This is my second year doing Speech & Debate. In my time I've done PO, DI, CON, DEC, and DUET.

General Guidelines;

• Be respectful to me and other competitors

- Don't be on your phone after the round starts

- Avoid Conversation during rounds

Speech/Interp;

• I won't judge harshly over articulation mostly on how well you know and interpret your event
• I will consider the 30sec grace If needed
• I can provide time signals if needed

Good Luck!!

I'm open for most things in debate. My big thing is don't be racist, sexist, homophobic etc. Also, try to be polite and don't break the rules because that makes the experience worse for everyone involved.

I have been coaching debate, speech, interp, and congress since 2011. I am pretty open to most types of debate, but I have some specific requirements for the individual debates and overall.

All Debates

Flow: I am generally a flow judge unless the event dictates otherwise. For PF, LD, and CX I will decide my win based on my flow.

Speed: I am fine with speed. That being said, I do expect to understand your SPEECH while you are giving it. If your speed causes you to slur words, not be understandable, or go too fast to make the round enjoyable, I will take off speaker points.

Courtesy: I expect a level of courtesy from all debaters at all times. If you ask a question, let your opponent answer. I also expect those answering questions to not waste time and answer with that in mind. Any form of discrimination WILL NOT BE TOLERATED in argumentation or remarks to one another. I will give you the loss and report you to tab if you make sexist, racist, transphobic, homophobic, ableist, or any other sort of discriminatory remarks. Additionally, I expect you to treat your opponents with respect. Calling them "liars" or implying or saying they are a worse debater than you is not a way to get on my good side.

Abusive Debate: I am a pretty intelligent lady, so I expect you to refrain from telling me what is on the ballot and follow what is on the ballot in the round----you should win with your arguments, not weaponizing rules. Focus on the debate, not reading to me what the ballot says. I can entertain some theory debate, but if you spend the whole round on that and not debating the topic at hand (or actively K'ing it effectively), you've lost me. Calling your opponent abusive without providing substantial support won't win you anything in my book, but remember, you should be able to win on the merits of the debate itself.

Weighing: I appreciate the active weighing of impacts in rounds; however, I do not immediately jump to a nuclear war impact or extinction impact without CLEAR LINKS that the resolution will make that happen. We live in a world where those things are possible by just walking outside, so I need to see the WHY of these arguments specific to the debate itself. Weighing only works if there are links to those impacts.

Tech/Truth: I will be honest- I am more of a "truth" person. I believe in discussing real-world issues in the round. However, I appreciate tech arguments as long as they fit within the confines of the debate.

Evidence: Clipping or misconstruing evidence will earn you a loss.

Specific Debates

Public Forum: I expect good speaking in public forum and accessibility to what you are saying. Public Forum needs to be as much about analysis and rhetoric as it is about evidence. Do not run plans in Public Forum.

Lincoln-Douglas: I do expect some framework debate, and I do not think LD is a one-person policy round. There needs to be active engagement with the opposing side. I am not a HUGE fan of plans/counterplans in LD, but K’s are fine.

Policy: I am pretty much down for anything, but I expect you to engage with the opposing side. I am likely to vote on T, especially if a plan or counterplan is abusive. All that said, CX should still be organized and involve good speaking skills.

Big Questions and World Schools- I expect these to be respectful debates that resemble a conversation about the topic rather than an attack on your opponent.

World Schools (specifically)- In World Schools, this should look like World Schools- NOT POLICY. I will not entertain spreading, over-sourcing, or not using good style, strategy, etc. For prepared motions, I also will not entertain abusive debate that is so limited it is impossible to prepare for before the tournament. Do Policy if you like Policy that much.

This is my third year doing Speech and Debate, and during that time I’ve competed in every type of event.

Some general guidelines:

• Practice good etiquette both as a competitor and audience member.

• Abide by the rules of your event. I would rather not report any misconduct to tab.

Debate

• Be respectful to your opponent(s).

• Grace time will be considered, but I will cut you off after that.

• I am open to k’s, theory, and any other forms of progressive debate, but please do not abuse this.

• I will not flow spreading if I can’t understand it.

Speech/Interp

• I do consider grace time and provide time signals if requested.

Debate- Try and stay topical, give evidence, and deliver clear reasons why an audience should prefer your side over your opponents. Try to stay at a speed where I can comprehend your speaking. (NO SPREADING)

Speech- Competitors who are more comfortable with their speech will do far better than those who pieces do not match their style or ability. Don't get too loud unless it is appropriate for your speech.

All events- Do your best, work your hardest.

This is an extremely subjective sport. Do not take the rankings of a single judge (me) personally, or as an indication of your skill.

“Don’t h8. Just Db8.”

Debate:

• Please be respectful to your opponent.
• Try to speak as clearly as possibly.
• Clearly state contention titles (this helps me, and your opponent, keep the round more organized.)

Speech:

• Don't be afraid to ask for time signals!
• Make eye contact with me! It makes your performance much more engaging.
• I know its hard, but If you fumble your words, move on. If you repeat it until you get it right, it makes the mess up more noticeable.
• Please be respectful to whoever's preforming and have appropriate reactions.

Overall:

• Be confident!
• Have fun!
• You got this!

Hello!

I am a sophomore in high school, and I have been doing Speech and Debate for one year. Last year, I qualified to go to both NCFL and NSDA, and would say I’m knowledgeable on events.

What I like to see in Speech events:

Clear speech: don’t be nervous! Make sure I can understand what you’re saying. Speak up — sometimes we speak quieter than we believe. Volume and pace are important to me.

Delivery: this is one of the biggest things I will be looking for. If you can preform a piece well with emotion this would be highly appreciated. I want to see you care about what you’re preforming, and get in the moment.

Body movement: please try to not sway. I understand nerves and jitters, but move with purpose. Don’t turn your back to the audience. If it’s necessary for the performance at that time it will be tolerated. Otherwise— don’t be scared of me! Give me your audience some eye contact. I want to see your beautiful faces! :)

Content: while I enjoy a good story I prefer performance over content. Content might be taken into consideration, but most likely will not rule over your ranking.

Have fun! This is your first tournament, and it’s meant as a learning opportunity. I’m here to provide feedback to help you, not hurt you. Don’t let nerves control your performance. Give me all you got!

Good luck!

Mere Morrison, junior at Montgomery Academy

Paradigm tbd (if I ever judge debate).

Goo!

debate events:

Be nice

Weigh your impacts don't just say they're wrong; I wanna know why they're wrong

speech events:

Eye contact

I'd rather you pause and collect your thoughts than you stutter

Debate: I am a pretty lay judge.

PF: I am an ex-pfer so I am pretty familiar with the structure of public forum. My pet peeve for this event are spreading and yelling. Please do not spread. I WILL stop flowing if you spread. Also this is debate so it should be civil, please do not devolve into arguing during cross.

LD: I slightly familiar with LD so I apologize in advance if I give a bad ballot. However some key points that I would vote on is the argumentation that utilizes value and criterion and expands throughout the round.

IES: Speech

Please have a clear speaking voice, if I cannot hear you properly I won't be able to weigh that in to my judgement. Also have a concise walking pattern (please do not just wander every 15 seconds).