Parent judge with experience judging humorous interpretation, impromptu, original oratory, public forum and Lincoln Douglas. I am ok with fast speakers, as long as you are clear and articulate in your argument.

I value confidence, respect for your opponent, and a clear speaking voice.

I volunteer to judge these events because I respect and value the time and dedication each student puts into their arguments.

Good Luck and have fun!

My favorite event is Extemp, so I treat all debaters like I would a national finalist in Extemp. Talk at a human pace so that the audience can understand the debate, but feel free to extend your impacts as far as possible pending you keep up the warrants for each claim. Impact turns make debate more fun, try to turn them. Work to cross apply your contentions to your opponents impacts. Making voting claims that I missed during the round won't be used to judge the round. The speakers have a duty to communicate what they want the audience to hear, the judge has a duty to listen to the best of their ability and shouldn't feel burdened by advanced debaters who go beyond the judge's means. I've got a PhD in Communication Studies and embrace a qualitative perspective, values matter. Be smart, be concise, and be respectful. If you can deliver the argument well, feel free to also be creative. For what it's worth, demanding language is a peeve, as opposed to suggestive; in voters, please tell me what I should(n't) do rather than what I can't do.

Background

I’ve been a debate coach since 2011, first at the middle school level, then managing debate operations as an assistant principal, and since 2020doing what I love as the proud coach of Everglades HS forensics from Miramar, FL. I have a B.A. in English / B.S. in Biology and a Masters in Ed. Leadership. I’ve judged everything from locals to NSDA Nationals. Four time NSDA national finalist coach. NSDA Speech school of excellence 2023. Follow us on IG @evergaldesdebate

Rule #1 – Play Nice.

If cross gets ugly and rude, I will destroy your speaker points. Debate is about building community and showing others that we don’t have to be as vile and divisive as those holding political office. Seriously, you all are the future. Make it awesome.

Argumentation & Evidence

I will be flowing your arguments and I do not want to be part of an email chain. I will judge off your flow. Having said that, please sign-post and don’t spread. I’m fine with rapid talking, but honestly, it is all about quality of argumentation over quantity.

Having solid warrants is great; but warrants without extension or analytical impact is fail. Just because you can rattle off stat after stat doesn’t show me you are an excellent debater and should win a round.

While it is very doubtful that I will be calling for cards, make sure you have exchanged cards with your opponents prior to the round so we don’t need to waste time with that in session. If you are unable to provide a requested card within 15 seconds, speaker points will drop and I will strike that piece of evidence from your argument.

Lincoln Douglas

I've seen a trend recently where competitors try to spread five or six contentions. If you elect to do this, be prepared for me to either a) review written case (time permitting before decision deadline) or b) not penalize your opponent for "dropping" Cs. Again, quality over quantity for me as a judge.

I am comfortable with counter-plans in most cases; however, I don't coach kritik's or "Ks" specifically; although I do my best to read the literature contained in topical case briefs. While I would never outright fail a position for running a "K", you will more than likely need to be super-awesome to win as I prefer traditional LD rounds. If you plan to run straight theory, please strike me.

World Schools Debate (WSD)

I'm thrilled to see WSD being brought to more and more tournaments. Having said that, many don't have a clear understanding of the format. Please make sure you have reviewed the NSDA guidelines, FFL Rules (if Florida), and / or tournament specific rule-set for the event.

As a judge, great cases for me will begin with defining and contextualizing the motion from the prop / opp's position. Furthermore, if the motion does not specifically give us what "this house" represents, define / clarify it for me. Make sure you introduce a clear, believable framework,before beginning the body of your case. As the case moves forward, all substansives, observations, and evaluations should be presented with specific, concrete examples. I don't by hyperbolic, generic, or slopply linked pieces of evidence. Having said that, do not turn WSD into a PF round, I'm really not interested in seeing how many cards you can (prepared motion) throw into your case.

As the round moves on, both sides have a duty to settle the framework debate, by either furthering clash over framework or moving on and accepting your opponent's framework. Don't weight til the reply speech to attempt to resolve framework issues or I will ignore your response and pref the team that provided a clear framework weighing mechanism earlier in the round.

Having listened to all three speakers, your content score will be reflective of how well your team not only presented your case, but how you chose to respond to your opponent's position. Again, I prefer specifics with well-thought out analytics, then simple summary of an opponent's substansive and then telling me (with non-specific or simply summarized evidence) how they fail to meet the metric of your framework. Dig deeper then that.

To earn maximun style points from me as a judge, speakers should be engaging and passionate about their assigned position. The speaking delivery style of this event is much closer to OO and Congress then it is to more traditional debate formats. Inclusion of rhetorical devices, proper speaking tone / inflection, and stage presence will have a huge impact on my ballot. Also, if you spend your time with your head in your case and not engaging with the round, you'll bore me and your speaks will suffer.

For strategy points, make sure to make use of PoIs outside of protected time. This should be spread around the team and not just be one person. Furthermore, how you respond to PoIs to further develop clash within the debate and use as a opportunity shift course mid-speech is total win.

Judging

I give significant weight to how debaters handle cross, summary, and final focus (PF) or rebuttal in LD. I’m sure you all have meticulously prepared constructives / cases and rebuttals. However, I want to see what you can do when presented with your opponent’s case that is unique and entertaining.

Please make sure to weigh your arguments; but do so with thorough explanation. Please don’t tell me “aff outweighs on magnitude of impact” and leave it at that.

Also, if you've read this far, congrats! You get to hear my judging pet-peve - climate / nuclear war / extinction arguments. They feel like such an easy out. I'll certainly consider them, but I'm thinking we can be more original than that.

I will disclose results at the end of the round as per tournament directions on disclosure. Feedback will be on ballot, and if I have time and you'd like oral feedback (if disclosure is allowed) I will give oral FB.

Bonus Points

If you can slide in a reference to any of the following, I’ll give your speaker points a little bump:

- Rick and Morty - Must be a Season 7 Reference ... or something involving Mr. Nimbus.

- Bad / Silly / Campy Horror Movies

- Why Dune was seriously phenomenal and your expectations or thoughts on Part II (Either movie, or better yet, the novel)

I like to be entertained. This is my weekend I’m giving up so you all can participate in a great tournament. Make me laugh and keep me engaged when you speak and the world will be an almost beautiful place.

Greetings Debaters!

My name is Chris Brown. I've been a trial lawyer for 26 years, so I value arguments that are clear, well-thought out, and concise. You're better off making two powerful points clearly than you are making half a dozen points if most of them are weak.

I'm also a professional playwright, so I appreciate debaters who apply the fundamentals of good stagecraft: Speak clearly without stumbling over words. Avoid burying your head in your notes. Do not "act"! Rather, be yourself and make your tone conversational.

Above all, I value civility. Rude comments, sarcasm, and snark are never persuasive.

Best of luck!
Chris

Hello, I am a parent judge and I have a son who does PF debate. Please don't talk too fast and try to signpost. Make sure you read the dates of your cards and weigh the arguments! Don't speak over your opponents in cross-fire and be respectful. See you soon!

I am a parent judge of a 7th and 9th grader at American Heritage school in Palm Beach Florida. I have never competed as a student, however I've judged debate since 2019 when my first child started middle school.. I judge pretty much every month for our school in Palm beach County and I enjoy contributing to this amazing after school program. I am able to judge speech as well as congress, PF and LD.

I am observant and tend to be impartial based on evidence presented. I listen carefully and try to refrain from imposing my own perspectives, beliefs and philosophy. Note taking is a tool I use readily when judging congress, PF and LD. Oratory speeches can be determined as I go and usually placement ranking determined easily during sessions. Debate skill is highly valued by way of a student's creativity vs truthful arguments. However, truthful arguments, if they outweigh should be supported by referenced materials, statistics , quotes etc. to provide credibility and hard substantial relevance. The evidence and counters are used as tools to cure positions of opposing sides.

Open to Policy making legislative model, weighing advantages vs disadvantages. Hypothesis testing of any social science model where a negative position can put the affirmative position to the test.

Political topics, environmental problems or concerns, Economic shifts with strained relationships with the US, Free trade policies, Human Rights, Terrorism, etc. are some heavy and controversial topics I welcome..

Evaluating solvency arguments of Counterproductivity, Insufficiency and Impracticality are some types of arguments I have been challenged by and many times enjoyed the discourse students provide in their arguments.

Points are generally awarded on skill, but conduct, rudeness, offensive commentary, prejudicial statements and lack of respect will generally impose point deductions. Allowing consideration for opposing teams to complete thoughts is generally considered in awarding points.

Personal Judging Style:

Before the round:

Teams/speakers have to come to a consensus about whether they stand or sit. I expect you to keep your own time, and if your speech runs over time by over 30 seconds, I will step in and stop you verbally with "that's time." If you require an email for a the source email chain (teams must agree if doing this), I will provide my email for you.

Criteria:

I award the win to the team/speaker who is able to break down the topic and their argument in a way that is completely comprehensible, meaning that a beginner with absolutely no background in the topic should be able to follow everything said. Any technical terms used should be defined using a reputable source early in the debate. Debaters should be able to effectively poke holes in the other's argument, and provide credible evidence in a logical, quick, and professional way. Spreading is okay, however, if your words blend together and I cannot understand what you are saying, I dock points.

I dock points for any case of disrespect. If any team talks down or belittles their own partner, the judge, or anyone on the opponent's team, I will note this down in my ballot, and there are little to no instances for me where a disrespectful team wins. Disrespect and bringing prejudiced and judgemental attitudes into the debate is not what speech and debate should have.

At the end of the round, I will give my verbal Reason For Decision (RFD) briefly and will write more lengthy comments in my ballot. Please accept the decision I say with professionalism, and I will not take any questions nor will I be having an argument or discussion with you about what I said.

What I look for is the debater's composure, confidence, and if those things get better while speaking, and, if the competitor is able to get their point across in a clear and factual manner. Though I regard presentation highly, if what is being said has little to no structure or becomes difficult to follow or unclear, even if it is presented well, I will not give them the higher scores and points. I take notes during the entire debate, and if there are many places where I am unable to follow the organization of your argument, you will not win the round.

Background:

I was a competitor from 2010 - 2014 in Nova High School Speech and Debate in Original Oratory for all four years, and attended Florida Forensic Institute's summer camp for two summers. As a team member, I would help coach the underclassmen in their presentation and teach them how to edit their speeches. One tournament, Blue Key 2013, I coached a small amount of my team the night before we competed and every single person advanced out of prelims.

I started judging in 2021 and have continued until now. During this time, I mainly judged speech events, but have since judged debate for this academic year. My most recent tournament was Glenbrooks where I judged Varsity Public Forum for almost every preliminary round.

Hi, my name is Sukanya Reddy and I am a parent judge for Lake Highland Preparatory School! Here are my preferences for all events.

I have been judging IE for the last 4+ years.

OO - The speech should be either to inform or persuade. Showcasing the voice, passion for the topic and confidence in delivery.

OI - Different types of literature into one cohesive performance, clear motivated blocking, living in the character.

Extemporaneous - Looking for 3 good points and sources to back it up.

Declamation - Language elevated, inspirational, elegant. Speaking with confidence and authority.

Interpretation (HI, DI and Duo) - Entertaining, humorous, bringing characters to life, confidence and delivery.

LD - I am not experienced in LD, but I will try my best to understand and critique your arguments.

PF - My son did PF for 4 years in high school and my daughter is in her fourth year! I am familiar with this format of debate. My son has taught me how to flow pretty well. One thing I really would like to see in rounds is clear points and weighing! This is really important for me because it helps me realize why your arguments are better than your opponents.

I am a new LD judge who favors good clash, good weighing and simplifies the round persuasively with big picture analysis. Ok with Ks if you go slow. I use they/them pronouns

I am a parent judge and Sunvite 2020 is my first-time judging LD. I am interested in politics, philosophy, and economics, and as such I appreciate substantive debate about the topic. Please debate at a reasonable speed. I will do my best to flow, but if you spread, I cannot guarantee I will get all your arguments down. Please avoid Ks, Theory Shells, CPs, and confusing NCs & Tricks.