Judges

Judging

Judges are always needed at Speech/Debate competitions, but the MS tournament offers something most HS events cannot: a chance for HS students to judge!

I highly recommend asking current HS Speech/Debate competitors to sign up to help judge the MS event. This gives them a chance to see Speech/Debate activities from a different point-of-view and ensures those most invested in the activity are influencing the next generation.

Beyond HS students, anyone can judge. Coaches, parents, and community members are encouraged to participate. The following guidelines will be followed regarding judges:

Speech

1 judge for every 6 entries in any Speech event

Example: You have 2 Duo Interp entries, 2 Humorous Interpretation, and 1 Original Oratory - you will need to provide 1 judge. All Speech entries are added together - if you have 6 or fewer - 1 judge. If 7-11 entries, you'll need 2 Speech judges...and so on.

Debate

1 judge for every 3 entries per division

Example: You have 2 Lincoln-Douglas debaters and 2 Public Forum Debate teams. You will need to provide 2 judges: 1 LD judge and 1 PF judge. If you have 5 Lincoln-Douglas debaters, you'd need 3 LD judges.

If you are having trouble filling your judging obligation, please let me know. We do want to have a diverse field of judges for our students and we welcome any additional student judges from schools above and beyond their commitment. We do not want this to be a burden for any new school attending an event like this for the first time though, so please ask if you need assistance. Thanks!