School Affiliation: Carrollwood Day School

Judging Event: LD and Public Forum

When judging, I will award points on effectiveness of argument, consistency of logic, use of data, references, and clear communication.

I will take notes as a reference for myself when scoring.

In cross examination, I look for respect and thoughtful counter-arguments and data/references to the opponents arguments and that you demonstrate both listening and an understanding of the opponents argument.

Substance is an important element in the overall evaluation, as is the effectiveness of communication and argument.

Good luck to all, this is a great accomplishment and you should all be proud!

School Affiliations:

My daughter attends Carrollwood Day School in Tampa, Florida. I attended Trinity Christian Academy in Deltona, Florida; these are the only high school affiliations I have in the state of Florida.

Judging/Event Types:

I have judged numerous events including Nationals in Washington, D.C. last year.

How many years have you been judging?

This is my second year judging.

How will you award speaker points to the debaters?

I will award points based on a number of factors, including and not limited to, the ability of the debaters to communicate succinct and well articulated argument and counter arguments.

In addition I will look at all of the following: whether the participant focused on topic, organization of the argument, support for the position, references, whether the support is germane to the topic, delivery, confidence and tone.

What sorts of things help you to make a decision at the end of the debate?

In conjunction with the above, I will normally look at the debate in its totality and rank the performance/arguments against the other competitors judged.

Do you take a lot of notes or flow the debate?

I take notes of the key points.

Preferences on the use of evidence?

Absolutely necessary but should be measured; do not use more than necessary.

Thoughts on real world impacts in the debate?

It is always good to make the information relatable, it adds to the reasonableness of your argument/position.

How do you judge cross examination?

I believe cross examination to be one of the most important aspects of debate; this is your opportunity to attack the position/points made by your competitor.

How do you value debate skill over truthful arguments?

The best debaters intertwine the two; use one to augment the other; regurgitating facts is not skillful debate even though it may be accurate and truthful.