Here's the best ways to avoid losing a round that I am judging: DON'T read fast. DON'T be rude to your opponents in crossfire. DON'T cite just a name and date without any other information. For example, if you say "Baker 2017 argues ______" what am I supposed to do with that if I don't know who the person is, why they are qualified, who they are writing for and so on? For all I know you could be citing your uncle, but maybe your uncle is qualified to speak on the subject matter. But how would I know without a more complete citation than just a name and a number? If you speak at a reasonable pace, are generally pleasant and have great evidence, you'll sound like a winner to me.

I judge mainly based on the following three criteria:

1.) argumentation/debate: bringing up new arguments and addressing other debaters in the chamber

2.) participation: speaking and questioning frequently

3.) speeches: evidence and justification for arguments

Eagan High School, Public Forum Coach (2018-Present), National Debate Forum (2016-2019), Theodore Roosevelt High School, Public Forum Coach (2014-2018)
She/Her Pronouns
Also technically my name is now Mollie Clark Ahsan but it's a pain to change on tabroom :)
Always add me to your email chain - mollie.clark.mc@gmail.com

Flowing
I consider myself a flow judge HOWEVER the narrative of your advocacy is hugely important. If you are organized, clean, clear and extending good argumentation well, you will do well. One thing that I find particularly valuable is having a strong and clear advocacy and a narrative on the flow. This narrative will help you shape responses and create a comparative world that will let you break down and weigh the round in the Final Focus. I really dislike blippy arguments so try to condense the round (kick out of stuff you don't go for) and make sure you use your time efficiently.

Extensions
Good and clean warrant and impact extensions are what will most likely win you the round. Extensions are the backbones of debate, a high-level debater should be able to allocate time and extend their offense and defense effectively. Defense is NOT sticky— defense that is unextended is dropped. Similarly, offense (including your link chain and impact) that is unextended is dropped.

Evidence
Ethical use and cutting of evidence is incredibly important to me, while debate may be viewed as a game it takes place in the real world with real implications. It matters that we accurately represent what's happening in the world around us. Please follow all pertinent tournament rules and regulations - violations are grounds for a low-point-win or a loss. Rules for NSDA tournaments can be found at https://www.speechanddebate.org/high-school-unified-manual/.

Speed, Speaking, & Unconventional Issues
- I can flow next to everything in PF but that does not mean that it's always strategically smart. Your priority should be to be clear. Make sure you enunciate so that your opponent can understand you, efficiency and eloquence in later speeches will define your speaks.
- Please be polite and civil and it is everyone’s responsibility to de-escalate the situation as much as possible when it grows too extreme. I really dislike yelling and super-aggressive crossfire in particular. Understand your privileges and use that to respect and empower others.
- Trigger/content warnings are appreciated when relevant.
- Theory and K debate are not my favorite, but I'll hear you out and evaluate it in the round. But talking to folks I'm pretty convinced that I'd enjoy a round with a performance K! So please consider this an invitation (though note that I really only want to see it if you're really passionate about it and truly believe in it).
- If push comes to shove I'm technically tech>truth with the caveat that I believe strongly that debate has real-world implications. So I reserve some discretion to deal with arguments that are outrageous or harmful in a more traditional PF way.

Speaker Point Breakdown
30: Excellent job, you demonstrate stand-out organizational skills and speaking abilities. Ability to use creative analytical skills and humor to simplify and clarify the round.

29: Very strong ability. Eloquent, good analysis, and strong organization. A couple minor stumbles or drops.

28: Above average. Good speaking ability. May have made a larger drop or flaw in argumentation but speaking skills compensate. Or, very strong analysis but weaker speaking skills.

27: About average. Ability to function well in the round, however analysis may be lacking. Some errors made.

26: Is struggling to function efficiently within the round. Either lacking speaking skills or analytical skills. May have made a more important error.

25: Having difficulties following the round. May have a hard time filling the time for speeches. Large error.

Below: Extreme difficulty functioning. Very large difficulty filling time or offensive or rude behavior.

I was a Policy Debater in high school over 20years ago. I judged mostly PF in 2021. In 2022 I am also judging LD. I like to think I judge only based on the arguments presented, but I know that presentation skills do influence my decision.

I try to come into each round tabula rasa. The debaters control the information I know and the flow of the round, please be organized in you arguments or I may miss your point. I do not always take notes during cross, so if want to prove a point, bring it up the in speeches.

I think debate is a great activity, I am excited to be apart of it. Have fun, learn something and feel free to teach me something as well.

Thanks,

Matt Cordina

Treat me as a flay judge. I pay attention to what is going on in the flow but at the same time, I prefer the lay appeal and narrative style of argument.

Weigh, Weigh, Weigh. Make the ballot easy for me to write and weigh your cases and impacts and show me that they are better than your opponents.

As for speed, I can handle speed but at the same time, I'm not gonna be happy to hear full-out policy spreading in a PF round.

I would not suggest running theory on me but if warranted properly and the theory itself is not abusive then I will consider it in a round. If you run disclosure theory, say goodbye to your speaks.

I fully believe in truth over tech.

I’m P.F. Judge -this being the form I practiced in my High School Days. I’m an Elected City Councilor who uses debate skills in this role, decades later.

I look for clear speech and not speed reading…I ask my debaters to track their own times- as an added style discipline.

I encourage each and everyone to grow in self confidence, research, and public speaking. I expect respect for each other and the collaboration of the Debate.

The strongest argument wins- Let’s Enjoy this Debate Experience Together!

Please no off-time roadmaps.

Using variance in your voice when speaking to highlight critical aspects of your argument is an easy ticket for extra speaks and to better get your points across.

I'll be flowing mainly as a means to assist my verdict. Not to use it as the definitive deciding factor as to who won.

I will make decisions based on the validity of arguments, unless your argument goes completely unopposed during the round, it should make sense! (I do take into account frameworks, but don't waste time giving me a cost-benefit analyses framework because that's the default framework.)

Lastly, I am a senior who has debated this topic, you can assume I know every term you use and that I am aware of geographical locations. Also, don't be afraid to use egregious amounts of lingo.

300 wpm max.

Brian Kunz

Former coach @ University of Minnesota (Parli) & Lakeville H.S (Circuit LD)

TLDR:

Do whatever you think helps you best in this space or is what you think you are best at is what I want to see, do that and I'll do my best to give you my full attention and to check my disposition at the door. I’ve read a lot of critical literature and I am generally very comfortable adjudicating critical positions but I have still voted on a fair number of FW / T arguments and as a competitor I generally ran Policy Plan affs.

I will award +.4 speaker points to debaters that have their case full disclosed on the wiki -please let me know before the start of the round if this applies to you

prep ends once the flash leaves the computer

Framework: Please tell me how the framework contextualizes your offense / defense in relation to the ballot and/or the round. I require framework to also contextualize how your opponents arguments are implicated by your f/w arguments otherwise I default to f/w being non sequitur and just evaluate offense/defense of both cases (this is not a good place for you to be imo)

Argument Resolution: I reward debaters who clearly articulate and provide reasons why their warrants, impacts, sources are stronger in this round - give me reasons why you win! not why your opponent has lost. Debaters who provide well warranted arguments that are developed early and throughout the debate get both high speaks from me and my ballot.

Theory: I vote on well developed procedurals, I rarely vote on blipped shells that blow up later in the debate - this isn't to say don't run T in front of me but rather that you need to provide me a well developed justification for why to prefer your side - arguments of exclusions and similar arguments can be good reasons to prefer one interp. over another. Focus on impacts through a education/fairness filter will be the easiest way to my ballot on this issue.

Critical debate: I will not dismiss your argument because it is counter to the norm of debate, I have read and actively coach a lot of critical debate but you should not however assume I know the literature base you will be pulling from, feel free to ask prior to the start of the round about my familiarity. The more specific your argument is to the round or issue at hand then the easier route you will have to my ballot.

Disadvantages: I evaluate Disads first on the risk of intrinsic link to the aff before questions of uniqueness and the way this implicates the affirmative, this isn't to say questions of uniqueness don't implicate the link but questions of link comes first and then are determined to be strengthened / weakened by the uniqueness. - Work done on the impact level to have strong warrants as well as good weighing are an easy way to my ballot.

i debated PF for 4 years at eagan high school and graduated in 2020. I've been coaching for PF since then for wayzata high school.

***add me to the email chain! (email chain > doc) feel free to ask me questions before the round or to shoot me an email: shailja.p22@gmail.com

general:

- offtime road map: My biggest pet peeve is when you give me an offtime road map and then don't follow it. keep it short and really I just need to know where you are starting unless you are doing something weird.

- speed: i consider myself a flow judge. tech>truth. a case doc doesn't replace your speech. i can flow pretty fast but don't spread. naturally, the slower you go the more i comprehend. so do with that as you will.

- ks, theory, etc... : I a) i don't have enough experience with these kinds of arguments and thus don't feel comfortable evaluating them and b) think they create a barrier in the debate space.

- framework: this is pretty obvious - if a team gives me a framework I will vote off of that (as long as it makes sense) - if you have a FW and the other team doesn't that doesn't mean you win.

plz do not aggressively post-round me :) ask me questions but don't yell at me - i'm not going to switch my decision

how to win my vote:

- weighing: say the words " we outweigh because..." it makes it easier for me.

- signposting: just do it.

- voters: have them and write the ballot for me.

- evidence: evidence ethics have gotten so bad in debate these days. don't take forever to find evidence (speaks will go down). make sure you have cut cards. do not paraphrase.

- extensions: don't just extend through "ink". don't just say "flow Smith over". explain to me what smith says and why it matters in the context of the round. make sure if you say something final focus it is/actually was in summary and vice-versa. if you are the second speaking team you must respond to offense from 1st rebuttal. defense is not sticky. this is given, but if you want me to vote for it at the end of the round have it in every speech.

- overall, please have fun while still being nice and respectful. no one likes to watch an aggressive debate round.

Speed is fine (but must be crystal clear for high speaks), jargon is fine. Whatever you put on the flow I will evaluate but prefer evidence to analytics.

I have judged for 10+years on the local Minnesota circuit and competed in LD before that. My knowledge of specific higher level national circuit strategies is limited as I haven't judged many national circuit rounds but I am confident that I can follow as long as you keep the round clear.

Please add me to any email chains: alsmit6512@gmail.com

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

I competed in debate for three years in high school (one year of classic and two of PF), and have been coaching PF since 2013 in Minnesota. I have intermittently coached classic, and formally starting spending more time coaching it in 2023.

I value clear argumentation and the development of a strong narrative around the resolution. The strongest debaters have clear claims, warrants, and impacts that relate to a larger idea, and they are able to communicate them through all speeches.

I highly value citations and evidence ethics. I do not like paraphrasing evidence. Evidence read in the round should accurately represent the conclusions of the author.

I don't like speed.

I often find that jargon is used as a short-cut to ideas, but those ideas are never clearly developed, so the arguments get lost in the round. I highly value clear argumentation, which means jargon should be used sparingly. Clear tags will help your arguments more on my flow.

PF: It is necessary to rebuild your case in 2nd rebuttal. Summary speeches are goofy now that they are three minutes. Either line-by-line or voters is fine, but within the line-by-line you should be starting to weigh and show the interaction of ideas in a "big picture" way. If you want me to vote on an issue in final focus, it should also be extended in summary. Extension doesn't mean a name and year only, you must communicate the idea.

I will flow, of course, but the ideas need to be clear for them to mean anything on the flow.

Please no theory or Ks.

Generally speaking, I really appreciate clear analysis, don't like blippiness (fast, short, poorly developed arguments that have limited warranting), and don't like paraphrased evidence. Treat one another with respect and civility. Feel free to ask me any questions if you have them.

Experience

One year of policy, three years of public forum as a debater. This will be my ninth year as a judge, mainly for public forum.

Definitions/Framework

Don't take too long here outside of your case, unless the resolution deems it necessary. For a straightforward resolution, a framework will not have a significant impact on how I judge a round. I'll listen, but it is very rare that the framework will win you the round by itself. Same with definitions. Unless the resolution is vague and definitions are required, they won't have much effect on the round.

Argumentation

Case Speakers - Not much to say about a pre-written speech except to use all of your time and read through your speech enough times that my round doesn't sound like the first time you are seeing the case.

Rebuttal - First, don't restate your case. Your partner just read it, I don't need to hear it again. Second, make sure to signpost. I can usually follow where your arguments should go, but the more I'm focusing on where to flow your point, the less I'm focusing on the actual point.

Crossfire - Similar to the framework, a round usually isn't won or lost in crossfire. I typically use this time to take a break from flowing and begin to process the various points that have been made in the round. Questions posed by debaters can help clarify points, but don't often turn things around too much. However, if you do discover something big that could change the course of the round, make sure to follow it up in your next speeches. As I rarely flow crossfire, a significant point could be lost if not expanded upon later. Be polite to one another, don't interrupt your opponents and try to ask more in depth questions than "What was your first point?".

Summary/Final Focus - Start to condense the round into the main points that you think will be the most important. I will flow either way, but if one team starts to focus on the main voters while the other just gives a second rebuttal speech, weighing the round can be a little difficult. Be specific in your main voters. Tell me which points are important, why they are more important than your opponents, and how much weight I should give them.

Delivery

Speed - With my one year of policy and relatively young ears, speed isn't too much of an issue. I can still flow just about anything, but I do recommend that you slow down a hair when reading your points and subpoints. My shorthand does get shorter the faster you go, so the likelihood that I can't read my flow or miss a key factor of your point goes up as speed increases. Similarly, don't attempt speed just to throw more arguments at the wall to see what sticks. I prefer good points versus a deluge that allows you to say "my opponent didn't respond to ___" at the end of the round.

Additional Notes

Public Forum is not Policy. - I don't want to hear K's or DA's, and depending on the resolution, teams need to be very careful that the case they are presenting does not fall into the realm of plan/counterplan. The only holdover I will take from policy is topicality. If a case very blatantly does not comply with the resolution, I will hear the argument and weigh it accordingly. However, be warned. If it is not obviously outside of the confines of the resolution and you are trying to pull one over on me for a quick win, it implies that you do not have enough legitimate arguments to defeat their case.

Be Professional - This just kind of applies in general. I have yet to personally decide a round based on a debater's attitude or how they treated their opponents, and as long as both sides exude proper decorum, I hope I won't have to.

Timer - For a speech, when the timer goes off, I will listen to the end of a sentence, but will stop listening and will not flow whatever comes next. During crossfire, if the timer goes off during a question, I will allow the opponent to answer the question, but there will be no follow-up and crossfire is over as soon as the answer has concluded.

Roadmaps - I'm fine with roadmaps if they are necessary. But if your roadmap is "I'm going to go down our flow and then down my opponent's flow', no need to make a big deal out of it.

Questions

Feel free to email me at Wilsontylerja@gmail.com before or after the round if you have any questions.