I have been judging mostly PF for 4 years. I leave timing the speeches up to you, but will start my timer for the crosses. I listen in to your speeches carefully. Your style, command over the topic and politeness amazes me. Looking forward to great debating!

UPDATED 2/21/20: I do not judge as often as I may once have. At most local events, I find myself on the operations side of a tournament.

That should not terrify you – I am a career public servant, who happens to coach debate because I appreciate everything that it taught me as a student. You should assume that I approach debate rounds this way: what is the best decision I can make given the information presented to me?

It may sound old-fashioned, but I do not wish to be on any email chains. I have sadly witnessed teams answering entire disadvantages not read by their opponents simply because they were included in said distribution. Not to be outdone, I have read ballots where judges voted on evidence that nobody read. I pledge to keep the best flow I can. If I need to see a piece of evidence, and the particular league or tournament's rules allow for that, I will call for it.

If you are short on time reading this, my paradigm can be expressed in six (6) words: do your thing and be nice. If you are really short on time, we can go with four (4): old guy, still flows.

Policy:

1. Speed is fine, but clarity is necessary. I cannot vote on what I do not have typed/written down. I try hard to listen to the text of the evidence presented;
2. Open cross-examination is acceptable, but if it is clear than one member of the team is not able to participate at the same level, speaker points will suffer;
3. My preference is tabula rasa; in the absence of any alternative framework, I look first to any potential violation(s) of stock issues and then default to a policymaking perspective.

Lincoln Douglas:

1. I do not mind an LD round that gets on down the flow;
2. My preference is tabula rasa; in the absence of any alternative framework, I will default to a whole resolution lens looking first to the value/value criterion debate.

Public Forum/Speech:

1. Nothing earth-shattering here. I am less speed tolerant in public forum and I will simply apply the ballot criteria to whatever speech event is at hand.

Regardless of event, we enter the debate knowing the resolution and some basic rules of the road (e.g., speech times, likely printed on the ballot). By tabula rasa I mean that the debaters establish the framework for evaluating debates. You should do what you do best and do it well. Arguments should have three parts – a claim, a warrant, and some sort of greater implication regardless of your style.

I still believe that good decisions should flow like water. Great rebuttals frame debates and clash wins rounds. My ballots will provide a succinct RFD, possibly pointing out either strengths or opportunities for improvement as we progress through the speeches. 3AR/3NR oral critiques nauseate me: what I say out loud (if disclosure is permitted) will almost certainly match what I am placing on your ballot. Your coach should see comments too. You did not go to the dentist; my RFD is never going to read “oral.”

Finally, be respectful of your partners, opponents, and judges. I have zero tolerance for poor behavior in debate rounds.

Debate

If you're passing cards, please don't waste time. Do what is most efficient for both teams. My email is 22cannvi@stucsd.org if you're using an email chain to exchange cards.

Keep in mind that if what you're saying sounds incoherent, then it shouldn't even be considered part of your speech at all. I can't vote on something that I didn't even hear.

And lastly, you should probably know that if you can't articulate the point you're trying to make in a simplistic manner, it means you don't fully understand it and therefore I shouldn't vote on it. Don't just throw cards at your opponent and expect it to amount to something unless you can actually explain why it's relevant to the round. If you can do that (and if you have good arguments against your opponent), then you probably have my ballot.

Speech

I don't complete in speech events so I'm not going to be accustomed to seemingly normal things that most judges do in speech rounds. What this means is that you need to tell me if you would like time signals.

Please be respectful of your fellow competitors and silence your phone. If your phone vibrates or rings during a speech (whether your own or somebody else's) then it will count against you.

Your reasoning should be plausible with credible evidence that is able to sway the audience, considering the classical modes of persuasion. Articulate your words clearly, follow what you say, thereby connecting with the audience. Furthermore, if a case is made and not countered/refuted, then it will be deemed as true in the round.

I enjoy a good debate and require you to be respectful of your opponent at all times. Speak your argument clearly and get your message across. I am fine with speed as long as it is coherent... I must understand what you are saying. I will not vote on a presumption and require solid information.

I am a Public School Administrator with two teenagers but they do not debate... with anyone but their mom :)

I love to see children grow in the events and show their talents/knowledge. Good Luck!

Hi! My name's Sierra (she/her) and I'm a sophomore at UPenn studying Comms or International Relations and Consumer Psych in Wharton. I competed in PF and LD for 3 years in high school but primarily did LD. I also dabbled in extemp debate, big questions, extemp speaking, and congress. I have experience with local and some circuit debate and I've competed at the state and national level.

Debate:

General Stuff:

• Please do not spread your max speed in LD or PF. I can comprehend a faster than normal pace but if you reach full speed I will not be able to follow. Try to go 60% of your max speed if you're someone who spreads every round. Pleaseeee slow down for taglines/author names
• Please signpost and give roadmaps
• I truly believe debate should be a safe place. If you need any accommodations or feel uncomfortable in a round please please please send me an email (smarelia@sas.upenn.edu)
• If you plan on reading heavy content in round please give a CW and let us know before the round starts. I'm ok with basically all heavy topics but a cw is always appreciated
• If you run/say anything racist, homophobic, or ableist you will not win my ballot
• I know debate can be stressful so just try to make the experience as pleasant as possible and be nice

LD:

I mainly did trad debate in high school and always appreciate a solid trad line by line debate with solid fw BUT it is cool if you run other things. Just keep in mind I am not as well-versed with K’s, narratives, theory, etc. so just make sure you explain what you’re doing well-- I should not have to fill in the gaps for you. Also, if your opponent clearly has no experience with progressive debate and you know this and still run something progressive your speaks will reflect that. Debate should be as educational as possible and when the round has a clear imbalance from the start it makes this hard.

• Tech>truth but things need to be warranted. If there's something that has 0 warrant and is just blatantly incorrect I won't vote on it
• If you and your opponents FWs are different give me a clear reason as to why yours is better BUT if the FW debate is close make sure you explain why your side can still exist and win under your opponents FW. This is sooo important because in order to determine the winner I will first go off of who won the fw debate and then who has the most offense under that framing
• I will keep a detailed flow and probably will pick up on dropped arguments. If your opponent drops evidence extend it in the next speech if you think it's critical to the round
• Giving clear voters at the end of the 2NC and 2AR is something I like and think helps a lot. Make my job easier and give a clear reason why you won the round
• If your 1AR is really poorly spaced but you pack a lot into the 2AR this probably won’t help you so just try to pace well (I know this can be hard). It's hard for me to evaluate off of a 4 second response to an entire contention

PF:

• I will flow the round and will miss dropped args
• Use cx to your advantage, it shouldn't be dominated by one side. I hate when people ask questions that start with "Do you agree that..." ask an actual question that pokes holes at ur opponents case plsss
• I value weighing throughout the speeches, not just at the end. This should include weighing impacts, harms, etc.
• Please crystalize the round at the end. Explain why you won and key things you won on

I’m probably forgetting stuff but if you have any questions just ask me before the round. If you have any questions about the ballot post-round feel free to email me or just ask then if you want if I’m allowed to disclose. Good luck!

I am a parent judge. I have been judging public forum, Lincoln Douglas, and Speech for last 3 years. I work as a senior engineer in a defense industry.

1) I don't prefer spreading, because if I can't understand and follow you what you are saying, I can't judge you well based upon the content of your debate.

2) Be concise and clear, and present your contentions and arguments well.

3) Be respectful and civil to opponents.

4) For online tournaments, I would like to have all the contestants with their camera on during the debate round even when they are not speaking. Keep yourself muted if you are not speaking.

I debated for four years at William Tennent High School, mostly LD (but I did a good amount of Policy as well). I am now an Assistant Coach at Pennsbury High School and a student of philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. The details of my personal life may bore you, but I only include them so you can know that I am not completely clueless in the realm of debate.

To save your time and mine, I have attempted to reduce my judging philosophy to a handful of bullet-points:

>The most important aspect of my judging philosophy is tabula rasa.

>I keep a detailed flow and value line-by-line debate. I will probably notice if you drop something.

>I am fine with spreading. Just be sure to say taglines/author names clearly. I will say clear if I cannot understand you.

>I love good framework debate. It's easier for me to pick a winner when I have a clear lens through which I can evaluate the round.

>I guess evidence is nice and a good thing to have. Extending that evidence throughout the round is also nice.

Feel free to ask me any questions that you might have. I will answer them to the best of my ability.

"As the biggest library if it is in disorder is not as useful as a small but well-arranged one, so you may accumulate a vast amount of knowledge but it will be of far less value to you than a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself..." - Arthur Schopenhauer