School affiliation: Dougherty Valley High School

Judging/Event types: Extemporaneous, Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Congress, Informative Speaking, Original Oratory, Original Advocacy, Original Poetry/Prose

Years in judging: 5

Both of my children started Speech and Debate since they were in 8th grade. So, it has been about 5 years now, and I have improved a lot as a judge. I am looking for an overall performance with emphasis on confidence, creativity/uniqueness, smooth transition in your ideas, eye contact, and voice projection. I love it when you can explain complex ideas in simple terms using examples and analogies. Please do not speak too fast. If I can't follow your thoughts, I cannot award you for it. I am an emotional person, so if you see me tearing up or laughing, it is because I am touched by your performance. I am very open minded, and I take my job as a judge very seriously. I try to take lots of notes so I can write meaningful feedback for your performance.

My weakness is understanding political terms. Please help define some uncommon vocabularies so that I am not lost for the rest of your presentation (example, quid pro quo). It needs to be clear in the beginning so that I understand your persuasion throughout your presentation.

I look forward to your performances and feel very blessed to have this opportunity to watch you shine!

Debating for the last 3 years or so mainly LD.

Have some experience in PF and have judged a couple of parliamentary rounds.

For LD, I stick with NSDA rules!

Hello! I'm Vyoma Bhanap, a current senior at Milpitas High School. I've done both PF and Speech (mainly DI) and have competed in tournaments a few times – which is to say I'm not so incredibly qualified that I'll nitpick you but have done enough to understand what it takes.

Please speak clearly and enunciate. Don't be unkind. Follow the basic rules of society and you'll be fine.

add me to email chain: ellieyxbi@gmail.com

general things:

- signpost, do voters, weigh, clash please

- i will not flow crossfire, so anything important said in cross must be in speech

- i can handle speed but be clear

- be respectful

Updated: November 2023

Former 4 year debater at Olathe South High School (Graduated 2020; US-Sino Relations, Education, Immigration, Arms Sales)'

Current Asst. Coach @ Olathe South

4 years of policy and 3 years of LD

tylerboutte4@gmail.com

TLDR: You do you, I'm just here to evaluate your perspective of the topic. I have my own preferences but ultimately if you provide a warranted model of debate I'll vote for you. Feel free to add me to the email chain and ask any questions for clarification.

Judge Philosophy: Policymaker. Debate rounds are won with offense vs. defense. Do with that what you will.

*Online Debate*: I participated in the online format at Nationals and didnt have any issues other than the other team having bad internet. If you're gonna go fast make sure, your doc says everything you say just in case someone's internet decides to cut out.

Tech>Truth

Speed: Go as fast as you want just slow down for tags, authors, and theory. Speed rounds are fun. If you can do it well, please do.

Topicality: Over time I've come to care about this type of debate less and less. I find the threshold for me to vote neg on T to be pretty high, but if that's what you're gonna go for do it. Please do not just read a T block and precede to reread that block throughtout every speech for the entire round. Keys to this debate are explaining to me why the aff's model of debate as a whole is bad, not just this round specifically. Aff arguments about reasonabililty are pretty persuasive for me especially when the rebutalls come down to what is "fair." Recently teams have been opting to debate t on the surface level. That's 1) really boring and painful for everyone involved and 2) not helping win rounds. Good work on the standards and voters level of this flow looks like debating about the impacts of the aff's relationship to the resolution.

DA: Obviously the more specific your link, the more likely I am to weigh the DA but generic links work too if you make them. I feel that lately debaters have been treating these types of debates as separate piece from the case flow. Both teams should articulate how/why the DA interacts with the case. This includes impact calc which is severely under utilized. I'm most likely to vote on this flow if its connected to the aff case instead of being a floating argument for me to evaluate. Aff teams should also be looking to turn disads into advantages for the case instead of only playing defense.

(2023: I'm not a huge fan of most DA's on this topic. Generic links and impact scenarios are not very persuasive unless you do the work to make it make sense. The more specific/realistic the better.)

FW/K: I have the most experience with critiques of security, set-col, militarism, and afropess but I'm willing to listen to anything and have probably read/looked into other popular critiques. These debates I find to be the most fun as a debater/judge but that also means they're the most frustrating. To me it seems that too many debaters are scared of actually debating the critiques they're running and instead default to framework debates. While I have no problem with these debates either, they tend to get incredibly sloppy and thus difficult to evaluate. In terms of how I evaluate the K itself, in levels of importance I think Link>impact>alt. Quite honestly, I dont care about the alt as much as I do how the critique itself impacts the aff. If you want to go for the alt, GREAT, but I'd prefer if you spend most if not all of the 2NR/2AR on powerful rhetoric about how me voting for you is going to reshape the world. Good k teams are giving great analytical arguments about the k's relationship to the aff instead of reading tons of cards of obscure theory.

Counterplans/Case: This may be the most underutilized aspect of debate now. Cases should be built with offense and defense embedded as part of the aff strategy. The neg should actually interact with the aff case and produce turns or deficits to the aff impacts. All CPs are fine, Ill let the debaters sort out what is and isnt fair. I do find that my threshold for condo is extremely high, I believe that debate is ultimately a game and the neg has every right to take advantage in this game and run as many off-case positions as they want. That doesnt mean I wont vote on condo though, the aff just needs to have an argument explaining why this model of the game is bad for debate as a whole.

Debate:

I vote based on organization. Your arguments need to get me from A to D, have good impacts that make sense and if you are claiming abuse you must be clear what was abusive. If shoes lead to death give me step to step as to why. I won’t do the work for you, I will know your speaks after the first two speeches but I look at the flow after the round to see how the over all round went. If your case doesn’t make sense on my flow then you may be dropped. Persuasion is how the other processes what they hear you say, not what you think you said.

IE:

Limited Prep:

Origination, clear follow through of how each point ties to the topic and attention getter is how I weigh the speech it’s self. Knowing your walk, time management, eye contact and good projection is what I expect the speaker to show.

Everything Else

If you do not have cards then be memorized. If you are not then be on cards, you can be a great speaker on cards but not on a minute long of a 9 minute speech. At least practice your walk, eye contact, projection and body control. You might be ranked lower for being on cards but I cannot give you the 4 or 5 if I hear a minute.
If your character is supposed to make me cry, then make every cry, make me angry make me what ever emotion your character is expressing so I can feel your message through your performance.

speak clear, speak loud and be bold. I purposely sit in the back because you need to own the room and have everyone be involved in the work you put into your piece.

About Me:

My name is Indranil Chandra and I work in IT. My son goes to Dougherty Valley HS, and I have been judging for 2 years for debate.

Paradigm:

Don't be overly aggressive in cross or I'll immediately dock points. I would like all debaters to speak at a slower level, so I can understand the true extent of what everyone is saying. I may interject with the occasional "clear" if I feel like I'm not understanding what you're saying.

I may take notes on what I think is important in the round. Please make voting easy for me, and do some serious impact calc. in final focus. I like to see the real world effects of these topics, and I'm going to vote for the side that has impacts that are clear and outweigh their opponents.

The following is a rating system that says how much certain aspects of the debate will have a say in my final vote:

Clothing/ Appearance: 1 : Literally doesn't matter, express yourself however you want

Evidence: 3 : Specific cards may not have a say in the final vote, but strong evidence will win me over. However, don't just cite the card as a refutation, please briefly go over the card and what it entails

Impacts: 4 : As I said before, I like good impact calc.

Cross Ex: 2 : Doesn't affect my judging decision. Keep it clean, be courteous and you'll be fine.

Debate Skills vs. Arguments: 4 : I will vote more off impacts rather than speaking style.

Remember to keep the debate a safe environment, but most of all have fun :)

I am a volunteer judge and this is my third time judging (I have judged two speech tournaments before this).

Please speak clearly and enunciate.

Also, please don't speak too quickly.

I competed in LD four years and qualified to the CHSSA state in Policy. Therefore I will always be flowing the rounds I Judge!

In LD I look for these things:

-cross examination- I like a good cross examination because I find it clarifies what both the AFF and NEG really are arguing. I take note of the questions being asked and if theres any contradictions they tend to come out in cross examination 95% of the time.

-Definitions:if you define something, do not have 4 definitions for 1 word. Select one that is strong. Having multiple definitions is confusing.

- Theory:if you run theory, argue it well. I have judged rounds with theory in them and do not have an issue with it.

- Make your voter issues known in the last speech

-K affs--> I am okay with, however if you are argue with a K aff, use evidence that STRONGLY supports your case and the resolution.

-Make sure what you are arguing is topical to the resolution.

If you spread make it known prior to speaking.

Include me in the email chain: nataliechen2330@gmail.com

Parent Judge:
Please talk slowly, introduce yourself,

For debate: state if you are aff or neg

Hello all, my name is Ashlie.

I make my decision based on the speaker who best: formulated logical arguments, extended their arguments, and responded to their opponent's arguments. The language used in the round should be comprehensible. Make sure to define key terms. I prefer clarity over speed, if I don't understand what you are saying because of how fast you are speaking, that means I am not writing it down.

During cross-examination, I am aware there will be clash and I expect respect amongst each other. My decision on who wins the round is on the speaker whomade the best arguments, not the most aggressive or loudest speaker.

Please time yourselves. I will be taking time and notify you when time is up, but timing yourself is a great skill as you can determine how much time you have left.Be mindful of the time, if your time is up. I will allow you to finish your last sentence but do not continue.

All in all, I am excited to judge your round!

Remember to be clear and state uniqueness, solvency, and impact of the policy/resolution. Take a deep breathe and show me all the hard work you have put in.

I am a volunteer lay judge. I've judged a variety of rounds, however, keep in mind that I'm still a parent. Spreading is frowned upon solely because it's hard for me to make sure I put everything on my flow - I might have to stop flowing just to be able to understand your arguments. I'll let you know if you're going too fast for me. 

Lincoln Douglas: 

LD Debate is my favorite debate form to judge. I have a good amount of experience in LD debate, and I enjoy judging it.

I believe that LD is a very framework-oriented debate. Make sure you can tie your arguments back to your framework, as well as having some cards that support yours. I infer the word ought in the topic to mean a moral obligation, however, good reasoning for any particular framework can change my mind. If you're running frameworks such as Kant or other literature ones, please have card(s) explaining them as I am not familiar with them.

In general, I expect to see a polite and smooth debate from both sides. My speaker points start from 26 and go up from there. I like to see emotion, emphasis, facial expressions, and projection in your speaking. Mumbling and spreading will definitely be reflected in speaker points. Hand gestures are welcome, but don't go overboard and don't cover your face. I'd appreciate it if you kept your cameras on throughout the round, but if you have a technical issue, that's OK too. Don't be mean or insulting in any way to your opponent. 

I love to judge Lincoln Douglas, and have met so many wonderful debaters in tournaments. If my feedback can sound negative, it's just that I can see so much potential in your future in the debate world. Keep on going debaters, and shoot for the stars!

I am a parent of two students who participate in debate.

I will usually vote on a few things --- how each case stands by the end of the debate and how each team refutes the other side's case at the end of the debate.

I look for clarity and great speaking. If I can't understand an argument I will not note it and therefore I cannot vote for it.

For timing I expect you all to time yourself, and to keep track of each other's prep time.

Good Luck!

I have judged a couple of tournaments and have no debate experience myself. When judging, I look for powerful delivery, insightful analysis and ease of handling questions.

Flay judge.

Hello there. (Congrats if you get that reference)

Here's my email for the email chain or evidence doc: ej82669@gmail.com

I'm a freshman UIUC debater who debated PF in high school.

If you’re here for speech, jump all the way down to the bottom. I’m sorry :((

There's sections for debate, PF, LD, and speech.

DEBATE

As a judge, consider me tech over truth. However, I coach middle schoolers and believe that debate is an educational event. Good research is a big part of that, so I won’t buy problematic arguments that seem to have no basis or understanding of the current situation. (eg US should increase military intervention for orientalist reasons) Otherwise, clean voters and collapses will always win me over. If this doesn’t happen, I will pick apart the flow (against my will), and no one is ever happy when the judge is forced to intervene.

That being said, I am also a debater, so I’ll vote on dropped arguments, dropped weighing, dropped framing, dropped whatever. I’ve always been a second speaker and love listening to rebuttals dumping 7 warranted responses to every single contention (it would be hypocritical for me not to). If there is genuinely no defense or clash, I default neg.

Evidence: Know the NSDA and CHSSA rules on evidence.

NSDA Evidence Rules

CHSSA Debate Rules and Regulations

If the opponents call you out on a card you definitely cut 30 seconds ago, I will allow evidence challenges or for them to clown you in all the rest of the speeches for bad evidence. I consider preventing access to a requested card as nonexistent evidence and will absolutely rules in favor of an evidence challenge in that context. I have no tolerance for distortion of the card or dates. Regardless of a challenge, I will drop the card on my flow.

General Points (that I will potentially drop your speaks for):

- Time: Time yourself. If you make the mistake of using a timer and start talking over the ringing, I will drop your speaks, because not only do you know you are going over time, you are consciously choosing to ignore it. Otherwise, I will be running a stopwatch and will put up my phone when you are going over. I will allow you to finish your point, but will not flow any new points.

- Speed: I can handle and almost prefer moderate speed. I can handle spreading, but you must be CLEAR and ENUNCIATE. Otherwise, expect to send me and your opponents a speech doc. If I catch you manipulating it, I will drop your speaks faster than you call your opponents for dropped arguments you didn’t actually make.

- Organization: Off-time roadmaps are great, but if its “I will start on my opponent’s first contention on small businesses, extend the turn, refute their second contention on policing, address the framework…” then no, they aren’t great. Signposting is a MUST. If I lose you on the flow, then good luck extending arguments that I can’t find.

- Clash: If you don’t clash, don’t expect speaks. Debate is the speaking event where opponents actually interact with each other, so I would like to see interaction.

- Weigh: Weigh…please, especially if you have a framework. Saying timeframe, magnitude, and scope is not enough. You can just choose one, and explain why it matters + how it links in to your opponent’s impacts. (eg If mass extinction occurs, you can’t have an economy.)

- Crossfire/Cross-Examination: I don’t flow crossfire/cross-examination. If something important happens, bring it up in your speech. That being said, I don’t tolerate aggressively speaking over the person or using cross as speech time. Cross can get heated, but there’s a difference between yelling at the other person.

I get this is a lot, but the tl;dr is be respectful to your opponent and me. The common courtesies in debate are to make it fun for everyone. For those of you who like being mean >:(, I give out low-speak wins pretty frequently anyway.

Public Forum: (my favorite :D )

Chances are, I have thoroughly researched and debated the topic you are doing, so I will know if you don’t have links or are making things up. That being said, I have a lot higher tolerance for “analysis” or “general knowledge”. I apologize ahead of time if you get an entire paragraph of rfd. I’ve primarily competed in PF, so I will definitely have opinions.

Besides the general time yourself, signpost, be nice in cross, and speed reminders, here are a few things I look for:

- Collapsing: While my fatal flaw is going for all of the 6 contentions on both sides of the flow, I’d rather you consolidate and do voters, especially in FF. Most of the time, I just vote off the later speeches. I will silently cry if you go line-by-line in FF.

- Frontlining: I expected second rebuttal to frontline. I believe defense is sticky, but a brief extension of it every time is best.

- Weighing: Weighing slaps. Enough said.

- New Arguments/Responses: That’s a no-no in 2^nd summary and FF. I will not flow it.

- Progressive Arguments: I am a sucker for topical Ks. I believe Ts are to prevent abuse and improve the debate space, but will not vote on friv T. Because of this, if you run friv T to win a round in JV/novice on a new non-circuit debater, I am not voting for that.
(I love the Robert Chen K though)

- Plans: No…I will drop them.

Lincoln Douglas:

I'm only getting used to college LD, but I work with novice LDers so I will also know if your arguments are very strange, to a lesser degree. Besides the general time yourself, signpost, be nice in cross, and speed reminders, I have stolen the following things from my coach’s paradigm (thanks schletz):

- New Arguments/Responses: No new arguments in 1NR and 2AR. I will not flow it. I'm fine with evidence though.

- Theory: Theory works, but I won’t vote on frivolous theory used to avoid responding to your opponent’s argument (especially not if you unabashedly break norms yourself). I view theory as a way of preventing abuse in the debate space and that it should only be used as such. I believe in RVIs so feel free to run them in response.

- Frameworks/VC: They slap. If you provide and defend one but don’t use it, I will evaluate it based on what vague instruction you’ve given me on how to evaluate using the framework…which probably won’t end well. I cannot emphasize enough: YOUR IMPACTS SHOULD ALIGN WITH YOUR FRAMEWORK.

- Kritiks + Phil:I love and appreciate them. Please slow down a bit if it’s super dense.

Speech

I love you guys…I promise. Most of my friends do speech.

A few warnings:

- Respectfulness: I don’t tolerate horsing around or loudly speaking during other competitors’ speeches. Whispering is okay, but do anything more disruptive and I will drop your speaks.

- Timing: Please time yourself. While I will be running a stopwatch, I am terrible at giving time signals. I will allow a stopwatch or someone else’s phone. Having a friend give time signals works too. Refer to tournament rules on grace periods.

- My instinct is to take notes while you’re speaking, so if I don’t look at you, I am so sorry. If I am judging you for IX or NX, your content will be scrutinized because I have a little too much background knowledge on politics.

If you’ve made it to the bottom, have fun and be a cool person. :)

Feel free to ask me questions. I like those.

Hi, my name is Adam, and I am currently a varsity parli debater and senior at Nueva. (5 yrs parli experience)

Accessibility:

I will flow your round and am comfortable with speed, but please make sure that your opponents are also comfortable with your speed. Please provide content warnings for any arguments where they might be necessary. No explicitly racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. arguments, I am likely to intervene against them if your opponents point them out, especially because they are probably untrue.

Prefs:

Tech > Truth

(Debate is a space for argumentative creativity. I evaluate the flow tech > truth because I don't trust myself enough to eliminate my own biases or to be all knowledgable about the world. Please don't intentionally run false arguments, I may be mad at you in the feedback)

Case:

All arguments you make should have terminalized impacts that tell me clearly why I should be voting for them. Please do impact weighing.

I am a fan of creative counterplans, but I will also absolutely vote for a perm.

Theory:

I read a lot of theory so I don't mind hearing procedural arguments and I think you can trust me to evaluate it pretty well. I don't think frivolous theory is particularly good education in the context of debate. That being said, I do default to competing interps and will evaluate friv t like any other shell, I just don't like listening to it, so I ask that you make me happy and don't run it. Similar to case, please weigh standards and voters so I know how to evaluate the shell.

Ks:

I read a cap K last year and appreciate the educational value of Ks, but I may not be familiar with your lit base and its specific jargon. I am plenty willing to vote for Ks if I can understand them, and I will try my best, but at the end of the day that is your burden.

Tricks:

As opposed to Ks, I think that Tricks like presumption triggers or paradoxes have little to no educational value in debate and I am likely to intervene against them. Please don't run them.

POIs:

I don't care how many you ask as long as you stop if your opponents ask and keep your POIs to real questions.

POOs:

I will do my best to protect the flow, but please POO if you think an argument is new. I won't dock points for multiple POOs as long as you keep them respectful.

Speaks:

I evaluate speaks based on how convincing, respectful, and fluid I think your speaking is. I will try my best to reduce personal bias, but because speaks are subjective, they won't contribute to my decision about who wins or loses. I will give the average novice debater a 27 and the average varsity debater a 28.

Hello,

I am Yogapriya Kumaravel. I represent Dougherty Valley High School.

Even though my children do debate I have judged very few rounds but I will take notes and do my best.

I strongly value evidence.

Speech:

Impromptu:

• presentation is very important
• judge based on how well topic is incorporated in speech
• effectiveness of analysis will be considered

Humorous Interp:

• should feel real and not forced

Dramatic Interp:

• facial expression and voice inflection are very important for dramatic interp
• strong emotional connection to words being spoken

Hi, My name is Zhihua Li and this is my first time being a debate tournament judge. I would give higher points to speakers who can stand up straight, look into my eyes with confidence, pay attention to all audience and talk at medium volume. I do not understand debate jargons so please be careful using them. I would give higher points for speech at medium speed with clear logics.

I am glad to be here and wish you all of you do your best today!

Hi -

1. Please speak slowly & clearly.

2. Please be respectful of your co-debators and judges.

3. Enjoy you experience.

4. Please don't lie & fabricate evidence to make victory.

5. Don't interrupt others & be disruptive.

6. NO racist or sexist or hateful arguments.

Look forward to being a judge!

Nothing will lose my favor or interest faster than a debate on the rules of debate. I appreciate well-researched cases and strong link chains, but I find spreading to be borderline intolerable. I want to see unfavorable points negated with elegant use of evidence and logic. Attempting to dominate a round with jargon and technicalities overshadows the sharing of ideas and the ability to learn from one another, which in my opinion, flies directly in the face of and casts a shadow on this art form. That being said, don’t be afraid to bring attention to outright abusive argumentation - just be prepared to back up what you’re saying in a way that is just and truthful. I like your personalities to shine through and for your communication styles to have an individual essence. Please don’t make me have to judge rounds based on who is the fastest or trickiest robot. It truly breaks my heart.

Manage your own time so that I can pay attention to what you’re saying. You may a timer that I’ll be able to hear (or not), but if it goes off, complete your thought as quickly and neatly as possible without just dropping it. Any new points introduced after time will count against you. I’m a fidgety sitter and prefer to flow by hand so I’ll usually turn off my camera while people are speaking, so as not to cause a distraction as I flip pages and scribble away. Please let me know if you’d prefer I didn’t do so. Also, no off time roadmaps - you should be writing/speaking well enough to inform me throughout your speech of where you are and the points you're making!

I am a former HS debater (2002-2006, Morristown West in Tennessee), and I had the most success in Public Forum - although I also enjoyed Congress & LD (I don't think Parli was available on a HS level yet or I probably would have tried it, too). I didn’t get really serious about PFD until about halfway through my high school speech career, and by my senior year, it was my main event. That year, my partner and I won both our NSDA (formerly NFL) National Qualifying tournament, and our state’s local organization’s championship. These accomplishments remain the highlights of my time in high school - not just because of the affirmation and recognition of my effort, but because of all the time spent and memories made with my teammates and closest friends along the way. I had tremendous passion for and gratitude toward Forensics, and I tried to embed that into my approach. I always prided myself on my relaxed, easy going, evidence and logic based, and respectful but fun speaking style. Remember that most of your judges are not former debaters and that you have an enormous opportunity to educate adults and maybe even change their minds about some things when you communicate effectively and in an accessible manner - consider the Ancient Greek foundational communication philosophies of logos, ethos, and pathos.

My favorite thing about judging is getting a glimpse at the future leaders of our nation’s government and workplaces, and you all give me a tremendous amount of hope. Thank you for your participation and congratulations to all of you, always, for your hard work and boldness in showing up for yourselves and your teammates today!

Hi,

I work in technology space in Bay Area.

I judge for Dougherty Valley Bridge. I keep myself up to speed with the latest and greatest news and happenings in the world.

I will be taking notes during the debate.

I will judge based on the impact of the argument, how thorough and deep ones research is, hence the arguments, cross examination and refutations are. I look at how well the speech / argument is delivered, how confident the speaker is and how they are actively participating in their rounds. I definitely expect the speakers to be respectful to each other. I consider the overall presentation skills, fluency, speaking should be clear (no spreading as I will probably miss what you are saying), tone modulation and eye contact

Don’t be nervous, enjoy your speech and most importantly have fun and learn something new.

Hello - I am a first time judge :)

As a new parent judge, it would be helpful to me if debaters can adhere to the following:

1. Please speak slowly, loudly & clearly.

2. Please be respectful of your co-debators and judges.

3. Enjoy your experience.

4. Please don't lie & fabricate evidence to make victory.

5. Don't interrupt others & be disruptive.

6. NO racist or sexist or hateful arguments.

Good luck!

Tuul

Hi,

I am a parent judge. I have some experience with judging LD

Please be respectful, stick to the facts, manage your time, and speak clearly.

Fewer well developed points is my preference

Hello!!

Happy Debate!!..

I am a Parent judge with 7 tournaments experience, prefer moderate pace & no spreading.

Looking forward to debates with Clear Arguments, Case Constructs with examples / stats / facts.

Respect towards opponents.

Prefer debaters to time.

Add me to the email chain: veedita.pirta@gmail.com

General things

1. I will vote for the team that has the best link into the best weighed impact in the round. <= MOST IMPORTANT 

2. WEIGH. I cannot stress this enough. Tell me WHY I should prioritize your links/impacts/evidence over your opponents'. If you don't, I'll do the weighing myself (form what I see on the flow), and you won't be happy with the result.

3. Warrant everything (links, weighing, etc.). I'll flow unwarranted claims but I won't be happy about it and have trouble buying it.

4. Signpost clearly. If I don't know where to flow it, then I'll put it wherever I want, and you don't want that.

5. Everything in final focus MUST have been said in summary. (Exception : Dropped defense can go straight form rebuttal to FF)

6. All advances that you make in cross MUST be said in speech for me to flow it. (ex. if you get your opponents to make a key concession in cross, you have to bring it up in speech for me to consider it)

7. You may frontline in 2nd summary. HOWEVER you may not bring up offensive new arguments (in other words: no turns or extensions to case)

8. I'll probably disclose if I feel like it, and if the tournament allows it.

9. I will try my best to be a FIAT judge. That being said I will dock your speaks if you read something that is straight up inaccurate, misinterpreted, etc. (args with incorrect application of economic principles, I'm looking at you)

I am a Parent judge with previous experience, prefer moderate pace & clear presentation.

Prefer debates with Clear Arguments, Case Constructs with examples / stats / facts.

Respectful towards other opponents.

Happy Debate!!!

Hello, my name is Vishal Shah and I am a parent/lay judge. I have a strong knowledge on this topic, but would greatly appreciate it if competitors would avoid using jargon and/or explain the terms used before the debate. Also, make sure you are respectful and kind to your opponents.

Parent judge with minimal experience. Please talk slowly, be organized, and let me know if you have any more questions.

I am looking for a good understanding of the matter at issue and content that promotes healthy debate. I value well-structured and cogent arguments with relevant evidence. I prefer quality over quantity! So please lean towards clarity of delivery rather than the number of words you can get out. I am a lay judge, so if your content is not clear to me you will hurt your ranking. Feel free to do a roadmap for me (off time if allowed in the event rules).

Claim uniqueness is important and entering new evidence and unique perspectives always make for a more interesting debate, and scores points with me. How well you defend your arguments or how relevant and incisive your questions/refutations are will rank you higher in my book.

Overall, I am looking for erudite content as well as an effective speaking style. The speakers with an optimal combination of both will get the highest ranks in my judging.

EMAIL: ishitakvaish@gmail.com

Good luck debating! Remember to relax and enjoy the tournament. Debate can be stressful and cause anxiety, so don’t forget it is an education and enjoyable activity. I have debated throughout high school in Varsity Lincoln-Douglas. I am a traditional debater. 2nd year at Georgia Tech - Go Jackets!

LD

Framework: This is so important - it needs to be extended in every speech because it ultimately tells me how to evaluate the impacts in this round.

Contention-Level Preferences: I will vote for Kritiks, topicality, and counter plans. However, I have a strong evidence standard and expect to see well cut evidence in round if you plan to read any of these. I may also call to see cards at the end of a round to evaluate the round.

Cross-Ex: I do not listen during cross or voted based on cross. If something comes up in cross-ex that you want on my flow, you need to bring it up during the speech. Cross-Ex is your time to ask each other, but be polite or I will dock speaker points.

Speed/Spreading: Do not spread. If I cannot understand you, then I won’t have everything on my flow due to the lack of clarity in your speech. Clarity always trumps speed.

Stand while making speeches. You can sit or stand during cross. Do not speak rudely to me or to your opponents - it will affect speaker points.

Policy:

I have judged both LD and Public Forum before, but I am relatively new to judging policy. Please talk clearly and avoid spreading if possible. When you send out speech docs, they should match your speech. If you cut a card half way through, feel free to say "cut card" and move on to the next. I will not flow cross-ex, so if there is anything important said in cross-ex, then take the time to point it out in the following speech. Finally, if I cannot understand you, I will yell clear, type in the chat, raise my hand, etc. If I still cannot understand, I will stop flowing and judge the round based on what I flowed. Please time yourself. My timer will be the final say, but having your own timer is highly suggested to help pace yourself. Please give a road map before every speech. If you have any questions, please let me know!

I'm Sarah, I did CX for 3.5 years in high school, 2 years in college at JMU doing NDT/CEDA, and then just under 2 years of NPDA at Western Washington University ending as a semifinalist with my partner in 2020. I've been coaching middle school and high school parli for the last 4ish years.

Prefs-

Now that we're back to in-person tournaments, please feel free to ask me any specific questions before the round starts if there's anything I can clarify.

this is still a work in progress

On the K-
I'm most familiar with MLM, however I can keep up with and evaluate most everything. I know the framework tricks, if you know how to use them. I have a high threshold for links of omission. I default aff doesn't get to weigh the aff against the K, unless told otherwise. I see role of the ballot arguments as an independent framing claim to frame out offense. I default to perms as tests of competitions, and not as independent advocacies. For K affs-you don't need to have topic harms if your framework has sufficient reasons to reject the res, but from my experience running nontopical affs I find it more strategic if you do have specific justifications to reject the res (I guess that distinction is more relevant for parli).

On theory-
I default to competing interps over reasonability, unless told otherwise. I have kind of a high threshold for reasonability, especially when neg teams have racist/incorrect interpretations of how debate history has occurred in order to justify reactionary positions. If you have me judging parli-I default to drop the debater; and if you have me judging policy/LD-I default to drop the argument. I default to text of the interp. Parli specific: (if no weighing, do I default to LOC or MG theory? I'll come back and answer this). I don't default to fairness and education as voters, if you just read standards, then I don't have a way to externally weigh the work you're doing on that flow. I default theory apriori, but I have a relatively low threshold for arguments to evaluate other layers of the flow first. I default to "we meet" arguments working similarly to link arguments, the negative can still theoretically win risk of a violation, especially under competing interps. For disclosure arguments-I have a very high threshold for voting on this argument in parli, given that it's nearly non-verifiable. For other formats, I think disclosure and the wiki are good norms. In general, admittedly I have a high threshold for voting on t-framework.

General/case stuff-
Case-CPs don't get to kick out of particular planks of their CP in the block, if there are multiple. I default to no judge-kick. Given no work done in the round, uniqueness matters more than impacts. Fiat is durable.

I default to impact weighing in this order if no work is done in the round: probability, magnitude, timeframe.

If I am judging you in an event that you read evidence in the round-if there's card-clipping, it's likely to be an auto-drop. If you misconstrue evidence, I won't intervene but I'll have a low threshold for voting on it if the other team brings it up.

About Me

she/they

Broken Arrow HS ‘19 (LD 4 years)

Mo State '23 (NDT/CEDA + NFA LD 3 years)

GTA @ Wichita State

Conflicts: Broken Arrow, Tulsa Union, Pembroke Hill, Maize South, Missouri State

yes email chain: lilwood010@gmail.com

Overview

These are just my random thoughts about debate collected into one place. If you do what you do well, you will be fine. I am down for almost anything.

Policy first, NFA LD next, then HS LD at the bottom -- if there is no specific section for either LD format assume it’s the same as policy or ask me questions pre round! :)

yes open cx - yes you can sit during cx - yes flex prep

!!:) please send out analytics :)!!

Please provide trigger warnings if there is graphic descriptions of violence against fem ppl included in your arguments

K Affs/Ks

I prefer K affs that are related to the topic OR the debate space. I enjoy watching performance K affs that incorporate parts of the topic.

I believe fairness (procedurally or structurally) is not an impact. I believe it is an internal link.

I love a good TVA - but I would prefer it be creative to the aff and carded to demonstrate that it could solve the aff's offense.

I believe perf con is bad.

I'm starting to believe I prefer movements / material alternatives over reject / thought project alternatives. I find myself easily persuaded by arguments that alternatives lack the means to resolve the links and impacts. I like when alternatives are specific in what they accomplish in the block.

I LOVE perm debates. I am a sucker for creative perms that are specific to the alternative. If you execute this strategy correctly, you will be rewarded.

CP

I think condo is good to an extent. The extent is up for debate.

I default to judge kick.

T

I LOVE T!

In round abuse should be present, but I also believe that setting a precedent for the community might be more important.

I think grounds and limits are both good arguments, but I find I am more persuaded by limits. Going for either is fine.

Misc.

I LOVE ptx.

Impact turn debates are super fun.

NFA LD

NFA LD has some norms that are different than policy so I will try to establish my thoughts on some of those in here.

yes spreading - yes disclose - yes email chain - (sigh) yes speech drop

Disclosure

Will vote on disclosure theory IF it's egregious. I think empty wikis are probably bad after attending 2 tournaments. I think if every aff they've ever read is uploaded, even if not every round is, zeroes the impact. I think not disclosing an aff 15 minutes prior to the round is probably bad if no wiki entries or multiple affs on the wiki. TLDR: nondisclosure has to actually inhibit your pre round prep.

Theory/Procedurals

I think mandating an inherency contention is silly, UQ from the advantages can answer this.

Solvency advocate theory is cowardice. If the aff doesn't have a solvency advocate, then... you should... be able to beat it...

Will vote on speed bad due to accessibility concerns.

For condo, my thoughts differ from policy and HS LD. With a 6 minute 1ar, that allows the affirmative more time to answer NC arguments. Therefore, unlike in HS LD, 2 CPs are probably my max. However, if the 2 CPs are polar opposite worlds (ex - US should engage in bilat relations with China vs US should first strike China) I would be willing to err affirmative. Kicking planks is probably bad. Judge kick is probably bad. Basically, make sure your CPs aren't abusive, and I'm good.

Other Thoughts

Stop being scared to put offense across the pages in the 1ar.

Bad DAs can be beat with analytics and impact D.

Update your ptx UQ cards.

Call out people's crappy case cards.

Cut better case cards.

I hate underviews.

HS LD

I prefer 1/2 off in depth debates to shallow 3/4 off debates in LD - I find that by the end of the round if there is more than 2 off I am left doing a lot of work for teams simply because there was not enough time to cover every necessary component in an argument.

T

RVIs aren’t real and I will never vote on them unless there is literally 0 (and I mean 0, not a single word said) arguments on it. even then, I will be extremely sad. please don't go for it.

CP

1 CP is fine - 2 is too many (hint hint: i am very aff leaning on condo)

Theory

Theory in LD is wild to me. I am not the best judge for silly theory tricks. The theory I am most willing to vote on is condo and perf con. Second most willing is any other policy theory arg. If you're wondering about a specific theory arg feel free to ask me pre round.

Greetings, debaters!

Since my entry into middle/high school debate in 2018, I've cultivated a profound appreciation for the art of argumentation. Here's a brief overview of my judging paradigm:

1. Debate Style:

• I am comfortable with various debate styles, including Parliamentary, Lincoln-Douglas, and Public Forum. I hold a particular regard for well-structured and organized arguments.

2. Speed and Clarity:

• I can navigate a debate at a brisk pace, but clarity is paramount. Fast speech is acceptable, provided it doesn't compromise the clarity of your arguments.

3. Framework and Resolution:

• A robust framework is crucial to guide the debate. In Parliamentary debates, I value a clear plan with well-supported advantages. In Public Forum, a sturdy value criterion and well-linked contentions are essential.

4. Evidence Quality:

• I prioritize well-researched and credible evidence. Clear citations and the ability to explain the significance of evidence are of utmost importance.

5. Creativity and Innovation:

• I actively encourage creative arguments and unique approaches to cases. Thinking outside the box can be a valuable asset in securing my ballot.

6. Cross-Examination:

• I value effective cross-examination that seeks to clarify and challenge key points. Be respectful and focused during the crossfire.

7. Adjudication Approach:

• Debates are approached with an open mind. Convince me with the strength of your arguments, clarity, and strategic thinking.

8. Topicality and Fairness:

• I expect debaters to engage with the topic and uphold fairness. Avoid strategies that compromise the integrity of the debate.

9. Speaker Points:

• Speaker points are awarded based on clarity, persuasiveness, and strategic acumen. Being well-prepared and engaging is pivotal.

10. Flexibility:

• I am open to different debate styles and arguments. Adaptability is key, and I appreciate debaters who can adjust their strategies based on the flow of the round.

Remember, my goal is to fairly evaluate the round, and I look forward to witnessing your skills in action. Best of luck!