I have been involved in speech since 1997. I was on the varsity team all four years of high school and was a hired judge from 2003-2009. I have been coaching speech at Grafton HS since 2009.

My favorite categories are poetry, dramatic interp, and storytelling!

*Storytelling: I LOVE to be entertained, and I am DEFINITELY that judge that smiles/laughs during a performance. Please ensure that you're engaging and animated. Don't be afraid to "go there" with big gestures and movements, and be ready for me to laugh at punny wordplay! Please keep in mind that clarity is key; by all means, do your different voices and such, but don't sacrifice clarity--if I cannot understand what you're saying as you're portraying a certain character...you've done yourself a disservice.

*Poetry: I competed in this category--this was my go-to, and it's the category that I most enjoy coaching/judging. Selection is very important to me, and I'll be "clocking you" on your ability to convey and evoke emotion. How do you connect with the piece(s) that you chose to read? Where's the relevance? I want you to move me emotionally--that's the goal. I adore spoken word as well as the classics, BTW, so no matter what you bring to the table, I'm #hereforit!

*Dramatic interp: In this category, I'm looking for range. I want to go on an "emotional journey" (pardon the cliché). I'm "all in" as a member of your audience. I want to either laugh out loud or have to break out a box of tissues! Also, don't forget the little nuances that add depth to your piece as well as to your character.

*Extemp/OO/Impromptu: organization is KEY! Rambling isn't cute--I don't necessarily need an outright "roadmap," but please know that I'll be outlining your speech as you're giving it. Please make sure that you have a structured (but entertaining), logical plan of attack in these speeches! You want to sound confident and genuine/relatable. Also think about the following in the presentation: is there a definite/clearly defined "call to action?'

Hope that this helps! I cannot wait to hear all of the incredible pieces/speeches that you've prepared!

Debate Experience:

2016: Lincoln Douglas Debate at Smithfield High School

2016-2020: Congressional Debate at Smithfield High School

2019: Competed in Congressional Debate at the National Catholic Forensics League (NCFL) Tournament

2019: Tied 1st place in Congressional Debate at Virginia High School League (VHSL) State Tournament

Current: UVA's Parliamentary Debate team

Overview:

Though I have judged Poetry, Extemp, Humorous Duo, PF, LD, and Congress, I have had the most experience with Student Congress. I have knowledge of Robert's Rules of Order, VHSL Congressional procedure, and NCFL Congressional procedure. Three of my four years with Smithfield High School debate, I was the Congressional Debate captain, and my final year I was also the overall team captain. I adapt to different styles of judging Congressional debate, depending on whether the tournament views Congress as a speech category or a debate category.

I currently attend the University of Virginia's College of Arts and Sciences. Pre-medicine is my current focus.

Please include me on the email chain: aubssmith814@gmail.com

Hey everyone, I debated at James Madison University as a part of their policy debate program (2017-2021). I debated for 4 years, 2.5 of which was at the varsity level mostly as a 2N. I'm fairly new to judging so I can't give you too many pointers on how I've evaluated debates in the past, but I can tell you though that there are a couple of things I've noticed when I'm debated that could be helpful to you.

Experience: I'm mostly familiar with Ks, but I'm also open to a good DA and Framework debate too. Feel free to read whatever you're most comfortable with. I will be able to follow along with any argument as long as it has a clear explanation.

Speed/ Flowing: I have a hard time flowing online. It's partially a clarity issue and partially a hearing issue on my end, so please be sure that your mic is working correctly and that you are clear. I'd prefer it if everyone did a mic check before their speech just to make sure that I can hear them properly, but if not we can workshop ways to figure it out. Speed is much less of an issue for me, although if it is something like a Framework/ Topicality/VC (for LD) debate I would ask that you slow down.

Framework/Topicality/Parametrics: I've been in a lot of these debates, and am pretty flexible to whatever you want to say. One thing I would like to see in these debates is a meaningful, well-warranted impact. If you have pre-written blocks for these debates, bonus points for specificity. Too often as a debater I saw these framework arguments read without really engaging with the Aff, so if you are going to bring this into a debate (specifically against an Aff that is not the 'normal' policy Aff) please go beyond making it a cookie-cutter argument that you spend a < 1 minute on. Also, as a disclaimer, I'm not inclined to believe that fairness is the most important impact in a debate, but this has to be argued well within a debate for that to really matter to me.

CrossX- I flow CrossX as closely as I can. It's a speech(ish) in my mind, so you can also read cards during that time if it's relevant and can get you somewhere in the debate.

K Debate: Like I said above, I've focused a lot on Ks in my career, but I'm down for you to read other stuff as well. If you do go for a K, make sure that the link story is good and clear- I'm okay with voting on one link coming out of the 2nr as long as it is explained well. Alternatives also need to explain how they can resolve the Aff and links, although I'm flexible on how you say it solves. Debates are always better when there is more clash, so if you are purposefully vague about what the alt does coming out of the 2nc, I'm inclined to be skeptical of how it solves.

Policy Debate- Read whatever DAs work best for your strategy. Again, make sure your links are strong and that there is some impact calculus/ ethical framing as to how I should weigh my decision.

Tl;dr: Please be clear (and slow down if you're doing a T/FW arg). I'm flexible to hear whatever arguments you want to make in a round, but make sure links are explained well and that you have some way for me to frame my ballot at the top of the 2nr/2ar. Impact calc is a fine way to go for this, but if you have any other ethical framing arguments I'm down to vote for those too. Have fun debating :)

PS. Debate is an environment that can be hectic and frustrating at times and I understand that. That being said, try to be respectful and accommodating to your fellow competitors when possible i.e. disclose, provide trigger warnings when necessary, and send out blocks if requested.