Judge Philosophies
Adam Pepper - Kudos Leadership
I have been debating competitively for around 10 years now. 2 For PF/LD, 2 in American Parli, 4 in British Parli, 2 as a coach/instructor for PF/LD.
I make decisions sticking to the flow of the round, but still exercise common sense discretion. Evidence must be properly explained and introduced, link chains need to be explained, and impacts weighed for me using the rounds framework. For example, chains leading to nuclear war and extinction require a lot of time, evidence, and analysis for me to weigh out.
I give credit to both practical and philosophical arguments as long as they are based within tangible impacts, examples, and/or logical chains.
I am against spreadingas a tactic as the online space already makes understanding of cases difficult for some debaters and spreading is antithetical to the educational value of debate. I can understand and keep up with quick speed, but spreading is too much.
I also tend not to credit Kritiks or T-Shells unless fully and properly explained within the context of the round. Even then, engagement with the opponents case/argumentation is necessary.
Clash is necessary within a round, proper responses and engagement with opponents cases are needed. Blanket rebuttal or generalizations about a case are less accepted. Weigh arguments individually, unless you can prove they have mutual exclusivity to another argument you have already refuted.
Happy to answer clarifications on paradigm.
Adrienne Fontenot - SCJFL Hired
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Almas Raza - Nova 42
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Alyssa Macias - JMS
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Amanda Hsieh - Emerson
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Andrew Li - Nova 42
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Andy Lower - Huntington
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Annie Chen - JMS
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Ashley Silva - ACLA Network
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Beth Cheung - Emerson
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Brian Reisner - Reed M.S.
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Carly Dutcher - V-LYLA
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Carolyn Hughes - ACDS
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Cat Lake - V-LYLA
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Catherine Bauer - Alverno
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Chen Shen - QDLearning
Dana Danesi - Emerson
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David Johnson - JMS
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Deena Rice - SAGE
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Dexter Winn - Huntington
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Dustin Ma - NAL
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Ethan Sim - Huntington
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Goldwin Wangsiri - JMS
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Israel Beltran - Wilshire
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James Kyle - Nova 42
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James Yang - V-LYLA
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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.)
Jennifer Huang - QDLearning
Jennifer Billante - ACDS
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Jenny Tong - QDLearning
Jeremy Tai - JMS
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Jocelyn Yeh - GSA
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Joey Porter - SAGE
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John Ferris - Nova 42
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John Jiang - RMS
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John Walski - SCJFL Hired
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Jonathan Fong - Huntington
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Julia Cai - QDLearning
Jun Rao - NAL
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Kayson Tang - JMS
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Kenneth Yao - JMS
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Kivraj Singh - Speak In Power
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Klemens Huynh - V-LYLA
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Lucy Thompson - JMS
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Luna McNeff Yee - SCJFL Hired
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Madhavi B - GSA
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Mallika Keralapura - ACDS
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Manoj Unnikrishnan - RMS
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Mark Gagliardi - SCJFL Hired
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Mark Dresser/ Rachel Chew - JMS
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Meda Kim - JMS
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Michelle Scannell - JMS
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Mr. Martin - Reed M.S.
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Neha Goyal - GSA
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Nikita Abramson - Emerson
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Olivia Carter - Emerson
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Peter HU - NAL
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Phoram Moolchandani - RMS
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Prakash Bhagavathi - GSA
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Regina Rodeghiero - ACLA Network
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Riju Kallivalappil - GSA
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Ryan Kung - Nova 42
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Ryan Yoo - Wilshire
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Sandeep Pathak - Huntington
For the October 31 tournament, he is available to judge 2nd and 3rd rounds only. Thanks.
Schawn Jasmann - Reed M.S.
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Seamus Greene - ACDS
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Shailley Singh - RMS
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Shanmugesh Raja - V-LYLA
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Shuba Lall - GSA
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Sreela Venkataratnam - RMS
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Stella D'Arceaux - Emerson
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Tavis Chen - Huntington
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Tay Lekwa - QDLearning
Tiffany Brain - Wilshire
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Tracy Ma - JMS
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Veronica Navarro - JMS
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Winnie Ng - JMS
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Xiaotian Sun - RMS
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Yahua Cheng - V-LYLA
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Yuhadhi Sundaramoorthy - JMS
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Zaire Hampton - Nova 42
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