SCDULR Winter Middle School and High School Tournament
2021 — NSDA Campus, CA/US
Debate Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideSchool 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!
Parent judge with a couple of years of judging experience.
I will vote on any argument with a claim, warrant, and impact but you should error on the side of over-explaining things if you’re concerned I won’t pick up on something.
I determine speaker points based on clarity, creativity, research quality, rebuttal explanation, and organization.
Hey everyone!
I am a parent judge who has "been in office" for around two years. This paradigm reflects the skills and attributes that I have seen in stellar debators/speakers, that I believe my ballot should represent. I have subdivided my paradigm into sections specific to each event, but keep in mind that I will also hope to see these skills represented across the board.
Congress: I primarily judge congress, as this is the event my daughter participates in. Here are some key traits I score my ballot by:
- Introduction/rhetoric/conclusion: I find that these areas are the places to really distinguish yourself as a debator. The reason I love judging congress so much is because of the blend between speech and debate. If your intros and rhetoric don't pull me in to your speech, your rank might be lower just because I am not hooked. On the other hand, if your speech has no real "substance" don't expect good ranks either. I want BALANCE!
- Points: I'm going to keep this section short. Please keep your claims relevant to your speaking spot in the round. If you are giving a sponsor, keep your cards limited to status quo and solvency. After a cycle, we can move on to the net benefit or net harms. ALSO NO REHASH :)try to update your points to match the round.
- Evidence: I prefer cold statistics over opinions. If you list a bunch of your opinions, with no statistics to back it up, I have no incentive to believe what you are saying. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it is very probable that you are indeed correct, but having statistics is always more believable than hear-say.
- Impact: This is where I really rank my top 5. If your impacts are only a sentence, that is not enough. I want to really realize how this legislation impacts real life people. Don't just say "this policy hurts our economy". Tell me how our economy getting impacted hurts realistically.
- Presentation: I am not a real stickler on presentation, but I do know where to cross the line. If I see you reading from your pad or not looking at the audience, I know that you are not as prepared as you should be. Voice modulation and emotions are key. Hand gestures should not be overused, and they should match what you are saying.
PF, LD:I don't have a specific breakdown for these events, but i'll try to summarize key points.
- In terms of speed, I don't care how fast you speak. If you talk really fast, but you keep tripping over your words, I would rather you talk slower. As long as your substance is good, expect a good ballot from me.
- Evidence is also key. Just like congress, I want cold stats. If you list a bunch of your opinions, with no statistics to back it up, I have no incentive to believe what you are saying. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it is very probable that you are indeed correct, but having statistics is always more believable than hear-say.
- In terms of cross ex, I want to be able to hear what both groups are saying. If you all talk over each other, I am going to stop listening. Please be courteous!
Speech events: I mostly judge speech of presentation. If you look confident and if what your saying pretty much matches your topic, expect good ranks from me!
- Presentation is key! If you are constantly moving and detracting from what you are saying, I have no incentive to actually listen. If you speak in a monotone voice, I WILL get bored. Even if you are saying the most interesting thing in the world, I literally cannot concentrate. PLEASE have good presentation.
- In terms of actual "substance" I just want you to keep your speech in line with your topic. If the topic is, for example, about the crisis in Ukraine, I don't expect you to start talking about woman empowerment. Both are equally important topics, but I want you to stay on track
I hope everyone has a great round! If you have any questions for me, please ask me BEFORE the round actually starts.
TLDR; I debated parli in high school for 3 years and have been coaching PF, LD, and Parli for the last 9 years since then with state and national champions. I try do be as tabula rasa as possible. Refer to specifics below
Follow the NSDA debate rules for properly formatting your evidence for PF and LD.
If paraphrasing is used in a debate, the debater will be held to the same standard of citation and accuracy as if the entire text of the evidence were read for the purpose of distinguishing between which parts of each piece of evidence are and are not read in a particular round. In all debate events, The written text must be marked to clearly indicate the portions read or paraphrased in the debate. If a student paraphrases from a book, study, or any other source, the specific lines or section from which the paraphrase is taken must be highlighted or otherwise formatted for identification in the round
IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR PF: Burden of proof is on the side which proposes a change. I presume the side of the status quo. The minimum threshold needed for me to evaluate an argument is
1) A terminalized and quantifiable impact
2) A measurable or direct cause and effect from the internal link
3) A topical external link
4) Uniqueness
If you do not have all of these things, you have an incomplete and unproven argument. Voting on incomplete or unproven arguments demands judge intervention. If you don't know what these things mean ask.
Philosophy of Debate:
Debate is an activity to show off the intelligence, hard work, and creativity of students with the ultimate goal of promoting education, sportsmanship, and personal advocacy. Each side in the round must demonstrate why they are the better debater, and thus, why they should receive my vote. This entails all aspects of debate including speaking ability, case rhetoric, in-and-out-of round decorum, and most importantly the overall argumentation of each speaker. Also, remember to have fun too.
I am practically a Tabula Rasa judge. “Tab” judges claim to begin the debate with no assumptions on what is proper to vote on. "Tab" judges expect teams to show why arguments should be voted on, instead of assuming a certain paradigm. Although I will default all theory to upholding education unless otherwise told
Judge preferences: When reading a constructive case or rebutting on the flow, debaters should signpost every argument and every response. You should have voter issues in your last speech. Make my job as a judge easier by telling me verbatim, why I should vote for you.
Depending on the burdens implied within the resolution, I will default neg if I have nothing to vote on. (presumption)
Kritiks. I believe a “K” is an important tool that debater’s should have within their power to use when it is deemed necessary. That being said, I would strongly suggest that you not throw a “K” in a round simply because you think it’s the best way to win the round. It should be used with meaning and genuinity to fight actually oppressive, misogynistic, dehumanizing, and explicitly exploitative arguments made by your opponents. When reading a "K" it will be more beneficial for you to slow down and explain its content rather than read faster to get more lines off. It's pretty crucial that I actually understand what I'm voting on if It's something you're telling me "I'm morally obligated to do." I am open to hearing K's but it has been a year since I judged one so I would be a little rusty.
Most Ks I vote on do a really good job of explaining how their solvency actually changes things outside of the debate space. At the point where you can’t or don't explain how voting on the K makes a tangible difference in the world, there really isn't a difference between pre and post fiat impacts. I implore you to take note of this when running or defending against a K.
Theory is fine. It should have a proper shell and is read intelligibly. Even if no shell is present I may still vote on it.
Speed is generally fine. I am not great with spreading though. If your opponents say “slow down” you probably should. If I can’t understand you I will raise my hands and not attempt to flow.
I will only agree to 30 speaker point theory if it’s warranted with a reason for norms of abuse that is applicable to the debaters in the round. I will not extend it automatically to everyone just because you all agree to it.
Parli specifics:
I give almost no credence on whether or not your warrants or arguments are backed by “cited” evidence. Since this is parliamentary debate, I will most certainly will not be fact-checking in or after round. Do not argue that your opponents do not have evidence, or any argument in this nature because it would be impossible for them to prove anything in this debate.
Due to the nature of parli, to me the judge has an implicit role in the engagement of truth testing in the debate round. Because each side’s warrants are not backed by a hard cited piece of evidence, the realism or actual truth in those arguments must be not only weighed and investigated by the debaters but also the judge. The goal, however, is to reduce the amount of truth testing the judge must do on each side's arguments. The more terminalization, explanation, and warranting each side does, the less intervention the judge might need to do. For example if the negative says our argument is true because the moon is made of cheese and the affirmative says no it's made of space dust and it makes our argument right. I obviously will truth test this argument and not accept the warrant that the moon is made of cheese.
Tag teaming is ok but the person speaking must say the words themself if I am going to flow it. It also hurts speaker points.
Public Forum specifics:
I have no requirement for a 2-2 split. Take whatever rebuttal strategy you think will maximize your chance of winning. However note that offense generated from contentions in your case must be extended in second rebuttal or they are considered dropped. Same goes for first summary.
I will not accept any K in Public Forum. Theory may still be run. Critical impacts and meta weighing is fine. No pre-fiat impacts.
Your offense must be extended through each speech in the debate round for me to vote on it in your final focus. If you forget to extend offense in second rebuttal or in summary, then I will also not allow it in final focus. This means you must ALWAYS extend your own impact cards in second rebuttal and first summary if you want to go for them.
Having voter issues in final focus is one of the easiest ways you can win the round. Tell me verbatim why winning the arguments on the flow means you win the round. Relate it back to the standard.
Lincoln Douglass and Policy:
I am an experienced circuit parliamentary debate coach and am very tabula rasa so basically almost any argument you want to go for is fine. Please note the rest of my paradigm for specifics. If you are going to spread you must flash me everything going to be read.
Email is Markmabie20@gmail.com
Hello Debaters,
I am Amit Parekh, a parent judge and I am excited to be a part of your tournament. I understand how much work and effort has gone into your preparation. I am ready to be wowed and impressed by your speech and debating skills. I am committed to giving each of you my full attention, unbiased evaluation and constructive feedback.
Given the complexity of the topics presented, I am looking for:
- a well thought out elucidation of your points-of-view
- a logical flow of thoughts
- a vigorous defense of your opinions
- a spirited, yet respectful attempt to highlight limitations in your opponent's talking points
Please speak at a pace that is easy to follow. Impress me with use of cadence, voice modulation, hand gestures. Show me your passion!
Remember your opponent is your contemporary. If I hear any sexist, or racist remarks you will automatically lose points.
I applaud each of you for your courage, knowledge and efforts. Win or lose the tournament, in my opinion, you have already triumphed!
I’m a parent but have judged var PF.
Speed: I know you have 4 minutes, but if I don’t understand what you’re saying, it doesn’t go on my flow. (This is especially important for online tournaments, where audio quality is poor).
Evidence: I’d rather you not read 15 cards and expect me to understand what you’re saying. Also have cards ready so we don’t waste any time (if there’s internet issues that’s fine, just get them ASAP)
Rebuttal: Cover both as much of your opponent’s argument as you can. Frontlining is a plus!
Impacts/Weighing: Don’t just give me arbitrary numbers and tell me that one is greater than the other. That’s boring. Tie in your evidence with your framework. Tell me why your framework should be preferred. Make offensive arguments whenever possible
Theory/K’s/progressive stuff: No (if there’s a blatant violation please just point that out)
Summary: Please extend in summary. Anything mentioned in final focus that wasn’t extended in summary will not go on my flow. Simply repeating your arguments is a waste of time though.
Good luck debaters :-)
About me:
I am a dad of two kids. My youngest one does Public Forum so I somewhat know the basics. I usually end up judging for Congress though.
Judge style: Team
I want you to be respectful no matter what. Keep it professional.
Please go a little slow, treat me as a flay judge. I will be writing down notes but if you talk too fast, I won't be able to write it down.
In the end, I would say I care about weighing the most. Why is your case more important than your opponents? What will be done if I vote for you? I want you to answer these questions clearly.
Preferably give an off-time roadmap. It makes it more clear on what I need to be listening to.
Make your arguments clear. I don't know much about this topic so I want you to tell me and explain your contention, depending on how you execute it, I will be voting for you.
Judging style: Individual speaker
I care about your case and confidence. Know what you saying and don't be afraid. During cross ask questions and defend your case to the best of your abilities.
Keep cross professional, I don't want any rude sexist, racist, homophobic comments/remarks during cross. I will deduct your speaks greatly if you do. Don't interrupt the opponent when they're talking. I also don't want to spend a whole minute on a question during cross. If you spend too long on something, ask to move on.
General:
Be clear and confident, but also make sure you have fun in what you're doing. Just have a good time and be nice to the opponents.
Public Forum Paradigm
1. Respect. Show your respect and answer question directly, I accept honest answer if you are not prepared.
2. Strategy. I really like your case and rebuttal being constructed based on a framework. Direct clash. Signposting of all your contentions and break down into segments, A,B,C, etc...
3. Conclusion. In summary speech, please show me the specific reasons that your opponents are losing not just why you are winning. In final focus speech, please let me know specifically why you are winning the debate.
I am not a huge fan of spreading. I weigh on clarity and quality not on quantity.
Enjoy yourself and have fun!