Deokule,+Smriti

Smriti Deokule || I am a parent of a competitor of the Mountain View/Los Altos High School Speech and Debate Team. I have been judging LD Debate for two years. However, I do have very limited experience judging upper-echelon varsity debate.

I do flow the debate, although my flow may not always say what you want it to say. I will do my best to follow you, but cannot handle very much speed. 200 words per minute is my maximum allowance, but going slower than this is no excuse for unclear speaking. I have a relatively traditional paradigm. Please keep your jargon to a minimum. I have a limited understanding of theory, so if you explain the position well, I will vote for you.

When assigning speaker points, I look to respect, fluidity, tone, and courtesy. Speaker points do not reflect quality of argumentation except for extremely offensive positions. As always, I do not wish to give you a free check to make bad arguments – my displeasure is simply expressed in the ballot in most rounds.

Finally, I prefer to write comments on the ballot instead of orally disclosing.

It should also be noted that I will award you 30 speaker points if you sing Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" for 20 seconds at any time during the debate. ||