Aller,+Tiffany

In debate, I judge first on proper presentation and defense of all arguments (contentions/val-crit/CPs/etc.) presented. As I tell the kids, if they can throw it against a wall and make it stick, and their opponent can’t scrape it off, I’ll consider it. Next, I judge on appropriate debate techniques – structure, presentation, etc. On speed, I always advise that I can follow almost any speed, but if they get so fast that they’re (a) gulping for breath or (b) stumbling over their words, it’s not a good thing, because I shouldn’t have to spend more time figuring out what their saying instead of thinking about why they’re saying it.