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Katy Taylor TFA TOC NIETOC Fall Classic

2022 — NSDA Campus/Taylor High School, TX/US

Public Forum Paradigm List

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Siddharth Sriram Ayyagari Hire 6 rounds

Rawan Barazi Cinco Ranch High School 2 rounds

Bonnie Bonnette Elkins High School 4 rounds

Luis Miguel Carvajal Picott Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds

Araceli Casasola Dulles High School 6 rounds

Last changed on Wed January 3, 2024 at 5:59 AM CDT

(she/they)

Who am I?
I am a social studies teacher the assistant debate coach. I mainly judge public forum and believe it is a positive space for open and healthy rhetoric. I hope you agree with my view that public forum is an event for the common person.

I am hard of hearing

I will be using a transcription aid on my phone to follow the round. It is not recording the speech and the transcript is deleted after 24 hours. Please, speak loudly and clearly for me and the transcription.

How I evaluate debate.

Treat me like a lay person who can flow. Use email chains, cut cards rather than paraphrasing, and avoid the use of debate jargon. I want to see clear defense, impacts, and links. I am a social studies teacher, so focus on your ability to use evidence and real-world understanding. I will vote on understanding of the issue, evidence, and explanation.

### Speeches

If you don't talk about it in summary, I'm not evaluating it in final focus.

### Cross

Don't use crossfire as an opportunity to bicker. I don’t pay attention to cross. In my opinion, cross is meant to examine your opponent’s case and clarify any questions. Seeing people using cross just to dunk on the opponent is not useful.

### Spreading

I am new to debate and English is not my first language so I cannot judge spreading - nor do I believe it has a place in *public* forum. I need to understand your argument and your ability to adapt to your audience will be judged.

### Theory

If your opponent does any of the Big Oofs and you read theory about it, I'm inclined to think you're in the right.

I don't want to listen to K debate - I will be honest and admit I do not know enough about debate to evaluate them fairly (except for the aforementioned exception)

Big Oofs

These are things that will make a W or high speaks an uphill battle. If you read theory against any of these (when applicable), I’m inclined to side with you. Avoid at all costs.

1. Misuse Evidence. Know the evidence and cut rather than paraphrase. Use evidence that is relevant, timely, trustworthy, and accurate. Use SpeechDoc or an email chain to keep each other accountable and save time.
2. Be late to round. Especially for Flight 2. I understand the first round of the day, but please try your best to be in your room on time. Punctuality is a skill and impressions are important.
3. Taking too long to ‘get ready’ or holding up the round. Have cards cut, flows setup, and laptops ready to go before the round. Especially if you’re going to be late.
4. Not timing yourself. Self-explanatory.
5. Not using trigger warnings. Debate is better when it’s accessible. Introducing any possibly triggering topics or references without consent is inaccessible.
6. Doing any of the 2023 no-no’s. Homophobia, misogyny, transphobia, racism, ableism, etc. is a one-way free ticket to a 25 speak and an L for the round.

The Respect Amendment

This section was added for minor offensives that rub me the wrong way. No, I will not vote on these. I might dock speaks for not following these - depending on severity.

I want to forward a respectful, fair, and accessible environment for debate. The Big Oofs are a good place to start. But I hope that every debater would…

1. **Respect their partner.** Trust that they know what they’re doing.
2. **Respect their opponent.** Don’t belittle them or talk down to them. Aim to understand and give critiques on their argument, not to one-up them on something small.
3. **Respect the judge.** All judges make mistakes and lousy calls - especially me. We can respectfully disagree, and that’s okay. However, not a single judge has changed their mind because you were a bad sportsperson.

Matthew Chinman Pittsburgh Allderdice High School 3 rounds

Ethan Choi Katy Taylor High School 4 rounds None

Aditri Chowdhury Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds None

Tyler M Crivella Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds

Last changed on Wed January 3, 2024 at 3:19 AM CDT

I'm Tyler Crivella, current senior and President of Seven Lakes High School's Speech and Debate Team. I have competed in every event TFA offers except POI and DUO. Slay all day.

Loud sounds, eating, chewing gum, sniffling, gaveling, and other sounds will down you. I have hearing disabilities and your articulation and reasonable (but not overbearing) projection are crucial to my participation. If I put headphones on, do not adjust to speak louder, it means you are too loud and you should likely adjust.

Extemp: I have a modern view on how extemp should be run but still a pretty basic rubric in most rounds. For higher level extemp, I prefer speeches to be both comedic and dramatic: doing both in a speech is a lot more skillful than just one. No layered analysis unless you really, really think it'll work. Priorities are as follows:
1. Answering the Question
2. Quality of the Points
3. Quality of Analysis (Including background)
4. Stucture and Fluency
5. Presentation
6. Number and Quality of Sources

Debate: Consider me as flay. I'm not here for spreading and will just stop flowing. Talk to me before round if you want me to say clear or something of that matter. That being said: I have competed in PF, LD, WSD, and UIL CX. I evaluate the round based on only arguments in the round. Your evidence means nothing to me without methodology or application.

Congress: If you PO, do not expect a free break. In a round of great speakers, you will be ranked under them even with perfect PO'ing. Do not gavel as PO or I will straight up kick you out of the room. POs should run the room: asking for splits if needed, moving things along rather than a representative. I prefer two point speeches but I can ride with one argument speeches too. Refutation is a must if you are not giving the first three speeches and even those one should have some. Questioning is not a screaming match. More speeches ≠ better speaker. The "PO" and "two speech" meta is bad. I would rather the round hit four bills with good, short, and dense debate than a prolonged, dead round after twelve speeches on each bill. AGDs, fluency, stance, and general speech skills do actually matter; it's not just the flow. Amendments are a dead medium that should make a resurgence.

Speech: Don't adapt your speech for me unless it's a concern of volume/sounds, in which case that is existential to your placement. I will do time signals and if I mess them up, you will not receive any retribution or penalty. I suggest you ask me about how time signals will be given and about how the structure of the round will go if you aren't sure. Be a good spectator; no phones and no leaving during speeches.

Scott Davis St Agnes Academy 6 rounds

Dana Dollar Byron Nelson High School 2 rounds

Last changed on Tue January 16, 2024 at 6:01 AM MDT

Yes, I want the docs- ddollar@nisdtx.org

Words matter. Arguments that are racist, sexist, transphobic, homophobic, etc. will not be tolerated.

I start my decision making process by identifying which questions my RFD needs to address. I then determine which questions are the most/least important and resolve them in order of importance, referencing my flow and the evidence read as needed. If the whole debate goes by and I am unsure why something matters or how much it matters in relation to something else I am not going to spend too much time thinking about it, let alone writing about it. Avoid this by providing me with clear judging instruction/impact framing. I vote for whoever wins a framework then proves they meet it. I do not mind being asked a few questions but aggressive post-rounding is not an effective way of soliciting reflective answers.

Truth is essential for tech. Having high quality evidence and using it to make sound arguments goes a very long way. Having low quality evidence and making dubious arguments makes the standard you have to satisfy to win my ballot much higher.

Make complete arguments (claim, warrant, implication). Arguments need to have a claim, warrant, and impact for me to evaluate them. That means you should make a statement, provide a reason it is true, and explain its implication in the round. I am unlikely to vote on arguments that aren't completely presented in the first speech. I would prefer a lower quantity of complete arguments supported by high quality evidence. Overviews can be helpful for establishing ethos, reminding judges about your arguments, and providing a sense of narrative cohesion, but they should be concise. Get to the line by line. Please name/number your arguments and signpost so I am not lost.

I am fine with speed, as long as everyone can understand you. If you cannot speak quickly and clearly at the same time, choose to speak clearly.

Joseph Donowho Strake Jesuit College Preparatory 6 rounds

Kalina Duong Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds

Channing Fredrickson Katy Taylor High School 6 rounds None

Trent Fry Westview High School 3 rounds

Jennifer Giarrusso Pittsburgh Allderdice High School 2 rounds

Last changed on Thu March 7, 2024 at 5:04 PM EDT

Name: Jennifer Mazzocco

School Affiliation: Taylor Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh, PA

Number of Years Judging Public Forum: 13 years

Number of Years Competing in Public Forum: 0 years

Number of Years Judging Other Forensic Activities: some speech judging experience throughout the last 10 years

Number of Years Competing in Other Forensic Activities: 0 years

If you are a coach, what events do you coach? Public Forum debate, Lincoln Douglas debate, Parliamentary debate, Congress

What is your current occupation? 9th grade English teacher

Please share your opinions or beliefs about how the following play into a debate round:

Speed of Delivery – I prefer a traditional, or slower delivery with a focus on robustness of fewer arguments rather than superficial treatment of a higher number of arguments.

Format of Summary Speeches (line by line? big picture?) I prefer a big picture review of arguments in the summary speeches.

Role of the Final Focus – I prefer the final focus to highlight voting issues and review where the debate “landed” on those issues.

Extension of Arguments into later speeches – I am in favor of extending arguments into later speeches. I prefer thorough clash on arguments and if there is more new arguments or evidence to be presented, I value that debate.

Topicality - no

Plans - no

Kritiks – no

Flowing/note-taking – I support teams pre-flowing or flowing during the round, and taking notes. I typically take notes while listening on major points.

Do you value argument over style? Style over argument? Argument and style equally? I think style is important, but ultimately I value argument over style. I think the substance of the arguments and the quality of rebuttals and clash is the most important thing in deciding a winner.

If a team plans to win the debate on an argument, in your opinion does that argument have to be extended in the rebuttal or summary speeches? Yes, I think if they intend to win on it, it should be extended.

If a team is second speaking, do you require that the team cover the opponents’ case as well as answers to its opponents’ rebuttal in the rebuttal speech? Yes, they should do both.

Do you vote for arguments that are first raised in the grand crossfire or final focus? Yes for grand crossfire, no for final focus.

I have completed the PHSSL Cultural Competency Course.

Jeff Harkleroad Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Fri May 3, 2024 at 8:24 AM EDT

I've been judging Congressional Debate at the TOC since 2011. I'm looking for no rehash & building upon the argumentation. I want to hear you demonstrate true comparative understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the plan presented by the legislation. Don't simply praise or criticize the status quo as if the legislation before you doesn't exist.

L-D Paradigm:

Each LDer should have a value/value criterion that clarifies how their case should be interpreted.

I prefer to evaluate a round by selecting whose V/VC weighs most heavily under their case. Winning this is not in itself a reason for you to win. Tell me what arguments you're winning at the contention level, how they link, and how much they weigh in comparison to other arguments (yours and your opponent's) in the round.

Voting down the flow, if both sides prove framework and there’s not a lot of clash I would move on to the contention level and judge off the flow.

PUBLIC FORUM

SPEED
Don't. I can't deal with speed.

EVIDENCE
Paraphrasing is a horrible practice that I discourage. Additionally, I want to hear evidence dates (year of publication at a minimum) and sources (with author's credential if possible) cited in all evidence.

REBUTTALS
I believe it is the second team's duty to address both sides of the flow in the second team's rebuttal. A second team that neglects to both attack the opposing case and rebuild against the prior rebuttal will have a very difficult time winning my ballot as whichever arguments go unaddressed are essentially conceded.

SUMMARIES
The summaries should be treated as such - summarize the major arguments in the debate. I expect debaters to start to narrow the focus of the round at this point.

FINAL FOCUS
FOCUS is key. I would prefer 2 big arguments over 10 blippy ones that span the length of the flow. If you intend to make an argument in the FF, it should have been well explained, supported with analysis and/or evidence, and extended from its origin point in the debate all the way through the FF.

IMPACTS

I rock with the nuclear war impact, but it's getting a little old, lol. The concept of a nuclear war is too complex and I find that it's been thrown too loosely in the debate space. I know it's cliche, but please don't generate this impact and tell me you win on magnitude and expect that to be a reason for me to give your team an easy ballot. If one of your impacts genuinely leads to an outbreak of a nuclear war, please warrant it well.

INTERPoverall: I pay real close attention to the introduction of each piece, I look for the lens of analysis and the central thesis that will be advanced during the interpretation of literature. When the performance is happening, I'm checking to see if they have dug down deep enough into an understanding of their literature through that intro and have given me a way to contextualize the events that are happening during the performance

POI: I look for clean transitions and characterization (if doing multiple voices).

DI: I look for the small human elements that come from acting. Big and loud gestures are not always the way to convey the point, sometimes something smaller gets the point more powerfully.

HI: I look for clean character transitions, distinct voices, and strong energy in the movements. And of course the humor.

INFO: I'm looking for a well researched speech that has a strong message to deliver. Regardless of the genre of info you're presenting, I think that showing you've been exhaustive with your understanding is a good way to win my ballot. I'm not wow'd by flashy visuals that add little substance, and I'm put off by speeches that misrepresent intellectual concepts, even unintentionally. I like speeches that have a conclusion, and if the end of your speech is "and we still don't know" then I think you might want to reassess the overall direction you are taking.

FX/DX: When I'm evaluating an extemp speech, I'm continually thinking "did they answer the question? or did they answer something that sounded similar?" So keep that in your mind. Are you directly answering the question? When you present information that could be removed without affecting the overall quality of the speech, that is a sign that there wasn't enough research done by the speaker. What I vote on in terms of content are speeches that show a depth of understanding of the topic by evaluating the wider implications that a topic has for the area/region/politics/etc.

Wyatt Hatfield Strake Jesuit College Preparatory 6 rounds

Jack Hoard Antonian College Preparatory High School 6 rounds None

Saad Hossain Hire 6 rounds

Brian Hu Katy Taylor High School 6 rounds None

Victoria Hu Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds None

Connor Bryant Huffman Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Sat February 10, 2024 at 8:29 AM CDT

Personal Background

As of Feb. 2023, I have competed/judged speech for 5 years and judged debate for around 3.5 years. I also participated in theatre/musical theatre and MUN in high school.

Speech

I can always give time signals and will usually ask if you would like any if I forget to, please feel free to ask for them

Generally anything goes, I never really expect you to make any significant change in speech based on a judge’s preferences.

That being said for interp my ballots often end up being highly technical(Pantomime inconsistencies, vocal inflection at key moments, etc.) as I want to give you as much actionable feedback in my comments as possible, however the ranks may not seem to match as often the more non actionable reasons of the RFD supersedes in importance for my decision.

For platform/limited prep I generally want to see some physical organization that mirrors your speech organization(walks to separate points, etc.).

Debate

I keep time and I expect you to keep time for both yourselves and your opponents, keep everyone honest
for speeches I generally give ~2-3 seconds of grace to finish a sentence unless in a panel, do not abuse this privilege
Spreading is fine as long as articulation is good, although scale back some for PF such that a lay judge can fully comprehend your arguments(whatever that looks like for you)
If a format has Cross, I generally want to see you do something more than just clarifying questions, ex. Like probing for weaknesses that will be expanded on in your next speech
Fully realizing your impacts is very important especially in the final 1-2 speeches even if some repetition is required
Unless instructed otherwise, feel free to run almost anything at your discretion Ks, Aff-Ks, Plans, Theory, etc.

That being said your links need to be strong for me to vote for it
Specifically for Ks, I often want to see a R.O.B argument to give me a reason to vote for you in the round even if I do buy the K
Specifically for Theory, the communication of what the theory argues/shows needs to be clear
Unless you can explain one of the above to a Lay judge with ease I would advise against running the above in PF

At the end of the debate I will often give verbal feedback (exceptions being if a tournament runs on a tight schedule with flights, I have been double booked in the speech and debate pool and need to make it to a round, the tournament is running far behind, or I am instructed not to do so), after this verbal feedback I may if I have a clear winner(unless instructed otherwise), otherwise I will not

Sowmya (Somi) Iyengar William P. Clements High School 1 rounds

Ramesh Jaladi Harvest Park 2 rounds

Judijoy Jeter Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds

andrew jones Katy Taylor High School 6 rounds

Caden Juang St John's School 1 rounds

Dejim Juang St John's School 1 rounds

Pranav Kasibhatla Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Fri January 5, 2024 at 1:53 PM CDT

Seven lakes High School '21 | University of Texas at Dallas '24

contact: pkasibhatla4@gmail.com

Debate experience:

I mainly participated in PF debate throughout high school at both local and national tournaments

PF:

- I am a standard flow judge who evaluates tech over truth.

- Okay with any arguments along as they are not offensive, racist, homophobic, etc.

- I am fine with speed as long as everyone in the round can clearly hear the arguments. I do not like spreading.

- Evidence: Paraphrasing is fine as long as you don't blatantly misconstrued the evidence. When providing paraphrased evidence please give the specific line that you reference. Evidence ethics are important, call your opponents out for any misconstrued evidence, false claims or any lies.

- Speaker points: Speaker points are awarded based on strategy and obviously how well you speak. As mentioned above, I will dock both speaker points and drop you if you have bad evidence ethics. Moreover, i'll give bonus speaker points if the round is entertaining and respectful. Being rude and loud will only decrease your speaker points so don't do that

- Give a roadmap of the speech beforehand and signpost throughout the speech.

- To extend an argument you must extend the contention name, the name of the cards and more importantly what the card says. You can't just tell me to extend 'x card' without telling me why the card is important to both your argument and the round. Speaking of extensions, the round should flow from your constructive to the final focus. The second rebuttal should respond to all offensive arguments or I consider them as drops. First summary must extend arguments and defense if it's responded to in second rebuttal. I will more than likely be voting on both the cleanest argument.

- Weighing is great, the more you weigh throughout the round the easier it is for me to vote. Please start weighing during rebuttals. New weighing after second summary is too late and I will not evaluate that.

- Any arguments or concessions during Cross must be brought up in speeches.

- If you read a framework, read warrants. The Framework debate must include weighing.

- Final focus should have the same arguments as summary

Email me if you have any questions!

Rajiv Kaushal Westview High School 5 rounds

David Kennedy Strake Jesuit College Preparatory 6 rounds

Farid Khairollahi Brentwood High School 6 rounds

Thembani Regenald Khumalo Hire 6 rounds

Thulani Khumalo Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Sun January 21, 2024 at 10:25 AM CDT

This is my paradigm; I will explain how I approach judging in a FAQ format. Hopefully, it's clear. If you have any questions, email me: khumalothulani.r@gmail.com

What is my experience level?

Here are my judging qualifications:

2022: Implicit Bias - Project Implicit, USA

2022: Cultural Competency course - National Speech and Debate Association, USA

2022: Adjudicating Speech and Debate – National Speech and Debate Association, USA

2022: Protecting Students from Abuse - US Centre for Safesport, USA

You can find my certificates here (Google Drive):

I have been judging for two years now, since 2022, and have judged about 22 tournaments (I have no idea how many flights but probably hundreds lol). I have experience in most formats: LD, PF, WSD, BP, AP, Congress, SPAR, Impromptu, Policy, and even the rare ones like Big Questions and Extemporaneous. I have some experience in oratory speeches like DUO. Yes and many rare debates (for example, one time I did a radio debate where the speakers were performing as radio announcers, giving local news, sports, etc, with 1950-type voices-- it was a pretty cool experience :)).

2 2. What are my preferences as they relate to your rate of delivery and use of jargon or technical language?

I pretty much understand complex English words. Having studied engineering in college, it's pretty much a given that I understand most of the stuff and words that may be deemed complicated. However, debate is an Art of Convincing and Converting, so don't try to use too much jargon like a lawyer (or a surgeon lol), as it might end up confusing your opponents and me.

Rate of Delivery: Any delivery pacing is welcome. Generally, I prefer a medium pace; a slow pace is okay, too, if you can explain your contentions adequately in the given time. Medium or conversational pacing gets the point across really well. When it comes to fast pace, don't speak in a monotonous way like you are reading..(approach your speech as if you are trying to convince me to follow your case), and don't rush too much: take your time; it's your moment, be free. I don't have any difficulties understanding fast-paced deliveries; however, during the speech, you must factor in the time for me to process the information you say. But remember, it is not only me; your opponents must also understand what you are saying. This means, you really don't need to have too many contentions to be convincing (Quality over quantity).

33. How do I take notes during the round?

I am a writer, and there is no stopping my pen. First, you have to know that during your contentions, I basically write down all your points, examples, and details. I keep my notes detailed so that it's easy to recall and give a balanced assessment. However, I highlight your major contentions so that I get an appreciation of your overall message. This is important in that, usually during questioning, there usually are nuanced questions coming from the other side relating to minor arguments, such as an example that was not stressed upon. Picking all that up is important so that I don’t forget or get surprised when someone asks a question on a minor point.

4. Do I value argument over style? Style over argument? Argument and style equally? Are there certain delivery styles that are more persuasive to me?

Arguments and style are both important to me. Generally, I give Arguments 70% and style 30%. When I rate every debate, there is an argumentative section and a performative section that is essentially style and delivery. For me to give you the round, you have to provide me with convincing and logical arguments supported by examples/exhibitions (argument). Then there is style: After every debate, I always emphasise how important a structured speech is. There must be a flow to your case. Start by saying something out of the box to raise my interest (Give an exciting hook, show me how smart you are); after you introduce the topic, state your major contentions, then explain them, giving evidence. Don’t give too much proof because you need time to explain to me, as if I am a layman, what it all means and the impacts of an action. Then, as you conclude, give a summary (remind me of the journey of the speech). This delivery style is tried and tested, However, if you think you have your own style that will convince me, go for it. You can trust me when I say to you that I pay a lot of attention to detail.

45. What are the specific criteria I consider when assessing a debate?

1. Clarity: outline your key contentions early on in the debate, and use these to link your argumentation for consistency and clear logical flow.

2. Rebuttal: be genuine with engaging matters from the other side. Make strategic concessions while showing me how your side solves the problems you illuminate from the other side. Avoid making claims without justifying why they are valid or essential to the debate and at what point they engage with the other teams' arguments.

3. Conclusions: When deciding on a winner, I use the key clashes that came out in the debate regarding the strength of weighing and justification. This means, as debaters, you need to prove to me why you win certain clashes and why those clashes are the most important in the debate. That is to say, mechanise each of your claims (give multiple reasons to support them) as you make them make it easier to weigh clashes at the end of the debate.

4. Coherency. Make sure your delivery is coherent. The perk of writing stuff down is you can catch a lot of mistakes, so make sure everything tallies up.

56. If you have judged before, how would I describe the arguments I found most persuasive in previous debate rounds?

Essentially, the most compelling arguments are the most well-explained, and the impacts of those arguments are well-explained and logical. Try not to brush things off, manage your time wisely, and don’t come with a lot of contentions…3 or 4 are usually enough (depending on the debate format); explain well, give proofs, and give impacts.

67. What expectations do you have for debaters’ in-round conduct?

In the round, everyone is EQUAL, and everyone is free to express themselves. It’s a safe space for everyone. Be kind to one another, and that means no bullying or targeting of any sort.

78. Feedback. I will give verbal feedback if the tournament allows, disclosing who has won and why. I will also write feedback on Tabroom for every individual. My job is to make sure that you learn from the debate experience and take something positive.

89. Time: I prefer that the speakers have time clocks with them (this won't lose you marks, lol). I prefer the round to flow naturally without my continual interruption, interjecting here and there (for example, you: “Judge Ready?”— Me: “Ready”) if there is something to be said.

Cheers!

Poh Ko William P. Clements High School 2 rounds

Amitabh Kumar Flower Mound High School 6 rounds

John Leem Katy Taylor High School 6 rounds None

Julie Liu Seven Lakes High School 3 rounds

Rahim Macknojia William P. Clements High School 2 rounds None

Ishan Maddalwar Katy Taylor High School 6 rounds

Achyuth Madhuvan Cinco Ranch High School 2 rounds

Last changed on Wed January 3, 2024 at 2:02 AM CDT

I am a current PF Varsity Competitor, Familiar with almost all types of speech events and all debate events. I am very technically knowledgable, do not limit the types of arguments you run.

Debate/general

Explain your arguments to me clearly. Recommended speaking speed depends on the event, but I have no qualms judging a high-speed debate round with technical terms. Voters are a must, the team who gives me the easiest path to the ballot will be winning the round. Speaker points will be given based upon speaking skills, not argumentative skills, and thus are not reflective of your technical skill as a debater, but with the persuasiveness and fluidity of your speeches.

Speech/ general

Body language is very important, I want to be able to understand your tone with more than just your voice. Time signals are fine if you request them, and I won't be too mad at a stutter here or there, especially in outrounds. BE ENGAGING AND FLUID. I cannot stress this enough. You must be able to draw me in with a good performance, do proper accents if you choose to have them, and create an overall good experience for the watcher. For extemp, make sure you speak clearly, and try to be a little more concise with your arguments, saying something with too many words is a big ick. Again for extemp, you can be the most persuasive person in the world, but I will down you if you come up to the stage and begin to spew utter nonsense. Have fun!

PFDEBATE:

My critiques for this will be much more lengthy than the others, due to this being my main event.

For Varsity: Debate is a game, go crazy. (no counterplans)

Speech by speech expectations:

Constructive: For at least your constructive, I expect you to be proficient enough with your case to be able to read you case in a fluid manner, with tone and inflection in your voice. If you can, eye contact is appreciated, and is an immediate increase in speaks. I will provide a 10-15 second grace period after your speech, but anything after that is completely ignored. I won't tell you when time is up, so make sure to time your own speeches. For later speeches, cross applying evidence from your constructive is very powerful for me, since this is evidence that has been in since the beginning of the round. For speed, I prefer constructive to be a little slower than most other speeches, to make it understandable, but I won't down a varsity debater for spreading 4 contentions and theory.

Crossfire: Not a super important part of the debate but super interesting for me, please make sure to be respectful. Anything past 2 follow up questions is just scummy and you hogging cross time. Try and come to crossfire prepared to ask questions, awkward silence on either just makes the debate less fun. Evidence should be called in prep time, not crossfire, however you can ask me in crossfire to look at a piece of evidence that your opponents have that you think is false. Falsifying evidence does not mean that I will drop you, but I won't consider any part of the argument as offense for either side.

Rebuttal: 1st rebuttal should 100% attacking, unless you're defending theory arguments. For this I don't really have a speed limit whatsoever, go crazy, but be considerate if this is a novice PF round. I know literally all of the terms, and I will basically evaluate anything other than counterplans because that's literally not allowed in the event. (If you run a counterplan in novice, I will drop you). I don't have a specific standard for analytics vs carded responses, but I will prefer whichever argument you tell me to in round. Clash is very important to me, so make sure that your frontlines and attacks are extremely responsive, this will make me disposed towards buying your argument. Terminal defense for me is super important and will probably lose you the round if you don't respond to it, unless you weigh out of it.

Summary: A super important speech imo, make sure that you weigh properly and frontline your arguments.DEFENSE IS NOT STICKY. For you novices reading this, this means that you must extend your arguments through every speech otherwise I won't consider it. Once again, you must be very responsive in this speech, and should probably start narrowing down the arguments in the round. Make sure to tell me what arguments are important and why I should vote for you. Finally,WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH. The emphasis I put on weighing is so immense, that you can literally LOSE the ENTIRE ROUND'S arguments, but if you have the most fire weighing ever, you can literally turn the tide of the debate with this speech. Also no new arguments please.

Final Focus: Condense the round for me, think of your arguments as two ships sailing past each other in the night. Make your words the light that lets me see the ships. Explain to me why you won the round and why my ballot goes for you. Basically, easiest path to the ballot wins, I want to see you race there.

Postrounding: honestly funny, you can postround me even before I submit my ballot, know that it will never change my decision whatsoever. Critiques will always be given after the round on request, and I will always be disclosing.

Secrets of the ballot: Since you made it this far, here are some fun tips to win you the round. Starting off your final focus with a catchy phrase or an appropriate literary sequence will always engage me further. IMMEDIATE MAXIMUM SPEAKS FOR ALL DEBATERS WHO SPIN IN A CIRCLE EVERY TIME THEY READ A TURN. Finally, managing to rickroll me in the middle of the round will lead to maximum speaks,

Arshiya Mahato Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds

Vasini Maheswaran Westview High School 4 rounds

Hafsa Moeez Hire 6 rounds

Chantelle Muthoni Mukabi Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Sun January 7, 2024 at 4:30 AM EDT

About me:

A proudly African woman from Kenya who is obsessed with debate and the culture of sharing knowledge, perspectives, and experiences! Has organized and hosted multiple debate tournaments across continents, and is a debate and judge coach to African debaters in the British Parliamentary debate circuit. Studies computer science as a university degree, and spends her free time debating, judging, listening to music, dancing, eating great food and of course, travelling!

Judging rubric:

In any given debate, there are a few baseline criteria I use to evaluate arguments and speeches:

1. Clarity: tell me what the debate is about and what it should be evaluated on, e.g. helping vulnerable groups, maximizing freedom of choice, etc. These should ALWAYS be followed by mechanization.

2. Mechanization: do not just state claims and rebut them with counter-claims. Mechanization means giving me strong reasons why your claim or counter-claim is true, and why it is not only important in the debate, but the MOST IMPORTANT in the debate. That means you must do good quality weighing along with your mechanization.

3. Weighing: take the best case scenario of the other side, and do a comparative analysis with the average case or worst case scenario on your side. If you can show me that even if your side's best case does not work, your average or worst case is still better than the other side's best case, and give me strong reasons as to why, you've scored a solid win.

4. Engagement: being genuine in addressing the other team's case is key to winning a debate. Do not assume points for the other side, or try to water down their points without giving me proper rebuttal. Listen keenly to what each speaker says, and do your best not to run away from the core of their case, even if it seems hard to engage with. Try your best!

5. Structure: present your speeches in a clear and simple way. Complexity does not win debates, simplicity does. Clear structure and simple but detailed analysis makes it easy for teams to understand your arguments and for me as a judge to do so as well. I value signposting (giving me a brief outline of what you will talk about in your speech), flow (signaling the end of one argument and the beginning of another), and clear comparatives throughout the speech.

6. Team Dynamic: how you and your partner present your case is important. I need to see strong support structures and extensions to strengthen arguments, and see well thought out speeches that do not sound contradictory or confused on one end. Cohesion and synchronicity is key!

7. Respect: let's not be derogatory or discriminatory towards anyone in the debate. Let us not think differently of them because they have different accents or are not from where you are from. Any slander, arguments based on stereotypes, lack of respect for gender identities and general offensive language will result in repercussions, and a report to the tournament organizers. Let's celebrate diversity and culture, and learn from everyone's different perspectives!

Good luck everyone!

Emily Nhi Nguyen Katy Taylor High School 6 rounds None

Thuan Nguyen Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Tue January 2, 2024 at 4:11 PM EDT

Debate

1.Arguments: I am generally open to all types of arguments; however,I do not vote for any arguments that I do not fully comprehend. Meaning if you are planning of running kritiq or various progressive/novel arguments, be prepared to provide clear context and explain to be why this your argument is applicable to the round.

2. Speed- Talking fast is not usually an issue for me, however, keep in mind you do run the risk of enabling key arguments slipping through the cracks. Do not spread unnecessarily. I strongly prefer rebuttals with strong analysis rather than a rushed synopsis of all your arguments. I witnessed many debaters conditioning themselves into thinking it imperative to speak fast. While sometime speed is necessary to cover your bases, it is more more impressive if you can cover the same bases using less words. Be concise.

3. Technical stuff - If you have any short and specific questions, feel free to bring them up before or after the round. Here are some things to keep in mind. When extending, make sure your arguments have warrants. If you say something like " Please extend Dugan 2020," without re-addressing what argument that card entails, I might opt to disregard that argument. Also, when responding to an opposing argument, please don't simply rephrase your the same argument in your initial case without adding anything significant. I will sometime consider this as you conceding the argument. For any type of debate, I really like it if you can set up the framework on how the round should be judge along with giving strong voters. This essentially helps you prioritize what's important throughout the round. Always weigh whenever possible.

4. Additional items.

a. When sharing or requesting case files, we be expedient. If this is during the round and prep timer is not running, no one should be working on their cases. This exchange should be very brief. Please do not abuse this.

b. For PF crossfire, I prefer it if you didn't conduct it passively where both side take turns asking basic questions regarding two different arguments. I also rather if you built on from your opponent's responses by asking probing questions. Capitalize on this chance to articulate your arguments instead of using it to ask a few question.

Vera Nweke Hire 6 rounds

Ganesh Palivela Centennial HS 4 rounds None

Sherri Perry St Agnes Academy 4 rounds

Domonique Pugh Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Thu November 19, 2020 at 7:57 AM CDT

My experience as a debater spans several years, across events including LD, CX/Policy, Congress; though several years removed from competing; consistently serving as a judge. My experience began while performing in high school, to helping prepare tournaments and judging over the years.

Rules: They're necessary and well-defined, and formalizes debate procedures. The recent interpretations of procedures - regarding open vs. closed CX; CX during prep; file/data transfer consuming prep-time, etc. - may be applied to rounds only when all parties are agreeable to the proposed interpretations. If at least a single party to the debate disagrees, then the traditional interpretation of the debate procedures will be applied. Procedures provide structure, but shouldn't foster stagnation. Rules, like laws, may be viewed differently from person to person, over time. So long as parties are agreeable to reasonable rules adjustments, they may be applied. I view the role of the judge as mainly silent, but present/involved.

Opinions/Intervention: Neutral, but knowledgeable! I evaluate information presented to me, with no bias, whatsoever. While I may have familiarity with issues and facts surrounding them, the job of the judge is to evaluate the arguments presented. It is the debaters' job to present cases and to rebut inaccurate information, and to contend with faulty arguments. While personal knowledge may cause me to disagree with that which is presented, it would be incumbent upon the opponent(s) to counter-argue the point. I would not impart personal thoughts; but would instead weigh arguments presented on the basis of what is known to me. If ignorant in an area, I'd rely upon debaters to make the most convincing arguments.

Spreading/Speed: Speed is no issue; articulation/enunciation is. Points intended to be made by debaters will simply be lost if not well-articulated by the debater. I will not rehash items to clear up uncertainties. It is not the job of the judge to figure out the debaters' statements. It is instead the job of debaters to present clearly their arguments such that the judge could properly evaluate the same. An indistinguishable statement is just as good as one never spoken.

Paradigm: I am rather neutral on the types of arguments presented. I see no degradation to the advancement of educational debate with kritiks, and, similar to my position on rules, believe that interpretations and approaches may be adjusted over-time and across individuals, moving from more traditional ideas of theoretical debate.

Evidence certainly helps, but should not serve as a debater's crutch. Some may present convincing enough arguments of pragmatism and suppositions that lack concrete evidence. Others may present heavily-sourced arguments, with the expectation that Politico, Fox, Washington Post, Harvard Review, etc. will carry the case for them. I accept that evidence is rarely truly pure. Meaning, for example, that where "a Reuters poll (may) shows XYZ..." that poll/study may be laden with implicit/explicit bias. So, it's the duty of the debater to not only research, but to also present crafty arguments that may not be solely dependent upon a sources. Recency may help when/where more recent sources offer better evidence on a topic; but credibility, is most important. Perhaps there's a more recent study that fails to account for the depth of a previous one. New does not always mean better.

Overall, I am a neutral, largely silent, participant allowing parties to work through differences on procedural interpretations; and am open to different formats of argumentation, with no set standard; but, expect to be convinced by on party or another, no matter their style. However, there must be formality to debate. So, understanding the rules as traditionally interpreted and incorporating stock issues for a comprehensive and sound argument would help.

Lianshuang Qi William P. Clements High School 2 rounds None

Nijm Ramsey Dulles High School 6 rounds None

Adnan Rizvi William P. Clements High School 1 rounds

Aviva Rosenberg Pittsburgh Allderdice High School 3 rounds

Kagia Samuel Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Sat November 20, 2021 at 6:50 AM UTC

My background : I am from Africa and I have been judging and training debaters for the last three years. I am widely experienced in different formats of debate across different circuits in the world.

My judging criteria is as follows:

1. Truth of claim :

The claim must be proven with strong reasons and evidence. The second level of proving the truth of your claim is in responding to responses of your proof of the claim from the opposing team. This is important because the other team could attack a link in the truth of your argument and without sufficient response then the likelihood of truth of your argument becomes diminished. The result of this is that your impacts are unlikely to occur because the claim has been proven to be false which greatly reduces your chance to win the debate.

2. Impacting :

The claim once proven should be impacted. The importance of the argument is strongly reliant on your impacts. The greater the impact proven the more likely the importance of the argument increases. Ensure your impacts are reasonable within the debate and can be proven rather than looking for a huge impact that is unlikely to be proven within the debate.

3. Responses :

There are two level of responses I think are important within the debate. Responses that are constructive in nature which means you are responding to a rebuttal that was attacking your argument and rebuilding your argument. The second are deconstructive arguments attacking the opposing teams arguments. It is important to have different responses to the most strongest arguments in the round. Firstly because it allows you to mitigate the other teams arguments much more and reduces the likelihood the response is answered by an easy response from the other team. Lastly because you need to prioritize the strongest arguments and respond to those particular arguments within the round because they are the most likely to win the round and time limitations do not allow you to respond to every single argument.

4. Weighing :

Most responses within debate rounds usually only mitigate the other teams arguments and do not necessarily prove them to be completely false. The importance of this is to understand the importance of weighing after giving your responses, it is because although mitigated some strong arguments are still left within the round that required to be weighed up. You can use different metrics to weigh your arguments such as which one affects more people, more urgent or occurs more often and many others to prove your arguments are more important.

5. Structure :

It is important to have an argument that flows from the beginning to the end of the argument. This is because it makes it easier to track the argument and reduces the likelihood that there is internal inconsistency within the arguments.

Kindly respect your opponents. Do not engage in any rude and offensive language/actions within the debate round. I encourage you to be creative and have fun as you learn and engage with new people within the realm of debating. All the best !

Daniel Shi Ridgewood Independent 2 rounds

Last changed on Sun January 7, 2024 at 11:34 AM CDT

danielaudreycole@gmail.com

daniel please, Not judge and definitely not sir

So who is this random guy?

POST JUDGING TWO CIRCUIT TOURNAMENTS THOUGHTS:

I don't know if I just did not care about it when I debated and judged regularly last year, or if there was some committee meeting where people decided just to toss evidence ethics completely out the window. It seems even worse than before. I saw a card that was tagged "Iran key for nuke war" then the card said in tiny unhighlighted font... "5 places where war could go nuclear." Authors, even at very credible websites write speculative pieces and opinion pieces that are being weaponized by debaters for cards with absolutely no regard to whether or not it is actually what the card says with context. Making something size 5 font does not make it go away if I catch anyone doing this... I will stop paying attention and drop you. No questions asked. I don't care if I'm the only one in the community that cares about this, if you can't be bothered to edit your case so it meets very high standards of evidence ethics, then PLEASE strike me.

Policy debater at Houston Memorial (2022), TFA, and NSDA Qualifier with a horrendous record at National Circuit tournaments- Arkansas 26(Not debating)

I judge mostly these days for fun, and far less than I used to. I cover sports in my spare time for sports illustrated, Slow down from top speed.

Speaker Points: 30s for all, call me lazy but I've got enough crap to do as a judge, I'm not sorting through the minutia of what the difference is between a 30 and 29,6...

There are two major exceptions to this rule:

Unnecessary showmanship and/or general rudeness... Don't spread if you don't have to... Don't run 7 off if you don't have to... Don't cut your opponent off in cross every question... you know the usual stuff...
Evidence ethics... This is DIFFERENT THAN MOST OTHER JUDGES... You should not highlight one sentence from the card and then make the rest of the text incredibly small to make the context of the card impossible to read. The general rule of thumb, is if the author of the article came in and listened to you read the card, would they feel comfortable with the way you have represented the card? If not, please recut..., I will drop your speaks to 27.5 without saying a word, your opponent does not even have to say anything (although if you stake the round on it, I am certainly willing to sign and deliver my ballot if you are correct). It won't change the rest of the debate, I won't even mention it in my RFD. Trust me, as someone who writes content that gets published online for a job, we do NOT write articles with debate in mind... cut them as such, do not cut a sentence out of an article, just because it is a fire link to your DA. (See longer rant above)

Pref Shortcuts(LD)-

LARP-1

(Real theory-Condo, T Violations vs LARP AFF, etc.) 1-2

Phil-3

K-4

Trix-The cereal is for 3-year-olds, and so is this kind of debate :)

This used to be a heck of a lot longer, I’m convinced that most of y’all didn’t read that disorganized mess. This is how you should think of me as a judge. A former policy debater that went strictly topic related T and Policy stuff and a few basic Ks. Slightly out of practice but judged 50+ circuit LD rounds last year.

Sonya Smith Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Tue January 2, 2024 at 11:49 AM CDT

I believe that everyone has a voice which needs a platform to embrace self-expression, unique personalities, and the social construct of expressive speech in a safe, nurturing environment. As long as we follow the words of Benjamin Franklin, "Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment," for ignorance shall not prevail!

It is imperative to be polite, purposeful. and punctual.

With Lincoln Douglas (LD), I prefer traditional value and criterion debate, impact calculus, solvency, and line-by-line. Speech should have obvious organization which allows me to make a well-informed decision, focusing on presentation, logic, argumentation, and conclusion with a summary to wrap up the topic presented.

With Public Forum (PF), I prefer line-by-line, impact calculus, solid evidence from valid sources, be polite, and time yourselves. There should be a pre-determined resolution based on current events and trends. I should hear valuable insights. If you are providing a "filler", this will guarantee a low score, especially if it is personally offensive to the opponent or other marginalized groups.

With World Schools, I prefer obvious teamwork, focused on the issue presented with in-depth, quality argumentation creating solves with real-world examples while challenging the opposing team on a principled level.

With Congress, I look for proper parliamentary procedures and clarity of delivery through rigor, focused on democracy and clarity of ideas, seriousness in demeanor, and effective empowerment in speaking extemporaneously about the topic. Authenticity with clear speaking points such as sentence structure, eye contact, transitions, and word choice. The standard of decorum must be met.

In terms of speaking events, be purposeful when presenting the piece(s) to the extent that I feel as if you wrote it and expressed it with rigor, intensity, and passion.

You've got this!

Sonya Smith

Toluwani Olivia Sotunde Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds

Jeffrey Stirl William P. Clements High School 3 rounds

Preston Stolte Winston Churchill HS 2 rounds

Last changed on Tue January 2, 2024 at 10:03 AM CDT

Affiliation: Winston Churchill HS

email: s.stolte33@gmail.com

*I don't look at docs during the debate, if it isn't on my flow, I'm not evaluating it*

**prep time stops when the email is sent, too many teams steal prep while 'saving the doc'**

Do what you do well: I have no preference to any sort of specific types of arguments these days. The most enjoyable rounds to judge are ones where teams are good at what they do and they strategically execute a well planned strategy. You are likely better off doing what you do and making minor tweaks to sell it to me rather than making radical changes to your argumentation/strategy to do something you think I would enjoy.

-Clash Debates: No strong ideological debate dispositions, affs should probably be topical/in the direction of the topic but I'm less convinced of the need for instrumental defense of the USFG. I think there is value in K debate and think that value comes from expanding knowledge of literature bases and how they interact with the resolution. I generally find myself unpersuaded by affs that 'negate the resolution' and find them to not have the most persuasive answers to framework.

-Evidence v Spin: Ultimately good evidence trumps good spin. I will accept a debater’s spin until it is contested by the opposing team. I often find this to be the biggest issue with with politics, internal link, and permutation evidence for kritiks.

-Speed vs Clarity: I don't flow off the speech document, I don't even open them until either after the debate or if a particular piece of evidence is called into question. If I don't hear it/can't figure out the argument from the text of your cards, it probably won't make it to my flow/decision. This is almost always an issue of clarity and not speed and has only gotten worse during/post virtual debate.

-Inserting evidence/CP text/perms:you have to say the words for me to consider it an argument

-Permutation/Link Analysis: I am becoming increasingly bored in K debates. I think this is almost entirely due to the fact that K debate has stagnated to the point where the negative neither has a specific link to the aff nor articulates/explains what the link to the aff is beyond a 3-year-old link block written by someone else. I think most K links in high school debate are more often links to the status quo/links of omission and I find affirmatives that push the kritik about lack of links/alts inability to solve set themselves up successfully to win the permutation. I find that permutations that lack any discussion of what the world of the permutation would mean to be incredibly unpersuasive and you will have trouble winning a permutation unless the negative just concedes the perm. Reading a slew of permutations with no explanation as the debate progresses is something that strategically helps the negative team when it comes to contextualizing what the aff is/does. I also see an increasingly high amount of negative kritiks that don't have a link to the aff plan/method and instead are just FYIs about XYZ thing. I think that affirmative teams are missing out by not challenging these links.

FOR LD PREFS (may be useful-ish for policy folks)

All of the below thoughts are likely still true, but it should be noted that it has been about 5 years since I've regularly judged high-level LD debates and my thoughts on some things have likely changed a bit. The hope is that this gives you some insight into how I'm feeling during the round at hand.

1) Go slow. What I really mean is be clear, but everyone thinks they are much more clear than they are so I'll just say go 75% of what you normally would.

2) I do not open the speech doc during the debate. If I miss an argument/think I miss an argument then it just isn't on my flow. I won't be checking the doc to make sure I have everything, that is your job as debaters. This also means:

3) Pen time. If you're going to read 10 blippy theory arguments back-to-back or spit out 5 different perms in a row, I'm not going get them all on my flow, you have to give judges time between args to catch it all. I'll be honest, if you're going to read 10 blippy theory args/spikes, I'm already having a bad time

4) Inserting CP texts, Perm texts, evidence/re-highlighting is a no for me. If it is not read aloud, it isn't in the debate

5) If you're using your Phil/Value/Criterion as much more than a framing mechanism for impacts, I'm not the best judge for you (read phil tricks/justifications to not answer neg offense). I'll try my best, but I often find myself struggling to find a reason why the aff/neg case has offense to vote on

6) Same is true for debaters who rely on 'tricks'/bad theory arguments, but even more so. If you're asking yourself "is this a bad theory argument?" it probably is. Things such as "evaluate the debate after the 1AR" or "aff must read counter-solvency" can be answered with a vigorous thumbs down.

7) I think speaker point inflation has gotten out of control but for those who care, this is a rough guess at my speaker point range28.4-28.5average;28.6-28.7 should clear;28.8-28.9 pretty good but some strategic blunders; 29+you were very good, only minor mistakes

Aamir Sundrani William P. Clements High School 1 rounds

Zaynab Syed Hire 6 rounds

Nina Wan Katy Taylor High School 6 rounds

Egan Wang Katy Taylor High School 6 rounds

Last changed on Fri November 11, 2022 at 1:16 AM CDT

Pronouns: he/him, they/them

Put me on the email chain: eganwang2005@gmail.com

Debated PF for 2 years in high school, CX for all 4 years. I've judged a few rounds here and there, but most of my time in debate has been spent facing the judge's desk instead of sitting behind it.

Tabula rasa judge, but will default to games player should no judge instructions be given.

I am not a speaker point fairy. No further elaboration is needed.

PF:

No sticky arguments. If you don't extend the argument, it gets dropped. If you don't explicitly concede it, turns are fair game.

Disclosure: I won't really enforce disclosure in PF. However, for in-round transparency, please make an email chain. I'm tired of PF cards with little to no rigor being shielded by "confidentiality", and while I won't enforce email chains/ev sharing, I will evaluate unshared evidence lower. Sharing evidence does not take prep.

Speed: I get the feeling of being constrained by speech time - trust me, I mainly debate CX! - but PF is a debate format suited first and foremost for an audience of laypersons, and your speed should reflect this. If I find your delivery too rapid, I will still flow your arguments, but the burden of proof required to answer your speedy arguments will be drastically reduced to provide equity for slower teams. Compare Appendix 1.

Arguments: Anything goes. Standard structural violence/extinction impacts are fine, but don't be afraid to run kritikal args if you understand the thesis well enough to explain it. Just remember that everything should be understandable to a layperson, regardless of whether or not they would agree.

Weighing: Weighing is often seen as "that thing you do when you have extra time", so teams often spend 10-15 seconds doing weighing. Don't do that. I want to see root-cause arguments and standards on why one part of magnitude/probability/timeframe outweighs another. Also, "scope" is fake. It's literally just magnitude with another name.

Judge instructions: I will vote purely off the flow to the best of my ability. Tell me what to do! If judge intervention is necessary, I will take the path of least resistance to a ballot, and speaks will drop proportionally to the amount of intervention required.

LD/CX:

Speed: I can handle speed, especially if I'm on the email chain. See Appendix 1.

Cross: I'm good with open cross. Cross is binding.

Arguments: Pretty much anything goes. I won't vote for "racism good", "death good", etc., but there aren't any major constraints. I am a sucker for framing args, though, especially on impact calculus.

Judge Instructions: Tell me how to vote in your final speeches. I really dislike judge intervention, and even if I think your arguments are better, I WILL vote against you if I feel like you haven't done a good enough job of explaining how you won the debate. Standards, standards, standards!

LD only: I know I'm a tabula rasa judge, but please, no tricks.

Appendix 1: Clarity/speed

Please, please, PLEASE slow down on taglines and analytics compared to card bodies, especially if they aren't in the speech doc. I will say "CLEAR" should I find your delivery incomprehensible to flow, interrupting your speech if need be. If you are unable to adjust, I will say "CLEAR" again and stop trying to flow until the issue is corrected.

Some judges don't like to say "CLEAR", believing that doing so is inequitable by giving in-round feedback to the offending team. However, as a debater, I have found myself quite anxious when attempting to flow seemingly unintelligible speeches since I don't know if the judge has ears as bad as mine - it's a bad gamble to take. Thus, I believe that saying "CLEAR" also serves as feedback to the other team to let them know they don't have to worry, resulting in a preserved balance between teams while also increasing accessibility.

For online debates, I'll be a little more lenient, but the fact remains that I won't vote for an argument that's not on my flow. The main difference with online debating is that I will always keep trying to flow regardless of how unclear you are - just keep in mind that two "CLEAR"s means I'm really struggling to keep up.

Grace Wu Katy Taylor High School 6 rounds None

Linda Wu Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds None

Meghan Avis Yen Bellaire 6 rounds

Last changed on Thu February 29, 2024 at 12:37 PM CDT

Speech/Platform

General:I'm looking for clear organization and relatively equal splits for the main points. I'm also looking for sourcing - minimum two sources per point of the speech with at least another source in the intro. The better speeches, in my opinion, cite at least seven sources - especially platform events. Also for platform events - originality of topic is taken into consideration (generally as a tie-breaker when two performances are equal).

Extemp:You gotta answer the question and connect each point to the answer. If your points are general and don't directly relate to your question it's gonna knock you down. Sources must be cited with at least month and year for articles in the last twelve months and year for older articles. Bonus points for a variety of publications and a hook that cleanly connects to the topic.

Informative:Visual aids should ENHANCE the speech, NOT MAKE the speech. If they are distracting me from the content of your speech then it will detract from your ranking.

Interpretation

Important Judging Quirk:I write comments as I'm watching (it's my version of flow for interp) so you're gonna get a stream-of-consciousness of what I'm thinking throughout the performance. I'm not being rude. I'm just giving you my real, raw thoughts as I watch your performance. If I'm confused you'll know I was confused. If I'm turned off by something you'll know I was turned off. If something made me feel an emotion you'll know it. If these types of ballots offend you STRIKE ME NOW. Do not wait until you get your ballot back and make me look like a bad guy because you didn't like how I took in your performance in the moment. Unlike a lot of interp judges (my kids do this event and I see their ballots) I'm trying to write down my thoughts and comments as they pop in my head, before I forget them forever. As a result (and with the number of rounds I judge) I don't always do a great job of editing these comments to make sure they won't sting. But students, coaches, if I say something you feel was unnecessarily hurtful please find me and talk to me. It was never my intention and I'd be happy to clarify my thoughts.

General:Performance needs a clear plot line (rising action, climax, falling action). No plot line? Not gonna be a good ranking. Character differentiation is key as well. If I get confused as to who is speaking when, it's gonna take me out of the performance. Blocking should make sense with the plot and remain consistent. If you create a wall, don't walk through the wall. Volume control is also considered - does the yelling make sense? Does it make me shrink away and not want to listen (not a good thing)? Is it legible? Emotions should match the scene/character as set up by previous scenes.

HI:I've become notorious for not laughing during performances. This is not me purposefully not laughing or trying to throw you off - I just don't find the humor in current HIs funny. In those cases I'm looking more at the characterization and plot line in the piece. That being said, if you see me laugh that is a genuine laugh and it'll for sure go into my considerations of rankings.

Debate

TL;DR: If it’s not on my flow it doesn’t exist. If I can’t explain the argument to you in oral critiques/on my ballot I won’t vote on it. Disrespect, discrimination, or rudeness will cost speaks or, if severe enough, the round. Also, I agree with Brian Darby's paradigm. Go read that and come back here for specifics.

If the words "disclosure theory" are said in the round I will automatically give the team that introduced it the down.

General: I won’t do the work for you. I am tech unless the argument being run is abusively false (Ex: The Holocaust was fake; the Uyghur camps in China are #FakeNews; the sky is red; etc.). I don’t care what you run or how you run it (with a few exceptions below). You need to weigh, you need to explain why you won, you need to extend, you need to signpost. At the end of the round, I want to be able to look at my flow and be able to see clear reasons/arguments why one particular side won the round. I don’t want to have to do mental gymnastics to determine a winner and I hate intervening. Do I prefer a particular style? Sure, but it doesn’t impact my flow or my decision. If you win the argument/round (even if I don’t enjoy it) you won the argument/round.

Style Preference

Email chains/Cards

Don't put me on the chain. You should be speaking slow enough that I don't need to read the speech docs in round to keep my flow clear.

Flow Quirks

First, I still flow on paper - not the computer - keep this in mind when it comes to speed of speech. I kill the environment in Policy by flowing each argument on a different page. Be kind and let me know how many pages to prepare in each constructive and an order to put existing flows in. I flow taglines over authors so, let me know what the author said (i.e. the tag) before you give me the analysis so I can find it on the flow.

Speed

SLOW DOWN ON TAGLINES AND IMPORTANT FACTS In the physical world if you ever go too fast I will throw down my pen and cross my arms. In the virtual world, I suggest you start slow because tech and internet speed has proven to be a barrier for spreading, but I will give you two warnings when you start skipping in and out or when you become unclear. After two, unless it’s an actual tech issue, I’ll stop flowing.

Timing

Prep time ends when you press "send" for the doc OR when the flash drive leaves your computer (or in PF when you stand to speak). That being said, I don’t time in rounds. You should be holding each other accountable.

Speaks

I generally start at 28 and work my way up or down. As a coach and a teacher I recognize and am committed to the value that debate should be an educational activity. Do not be rude, discriminatory, or abusive – especially if you are clearly better than your opponent. I won’t down you for running high quantity and high tech arguments against someone you are substantively better than, but I will tank your speaks for intentionally excluding your opponent in that way. It can only benefit you to keep the round accessible to all involved.

Argumentation

PF Specific

Nothing is "sticky." If it is dropped in summary I drop it from my flow and consider it a "kicked" argument or you "collapsed" into whatever was actually discussed. Do not try to extend an argument from rebuttal into Final Focus that was not mentioned in summary. I will not evaluate it. Don't run Kritiks - more info below

Framework

If you have it, use it. Don’t make me flow a framework argument and never reference it again or drop it in your calculations. LD: Be sure to tell me why you uphold your FW better than your opponent, why it doesn’t matter, or why your FW is superior to theirs. Do not ignore it.

Kicks

I’m fine with you kicking particular arguments and won’t judge it unless your opponent explains why I should, but it won’t be difficult for you to tell me otherwise.

Kritiks

LD/CX: If you aren’t Black, do not run Afropessimism in front of me. Period. End of story. In fact, if you are running any K about minorities (LGBTQ, race, gender, disabilities, etc.) and you do not represent that population you need to be VERY careful. I will notice the performative contradiction and the language of your K (Afropessimism is a great example) may sway my vote if your opponent asks. Anything else is fair game but you need to explain it CLEARLY. Do not assume I’ve read the literature/recognize authors and their theories (I probably haven't). You decided to run it, now you can explain it.

PF: Don't run this in front of me. You don't have time to do it well, flesh out arguments, and link to the resolution. I will most likely accept a single de-link argument from your opponents or a theory that Ks in PF is bad. For your own sake, avoid that.

Structural Violence

Make sure that you understand the beliefs/positions/plights of your specified groups and that your language does not further the structural violence against them. These groups are NOT pawns for debate and I will tank your speaks if you use them as such.

Theory

You can run it (minus disclosure), but if your impact is “fairness” you better explain 1) why it outweighs their quantitative impacts and 2) how what they are doing is so grossly unfair you couldn’t possibly do anything else. If you run this I will not allow conditionality. Either they are unfair and you have no ground, or you have ground and their argument is fine. Choose. Do not run theory as a timesuck.

Tricks

Strike me. I don’t know what they are, I will probably miss them – just like your opponent – and you and I will both be wasting our time on that argument.

Congress

My interpretation of Congress debate is a combination of extemporaneous speaking and debate. The sponsorship/authorship and first opposition speech should be the constructive speech for the legislation. The rebuttals should build on the constructives by responding to arguments made by the opposing side. Both styles of speech should:

Engage with the actual legislation, not the generalized concepts,
Have clear arguments/points with supporting evidence from reputable sources
Have a clear intro and conclusion that grabs the audience's attention and ties everything together
Articulate and weigh impacts (be sure to explain why the cost is more important than the lives or why the lives matter more than the systemic violence, etc.)

Rebuttal speeches should clearly address previous speeches/points made in the round. With that in mind, I will look more favorably on speeches later in the cycle that directly respond to previous arguments AND that bring in new considerations - I despise rehash.

Delivery of the speech is important - I will make note of fluency breaks or distracting movements - but I am mainly a flow judge so I might not be looking directly at you.

Participation in the chamber (motions, questioning, etc.) are things I will consider in final rankings and generally serve as tie-breakers. If two people have the same speech scores, but one was better at questioning they will earn the higher rank. Some things I look for in this area:

Are your questions targeted and making an impact on the debate of the legislation OR are they just re-affirming points already made?
Are you able to respond to questions quickly, clearly, and calmly OR are you flustered and struggling to answer in a consistent manner with the content of your speech?
Are you helping the chamber move along and keep the debate fresh OR are you advocating for stale debate because others still have speeches on the legislation?
Did you volunteer to give a speech on the opposite side of the chamber to keep the debate moving OR are you breaking Prop/Opp order to give another speech on the heavy side?

Presiding Officer

To earn a high rank in the chamber as the PO you should be able to do the following:

Follow precedence with few mistakes
Keep the chamber moving - there should be minimal pause from speech to questioning to speech
Follow appropriate procedures for each motions - if you incorrectly handle a motion (i.e. call for a debate on something that does not require it or mess up voting procedures) this will seriously hurt your ranking

Talha Zaheer Hire 6 rounds

Ying Zhang William P. Clements High School 2 rounds

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