Tim Averill Invitational ONLINE
2023 — NSDA Campus, MA/US
PFV Judges Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideI expect clear, concise arguments. Muddying the water runs the risk of confusing me as well as your opponents.
Evidence must be supported through clear logical mechanisms. Try to ensure that your evidence is drawn from reputable sources.
Maintain decorum when questioning each other.
I will make my decisions based on the veracity of your arguments, as well as how well you are able to defend them from your opponents' counterarguments. Don't overextend in attacking your opponents and forget to defend your own.
Please do not use off-time roadmaps.
I am a parent judge. I enjoy judging and think you all do an excellent job. It is hard to select winners. Have fun.
I have coached debate since 1971, beginning at Manchester (now Manchester Essex) from 1971-2005, and now at Waring School since 2005. I have coached national champions in both policy debate and public forum debate, so I can flow a debate. I am a "tabula rasa" judge, meaning that I believe that the debaters (and not my personal opinions or delivery preferences) will determine what issues and arguments should win the debate. I grew up in Kansas and debated for Topeka West High School (1962-65), where all judges were citizens of the host community. All of our debate was conducted in front of "citizen judges." That's what I believe is most important in PFD. The event was designed so that it would be persuasive to an intelligent and attentive member of the "public." For that reason, I feel that the delivery, argumentation, and ethos of the debaters should be directly accessible to such an audience. I do agree that dropped arguments are conceded in the debate and that NEW arguments in the final speeches should be ignored. I love it when debaters are directly responsive to the arguments of the other side, letting me know on a point by point basis where they are on the flow. I also honor those debaters who show courtesy to their opponents, who have a sense of humor, and who tell the truth about what they have said. I expect that all evidence will be ethically researched and presented in the debate. I will penalize (with points) any debaters who are sarcastic, demeaning of opponents, or biased in terms of race, religion, sexual orientation, or social class. I will always be happy to talk with you about any decision I make as well as to show you my flow and explain how I assessed the debate. I will do this AFTER I have submitted my ballot. In recent years, I have been spending more of my time in tab rooms than judging, but I truly enjoy the time I can spend in the back of the room. In these trying times, you debaters are our hope for the future, naming FACT-BASED arguments about important issues.
Tim Averill (timaverill@comcast.net) 978-578-0540
I am a Professor of Medicine and a first year parent judge.
Just a quick paradigm that will develop more over the next few weeks.
I am the Debate & Speech coach at Phillip's Exeter Academy and have judged off and on over the last 6 years.
Focus your last few speeches on impact weighing.
You don't go for everything in the round, but tell my why your best arguments outweigh your opponent’s.
Good arguments are well-developed
Clarity and quality vs ambiguity and quantity
Speed is okay once in a while - I am not a fan of spreading at all - I may ask you to slow down, especially as I am taking active notes during the debate. Don't use speed as a tool for exclusion - in doing so, you may wind up hurting yourself, especially if I can't understand any of your points being made as you speed.
Hello. I am a parent judge. When judging a debate, to me a good case is one where arguments are presented logically and succinctly, supported by strong evidence, critical analysis, and good structure. I find that longer sentences and paragraphs dilute your points and lead to loss of focus, so oftentimes "less is more". Good presentations skills are also important for the overall strength of your case, so talking too fast to fit in within the allotted time is more of a drawback. I really care that competitors are respectful to each other and I don't like to see[subtle] comments, gestures or facial expressions as a reaction to arguments that the opposing team is presenting. Good luck!
Introduction
I value a structured, logical, and persuasive argument supported by credible evidence. My paradigm aims to evaluate which team did the better job of effectively communicating their side of the resolution through sound reasoning, in-depth analysis, and a balance of logic and emotion.
Case Construction
A strong case will have a clearly outlined framework with contentions that flow logically and build upon one another. Cases should be built on factual evidence from reputable sources, not just opinions or speculation. I evaluate the depth of analysis on each contention more than the quantity of arguments. Cases focused on a few well-developed arguments are preferred to shotgun approaches covering many shallow points.
Crossfire
In the crossfire sections, I look for direct clash between opposing sides. Debaters should actively listen and directly address key points made by the opponent. Thoughtful questions that draw out implications and probe assumptions are rewarded. Crossfire should build on or wrestle with ideas already presented, not launch entirely new arguments. Overall, I value respect and professional decorum during crossfire.
Rebuttals
Rebuttals should methodically address the central clash between sides and impact arguments. Do not ignore key points raised by opponents. Use evidence and reasoning, not just assertion, to diminish an argument's relevance or validity. I will evaluate which team most successfully undermined the opposing case while bolstering their own.
Delivery
Speak clearly, maintain eye contact, use effective gestures, and project confidence. But be yourselves - I want to see genuine passion for the arguments you make. Stay engaged even when not speaking and be respectful of opponents. Adhere to time limits and maintain professional decorum.
Summary
I aim to critically evaluate arguments while appreciating the hard work required for participation. My paradigm emphasizes in-depth analysis, credible evidence, attention to central clashes, and professionalism. The team able to persuade me through sound logic and reasoning that their side is correct will win my ballot.
I do not personally have experience with formal speech and debate, however I have a background in philosophical and scientific discourse through my career in scientific research. This is my first time judging. Please try to speak clearly and stay relaxed- I am looking forward to hearing your ideas. I will not interrupt you if you are speaking too quickly; I rely on you to make sure your points are coming across. However, I will not not be too harsh on the superficial aspects of your debate unless they obscure the logic of your argument. Please avoid unexplained use of jargon. If you wish to use technical terminology that is not common knowledge, please define it first.
The most powerful argument is one that can be clearly understood. I prefer clarity, concision, and coherence of argument over style and verbosity. While pathos and ethos are powerful tools of persuasion, I am looking for the logos, that is, the logical structure of your argument, to convince me. Make sure your conclusions follow from your assumptions and evidence using some form of inference. It is not enough for something to be 'obvious.' Be comprehensive about the different aspects of your argument, but try not to include unnecessary information. I will not necessarily penalize you for this, but it may distract from your argument.
Make sure to respond to all of the other team's criticisms and rebuttals, at least briefly. I would rather you provide a weak response to a valid criticism than none. An unopposed criticism is a strong detriment your argument. If a criticism of your argument seems invalid or incorrect on its face, make sure to very briefly say why. I do not consider it a 'win' if you catch the other team on small technicalities. You must provide a more compelling argument as a whole.
Judging of arguments
In a rough sense, an argument or plan is 'better' if it produces an outcome that maximizes some metric(s) derived from one's moral values. Thus, I will explicate some cursory details regarding my moral sense that dictate how I judge actions and ideas in the world, and consequently, your debate arguments.
In short, I believe that society should be structured, and decisions should be made, such that human beings are free to find purpose and do things that make them happy, so long as those actions do not cause undue harm to others. This means that actions, especially at the level of nations, should maximize freedom and minimize people's ability to harm others and restrict their freedoms. The balance between restricting harm (laws) and maintaining freedoms is one important subject of debate, as freedom can obviously not be without limit.
You should address the consequences of your argument, both intended and unintended. If you can provide a rationale explaining how your side of the resolution 1) Reduces harm done to human beings in the world in the long run, 2) does not restrict people's freedom beyond a point that you deem reasonable (both through intended and unintended consequences!) and does not contradict fundamental moral principles of society (one might argue that eugenics is immoral on its face, no matter what the outcome might be!), and 3) is feasible, I will consider that a good argument.
I did PF debate for Dexter for 3 years so I am pretty experienced in PF.
I'm not super picky about style, just make well-supported arguments!
Please be sure we are always respectful, especially during crossfire. Make sure you follow the proper format for crossfire as well. Team 1 asks and team 2 answers. Then team 2 asks and team 1 answers. Notice there is NOT a time for either team to give a rebuttal to the other team's answer. You must do that during a later round. Being rude or not following this format will be the quickest way for me to dock speaker points.
While I have PF experience, I'm not very familiar with this topic, so be sure you explain your ideas and arguments in a way anyone can understand, as is the point of PF.
Have fun and make good arguments!
I am a first time lay parent judge. Please talk clearly and slowly. I will try to follow along each argument, but whoever has the clearest overall narrative is who I will vote for. Also be polite to each other.
Hello, I'm a parent judge so don't speak super fast in round. Some things to know:
- Don't insult your opponents, just be as respectful as possible in round!
- Don't use too much debate jargon otherwise I won't be able to understand the arguments
- Please explain your arguments thoroughly, don't leave out any pieces of logic or reasoning
- Any racism, sexism, etc. will not be tolerated and will mean an instant loss
I'm a very inexperienced parent judge. My daughter is writing my paradigm for me, but it stands by what I plan to vote off of.
Truth >>> tech. I'll vote on what arguments seem to make the most sense and I am most convinced by.
WHAT NOT TO DO:
Do not spread, or I will probably miss something you say.
Don't be a jerk in round. This includes being mean to your opponents during crossfire, in round, abusively taking prep, lying, or being racist/homophobic/sexist etc.
WHAT TO DO:
Explain the terms you use! I do not have background knowledge on the topic, so I won't understand things which are not common knowledge.
Send me your case docs, especially if you plan to go fast. Also, add me to any email chains you create. My email is jschang62@aol.com.
GENERAL NOTES:
I do not flow cross ex; if you want what you say to appear in my flow, please bring it up in your later speeches. However, I will notice if you are rude in it.
SPEAKS BREAKDOWN:
< 26.5 : You did something which made the debate experience unpleasant. Refer to the previous parts of my paradigm to understand what I mean by that.
26.5-27 : You were an actively bad speaker. You probably, obviously, cost the round for your team.
27-28: You were not particularly good. There were obvious flaws.
28-28.6 : You were good. Nothing particularly to be commented on.
28.6-29.5 : You were very good. I was impressed by how well you spoke.
29.5-30 : Best speaker I've seen in my life.
Lexington High School 2020/Northwestern 2024
For 2024: I haven't judged in a while so I am rather rusty and I certainly don't have any topic knowledge at this point
Before the round starts, please put me on email chain: victorchen45678@gmail.com(no pocket box, and flashing is ok with no wifi)
Scroll down for PF/LD paradigm
Policy:
TLDR: tech over the truth but to a degree. (no sexist, racist, other offensive arguments) You do you, and I'll try to be as objective as possible. Aff should relate to the topic and debate is a game. Just make sure in the final rebuttal speech you impact out arguments, explain to me why those arguments you are winning implicate the whole round.
2022 season: I have absolutely no topic knowledge on this year's topic so expect me to know nothing and make sure you explain the stuff in a very detailed yet not convoluted manner.
The long paragraphs below are my general ideas about the debate
Top Level Stuff
1. Evidence -- I believe debate is a communicative activity, thus I put more emphasis on your analytical arguments than your cards. That being said, I do love good evidence and enjoy reading them. I think one good warranted card is better than three mediocre ones. I am cool with teams reading new cards in all the rebuttal speeches. A good 1AR should read more than 3 cards and don't be afraid to read cards in the 2NR. I believe that at least one speech in the block should be pretty card heavy, otherwise it makes the 1AR a lot easier. I will read the tags during rounds for the most part and read the text usually after rounds, but I won't do the extensive analysis for you because you should have already done that in the round.
2. Cross X is incredibly important to me and I flow them---I find it extremely frustrating when the 2N gets somewhere in 1ac cx, and then the 1N doesn't bring it up in the 1NC. Winning CX changes entire debate both from a perceptual level and substance level. Use the 3 minutes wisely, and don't ask too many clarification questions. You can do that during prep.
3. Be nice -- Obviously be assertive and control the narrative of the debate round, but there's no reason to make the other team hate the activity or you in the process. I am cool with open cross x but you should try to let your partner answer the questions unless they are going to mess up.
4. Tech over truth, but to a degree- If an argument is truly bad, then beat it. Otherwise, I have to intervene a ton, and I prefer to leave the debating to the debaters. However, I'm extremely lenient when one team reads a ton of blippy, unwarranted, and unclear args( quality over quantity). The only real intervention is when I draw the line on new args, but you should still make them and somehow convince they aren't new.
5. Pay attention to how I react in-round --I will make my opinion of an argument obvious
6. Make 1AR as difficult as possible. I know a lot of 2Ns want to win the round by the end of the block. However, that doesn't mean you should just extend a bunch offs terribly. In response, the 1AR should make the 2NR difficult- reading cards and turning arguments.
7. Please please have debates on case. I understand neg teams like to get invested in the offs, but case debate is precious. A lot of the aff i have seen are terribly put together, especially at the Internal Link level. Even if you don't have evidences, making some analytical arguments on why the plan doesn't solve goes a long way for you. I vote on zero probability of aff's ability to solve so even when you go for a CP, you should still go to case so I would have to vote you all down twice to vote aff.
8. Impact/Link Turns-- love them; i don't care how stupid the impact is(wipeout, malthus, bees etc), as long as you read ev and the other side doesn't argue it well, I will vote for you. As for link turn, I don't really need a carded ev for that, just nuanced analytic is sufficient for me to buy them.
9. Be funny-debate is stressful and try to light up the mood. Love a few jokes here and there, but since I am someone not invested in pop culture too much, some of the references I probably wouldn't get. If you do it well, your speaker point will reflect it.
10. Speaks- I am very lenient on speaks. I just ask you to slow down on the tags and author name and any analytical args but feel free to spread through the text of the card. I love any patho moments in the final rebuttal speeches on both sides. Here are how I give speaks
29.7-30: A debate worth getting recorded and be shared with my novices.
29.3-29.6: You are an excellent debater and executed everything right
28.7-29.2: You are giving pretty good speeches and smart analytics
28.5-28.6: You are an average debater and going through the process. I begin the round with that number and either go up or down.
28.0-28.4: You are making a few of the fundamental mistakes in your speeches or speaking unclearly.
27.0-27.9: You are making a lot of fundamental mistakes and you are speaking very unclearly
<27.0: You are rude ie being mean to your partner, opponents, or me (hope not).
Clipping card results in automatic 0 speaks and a loss, but I won't intervene the round for you, you have to call out your opponents yourself. If one team accuses the other team for clipping, I will stop the round and ask the team if they are willing to stake the round on that. If the team says yes I will walk out with the recording provided by that team and decide if the cheating has happened or not. A false accusation results in an automatic loss of the team that got it wrong. Spakes will be given accordingly.
Now on arguments
DAs
Yes, love them(Idk if there is anyone who doesn't like a good DA debate) -- go through their ev in the rebuttals; this is where i would like a team to read A LOT of evidence on the important stuff. You can blow off their dumb args, especially the links.
Zero Risk is very much a thing and I will vote on it.
If the 1ar or 2ar does a bad job answering turns case and the 2nr is great on it, it makes the DA way more persuasive -- and a good case debate would greatly benefit you as well.
Politics is OK -- fiat solves link, da non-intrinsic are arguments that I will evaluate only if the other team doesn't respond to them at all. However, I do want to see good ev on why the plan trades off with the DA.
I think it's best to have a CP and DAs together because there are just a lot more options at that point. If you really wanna just go for the DA, you need to have a heavy case debate up to that point for me to really evaluate the status quo since most of the aff are built to mitigate the status quo.
CPs and theory
I dislike process CPs-- I really don't like these debates -- I've been a 2n as well as a 2a, but I will side with the aff - this goes for domestic process like commissions as well as intermediary and conditional that lurk in your team's backfile. However, I have a soft spot for consult CP (my first neg argument). Just make sure you do a great job on the DA.
States, international, multi-plank, multi-actor, pics, CPs without solvency advocates are all good -- i'll be tech over my predispositions, but if left to my own devices, I would probably side with aff also
Condo -- all depends on the debating -- I think there could be as many condo as possible. but I also believe zero condo could be won. Still, my general opinion is that conditionality is good and aff teams should only go for them as a last resort.
I will read the solvency evidence on both sides. Solvency deficits should be well explained, why the solvency deficit impact outweighs the DA.
I don't like big multi-plank CPs, but run it as you like and kicking planks is fine
Judge kick unless the 2AR tells me otherwise.
Ks
I have some decent knowledge with a lot of the high theory Ks, but I am probably most well versed in psychoanalysis. That being said, I do want you to explain to me the story of the k and how it the contextualizes with the aff well in the block. Don't just spill out jargons and assume i will do the work for you. A good flow is important. What happens with alot of K debates is that at some point the negative team just give up on with ordering and it's harder for me to know where to put things. Any overview longer than 3 minutes is probably not a good idea but if that's your style, go for it, just make sure you organize them in an easy to flow manner. I probably will do the work for you when u said you have answered the args somewhere up top, but i would prefer the line by line and your speaker point will reflect how well you did on that.
FW should be a big investment of time and I think it's strategic to do so. That being said, you have to clearly explain why the aff's pedagogy is problematic and the impacts of that.
I am meh with generic links, just make sure you articulate them well. That being said, most of these links probably get shielded by the permutation.
Alt debate is not that important to me. I don't believe a K has to have an alt by the 2nr. I go for linear DA a lot, but make sure you do impact calc in the 2nr that explains why the K impact outweighs the aff. For the alt, I would like the aff to read more than just their cede the political block, make better-nuanced args.
Planless affs
I am probably not the best judge for these kinds of aff but I will evaluate them as objectively as possible
Framework:
The aff should defend the hypothetical implementation of a topical plan. At the very least, the aff has to have some relationship to the topic. I want the offense to be articulated well because many times I get confused by the offenses of these affs. I think fairness is absolutely an impact as well as an I/L. I default to debate is a game and it's gonna be hard to convince me otherwise.
I think the ballot ultimately just decides a win and a loss, but I can be convinced that there are extra significances and values to it. That being said, I have seen a lot of k aff with impacts that the ballot clearly can not address.
T
Not a big fan of these debates and never have been good at it.
From Seth Gannon's paradigm:
"Ironically, many of the arguments that promise a simpler route to victory — theory, T — pay lip service to “specific, substantive clash” and ask me to disqualify the other team for avoiding it. Yet when you go for theory or T, you have cancelled this opportunity for an interesting substantive debate and are asking me to validate your decision. That carries a burden of proof unlike debating the merits. As Justice Jackson might put it, this is when my authority to intervene against you is at its maximum."
On this topic specifically, I dislike effect Ts
These debates are boring to me and I will side with the aff if they are anyway close to being Topical, and that's usually how I have voted.
Reasonability = yes
LD:
I feel like most of the policy stuff should apply here. I never debated LD but I have judged quite a bit and I almost always see it as a mini Policy round.
PF:
I am more tech than truth, but I will absolutely check on evidence quality to make sure your warrants indeed support your claims. Feel free to run whatever arguments and I am willing to vote on any level of impact as long as good impact calc and weighing is done. If you have strong evidence you shouldn’t worry. I will not evaluate anything that’s not in summary by the final focus. And also please don’t stop prep to ask for another card. Ask for all the cards you want in the beginning and you will see plus on your speaks.
EMAIL: jcohen1964@gmail.com
I judge Public Forum Debate 95% of the time. I occasionally judge LD and even more occasionally, Policy.
A few items to share with you:
(1) I can flow *somewhat* faster than conversational speed. As you speed up, my comprehension declines.
(2) I may not be familiar with the topic's arguments. Shorthand references could leave me in the dust. For example, "On the economy, I have three responses..." could confuse me. It's better to say, "Where my opponents argue that right to work kills incomes and sinks the economy, I have three responses...". I realize it's not as efficient, but it will help keep me on the same page you are on.
(3) I miss most evidence tags. So, "Pull through Smith in 17..." probably won't mean much to me. Reminding me of what the evidence demonstrated works better (e.g. "Pull through the Smith study showing that unions hurt productivity").
(4) In the interest of keeping the round moving along, please be selective about asking for your opponent's evidence. If you ask for lots of evidence and then I hear little about it in subsequent speeches, it's a not a great use of time. If you believe your opponent has misconstrued many pieces of evidence, focus on the evidence that is most crucial to their case (you win by undermining their overall position, not by showing they made lots of mistakes).
(5) I put a premium on credible links. Big impacts don't make up for links that are not credible.
(6) I am skeptical of "rules" you might impose on your opponent (in contrast to rules imposed by the tournament in writing) - e.g., paraphrasing is never allowed and is grounds for losing the round. On the other hand, it's fine and even desirable to point out that your opponent has not presented enough of a specific piece of evidence for its fair evaluation, and then to explain why that loss of credibility undermines your opponent's position. That sort of point may be particularly relevant if the evidence is technical in nature (e.g., your opponent paraphrases the findings of a statistical study and those findings may be more nuanced than their paraphrasing suggests).
(7) I am skeptical of arguments suggesting that debate is an invalid activity, or the like, and hence that one side or the other should automatically win. If you have an argument that links into your opponent's specific position, please articulate that point. I hope to hear about the resolution we have been invited to debate.
My Background:
- I am a parent judge who started judging when our son began debating as a freshman in high school
- Have judged Public Forum
What I expect from debaters:
- Speak clearly and slowly. I cannot stress this enough. If you speak too quickly and I can't follow you, you will not be helping your team.- --- Persuade me with arguments that are supported by evidence. Evidence should be presented with full citations and explained clearly. Citations without explanations or explanations without citations are not persuasive.- Tell me why I should vote for your side by explaining with particularity why the other side's arguments fail and why yours don't.
Focus me on the important issues in your favor.
- Be respectful of everyone who is participating in your debate - your opponents, and your partner. Consider your tone, your conduct, and your words.
- Do not assume that I understand acronyms or phrases that are peculiar to the topic but not necessarily in common use in the English language. Please take the time to define them.
I feel honored to judge your debate and debating skills. Please do not feel I am ever judging you as a person. I feel privileged to hear your learned thoughts on the debate topics.
I have been impressed with all debaters I have heard to date and you and your colleagues gift me great hope for the future! :-)
I did public forum for 6 years, so I’ll know any jargon you throw at me
Be respectful, don’t talk over your opponents, keep track of your time, I don’t want to have to cut you off. Give me a roadmap and stick to it (please). Do not debate evidence, I do not care if your card is three months newer than theirs. I don't care that much about crossfire, I'm not flowing it, if something important comes up in crossfire I expect to hear about it in an actual speech
Start weighing in summary, weighing and impact calculus is the most important thing to me, and those should both come out in summary at a minimum.
My biggest pet peeve is using all of your prep right before the final focus
Lmk verbally before the round if you read this paradigm
Judge Paradigm for Tabroom: Quality over Quantity
Dear debaters,
As a judge, I firmly believe in evaluating the quality of arguments rather than the sheer quantity presented. I value well-reasoned and logically sound arguments that are supported by evidence and analysis. While I respect different debate styles, it is important to note that I have a strong aversion to spreading. However, if spreading is your preferred debate style, I will not ask you to change it. Nevertheless, I must mention that I tend to scrutinize arguments delivered at a high speed due to the increased volume.
In terms of cross-examination, I appreciate a fast-paced and engaging exchange. However, it is crucial that you maintain respect for your opponents and refrain from being overly aggressive or disrespectful during this period. A healthy and intellectually stimulating cross-examination can enhance the overall quality of the debate.
To ensure that I can closely follow your arguments and properly evaluate them, I request to be included in the email chain. This will enable me to refer back to your evidence and review the content as needed, thus facilitating a more accurate assessment.
Ultimately, my primary focus as a judge is on the quality of your arguments, the strength of your evidence, and the coherence of your analysis. I will carefully consider the substance and logical coherence of your position, weighing it against that of your opponent. I like to see how points clearly connect to each other. Line-by-line rebuttals or big-picture are fine, but they must make sense.
It is also worth mentioning that I expect you to be the respectful and kind learners I know you to be. Any harmful or offensive language or behavior will not land favorably with me or the fate of your debate.
I wish you all the best in your debates, and I look forward to a thoughtful and engaging round.
Sincerely,
Gabriella Detrick
Lawyer. Judge for the last 19 years. What I expect from you is that you speak loudly, clearly and slowly. Your arguments need to be supported by evidence and examples. You have to refute every argument that is presented to you. Find the gaps and inconsistencies in your opponent's argument. Trust yourself, show confidence in what you propose and you will be just fine.
General:
I am a lay judge. I do follow the flow, but I don't judge exclusively on that;
You may sit or stand to present but both teams will do the same. If the room is cramped, it’s better you stay in your seat;
If you are going to speak quickly, your elocution needs to be good enough for me to understand you;
I do not run a clock on time, track your own time and keep your opponents honest about theirs;
If you are relying on an electronic device to make your speeches and it goes down, I will run your prep time until it is corrected. If you run out of time, I expect you to continue without it. If you can’t, I will consider that a forfeit;
I have a thorough knowledge of statistics so making arguments that go off the deep end (speculative) or citing sources with a statistically insignificant sample size, or "cherry-picked" data or conclusions will diminish the impact of your card.
Misrepresenting cards will cost you, whether done intentionally or not;
You may use an off-time road map to state the sequence of your argument but do not use it to make your case.
About me:
I have an engineering background and work in the heavy construction industry. I am swayed by facts, data, logic, and reason and do my best to avoid emotion in decisions at it mostly leads to failure or disaster in the realm of the physical sciences where I work.
My hobbies include history, particularly military history, automobiles, woodworking, outdoor sports, and evolutionary behavior/genetics.
I am a speech AND debate coach for Milton Academy. I am an experienced PF judge who values the key principles of PF. I have been judging PF since 2011, and I debated in 2007 - 2011. Again, Policy/LD /jargon have no home in PF. I understand some jargon is useful, but not all. Be clear, be concise. Do not use framework just for the sake of having framework, don't just state a weighing mechanism and assume that puts it on the flow, do not give me a super lengthy off time road map, that sort of thing. Add me on email chains: lindsay_donovan@milton.edu
I vote primarily on comprehensive analysis, on well-supported AND well-reasoned, "real-world" links, which are the logic building blocks to your impact (no matter how large or larger in scope they may be than your opponents). I do not like source wars, or taking long periods of time to call for evidence or look at evidence, especially out of prep time. If your only strategy is to call into question the validity of evidence, you will most likely not earn my vote. I will primarily vote on the flow, but I think persuasion is the crux of debate and can make flow better... and can stick out more to me than just an extended tag on the flow.
Substance > jargon
Clarity > speed
Argument and evidence distinctions > "our cards are better read them"
Analysis > impacts
Quality > quantity of evidence
Theory/K/what have you: If Theory or K is fair, understandable, and well reasoned I can follow it. But in general I find most theory debates unfair in nature, most people just use it as a tactic to win and have no heart in it for the sake of smart argumentation. Notably I will not vote for Disclosure theory. It is a norm, not a rule :)
Pet Peeves:
- Tech > Truth (If you are saying something blatantly not true or distorting/mis-paraphrasing your opponent's evidence I will mark you down).
- Nuclear war impacts, unclear warranting or no warranting only evidence.
- Overly aggressive/rude tactics. Don't be rude. There is a difference between being assertive and rude. I tend to vote for more calm, collected, and cordial teams.
- "Collapsing" feels like a fancy way to say dropping all your points.... I don't like it. Why bring up points in the first place so easily to discard? Run a 1 contention case then... Never concede anything!
- Also - I hate Solvency (it is a Policy concept, and PF does not have the burden of proving/disproving solvency as a voting issue unless the resolution SPECIFICALLY calls for it.) This means, do not ask how they "solve for" whatever point or that I should downvote teams who cannot completely solve issues.
Spreading and Flow: I can flow SOMEWHAT faster than conversational speed. Public Forum is NOT Policy or LD debate. If you spread I do not flow. I do not believe that PFers should spread AT ALL, even for a “flow” judge. If you cannot speak well and argue well, then you are not competing in this event at your best ability.
Don't be malicious please! It should go without saying, do not say anything racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic/ableist etc. or you can expect to get 0 speaker points and a loss. I am an educator first, so I will err on the side of letting the debate continue if someone used certain language that becomes an issue, and correct ignorance afterwards. I will intervene when I feel the safety of the participants becomes an issue (or if you ask me to! Always ask your judge to stop a round if you feel unsafe).
Hi! I'm a first year out, did PF for 4 yrs at Bronx Science. Here are a few things I'm looking for in a round:
1. WEIGHING!
2. Please collapse, it makes the round much simpler for everyone
3. Clear warranting; I won't vote on something that's not thoroughly explained
4. Signposting (tell me where you are on the flow)
Let me know if you have any questions before round :)
I don't have a pair of dime, but i got four nickels
T is not a voter
Fairness is not an impact
although i believe in my heart of hearts that disclosure is good, I don't care about your disclosure theory...
I vote against my personal beliefs all the time it often makes me sad
Make Art Not War
Good Luck out there, show me something I ain't seen before.
I'm not one of of these smug intellectuals, I use a lot of fancy words sometimes but I thrifted them.... so the better you can tell it like it is and give historical examples the easier it is for me to make a decision.
Judge instruction is nice... dont just say it to me, tell me what to do with it.
I judge based on the quality of arguments that you advance on behalf of the resolution. That means you clearly state your claims, provide reputable evidence in support of those claims, and drive home the implications of your claims. Your arguments should be well-developed and category-relevant. Rarely do I find Kritiks persuasive.
Keep in mind that in public forum, the goal is for you to make arguments that are persuasive to a “citizen judge” or lay person. Thus, you should speak deliberately (at a reasonable pace) and clearly, avoid jargon, and demonstrate the logical connections between your evidence and claims, and the resolution. Style/delivery are important considerations but I am most interested in and persuaded by the quality of your arguments and evidence.
Please engage one another respectfully and respond directly to your opponents’ claims and evidence. Ad hominem attacks, grandstanding, and condescending remarks are not appropriate. Good debates, grounded in classical rhetoric, explore relevant claims and evidence, and empower the audience to make an informed decision.
My Background: More than 25 years of teaching argumentation, persuasion, and public speaking at the undergraduate level, a Ph.D. in communication and rhetoric, and a research focus on the implications of argumentation on public policy. I have been actively judging on local and national circuits since 2021.
New parent judge
speak slowly and clearly
dont use debate jargon
watch your and your opponent's time
Hi, my name is Nate; I'm currently a student at the University of Michigan. I debated Public Form on the local and national circuit in High School.
The most important thing I ask of you in round is to please avoid rude behavior; if you fail to do this and are malicious in round, I will tank your speaks and may give your opponent the win. So please please please be nice in round.
Feel free to use debate lingo in round but assume I know nothing about the topic. I will take most information as given unless you refute it.
Time yourselves, I won't cut you off, but if you go over, I will stop flowing, and if you repeatedly go over, I will deduct speaks.
I'm okay with medium to fast speed, do not spread PF is not the place for that.
Don't waste cross time (I can tell when you are purposefully wasting time); I won't flow cross, but I will pay attention, so if you gain an essential piece of information from cross, make sure to bring it up in your other speeches.
When talking about evidence, don't just say the "Rider 11 Card" make sure to say the "Rider 11 card which shows X."
Make sure to extend your arguments and response into the later parts of the round. If your opponent has responded to one of your arguments, make sure to respond to that response and explain how your impact still stands. If you fail to flow your arguments through, I will drop them.
Hello, This is my third year as a judge. I value the quality of your case and the clarity of delivery more highly than the sheer number of contentions you may make, (ie use spreading sparringly.)
In a related field, I have 15 years of public speaking experience through Toastmasters. I am more than happy to give you feedback on the public speaking aspect of your round. Good luck!
Hello. I am a relatively new parent judge. I am hoping for a constructive, positive, respectful debate. Please speak slowly. I also appreciate an "off-time road map" detailing how your speech will be laid out before you begin. Good luck! Looking forward to hearing what you have to say.
Hello! I am your typical lay judge, but a few things:
- Speak slowly; It is more important that I understand your arguments and points than having more coverage of the flow
- Quality > quantity - don't go for every single argument that you read in case, because it makes summary and final focus crowded and confusing
- Be nice and respectful to your opponents. Don't speak over your opponents in cross and be polite. Rudeness will not be tolerated and will result in low speaker points and an automatic loss.
- truth > tech - arguments should not be super unrealistic and should have some logical reasoning.
- Weighing is important! Every argument is relative and nothing is absolute, so comparing the different points in the round will be very helpful in my ballot.
- If you are disrespectful, rude, or generally just way too aggressive, no questions asked, I will drop you.
I have a hard time following cases and clarity is often times sacrificed in a debate round, so send me as many speech documents as possible (most importantly case and rebuttal). The email is hutianle@gmail.com
Slow speaking parent judge
Speaks start at 28
I'm a parent of a PF debater and have taken the role of judge in PF debate for two years.
Some preference below:
- Analytical, logical and evidence.
- Clear presentation, structure and signpost.
- Engage with the arguments presented by your opponent.
- Logical argumentation with good clash on the topic. Not constantly reading material.
- Speak at moderate speed, but not top speed.
I am a relatively new parent judge.
I would prefer that you speak slowly and understandably.
Please weigh and use good evidence ethics throughout the round.
I will judge based on how well each team argued and defended their point.
I am a parent judge and have been judging since Fall 2022.
I am a physician and health policy researcher.
I find that the best debaters present clear and logical arguments that are supported by strong evidence and important impacts. Regarding evidence, I don't need to be included on evidence chains; rather, I will expect you and your opposing team to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence presented.
Some additional suggestions.
- Talk clearly and at a normal speed. I will flow the round and need to be able to understand the points you are making.
- Keep track of your own time. I will also time speeches. If you go over, please finish your sentence. If you go more than 5-10 seconds over, I will put down my pen and stop writing and not capture what you are saying.
- Please be clear about your warrants and impact (signpost).
- Off-time road maps aren’t required but are appreciated.
- Your summary and final focus should be paralleled, and I will ignore any new points brought up in either.
- Speaker points will be lower for any debaters who are rude or disrespectful to opponents.
- No K's, theory, or trix.
- Have fun!
I'm a parent judge that's judged a couple debates before. Please speak slowly so I can understand your points and follow your arguments. I have no background knowledge on the Arctic topic and have no personal experience as a debater. Please be courteous to each other.
Hi, my name is Karsten; I'm currently a student at the University of Michigan. I debated Public Form on the local and national circuit in High School.
The most important thing I ask of you in round is to please avoid rude behavior; if you fail to do this and are malicious in round, I will tank your speaks and may give your opponent the win. So please please please be nice in round.
Feel free to use debate lingo in round but assume I know nothing about the topic. I will take most information as given unless you refute it.
Time yourselves, I won't cut you off, but if you go over, I will stop flowing, and if you repeatedly go over, I will deduct speaks.
I'm okay with medium to fast speed, do not spread PF is not the place for that.
Don't waste cross time (I can tell when you are purposefully wasting time); I won't flow cross, but I will pay attention, so if you gain an essential piece of information from cross, make sure to bring it up in your other speeches.
When talking about evidence, don't just say the "Rider 11 Card" make sure to say the "Rider 11 card which shows X."
Make sure to extend your arguments and response into the later parts of the round. If your opponent has responded to one of your arguments, make sure to respond to that response and explain how your impact still stands. If you fail to flow your arguments through, I will drop them.
In your Final Focus, give me clear reasonings as to why you have won the debate, I prefer it when you collapse onto one argument in the end, but it's not necessary to do so.
Debated. Did okay. Don't care about debate anymore.
Speech docs would be helpful and can be emailed to ekemelmakher@gwmail.gwu.edu
FOR NCFLS:I've never watched a policy round in my life, treat me like a 5 year old (some of them are probably smarter than me).
IMPORTANT: Read the pet peeves section of my paradigm at the very least. I get really annoyed when you do all of the pet peeves in a round. For every infraction that I notice, -0.5 off speaks. If you plan on disappointing, strike me.
PLEASE BRING ME FOOD. If you do I’ll give you 30s!
Debate is a game so have fun
- Truth over tech, please for the love of all that is holy have warranting
- If something happens in cross, please bring it up in the next speech.
- Weigh Weigh Weigh Weigh Weigh it's how I decide the round pls weigh. Totally new Weighing in the first FF is okay, but it's better if done earlier
- Make your weighing comparative, don't just use buzzwords like "we outweigh on scope" — that means nothing to me; there should be comparison and actual warranting for why I should prefer your arguments to your opponents
- No new arguments in FF. This applies to extensions. If there isn't a clean link and impact extension in the summary, I won't evaluate it even if it is in FF.
- Please collapse and extend case properly in summary and final focus. This means extending the uniqueness, link, and impact. I probably can't grant you any offense if you don't do this.
-Theory: Don't read it, I'll drop you. If there is actual abuse that needs to be covered, you don't need a theory shell.
Speaks
- Signpost, otherwise I'll be hella confused as to where you are on the flow
- Speak pretty, and be strategic and you'll get high speaks
- Moderate speed is ok, but if you start spreading I will drop your speaks
- This goes without saying but teams who are racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, etc will receive a 25L
Evidence
Evidence is overrated, I think that PF has become much more focused on the validity of evidence, and while this is important, warranted analytics beats unwarranted carded stats every single time.
Pet Peeves
- Saying "My time starts on my first word". No really? I thought it started on your fourth word.
- Saying "We're gonna take some running prep." As opposed to walking prep? Where's the prep going? Just take prep, and tell me how much you took after.
- Giving a really long off-time roadmap, and then not even sticking to it. PF rounds are often pretty linear, you can just tell me what side of the flow you're starting on
Fun Stuff
If you do a 360 jump and call it a massive 180 when you read a turn: +0.5 speaks
The Office jokes in speeches: +0.5 speaks
As a lay judge, I come to the debate without extensive experience or expertise in the specific subject matter being discussed. This means that I will be evaluating the debate from a perspective of common sense and general knowledge, rather than technical or specialized knowledge.
While I will be looking for clear and convincing arguments, I will also be paying close attention to how effectively the debaters communicate their ideas to a general audience. I want to see debaters who can explain complex concepts in simple terms and make their arguments accessible and understandable to someone without specialized knowledge of the topic.
Overall, my goal as a lay judge is to provide a fair and objective evaluation of the debate that reflects the values of clarity, simplicity, and persuasion. I am excited to see the creativity and ingenuity of the high school students as they present their arguments and engage in a thoughtful and respectful debate.
I’m a parent judge, and this is my third year in debate. I try my best to heed the counsel of acting like an uninformed, impartial juror in assessing performance, awarding speaker points, and deciding on the winner. To do well, please:
- Speak clearly and at a normal speed
- Present a logical argument where it’s easy to follow your main contentions and supporting points
- Be consistent in your arguments in each speaker phase
- Use an off-time road map for extra clarity
- When weighing, please make believable assertions. I do internally roll my eyes when a student makes an unsupportable assertion (e.g., "this will save 100 million lives")
- Be respectful of your opponents – let them speak, minimize interruptions, positive body language. Rudeness, disrespectful behavior, or passive-aggressiveness will not be rewarded
- Relax and have fun
Not that I’ve ever experienced this as a judge, but anything said that's homophobic, ableist, racist, etc. is going to result in a "L" for your ballot and lowered speaker points
Congratulations on a great season and making it to the States!
Clarity and organization is key for me. You may have the strongest argument, but if I cannot understand it or if it gets lost within citations it will not get the credit it deserves.My recommendation is speak clearly and slow enough so that every point is clearly understood. In addition, it is always helpful if you clearly lay out all arguments. For example, "point 1, point 2, etc.", as I will then remain focused on your specific point and not get lost in a jumbled list of arguments and references.
Separately, it's not necessary to give an off-time roadmap, especially if everything is laid out clearly in your presentation.
Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the day!
Hi, I'm Parker or Mr. Klyn, whichever you are most comfortable with.
I am the Director of Forensics at Theodore Roosevelt High School (Des Moines, IA).
I coach national circuit PF and hopefully LD soon. I'm on the NSDA Public Forum Topic & Wording Committee.
"I believe judging debates is a privilege, not a paycheck," and "Most judges give appalling decisions." <-- Two quotes from a legendary coach that illustrate my views on judging. My promise to you as a judge is always giving you 100% of my attention and rendering decisions that I honestly believe in and can defend/justify.
I judge for three reasons:
- I love debate and enjoy judging.
- Judging great debaters allows me to grow as a coach and judge.
- Fulfilling my team's obligation.
If the round starts in 60 seconds and you don't have time to read the whole paradigm...
Public Forum: I am a standard national circuit PF flow/tech judge who can handle speed and is open to any form of argumentation, whether substantive or "progressive." Good luck!
Lincoln-Douglas:
Policy/LARP: 1
K: 1
T/Theory: 1
Phil: 2
Tricks: 3
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Public Forum
Add me to the email chain (klynpar@gmail.com). In national circuit varsity/bid PF rounds, send speech docs with cut cards ahead of (1) case & (2) all speeches where you read new evidence. (i.e. not a link to a google doc, not just the rhetoric, etc.) This is non-negotiable. (1) It makes the debate and by extension the tournament run on time and (2) it allows me to be as non-interventionist as possible.
I’m a tech/blank-slate judge, I flow on my computer using Flower. Judge instruction is key. The best debaters essentially write my RFD for me in final.
The above means that I will vote on anything. However, due to time constraints and neg's ability to go first, I generally believe the format's best debates are substantive rounds over the resolution. With that being said, run whatever arguments (substance, K, theory, Spark, etc.) you would like in front of me if you feel they will earn you the win. Debate is a game.
Be kind and respectful, I will never change a ballot on this but I will lower speaks especially when it comes to experience/age/resource imbalances.
I vote on offense/defense, that includes framework and specific weighing mechanisms.
Speed is fine, go as fast as you want, although I will not flow off a speech doc so you do actually have to be clear and intelligible
I always disclose my decision alongside some feedback. Feel free to ask questions afterwards. Let's leave the round feeling like we had a positive, enjoyable educational experience.
Speaks are based on technical execution, not some arbitrary standard of what makes a "good speaker." My speaks are pretty standard although I find I am particularly generous (29.5+) to great debaters and particularly stingy (27-27.9) with debaters that miss the mark or make major strategic errors. In order to promote good norms, I will bump your speaks by +0.1 each if you (1) send speech docs with cut cards and (2) indicate to me that you open-source disclose.
Long story short, Just win baby~!
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Lincoln-Douglas
Email: klynpar@gmail.com
I have begun to coach LD. I will wear my debater's Des Moines Hoover Husky Howler Novice LD tournament champion ribbon with pride for all eternity. (:
My bread and butter is PF, but I plan on mostly judging LD at tournaments in '24-'25 as our program doesn't really have people who would be competent national circuit LD judges.
Overriding judge philosophy is blank slate/no judge intervention. Debate's a game, do what you have to do to win.
Full disclosure: I am still learning natcirc LD. However, I've watched hundreds of these types of rounds (+ HS/college policy) on YouTube and am confident in my ability to evaluate debates. You are welcome to run whatever you want, but based on what I've watched, I am most comfortable with: Policy/LARP, Ks (of both the Aff and the debate space), and topicality/non-friv theory i.e. disclosure. Not confident in evaluating performance or academic philosophy, this would probably require lots of warranting, but if that's your lane, don't feel the need to adjust to me. Go as fast as you want as long as you're flowable (I will not flow off a doc) and make it a great round that showcases your preferred debate strategies.
I will default to voting on offense extended through the round, but judge instruction can convince me to vote on almost anything. Please attempt to write my ballot for me in the 2NR/2AR. Ask me questions ahead of time for any clarifications.
I value the intellectual freedom that debate provides -- running arguments and justifications that exist outside the academic norm is one of the event's true benefits. To help illustrate this, here are some arguments and whether I'd vote on them IF I felt they won on the flow:
Ontology: yes
Wiki theory (disclosure, round reports, etc.): yes
Spark: yes
Wipeout: yes but I think even the most basically competent debaters can and should beat it
Truth-Testing: yes but I'm still wrapping my head around it, not intuitive to me
Debate bad: yes
Tricks: yes, but low speaks for minimal academic ingenuity
Memes: yes, but low speaks for minimal academic ingenuity
"The brilliance and joy of ... debate is most found in its intellectual freedom. What makes it so unlike other venues in academia is that, in theory, debaters are free to argue for unpopular, overlooked, or scorned positions and ill-considered points of view. Conversely, they will be required to defend EVERY component of your argument, even ones that would be taken for granted in most other settings. Just so there's no confusion here: all arguments are on the table for me. Any line drawn on argumentative content is obviously arbitrary and is likely unpredictable ... If you can't defend the desirability of avoiding your advantage's extinction impact against a wipeout or 'death good' position, why are you trying to persuade me to vote for a policy to save the human race? Groupthink and collective prejudices against creative ideas or disruptive thoughts are an ubiquitous feature of human societies, but that makes it all the more important to encourage free speech and free thought in one of the few institutions where overcoming those biases is possible." - Kevin Hirn, Michigan Debate
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Congress
If you're in Iowa and you do the literal bare minimum (speak as much as you can, provide sources for your arguments, REFUTE OTHER SPEECHES, ask questions), you're practically guaranteed to finish in the top half of my ballot. Seriously, why are so many of y'all just seemingly along for the ride!
Smaller things: Crystallization speeches are lazy unless it's like the 7th speech of a bill and there has been actual clash the entire way down (make actual arguments instead!), being charismatic/entertaining is a good tiebreaker but doesn't replace a well-argued speech, good POs are hard to beat and bad POs make debate no fun (unless literally nobody else was willing to do it -- then I'll reward you on the ballot), treating bills as having real-life implications around the world >>> LARPing as US legislators
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Debate thoughts:
(This is a pretty self-indulgent section so only read if you think I provide useful insight into the activity):
You should always presume the other team, the judges, and the audience are acting in good faith. Any accusations or even implications towards someone cheating or otherwise breaking the rules should be "stake-the-round" moments -- that is, you better be willing to take a min speaks L if it's unfounded.
One of the single dumbest things I see in competitive debate is this trend of "I'll give u 0.5 speaks if u reference The Office" or "+1 speaks for bringing me a coffee!" It's pathetically and brazenly anti-educational and borderline exploitative (of children!), not to mention it'd be so stupid for someone to get like a 4-2 screw because another team mentioned a dumb meme in their speech. I presume good intentions from people in this community but I am quite skeptical of those who do this.
Speaking of judges, I have zero patience for people who use their ballot/RFD to bully and demean. Congratulations, you're a college-educated adult and you found flaws in a 14-year-old's argumentation. If I'm on a panel or spectating a round where a judge's RFD is moving into bullying territory, I have no qualms cutting them off and reporting them to tab.
And finally with regards to judging -- I allude to this above, but I see far too many debates, especially here in Iowa, where the extent of judges' RFDs is "I didn't like your case" regardless of the actual content of the round. That makes me sad, as it invalidates dozens of hours of preparation and strategy-building between competitors and their coaches. It breaks my heart when I see a well-prepared team lose because the judge just "didn't buy it." I only vote on what is communicated to me within the debate. I do not care how unlikely it seems or how incoherent the link is.... if it's that obvious, the opposition should point it out, not rely on me to intervene and make that evaluation on my own.
Debate as an activity is incredible. Obviously I'm biased but I genuinely think it's the single best thing high schoolers can do with their time. If you're reading this you're probably a nerd or a competition freak (or both) but you also should be proud that you are involved in this thing we do. It makes kids smarter, more confident, better at speaking, better citizens, more critical of the world and its power structures while also more open to alternative ways of thinking.... and it's exhilarating and fun! If I could just coach debate all day I'd take that job in a heartbeat. I often find myself getting emotional when judging high-level debate rounds because of the talent, passion, prep, and dedication in front of me, and I swell with pride when my debaters develop new skills and deploy them.
Feel like quitting debate because you don't think you're any good? DON'T! My first ever tournament I went 1-4 at the Des Moines Lincoln Railsplitter. Even worse, we started 0-4 and were power-matched against the only other 0-4 team at that point -- we only won because our opponents forgot what side of the topic they had chosen. I promise, it gets better. I have a team that went 1-5 and 0-5 at their first two bid tournaments in '22-23 who just picked up a PF Gold bid at Blake '23. Keep at it and you will blossom.
About me:
Director of Forensics of Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, IA, former coach for Ames (IA)
I debated PF in high school in rural Iowa and had no exposure to the national circuit BUT since then have coached multiple partnerships to TOC and state champions.
My favorite debate event is Public Forum and my favorite speech events are Extemp and Oratory.
Coaching forensics and attending tournaments are among my favorite things in life~ I feel so lucky to be able to do this a couple dozen weekends every year.
I am a judge from Regis High School. I'm in search of logical, well-reasoned arguments delivered in a civil, respectful manner. I like to see a significant amount of effort put in by the competitor, while still keeping in mind that this is meant to be an enjoyable activity. I am profoundly uninterested in a landslide of dozens of arguments; a few well-reasoned points is always preferable to a novel's worth of statistical sludge. More than anything, I want to see that you have spent a considerable amount of time evaluating the issue and which arguments are worth contending.
Hi everyone,
My email is layton.anthony@gmail.com so you can add me to email chains!
I am new to judging debate and don't have much debate experience. I am looking for cohesive evidence based arguments and thoughtful responses to the opponents arguments. I will appreciate if everyone maintains a professional and courteous atmosphere.
Thanks,
Anthony
Typical parent/lay judge. Engineer by training. Please don't run any unrealistic scenarios, I like my impacts simple and easy to understand. Don't spread and don't read over 200 wpm. I will do my best to walk into the room with a clean slate and leave all preconceived notions at the door. I wish all of you good luck and look forward to hearing thoughtful arguments that are easy to understand.
I am a lay parent judge and new to debate jargon. Off time roadmaps are welcome. Please be sure that everything you say is understandable and do not speak too fast. When time runs out, please finish your thought and stop speaking. Thank you.
Hello debaters!
I'm a parent judge, I've judged 7 tournaments, so I am ok.
I do not have much experience on the debate topic so please make sure to explain everything very thoroughly. Please do not use too much debate jargon as I do not understand most of them.
Please do not run any squirrely arguments, because I will have a hard time understanding them.
I will try to be a tech>truth judge but please don't make things too unbelievable.
English is not my first language, so please talk slowly and clearly so I can understand you. If I can't understand what you are saying, I won't be able to vote for you off of it. Also, please signpost and make it clear whether you are talking about your case or the opponents' arguments. Make your speech easy to follow. This will make it easier for me to understand your points and vote for you.
If you bring up sensitive topics, have a trigger warning. Please also avoid bringing up politics, religion, race, etc. if it is rude or derogatory.
If you talk very fast or unclear, I will take off speaker points.
Please be respectful to your opponents throughout the round and maintain a sense of seriousness.
Most importantly, I prefer confidence over anything else. Even if you don't know the answer to a question, present yourself well.
Good luck everyone!
I'm a parent judge but I do have some experience as a policy (CX) debater from when I was in high school a loooooong time ago. A couple of pointers that I hope will be useful:
- I think I could handle some spreading but check with the other team first and be articulate.
- Make sure to signpost. Please list your contentions and impacts.
- When rebutting, please reference those signposts, I use a ridiculously large flow sheet but need your help to keep it organized!
- While I tend to be tech>truth, if you are unclear or disorganized it won't help you
- Please weigh - I am quantitative but you need to also take into account probability and timeframe.
- I will not tolerate any racism, sexism, harassment, or discrimination. Be courteous and professional with one another, especially during cross-x. You will be dinged if you are rude or abusive.
- Please include me in the email chain or doc share using alexlin.pf@gmail.com.
Most importantly, have fun! Debate is a great experience that provides valuable skills and wonderful memories.
NYC Public Speaking Professor
Please do the following to the best of your abilities:
- Speak slower - Don't try to cram everything in. You know your topic and position better than us. We need some time to process what you are saying and we also need to take notes. We are also having an online tournament. There is a bit of a delay between what is said and what is heard.
- Try to keep your camera at eye level. This makes the audience feel the most comfortable and respected. Keep your background non-distracting. Be in a well-lit environment. Be more than a floating head
- Signposting helps us know what specific point you are referencing and rebutting. "In response to what PRO said about X, this..." Direct clash is good. "Now although Con stated X, we disagree".
- Have eye contact with the camera. It's okay if you look at your screens -just make sure to look back every few seconds to establish our human connection. Speak to us not at us.
- Be respectful and show respect with your demeanor and presentation. I'll be in a suit and tie, you don't have to be. But ideally, the speaker should appear professional.
As a judge, my priority is to evaluate the debaters in front of me as fairly as possible, regardless of personal beliefs. I have experience with LD, PF, and Congress. You may choose Trad or Tech just be reasonable and if you plan on speaking over 250wpm+, you should send a speech doc to ensure all points are evaluated.
I have three absolute rules for round:
1. Do not be condescending /disrespectful to your opponent(s) unless you feel like losing speaks and possibly the round. Passion and energy are great, disrespect is not.
2. Do not misrepresent/power-tag your evidence. You will lose the point and possibly the round, depending on the severity. This includes misusing, statistics.
3. Do not mischaracterize your opponents arguments or actions in round. Ex: insisting they dropped arguments they clearly addressed. You are welcome to tell me when you believe an argument should flow to you, although I may not agree.
I have no bias regarding theory, K's, ect. that don't break tournament rules. However, you should approach the round as if I know nothing about the argument you are running. That being said, if it doesn't make sense, I will not vote on it, you must prove your argument should win you the round. Ex: Saying your opponents shoes are a voter does not make it so.
Some specific information:
On weighing: I do not automatically way in "layers" or give preference to any specific type of argument, you need to prove that your approach takes priority.
Kritiks: Generally acceptable.
Non-T K's: If you are reading a K that is not topical It needs to be excessively relevant to the round. By that I mean that you telling me that I should vote for you because debate is sexist, will not sway me. However, If your opponent called you a sexist term or used sexist language to undermine you, I will absolutely evaluate a Kritik that concludes your opponent is bad for the Debate space. A topical statistic that you find offensive, is not reasonable ground for the K, facts and logic are critical to a meaningful debate.
Topical K's: I am fine with topical Kritiks, however you must prove that you earned the vote. I'm unbiased, so I'm perfectly comfortable evaluating anything you would like to run, Cap, Anthro, Fem, Pess varieties (I have a very high threshold for link and impact evidence here), and whatever else you can think of. As long as I believe you proved it, and you defend it, it is acceptable.
Note: A large volume of illogical evidence will not outweigh well-reasoned logic.
Theory:
Friv: Do not waste my time with shoe theory, formal dress theory, apple-laptop theory, or any other variation, unless both teams decide they just want to have some fun.
General Theory: For theory to carry a round it needs to outweigh the original purpose of debate. If there is a legitimate offence and you are enriching the round or the debate space by reading the shell, go for it, even if I don't love it, I'm willing to vote on it. You will need to do a lot of work to prove that the offense was egregious enough to warrant me dropping substance on the ballot.
CI: Counter-interps always get offense unless the team reading the shell proves that their opponents were theory-baiting, or does significant work to prove that they should get a 0-risk timesuck for whatever reason they choose. If you are willing to win on the shell, you should be ready to lose on it.
Reasonability: If you prove the offence had no effect on the round, and that you have a bright-line to fairness, I will drop the shell.
Plans: Plans are fine if the rules allow them.
Tricks: I think these de-value debate.
Performances: I have no experience with these, but if you prove its a reason to vote, I'll vote on it.
I'm a parent judge. Fluent in English but not a native speaker, so slow down, I don't evaluate what I don't understand, including jargon. I vote for the cleanest argument extended through the round, and I care most about logic and argumentative reasoning (that's not to say that I don't care about anything else, however).
I am a parent judge with some experience in judging PF, LD, and some forms of Interpretation. To me, information and contents are more important than delivery.
I'm a lay judge, and have some experience in the topics reviewed.
I prefer debate with clear logical reasoning without jumping to conclusions. Also, try and be nice to each other.
Please send speech docs to: evannmao@gmail.com
Hi, I’m Dylan (he/any). I competed in PF at James River(‘22) mainly on the VHSL circuit and a few online natcirc tournaments. I was a mediocre debater but I love this activity and my coach (Castelo) is awesome. My email is mcentyredylan89@gmail.com. Reach out if you have any questions or if there’s anything I can do to make the round more accessible.
General
- I evaluate rounds from an offense-defense paradigm and you only need one piece of offense to win. Rounds come down to either A) one piece of offense and who has the best link in or B) two pieces of offense and which outweighs. The difference between these rounds is that round A comes down to link weighing and round B comes down to impact weighing. Either way, all rounds come down to weighing. Saying “we outweigh on magnitude” is not real weighing. Please do the comparative analysis and tell me why your world is preferable over your opponents.
- Judge instruction is the best way to ensure a decent decision. I’ve made bad decisions before and don’t want to again. I will think my decision through and do my best not to intervene because y’all deserve it and I don’t want to think about this round for months.
- All arguments need to be warranted and implicated. A response may be good but it won't matter if you don't tell me what it means for the round and my decision.
Specifics
- Extensions don't need to be super in depth, but you should be extending each part of the argument you collapse on even if it’s functionally conceded.
- There shouldn’t be any brand new analysis in the final speeches.
- If you want an argument to be evaluated then you should say it in each speech with the obvious exception of restating case arguments in rebuttal
Speed?
- I flow by ear and you should not trust me to flow well off a doc. I can keep up with ~275 wpm but not with real spreading
Speaker points
- I give speaker points based on strategy and clarity and tend to be somewhat generous. I start around 28.5 and go up or down from there.
Kritiks
- If you read a K, I need to know who does the alt, what doing the alt actually entails in literal terms, and how the alternative solves the harms outlined in the K.
- Now, my opinion on whether or not Ks work well in PF does not matter at all but I’ll add this..if the rules of the event do not let you specify who does the alt and what doing the alt entails then I don’t think the K is the best strat. Speech times also make it difficult. I think framing and kritikal-esque arguments can work but the specifics of K debate become strange in PF. I think this is probably because the format was designed to not let K debate happen. Are kritikal arguments important? Yes, definitely, but I think they work better in LD and policy.
Theory
- Disclosure is good and paraphrasing is bad but I really don’t care if you do either as long as you have cut cards and aren’t a douche.
- If the problem could’ve been solved by contacting tab or your opponents then it’s probably not worth our time. If you contact them and they still violate the interp then go for it but you should have screenshots. You should also be able to clearly explain the in-round implications of the violation.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ll disclose my decision and can disclose speaks if you ask. Postround respectfully if you want. I'm here to learn and improve just as much as y'all are.
Lay parent judge. Background in finance. Will take notes and judge overall strength of arguments (Truth > Tech). Please enunciate. I don't mind when people speak quickly (I've lived in NY for many years), but a judge can only count an argument that can be heard and understood.
I am an inexperienced judge, this will be my first time judging a debate tournament. If debaters could please send me the word/pdf versions of their contentions so that I can follow along in more detail while learning the proverbial ropes, I would appreciate it.
Umich'25
PF & Policy. Currently, I HC a circuit prep group and individually coach a few PF teams, many of whom have done well nationally.
Email chain: MCDPrepDocs@gmail.com & Meskouri@umich.edu
My thoughts on debate change frequently. The following is generally unflinching:
I have evaluated everything -- like, literally everything (performance, tricks, theory, IVI, tech, lay, flay, whatever). By PF standards, I like to think that I'm a good judge for whatever experimental garbage you want to read. I actively implore people I coach to read experimental garbage. I do not think that PF should be less of a game than Pol or LD.
I encourage debaters to use my rounds for doing/practicing things that they can't deploy in front of other judges (bc, y'know, PF judging kinda sucks sometimes) -- this means you should consider me open to any style of debate including substance, debates about debate, debates about debating about debate, etc. Do whatever you want, just be clear -- be flayish in presentation (err on the side of urgent > speedy) and I'll 100% catch everything. To clarify, this means that I am willing to evaluate any and all types of arguments (dedev, spark, prefiat/postfiat K, theory, science fiction, etc etc) so long as you aren't blazing (>250 wpm) through them. Email me the 1AC and 1NC (non-negotiable) & preferably 2AC/2NC docs with all new ev and (only if you can) analytics-- I will cap speaks if constructive docs are not sent and will raise speaks if rebuttal docs are. To be clear, constructive docs are non-negotiable.
I probably think perfcons o/w
Ballot DAs/PIKs are underutilized
Hiding prefiat in the 1AC is hilarious
SciFi is hilarious
Big fan of going for everything
There should be more soft left PF teams. Your impact can literally just be the plan representing some epistemology that o/w.....
I talk about debate/generally agree with with Kai Cowin, David Sposito, and Nimai Talur
- Idk why these bullet points are here they won't go away :(
Dear Debaters,
Although I have used English professionally for decades, English is not my first language.
Because of this, I respectfully ask you to:
- Slow down your speaking speed and please do your best to enunciate each word clearly
- Mark clearly your arguments and rebuttals by:
1). Pausing before you make your argument
2). Stating clearly and slowly that you are making an argument
I will be taking notes on my computer.
Good luck to all, and let's have fun.
Thank you for your attention,
Rafael Mier
Dear Debaters,
I am a lay judge who has been judging both debate and speech events for approximately five years.
I particularly value a clear presentation of a particular argument. Please consider the amount of evidence that you need to present to support your contention or your refutation of your opponent's contentions. Being able to clearly and logically present your arguments is as important as the volume of data that support your argument.
I do not like the approach of trying to present an excess of data in the hope that your opponents might miss a particular piece of evidence.
Good luck and have fun.
Ram Miller
I am a lay judge. I am looking for clear communication, professionalism and mutual respect in the debate. I also expect the debaters to maintain time.
I will also look for how each debater responds to questions and answers. Debate should be vigorous, but debaters should show decorum and respect when countering.
Comparing and contrasting in your arguments is very important. Do strong weighing between the two arguments (Affirmative/Negative) and explain why yours is better than theirs and why I should vote for you. Explain and extend and make sure that you EMPHASIZE what you really want me to hear. Slow down and be clear.
I look favorably on the debater that can make their point, and at the appropriate time move on to another strong point of their argument rather than one who stays on the same point for too long.
I don’t prefer intervening and expect teams to call out bad behavior such as spreading, new arguments in final focus etc. Competitors do not have to reply every argument in case a team is using spreading tactic.
Competitors are encouraged to focus on main issues pertaining to the topic rather than “minor” or “obscure” arguments.
Extremely lay parent judge
Assume I have no knowledge about the topic whatsoever
Speak slowly and clearly
I am a lay parent judge. Speak slowly and clearly and I will vote off of good arguments. Don’t spread please. Don’t be rude in questioning/ crossfire.
Speech events I will rank based on best projection, presentational skill.
**Updated October 31, 2023
Hello everyone!
My judging history will show that I’ve primarily tabbed at tournaments since the pandemic started. However, I’ve been keeping up with topic discussions across LD, PF, and Policy and am looking forward to judging you all!
I’ve been in the debate world for over a decade now, and have been coaching with Lexington since 2016. Starting this academic year, I also teach Varsity LD and Novice PF at LHS. I was trained in policy debate but have also judged mainly policy and LD since 2016. I also judge PF at some tournaments along with practice debates on every topic.
TLDR: I want you to debate what you’re best at unless it’s offensive or exclusionary. I try to have very limited intervention and rely on framing and weighing in the round to frame my ballot. Telling me how to vote and keeping my flow clean is the fastest way to my ballot. Please have fun and be kind to one another.
Email: debatejn@gmail.com
ONLINE DEBATE NOTES
In an online world, you should reduce your speed to about 75%-80%. It’s difficult for me to say clear in a way that doesn’t totally disrupt your speech and throw you off, so focusing on clarity and efficiency are especially important.
I usually use two monitors, with my flow on the second monitor, so when I’m looking to the side, I’m looking at the flow or my ballot.
MORE IN DEPTH GENERAL NOTES
If your argument isn’t on my flow, I can’t evaluate it. Keeping my flow clean, repeating important points, and being clear can decide the round. I flow by ear and have your speech doc primarily for author names, so make sure your tags/arguments/analytics are clear. I default to tech over truth and debate being a competitive and educational activity. That being said, how I evaluate a debate is up for debate. The threshold for answering arguments without warrants is low, and I don’t find blippy arguments to be particularly persuasive.
LD PARADIGM
In general: Please also look at my policy paradigm for argument specific information! I take my flow seriously but am really not a fan of blippy arguments. I’m fine with speed and theoretical debates. I am not the best judge for affs with tricks. I don’t like when theory is spread through and need it to be well-articulated and impacted. I have a decent philosophy background, but please assume that I do not know and err on over-explaining your lit.
On Framework: In LD, I default to framework as a lens to evaluate impacts in the round. However, I am willing to (and will) evaluate framework as the only impact to the round. Framework debates tend to get really messy, so I ask that you try to go top-down when possible. Please try to collapse arguments when you can and get as much clash on the flow as possible.
A note on fairness as a voter: I am willing to vote on fairness, but I tend to think of fairness as more of an internal link to an impact.
On T: I default to competing interpretations. If you’re going for T, please make sure that you’re weighing your standards against your opponent’s. In evaluating debates, I default to T before theory.
On Theory: I lean towards granting 1AR theory for abusive strats. However, I am not a fan of frivolous theory and would prefer clash on substantive areas of the debate. In general, I do not feel that I can adjudicate something that happened outside of the round.
On RVIs: I think RVIs have morphed into a way of saying "I'm fair but having to prove that I'm being fair means that I should win", which I don't particularly enjoy. If you’re going for an RVI, make sure it’s convincing and reasonable. Further, please make sure that if you’re going for an RVI that you spend sufficient time on it.
On Ks: I think that the NR is a difficult speech - answering the first indicts on a K and then having to collapse and go for the K is tricky. Please make sure that you're using your time effectively - what is the world of the alt and why is my ballot key to resolving the impacts that you outline?
PF PARADIGM
In general: I rely on my flow to decide the round. Keeping my flow clean is the best path to my ballot, so please make sure that your speeches are organized and weigh your arguments against your opponents.
On Paraphrasing: I would also prefer that you do not paraphrase evidence. However, if you must, please slow down on your analytical blocks so that I can effectively flow your arguments - if you read 25 words straight that you want on my flow, I can't type quickly enough to do that, even when I'm a pretty fast typer in general. Please also make sure that you take care to not misrepresent your evidence.
General Comments On LD/Policy Arguments: While I will evaluate the round based on my flow, I want PF to be PF. Please do not feel that you need to adapt to my LD/Policy background when I’m in the back of the room.
On PF Theory: It's a thing, now. I don't particularly love it, but I do judge based off of my flow, so I will vote on it. However, I really, really, really dislike frivolous theory (feel free to look at my LD and Policy paradigms on this subject), so please make sure that if you're reading theory in a round, you are making it relevant to the debate at hand.
POLICY PARADIGM
On Framework: ROBs and ROJs should be extended and explained within the context of the round. Interpretations and framing how I need to evaluate the round are the easiest path to my ballot. Please weigh your standards against your opponent’s and tell me why your model of debate works best. While I will vote on fairness as a voter, I tend to default to it as an internal link to another impact, i.e. education.
One off FW: These rounds tend to get messy. Please slow down for the analytics. The best path to my ballot is creating fewer, well-articulated arguments that directly clash with your opponent’s.
On Theory and T: Make sure you make it a priority if you want me to vote on it. If you’re going for T, it should be the majority of your 2NR. Please have clearly articulated standards and voters. I typically default to competing interpretations, so make sure you clearly articulate why your interpretation is best for debate. In general, I do not feel that I can adjudicate something that happened outside of the round.
On DA/CP: Explain why your evidence outweighs their evidence and please use impact calc.
On K-Affs: Make sure you’re weighing the impacts of your aff against tech stuff the neg articulates. Coming from the 1AC, I need a clear articulation of your solvency mechanism and the role of ballot / judge.
Hitting K-Affs on neg: PLEASE give me clash on the aff flow
On Ks: Make sure that you’re winning framing for these arguments. I really enjoy well-articulated link walls and think that they can take you far. I’m maybe not the best judge for high theory debates, but I have some experience with most authors you will read in most cases and should be able to hold my own if it’s well articulated. I need to understand the world of the alt, how it outweighs case impacts, and what the ballot resolves.
One off Ks: These rounds tend to get very nuanced, especially if it’s a K v K debate. Please have me put framework on another flow and go line by line.
Active debater, public speaker and judge(2019–present)
He/Him pronouns
Always add me to your email chain olamilekanoderanti@gmail.com
I love PF so much and judge it more often.
FLOWING
I view myself as a flow judge, but the clarity and strength of your advocacy narrative is crucial. If you present in an organized, concise, and articulate manner, while also extending compelling arguments, you'll excel. A distinct and coherent advocacy narrative on the flow is invaluable. Such a narrative aids in shaping your responses and in constructing a comparative world, essential for analyzing and weighing the round during the Final Focus.
EXTENSIONS
Proper use and cutting of proofs is very crucial to me, while debate may be seen as a game, it takes place in the real world with real consequences. It matters that we properly represent what's happening in the world around us. Please, follow all pertinent tournament rules and guidelines - 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/.
SPEECH AND PACE
- I can’t follow everything in PF if you speak at a high pace. Your main goal should be clarity. Articulate your points so your opponent and myself comprehends you. Your efficiency and eloquence in subsequent speeches will shape your scores.
- Everyone should maintain civility and politeness. If situations escalate, it's everyone's duty to calm things down. Avoid shouting. Recognize your privileges and use them to uplift and respect others.
- Please provide trigger warnings when appropriate.
- I'm not particularly fond of theory becoming a standard in PF, especially disclosure theory. If there's a significant violation and theory is the only recourse, I might accept it, but expect reduced scores. Ideally, address the issue in a manner more aligned with traditional PF standards.
BREAKDOWN OF SPEAKER POINTS
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. Good eloquence, analysis, and 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.
DECLAMATION
I’ve just judged a round of this and I’m so much in love with it. Be authentic with your topic, appeal to your audience’s emotions, be eloquent, use a good lighting so I can properly judge your gestures and body movements, have a good cutting, introduction and conclusion and you’ll be good to go. I’ll most likely give you a 100 if you prove yourself worthy of it.
I as well judge other formats like Lincoln Douglas, speeches, World schools and parliamentary debates. Before you conclude I can’t judge a format, KINDLY REACH OUT TO ME as I’ve got a good knowledge of numerous formats and I’m only hoping to judge them pretty soon. I hope to work with you soonest.
Hi everyone! I have over 20 years of judging & coaching experience, and while I spend the majority of my time on the interp side of speech & debate, I also enjoy judging Congressional Debate and Public Forum Debate now and then.
The best way to win my ballot is to be a good community member and a respectful debate opponent. I believe that you can make strong, compelling arguments without being rude, snarky, or condescending to your opponent. And please, do not yell at one another like you are fighting with a sibling who stole the last popsicle. Being strong and assertive is not the same as being loud and aggressive. I am all for clash (I look forward to it) just be a respectful opponent.
You winning my ballot is really up to you, not me. Do your research, make strong arguments, and present them compellingly. I appreciate a clear structure, roadmaps, and signposting.
I don't love the crazy fast talk. I would much rather you make solid, clear arguments on the most important points rather than list off at lightning speed everything you have read about the topic.
Tell me why should win the round, be specific, and make it about what YOU did in the debate. Of course, you can mention the errors of your opponent, but please do not tell me "our opponents didn't respond" when they clearly did. No tricks, no gimmicks, no trying to pull a fast one.
Finally, stick to the debate topic. You will NOT win my ballot if you are running a wacky case that has nothing to do with the actual topic, I find that to be a complete lack of respect for the activity.
I'm a former high school debater from Michigan studying biology at Cornell University. As such, I stopped following most current events closely so please make your arguments very clear and give the necessary context. It's good practice, in general, to not assume the judge will fill in the gaps in context in your arguments. Make everything very explicit and clear. I am familiar with debate terminology and feel free to speak as fast as legible. If you speak very fast to present more arguments, then the duty of keeping track of them all and flowing them through relies on you. Please do not bring up 6 arguments in your first speech only to drop half of them until the final round and pretend you flowed them through the whole time. I will be voting on frameworks so present yours very clearly and convince me why I should vote on yours. Any hostility, being passive-aggressive, or being exploitative in the cross will hurt you severely, winning happens in your speeches, not in how rude you can be.
Iam a parent judge. It is important you go slowly and explain your arguments clearly.
I've been a parent judge for a 3 years . I truly consider myself new every debate season so my paradigm is evolving.
I am a sales executive and a cofounder to a STEM Nonprofit and Work well company which believes in kindness at work. I mentor young talent at work.
1. I do value clear and logical argument . I deeply value the detailed work for these debate sessions..
2. Arguments need to be called out and need to be clear .
3. Needless to say , your debate needs to be respectful. This is a great life skill .To be assertive while kind ..
4. Try to not speak too fast because if I miss ur point, it will be your loss.
I am very excited to see such young talent and I recognize that many of you will be first timers and the courage needed to be here . I will judge you because that’s what I am here for but please know I respect each one of you .
I will do my best to provide thoughtful and actionable feedback.
Hi, I am a parent judge.
Keep debates grounded. Presentation is REALLY important to me. Explain things in layman terms.
I debated all throughout high school, so I am very familiar with the mechanics of PF debate. Here is what I ask of you in each round:
1. Be kind and polite to your competitors. Being rude will affect speaker points, and in some extreme cases, the outcome of the round.
2. Talk at a pace that is reasonable to everyone in the round. I can flow speed and will clear you if you are just going too fast, but if I think that you are using speed as a tool to make the round inaccessible to your competitors, that may affect speaker points/outcome of the round.
3. Provide a clear explanation of why you should be winning the round. This will help you to be more sure of the outcome of the round. If you leave me to weigh impacts or compare frameworks, you are giving me a lot of control over the outcome of the round.
4. Provide evidence in a clear and accessible manner. I am totally fine with "Author Name, Year" citations (and in fact, I think this is how you should always cite after the first time you mention the card), but make sure that your citations are consistent and accurate. I will not ask for evidence at the end of the round (unless there is some major disagreement about what the card actually says in the round) because I feel that this is the responsibility of the debaters.
--If evidence is requested by your opponents, you must produce it in 90 seconds, or it will eat into your prep time. When reviewing evidence, that is your prep time. If I think you are using evidence request as a means to steal prep time, I will call you out and it will be reflected in your speaker points.
5. CrossX is a time for asking and answering questions. If I think that you are abusing the purpose of CrossX to respond to your opponent's answers, I will interrupt you. If it continues, it will be reflected in your speaker points.
6. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Debate is an excellent learning opportunity, and if there is anything that I can do to make it more educational, just let me know. I am always available via email: rmreilly@umich.edu.
Thank you! Good luck!
Public Forum Debate:
I competed all 4 years of high school in Public Forum at Dexter High School, and have been coaching/judging since 2018. I mainly judge on use of impact weighing, cohesive arguments and responses, and unique/compelling arguments.
I judge on a mix of tech/truth. I won't necessarily drop a rebuttal or response with theory and no evidence as long as it makes sense, but for larger arguments that your case relies on, evidence is necessary. Decorum during the round (rudeness, interrupting repeatedly during crossfire, et cetera) will affect your score, more on this below. I don't flow crossfire and I don't judge on it, but I will be paying attention for contradictions or lack of knowledge/an answer. I'm not a fan of offtime roadmaps, considering they waste time during the round and serve very little purpose. If you signpost your speech properly, you won't need an offtime roadmap.
At the end of the day, I'll judge mostly on voter issues mentioned in the summary/FF, in terms of what arguments have been dropped, responded to, or are still standing, so make sure to collapse and/or mention your strongest points during the round at the end.
If any of the students in the round are having decorum issues, it will greatly affect my decision. I've noticed that most of these issues happen during crossfire, due to how easy it is to get frustrated with your opponent. While I was competing, I was definitely quick to make a crossfire heated - there's a pretty easy fix for this. Your speeches and your arguments should be addressed to me, and not your opponent. Your job is not to wear down your opponent until they concede, your job is to convince me that your arguments are more important. I hope this reframing of the debate can help some of you, even if crossfire isn't something you initially struggle with. Remember, we're here to learn and have fun, not to get angry at each other over arguments that really don't even matter in reality.
Forensics:
Now that forensics is slowly moving to Tabroom, I'll add a little blurb here about it. I competed in both interp and PA events, but found the most success later on in my forensics career in Broadcasting. I am more inclined towards the PA events and will probably be far more helpful as a judge in those events. If you're in interp and you've gotten a basically blank critique sheet from me, I sincerely apologize (if I have nothing to say it means I had nothing bad to say and didn't really notice you doing anything wrong).
That being said, in interp, there are a few things that I do not appreciate. First, adding too much emotion to lines that don't need that much emotion. If the only way you can come across as upset is by screaming your lines, try something else, like using facial expressions. I know a lot of you have pieces that require you to make loud noises, which is fine, but remember that there are usually people competing right next door. Screaming your entire piece is going to give me a headache and it's going to interrupt the round next door. Secondly, adding in incredibly dramatic scenes that make no sense with the cutting/story you're trying to convey. If you're conveying a character arc that has nothing to do with mental illness or suicide and then out of nowhere your character commits suicide, I will find it in bad taste unless there's a reason for it to be there. I don't take lightly to specifically issues of suicide and it won't give you extra points for having a more "emotional" program. Third, if you can do a cartwheel or a back handspring or whatever sort of gymnastic feat, please do not put it in your piece unless your piece calls for your character to do a gymnastic feat. I once judged a round where three people randomly did cartwheels and I had to decide who had the best cartwheel - please don't make me do that again. Thank you.
I am a first year judge. I want evidence to support your claims, and good logical links. Quality of arguments is more important than volume of arguments, and probability weighted impact is critical.
I am a current high school English teacher and college composition professor. Although I never debated in high school or college, one of the focuses on my graduate study was in argumentative writing as a focus through composition, so I will be looking for debaters to form effective and solid arguments through evidence and solid logic as a basis for my judging. It is important that you speak at a conversational pace, so I can hear and understand all of your contentions for the issue you raise on your side. I will work hard to focus on the effectiveness of your sides issue for each round and by thoughtful about comparing the effectiveness of each side fairly against one another. The best debaters, in my opinion, are respectful to one another while clearly building a strong and effective argument for their own side of the issue before focusing on the weakness of the opponent.
My background: I am a lawyer and frequent public speaker. I love debate.
What I'm looking for: the best preparation utilizes Aristotle's triptych: tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them. (We affirm/negate. We affirm/negate for these reasons. We affirm/negate.)
Speed is fine, but it's not impressive without strong organization. State your contentions clearly. Emphasize key words to show conviction.
Don't reach for the widest/worst case scenario without clearly linking it to the statement at issue.
Be respectful and good luck!
My background: I have been a lawyer for 20+ years, and I love debate.
What I'm looking for: Clear speech. Speed is fine, but not impressive without strong organization. Evidence should be presented with citations.
Be respectful, don't talk over the opposing side, and good luck!
Parent judge. I will attempt to follow the flow, but help me by speaking clearly and do not spread. Do not use debate jargons.
Likes:
Explain your reasoning well, focus on convincing me with sound arguments and concise/clear logic.
Keeping the cross fire civil, respect each other and refrain from combative/aggressive tone/phrasing.
Speaker points are awarded based on both the manner of speaking and the content of the speech. In other words, try not to read monotonously from your screen.
Dislikes:
Avoid strategies that rely on scoring technicality "gotcha" points.
Do not attempt to overwhelm your opponent (and me) with numbers. I will not check complex statistics/math in your arguments, but will doubt why they're necessary if the argument/reasoning is sound.
No progressive arguments like Ks or theory. Keep the debate topical.
Misc:
Walk me through the ballot. Make it really easy for me to vote.
I have been the advisor for our high school debate team for the past 4 years. Prior to that, I had no experience with debate.
I am 60 years old, so references to currently popular movies and culture may go over my head.
I would rather hear a few solid points than garbled speed talking, and please save the far fetched "the world will end" argument for another judge.
I'm a freshman in college, and I debated in public forum in high school. I judge a lot, so I'm happy to give advice and answer questions at the end of the round.
Add me to the email chain: rv2529@barnard.edu.
- I'm open to theory and progressive arguments when ran well.
- I can follow speed, but please provide a speech doc if you expect I will miss something on my flow. That being said, speed shouldn't tradeoff with clarity.
- In both rebuttals, I expect teams to 1) signpost as you go down the flow so that I know where you are and what is being responded to 2) weigh the arguments and not just say, “we outweigh, ” tell me which weighing mechanism and WHY you outweigh.
- For second rebuttal, frontline terminal defense and turns.
- PS: I like link-ins from case and preq. arguments a lot. I don't like when teams use their case arguments as their only responses ie. deterrence vs. escalation debate (interact with the individual warrants and links!)
- In summary, extend all contentions, blocks, frontlines you are collapsing on. Please weigh to show me how these arguments compare against one another.
- I like meta-weighing -- tell me which mechanism is better.
- Not a fan of sticky defense but I will consider it if that's what the round comes down to.
- The final focus speech is a good time to slow down and explain the argument and the direction the round is going in. Please do not bring in any new responses or implications during this speech.
- I generally enjoy listening to crossfire. Still, I will LISTEN to crossfire, but I will not FLOW crossfire. I can only evaluate good points made in cross if they are brought up in speeches later.
- Clarity and strategy are the key factors that will impact your final speaks.
- I like framework when it is well warranted and unique... I don't like "cost-benefit analysis" framework
Post-Emory thoughts:
Honestly, I think debate is in a relatively good space overall. It's usually this time of year that I find myself pessimistic on a few different tracks, but this year I'm incredibly optimistic. But still, a few thoughts as we're moving into championship season:
- Concepts of fiat need a revisiting in PF. No one believes it to be real, and the call back for it to be illusory as an answer to offensive arguments is not adequate. The distinguishment between "pre" and "post" fiat is relatively unneeded and undeveloped, most of this is being mistaken for a debate about topicality really. In fact, the pre/post debate is rooted in a weird space that policy resolved or at least moved past in the 90s. If non topical offense is your game, why not explore some wikis of prominent college teams that are making these arguments?
- I cannot stress this enough, the space of post modern argumentation is confusing for me. I can more easily dissect these arguments when constructives are longer than four minutes, but in PF I especially do not have the ability to ascertain as to what the specific advocacy is or why it's good in a competitive setting. I am an idiot and the most I can really talk about my college metaphysics course is a dumb rhyme about Spinoza and Descartes(literally if you are well read on your subject, this should be ample warning as to what I can work through). That being said, criticisms focused on structures of power or the state specifically I can understand and don't need hand holding. Just not anything to do with the French(French speakers like Fanon do not count).
- Deep below any feelings I have about specific schools of thought or even behavior in round, I do know that debate as an activity is good. That does not mean I am full force just deciding ballots on ceding the political, but rather I need to hear why alternative methods to approaching the competitive event have distinct advantages. There is a huge gulf between somehow creating a more inclusive space and burning that same space to the ground that no team in PF has even begun to explain how to cross or even conceptually begun to explain why it can be overcome.
- RVIs != offense on a theory shell. No RVIs being unanswered does not mean the opponent cannot go for turns or a comparative debate on the interp vs the counter interp
- A competing interpretation does not conceptually create another shell.
- Teams need to signpost better, I will not read from docs and I truly believe that the practice is making everyone worse at line-by-line debate.
For WKU -
The last policy rounds I was in was around 2015 for context. I do err neg on most theory positions though agent counterplans do phase me. Other than that, the big division when it comes to other arguments I don't really have much of a stance on.
Affs at the end of the day I do believe need to show some semblance of change/beneficial action
Debate is good as a whole
Individual actions I don't think I have jurisdiction to act as judge over.
Who am I?
Assistant Director of Debate, The Blake School MN - 2014 to present
Co-Director, Public Forum Boot Camp(Check our website here) MN - 2021 to present
Assistant Debate Coach, Blaine High School - 2013 to 2014
This year marks my 14th in the activity, which is wild. I end up spending a lot of my time these days thinking not just about how arguments work, but also considering what I want the activity to look like. Personally, I believe that circuit Public Forum is in a transition period much the same that other events have experienced and the position that both judges and coaches play is more important than ever. That being said, I do think both groups need to remember that their years in high school are over now and that their role in the activity, both in and out of round, is as an educator first. If this is anyway controversial to you, I’d kindly ask you to re-examine why you are here.
Yes, this activity is a game, but your behavior and the way in which you participate in it have effects that will outlast your time in it. You should not only treat the people in this activity with the same levels of respect that you would want for yourself, but you should also consider the ways through which you’ve chosen in-round strategies, articulation of those strategies, and how the ways in which you conduct yourself out of round can be thought of as positive or negative. Just because something is easy and might result in competitive success does not make it right.
Prior to the round
Please add my personal email christian.vasquez212@gmail.com and blakedocs@googlegroups.com to the chain. The second one is for organizational purposes and allows me to be able to conduct redos with students and talk about rounds after they happen.
The start time listed on ballots/schedules is when a round should begin, not that everyone should arrive there. I will do my best to arrive prior to that, and I assume competitors will too. Even if I am not there for it, you should feel free to complete the flip and send out an email chain.
The first speaking team should initiate the chain, with the subject line reading some version of “Tournament Name, Round Number - 1st Speaking Team(Aff or Neg) vs 2nd Speaking Team(Aff or neg)” I do not care what you wear(as long as it’s appropriate for school) or if you stand or sit. I have zero qualms about music being played, poetry being read, or non-typical arguments being made.
Non-negotiables
I will be personally timing rounds since plenty of varsity level debaters no longer know how clocks work. There is no grace period, there are no concluding thoughts. When the timer goes off, your speech or question/answer is over. Beyond that, there are a few things I will no longer budge on:
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You must read from cut cards the first time evidence is introduced into a round. The experiment with paraphrasing in a debate event was an interesting one, but the activity has shown itself to be unable to self-police what is and what is not academically dishonest representations of evidence. Comparisons to the work researchers and professors do in their professional life I think is laughable. Some of the shoddy evidence work I’ve seen be passed off in this activity would have you fired in those contexts, whereas here it will probably get you in late elimination rounds.
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The inability to produce a piece of evidence when asked for it will end the round immediately. Taking more than thirty seconds to produce the evidence is unacceptable as that shows me you didn’t read from it to begin with.
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Arguments that are racist, sexist, transphobic, etc. will end the round immediately in an L and as few speaker points as Tab allows me to give out.
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Questions about what was and wasn’t read in round that are not claims of clipping are signs of a skill issue and won’t hold up rounds. If you want to ask questions outside of cross, run your own prep. A team saying “cut card here” or whatever to mark the docs they’ve sent you is your sign to do so. If you feel personally slighted by the idea that you should flow better and waste less time in the round, please reconsider your approach to preparing for competitions that require you to do so.
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Defense is not “sticky.” If you want something to count in the round, it needs to be included in your team’s prior speech. The idea that a first speaking team can go “Ah, hah! You forgot about our trap card” in the final focus after not extending it in summary is ridiculous and makes a joke out of the event.
Negotiables
These are not set in stone, and have changed over time. Running contrary to me on these positions isn’t a big issue and I can be persuaded in the context of the round.
Tech vs truth
To me, the activity has weirdly defined what “technical” debate is in a way that I believe undermines the value of the activity. Arguments being true if dropped is only as valid as the original construction of the argument. Am I opposed to big stick impacts? Absolutely not, I think they’re worth engaging in and worth making policy decisions around. But, for example, if you cannot answer questions regarding what is the motivation for conflict, who would originally engage in the escalation ladder, or how the decision to launch a nuclear weapon is conducted, your argument was not valid to begin with. Asking me to close my eyes and just check the box after essentially saying “yadda yadda, nuclear winter” is as ridiculous as doing the opposite after hearing “MAD checks” with no explanation.
Teams I think are being rewarded far too often for reading too many contentions in the constructive that are missing internal links. I am more than just sympathetic to the idea that calling this out amounts to terminal defense at this point. If they haven’t formed a coherent argument to begin with, teams shouldn’t be able to masquerade like they have one.
There isn’t a magical number of contentions that is either good or bad to determine whether this is an issue or not. The benefit of being a faster team is the ability to actually get more full arguments out in the round, but that isn’t an advantage if you’re essentially reading two sentences of a card and calling it good.
Theory
In PF debate only, I default to a position of reasonability. I think the theory debates in this activity, as they’ve been happening, are terribly uninteresting and are mostly binary choices.
Is disclosure good? Yes
Is paraphrasing bad? Yes
Distinctions beyond these I don’t think are particularly valuable. Going for cheapshots on specifics I think is an okay starting position for me to say this is a waste of time and not worth voting for. That being said, I feel like a lot of teams do mis-disclose in PF by just throwing up huge unedited blocks of texts in their open source section. Proper disclosure includes the tags that are in case and at least the first and last three words of a card that you’ve read. To say you open source disclose requires highlighting of the words you have actually read in round.
That being said, answers that amount to whining aren’t great. Teams that have PF theory read against them frequently respond in ways that mostly sound like they’re confused/aghast that someone would question their integrity as debaters and at the end of the day that’s not an argument. Teams should do more to articulate what specific calls to do x y or z actually do for the activity, rather than worrying about what they’re feeling. If your coach requires you to do policy “x” then they should give you reasons to defend policy “x.” If you’re consistently losing to arguments about what norms in the activity should look like, that’s a talk you should have with your coach/program advisor about accepting them or creating better answers.
IVIs
These are hands down the worst thing that PF debate has come up with. If something in round arises to the issue of student safety, then I hope(and maybe this is misplaced) that a judge would intervene prior to a debater saying “do something.” If something is just a dumb argument, or a dumb way to have an argument be developed, then it’s either a theory issue or a competitor needs to get better at making an argument against it.
The idea that these one-off sentences somehow protect students or make the activity more aware of issues is insane. Most things I’ve heard called an IVI are misconstruing what a student has said, are a rules violation that need to be determined by tab, or are just an incomplete argument.
Kritiks
Overall, I’m sympathetic to these arguments made in any event, but I think that the PF version of them so far has left me underwhelmed. I am much better for things like cap, security, fem IR, afro-pess and the like than I am for anything coming from a pomo tradition/understanding. Survival strategies focused on identity issues that require voting one way or the other depending on a student’s identification/orientation I think are bad for debate as a competitive activity.
Kritiks should require some sort of link to either the resolution(since PF doesn’t have plans really), or something the aff has done argumentatively or with their rhetoric. The nonexistence of a link means a team has decided to rant for their speech time, and not included a reason why I should care.
Rejection alternatives are okay(Zizek and others were common when I was in debate for context) but teams reliant on “discourse” and other vague notions should probably strike me. If I do not know what voting for a team does, I am uncomfortable to do so and will actively seek out ways to avoid it.
Parent judge - speak slowly and make sure I can follow the logic in your arguments.
Nastiness is not appreciated.
You don't need to add me to your email chain, I rarely call for evidence unless it is really important.
I am not a flow judge. Truth > Tech
I'm relatively new to judging, I don't really flow that well so I might miss a few technical things but if your opponent does something like "drops a turn" or "forgets to extend" explain why its important because I'm not that tech of a judge. But I won't vote off appeal I will still vote off the actual arguments
Cross doesn't affect my decision, but please don't be rude to your opponents in cross.
How to get my ballot:
-Don't use complicated Jargon, but I can understand basic jargon like "group the responses"
-Do the work for me, just condense the final focus so I don't have to intervene and I can see who wins just by the speeches I.e do good and comparative weighing and explain why u win ur args and ur opponent loses theirs.
-Don't spread.
I would prefer you go slow but if you are gonna read a bunch of blocks and go over 240WPM send a speech doc to me and your opponents.
I'm not familiar with progressive arguments so please don't read theory or Ks.
Good luck!
I'm a lay judge. Please explain everything clearly and with warranting. If you read theory or k's, I most likely will not know how to evaluate it.
Please add me to email chains: tianyicyang@outlook.com
pronouns: he/him
Tech > truth. I abhor when judges interject their own personal beliefs into their RFDs (with the exception of when teams make arguments that are racist, sexist, transphobic, ableist, etc).
Top Level:
The below bullet point list summarizes my broader view of debate arguments.
Now a couple of things that will make me happy that I wish novices did more often -
1. Impact calculus and ballot framing in the 2NR/2AR is mandatory - not doing so forces me to intervene/make assumptions about your arguments. In sum, tell me why I should vote for you at the top of your speech.
2. Line by line refutation is mandatory - anything else makes decisions really messy and makes it really easy for me to forget key arguments that you want me to evaluate - THE CHANCE THAT I MAKE A DECISION YOU DON’T LIKE GOES UP SUBSTANTIALLY IF YOU DO NOT DO CLEAR LINE BY LINE
3. SIGNPOSTING IS IMPORTANT - jumping between flows sporadically without indicating that you are doing so is super annoying - I will definitely lower your speaks if you do this
4. DON’T DROP THINGS JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THEM -It sucks that you’re facing a new argument that you’ve never seen before, but taking some prep time to figure out how to answer it is better than straight up dropping it and hoping the other team will forget they ever read the argument.
4. Clarity is a must - if you said something incoherently, I won’t have it on my flow.
5. Road maps before speeches are mandatory
Other Things:
1. Open Cx is fine
2. Please do not be rude to your partner or your opponents - being rude will be bad for your speaks
3. Please do not steal prep. If I notice that you are doing so excessively I will dock speaks. I understand that sometimes speech docs take forever to send out or save, so I'll try to be flexible.
4. Be confident! This will perceptually help you, and increase your speaks.
5. You can read basically any type of argument in front of me. On the neg, I've gone for DAs, CPs, Ks, T, impact turns, and various procedurals. On the aff, I've read soft-left affs, hard-right affs, and K-affs.
Here are some specific notes on types of argument:
DAs: I’m fine with politics DAs, I go for them all the time. @aff teams, you can often make bad DAs from the neg go away with a few smart analytics. You don’t need cards to point out that something is utter incoherent nonsense.
CPs: I love CPs that are from the aff's solvency advocate because they show that you (or someone on your team) actually read their ev. I'm fine with process CPs, but I'm even better for tricky perms. I’m also fine with generics like states, especially b/c there is basically 0 core neg ground on the water topic.
Ks on the neg: I'm alright with these, I'm most familiar with setcol and the cap K so with any other Ks a little bit more explaining will have to be done especially on the link level for me to vote for them. I do think that neg teams should win a specific link to the aff.
K affs: I probably won't judge a Kaff round, but just in case, I'll put some thoughts here. The most important thing in framework debates is impact calc - I need to know how I prioritize impacts and arguments. For K v K aff rounds, the aff probably gets a perm (no perms in a method debate never made much sense to me unless it’s dropped).
Topicality: The smaller the aff is, the more receptive I am going to be towards topicality arguments. I do think that reasonability is often a compelling argument IF EXECUTED CORRECTLY (especially when the T-interp is arbitrary), so T should probably not be your A-strat vs borderline topical affs unless you have nothing better to say (which, given the water topic, is an understandable situation to be in).
Theory (not including topicality) - My threshold for voting for theory is high-ish (I think reasonability or non-res theory bad tend to be quite persuasive against many theory arguments), but if they drop theory and you point that out and extend your argument I will vote for you.
Soft Left Affs: I've read these a bit, so I understand their appeal. However, I think that soft left affs are often run badly. Yes, your argument is probably true, but that doesn’t mean it merits a ballot if its not debated well. For example, a lot of soft-left teams say "conjunctive fallacy means no DA" and then proceed to poorly answer the DA, and that won't really work in front of me most of the time. I can definitely be convinced that the DA is so asinine that I should vote aff, but I won't reduce the DA for you.
Public Forum Specific:
I did policy debate in high school, not PF, so my experience in this area is quite limited. Haven't been in the debate space since April of last year so it'll take a bit of time to get used to how things are again. Most arguments should be fine but if you think I might have trouble understanding something make sure to explain it more in detail in your speeches.