Russell,+Jo

Jo Russell
I believe the Final round at the 2011 National Tournament was a superior demonstration of exactly what should be done in an LD round: clearly stated positions supported with excellent analysis & evidence-all presented at a pace which yielded a persuasive product! I'm so glad I was able to witness that round. 9/4/11

I have been judging Lincoln-Douglas Debate since 1986 when I was a volunteer for Heritage Hall School in Oklahoma City. Later I coached LD & Policy Debate & Individual Events for seven years when I taught at Edmond North High School (a suburb of OKC). Our program's strongest debaters were Seamus Donovan & Nathan Foell who finished First & Third respectively at the 2000 TOC. I retired from active coaching in 2000. I have continued to judge on the national circuit.

I am a judge who enjoys a traditional case with both a Value Premise & Criterion which clearly relate to the arguments offered. I expect debaters to be articulate & CLEAR regardless of the rate of delivery. IF debaters choose a rapid fire delivery, it is crucial that they locate an argument by describing WHERE it occurred in the round, especially in Rebuttals & Crystalizations. I do not consider "Blippy Jargon" an argument or an adequate response. I focus heavily on KEY arguments, but COMMUNICATION SKILLS also play a major role in my decisions & my assignment of speaker points. Definitions rarely come into play in my decisions. Today's debate resolutions practically mandate pertinent evidence throughout the entire round. I work diligently to get all arguments on my flow, but I can still miss something. If an issue or some evidence or a response is CRUCIAL to your case, tell me precisely WHY it is important & HOW you are winning that argument! Voting issues may be given as you go down the flow or at the end of the final speech, but please identify & number them as VOTERS.

I accept THEORY ARGUMENTS as reasonable ground in Lincoln Douglas Debate, But debaters must demonstrate a genuine violation of fairness. Show specifically how an opponent is actually doing something that is wrong!

I look forward to hearing challenging, well-articulated rounds marked by direct clash & persuasive speaking. Good luck, Debaters!

September 5, 2010

I set a high value on CLARITY of SPEAKING & ARGUMENTATION !

Presentation is becoming very sloppy! Stand for all speeches, including CX, or you will see low speaker points. If you read from a laptop, you also should have a complete, printed copy of your case & other evidence to present to your opponent should it be requested; otherwise you impose an unfair burden on your opponent.

Lately my speaker points have fallen into this range: 25 - messy; 26 - average; 27 - good; 28, 29 - excellent; 30 - superb!