I debated for four years in high school and I have extensive experience with both Congress and PF. I now do both APDA and BP at Brown. Feel free to ask me about college debate! My paradigms are as follow:

First, keep the round organized. I flow extensively, so stay on the flow and make the round neat. I can flow relatively fast, but it's probably nicer for everyone if you don't spread. That being said, I don't flow cross, so use it to dive into your opponent's arguments instead of trying to impress me. Be sure to bring up any relevant points from cross in your speeches as well. And if you're unpleasant in cross it will be reflected in your speaks.

Please make sure that your arguments are warranted with sound reasoning and logic, rather than just dumping evidence on me. I cannot use evidence that is not warranted. This is incredibly important so please be mindful that you provide warranting.

I am willing to vote you down for being disrespectful and/or toxic to the community and activity of debate. I will also drop you for running an overly technical or inaccessible case.

Weigh! Weigh! Weigh! This is the only way I am able to properly adjudicate rounds, so tell me why your arguments matter the most. Please!

I do not care if you do the flip before the round to save time. So feel free to do so.

If your roadmap is more than "our case, their case" then it probably isn't super useful. So keep em' short and keep em' on time.

Lastly, have fun! Be witty, make jokes, let back. And if anything here is incomplete or you have any clarifying questions, please feel free to ask.

Debates

Policy

Games player, mostly. If you run it, back it up and tell me why you win the round (and the other side loses).

Lincoln Douglas

Value/Criterion clash. V/C have to flow through the case for me to consider it. Again, tell me why the arguments you're making ensure you win the round (and the other side loses).

LD isn't a forum for Policy debaters looking for something fun to do. Run LD as it's meant to be run.

Public Forum

Make logical arguments and tell me why you win (and the other side loses). Also, please remember: PF isn't Policy Lite.

Congress

All of your speeches (both authorships and all responses) need to be fully supported with evidence. Analysis is great but evidence is better.

Make sure that you're truly cordial to the rest of the competitors in and out of the round.

Interps

Humor/Drama/Duo

Remember that you're interpreting your selection, not mimicking.

POI

POI is great because it not only allows for interpretation but allows the speaker to make a point about a topic that they believe is important. Use that flexibility to your advantage.

Poetry

Not all poetry rhymes and, more important, rhyming shouldn't be what moves your poem forward. Interpret what you've performing--make it matter to you.

Oratory

Persuasion is key: make me believe what you've written/what you're saying.

Informative

These are speeches designed to be info dumps that intrigue me; your visual aid shouldn't be the only part I'm interested in.

Extemp

Formatting is key: it gives you a good structure to work from and allows me to follow along easily.

I value a good mix of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in a debate. Lincoln-Douglas debate is about the value clash; I expect to see debtors using philosophy and moral arguments.

I am a traditional LD judge with 35 years of experience in the event. V and VC are important to me as well as use of evidence, logic, flow of the debate, as well as speaker quality. No games please, no new fangled theory attacks and/or maneuvering. Just debate straight up and let the best person win. In summery if I were to hire a lawyer, I would pick the debater who I would feel most comfortable representing me in court. I would not pick the debater who wasn't respectful or who might sway the jury against me due to their speed or overly aggressive style.

I am a tab ross judge. I don't care what you run or how you run it. Speed is fine. Make sure I can flow what you're saying.

I judge on the flow and won't interfere so make sure you pull through your arguments.

Be respectful and respect each speakers time.

It's your round. I'm just living in it.

Any other questions can be answered in round.

I am a retired public school educator. I taught in high school for 35 years.

I'm a volunteer and I've read over some information about this topic and watched a demo video, but I'm new to judging.

I often have some difficulty understanding the participants during a video conference. Please keep your delivery slow and clear.

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

Background for Bill Lemonovich

Extemp,Oratory ,Poetry and DI were all HS areas of competition I pursued during while in High School as well as American Legion Oratory

I was a policy debater for 4 years at Cal State University and enjoyed the State and National Tournaments;happy to have been inducted into the Debate /Speech fraternity :Pi Kappa Delta. Competing at this time was an incredible experience.defeating Harvard University was an Honor.

Email:lemonovich@verizon.net

High School teacher in New York, Montgomery County,Md.and Pennsylvania :German.Russian,World History and Psychology and Debate.

I have coached 10 HS teams in several states and have been a Tournament Director with 30 schools competing as well as organizing the Cal State University tournament a few years ago..Treasurer of the MCFL ( Montgomery County, Md. ) National NSDA tournments have included Kansas City,Las Vegas, Ft.Lauderdale, Dallas and Birmingham.Presently moving towards my Second Diamond status in NSDA.

Judging preferences :Clear, direct presentation of contentions including a clear statement of the R and a definition of key terms

~~ Impact arguments by both the Aff/Neg should be clear stressed,extended and REITERATED ..if you feel you have the winning arguments,it's worth repeating and stressing !

~~ Spreading is not clear communication...if you gasp and moan while delivering your speech I will not be pleased !

~~ Clash is imperative..you must convince me that your arguments outweigh those of your opponents !

~~ In PF and CX..teamwork is a must..your partnership should be smooth in in sync or it will likely be confusing

~~ I am not a fan of 'trick cases' or some variant of a 'Counterplan'..Make your case clear,logical and 'persuasive'

IE Judging

~ There is often a very 'thin line' between Ranking 1-5 in IE events..I look for Topicalty,a strong intro,2-3 major points and a

'Call to Action' when you speak..a little humor can go a long way...ENGAGE your audience..I want to be informed,enlightened and entertained..doesn't everyone ?

Debates

Lincoln Douglas

Value/Criterion clash and flow through the case. Tell me why your arguments win the round and the other side loses.

Public Forum

Make logical arguments with cited evidence and tell me why you win and the other side loses.

Congress

All of your speeches (both authorships and all responses) need to be fully supported with evidence.

Interps

Humor/Drama/Duo

Interpretation of your pieces doesn't mean copying the original. Give me insight into why this piece spoke to you.

Poetry

I like to understand what the piece(s) mean to you, so show me in your interpretation.

Oratory

Make me believe what you are saying.

Informative

Give me the information in a way that makes me want to learn more.

Extemp

Organization of your thoughts is important, as well as citing your sources (which should not be made up).

Experience- 4 years high school as competitor, 2 years competing on my college team, and 5 years coaching my high school team.

What I like to see- I joined the dark side of debate as a parli. debater on my college team. Because of this I value the logistics of the debate rather than cards/evidence. Meaning, I am not putting any ink down while you are throwing out information off of all the cards you are reading. I think that you should read your card and then explain why this is relevant in your case. Any type of debate is suppose to be a persuasive speech, not a competition of evidence. As far as technical debate I will vote on those arguments alone if they are done well. I don't appreciate spreading or just dropping arguments as a strategy, I think that is a waste of time. K's are welcome, especially if they are done right. Speed is fine, but if I have to ask for your case because you read so fast nobody could understand you I will vote you down. I believe that if I have to do the work and read over your entire case in order to understand it that you are not debating. Don't make me do the work for you! I will not flow during any cross x. I believe that the time is for opponents to clarify and get information. If you want to bring up what is said during your speech I am cool with that. Lastly, during cross x I would appreciate letting opponents finish their thoughts and being respectful, I don't think being rude during cross x should be used as a strategy.

I competed in PF and Congress (3 and 4 years respectively) at Durham Academy.

PF

TL; DR:I will be flowing the round, so feel free to refer to the flow on points you would like to reintroduce. Don’t spread, this is not LD. You can speak quickly, so long as you are delivering your points clearly. The main focus of my judging is who is winning the debate. You provide the set of criteria that defines what winning means. Respect each other. No off-time roadmaps.

Constructive: This speech is the foundation for the entire debate. As such, all of your main points should stem from this speech. At the beginning of the speech, I expect that you will introduce a weighing mechanism or lens through which the debate ought to be judged*. Your impacts should lead into this mechanism or lens. All claims made during the constructive need to have warrants and each warrant should have a reputable source. With that being said, the constructive speech is a great time to provide depth to arguments. I would prefer a more robust explanation of points in two contentions to a list of numbers in a case with 4 contentions. Additionally, this speech is the only one that should be fully prepared ahead of each round and should be spoken clearly, articulately, and should end on at the appropriate time.

Rebuttal: This speech should focus on explaining why your opponent’s points are either wrong or outweighed by your own. You can certainly use the time to extend your constructive, but you should ensure that you leave time to address your opponent’s points.

Summary: The summary serves as a funnel for the debate. It should narrow the scope to the points that you see as the most important. These do not need to be your own points, but they should be weighed to explain why you’re winning on those points.

Final Focus: The final speech in the debate should focus on voters and weighing. I strongly dislike reaching back for points that were not extended through summary. I appreciate when the weighing mechanism or lens for the debate are brought back in for the final focus, especially when your opponents have accepted that weighing mechanism or lens.

Crossfire: Please be respectful of each other. Each side should have the opportunity to ask questions. Keep the focus on the topic and avoid ad hominem remarks.

*This isn't required, but if you don't provide a framework then I will assume you're running util.

Miscellaneous:

· Use your prep time. There are no bonus points for leaving prep time on the board.

· Stay calm. It will help you maintain a reasonable speed and deliver points clearly.

· Avoid off-time roadmaps. Just signpost throughout your speech instead.

· Attire is not something I tend to worry about. I will not be counting it for or against you, but some judges might. I recommend professional attire.

Congress

Maintaining decorum during the round is important. Each competitor ought to be respectful of each other, regardless of what occurs during the round. I will be judging based on how each student operates as a legislator. Participating in cross-examination, presiding well, properly using points of order, and generally demonstrating a thorough understanding of the event will all be considered when I make my judgment. When giving a speech it is important that you support your points with evidence. Credible evidence should be clearly cited from a reputable source.

LD

First and foremost, respect each other. Link your arguments back to the standard. When attacking your opponent's argument, make sure you use the standard established in the round.

Evidence: If you cannot produce evidence quickly when it is called by your opponent, I'll simply disregard that piece of evidence.

Spreading: Feel free to do so, but I value the quality of your arguments far more than the quantity.

3 diamond coach. Member of Wyoming coaches Hall of Fame. TabRoss on all debate.

This may sound harsh at first, but I expect presenters to follow the rules. If a presentation is to be memorized, then memorize it. If there are time limits, then stick to them. It is only fair to all the contestants to apply the rules that the tournament has set.

I try to provide the constructive feedback aimed at the competitor's level of experience. After 25 years of judging college and secondary tournaments, I do my best to provide encouragement and helpful feedback for future improvement.

I don't like to get "technical" in my feedback. I attempt to provide the point of view of an audience of "general" knowledge and skills. If the presenter were making a speech at a social gathering, club, corporate meeting, then I am going to be that audience and bring that perspective to my comments and judging.

Each contestant deserves to be judged courteously and with compassion for the situation they are in. There is enough pressure in being in competition, I understand and allow for the human foibles that sometimes present themselves.

C-X: Tabula Rasa paradigm. Tell me why your argument is the correct choice for voting.

I am comfortable with all debate techniques and arguments.

LD: Utilitarian Moral Imperative: I vote generally for affirmative or negative based on who provides a moral imperative for voting. I believe in the greater good, a willing sacrifice of my own privileges to assure that society survives. Your case's values, criteria, etc. should explain how this is accomplished.

Public Forum: I consider this debate akin to a round table on a news station. I'll be the anchor, and the debaters will be the "experts." The winner is the most convincing.

Congress: Sound like a senator/rep. I'm most interested in who commands the room. Politics are verbally abusive, so be firm in your speeches.

All the other stuff: Do well, don't screw up, keep to time limits. Be respectful as an audience member.

The state of Wyoming has three very distinct debates. CX, LD and PF. PF is NOT CX-light. LD is NOT one person CX.

If you are doing CX, don't do speed. If you have to do speed, hit you taglines. If i don't get those, you lose your case. Is it worth it to speed, but end up losing?

If you are doing LD, don't do CX. Do LD. Don't give me plans, advantages to plan, counter plans and dis ads to plan. It is not a plan debate. Convince me with morals why i should vote for you, not plans and evidence.

If you are doing PF, don't do CX do PF. Make it short and concise. Very easy to listen to. PF should be the debate everyone wants to do, because anyone can understand it. If you bring in CX jargon you will lose half of your judges.

No matter what debate you do, don't do speed.

Thank you for doing your part and not spreading covid-CX.