I'm a rising senior at Evergreen Valley High School and have competed in Parliamentary Debate for 3 years now. I've been a semifinalist at various tournaments, and have qualified to the NPDI Tournament of Champions, as well as CHSSA's State Tournament.

In terms of how I evaluate rounds:

1. Please be respectful and inclusive to everyone in round.

2. I personally feel that speaks are arbitrary and tend to perpetuate discriminatory stereotypes. That means I'll be handing out 29.9, 29.8, 29.7, and 29.6s. If you show me exceptional logic and analysis in the round, I will give you a 30. However, I will not hesitate to give you a 25 or below AND drop you if you're discriminatory or disrespectful towards anyone in the round.

3. Although MVLA is my first time judging, I have been competing regularly for 3 years, and will evaluate the round based on the flow. This means I won't be doing analysis for you. If you feel that your opponents are bringing new arguments in the voter speech, call the POO. I will not protect the flow for you. Weighing is VERY important. Please don't just read impacts: actually do the analysis on why your impacts and arguments matter. I do disclose.

At the end of the day, please remember that as long as you're respectful and inclusive of your opponents, you will have a great round. The debate space offers us all a great opportunity, and I'd love to see you all use that to improve yourselves (and your judges) and learn more. Good luck in round!

I am a parent judge with not much experience. I don't have really strict guidelines for what you should or should not run as long as the argument makes sense. If you want more in-depth information, see below.

1. I will not understand your jargon. Put every argument in terms anyone can understand and make sure each argument has a clear story.

2. Please explain your arguments thoroughly and articulate your points well.

3. Signpost. Please. Not the ULI signposting (I won't understand what part of the argument you are talking about), just tell me where on the flow you are and what you are talking about. Off-time roadmaps would help me keep a neat flow too.

4. I am not familiar with technical debate. Please no Ks. I will not vote for them. If you want to run theory it better not be frivolous and make sure it makes a lot of sense. Even then I may not vote for it. If you are trying to skew your opponents out of the round with technical debate I will not vote for it.

5. Just have logical arguments. We are all here to grow and have fun, remember that first and foremost.

From a Technology Sales and Marketing background, what I look for in debaters is articulation by:

1) View points highlighted first and detailed afterwards.

2) I am not a flow judge, please help me with highlighting the view points with logic/emotion/voice

3) Please try to address all what came from opponent side succinctly , missing POI insufficient responses

4) I will try my best to stay on debate line but will appreciate the actual facts you use to make a realistic argument

5) A good battle of wits, facts, opinions, and healthy competition is what I look forward to, emotion is important but should not overtake logic

There is no grace time in parliamentary debate!! I stop flowing when your speech time has ended.

When I judge in person, I'm usually waking up like 4 hours earlier than normal, so I tend to yawn a lot during debates. Sorry if it's distracting, and I promise I am not getting bored or falling asleep!

General

These are all ultimately preferences. You should debate the way you want to debate.

For online debate: put texts in the chat for every advocacy/ROTB/interp. Texts are binding.

I'm okay with speed and will slow/clear you if necessary. If you don't slow for your opponents, I will drop you.

I will protect in the PMR but call the POO.

Please give content warnings as applicable. The more the merrier.

A safe debate is my primary consideration as a judge. Do not misgender your opponents. I will not hesitate to intervene against any rhetorically violent arguments.

If any debater requests it, I will stop a round and escalate the situation to Tab, tournament equity, and your coaches. I will also do this in the absence of a request if I feel like something unsafe has occurred and it is beyond my jurisdiction/capacity to deal with it.

Case

Weigh, interact with your opponent's arguments, and signpost!! I prefer when your weighing is contextualized to the argument you want me to vote on, rather than across-the-board generalizations of preferring probability or magnitude. Unwarranted links have zero probability even if they are conceded. Cross-applications need to be contextualized to the new argument.

All types of counterplans are game and so is counterplan theory. Perms are a test of competition. I have no idea what a neg perm is, so if you read one, you have to both justify why the negative is entitled to a perm and also what a neg perm means in the context of aff/neg burdens.

I would prefer it if you cited your sources unless the tournament explicitly prohibits you from doing so. If there is an evidence challenge that affects my ballot, I will vote before I check your evidence, and if I find intentional evidence fabrication, I will communicate that information to tab.

Theory/Topicality

Theory is cool! Please have a clear interpretation and have a text ready. I am happy to vote on whatever layering claims you make regarding theory vs. Ks. In the absence of layering, I will default to theory a priori.

I won't vote on theory shells that police the clothing, physical presentation, or camera usage (for online debate) of debaters. I will evaluate neg K's bad theory, disclosure, and speed theory as objectively as possible, but I don't really like these arguments and probably hack against them. Aff K's bad/T-USfg is fine. I will drop you for reading disclosure in the form of consent/FPIC theory. I'll vote on all other theory shells.

I default to competing interpretations, potential abuse > proven abuse, and drop the argument. To vote for reasonability, I need a clear brightline on what is reasonable. I am neutral on fairness vs. education. I'm neutral on RVIs, but I'll vote for them if you win them. I am good with conditional advocacies, and also good with hearing conditionality theory.

Kritiks

KvK is currently my favorite type of debate to judge. Rejecting the resolution, performance Ks, and framework theory are all fine with me. Please read a role of the ballot. If you are interested in learning more about K debate, please email me and I will send you any resources/answer any questions you may have.

Tech v. Truth

I default to tech over truth, but I probably lean towards truth more than your average tech judge. I'm open to arguments that say I should weigh truth over tech and disregard the flow when technical debate is sidelining disadvantaged teams. I think while technical debate can be a tool for combatting oppression in the debate space, skill at technical debate is definitely correlated with class, income, and whiteness. As such, I'm willing to hear arguments that ask me to devalue the flow in favor of solving a form of violence that has occurred in the round as a result of technical debate.

Miscellaneous

For speaker points, I give 27s as a baseline. I won't go below this unless you are violent or exclusionary. Please answer 1-2 POIs if there isn't flex.

My resting face and my frowning face are the same, and I have very expressive nonverbals– I recognize that this combo can be intimidating/confusing and I strongly urge you not to use my nonverbals as indicators of anything. I promise I don't hate you or your arguments, it's just my face!

Good luck :^)

TLDR: I am a parent judge who did high school policy debate in the 80s. I won state (WA) my senior year. OK to speak fast, but a little above conversational speed is probably what I am most comfortable with. I will tell you slow/clear as needed. I am unfamiliar with theory and the K, so if you run these please explain them very carefully and justify them. If I do not understand your argument, I will probably not vote for you. Weigh in the rebuttals and tell me how I should evaluate the round - this makes my job easy and makes it easier for you to win my ballot. Homophobic/sexist/racist comments and other abuse will not be tolerated. If you abuse your opponents in any way I will drop you and tank your speaks.

Case: Please weigh in the rebuttals, it makes my job and yours a lot easier. Make clear, concise arguments.

Theory: I have a rudimentary understanding of T and how it functions in a round, but please explain your shell very well. Give me a clear interp, standards and voters as well as how I should be weighing T(ex. apriori). Do not run friv T. Prove to me that abuse has happened in the round and that you have an actual reason for running T other than to get an easy route to the ballot and dodge your opponent's case.

I do not understand RVIs and IVIs. Please do not run them. If you do, I will most likely not understand it and vote you down anyways, so it is in your best interest not to.

K: I have virtually zero knowledge about K lit and the structure of the K in general. I would prefer you not to run K’s but if you must, explain how it is relevant to the round. Still, keep in mind that there is a high chance I will not understand your argument and will vote against you as a result.

Speaks: I judge speaks mostly on substance and persuasiveness, not much on individual style. If you are abusive in any way/attempt to spread your opponents out of the round (although a certain amount of speed is fine - just don't be abusive with it), I will dock your speaks.

Hello Eager Debaters,

Even though I have lay judged for about 7+ years, please continue to treat me as a lay judge. Which means:

a. Don't assume - tell me everything about the process, structure, framework, weighing mechanism - all the good stuff you'll tell a lay judge

b. Each argument for me will have almost equal weightage unless there's a glaringly obvious difference in weightage - so make sure you are strengthening / countering all contentions produced

c. It's your responsibility to watch each others' time, speech sequence etc. - I'm focusing all my energy on the debate

d. I will leave as much of my opinion baggage outside the door as humanly possible. Don't make assumptions one way or the other that certain types of arguments will appeal any more or less to me because of who I am or appear to be

e. Be nice, have fun, keep learning! :-)

In a debate round, I like to see unique arguments that have solid logic and links to impacts, as well as organized presentation. Please explain clearly if you'd like to run technical arguments or counters. You'll get higher speaker points (my average ranges from 27-28) if you give clear and persuasive arguments and go over the flow. Most importantly, have fun!

I have been judging debate rounds for the last 7 years, and high school debate rounds for the last 3 years.

I judge by deliberating on the overall presentation of the debaters, including arguments and delivery.

I prefer a slower round of debate, that allows for a more involved, persuasive style of debate.

I prefer less debate technicalities, and more common sense arguments to make your points.

Hello, this is my second year judging and I really enjoy listening to all of you young, thoughtful, eloquent debaters.

Speak clearly and it helps if you organize your points for me. I will keep track of the flow, but I will also consider the strength of your arguments.

Mainly, I am looking for you to convince me that you are right.

Welcome! I hope your soul is doing well! Debate is a beautiful thing! I'm so excited to hear all the cool things you come up with!

MOST IMPORTANT: this is high school debate (maybe middle school). your wins and losses do not matter. the only thing that matters is learning and enjoying yourself. so be RESPECTFUL. don't be exclusionary. learn as much as you can. have fun!!!!

TLDR: weigh, good strategy, run what you want, be inclusive, be kind

Me: 4 years of HS parli for Bishop O'Dowd (NPDI& stanford sems, TOC octos), on my 5th year of coaching/teaching (camp, MVLA, Menlo School), considered myself a flay (comfortable w parents and experienced judges) debater. Medium-flow judge? (I guess you can decide that for yourself)

Case (Contentions, a plan, a counter plan... not Kritiks or Theory): I love a good case debate. your links are prob the weakest part of your case, so bolster those a bunch. terminalize impacts (why do I care about the economy or climate change? prob bc they relate to death and dehumanization). Ok with tricky CPs if you know your opponents and know they can engage, be prepared for the theory debate. If you don't weigh your impacts (probability, timeframe, magnitude, reversibility) I will cry. and I'm an ugly crier

Theory (what you run to argue about the rules of debate, trying to stop debaters from being unfair in rounds... or to be silly) : i love theory debates. If you're running theory and the other team doesn't know what theory is, EXPLAIN IT!! I love when teams help other teams learn!

Ks (Kritiks!): I am in no way a K debater's dream judge, but I do love hearing them! I 200% have not read your lit, so EXPLAIN EVERYTHING. If your opponent is confused you better be answering a bunch of questions. try to make your K accessible.

Tricks: If a 5 year old can't understand your argument, I won't either. WTF is a grain of sand. I don't know. People have spent hours trying to explain this stuff to me and I STILL don't get it, so you prob won't be able to make it make sense in 8 mins. But good luck, you do you

Style: do whatever makes you most comfortable. stand up, sit down, do a little dance, take your shoes off. I don't care. My speaks are on strategic moves, fun arguments (I like some passion too). Strategy is VERY important and is probably the fastest way to my ballot- by the 2nd constructive, you should have a clear story/ start weighing. PLEASE signpost (number things, tell me when you're moving on to the next advantage). I don't go below 28 unless you intentionally spread someone out of the round or say something offensive. I <3 jokes

Speed: Medium speed is fine. Don't spread (when ppl talk SUPER fast), but you can talk pretty fast. If I can't understand you I will yell clear/slow and if you don't I will put my pen down/ stop typing. Go at a speed that makes the round accessible to everyone (even if that's slower than your ideal). If someone yells slow and you don't slow down I will be very annoyed. On that note- advocate for yourself! ask your opponents to slow down! I vote very quickly on justified speed theory (what you run when someone has spoken so quickly that you're shut out of the round).

Call the POO! (I will do my best to protect on my own but if it's sketchy I prefer you call it)

If you have debate anxiety or are stressed, LET ME KNOW! I've been there! the panic attacks? Nausea? want to cry? You're still an amazing debater (I was too!). we can spend a min or two before the round talking about why learning is most important, maybe doing some breathing, mini dance party if that will help you. You deserve to be in this round as much as anyone else does!

I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE! I AM SO GLAD YOU DO DEBATE!! YOU'RE GONNA DO GREAT AND LEARN SO MUCH!!

in the words of the wonderful Riley Shahar -"If the round, or this space, is inaccessible for you for any reason at any point, please let me know and I will do whatever possible to help."

I tried my best to explain everything, but if you don't know one of the terms in this paradigm, shoot me an email! Parli jargon is weird and I know it can feel hard to ask what things mean! RFD? POI? RVI? MOI? TTYLXOX? what's with all these acronyms?!? (cc your partner or another adult and include a link to your favorite cat video)! aldenor@stanford.edu

Hi! I'm Gratia (she/her). I'm currently a sophomore at UCLA. I did parli at Bishop O'Dowd, where I competed for 4 years and coached novices as a junior and senior.

tldr: I'm down to evaluate any debate but am more familiar with theory and case than Ks. With that being said, I'll try my best to evaluate whatever debate you want to have.

General:

You can read any arguments (as long as they're not racist, sexist, ableist, transphobic, or violent in any other way) but I can't promise that I'll know your lit base so explain them well. I love theory. Please use impact calc! Framing and layering are/should be your best friends. I love clean collapses. You can talk fast but please don't spread, it's been a while since I've really been involved in debate.

Debate is for YOU (the debaters) so I want you to have whatever debate you want. Please don't exclude your opponents or read harmful arguments in the process of doing so, but other than that I will listen to any debate. If your opponents say/do anything that makes you feel unsafe or is violent I am more than happy to do whatever I can to help.

If you have any questions about anything here or the round feel free to ask or email me (gratiaorafferty@gmail.com)!

TECH>TRUTH

Case:

Please please please have warrants and explain why they're important, don't just read a quote. Be sure to do impact calc in your last speech AND tell me why I should prefer the impacts you have over the impacts your opponents have (ex: why magnitude matters more than probability or vice versa).

CPs are fine, but please spend time actually explaining them (don't just read the CP text and move on). I also love theory so I'm willing to listen to CP theory.

I love nuanced and specific link and internal link scenarios!! If you have some and use warrants within them I will be so grateful. I'm also a big fan of good brink scenarios.

Theory:

By far my favorite argument as a debater, I'm willing to listen to any theory argument (some of my favorites to read were framework and no neg fiat if that gives any context). Please explain how you access fairness/education and do weighing within the theory debate!!

I default to competing interpretations and drop the debater unless you make arguments for something else. If you're going for reasonability please provide a brightline. I think RVIs are okay if you have sufficient justifications and can respond to your opponent's RVIs bad arguments.

I'm okay with conditionality but also willing to hear condo bad and vote on it if done well.

Ks:

I am the least experienced with Ks but ran a few and hit a fair amount (and loved reading framework). I probably don't know much about your lit base (unless it's cap or set col) so you have to explain your arguments. That being said, I'm definitely willing to vote on Ks. Take questions!! None of us are going to have fun if the other team can't engage in the debate because they don't understand your argument. Ks and K lit can be confusing and isn't accessible to every team so if you don't take any of your opponents' questions I will give you low speaks (and I honestly probably have the same clarifying questions as your opponents).

Speaks:

I don't give speaks based on how "pretty" you speak, but rather based on your strategy. For example: if you have really great links in the PMC/LOC, cover your bases well in the MG, collapse well in the block, or give a clean collapse in the PMR, I will give you high speaks.

I will give low speaks if you don't slow/clear when asked, say anything violent/ offensive, or otherwise make the debate unsafe and inaccessible.

I have been judging Parli tournaments for 2 years now and I love the energy that the students bring into the debate.

I am a logical person and like to see figures and statistics to back up your claims. I don't like speakers who speak at breakneck speed because it's hard for me or their opponents to understand what they are trying to convince us about. Eight minutes are enough to make your point.

I am not a fan of theory but I will honor any valid points around theory, given that you explain each point. Sometimes it's unavoidable but don't run theory just to distract your opponents or eat into their time. You don't have to take all POIs, but I would suggest you take at least one. You are not obligated to take it right away, you can say you will take it in a bit, that's fine.

Speak at a normal pace, make good use of hand gestures and body language. Make eye contact, don't just bury your head into your notes. Be respectful of your opponents even though you are "fighting" them.

Good luck, and don't forget to enjoy your time!

Be nice to each other.

Respond specifically to your opponents arguments, preferably numbering them to keep the flow organized.

Weigh arguments in final speeches.

Slow down for your opponents when asked.

My email is nikkisuzani@gmail.com -- I'm not really that interested in reading your docs, but if you want me to look at a specific card after the round that you've clearly explained the warrants of and justified why it's a good card in round, then that's okay.

- I WILL drop you under all circumstances for not reading trigger or content warnings. Lack of content warnings when discussing issues such as addiction, mental health, physical harm, abuse, etc, as well as racist or offensive behavior will cause me to drop you, without exception. If you are unclear about whether something needs a content warning, message me.

- I will NOT dock you for not using all your time. If you do not have anything more to say, end the speech instead of repeating points. It is not a good use of anyone's time to do otherwise.

- Speak slowly, do not spread your opponent out of the round. If you do not respond to requests to slow down from either myself or your opponents, I will drop you. If I cannot understand a point, I will drop it. Do NOT gish gallop - I will drop you.

- Theory and RVIs are *acceptable*, but I will usually not go for them unless the violation is severe. Define jargon when used to make the theory more accessible to both myself and your opponents. Do not run friv theory.

- Do not run a K. I understand them but do not believe they are valuable to debate.

- Aff state resolution

- opponents keep time. I will not call out going over time if opponents do not call it out. Raise hands to call time, if there is no response in 20 seconds then unmute. Any argument 20 seconds over time will be ignored if the opponent calls out time.

Updated September 2021

I am a parent judge and it is my second year judging (mostly Parli). Having judged at least a dozen tournaments, I am comfortable with terminology and have heard a variety of styles and strategies. That said,

1. Please signpost - it helps me organize my notes and make a decision

2. No spreading if possible, I have trouble flowing when you speak fast

3. You can use theory but it has to be well explained.

Hi I'm Marco Zepeda (he/him/his), I competed in high school parli for 4 years and I'm currently coaching, both for Bishop O'Dowd :)

Give content warnings for before the speeches start please. I'll disclose and do a verbal RFD and feedback if time and tournament rules permits. LMK if you're not game :).

Theory: I'm open to "friv" t, I think it often leads to important conversations about how we should construct our debate space. I try to evaluate only what is on the flow, meaning I want you to do the work for me. Make sure to engage in the standards debates and talk about fairness and education.

Case: Impacts please! Impact weighing!! I like cp debates, you can get tricksy with them. My biggest, biggest pet peeve with case debates is when people go "our claim is this, we know that because of XY major publication or Professor Name at Z School says so." And then they don't elaborate any more than that! Evidence is great and all, but you really need to elaborate on that warrant with some analysis of the evidence itself, or your own logic as to why its true. Also please do lots of clear sign posting throughout your case, it goes a super long way for me.

Ks: I was a critical media studies major in college and feel like I have a pretty solid understanding of the basics of critical theory. I'm down for k's! But please explain everything well, I don't want anyone to be excluded from the round. There's no honor (or fun) in winning a round because your parents paid for you to go to camp and your opponents' didn't (this is also very true of theory rounds). Please don't read a k on something you're not well versed in, I feel like it defeats the whole purpose of even having the k debate. There must be a clear alt and role of the ballot.

Speed - I probably can flow your speed, I'll call slow if I can't.