We'll make it through this together. I'm probably not gonna disclose unless tab forces me to.

Congress: Don't read word-for-word pre-written speeches. You should have an outline. Pay attention to the whole of the round, not just sitting there prepping for when you are going to talk. Keep questions concise.

World Schools: Requests for POIs should rise/raise as often as needed but don't be a pest about it. You are at the discretion of the speaker. Avoid debate jargon. Rely on reason and logic. Appeal persuasively. Prop arguments should do their best to prove the resolution beyond a shadow of a doubt. Opposition arguments should be about broad rejection of the resolution, not just finding an outlier to say that one example is representative of all.

Final Thoughts: This activity is for education. Winning and excellence should always be celebrated, but not the only goal. Remember that Words Matter and Words have Power. Respect the purpose of the Pronouns and name pronunciation options in Tabroom. The NSDA has worked hard to be inclusive. Don't abuse that. #NotGarbagePeople

I am a parent judge and this is our first year in NSDA. We previously competed in a homeschool debate league that used a more traditional style of Lincoln Douglas debate. I will not be able to understand spreading, as this style of debate is still pretty foreign to me. I need to be able to understand you well enough to flow your case, so I would appreciate slower speech so that I can make an informed decision. I like to see Lincoln Douglas competitors stick to a traditional value debate, though I do like to see evidence and practical applications to back up your philosophical arguments. Again, I am much more concerned with the quality of the argument over the quantity of words you can fit in. I can only vote for what I can understand. Also, please be mature and respectful toward you opponent and to your judge.

In judging, I find it important to listen to the opposing side and directly address their contentions and arguments. Offer opposing examples to their arguments and examples. Don't just argue your own case without specifically addressing your opponent's ideas and the results if your opponent were correct.

Please put me on the email chain: sarammoore637@gmail.com

Short Version

I primarily did local/traditional LD debate in Oklahoma. I probably cannot follow your fast spreading or jargon. I’d prefer to judge debates where I don’t have to intervene or guess at what you were trying to say. Spell things out for me, weigh things for me, warrant your arguments. I have not judged this topic. The more you can explain things without jargon, the better.

Pref shortcut:

1/2 - I am a traditional debater or can adapt

3 - I’d rather you than a parent I guess?

4 - I do not know how to debate without spreading

5 - I primarily rely on big words and tricks to win

General

1. I did LD for Norman High School in Oklahoma from 2015-2019. I am on a gap year, starting at Harvard next year. In high school, I qualified for nationals twice, but I never attended. I basically only competed on the local circuit, which means I pretty much only encountered lay debate. I went to VBI twice so I was briefly exposed to more progressive debate, but that was 2 and half years ago.

2. My lack of national circuit experience does not necessarily mean you shouldn't read progressive arguments if that's what you want to do. I am not biased against them (at least not consciously), but, whatever you read, just make sure you explain it really thoroughly and warrant it.

3. For the sake of everyone involved, be respectful. I am not impressed by rudeness. You can be blunt or whatever, say what you want, but, in personal interactions with me and your opponent, be kind. Debate is inherently a confrontational activity and creates a lot of toxicity and exclusion so if you can make it less so, I will be very happy. If you’re reading something that necessitates being rude, make sure that is explained and probably ask if that’s alright first.

4. Blippy arguments are risky not just because they kinda suck, but also because I probably won’t catch them.

5. No flex prep or prep before cx

Speed

Ok so, I don’t know the WPM that will kill me, but I listen to my podcasts at 2 times speed so whatever speed that is is probably around my comfort level. This is the only metric I can provide as I am, once again, from Oklahoma and am very detached from even that circuit.

For my sake and yours, please speak clearly. I will say clear 3 times and then give up.

Theory

Umm...as I type this I am struggling to remember what parts of a shell are..so let that serve as a warning.

I think that means I won’t feel very comfortable voting on what feels frivolous theory because I am not incredibly confident in my ability to evaluate it on a technical level. An example would be if you read a shell because your opponent closed the door, restricted the airflow throughout the room, reduced your ability to inhale in enough air, and thus, made it harder to for you spread, I would laugh and commend you for your effort, but probably not vote on it if I could avoid it.

That being said, I will vote on something that is a legitimate problem, but I don't know what is actually 'abusive' so you will have to clearly spell it out for me as to why the round was so skewed that I have to vote on theory.

Full-disclosure: I am probably biased against disclosure theory because that is not a norm on the OK local circuit, but don’t let that stop you if you feel like reading it. I will vote on it if I understand.

I will vote on RVIs if i can figure out how to?

Ks

Careful here. I have little experience, but also like in general if you explain stuff slowly...go ahead.

Phil

If you are reading something complicated, I commend you and I hope you are good at explaining it, not because I am on the lookout for inaccuracies or incorrect explanations, but because unless I understand, I won’t feel comfortable voting on it.

I don’t read philosophy in my free time. You could mischaracterize Hobbes as Rawls and I would not care unless your opponent pointed it out and explained why I should.

I have biases because they, yanno, allow me to live life normally and feel grounded in reality. For example, I kinda just assume happiness and pleasure matters in some capacity. Keep that in mind when you are reading something that runs counter to that, you might need to explain yourself more for me to shake those off and get what your argument.

CPs

Honestly go off, read PICs or PIKs, live your life. Explain it though. Understand, I might be sympathetic to perms if I can remember what those are.

Speaks

25-26: You said something offensive. I will definitely note whatever caused this on the ballot and in the RFD.

27-27.5: Meh. I said clear 3 times and you ignored it and I was

28-28.5: Solid

29: Wowza

30: Double wowza