Do not speak too quickly as it does not allow me to fully grasp what you are saying. I understand that sometimes a lot of information needs to be shared, but not at the expense of understanding for those listening.

Pretend that I know nothing (but I do, I have a lot of judging experience) about your topic, which sometimes may be true, and explain what you think I may not know for clarity (i.e. abbreviations, acronyms, jargon, etc). Then convince me why your side should win.

- Did Lincoln-Douglas debate (2nd in State) and extemporaneous speaking(Nationals qualifier) all of high school

- Former national competitor in University of Utah's John R. Park Debate Society

- qualified for National Forensics Association nationals

Debates:

- Good with any speed; don't slur or I'll stop flowing.

- I won't flow cross-examination, but I do encourage that you refer back to cross-ex specifically if needed

- Signpost!!!

- Traditional and progressive are good with me

- Impact scenarios are good

IEs:

- Varsity Extemp: have at least 7-8 sources

- Novice Extemp: have at least 5-6 sources

To help with the flow please assume that the judge is always ready. No need to ask me. You have my undivided for the time of the round.

Please no spewing! This is very rude to not only the judge, but also to the judge. It is hard to judge you if I can not understand what you are saying. Make Sure that you are talking at an intelligible speed.

However, with that said please do not assume what is spewing to the judge. IE debating the paradigm will not win you the round. STAY ON TOPIC!

My background: I'm primarily a Speech Coach and have been since 2003. I coached Public Forum a long time ago and judged Public Forum and Lincoln/Douglas at the high school level since our school was heavily invested in those forms of debate.

I am "old school" and prefer debaters speak to me as if I were a lay judge. Please don't make the mistake of thinking I know nothing about debate. It's just that I really don't like to hear a lot of debate slang. If you speak too fast for me to understand you, I will stop typing or writing. I don't like abusive arguments, but if you are on the receiving end, you should mention your opponents’ argument is abusive and why it's abusive. And if anyone runs an "everybody dies" or "nuclear war and the world ends" kind of argument, it better tie VERY logically to the topic or I will drop you.

I like rounds where there’s clear framework set in place. Give me a way to weigh the impacts in a round.

Please respect your opponents and all people in the room. I will dock speaker points if debaters are rude or don't let opponents get a word in during crossfires or cross-examinations. On the other hand, I will hand higher speaker points to those who use soaring rhetoric and appropriate humor - did I mention I'm a Speech coach?