Judging Guide
This website contains several useful judging guides. The two forms of debate we compete in are Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum, so those two are the helpful ones.
http://penn.tabroom.com/judging-guides/
Also, below are some common debate terms explained!
Resolution: The topic up for debate in a round
Lincoln Douglas: The form of debate Hunter has historically participated in. It is 1:1, meaning you do not debate with a partner. It’s also known as “values debate” because competitiors discuss propositions of value (for example societal welfare vs. individual rights) within the context of a more specific debate (for example whether compulsory vaccination is justified). Resolutions generally deal with moral/philosophical issues.
Public Forum: A newer form of debate quickly gaining popularity. It is 2:2, and topics are usually more related to “current events” issues (for example the merits of alternative energy or the UN’s responsibility in combatting poverty). Speech times are slightly shorter than in LD, and the format is usually more accesible to non-debaters since it is somewhat less techincal.
Note: In all forms of debate, there are different “divisons” for debaters depending on level of experience. Freshmen usually compete as Novices or Junior Varsities, sophomores usually compete as Junior Varsities or Varsities, and juniors/seniors compete as Varsities. Most tournaments will have at least two divisions (Varsity and either JV or novice), and some, like the New York State Tournament, have all three.
Speaker points: At the end of the round, along with choosing a winner/loser, the judge (or judges) awards each debater speaker points(usually 20-30). Although these points were originally intended to demonstrate margin of victory (for example a 29 and a 30 would demonstrate a close, high-level round), they are now regarded by most judges as “style points”, meaning that the losing debater could theoretically have higher points.
Preliminary rounds: The rounds that all students at a tournament participate in. Most tournaments begin with 5-7 such rounds.
Outrounds: After the preliminary rounds are over, the debaters are “seeded” based primarily on win-loss record and speaker points. The top seeds “break” or qualify to compete in the outrounds (usually beginning with double octofinals-top 32 debaters- or octofinals – top 16 debaters). These are also called elimination rounds, because as soon as you lose one, you are out of the tournament. These rounds continue until only 2 debaters are remaining, who compete in a final round to determine the winner.
Usually there are no requirements to compete at a tournament, however there are some large end of year tournaments to which you have to qualify. Below are descriptions of several such events:
States: New York State Championship. To qualify to compete, students must recieve two “half qualifications” by being in the top x seeds at a tournament (depending on the number of debaters at the tournament). For novice/junior varsity debaters, MDLs (local weekly tournaments for the Manhattan Debate League generally held at Regis High School) are the easiest way to recieve half qualifications. Hunter generally brings the whole team because there are so many opportunities to qualify.
TOC: Tournament of Champions. This is a prestigious national tournament that students qualify to by reaching certain rounds at competitive tournaments. Reaching such a round earns the student a “bid” to the TOC, and you generally need two bids in order to attend. It is held at the University of Kentucky, and is Varsity level only.
Nationals: This is another national (!) tournament. While the TOC seeks to get the best debaters regardless of region, Nationals wants geographic diversity as well, so each district holds a qualifying event to determine which debaters will represent that region. It is held at a different location each year, and is also Varsity level only.
CatNats: Catholic Nationals (or Grand Nationals) is the third national tournament. Like Nationals, it seeks geographic diversity, so dioceses choose students to represent them (unlike Nationals, a qualifying event is not mandatory). It’s also held at a different location each year. And, it is Varsity level only!
