Damerdji,+Halim

I have been judging Lincoln-Douglas debate for about 1.5 years. However, I have limited experience judging upper-echelon varsity debate and I prefer Novice LD. 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 speedy or overly complex debate. 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 (one might call me a “lay” judge) and will not vote on theoretical argumentation (unless it can be explained with a minimum amount of jargon and the abuse is incredibly clear), pre-standards voting issues, or critiques. Please keep your jargon to a minimum – although I am familiar with terms like a “bright line,” discussing PICs (plan-inclusive counterplans) will likely not result in a win. When assigning speaker points, I look to respect, fluidity, tone, and courtesy. Interesting and clearly well-thought-out positions will also be rewarded, but offensive arguments will be punished. 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.