Williams,+Sherri

Magnolia West High School Debate Coach 2007-Present Alumni NFL / Former member National Speakers Association

Conroe High School 1976-1980 Standard Debate/CX Debate/Foreign & Domestic Extemp, Duet Acting, Prose Interp, Poetry Interp. Parenthetical experience: Former journalist, former speechwriter, and former Director of Communications for a variety of companies.

Overriding theme: If you whine about abuse, then provide specific instances and back it up with appropriate documentation or it's ignored. Theory blocks written at camp or by your coach bore me. You will not have to debate me, so if your opponent can't answer it correctly without their own prepackaged theory block, then I'll listen. Speaker points ARE affected by the ridiculous spread. You may be the low point win I'm famous for. Debate is a SPEAKING event.
 * UPDATED 9-2010 after judging 3 years of varsity competition and TFA state - NFL District and reading everything I can find on trends in debate.**

PF Paradigm: The team who follows the original rules of the debate will be the team who gets the most weight in the round. Speaking skills are the second criteria, third if your opponent has ONE card that tears your case up, it doesn't matter how much you state you win because they dropped an argument, they take out your strongest point and they win. Turn this into a CX round and you will lose straight up. POLICY Paradigm: Prefer straight up debate, however, k's, perms, and cps welcome. However, Spread so much I have to stop flowing and your arguments do not get entered into my value of the round...basically, they do not count. Argumentation in rebuttals should be intelligent and not merely a rehash of 1NC disads. CX better be polite or I will take a hatchet to your speaker points. LD Paradigm: C/V, Every thing is in play. You will not, I repeat will not be judged favorably if you rely on the current trend of there is NO relevant value. Leave out a value and you lose. Period. REPEAT… Spread and I stop flowing. I stop flowing, your evidence and arguments don’t count. Argumentation in rebuttals should be intelligent and not merely a rehash of evidence. Think on your feet. CX better be polite or I will take a hatchet to your speaker points. EXTEMP: KNOW YOUR STUFF. If you bust out with the latest rehash of some blog or some pundit I will know it because I watch news 24/7. I’ll assume you can only regurgitate what someone else has told you and judge accordingly. Please be inventive in your introduction. If you're incorrect on your facts you go to the bottom of the round...PERIOD. Make up quotes and I'll know. I started doing extemp since 1976. I know more back story information than you could learn in 4 years of high school. Cards okay. Sometimes novices get thrown into varsity rounds due to lack of entries. I don’t even bother to look at the schools I’m judging. I believe in fair play. INTERP: Selections in poor taste (i.e. cursing, discussion of mature topics by people under 18 are enough to make me vote for the person with the least objectionable material. This may cause some strikes here, but ‘it is for posterity,’ so I AM being honest). Classical pieces are preferred as this is a educational activity. I do not consider bodice ripping novels to be of any literary merit. Captivate me with your introduction and your personality. I’m old enough that nothing really has shock value so if your coach has encouraged that I’m the wrong judge for it. I don’t even bother to look at the schools I’m judging. I believe in fair play.