Monthly Archives
Paradigms and Principles: Extensions
This week I would like to discuss two questions related to extensions:
A. Should judges require “full” extensions?
B. Should judges require debaters to extend conceded arguments in the 2AR? Read more →
Animal Rights on Cracked.com?
Well, not quite, but Ryan Hamilton wanted me to share this with the debate community here on VBD.
Check out this article from Cracked.com. The article title? “Six Things You Won’t Believe Animals Do Just Like Us.”
Tim Averill Invitational Registration Opening Soon
This season’s Tim Averill Invitational at Manchester Essex Regional High School will be held on October 28 and 29, 2011. The tournament features two days of varsity competition in Public Forum Debate (with a TOC bid at the quarterfinal level), two days of varsity and novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate competition, and one day of varsity and novice Policy Debate competition.
The invitation is available here on VBD.
Paradigms and Principles: Creating Judging Norms in LD
Judging LD is harder than it looks. On any given weekend there are a myriad of true judgment calls on issues for which there is little or no community consensus. My primary goal with this column is to solicit discussion so that we can start to form the basis for that consensus. I believe it is incumbent upon judges (present and future) to be thoughtful about our role in the activity and to attempt to improve our skills and sensibilities as best we can. I hope coaches, judges and students of all stripes will feel free to offer their perspectives.
This week I would like to discuss speaker points. There are a variety of questions we could take up in this topic area, but I will limit myself to one:
What goal should judges have in mind when assigning speaker points? Read more →
