Speed / Style: I'm a former LD debater (2010 - 2013). I can handle moderately high speaking speed and am skeptically open to more progressive / experimental cases. But I've been out of the game for a while and some of the cases you kids are running make my old cases look like cave scrawlings. So if you run kritiks and other creative case structures you'll need to lay things out clearly and really do the legwork to explain why you're breaking the mold of a traditional debate. Define and explain the lingo.

Sporstmanship: Funny is good. Confident and incisive is great. Mean is bad. Make sure you know the difference. I frown upon unsportsmanlike behavior. If you run absolutely caustic / bigoted / etc. arguments, I'm not afraid to stop the round. I've never had to do this and hopefully that won't ever change. Please tell me or someone running the tournament if you have concerns over something that happens in the round. Remember, this is all just a sport. We're here to have fun and compete.

I would prefer you keep your own time just in case my phone bugs out.

I'll say "clear" if I don't understand you. Your opponent may do the same.

Flex prep is fine if both sides agree to it.

Please ask me for anything else you want clarified.

Keep your offtime roadmaps short and to the point. You shouldn't need more than 7 seconds to tell me what you're about to talk about.

I do vote based on performance in CX.

Most importantly: Provide me a roadmap, speak concisely, respond directly to what your opponent is laying out, and provide a clear crystallization of what matters in the round and why your case succeeded. An argument you won, or that your opponent dropped, will not do much good if you don't reconnect it in the end as part of your voters.

I'm a traditional Public Forum judge. I place significant value on quality of argumentation, particularly with well-developed contentions and significant depth of argumentation. I'd encourage you to state your points concisely, and without significant undue repetition. I do not tolerate spreading; I expect you to have developed reasonable skills of word economy by this point in the season, and would hope that you can concisely develop your case to fit within the required time. I reward the use of reasonably clear enunciation at a comprehensible pace. While I do encourage you to weigh your arguments, be mindful of the tone you use to do so. "Speakersplaining" to me, attempting to tell me which way I am going to decide in the round rather than a courteous appeal for my vote, comes off as arrogant and will not do you any favors in my evaluation of the round. For any clarification, feel free to ask me in-round.

I'm the debate coach for University Prep in Seattle, WA, where I teach middle school English. This is my first year being involved with debate in any way-- I did not participate as a student. I appreciate when debaters give a roadmap of what they will do before beginning their argument, so that I can better track what's being said. I value clarity in arguments, strong examples based upon evidence, confidence in public speaking, and politeness toward the other team.

My background: I am a former CEDA debater (1987-89) and CEDA coach (1990-93) from East Tennessee State University. Upon my retirement in August 2021 I've judged numerous at numerous debate tournaments for PF, LD, IDPA, Parli, and Big Questions (mostly PF and LD). (FYI, when I participated in CEDA it was quasi-policy, not true policy like it is today.)

Speed: I can keep up with a quick-ish speed - enunciation is very important! Pre round I can do a "speed test" and let you know what I think of a participant's speech speed if anyone wants to. I was never a super speed debater and didn’t encourage my students to speed.

Theory: I am familiar with topicality and if other theory is introduced, I could probably understand it. (I also used to run hasty generalization but not sure if that’s still a thing or not.) Theory is best used when it’s pertinent to a round, not added for filler and needs to be well developed if I am expected to vote on it. If you are debating topicality on the neg you need to provide a counter definition and why I should prefer it to the aff.

The rounds: Racism/sexism etc. will not be tolerated. Rudeness isn’t appreciated either. I do not interject my own thoughts/opinions/judgements to make a decision, I only look at what is provided in the round itself. Re: criteria, I want to hear what the debaters bring forward and not have to come up with my own criteria to judge the round. My default criteria is cost/benefit analysis. I reserve the right to call in evidence. (Once I won a round that came down to a call for evidence, so, it can be important!) As far as overall judging, I always liked what my coach used to say – “write the ballot for me”. Debaters need to point out impacts and make solid, logical arguments. I appreciate good weighing but I will weigh the arguments that carried through to the end of the round more heavily than arguments that are not. Let me know what is important to vote on in your round and why. Sign posting/numbering arguments is appreciated and is VERY important to me; let me know where you plan to go at the top of your speech and also refer back to your roadmap as you go along.

Cross Examination: a good CX that advances the round is always valued. If someone asks a question, please don’t interrupt the debater answering the question. I don’t like to see a cross ex dominated by one side.

In most rounds I will keep back up speaking time and prep time.

I hope to see enjoyable and educational rounds. You will learn so many valuable skills being a debater! Good luck to all participants!

Hi, I'm Allison (she/her) and I competed in Public Forum for 4 years in high school and in Worlds debate at the National Tournament for 3 years. I am also the daughter of two debate coaches and have grown up in the activity.

Public Forum:

I am a traditional Public Forum judge. The biggest thing I ask of any debaters I judge is that you persuade me to vote for you. Your FF should be spent spent weighing the round for me, I will not do it for you. I will only vote on points that are carried through from summary to final focus. I do not prefer off time roadmaps. Respect and be kind for your opponents.

I'll be flowing the debate but don't expect me to weigh the debate on an issue if you don't touch on that issue during your final speeches. Use the first three speeches to win the debate, use the last speech to tell me WHY you won the debate.

Lincoln Douglas:

I'm not a fan of progressive argumentation so use only when necessary, I would much rather see a traditional Value-Criterion debate. I can handle some speed. Depth > breadth. Make sure you have clear signposting and use voters! If you do not weigh your impacts, I will not weigh them for you and you will drop my ballot.

All debate styles: The best debaters are the ones who know the most, prove to me you're the debater who knows the most.

Also feel free to ask any questions before the round if you need clarifications. Good Luck!

I have a strong preference for logical arguments based on facts, even if I personally disagree with your position. I expect debates to be civilized and speakers to be serious and courteous to each other. Relax and have fun.

EXPERIENCE

I competed in Policy (among other events) from 2006 to 2010 and in British Parliamentary at the college level from 2010 to 2014. I've been judging since then, and have been running the debate programs at a number of schools since 2016. Please read the applicable paradigm categorized by format below:

POLICY

I'm a Stock Issues judge! My belief is that we're here to debate a policy option, not discuss external advocacy.

Generally not in favor of the K. If a team chooses to run one with me, provide a clear weighing mechanism as to why I should prefer the K over the policy issue we're actually here to debate.

I do not look upon Performance cases favorably. If you want to pull that stunt and expect to win, go do Oratory.

I'm able to understand speed just fine, but prefer clear articulation. Pitching your voice up while continuing to read at the same speed is not spreading.

I highly value clash and a weighing mechanism in the round, and strongly encourage analysis on arguments made. I work to avoid judge intervention if at all possible, unless there is clear abuse of the debate format or both teams have failed to provide effective weighing mechanisms. Don't just give me arguments and expect me to do the math; prove to me that you've won the argument, and then demonstrate how that means you've won the round.

I have a deep hatred of disclosure theory. I expect teams that I judge to be able to respond and adapt to new arguments in-round instead of whining about how they didn't know the 1AC or 1NC ahead of time. If you want to run this, I have an exceedingly high threshold for proving abuse.

Please do not assume that I'm reading along in the doc with you. Debate's meant to be about oral communication, and only stuff that's actually said in round makes it into my flow. If I request the doc, it's purely for verification needs in case there's a challenge.

Finally, I have low tolerance for tech issues. I've been doing this since laptops first came onto the debate scene, and I've never seen computers crash or "crash" more consistently than at debate tournaments in the middle of a round. If there are persistent issues relating to files being ready or shareable, I may offer you a flash drive if I have one for a manual transfer, but I also reserve the right to factor that into my decision if it's a severe issue and extending the round beyond a reasonable point.


LINCOLN-DOUGLAS

I am a firm believer in traditional LD debate. LD was designed around Value-Criterion debate of the philosophical implications of a resolution, and I'm very happy to see debates of this nature. If you want to run a Plan, CP, or any variation of that, I would like to suggest 3 options for you: Go do Policy, have your coach strike me, or hope for a different judge.

I am not a fan of Kritiks, but haven't been shy about voting for them in the past when they're well-impacted and developed with a competitive alt. You're going to have to do some serious work if you want to try and get me to prefer the K, but it's certainly possible. A K without an alternative is just whining.

No speed. A conversational speaking rate is more than adequate if you've done your homework and refined your case.

Performance/meme cases will result in swift and appalling reprisals in your speaker points, even in the unlikely event that you win the round. A low-point win is virtually inevitable in that case, and indicates that your opponent has somehow become incapacitated during the round and was unable to gurgle a response.

Adaptation to your audience is one of the most basic and essential factors in debate, and public speaking in general. Please keep that in mind when formulating your strategy for the round.

PUBLIC FORUM

I strongly prefer traditional public forum debate. Do not treat this like Policy Lite. PF was intended to be accessible to the layperson, and I take that seriously. Go do Policy if you want to use jargon, run plans or kritiks, or spread. If I hear a plan text, it's likely that I'll be signing my ballot right there and then.

In order to earn the ballot from me, focus on making clear, well-articulated arguments that have appropriate supporting evidence. Remember to tell me why I should prefer your evidence/points over your opponent's. Make sure your advocacy is continually supported through the round, and give me a good summary at the end to show why you've won.

WORLDS DEBATE

Traditional Worlds adjudication; please remember which format you're competing in. Do not spread. I voted down a team in Triple Octafinals at 2018 Nationals for it.

Email: donaldli88@hotmail.com

Lay judge, first tournament, please do not use heavy debate jargon.

Spreading: please do not speak too fast. I can follow a conversational pace.

Prog elements: I do not understand progressive debate.

Timing: I will time for debaters, but they should time themselves as well. I will call time after a 10s grace period.

Evaluation: Most of the times truth>tech, will evaluate based on basic rules (like if it is brought up I will evaluate it) but will not vote on clearly unbased arguments. I also believe that reasoning is important during debate

Defaults: If both sides are even or close at the end of the round, I will default neg (status quo) because they are at a disadvantage during this topic (organic agriculture)

Prep: 3 minutes, both sides

RFD: I will not give a vocal RFD, I will write it in my ballot

I am a parent judge, looking for clear and concise arguments. Usually, a slower speed on what you want to emphasize may get the point across better. Please time yourself, but I will keep official time. If your evidence is false, there is a high chance I will drop you. I won't disclose.

I am looking for clear and well-paced speech, structural narration and well labelled claims and warrants.

I will flow some during the debate. Don't speak over your opponent, be courteous and speak clearly. I did PF for 3 years and coach it to this day, so I am very excited to judge your rounds!

My paradigm for Lincoln Douglas is very traditional. I am looking for a straight debate over the resolution from both the Aff and Neg side. I do not entertain plans and counter plans, rather I am looking for a value and criteria followed by contentions supporting the argument. As to spreading, I am not a fan as I think it detracts from the quality of the debate.

My paradigm for Public Forum is that this is Public Forum and there should be no paradigm. Keep to the resolution, with supporting contentions and evidence. You can offer frameworks, but I will not require your opponents to accept the framework, nor will I give it much consideration in the final analysis.

she/her

1st yr out

my experience:

-pf all of hs (first speaker)

-ranked in top 10

-nats 2x

-toc g+s.

for round:

-assume i have minimal topic knowledge + provide context if u feel it's prudent

-WEIGH. i hated weighing intervention when i debated, but now seeing the round from the other side of the table, i see that it's needed if u don't provide any analysis + mechs.

-idrc ab collapsing

- <3 short OTRs

-time yourselves

-PF fast is chill, no spreading

-extend relevant warrants/cards through at least sum

-any fw/fw clash needs thorough warranting

-i only have PF exposure, careful with Ks, theory, whatever, but i can try

- don't say anything overall hateful or discriminatory, i'll drop you.

evidence:

-if you take too long to find a card, i'll start running your prep.

-oppressive powertagging = card dismissal

speaks:

-i will dock for general misconduct.

- ++ speaks for any mad theory (mutually assured destruction) jokes (when applicable)

I have done PF judge for several years as a parent judge. I don't have certain merits what would guarantee a win. Please prepare well, be yourself, try your best, and never give up.

It will be very helpful for me if you could provide signpost, compare evidence, weigh impact and scope. Summary and final focus is very important for decision making.

Enjoy the journey and have fun!

In high school I competed in most debate formats, but preferred PF. I am very traditional and prefer logical arguments over anything else, but if done well, other appeals will absolutely work for me. While I can generally understand faster talking, spreading does not belong in PF and if I can't understand, I can't flow it. With that being said, my result will be decided by my flow. If you give me a framework and can reasonably explain why I should use it, I probably will. If you choose not to give a framework, I will use what I believe the resolution best calls for. I absolutely love clash, feel free to make the debate engaging for me, but if I feel you were disrespectful, it will be reflected on the ballot.

Hi! Here's stuff to know about me:

I'm a previous public forum debater, so I am aware of PF rules, lingo, and conventions.

I also do flow PF rounds.

My overall PF philosophy: Strong contentions have (1) a strong, theoretical, logical argument, and (2) a good trail of evidence to back it up. So, don't have a debate 100% in the theoretical realm, and don't have a debate focused solely over who's card is better.

If I have you for a non-PF event (e.g. congress, LD, IEs), I will listen with their different purposes in mind (i.e. I will not hold you to PF criteria, I will will hold you to your event's general criteria). Regardless, you may still gather useful info below (after all, this is what I am used to looking for).

------

In PF...

I appreciate:

-Strong Frameworks and Clear Definitions

-Concision

-Signposting contentions

-Clearly stated impacts and Voters

-Both logical and evidence-based arguments - and note, evidence is only as useful as how you use it.

-Off-time roadmaps

-Line-by-Line responses

-A healthy mix of offensive and defensive strategies

I do not appreciate:

-fast reading

-poor decorum - please don't use accusatory/charged words towards opponents and/or their cases (e. g. "__ is racist", "__ is stupid"). I see this as both degrading to the art and science of debate, and a sign that you're out of good rebuttals. Any legitimate concerns may be raised outside a timed speech.

In general, make it easy for me to vote for you, learn something new, have fun, and give it your best! :)

I’m a parent judge and former debater.

For debate events, please note:

• I value thorough research, thoughtful questions, and the ability to defend your contentions.
• Ensure your logic is sound, and you construct a compelling narrative.
• Arguments should be current, evidence-based, and clearly expressed.
• Respect and listen to your opponents at all times. In cross, let opponents finish their thoughts and answer your questions.
• Speakers will lose points for spreading if they are unintelligible or their opponents can't respond.

For speech events, please note:

• Speech organization should be clearly outlined.
• Ensure sources are current and reliable.
• Storylines are important, but ensure that you can link your examples to your topic.
• Have confidence and have fun - it comes through in the speech.

Debate is as much about learning as it is about winning.

•Speed: I’m comfortable with faster than conversational speed and if you’re too fast, I’ll hold up my pen high to indicate that I’ve stopped flowing.

•Organization: Clarity and structure are important and it helps me to flow your arguments. Tags are helpful. I’m good with off-time roadmaps.

•Extend your arguments: Please no surprises late in the debate. .

•Policy style arguments: I’m not a Policy judge. Make sure you explain your terms if you choose to go this route. I will not vote for arguments I don’t understand.

•Common decency:

Respect your judge. Respect your partner. Respect your opponent.

Avoid name-calling (EX: saying your opponent or an argument is stupid). That’s rude and also lazy debating.

Avoid yelling matches in crossfire.

I do not like "theory." Debate the topic.

As always...for me, quality is much better than quantity. It is better to have one or two really strong arguments, supported by both evidence and logic, than 4 or 5 weak points.

While I can handle spreading, if I can't understand something you say because you speak too quickly or unclearly, then I can't write it down. If I can't write it down, then I can't refer back to it when making my final decision. In other words, it's as if you never said it.

If it comes down to your evidence says "x" and their evidence says "not x" and I have no way to know who is right, you will lose. What do I mean? Explain why your evidence is more relevant, accurate, and credible...and/or why theirs is not.

Other points:

Signposting is good. Please signpost. Is this a new thought or more warrants or impacts on the same claim?

Off-time road maps are bad. They are a waste of "real" time. I'm guessing you're going to tell me why you're right and they're wrong. Right? If you signpost, I'll know which order you're going in. This is a more valuable skill to learn. For those of you motivated by speaker points, know that I will deduct a full point for each off-time road map.

Be respectful of your opponents. Let's be real, if the coin toss were different, you'd be arguing for the other side so don't act like your entire life's work has focused on your stance on this topic. Keep it civil. On a related note, rudeness is unacceptable as is outright lying. I've seen too many teams blatantly lie in round. If you lie, you lose.

Yearn to Learn. This is high school debate. It's a learning experience. I don't expect you to be perfect and would hope you take every opportunity to learn, whether you win this round or not.

I am a traditional/flow LD judge. Progressive debate is fine (plans/counter-plans, K cases, framework) but must be solidly grounded in research that ties tightly to the resolution -- and must engage with the opponent (i.e. resolutional Ks tend to fail with me because that leaves no room for the opponent's case). Courtesy to your opponent matters. Please keep spreading to a minimum!

I'm a parent judge that has been judging debate for two years. I strive to be impartial.

Respect your opponents and be polite to each other.

Speak slowly and clearly.

I will dock speaker points if you cut anyone off, or condescending.

I stop listening when you go over time.

Have fun!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PiSENj9X4taoU2p1SM3ORhd8Frd80FY69zN8OSukJdM/edit?usp=sharing

Hello, I'm a lay. I've judged in locals, toc bid tournaments, and nats '23, but please treat me like your average lay. Before the round starts, make sure I am 100% clear about who is who and their position.

I don't know anything about the topic so it would be nice if you could restate that for me. I'm comfortable with English but not spreading.

Please SPEAK SLOW and DO NOT USE DEBATE JARGON, as I will most likely not understand it. I don't vote on perceptual dominance or anything but if you talk slower and clearly, I'll be able to understand what you're saying. If I don't understand you then I won't vote for you.

If you dump 50 responses I will remember none. I would prefer if you could just overexplain a couple points and make them really clear to me. Tell me which arguments you are addressing (signpost) and make the back half of the round as clear as possible for me. Do not make this an evidence debate. at that point I will have no idea who won and who lost because I don't know how to call for evidence. If it turns into an evidence debate, I am strongly inclined to vote for whichever team stops talking about the evidence and gives me another reason why they should win.

I will be taking notes during the round but don't think I'm a flow judge yet. -- I don't take notes on cross but I will notice if you're getting destroyed and it'll probably go towards speaks.

Speaks range from 27-29 and I err on the higher side. I don't disclose.

Be respectful and have fun!

I am a parent judge with little judging experience and no LD judging experience. Please speak slowly and clearly. Thank you.