Updated for NSDA Nationals:

Hi! I am happy to judge you. My son does PF, so I know the topic and how to flow. I prioritize clear speaking and argumentation. Please be nice to one another in questioning. I appreciate clear voters at the end of the debate.

Thanks, and happy debating!

My top voting issues-

#1- Do not speak too fast and speak clearly! If I can’t understand you, how am I supposed to vote for you?

#2- Show respect to your competitors! If you ask a question, let them answer it. Your non-verbal language also shows respect, so be cautious of how you react.

#3- Give me voters- a summary of what took place shows me you know what you are talking about.

My Background-

My daughter did Policy (CX) debate and that is when I learned I do NOT like speed-reading cases. I have been coaching since 2017 and still feel like a new speech & debate coach.

If you want anything more specific, ask before the round starts.

I value a good mix of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in a debate. Lincoln-Douglas debate is about the value clash; I expect to see debtors using philosophy and moral arguments.

Hello,

Experience: I competed for Worland from 2014-2017 (mostly in IE), then I competed at NWC for 2 years as a nationally ranked parliamentary debater, making it into the silver devision. I have judged on and off ever since 2017 but have only recently added myself to Tabroom.

Run whatever arguments you want. That being said, here's some things I take into account when judging.

1. I AM LAZY: I am not going to do work for you unless I have too. Extend your arguments, weigh the impacts, spiral out, any argument you want on the ballot needs to be made by YOU. If you don't make those arguments, or don't bring up what happened in CX, it's not on the ballot.
2. Signpost, and flow: How you direct me through the arguments is very important to your points being on the correct parts of the case, Number your arguments 1, 2, 3, or a, b, c, and reference back to them when flowing them through.
3. SPEED: Slow down on tag lines, once again this is a flow situation. Speed is welcome in the Debate space so use it accordingly. Do NOT try to speed someone out of a round. If a competitor or myself say "speed!" or "clear!" please listen to these requests. If i cant understand you, because you arent speaking clearly I WILL NOT FLOW YOU! This being said, I do NOT think speed is necessary to win a round, I rarely spread in my time debating, it is only another tool we can choose to use or not use.
4. Be respectful: The main reason we are all here is because we love speech and debate. It is a place that we are safe and comfortable in no matter our race, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. I will mark down speaker points if you are rude, crude, or unprofessional to me or your opponents.
5. Have fun and be creative: This is YOUR speech, and YOUR round, be competitive, be creative, but most of all have fun!

If I’m judging Debate, I prefer it to be traditional. Your job is to convince me that the resolution should either be affirmed or negated, bottom line. Please try to stick to NSDA standard rules for your respective event. There’s no need to bring Policy into PF or LD. If you are speaking so quickly that I cannot follow you, you aren’t helping your argument.

Online Congress: You’ll help us both out if you turn your camera on while you ask questions; I keep track of your overall participation and a face-to-the-name is appreciated. (unless you’re having WiFi issues, I understand) Also, please don’t talk over the speaker during questions - politeness will take you a long way with me. I love a good “hook” and analogies. Stand out.

Thanks and good luck!

*Reagan Great Communicator Debate Series: "Use logic, evidence, and personality, just as Reagan did throughout his life". I want to see personality!

My biggest paradigm is to be respectful to your opponents. I want to see a clean fair debate. I want debaters to speak clearly and don't rush so fast that I can't understand them.

Tabula Rasa

Road maps are always on the clock.

I am a platform speech and debate coach with experience coaching kids in oratory, informative, extemporaneous speaking, and congressional debate. I also have past experience helping kids write cases for debates and cut literature for poetry, drama, and poi.

As a platform or interpretive events judge, I try to follow the recommended rubric and rate speakers on the quality of their logic, their development, their delivery, and their physical presence.

The one event you absolutely do not want me to judge is humor. However, I would be best suited to judging oratory or extemporaneous speaking.

As a debate judge, I pay attention to the logical flow of arguments and prefer to hear sound logic without reliance on logical fallacies. I can judge any of the debate formats, but my personal preference is Lincoln-Douglas due to the added requirement of adhering to a value and criterion throughout the debate.

Experience- 4 years high school as competitor, 2 years competing on my college team, and 5 years coaching my high school team.

What I like to see- I joined the dark side of debate as a parli. debater on my college team. Because of this I value the logistics of the debate rather than cards/evidence. Meaning, I am not putting any ink down while you are throwing out information off of all the cards you are reading. I think that you should read your card and then explain why this is relevant in your case. Any type of debate is suppose to be a persuasive speech, not a competition of evidence. As far as technical debate I will vote on those arguments alone if they are done well. I don't appreciate spreading or just dropping arguments as a strategy, I think that is a waste of time. K's are welcome, especially if they are done right. Speed is fine, but if I have to ask for your case because you read so fast nobody could understand you I will vote you down. I believe that if I have to do the work and read over your entire case in order to understand it that you are not debating. Don't make me do the work for you! I will not flow during any cross x. I believe that the time is for opponents to clarify and get information. If you want to bring up what is said during your speech I am cool with that. Lastly, during cross x I would appreciate letting opponents finish their thoughts and being respectful, I don't think being rude during cross x should be used as a strategy.

For CX - I am a Stock Issues judge. I like to see a lot of on case being debated. I like to see policy being debated. I do not like blatant lies in a debate. I want to see direct clash. I have no problem giving a low point win. If the argument is better that is what will win you the debate. While I can flow spreading I’m not impressed by it. Speak well, work well with your partner, and debate the policy.

WS:

I have coached World Schools for five years now. I look for a good oratory speaking style paired with a strong, common theme that unities what point you are trying to make. I want your 3rd substantive to be a more interesting argument. Your team needs to work together well to create a strategy to win. Do not be too aggressive, be kind, be respectful, and don’t just say “they are wrong”. Back up all arguments with a reason why they are wrong.

I respect civility between competitors. Debate hard, but be courteous.

Watch your speaking pace. Saying points really really fast does not automatically make them count if they are impossible to hear and note.

I like clash much more than arguing debate technicalities.

I appreciate all the hard work you do! Go speech and debate.