Last changed on
Thu February 20, 2020 at 12:08 AM CDT
Hi there! This is my 5th season judging public forum. That being said, I am not a debate wonk. I am not a lay judge, but not as technical as many other judges in the circuit. I do not coach and really don't dive into the ethos and technicalities of this activity. This being said, I have a few expectations.
Clash
I love love love clash in debates. One of the best things for me is weighing the merits of arguments and cards rather than a game of everyone throws whatever they can at the wall to see what sticks. This being said, a debate that devolves into constant critiques of the ethos of sources is frustrating to me: there's a fine balance.
"Spreading"
I can follow kids talking fast in debate but after constructive you need to be able to extrapolate what is important instead of just auctioneering your arguments to me. This isn't super important to me relative to more of the fundamentals to me, and I don't expect you to re-tool your debate style for me.
Pre-written Blocks, Turns etc. and Speaker Points
Especially on the local circuit, this is easily my biggest pet peeve. I won't hold it against you, but as an alum, the single biggest skill I gained in this activity was my extemporaneous speaking abilities. I think pre-written blocks and turns really hinder that from you, especially when I've heard the same blocks from your teammates over the course of the same or multiple tournaments. I do weigh this when I consider speaker points (not heavily, but no one with pre-written blocks is getting a 30 from me). In general, speaker points come from your ability to conduct yourself professionally and effectively during extemporaneous parts of the debate (everything except constructive).
Conduct during Cross and Rebuttal/Summary
My BIGGEST pet peeve in debate is how high-level debaters act in response to their opponents during responses, especially the sort of hyper-casual style that is condescending. I don't care about archaic notions of "professionalism" because I believe they are rooted in classist and racist connotations, but I'm really not okay with being condescending to your peers. It's hard to articulate this conduct, but every debater knows it when they see. I don't expect you to refer to your opponent's as "my good friend" or "the right honourable gentleman" but just be respectful.
Arguments with Nuance
If you're going to make a claim that relies on an assertion that isn't a universal belief or value (e.g. "free market solutions are inherently better than government solutions" or vice versa), you need to justify your assertion. I enjoy unconventional arguments, but if your case relies on a belief that is often challenged in the court of public appeal, you can't just state it and move on.