Vogel,+Barry

I am an attorney and higher education administrator who has been judging high school debate for the past four years. I have judged Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, Congress, and Original Oratory. I generally enjoy judging all of these categories equally.

As a general rule, for LD and PF, I appreciate a well considered argument with clearly stated contentions well supported by evidence. Speaking clearly is highly desired and, in the case of LD, spreading is distracting and will likely cause me to miss many of the points you are trying to squeeze in. I find it much more effective for debaters to limit their arguments to fewer well developed contentions with clearly supportive evidence and efficient and effective anticipation of the other side than a multitude of points that are neither well considered nor fully developed. I am not a fan of theory arguments. If you choose this route, be sure to clearly connect it back to the resolution or you will lose me.

Respect the time; making good use of it and respect your opponent. Assume that I am intelligent, and knowledgeable but not an expert and that I have an open mind. Above all else, I appreciate debaters who are well prepared and ready to have fun with the process.