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.

As a former high school Lincoln Douglas debater myself, I will be looking for the participants understanding of the issues, ability to articulate their arguments, and their ability to respond to the other sides arguments.

I am a lay judge and this is one of my first tournaments judging.

Here are some key factors that are important to me:

• Don't be rude and please keep the debate civil
• I will not tolerate spreading or speaking quickly. Please speak slowly and clearly. If I can't understand what you are saying, I can't judge/evaluate it
• Please use simple vocabulary words ( talk like you would to a 4th grader) -- I am unfamiliar with debate jargon, for example say argument instead of connection, we disprove instead of negate etc...
• I will evaluate your overall performance during the debate round. This includes but is not limited to your display of logic, reasoning, and analysis, how clearly your argument is conveyed, counter arguing to your opponents, and communicating ideas with clarity, organization, and fluency.
• In general, it is better to provide an explanation with each argument rather than card dump with no implication
• If you do not restate a point brought up during Cross-Examination I will not be taking the point

You will get my vote if you present consistent arguments, information in an understandable way, and persuade me with good speeches throughout the entire round

Other notes:

• Please indicate when you are about to start prep/give a speech. Ex. "is anybody not ready," "time starts on my first word," "starting prep now," etc.
• Also, please keep track of your own prep time throughout the entire round but hold your timer so that everyone is aware when you start/end prep.
• If time runs out when you are giving a speech, please stop speaking. You may finish the sentence but time cannot exceed 10-15 seconds after time is up.
• I do not know the format for debate rounds so make sure you follow it correct
• Finally, keep in mind this is my first tournament and I have no debate experience

I enjoy judging and look forward to each round!

First time judge, speak slow, speak strictly about the topic.

My background: I'm a parent judge, lawyer, and adjunct professor. My areas of practice include: Internet law (Section 230, DMCA, online privacy, etc.), corporate governance, litigation (particularly appeals), and government relations.

How I judge debate (especially PF): I prefer substance over style. Content: Are the arguments coherent and supported by evidence? If there's a risk involved (of doing or not doing something), have you quantified both the likelihood of the risk materializing and the magnitude of harm (and provided factual support that makes your claims sound reasonable)? Have you considered countervailing risks?

Organization: I like to hear a roadmap at the start of the argument (to know what I can expect) and a conclusion that reiterates your key points succinctly.

Style: All kinds of styles can work here, but your demeanor should be appropriate to a professional setting -- like arguing before a panel of appellate judges. Points will be deducted severely for disrespectful conduct (especially if directed to other debaters) or offensive speech.

I am a trial attorney that has been practicing law since 2000. I never participated in speech or debate competitions as a high school or college student, but through the past twenty years and law school I have been actively arguing on behalf of my clients. I have two children with several years of speech and debate experience so I know the hard work and commitment that it takes to be prepared for these tournaments.

Important to Me

Debate:

I want to understand your arguments. Do not speak super fast as I don't understand what you are saying. I would like for you to speak at a normal pace and provide the facts and resources that support your arguments. Simple vocabulary words are great. A 6th grade student should be able to understand your arguments and all the words you use. Listen to your opponents arguments and state specifically why you disagree with them. Do not restate your argument as a reply to the opponents positions. I want to feel like you believe in your argument and really understand it. I assume you have requested your opponents arguments prior to the round, and if you have not, then you should do so.

Speech

Relax and have fun. Assume, I don't know anything about your topic so I am looking forward to hearing about it. If you need help with timing, please let me know.

I am a trial attorney who has a little experience judging.  I am impressed by persuasive arguments that are supported by competent evidence that can be validated. I want to be able to understand your position so please speak at a speed I can follow and understand. 

Hi! I’m only familiar with the basics of debate and speech events so keep that in mind during your round. Please make sure you talk at an understandable pace and enunciate. Don’t use technical terms and keep track of your own prep time. Most importantly, make sure to keep it respectful with me as well as your opponents!

(I mostly flow in my head because i have a strange brain so fear not if you dont see me typing)

Spencergrosso@gmail.com (Yes, I want to be on the chain)

Debated PF on the national circuit for 5 years

-Tech>Truth, debate is a game

-Speed is fine, I’ll yell clear up to twice in one speech, If you continue to be unintelligible after that, it’s on you. (I’m not yelling clear in online debate. Send me speech docs and be clear)

PF rules:

-Offense is offense and offense must be warranted and weighed. I don't care if it was brought up in case or rebuttal, i dont care if you called it a contention, turn, ad/disad, overview, whatever. If you give me a reason to vote for you, it must be weighed. I won't care about the "turn" you spent 10 seconds on and didn't implicate in any way just because your opponents dropped it.

-Any offense brought up in either 1st constructive or 1st rebuttal not responded to by second rebuttal is considered dropped.

-Defense doesn’t need to be frontlined until 2nd sum but its still smart to do it in 2nd rebuttal.

-Everything that you want me to vote on should be in both the final and the summary except I don’t require defense in first summary.

General preferences/leanings:

-I default to consequentialism/utilitarianism, but I’m open to looking at the round through a different lens if I am given a warrant as to why I should and I'm pretty good about that I've voted based off anti util framework many times.

-I tend to prefer strong, clear link chains over big sounding impacts that may or may not have a risk of solvency to them, but again if you do good meta weighing as to why I should prefer your 0.001% probability solvency for human extinction, I’m open to it.

-I heavily despise exclusion. If I can tell your opponents either have access problems or are brand new to debate and you’re dumping 300+ WPM speech docs, reading something progressive, or debating in any way that is clearly designed to make your opponents unable to contest you, I'll doc speaks.

Evidence Rules:

-The more evidence you send me, the better. If both teams are comfortable just emailing their full cases ideally with cards at the start, I like that. Same with rebuttal is awesome. I'll never look for holes in your evidence unless they are specifically pointed out to me by your opponents, so you lose nothing by giving me evidence.

-I’m generally lax with paraphrasing as long as I feel the literal words of the card are accurately represented by what you read.

Non Ad/Disad argumentation:

Be explicit on role of the ballot and why I prefer one type of argument versus another, if you don’t, I will default to: Policy/Framework>Kritik>theory>tricks.

Framework:

-Cool stuff.

Kritiks:

-I’m open to them and I’m even kind to them as long as you’re clear with the link and the implication in every extension. I find a lot of debaters assume they’re winning a link on the K if it goes uncontested so they undercover it when extending it into later speeches. Just like any other argument, if you drop warrants, I drop you.

Theory:

-It is my belief that theory needs to exist to prevent real abuse and encourage education, so I tend not to look too kindly on theory that I see as being brought into the round which sacrifices educational value for the sake of getting a win (dates, disclosure, paraphrasing etc.) that being said I’m open to all those shells, if you warrant it, win it, and weigh successfully why I should vote off it, I’ll vote off it.

-In PF, I don’t necessarily require responses to theory in the very next speech(if it’s read in 1st constructive, I don’t require a response until 2nd rebuttal) this is because I think theory should be normalized as typical argumentation so people feel more comfortable when it is run, so I treat it as a normal argument in terms of rules when responding to it.

Tricks:

-To win with tricks, you have to do the following:

1. Warrant why it gives you a path the ballot

2. Opponent must drop it

3. There must literally be no other offense in the round, I will quite literally evaluate any risk of any kind of offense before I evaluate your a priori.

Presumption:

-I don’t grant presumption on my own, u need to tell me to do it. I’m pretty open to the logic behind presuming 1st so if you argue that, I’ll probably grant it to u.

Speaker Points:

-The speaker point system is the scurge of debate, it perpetuates all types of prejudices, is anti educational, and unfair. I refuse to legitimize it. They NEED to be abolished. (If you're curious why I believe this, feel free to ask!) Here's how I do it: You start with a 30. Speaks are docked only for malpractice(rude, prejudice, debating in a way I deem as harmful) If you don’t commit any sins, you get a 30. If the tournament doesnt let me tie it, ill do 30, 29.9, 29.8, 29.7.

FOR NOVICE STATES: They have silenced my ability to exercise my judging philosophy, I have been threatened with being removed from the pool for giving 30s, so I'll have to give lower points. This is a horrible overreach of tab, but I have to comply so my school doesn't get fined.

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TIME YOURSELVES AND TIME EACH OTHER. If anyone asks me to time them I will quite literally start crying and I'm an ugly crier so we all lose in that scenario.

Flow and respond to what the other team says.

I don't have the speech doc open so do things that make it easier for me to flow. Position yourself so I can hear you. Don't speak into your laptop or stand on the opposite side of the room. Don't read typed-out things like they are the text of a card. Slow down and change the intonation of your voice when you're speaking.

If I don't understand something, I will not vote on it even if it is conceded.

Corss-x starts right after the constructive speech ends.

Starting and stopping prep each time you need to use more prep time will cost at least 15 sec.

Very simply, if you have trigger warnings because the topics are more taboo then I am not the judge for you. If you can't explain it to your school administration or parents without them raising concerns then don't run it in front of me. Time and place are important.

Things I will not vote on (AUTO 25 Speaks):

Arguments that suggest students should engage in risky behavior.

Death is good.

Fear of death is bad

Aff's that don't defend the resolution.

Aff's that link to debate in general instead of the resolution.

Judge pref disclosure

Disclosure

Asking me to vote on something that happened before the debate round started.

Asking me to vote on something that happened after the debate round is over.

Vote for a team because they are part of a marginalized group.

Bataille

Baudrillard

Settler Colonialism

Deleuze

Psychoanalysis

ontological argument

epistemological arguments.

In fact, it would be better if you just didn't run a K.

PIC's

Condo CP's

Topical CP's

Consult CP's

conditions CP's

A Critique of Full Text Disclosure

Spreading bad

A Critique of Disclosure

Vote only for women

This list will be ongoing. I will update it to let you know.

So what is left you might ask:

Case debate

Topicality

Da's

CP's that are not listed above.

Other things you might want to know:

1. Da's can have a zero-risk.

2. Aff adv's can have zero risk

3. Solvency can have zero risk

4. Substantial will be important in these types of debates.

5. The neg will get a healthy dose of presumption.

I really would like to listen to a debate about the resolution.

Updates:

PF is different from Policy. PF shouldn't try and be policy. If you try to be policy in a PF then you won't be as successful. You don't need to spread. Few cards are better. Explaining good. Tagline extensions only are bad.

I have been judging lots of PF rounds. And here are some things you should know.

1. I am more truth over tech. I would consider it
2. You might have evid on the world is flat. It doesn't mean it is true. The other team might not have evid on the world is round. I am still going to vote on the world is round, if they say it is round without evid.
3. The more internal links you have to your impact. The less likely it is.
4. Probability is more important than possibility.
5. Having 20 cards with two-sentence each won't get you very far.
6. Cutting evidence out of context is becoming a problem. Don't do that. Seriously, don't do that.
7. The big questions on the topic matter.
8. Common sense arguments are better than stupid arguments with cards.
9. Saying the other team dropped an argument when they didn't will cost you speaker points! I am tired of hearing this and I would suggest you flow.
10. I listen to cross-x. Cross-x is binding.
11. Spreading in PF is not needed. Your time is better spent going for fewer arguments better than lots of arguments poorly. The whole point is to collapse and explain.
12. When the timer goes off, I stop flowing.

Your evidence better match your claim. It is becoming a race to the bottom with evidence. If the evidence does not match your claim then I will not evaluate that argument. simple!

Maybe I am getting old. I like what I like. If you don't want to adapt to this judge then strike me. If you have me and don't feel the need to adapt then you take the risk on what happens at the end of the round, not me.

If you have questions before the round ask me.

UPDATE: 10/27/23---- Be on time! In fact, be early.

I am a parent judge with no direct debate experience. Please speak at a normal pace and I will take notes along the way. During the debate round, I pay special attention to the dynamics of the interactions among debate teams and how well the partners collaborate as a team.  

1. I weigh arguments and style equally.
2. Citing evidence is extremely important.
3. The arguments and contentions should be clear.
4. I prefer clear speeches over fast-paced.

Hello,

I am a third-year speech and debate coach. My pronouns are he/him.

I competed in PF between 2009 and 2013.

I prefer a conversational speaking speed. Clarity is more important than speed. I’m OK with speaking fast, but if you’re spreading too fast for me to understand, then I can’t evaluate your arguments and then you can’t win. At your request, I can tap on the desk or otherwise signal you if you're speaking too fast for me to understand.

Don't run tricks. Don't run frivolous arguments full of arcane academic jargon meant to sound intelligent without any context or substance. You are not a sorcerer reading a spellbook.

Generally not a fan of theory shells unless there is a very real apparent violation/abuse in round.

LD - I prefer traditional debate in LD but I have been persuaded to vote for Ks, plans, counterplans etc in the past.

PF - I don't like progressive cases in PF. I believe a key part that distinguishes Public Forum as a debate event is it is meant the be interpreted by the "public", meaning the average person off the street could observe the round and understand what is going on.

General notes:

-extend your frameworks

-quality>quantity. Fewer better quality arguments with better weighing/analysis is better than winning lots of weak arguments

-No ad hominem attacks. If you can't be respectful of your opponents then debate is not for you

-Don’t be smug, arrogant, rude, especially if you think you’re winning

-Disclosure – include me in the email chain/speechdrop for your case/evidence. ESPECIALLY if you spread/read fast. I find that I can judge much more effectively and accurately when I can follow along with your arguments on my computer while I flow.

-Extend all arguments, don’t bring in new arguments in final focus, and weigh your arguments. What are the real world impacts? Why does this matter? I need to know the answers to these questions.

-Cross – It’s always tragic to me when competitors make great points in cross and then don’t bring up those points at all in any of their speeches. If it’s not in a speech I can’t flow it.

-Falsifying evidence/lying in round will lead to an automatic loss. On a related note – I don’t like paraphrasing. if you do so you better have that card in hand ready to show me. I have dropped competitors more than once for “stretching” / “creatively interpreting” evidence.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask before the round.

Email - arthur.kulawik@browardschools.com (but I prefer speechdrop)

I am a lay judge. My daughter does PF at NSU. I try my best to flow and listen to every argument.

Here are some key factors that are important to me:

• Don't be rude and please keep the debate civil
• I will not tolerate spreading or speaking quickly. Please speak slowly and clearly. If I can't understand what you are saying, I can't judge/evaluate it
• Please use simple vocabulary words -- I am unfamiliar with debate jargon
• I will evaluate your overall performance during the debate round. This includes but is not limited to your display of logic, reasoning, and analysis, how clearly your argument is conveyed, counter arguing to your opponents, and communicating ideas with clarity, organization, and fluency.
• In general, it is better to provide an explanation with each argument rather than card dump with no implication

You will get my vote if you present consistent arguments, information in an understandable way, and persuade me with good speeches throughout the entire round

Other notes:

• Please indicate when you are about to start prep/give a speech. Ex. "is anybody not ready," "time starts on my first word," "starting prep now," etc.
• Also, please keep track of your own prep time throughout the entire round but hold your timer so that everyone is aware when you start/end prep.
• If time runs out when you are giving a speech, please stop speaking. You may finish the sentence but time cannot exceed 10-15 seconds after time is up. Arguments or responses given after time runs out will NOT be evaluated

I enjoy judging and look forward to each round!

Email: spencer.orlowski@gmail.com

please add me to the email chain

New Paradigm 4/26/24

Top level thoughts

I have voted on pretty much everything. I prefer depth and clash to running from debate. Engaging will be rewarded.

Don’t be a jerk to your opponent or me. We are all giving up lots of free time to be here. I won't vote on oppressive arguments.

I think preparation is the cornerstone of the value this activity offers. You shouldn’t rely on theory to avoid reading.

I don't think it’s possible to be tab, but I try not to intervene. Arguments must have a warrant or they aren’t an argument. This applies to all debate styles. (Ex. "6-7-4-6-3" is not a full argument)

I shouldn’t have to have background on your argument to understand it. I have read and seen a lot, but that will be irrelevant to my decision. I won’t fill in gaps for you.

I think most debates are way closer and more subjective than people give them credit for.

Collapsing is a good idea generally.

I will not flow off the doc. That is cheating.

Don’t let my preferences determine your strategy. I’m here for you! Don't over adapt to me.

General thoughts on arguments

Ks: My favorite literature. I have a fair bit of experience with most lit bases commonly read and I really enjoy clash and k v ks debates. I wish I saw more K v K debates. I dislike long overviews and super generic links. I think critical literature is great, but I think you should at least attempt to tie it to the topic if possible. Spec advantage links are great. I will vote on non-T affs and I will vote on T.

Policy Args: I have the most experience evaluating these arguments (I debated them for 8 years). I think comparing evidence and links is more important than generic impact weighing. Turns are OP, and I will vote on smart analytics. I only really read evidence if debaters don’t give me a good mechanism to avoid it. I tend to default to offense/defense paradigm, but I’m open to whatever framing you want to read.

Frameworks: I find phil frameworks interesting and fun. I wish these debates were a bit deeper and used actual phil warrants instead of just extending tricky drops. I think LD is a really great opportunity to get into normative ethics.

Theory – I find frivolous theory a bit annoying (despite what my pf teams might have you believe), but I flow these debates pretty thoroughly and evaluate them pretty objectively. I will accept intuitive responses even if they are light on proper terminology. (i.e not explicitly saying the word counter-interp)

Tricks – Lots of different tricks that I view differently. Things like determinism and skep are better than mis-defining words or 15 spikes. I find good apriories interesting. I have a fairly low bar for intuitive responses. I will probably not vote on “evaluate after x speech”. If I cant flow it I wont vote on it. Hiding one-line paradoxes in tiny text after cards is obviously a waste of everyone's time

For PF

2^nd rebuttal should collapse and frontline

If it takes you longer than a min to produce evidence, it doesn't exist. I think you should just send all cards before you read them.

If I think you inappropriately paraphrased, I will ignore evidence. Read cards to avoid me thinking your paraphrasing is bad.

Use email chains. Send cases and cards before you start your speech. Stop wasting everyone's time with outdated norms

Volunteer college student with history of debate in High school. I did mostly Public forum but i did compete in LD and congress respectively.

Spreading is fine as long as your coherent, if I can’t hear your points I can’t evaluate them.

I judge heavily on the back and forth portions, make sure to cover everything I will be flowing everything you say. Stay respectful in cross. Do not belittle or yell at your opponents at any point.

Make sure all claims are supported with specific, defined examples, I will ask to see any cards anyone else calls for. I may call for cards at the end of the debate but if your opponent didn’t mention anything wrong with it I won’t factor that. If your opponent asks for a card have it within reasonable time, if you cannot locate your own information i will just move on and assume you don't have it.

I like email chains to insure smooth rounds and quick speech transitions.

If your planning on running a theory/K explain yourself well don’t just assume everything is understood. Critical arguments should provide substantial evidence for their support. I like to actually see debate on the resolution, not debate debate. I don’t mind arguments that are theoretical/philosophical, especially when backed up by actual historical or political evidence. I also think kritiks and progressive debate practices are interesting.

More specifically for pf:

warrants impacts framework

Im keeping track of it all, if you drop any of it in any speech I drop it on my flow. Don’t assume I know even if I do, tell me. I can only count what comes from you. Clarify everything, Repeat your information, organize yourself in speeches.

WEIGH in final focus tell me why and how you won and if it’s true the round is yours.

Email for email chain: orta.mia@gmail.com

Hey, I'm Hassan and I debated for seven years

read whatever u want, just make sure you explain it well, I won't fill in gaps for you

you can curse if you want, just don’t be disrespectful or rude

any form of racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other ism/phia will result in an L 25 and will be reported to tab

I don't care about speed, just be clear pls

always send docs, add hpalan330@gmail.com to the chain

Despite what many people think and say, I'd prefer it if you read theory in front of me. Probably the most fun rounds I've judged have been theory rounds. Read whatever shells you want, if you need some ideas check the Google Docs link at the bottom. I'd probably slow down just a little on the standards and paradigm issues, it'll make it easier for me to flow :)

That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy a good substance round, they've just become less interesting for me the more I've judged. But feel free to read whatever you want.

Quick prefs:

Policy - 1

Theory - 2

K - 3

phil - 3/4

Tricks - 5/S

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FMlFid8Emdv5EV4xl1ZzJg_EzBmdmzbty4XqcKeinEI/edit?usp=sharing

I mostly did PF in HS.

email: just_mar25@yahoo.com

read bolded for a quick rundown if you're unwilling to go through the whole paradigm.

1. Truth>Tech. That being said, I will not prescribe my own understanding of argumentative substance to bail you out when you're confronting bad substance/bad faith arguments. If the content of your opponents' arguments is fundamentally false, they should be especially easy for you to answer without any help from me.

2. On Speed/Spreading - Speed is fine but it must be purposeful. Speed is not purposeful if you're unclear and lack diction (I will yell 'clear' or 'louder' if I struggle but if I need to keep doing that I'm going to nuke your speaks). Speed is not purposeful if all you're doing is introducing blippy arguments in hopes that one makes it across and wins you the round (you could literally just read more cards on legitimate arguments to strengthen your links instead of the blips). Speed is not purposeful if you're actively disenfranchising the other team by spreading (you do NOT need to spread versus a novice team, just out-debate them). Just because I might have your case doesn't mean it's all on my flow, I am not as familiar as you are with your own literature. If you're incomprehensible all you're doing is making me uninterested.

3. On Ks - Kritik arguments should NOT depend on my understandings of terms of art/common terms from your authors, whose viewpoints I am likely unfamiliar with. Just because you're running doesn't a K doesn't mean you don't have to DEBATE and explain why you're winning on the K flow. Yeah if the K goes unresponded then its a winning argument but if you don't extend/explain to me why the K wins (aff or neg) beyond "they had no response to the K" then presume I drop the K. Extend the K.

4. On Weighing - Rhetoric impacts are bad arguments. Explain/Weigh why your impacts are impactful. Don't just tell me 'poverty bad', explain why poverty is bad and what poverty actually causes. You can't outweigh on "Scope". There is no implication to what "Scope" means unless you give it context. Impact calculus takes into account Magnitude, Probability, Timeframe. Implicate what your advocacy has in terms of contextualized warranting versus just yelling out "scope" and praying it works out (it won't).

5. On Evidence Sharing - Just use an e-mail chain/Speechdrop. Please don't be the reason the tournament is running 30min-1hr longer than needed. I'm not saying you have to send over your cases (PF), I know that the norm on that is still being established (in PF) but no judge wants to watch you stand awkwardly over someone's shoulder while waiting for a card, just send it electronically and that way judges can have it too if it becomes a point of contention. If a card you called out for is miscut/misleading and this is enough to win you the round TELL ME THIS. TELL ME TO READ THE CARD BEFORE I MAKE MY DECISION BECAUSE IT TURNS THE ROUND. Don't get mad at me after the round because you didn't explicitly tell me to read a card.

6. On New Arguments - I try my hardest to give debaters as much agency as possible to actually debate. That being said, DO NOT introduce new arguments in the last speech of the debate, I will - at best - ignore them or - at worst - vote you down if the team after you argues that the introduction is a voting issue (fairness/time, etc.) This happens enough that it needs its own section.

7. On Framework - I will default to a utilitarian framework to weigh unless given an alternative by either team. In terms of defaulting to utilitarianism, unless a team in the round offers an alternative framework then this is generally what people would end up arguing under anyway (I literally don't trust teams to weigh appropriately so I'll just save us all the time and say this in my paradigm to at the very least mentally prepare you to weigh in some capacity). You can lose the framework debate and still win the round. Winning framework does not inherently mean you win the round. It is entirely possible to lose (or concede) the framework debate and still win. Framework is about who operates better under that given paradigm.

8. On Crossfire - I don't flow crossfire. If anything happens during Cross that you feel is relevant to winning then refer to it in your next speech so it is on paper. This doesn't mean saying something like "In Cross they said Nukes aren't real so they lose C2." I want you to tell me the other team conceded the link on C2 so I can put it on my flow (SIGNPOST WHERE THE RELEVANT CROSS INTERACTION SHOULD/WOULD BE ON MY FLOW). Aff always gets first question. Why are we doing the whole "may I have first question" song and dance still?

9. On Extensions - Summary and Final Focus should be aligned - whatever you extend in Final Focus should also have been present in Summary. I don't believe defense is sticky. You should still extend defense on an argument unless the other sides explicitly kicks out.

10. On Tricks - Don't. Deliberate attempts to subvert clash by lying, misleading, hiding arguments, being unethical will be poorly received. What're you trying to prove by doing this? That you can't win a round by actually debating? I'll nuke your speaks since I believe this actually "kills debate". To be clear, a funny tagline is funny and okay, but you know when something is a pun and when something is deliberately misleading.

11. Don't be rude - Personally abusive language about, or directed at, your opponents will have me looking for reasons to vote against you. There are more important things in life than winning while also being mean to other human beings. We're all trying to partake in something that we enjoy/makes us happy. Don't be the reason someone has a terrible day.

I am NOT a present or former debater, coach, or professional judge. I have two daughters who debate and I judge a few times a year. I don't flow but I will take notes and listen to everything you say.

Some pointers that will help you to get my ballot:

- Don't be rude in any way and don’t yell; keep the debate civil

- Speak slowly and clearly; If I don’t understand what you are saying, I can’t judge it

- Don't "card dump," I'd rather be persuaded with logic than with a piece of evidence

You will get my vote if you give me a consistent argument the whole round and persuade me with good speeches.

TIMING- For speeches and cross: Please state something like "my time starts now" or "time starts on my first word." For prep time: Say "starting prep now," "time starts when I get my partner's call," or hold your timer so that everyone can see it when you start prep. Also say "stopping prep, we used X" or "x remaining." This helps me and everyone in the round keep track.

When time runs out, please stop speaking. If time runs and you are in mid sentence, you may complete the sentence but only if you can do so in no more than a few seconds. Arguments made or responses given after time is up are NOT "in the round."

Add me to the email chain. If you are sharing speeches with each other, please share them with me - miritsteiger@yahoo.com

Hi - I'm a first time parent judge and I'm excited to listen.

Speak at moderate speed

Keep your own time