Judge Philosophies
Abhishek Kumar - Tourn Judges
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Alex Night - Tourn Judges
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Alexander Tivlumun - Tourn Judges
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Alexandra Smith - Tourn Judges
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Anshu Chaudhary - Tourn Judges
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Austin Kelachukwu - Tourn Judges
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Balaji Venkat - Brooks Debate
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Benjamin Cantrell - Tourn Judges
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Carter Mak - JMS
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Chinwendu Bolaji Ayodele - Tourn Judges
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Chrishma Karkada - Young Voices
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Dan Cole - Regent Legacy
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Dhara Trivedi - Brooks Debate
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Erica Zhu - LiangyiLeaders
1/ I am an avid supporter of signposting: Using transitions and naming the contention is general good practice -> I follow general good practice in presentation.
2/ I am always looking for strong links and logic in combination with performance and presence.
3/ Have fun, do your best!
There is also hundreds of judges who have better specifications listed... I would say I'm a kind grader who is somewhere farther from lay and leaning towards tech.
Esther Olayinka - Tourn Judges
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Esther Ayodele - Tourn Judges
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Ganiyat Olowookere - Tourn Judges
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Garrison Chan - JMS
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Giselle Roh - Wilshire
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HASSANA ABDULLAHI - Tourn Judges
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Hannah Cantrell - Tourn Judges
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Israel Beltran - Wilshire
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Jaimee Lee - Wilshire
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Janiel Victorino - QDLearning
Events I Judge: LD, PF, US Parlimentary, Congress, Speech
Judge since: 2019
Debate Style: Tech-pref w/ narrative override.
Ideal Round: Clash-focused, pedagogically intentional, with impact clarity.
How I Judge:
Truth > vibes | Action > potential | Pedagogy > punishment
As a speech native, Performance is my native language. Ive spent years competing in Platform and Interp before learning the technical side of debate starting in 2019. That means I see debate through a speech artists eyes, but Ive also trained to follow complex flows and evaluate technical debates with care.
Youll get strong post-round feedback, My ballot isnt just about winning; its about growing.
What I Prioritize:
Whether speech or debate, I care most about:
Strategic storytelling (Why does your argument/performance matter?)
Delivery with purpose (Are you performing or presenting, or just reciting?)
Intentional structure (Are you guiding me through your ideas clearly?)
Clash and comparison (Are you answering what your opponent said, or just repeating yourself?)
Debate Specifics
Speed: Moderate tolerance. I can follow fast rounds & will resort to verbatim flow if I dont understand something, but clarity > rate.
Theory & T: Yes, Ill vote on it, but its not an auto win. I need a full shell (Interp, Violation, Standards, Voters) clearly outlined and signposted. I dont vote on potential abuse, show me it mattered in this round.
Framework:
If its LD or PF, help me understand how you want me to evaluate. Weighing the world is essential. ROBs and ROJs are fine but you have to teach me your framing inside the round.
Kritiks:
Love hearing them. But you must explain how the alt solves, what the link is (specific, not just vibes), and how you win under your framing. If I dont get a clear why that matters for the ballot, Ill flow back to the other team.
Speech as Performance:
In all events I judge~ I notice if your voice, pacing, or body posture reinforce (or undermine) your message. Debate is also a performance, you just might not realize youre acting.
Feedback Style
Ballots will be timestamped (line by line in speech, key moments in debate), feedback-rich, and tied to both NSDA skills and real-world habits.
I do not always rank according to personal opinionI have voted down arguments I deeply disagreed with, because technical mastery won.
I will explain myself. If you dont see the logic behind my RFD, email me if you see it in your ballot, I archive ballots and flows for follow-up learning.
Lets grow together.
(Coach Note: I respect all coaching philosophies and am glad to calibrate feedback style if specific priorities or league norms are communicated pre-tournament.)
Jeff Harkleroad - LiangyiLeaders
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Joseline Molina - Velasquez Academy
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Karon Petty - Tourn Judges
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Lakshmi Nimmagadda - Brooks Debate
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Lakshmikanth Chowdary Pothula - Brooks Debate
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Lauren Velasquez-Galvez - Velasquez Academy
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Liang Guo - Velasquez Academy
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Luvienne Sans - LiangyiLeaders
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Mahendran Vasagam - Young Voices
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Matthew Godslove - Tourn Judges
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Max Wiessner - Tourn Judges
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Melissa Freeman - Tourn Judges
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Michael Zhu - LiangyiLeaders
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Mishaal Said - Tourn Judges
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Muhammadbaqir Oloruntoyin - Tourn Judges
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Obiora Goodluck - Tourn Judges
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Olamilekan Oderanti - Tourn Judges
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Prathibha Seshanna - GSA
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Putri Azzahra - Tourn Judges
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Rajiv Kumar - Tourn Judges
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Rashmi Sah - Brooks Debate
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Riyaan Shah - Velasquez Academy
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Rose Turner - Tourn Judges
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Sabrina Ramirez - Nova 42
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Samir Sharma - GSA
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Samuel Ayodele - Tourn Judges
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Sebastian Bharne - Huntington
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Sofia Kingston - Tourn Judges
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Solomon Hirmz - LiangyiLeaders
1/ I enjoy seeing good signposting: Using transitions and naming the contention is general good practice -> I follow general good practice in presentation.
2/ I very much like to see strong links and logic with good presentation skills.
3/ Something very important is to try your best and have fun
Tanishka Tomar - Tourn Judges
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Tanuja Chati - Young Voices
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Travis Cornett - Tourn Judges
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Vanessa Liu - QDLearning
Veronica Galvez - Velasquez Academy
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Wei Jiang - GSA
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Yibo Pang - QDLearning
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Zhicheng Liu - Alannah
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