1. Talking fast is fine but no spreading.

2. I am okay with theory and kritik literature as long as you warrant, link, and impact it very well. I'd prefer you stick to the topic at hand, but if you're really passionate about your "alternative" argument then by all means run it. You'll just really need to explain to me what's going on or you'll lose me.

3. Act as if I'm a blank slate on the topic.

4. Tech > truth

5. Crazy args are fine as long as they are explained well.

PUBLIC FORUM PREFS

1. Please don't frontline case in your second speech ( that's what summary is for!). That is such a waste of time. I'd rather have you give me a full 4 minute rebuttal.

2. I'd like a 50/50 split offense/defense in summary. Doesn't have to be *exact* but a general guideline to follow.

3. If you drop something in summary I won't consider it at all if you bring it up in FF.

4. In final focus I put my pen down for the most part. I want you to clearly and succinctly explain to me (i.e., give me numbered reasons) why I should vote for you. Weighing directly at the impact level is also super important here.

PARLI PREFS

1. Asking/attempting AND answering POIs is a good way to get higher speaker points. Don't spam your opponents with POIs though. Just enough for me to know you are engaged in the debate.

2. I hate parli because of the longer speech times. Please keep me interested. Being "performative" is a good way to do that.

3. Tag teaming is fine, but you need to repeat what your partner says.

I competed in policy debate in high school, parliamentary debate in college, and I have been coaching since 2001. I would consider myself a tabula rasa judge, as much as that is possible. I feel comfortable with any line of argumentation, but expect clear articulation of said argumentation. I want you to provide me with compelling reasons why you should win the debate. Generic argumentation, weak links, and time sucks are not appreciated. I don't judge a ton (in my local circuit I am in tab a lot), but I did judge at NSDA Nationals in 2020 including some late Elim rounds. I keep a detailed flow so staying organized is key to winning my ballot. Pronouns: she/her/hers. If you have questions, feel free to ask before the round starts. Email for the chain: amdahl-masona@nclack.k12.or.us.

I am a College Student in the field of Psychology and NSDA Alumni with experience in PF and LD debates, congress, and all manner of IE judging. I appreciate an off-time roadmap, clear and concise speaking, and good sportsmanship during the entire round. I personally believe the best cases have both advanced terminology and layman’s terms, along with appropriate media parallels. After all: laws affect everyone, so it’s imperative to ensure everyone understands the reasons for advocating for or against a proposal, backed up with reliable sources of course. I have been a volunteer community advocate for varying issues from DHS cases to beautification projects, which require a great deal of persuasion and gathering reliable evidence that supports each side of the argument.

I will have my own flow going in each round, and I usually decide based on who’s case points remained standing at the end of the debate, how well each side were able to dismantle the other’s arguments in both effectiveness and politeness, and the overall courtesy each competitor gives to their partner and opponents.

I’m a first year head coach. With my team, I’m largely focused on public address events but I also enjoy debate.

My professional background is in communications which influences my judging in any event. This means I’m looking for clarity and I want you to engage me with your speech. Please do not spread. I strongly prefer conversational cadence.

Analysis is important. I appreciate a clear explanation of your position, good organization with signposting, description of impacts and clash. I expect you to keep your own time.

Be professional. Be nice. Have fun.

I am a first time parent volunteer judge. I am a former teacher and love being involved in student activities.

Hey everyone, I am a parent judge approaching three years of experience in both debate and speech.

• I am a standard tech > truth flow judge (meaning that I will write down everything you say, even if it’s illogical). That being said, it’s your responsibility to address the fact that your opponents are running something very illogical if it happens

• Signpost. Tell me what contention you will be refuting/defending at all times - this makes it so much easier for me to effectively judge

• In the case of a prepared debate, be sure to cite evidence for your claims, but also have the logic for why it is true. Debate is both evidence and logic-based, and I expect to see both

• Lastly but most importantly, please keep your arguments at a reasonable speed. If I can’t understand what you’re saying then I won’t be able to flow it

I value clarity and organization in your presentation or argument. I appreciate it when you keep things simple and straightforward and logical. I also value moderate pacing and volume (i.e. speak slowly and don't yell), a confident demeanor, clear enunciation, and courtesy to your opponent(s). The content of your speech obviously matters most, but style of delivery (e.g. pacing, tone, mien) does affect my judgment.

About me: I am a father, Language Arts / History Teacher, and Speech and Debate coach. I have been a member of our community as a competitor, judge, and coach since 1990. I believe that this activity is the most important thing young people can do while in school. Trends an styles come and go, but one immovable truth guides my participation in this activity: I care for you, am proud of you, and look forward to you taking control of our country and making it better than when you found it.

About LD: I see my role in the round as a non-intervening arbiter tasked with the job of determining what world, aff or neg, we would be better off living in. I have judged V/C rounds, policy rounds, theory rounds, framework rounds. And while I have not attended a camp, or have a grasp of the current jargon in circuit debate, I find myself able to render decisions consistent with my peers even though I might not be able to vocalize my rationale the way camp debaters expect. I know who won, I just don't have the catchy phrases or lingo to explain how. You can not spread if you don't include me in the email chain. And even then, during rebuttals, I really do need clear signposting and pen time at the critical moments when you need me to hear your analysis. I am a smart guy, but as a father and teacher, I don't have the time to be hyper-versed in the literature. But if you take a small chunk of time, explain your theory, I'll get it. Ultimately, the email chain and the pen time will allow me to have a clean flow. And I (and you) want that clean flow for me to render a decision we can all be happy with.

So what are we looking at to secure my ballot. I'm a rubber meets the road kind of guy. I look for impacts. I expect engagement. I typically don't pull the trigger on T. I find most T arguments un-compelling if even my uneducated self knows about issues the Aff is bringing up. And in a world of disclosure, I am guessing most people know what's going on. This isn't to say I don't vote on T, but my bar is high. I'm open to pre-fiat arguments. I'm fine with considering RVIs. I'm fine with CX during prep if both competitors are ok with it. I don't mind audience members, but I will clear the room if I find the audience being disrespectful, or trying to cheat a glance at my ballot.

My RFDs in round are short, focus on the major voting issues, and are not open to cross examination by students or their coaches. I will write my more detailed thoughts out on the e-ballots prior to the end of the tournament.

Finally, I'm not going to be hurt by how you pref me. I'm going to do my best to do right in the round. One will agree with me. One won't. That's the nature of the game. But the sun will rise on the morn regardless of how you pref, or how I vote.

I like the spirited debates where teams listen to the arguments presented and provide intellectual challenges in the round. I’m the type of judge that appreciates politeness. If you find yourself being condescending, check in on whether your arguments are truly good. A better intellectual path will stand on its own.

Experience: I debated in both High School and College and coached for a few years. I was never the top debater on a team, but I appreciate the time and focus it takes to research, write and practice this art. If you run a good kritik or a creative case, explain it well and I’ll recognize it as just as legit as a traditional approach.

I prefer roadmaps and off time is fine, as is signposting throughout your speech. I appreciate a clear analysis of why you should win my vote in this particular round. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll win every Contention, so, synthesize the impacts and share your logic with me in your final speech.

Background
I have been coaching speech and debate for five years, focusing primarily on speech events. However, please do not assume that means I can't follow your complicated and technical debate styles as I have been judging for years and I use more complicated arguments daily at my job (I'm an attorney).

Paradigms
I am a logic-driven thinker and want well-thought-out arguments without any gaps in your links. GIVE ME VOTERS IN YOUR REBUTTAL SPEECHES! Please give me clash above anything. Know which debate event you're in; don't be arrogant in LD or too reserved in CX.

What Makes Me Smile
Turns and Perms are two of my favorite techniques and impress me greatly. I love humor when you can give it to me, but don't sacrifice logic for jokes. One of my favorite debate rounds ended up running a Kanye 2020 position in a debate on executive orders and it thrilled me to no end.

Speed
If I can't flow it because you're going to fast, I will drop my pen or cross my arms.

K's and T's
I do not like Kritiks. I will listen to them and weigh them against other arguments on the flow, but overall am not a big fan. If you run a K, please make it 100% logical. I find most T's to be annoying and whiney. Please do not run a T unless you know you can do it really well.

FlashTime and Off-Time Roadmaps
I don't count flash time as prep time, unless it becomes ridiculous. Fine with them but don't give me too much detail or I'll start your time.

I have judged debate since 1988. I started programs in San Jose, San Francisco, and Portland. I have judged every form at the state and national level. I am pretty tabula rasa. In fact, one reason we brought Parli into the state of Oregon in 1997 was that we were looking for something less protocol driven and less linguistically incestuous. Policy and LD seemed to be exclusive to those who could master lingo. With Parli, we had a common knowledge street fight. So, I am open to your interpretation of how the round should be judged. Incorporate anything from your tool box: weighing mechanism, topicality challenge, counterplan, kritik, et al.

But, I still have to understand what you are saying and why. . .and so does your opponent. (Hey, now this guy seems like a communication judge. Eye roll.) I will not judge on debate tactic alone; I am not a Game Player . . . though I did play PacMan once in 1981.

Next, I am a teacher. This is an educational activity. Students should be working on transferrable skills--what are we doing in this debate chamber that we will use outside of the room in a classroom or a college campus or life? So, no speed. I will call "clear" to help you adapt to the room. And, while I am open to creative opposition to premises and other kritiks for the round, I won't abide by arguments that degrade a people or an individual. I was stunned when a debater once tried to argue that Internment was not that bad. I do not think they believed this in their heart; how could we have come to a spot in this educational event where this young person felt that this was a viable argument?

Let us have fun and walk out of the room with something to think about... and our limbs in tact! Con carino, Gonzo

LD:

* I judge on value criterion and contention arguments, with almost equal weight.

* I'd like LD without excessive speed/spreading.

* I'd appreciate if you can explain the complex terms used and definitions in layman terms so that I can follow the arguments better

* prefer if you can please time each other

Arguments should be clear and concise. Examples are key- if you have examples for your argument, I will weigh it. However, it's important for the other team to acknowledge this. I won't do the work for you; it's important that you address flaws in each other's cases in round so I can get it on the flow.

The more you talk over each other, interrupt each other, act condescendingly to the other team etc. the less likely I will be to judge in your favor. I'm not going to reward behavior that is harmful and often rooted in sexism.

I get some jargon, but I mostly did PF in high school so I'm not extremely well versed in debate jargon.

If you are able to explain something to me in a way that's accessible to me as a judge, that's fine. But I'm not necessarily going to know whether you laid out a kritik correctly, because that's not the type of thing I'm really familiar.

yo what up

lejakenneth@gmail.com email me with questions or further feedback you would like! Always down to help anyone in the community.

I am Kenneth (he/they) I am the head spontaneous and parliamentary coach of Lincoln High School. I think also head of Speech/Interp? My man Ben Harrison works in the labs of Big Tournaments, and we all do the most we can for our students. I care about my students very much, but if you are reading about this then you probably care more about my experience than my love for them lol. I attended* college at Lewis and Clark and am studying both Philosophy and Rhetoric and Media Studies. I did parliamentary debate and some speeches in high school. In college I did college debate for a while, found it was awful and inaccessible, and switched to speech and did that for several years. I was nationally competitive in both, and it was a very enjoyable experience that I would encourage many to consider. Speech that is, not college debate ;) In my time I have debated in Parliamentary Debate for 3 years, Public Forum for one, NPDA for one. Speech events I have performed in are Impromptu for 6ish years, Extemp for 3 years, Prose like twice ever. Poetry for a year, Info for two, Persuade for two, After Dinner Speaking for two. In high school I never did nat quals, but won state in Parliamentary Debate my senior year. In college I nationally qualified and competed on a national level in NPDA one year, extemp three years, impromptu two, ADS two, Persuade one, Info one, Poetry one. My prose and poetrys are unanimously acknowledged as having never been good :) As you can probably tell I have done nearly every event or debate format so I am a jack of all trades sort, hence my love for teaching and coaching.

TLDR for events:

~Don't say thank you!!!!!! Number of thank yous I have heard since adding this to my paradigm: 123

It is far far preferred to end speeches with a powerful memorable line or thought. Thank yous ruin this completely and ruin the ending tone of a speech.

Debates:

Say you all deserve 30 speaks, it takes 8 seconds. I will give you 30 speaks. speaker points are bad and sexist, you know the drill.

1. Policy: Anything goes. Frivolous Ks run in bad faith will be dropped. Ks cannot be kicked, if you kick a K you are running it in bad faith. If this is confusing or you have questions, please ask me about them before the round.

2. LD: Ts okay. Ks probably not. Frivolous T/Ks, especially if kicked, will be dropped. If you are wanting to run a K ask me about them before the round so I can explain.

3. Parli: Ts okay within reason. Ks probably not. Frivolous T/Ks, especially if kicked, will be dropped. If you are wanting to run a K ask me about them before the round so I can explain.

4. Pofo: Run theory in pofo I dare you :) please don't actually. I also flow cx. Don't change how you approach cx, I just think if it is said it should have flow to refer to it.

5. BQD: I hate all philosophers. Logos is your friend, not ethos. Also don't be a sociopath and any morality arguments will probably be fine. This means you too LD.

6. Worlds: ...bruh

Speech events:

Ask yourself "why is this argument made in this event and not another".

7. Impromptu: You need to have a thesis, and all of your points need to independently prove your thesis. Impromptu is best when you use a complex range of material for examples with unique interpretations and arguments for why they support your thesis. Please do not ever use yourself as an example. If you do it once you won't rank first in the round and if you use more than one self inserted example you are bottom two.

8. Extemp: You need to have a thesis, and all of your points need to independently prove your thesis. Make an argument and convince me, easy as that. Also if you do not DIRECTLY answer the question you rank behind anyone that did, which can result in an auto last.

9. Informative: Your mission is to have an argument, or "point", that is conveyed uniquely through educating the audience about a specific thing that exists, and having some form of interpretation of what this information means and its impacts.

10. Oral Interp: This format is a little strange, but it is mostly the same as whichever style you decide to do (informative/ads/etc.) with some form of persuasion often incorporated.

11. After Dinner Speaking: Your mission is to have an argument, or "point", that is conveyed uniquely through humor with deeper thematic points and overall themes throughout your piece. I value substance of the argument heavily, so more laughs doesn't win a round in my mind, although no laughs is pretty detrimental. These laughs are mine though lol, I don't care what the audience thinks I'm the judge. This may seem rough but this helps prevents things like stacking rounds. Additionally, I don't always audibly laugh and can appreciate the art and skill of a speaker without audibly laughing. It is just the nature of the event and who I am. That being said, do not be afraid to give it your all, I appreciate the commitment and challenge of this event, so swing for the fences.

12. Poetry: Your mission is to have an argument, or "point", that is conveyed uniquely through complex and overlapping pieces of poetry. This is a set, not a single piece.

13. POI: Same as Poetry, except the material used is much more diverse in medium than just poetry. This is a set, not a single piece.

14. DI: Your mission is to have an argument, or "point", that is conveyed uniquely through depiction of character and character progression and story. If there is not a central character, or implied "common" character, your piece will be harmed significantly. I have seen sets for this, but the best DI's I recall have all been singular pieces.

15. DUO: Your mission is to have an argument, or "point", that is conveyed uniquely through the relationship between two people. Singular pieces way way preferred. It is harder to convey relationships if your characters keep changing. I have seen good sets, but I highly discourage it unless you absolutely know what you are doing.

Eventually I will write some manuscripts about each event individually and add them here. The thank you count will keep me coming back to this.

Quality beats quantity every time. There's no value to speaking as fast as humanly possible. If I can only catch 50% of what you say, you're wasting 50% of the time you have.

Arguing the meaning of a common word may work in a deposition, but won't win a debate.

I prefer no off time road maps. If you wish to lay out your speaking plan, please do that in your allotted time.

Asking my paradigms, then ignoring them almost always ends with a loss.

In debate rounds I expect:

Organization

Sign-posting

'Clash' as needed

Professional Behavior

In debate rounds I have difficulty with:

Spread (overly rapid delivery) - Due to tintinitis (ringing in the ears) I cannot fully understand 'spread' and thus if I cannot understand what the competitor is saying, I cannot give credit for what is being said, or the ability to 'flow' my notes so that I can judge accurately.

In Individual Event rounds I expect:

To hear a 'well polished' speech.

I competed for six years in debate between high school and college. My history has included being nationally ranked in Public Forum as well as in NPTE/NPDA [college parli]. I placed 10th in the 2016 NPTE competition while debating for the University of Oregon. I have also coached for 6+ years including my time directing Oregon Global Debate Institute at University of Oregon.

I am a critical debater who appreciates critical arguments and performances. I am a non-interventionist, and will not debate for you. Debate should be a free [while safe] creative space where you ought to be able to run whatever arguments that YOU feel are most compelling. I can flow theory, kritiks on both sides of the debate, etc.

I am fine with speed as long as clarity remains present (I prefer speed while reading cards). Solvency is a must, and I do weigh Aff/Neg world comparisons if done correctly. Internal summaries, signposting, and conclusions are suggested.

I will not vote for an argument that does not have a link present.

The most important element in debate for me is impact calculus.

I take rhetorical violence very seriously and will reduce speaker points significantly if it is performed inside of the round.

I did Pofo for 4 years and Parli a few times. I was also undefeated (8-0) in SPAR (a joke debate format) so like I’m kind of a big deal. I will be flowing and voting off of the flow but I still want to hear arguments that would make sense outside of debate rounds. Keep the round civil and fun and try not to get too heated. Also please don’t make new arguments in your last speech!! I will not flow the new argument, and I will be very unhappy:(

I would consider myself to be a Policymaker judge if that’s at all helpful. Specific paradigms for debate formats are below:

Public Forum:

As the name implies, public forum is a form of debate that is meant to be accessible to the public and I expect everybody to treat it as such.

CONDENSE! If you get up and recite your entire case in your final focus and your opponents tell me why one of their arguments outweighs everything else in the round, they're probably going to win. I know that some judges don't like it when you "drop" arguments but I don't care as long as your opponents don't have offense on it.

Evidence is very important and if your card doesn't say what you claim it does I will not be voting on that argument. If you are sharing evidence with each other I would like to see it as well and, if I feel the need to, I will call for cards at the end of the round. If you think there is confusion over evidence, please point that out and ask me to look at the evidence. Losing a round because your opponents misconstrued your evidence sucks and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. Also, if there is conflicting evidence, tell me why your evidence is better otherwise I don't know how to vote on that argument. I will evaluate cards for accuracy but I expect you to demonstrate their credibility and importance. You don't have to take prep time to exchange evidence as long as neither team is prepping and it's not taking an unreasonably long time.

I'm okay with a little bit of speed but I want to make sure that everybody including your opponents and spectators can understand what is going on in the round.

PoFo is not a format for progressive argumentation. I want to see a debate on the resolution. Here are some of my specific thoughts:

Plans and counterplans aren’t allowed. Per the NSDA manual “Neither the pro or con side is permitted to offer a plan or counterplan; rather, they should offer reasoning to support a position of advocacy. Debaters may offer generalized, practical solutions.” To me, this does mean that you are allowed to clarify some aspects of the resolution if you are on aff but it shouldn’t stretch much beyond definitions. The neg can discuss alternatives to the resolution but must be able to convince me that the alternative that they are advocating for is likely to happen in a neg world and is unlikely to happen in an aff world. Either way, your “position of advocacy” should only enhance the debate about the resolution, not be a clever way to avoid the actual topic.

If you’re thinking about running a K, do CX.

Theory and topicality are fine as long as they are relevant. I really don’t care how you format it though. If your opponents do something that you think is unfair just point it out to me, tell me why they shouldn’t be doing that, tell me to drop the argument and move on. I’ll either agree with you or I won’t so don’t waste too much time on it. You should bring it up in the final focus but PLEASE still have case-related voters.

Parli:

I really want to see a debate about the resolution. If you just memorize a K and recite it that defeats the purpose of a limited prep debate format in my opinion. Topicality and theory are sometimes necessary so I will vote on them but don’t treat them as your strategy.

Parli is interesting in that there can be factual debates where neither team can supply evidence to prove that they are correct. If your opponents say something untrue it is your job to point it out. Although I don’t want to, I will vote on something that I know to be false if the other team never points out that it isn’t true.

Also, your arguments need to make sense. If your third contention is that the sky is green therefore we need nuclear power, I don’t care whether or not your opponents respond to it because they shouldn’t have to waste their time on that. That being said, if an argument is more coherent than my fictional third contention but falls victim to a logical fallacy, it is on the opposing team to point that out. Again, I will not be very happy to vote on an argument that isn’t logically sound but, if it makes some sense and its logic went unrefuted, I might have to.

LD:

Since this is LD I would love to see some framework that's not just util. That being said I'm not super familiar with framework that's more than just "my weighing mechanism is cost-benefit analysis" because that's all you can really do in PoFo so keep that in mind if your framework is really dense. I will do my best to understand your framework but it's also on you to make it understandable.

I don't have very much experience with spreading so try to limit your speed and, more importantly, speak clearly. I will let you know if I can't understand you but in the end, you're only really harming yourself if I'm not following your argument. As far as progressive arguments go, you will have to explain to me why they should be voting issues. Also, LD isn’t CX so I would be very careful about running progressive arguments. Obviously, if there is a real topicality issue or something that requires theory then go for it but I would prefer to see somebody win the debate on the resolution. (Also be topical and don’t be abusive and this shouldn’t be an issue.)

Evidence is very important and if your card doesn't say what you claim it does I will not be voting on that argument. If you are sharing evidence with each other I would like to see it as well and, if I feel the need to, I will call for cards at the end of the round. If you think there is confusion over evidence, please point that out and ask me to look at the evidence. Losing a round because your opponents misconstrued your evidence sucks and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. Also, if there is conflicting evidence, tell me why your evidence is better otherwise I don't know how to vote on that argument. I will evaluate cards for accuracy but I expect you to demonstrate their credibility and importance.

Policy:

The fact that I did Pofo should probably tell you everything you need to know. I don't have very much experience with spreading so try to limit your speed and, more importantly, speak clearly. I will let you know if I can't understand you but in the end, you're only really harming yourself if I'm not following your argument. As far as progressive arguments go, you will have to explain to me why they should be voting issues. I would prefer that most of the debate be about the resolution itself but if you decide to go for topicality or run a K that's fine but you will have to tell me why I should vote on it. I'm unlikely to vote on something that (in my mind) isn't relevant to the debate though so be careful and use your best judgment as to whether or not it's necessary.

Evidence is very important and if your card doesn't say what you claim it does I will not be voting on that argument. If you are sharing evidence with each other I would like to see it as well and, if I feel the need to, I will call for cards at the end of the round. If you think there is confusion over evidence, please point that out and ask me to look at the evidence. Losing a round because your opponents misconstrued your evidence sucks and I want to make sure that doesn't happen. Also, if there is conflicting evidence, tell me why your evidence is better otherwise I don't know how to vote on that argument. I will evaluate cards for accuracy but I expect you to demonstrate their credibility and importance.

I have been coaching and judging High School debate since 2003, though I have spent the better part of the last decade in tabrooms, so don't get to judge as much as I used to. :-)

If I had to classify myself, I would say that I am a pretty traditional judge. I am not a huge fan of Ks, because for the most part, I feel like people run Ks as bad DAs, and not a true Ks.

I cannot count the number of times I have had a student ask me "do you vote on [fill in the blank]"? It honestly depends. I have voted on a K, I have voted on T, I have voted on solvency, PICs, etc., but that doesn't mean I always will. There is no way for me to predict the arguments that are going into the round I am about to see. I can say that, in general, I will vote on almost anything if you make a good case for it! I want YOU to tell me what is the most important and tell me WHY. If you leave it up to me, that is a dangerous place to be.

Important things to keep in mind in every round.
1) If your taglines are not clear and slow enough for me to flow, I won't be able to flow them. If I can't flow it, I can't vote on it. I am fine if you want to speed through your cards, but I need to be able to follow your case.

2) I like to see clash within a debate. If there is no clash, then I have to decide what is most important. You need to tell me, and don't forget the WHY!

That leads me to...

3) I LOVE voting issues. They should clarify your view of the debate, and why you believe that you have won the round.

schmittkyla@gmail.com

Hey all—I'm Kyla. A little background on me: I'm a class of 2020 high school graduate who did speech and debate all four years of high school. Over the years, my main events were first PF and later Parli, but I also have limited competing experience with CX, BQD, impromptu, radio, and US extemp. In college, I do a debate format called CARD, which is similar to CX.

I mostly strive to be tabula rasa, unless whatever you’re saying exceeds my reasonable doubt. In other words, I'll do my best not to let anything not said in the round influence my decision—however, I will also not vote on arguments that I know to be blatant misinformation (that the average American adult would know to be untrue), nor will I accept statements that are clearly bigoted. Still, it's your job as debaters to oppose these arguments when you encounter them and call them out for what they are, even if the misinformation/bigotry is not outward but more insidious, and I will make a note of it on your ballot if you don't.

Throughout the round, please signpost and be organized in your responses and extensions. I love a good, orderly line-by-line analysis, and I strongly dislike not knowing where to flow your arguments (I’m coaching/judging a debate tournament—there’s a 99% chance I’m going to be tired, so make your arguments easy to follow). In your last speech, be clear about why you've won. Voting becomes harder (and more biased) when you don't give me explicit, technical reasons why I should vote a certain way. Substantive voters, impact calc, or comparing worlds are a few good ways to do this. My personal preference is for impact calc.

A few notes especially for CX debaters but also for everyone: please don't assume that I have memorized every convention of your format. Instead, explain to me what arguments you're making and why they matter; don't just throw out a bunch of jargon and expect me to ascertain its full significance. I can handle speed, but if you’re going to go fast, clarity is non-negotiable. Please be accommodating if your opponents ask you to slow or clear.

Finally, be polite and gracious to your opponents and to me! People are taking a lot of time out of their days to make these tournaments happen. Let’s keep debate a positive and educational space.

Hello,

I have been judging and coaching since 2016, before that I was a competitor in high school. My day job is a compliance director and pre-kindergarten teacher . My paradigms are pretty simple. In debate I vote by flow, show me the link chain, connections, and how your evidence or case is stronger than your opponent. If you provide a frame work, carry it through the round. I do not like spreading and super fast speaking, slow down and annunciation your words. Debate is still a speaking event, show off your public speaking skills . My pet peeve is interrupting opponents and rude manners, such as mumbling rude comments, if you ask a question, wait for a reply before moving on. Keep your comments to the case not other students. In IE events, I am looking for annunciation, smooth pace of speaking, use of gestures and showing a varied range of emotions. Best of luck in your rounds, feel free to ask any questions.

I have 3 years of experience in high school parliamentary debate. I strongly dislike kritiks and don’t recommend running them. Please only run legitimate theory arguments. Illegitimate ones that are only run to waste time will count against your team. I will only consider arguments made in round, regardless of personal opinions. I prefer explanations of a few strong pieces of evidence to lists of statistics and don’t recommend spreading too quickly.

I don't have much experience with IE, but judged some rounds at a previous tournament and am familiar with the format and judging criteria.

Good luck!

I am a lay judge. I struggle to digest spreading, so use it at the risk of me losing track of some portion of your argument. Insofar as IEs go, I'm fairly open. Please use a trigger warning as a courtesy to others in the room if applicable. No need to thank me, but please be courteous to each other.

Some background: I did four years of high school debate- both lay debate and nat circuit focusing on mostly LD.

Include me on your email chain please: helenawehr@outlook.com

Speed:

I’m okay with spreading, but please make sure you speak clearly, if I can’t understand what you’re saying I won’t flow it. Better slow than sorry.

Kritiks:

Kritiks are fine, just don’t assume I have any comprehensive understanding of the philosophy- especially if it’s more obscure, and make sure you actually know what you’re talking about. Also, make sure your kritik has solid impacts, when it comes down to a wash between policy versus in round impacts, I’m more likely to favor policy.

In general: I mostly liked policy debate, that's definitely what I prefer. I'm fine with theory. Mainly, just be organized and don't be rude.

In general I judge a debate based on the flow. Therefore clash is essential. I am basically a tabula rasa judge with one basic exception that applies across all debate forms. That exception is that I will not accept arguments that are blatantly unethical or inhumane. A good example of this kind of argument is “Nuclear holocaust will aid in population control.” I am not a fan of spreading, though I can work with it. However, that being said, if I cannot hear it, understand it, or flow it, it will not figure in to my final decision. Specific paradigms for individual debate forms are as follows:

CX Policy: I rarely grant a debate on the basis of Topicality. If you argue topicality make sure that it is indeed topicality and not a sub-point of Solvency or Inherency. Both sides need to show me that they have followed and understand the arguments of their opponents and clash with their points.

LD: Value and Criterion must work hand in hand. All contentions need to be made with the value and criterion in mind. I really appreciate the more philosophical approach, but it needs to also be grounded in the real world.

Public Forum: I am not a fan of K's. If you utilize them, they must be something more than a basic attack on the underlying assumptions, and please no slippery slope arguments. If you attack the underlying assumptions, create a very solid rationale and have in depth factual material to back up your argument.

Parli: I look more for the creativity of the cases, and how the sides develop their position within the narrow time frame. The debate will be judged on the flow, but I want to see creativity, clash, and excellent use of questioning.

I am here to be persuaded, and to that end I want to see you communicating with me. Respect for your opponents and ideas is a must. Good luck and I look forward to seeing you debate.

I have a background in policy debate, so that means that I like structure and specific impacts. Other than that, I am pretty tabula rasa. Please tell me how you win this debate with discussions of burdens and weighing mechanisms. In Oregon Parliamentary, I am not a huge fan of Ks because I do not think you have enough time to prepare one properly, but I will vote on one if the opp links into it hard, like you can show me how they are specifically being sexist, racist, trans/homophobic, etc.

I've judged multiple Parli rounds including some rounds on the national circuit. I likeb analysis more than speed and breadth. Rebuttal speeches should articulate in simple term. The debaters should stay calm, even and respectful.

I'm a lay judge with several years experience judging all forms of debate and speech events. I've taught college-level rhetoric, composition, and literature. In Debate rounds I'm looking for a solid argument with good supporting examples with clear and full elaboration; in other words, development is preferable to repetition. Make sure you define your terms meaningful and adhere to the actual resolution and don't wander off topic (i.e., if the issue is whether the US should pay its debt to the UN, the debate should specifically focus on that issue and not the UN in general). I love a good CX and (all things being equal) favor teams that discover vulnerabilities in the opponents' arguments and take advantage of them. If you don't have a full grasp of an abstract concept, i.e., "hegemony," "structural violence," "Occam's razor," "rational actor," "soft power," etc. don't bring it into play. Be able and willing to explain yourself and your ideas fully. I am unimpressed by spreading, jargon, or rudeness and regard off-time road maps as redundant. Similarly, telling me the "rules" of debate and claiming something is "unfair" will win you no points. I prefer to be convinced rather than told how to vote.

Paige Yi (she/her/hers)

pyi@csd8.info

I have been involved in the speech and debate world for several 7 years and have previously coached.

Overall, I expect a respectful, well-structured debate. Essentially, keep it organized, explain things clearly, clash, and don’t be rude to your opponent.

I prefer off-time roadmaps.

Please keep your delivery clear. I’m not a fan of spreading, but as long as you are speaking clearly and are organized in your debate, I can accommodate. If I cannot understand what you are saying, however, I will not flow it.

I appreciate a clear analysis of why you should win in the final rebuttals.