LaFrance,+Lisa

I judge for Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL and have judged primarily on the local circuit for the past three years. As a brief introduction, I am a parent judge without any significant experience with speed, theory, critical positions, trickiness, and all those other things the circuit debaters tend to try to do in front of me. If you are the kind of debater who doesn't know how to win without doing those things, I might not be the judge for you. I will serve you best as a judge if you do not try to make me do more work for you to win my ballot than necessary, because I will probably see things much differently than you will as a competitor.

You need to be slow, and you need to be clear. I will not hesitate to significantly lower your speaker points if you intentionally neglect this part. If you start out too fast, I will give you some signal to let you know. If you start out too unclear, same thing. However, if you do not correct yourself after the first or second warning, I will probably be annoyed, and that is not the kind of attitude you want your judge to have when deciding your bubble round.

I know how to evaluate the arguments you present me, but only provided that you do so according to the guidelines above. If you comply, expect very positive comments, an accurate decision, and a reflection of my happiness in your speaker points.

Please please please do not be rude. I cannot stand it. You're arguing with people who are otherwise your friends over things which often do not affect you personally. There's no need to be overly aggressive or indignant toward your opponent if they don't understand you or if you think you're superior to them. Treat everyone you debate with respect and make the room a pleasant environment for both the competitors and the judge.

I will vote on the arguments you have extended and explained in your final rebuttal speech. I do keep very good notes, but not in the form of a normal flow structure that the more technical judges use, so the explanation part here is key to make sure I understand everything you find important about your argument. Place emphasis on the most important parts of your case. You can never have too much additional explanation, especially when it's high-quality.

TL;DR- Don't be rude, have fun, and don't do anything too fast or technical, and we will get along well and you will be happy.