My Email: isaacappelbaum404@gmail.com

Origin Story:

Hi! I'm Isaac. I am a rising junior at George Washington University in D.C. and I competed in Congressional Debate for four years as a student at Pennsbury High School in Pennsylvania. I competed extensively on the national circuit, obtaining 11 bids to the TOC and I was lucky enough to place/final at tournaments like Harvard, Princeton, Sunvite, Blue Key, Barkley Forum (Emory), Durham, UPenn, and Villiger.

Now that I've given some of my background as a competitor I can discuss what that means in terms of what I like to see as a judge. In my opinion, this can best be summarized like this;

Congress:

stick to 2 points

don't speak too fast

try to get to 2:50-3 minutes

arguments flow in linear way and flow broad to narrow with a terminalized impact (human beings should be your impact)

use refutation after 1st cycle

I like well 2 well developed arguments over 3 poorly constructed ones

Stick to legislation what does the legislation do

LD:

Don't spread

cite good sources

present links clearly

PF:

Don’t spread (speak so quickly I can’t understand you)

use good sources (try not to use news articles, stick to research)

arguments flow in linear fashion (I should be able to see where you go from point A to point B to point C)

give me a human reason to vote for your side (this means establish the human impact why the issue directly impacts a human person)

no theory please (stick to arguing the facts, data, and information of the issues at hand in the motion)

Please sign post arguments (tell me that you are about to make a big point before you do)! I need this for flowing purposes

I am an experienced parent judge (3+ years) and most familiar with traditional debate but if it is within the rules I will do my best to judge it fairly. I am interested in hearing what debaters have to say so please be mindful of your speed. If one debater’s argument goes unchallenged then I will assume it is valid. You'll get dropped and the appropriate tournament officials will be notified if you say anything racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist, etc. Good luck and have fun!

Experience with LD and PF

-Good with Speed & spreading

-Looking for opponents who give me full expanded thoughts and examples; excellent POI’s and cross exams

-for me, debates are won during the crosses

-ask thoughtful questions and find holes in opponents arguments

-flay judge: competed in high school (07-09) and have been judging lots of online tournaments since the pandemic. Can flow fairly well, but some of the jargon has gone out the window in the past few years, so laymen's terms are preferred when it comes to technically things. I have a college education, but some speech specific language, I don't remember.

Respect for one another is my primary requirement.

In debate, I value argument structure, clarity, cohesion, and evidence. The team that clearly provides a strong support of their resolution usually can win. Your closing and summary should provide a rounding of material and throw out what must be disregarded. This is not a place to introduce anything outside of scope or dare I say, "new information".

Do not throw away your opportunity at Cross. It is important that you tackle the opponent's position in any way. Tell me why your impact is greater, why is theirs not, use your framework to give priorities to those impacts. Use logical structure. You might even have the opponent strengthen your case with just the right question.

I treat every speech as an education. My primary role is to listen. I'm not a participant, but speech which brings me into the speaker's world, in with their words, into the construct, may have an advantage.

I value the usual mechanics - poise, quality and use of voice, bodily expressiveness, directness and sincerity.

Extemp is near and dear to me. Be organized, factually correct, and interesting.

I hate hyperbole. Avoid "always", "never", and other absolutes. An absolute opens your opponent to providing one instance or example that weakens your position. At that point, your "always" or "never" is rendered mute.

Good day, contestants!

Concerning my paradigm: I have a degree in Communications and have practiced law as a litigator and in appellate courts for over 35 years. I am admitted to practice before the federal and state courts of Arkansas as well as the Supreme Court of the United States.

In assessing your performance, I will be looking for the following elements:

*Concise and clear logical progressions: Major premise + Minor premise = Conclusion.

*NO FALLACIES

*Effective persuasive speech techniques including variations in tempo, volume, pauses for emphasis, and gestures.

* Confidence in your presentation and manner

Regardless of the tournament's outcome, you are improving your skills just by competing today. Good luck!

Susan Fox

Hi! I'm a former Forensicator from Dallastown High School, and I'm currently studying for a Master's in Rhetoric and Composition at UCF. I've competed in nearly every speech and debate event at some point, with the exception of Lincoln-Douglas. It has been quite a few years since I've been involved, though, so please don't assume I'm an expert.

Some considerations for debate:

Please don't spread. I have auditory processing issues, and being online makes it harder to hear. I can't evaluate you if I can't understand you.

I prefer a well-reasoned argument to an overload of information. You can throw facts at me all day long, but what I want to know is why I should care - or why any reasonable person should care. You'll impress me if you can make me think about something in a new way.

I consider myself mostly tabula rasa, and I'm pretty open to new approaches as long as they're done well.

Time yourself! I will do my best to keep track but I only have so many hands.

Lastly, just don't be rude. I love watching an intense crossfire as much as the next guy, but anything getting close to a personal attack is gonna get you low speaks. Focus on strengthening your own argument, not on destroying your opponent.

My preferred debating style is where the debater uses day to day vocabulary; smooth and coherent speaking style; uses of analysis of facts vs an abundance of information. Please do not go super fast, make your contentions and arguments clear, be respectful to one another.

Pronouns: He/Him

If I've been subjected to debate please send me your case: CameronHardy123@gmail.com

Willing to judge all speech/interp, congress, and PF. LD is also fine if we're in a pinch. Congress is my preferred event and I am a qualified and experienced parliamentarian.

I am a political science major currently in my fourth year at Penn State. During my time in forensics I mainly competed in Congress and Extemp. That being said I'm passably knowledgeable about most events. I'm a pretty chill judge so as long as your respectful and you communicate your arguments in a clear and effective manner, we'll get along great and we'll have a good round.

GENERAL NOTES:

SPREADING- Generally I won't tell you that youcan'tdo something. But if you want me to understand your argument (which should be your goal) then don't spread. I'll be too busy trying to decipher whatever it is you just said to consider the argument that you presumably laid out.

THINGS YOU CAN'T DO- Look, I said generally above so this isn't contradictory. I will not tolerate racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, or hate of any kind. Period. These things are antithetical to the spirit of forensics and I will not allow a competitor to make another feel unsafe or uncomfortable.

DISCLOSURE- I do no disclose or provide verbal feedback.

CONGRESS SPECIFIC:

Do not attempt to coerce or strong arm your fellow competitors. Regardless of how badly you want to PO or speak first, if I hear coercion I will rank you towards the bottom of the chamber. Maintain decorum as well as basic respect for others. If you got bad recency or don't have the votes to be PO, make the best of it.

In general I will prefer to hear a rushed speech on an under-debated side over a perfect prepared speech that rehashes the last several speeches we just listened to. 4 people in a row all supporting the same thing for the same reasons isn't a debate, its an echo chamber. Throwing together a decent impromptu speech during a one sided debate is one of the fastest ways to the top of the rankings.

I do not require or expect a PO to keep a digital recency chart. That wasn't even a thing when I competed. But if you do, first of all that's very cool and it makes me feel old, and second I ask that you make it available to myself and everyone else in the chamber for accountability purposes.

Social studies teacher that appreciates the value of an organized and well articulated debate, meaning, clear contentions with strong supporting evidence. I am conscious to put my own subjective bias on the back burner and will intently listen to your case. You need to be able to understand the evidence aside from just blatantly repeating it from a card. Speed should be appropriate for full articulation and processing for the other team and judge. Spreading should be avoided.

Framework of your speech should be based on common sense to a point but should also show some building significance as you move through the round.

Not attacking all of an opponents contentions isn't a deal breaker in my final decision. Rather, teams should present a strong case that doesn't simply rely on disagreeing with opponent but should refute it and use that refutation to advance your case, thus earning points. That said, this attack should maintain decorum and civility in the round. Teams that break this decorum and civility are highly frowned upon.

Off time road maps, eh. Your speech should be clear enough for me to figure that out. Road maps will be on your running time.

Finally, in in your final focus, I need to hear you articulate a "so what?" that crystallizes and wraps up your overall argument while bringing in final information that was brought up in round.

Certified PA Social Studies teacher for 8 years now. 4 of which I have taught Government and Economics. 2020 is my first year participating in Speech and Debate and I'm eager to continue to learn more. I do prefer a moderate pace when speaking rather than a speedy rate since I would rather hear your argument than judge based on how many words you can get in within the timeframe. Follow the three guides below for a sense of what I look for!

1. Engage arguments with discernment. Disagreement is always welcome, however, engage with the specific argument and not your prewritten counters.

2. Be consistent in your debate. Beginning, End, and throughout your counters/rebuttals. Build your story/argument and do not deviate, Instead, defend a cohesive worldview throughout the round – and pull that story through extending both warrants and impacts.

3. Be respectful: Exercise good judgment. If you do something that a majority of reasonable people would find unkind, offensive or rude I will stop to give a violation.

PF Paradigm

I am highly conscious of my role as a judge to put my own bias aside, to listen intently, and to come to conclusions based on what you bring to a round. If you and your partner prove to me that your warrants, evidence, and impacts weigh more heavily in the round than your opponents then you win, plain and simple. Please don't tell me the burden is on the other team to prove or disprove or whatever else. Public Forum Debate focuses on advocacy of a position derived from issues presented in the resolution, not a prescribed set of burdens.

I have a serious problem if you misconstrue evidence or neglect to state your sources thoroughly- you have already created unnecessary questions in my mind.

Rebuttals are a key part of debate and I need to hear a point by point refutation and clash and then an extension of impacts. Refuting an argument is not "turning" an argument. Arbitrary and incorrect use of that term is highly annoying to me. A true turn is difficult at best to achieve-be careful with this.

I cannot judge what I can't clearly hear or understand-I can understand fast speech that is enunciated well, but do you really want to tax your judge?-Quality of an argument is much more important than the quantity of points/sub-points, or rapid-fire speech and it is incumbent upon you and your partner to make sure you tell me what I need to hear to weigh appropriately-it is not my job to "fill in the blanks" with my personal knowledge or to try to spend time figuring out what you just said. Also spreading is a disrespectful tactic and defeats the purpose of the art of debate-imho- so don't do it. (See Quality not Quantity above).

The greater the extent of your impacts, the greater the weight for me. If you and your partner are able to thoroughly answer WHY/HOW something matters more, WHY/HOW something has a greater impact, WHY/HOW your evidence is more important, that sways me more than anything else.

Lastly, be assertive, not aggressive. Enjoy the challenge.

Competitors must speak clearly: volume, speed, and defined content. Spreading will result in deductions.

In general, speak at a moderate speed, and be considerate of your teammates, opponents, and judges. Refrain from hyperbole. Please be clear, concise, and organized -- connect the dots for me.

I am not a technical judge. I will flow the best I can and evaluate your arguments but I am not comfortable with progressive rounds. Keep the round traditional (no tricks) or risk losing my ballot. There is no need to speed read. Please do things to make your speech easier to follow. Slow down/emphasize taglines. Signpost, and Roadmap off-time for clarity.

Debate and arguments must be persuasive. If the argument does not persuade me, I have no reason to vote for it. I do not intervene so debaters must tell me what is important and why I should vote for them. Be clear about what I am weighing and what I should value most highly. Impacts should be realistic. Not every action could or will cause a nuclear war. Your argument should be clear and plausible. I appreciate a clear analysis of why you should win in the final rebuttals.

It is important to show respect to your competitors and approach every speech as an opportunity to teach and learn.

On arguments. I appreciate arguments that acknowledge the complexity of the imperfect world we live in. There are no perfect solutions to the issues we debate, so I find it disingenuous to pretend otherwise. These issues are complicated; approach them with compassion and nuance. In LD, this means I really want you to lean into the lens of your value. Engage with your opponent's arguments authentically, don't twist their words or intentionally misconstrue what they are saying for a "technical gotcha."

On delivery. Slow down. I know it's not speech, but I'd like your delivery to add something. I don't want to feel like I would have been better off simply reading your argument. Consider variance in tone, tempo, and volume. Pauses separate ideas and can add emphasis.

On losing me. I will question your entire argument if you use logical fallacies, outdated research, or clearly unreliable sources. Do not use arguments that rely on racism, sexism, classism, etc. You will lose my respect if you attempt to intimidate your opponent.

About me. I'm an English teacher who loves cats, books, and learning new things. I value passion and creativity in others. Kindness and compassion are more important than the win.

Debate: I put more stock in the rebuttal section than the information sections because anyone can read something that they have prepared in advance. A true debater can win with on-the-fly questions and prepared responses to their opponents.

Speech: Have a clear speech with little pauses and breaks. One of the biggest things competitors tend to misunderstand is the timing of pauses and actions in their pieces. If performed well, these can elevate your performance to the max and secure first place

Please feel free to debate at your own pace. I only ask two things of the Public Forum competitors that I'm judging. First, that they don't spread (talk at an incomprehensibly fast rate), and second that they remain respectful and cordial to their fellow competitors and judge at all times. A spirited debate is awesome, but a shouting match is decidedly not. Rules for other formats that I may judge are listed below.

Lincoln-Douglas (LD) Debate:

-My four years of debating were spent entirely in Public Forum, and resultingly I'm more experienced with arguments backed by hard evidence as opposed to wholly tech-based or framework-based ones. However, this doesn't mean I consider the latter two to be any less legitimate—as long as you argue your case well, I will evaluate you based on the merit of the argument provided.

-I understand that spreading is more common in this format—if you have to do it, I won't hold it against you. However, I ask that you try your best to keep your speeches comprehensible to the average listener, even if they're at a faster pace than one is accustomed to listen to.

-Frameworks are bound to be argued over—if neither side can agree on a framework to use for the debate, I will choose to evaluate which one held more weight.

-I do not evaluate disclosure theory, and I advise any competitor who plans on using it in a round I'm judging to rethink their strategy going ahead.

-I allow off-time roadmaps.

-Keep it civil always.

Policy Debate:

-Like with LD, I understand that spreading/fast-paced speeches are the norm, or at the very least accepted. While I understand the constraints of time may necessitate such behavior, I will once again request that you keep your speeches comprehensible to the average listener so I can fully appreciate your argument.

-Frameworks are bound to be argued over—if neither side can agree on a framework to use for the debate, I will choose to evaluate which one held more weight.

This will be my first experience Judging Speech, please speak clearly and do your best!

As a judge, either in PFD or LD , I am looking for a good respectful debate, and please note I am traditionalist - yes circuit competitors you hate seeing this. However, the structure and format is set for a reason. Please make sure you use sound evidence and impacts should be clear, like in LD your Value should win out, please do not make this a policy round. Thank you and have a great tournament!

Hi! My name is Jess (she/her). I was a varsity OO competitor at Pennsbury Highschool for my full four years. I dabbled in pretty much every other speech event too (and congress at one point). My sister Morgan was a debater for Pennsbury (if my name sounds familiar). I'm currently a freshman studying Biomedical engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston playing D3 softball. Here's my email if you ever have any questions: rowlynn21@gmail.com

Debate: I'm okay with any wacky argument you pull out, just give me the facts to back it up. I appreciate a unique argument, it shows effort.

Be respectful please! Intense CX is great, but I just don't want a screaming match it's terrible to sit through.

Try NOT to spread unless your opponent is okay with it. If I need you to slow down, I WILL tell you (not to be disrespectful just so I can flow correctly in order to judge you).

I'll keep time obviously, but you can time yourselves too.

Other than that, make me think I guess :)

Hello! I’m a new judge, so please speak clearly and loudly. I appreciate humor and don’t mind sarcasm, but definitely don’t like mean spirited comments or haughty demeanors. I’m a doctor, so feel free to use medical jargon if you’d like!

Hey! I'm Ella Dae.

I competed in Speech events and LD when I was in high school. I enjoy strategic debates and look forward to learning interesting perspectives. I expect that these debates will be both passionate and mature. I am fine with spreading as long as speech is articulate. For Speech events, I am willing to give any time signals asked for. I have fairly modern views when it comes to judging.

Good Luck!