I have nearly two decades of judging experience, primarily on the UIL policy circuit. I am a policy maker judge and will look for the most pragmatic and real world situations in round.

It is the role of the negative to provide sufficient clash, and I'll vote on most issues in the round if you are believable and persuasive. Feel free to run any argument and make sure you provide impacts to weigh on the ballot.

I am okay with speed in the round but will signal to you if I am unable to flow. However, I am ultimately not concerned with the number of arguments in the round. I am looking for quality, depth of understanding, and educational clash. Make sure both teams are listening to arguments being ran in the round and respond accordingly.

Above all, be respectful to each other.

I participated in IE competitions many years ago in high school. I'm a retired English teacher/Language Coach.

Games Player: I look at arguments as an offense/defense structure during a debate.

Speaking skills/communications: Good presentation and persuasion skills are important to me. If you choose to speed, I will look for eye contact, tone, emphasis of main points, etc. as I do believe that is a major part of earning speaker points at the high school level.

Let's follow the rules:

https://www.uiltexas.org/files/academics/LDHandbook21_22V2.pdf

"SPEED OF DELIVERY Like other forms of speaking competition, Lincoln Douglas debate has experienced change over the past years. One trend is that many of today’s participants speak at a much faster rate than participants a decade ago. How fast is too fast? There are several legitimate answers to this question. For starters, any rate that is faster than the judge’s personal preference should be considered too fast. Next, any rate that is so fast that the quality of communication is seriously diminished is also too fast. Finally, speaking so fast that your opponent cannot understand your arguments might result in the debater being unable to clash with your arguments, but it also may not bring a favorable decision from the judge. Instead, it will likely result in a rather disorganized debate. To that extent it is a good idea to speak at a rate which your opponent is able to understand."

https://www.uiltexas.org/files/academics/speech/Computers_in_Debate_Guidelines.pdf

"Availability of Evidence: Contestants electing to use computers shall have the responsibility to promptly provide a copy of any evidence read in a speech for inspection by the judge or opponent. Evidence may be produced in electronic form, but must be provided in a format readable and easily accessible by the opposing team and the judge."

Email chain is acceptable: sue.hughes.9905@gmail.com

I have judged a few local tournaments prior to Tabroom experiences but am learning with you. I'm always impressed with the students I meet during competitions. Win or lose...I'm proud of you for taking on this challenge!

Be respectful of your opponents and your opponent's arguments. Clash. Impact your arguments out.

This is your round, I'm not here to impose my opinions, and beliefs onto your round. I strive to be a blank slate for your arguments. Keeping that in mind, your words have meaning. I will hold you accountable for problematic arguments.

PF Paradigms

I’m am a former Theatre Professor and before that I was a policy and LD coach, but I have judged PF many times. Please treat me like a lay judge and weigh the round for me. I do know the rules to PF, but I want you to focus the issues for me. Please be civil and professional. I like clash, but I want you to be polite to your opponents. I pay close attention to CX especially for speaker rankings. I want to see that you understand what you are talking about and how the information is manipulated.

Interp Paradigms

I was a theatre director and professor for 13 years in Alabama - I have judged all interp events for many years (DI, HI, OO, prose, poetry, Duo, Duet) as well as Congressional Debate and Extemp. I want to see truth in your acting and presentations. Be yourself and be real. If what you want to tell us is important to you, then it will show through. I am good with most any topic and subject, but it needs to be something that moves you.

For Interp Events, I want a good story! make your character choices clear and distinct. A good story with interesting character(s) will win me over. For your intro, draw me into the story. It needs to establish the importance of the piece and the reason that you are presenting it. Be mindful of your pacing and and emotional levels. I want to see variety and interesting information that will make me think about the piece long after the round is over.

For Public Speaking Events (OO and INFO), present a topic that is interesting and exciting to you. Draw me into your topic from the very beginning. Establish your points and present them clearly and make sure that you are true to your story. Let me see who you are as a real person. These events are not about presenting a character, but rather presenting your true self. For INFO, I love creativity in your visuals, but make sure that they are fluid and not distracting.

For Extemp, I'm looking for a clear understanding of the question and a definitive answer. Don't flip flop on your answer. Pick a side and defend it with cited sources. I love a well structured speech with a minimum of two points (depending on the topic). I want to see the structure of your speech both verbally and physically. Your speech should have a good level of variety while maintaining a conversational tone. Do your best to maintain your fluency and time management. I like jokes, but most extemp topics need to maintain a level of professionalism that do not allow for a lot of jokes.

For Congressional Debate, I'm looking for fluency and a great understanding of the issues. You don't have to give the most number of speeches in the round, but I want to see you involved in all issues. I like creative speeches. I rate good passionate persuasive speeches over a speech with tons of evidence. Questions and answers are very important to me. Ask smart questions that advance the debate. Standing up to just ask a question just to participate will hurt you. I would rather you ask a few really good questions than a lot of mediocre questions. I like a P.O. who is fair and efficient. The P.O. has a very high chance of making my ballot unless they make several big mistakes and/or are unfair. The P.O. must keep a clear precedence list. If you think the P.O is not being fair, call them on it. The P.O. must have the basic knowledge of parliamentary procedures to run the chamber. If the P.O. is not qualified to run the chamber, they will not make the ballot.

I am an old school judge. I like framework and do not enjoy listing to spread. I will take some speed as long as I can understand. I do not like theory. Debate the resolution.

I am a student currently enrolled at Collin County Community College. I competed in Poetry and CX during my time on my high school's debate team.

I don't necessarily have a preferred style of debate but clash is going to be more favorable than counterplans. Your argument should make sense and be easy to follow. I prefer quality of evidence to quantity.

While I am okay with speed, it is important everyone in the room is able to understand what you are saying. For my own sake, as I have not done a flow sheet in at least 2 years, signposting would be much appreciated. If you would like to flash your case over to me so I can follow along that is totally fine. (I will have a flash drive with me if you do not have one of your own and your case will be deleted from it at the end of the round.)

I will be keeping time but you are welcome to keep your own time as well.

I will not tolerate any abusive tactics or unproductive arguments.

While I am somewhat familiar with the jargon used in LD rounds it has been a while since I have actually needed to use it. Explanation matters.