Desai,+Nihar


 * Updated for the 2014 Voices Invitational. **

I judge for Saratoga HS in California. I am primarily a lay judge, but I will vote on persuasion and the flow. That said, I flow well and keep track of all your arguments. However, you should slow down for contention tags, i.e. Contention 1: blah blah- that ensures I am 100% certain what your argument is and will not tarnish it in any way.

At the end of the round, I’ll look first at dropped arguments and how it ties into the standard or VC. If both debaters are respectful, good speakers, dominant in CX, and have a cohesive, persuasive performance, 30s will surely be given. My scale for speaker points range from 25-30, but do not expect anything below a 27 if you are not blatantly atrocious.

Finally, I’ve had three years judging LD now, including tournaments like Stanford, Berkeley, Santa Clara Dempsey-Cronin Invitational, League tournaments, James Logan Invitational, State qualifiers, etc. Please ask me if you have any questions about my paradigm before the round begins because I want to make sure everyone is on the same page. That said, I will give oral comments (feedback) after the round and I do write a lot of good notes on the ballot- I will disclose if the tournament permits.