I am a new judge. I will do my best

Have fun in your round and be confident in yourself. Respect your team mate and the other team throughout the round including during cross. You can be firm and aggressive, but it should be respectful. Speed is not an issue as long as you speak clearly. Articulate the impact and showcase how you understand the arguments you are making, be consistent, and indicate why your impacts outweigh.

Rounds are meant to be fun and you should go for any argument you feel comfortable defending, that being said it is your job to tell me the link at every level. Don't assume that I'll make the link, show me your work and tell me how you access your impacts. Be kind to your opponents, you can be assertive and strong in cross, but it doesn't mean you have to be rude. Jargon is ok but you better understand what you are saying and how it applies to a case, don't just say weighing or scope if you can't show me what those things actually mean. I can be fairly expressive in rounds, don't read into my non-verbal reactions!

No strong preference.

Hi! I'm a parent judge. I understand the gist of debate and I will flow.

Some things I look for:
-Respect

-Points mentioned in cross must be said in speech or won't be evaluated

-Weighing and judge guidance preferred

-Signpost and organized speech

Public Forum

I have coached PF for about 9 years so I have a fair bit of knowledge about the style and most likely the topic that is being debated as well. This means that you should not worry too much about speed or giving arguments that are too complex. I'm a lay judge :)

My comments after the round will usually involve RFD and how to improve some arguments. The "improvements" part has no impact whatsoever on my decision in the round and is only meant as something to take into your next round. I do not complete arguments for teams or refute them based on my own knowledge. I will judge the round only based on what was said in the round.

Email-fredrickni97@gmail.com

Please don't refer to cards ONLY by author name because I don't note down author names for cards (e.g. "John 18 or Smith 20") I'm putting this at the top so y'all see it.

Content:

-No theory. I won't vote on it.

-Show me clear impacts and weigh them for me. This is super important in how I adjudicate rounds. Just proving a superior number of contention does not give you the round, proving why your contentions are more important wins you the round. Very rarely will there be a round where one side has no contentions standing at all, so I need some sort of metric to measure. This also means that I value a clear framework from both sides and potentially a debate about framework should that influence how I would adjudicate

-Crossfire is not super important to me unless either you go back to it in one of the speeches or something absolutely killer comes out of the exchange

Stylistic:

-Be courteous during cross-fire (ie. do not shout over each other) I will dock points if anyone is particularly rude

Misc:

-Have evidence ready; if the other team asks for it and you cannot give it to them in 1 min, it will be discounted from the round

-I will stop crossfire questions right at 3 minutes but I will allow for you to finish your sentence if the time is up during an answer

-I rarely write out RFD's on Tabroom ballots so my oral feedback after the round is where the majority of my RFD is explained

-I welcome questions or concerns about the round, and if you feel that I judged unfairly, please let me know after. While I cannot change the ballot, I will do my best to explain my RFD.

Parliamentary

I've done various parli-ish styles like BP and Worlds for about a decade now. I haven't judged much American Parli so there might be some rules I am not familiar with, but I'll catch on quickly.

I mostly judge based on content, with very little focus on style as long as I can understand you.

Please keep time for both yourself and your opponents. If you keep asking POIs during protected times I will deduct points. Obnoxious POOs will also lead me to dock you points.

Hello,

I am a dedicated community member, a mother, and a frequent volunteer at local schools, with experience in supporting students in various roles. I am passionate about encouraging young people to think critically and present their ideas. I approach each round with an open mind, evaluating arguments based on clarity, logic, and persuasiveness rather than technical jargon or advanced debate tactics.

As a lay judge, I value well-structured arguments, clear communication, and a respectful approach. I appreciate debaters who make their points accessible, avoid overly technical language, and instead focus on the strength and organization of their arguments. I score rounds based on how effectively debaters communicate their ideas, respond to their opponents, and maintain respect throughout the debate.

"Respect the stage, own the mic! You can bring the heat, have a blast, and keep it classy—because real fun in the debate is showing up with fire and respect!"

Thank you

Smriti(aka Simi)

My email is jzfx@hotmail.com. You do not need to include me in the email chain. I am a parent judge, but I have some previous judging experience and am familiar with the format. I personally do not have debate experience, but my daughter is a PF debater, so I am usually pretty knowledgeable of the topic, especially if it is PF. I try my best to judge fairly and accurately.

I care about organization, impacts, and respect. Organization helps me keep track of your arguments. Please be respectful and calm towards your opponents. Don't yell, don't speak over them, and don't be rude.

English is not my first language, so speaking clearly is very important to me. Speak at a good pace, make your words clear, and don't be too loud nor too quiet. Please do not spread, if you spread I won't be able to understand you and I will dock speaks.

My final decision will be based on arguments, speaking skills, weighing, impacts, etc. Thank you for reading. Looking forward to an engaging round. Good luck!