I am a parent/lay judge and do not value spreading or critiquing when judging.

I wish you all the very best at the tournament. Congratulations on all of your hard work to get here.

I appreciate a conversational speed delivery. If a speaker delivers too fast, I have a harder time flowing the debate. I am looking for clear analysis of why you should win the debate in the rebuttals.

For debate: I consider myself a flow judge, I did PF debate in high school and went to NSDA and CFL nationals a couple times.

I do put emphasis on the flow because of what it represents - the ability to track arguments and build upon them in each case, as well as the ability to combat your opponents points. Note however, the purpose of the flow isn't to just tally up arguments at the end and vote on whoever has the most arguments, rather to track arguments made so they can be weighed. How arguments are weighed depends on how well you communicate their impact in round, as well as how well you explain causal links. Frameworks are important as well, as how an argument is viewed depends on the lens with which you decide to view it.

Any racist, transphobic, misogynistic, homophobic, etc. comments or arguments will be penalized. Please be respectful of each other and be kind, the goal of debate isn't to showcase how smart you are but rather how well you can communicate your ideas and convince others that your ideas are right. Discourse is a key aspect of this, and you cannot have fruitful discourse while disrespecting each other.

My email is acloud@rthighschool.org, please feel free to reach out to me after the round with comments or if you want to see my copy of the flow.

Hello Competitors!

My name is Shikha Gaurav, a parent judge for the very first time. Few noteworthy points:

1. Speak slow and clear. Avoid speed speaking and incoherency.
2. I may be taking notes and thereby not making eye contact. Don't worry. You are not being ignored.

I am very excited and looking forward to a great event. Have fun and Best of luck!

I am a returning parent judge. I will provide constructive notes for students.

Here are a few notes for students:

1. Speak as clearly as possible.

2. Please signpost and frame your arguments in a logical flow.

3. Be courteous, polite and respectful to your opponents.

In the 20th century, I was a reasonably successful college debater and university coach.

Written judge paradigms were just coming into use back then. My favorite was from Tuna Snider. It read as follows:

"We gather. You debate. I decide."

That seems a great place to start. Here are a few things that may be helpful.

SPEED -- Though I have debated with and against speakers as fast as you can imagine, there is NO WAY I will read/follow a document to understand you during your speech. Be audible, signpost well, and have the strategic chops to parse out a winning solution. It is up to you, not me, to make sure you're being clear -- I never say "clear." Unless you're good at it (really good at it) spreading is annoying to me. That goes double if we're in a format other than CX, and triple if you're beating up on a less experienced opponent.

STYLE -- You're giving a speech. I'm an audience. Read the room. Make me glad I showed up to hear you. Be courteous to your opponents. I understand the round may crackle with rivalry. Lean into it with grace. Most of my best friends are the people I debated with and against back in the day. I won't ask to see any of your materials unless they're verbally contested, or I'm curious. This is a speaking contest, not an essay contest.

SUBSTANCE -- When it's clear you have a solid grasp of the subject matter, that's persuasive. Next level is you hearing and understanding your opponent, and returning on-point replies, with or without evidence. Hyperdrive is when you carry all that through to the final speeches and articulate a genuine solution to the debate.

THEORY/K's, etc. -- I will listen to what you have to say, if you give me sufficient reason to do so, at a pace I can digest. That said, the further you stray from simply affirming or negating the resolution, it's exponentially more likely I'll agree with your opponent's reaction. Thus, if you happen to find yourself defending against some esoteric K or theory onslaught, answer your opponent's argument as best you can. I'm likely to agree with you.

Let's learn, compete, and have fun!

Hello,

This is my first year as a judge. I've been judging speech and debate events this year, though it is my first time doing PF.

Some things to get me to vote for you:

1. Speak at an understandable, preferably slower pace. If I cannot understand you, I will not evaluate your information.
2. Keep track of your own speech and prep time.
3. Respect your opponents.

I am an experienced speech judge from Asheville High School. While I was never a competitor, I am a highly trained educator and former university professor with a Master’s degree in Education and Bachelor’s and Doctoral degrees in Physical Therapy. I only judge Speech events, given that my children have both participated in Congressional Debate and wanted me nowhere near their chambers. Clarity and enunciation are important to me within the context of the speech style. I appreciate it when you adjust your speaking voice to project in rooms that have noisy HVAC systems. While the pandemic is pretty much over, you may see me in a mask and I may request space, given that my full-time job includes caring for critically ill, often immunocompromised patients, who cannot afford to have the health professionals they trust bringing them iatrogenic infections. I will also support any student, who still feels more comfortable wearing a mask for myriad reasons and am happy to make accommodations as needed, such as spacing out the audience, leaving the door open if the hallway is quiet, opening a window, etc. While it is a competition, I appreciate competitors, who are kind, thoughtful and supportive of each other and of me. Ultimately, the skills gained from Speech and Debate will only serve a competitor well later in life if he/ she/ they learn how to make humanconnections.

I did competitive speech and debate for all four years of high school. I competed on the local and nation circuits, so I am well equipped to understand the flow of the round. However, I am still looking for the teams to weigh the round on their own. I do not want to look back at the flow and try to decide which argument was better; tell me. Since this tournament is virtual, I will not penalize you for technical difficulties. To ensure the round runs smoothly, I would suggest making sure you have a stable network and doing a sound test to make sure I can hear you.