How to Survive a Debate Tournament (as a parent judge)

Parent Judge and two competitors on day 2 of a debate tournament. 

  4 tips to survive your first debate tournament as a parent judge

So your child signed up for debate (first mistake, but that's another post) and the coach is asking for parent volunteers at the next tournament. Never one to hide away when your kid needs help, you blindly raise your hand and say, "Pick me!!!" After you have been reassured that you will have training and know exactly how to judge a round, you happily go into your first tournament thinking how much "fun" this will be. Your "training" will consist of setting your biases aside and judging fairly. Feeling slightly let down but still confident you can make it through you head into your first round. After that 1st AC (1st speech given) you quickly realize you are in WAY OVER YOUR HEAD, and try to back peddle, but nope, you are in it for 6 more rounds. Here are 4 tips to survive that first tournament, and maybe enjoy it enough to come back for more. It's time to get your judgy face on! Let's go!

1.    Bring snacks!

I'm sure by this point you are thinking, how are snacks going to help me understand what topicality, rebuttals, and cards are. They won't, but if you need to buy time while thinking about which team you understood most so that's who you are voting for, they sure are handy. And most likely you are going to be pushed from round to round so fast you won't even know what time it is. And you will always be late. But snacks, snacks make everything better.  

2.    Write a paradigm

If the word paradigm has you all confused that's okay. It's telling the opponents exactly what they need to do to win. Be sure to include in your paradigm that you are a PARENT JUDGE. The kids will automatically adjust their case to our level (yes they have a "parent judge" case) so that you can manage your first few rounds. They will use normal words like first speech, and why I should win instead of jargon and lingo that makes your head spin and eyes cross. This paradigm will become your best friend. You will include things like, I vote for the case that uses the best evidence to support their case and rebutted their opponent's case best and I'm a parent judge. This paradigm lets the debaters know exactly how to cater to you so that your ego can gently be stroked and you feel good about your decision. 

3. Yes, that child is talking to a wall! No, you don't need to call for help. 

As you are walking from round to round you will see students talking aggressively to the wall. They may even be crying, yelling, or accusing the NEG of civil war! Just smile nod and keep on walking. This is normal. This child has spent an exorbitant amount of time perfecting the perfect IE (individual event) and has to practice it somewhere. Their teammates have heard this speech a thousand times and have their own events to prepare for so all that is left is a wall. However, if you see a debater sitting at a table staring blankly, quickly pull out your snacks from tip number 1 and invite them to eat! They may yell at a wall with all the passion a high schooler can manage, but they forgot to pack the basic necessities of life, including lunch. You will now be their lifesaver and favorite judge.  

4.    Breathe

Most likely you are going to make a debater angry or cry and become their new swear word. Don't worry, it is all part of the normal initiation. If you aren't complained about after round, you aren't doing it right. There is always a winner and a loser, and as the judge, you get to deliver the soul-crushing news that their case yet again, has failed to be successful. And then, you get to answer questions about how to make it better. This inevitably will lead to sleepless nights, eating your favorite snacks excessively, and a desire to never judge again. When it comes to that moment of truth, simply take a breath and remember that this is only one round. Breathing makes everything better. 

In conclusion, your first debate tournament is going to blow your mind. You will find new vocabulary, appreciate the upcoming generation and all their ideas, and have no idea what just happened. This is all made worth it when you realize that by entering to be that parent judge you paid for 1/2 the teams' fees. And that includes that one kid on the team, you wouldn't be competing and getting a scholarship without you judging because they couldn't afford it. Don't, worry it does get easier and as you continue forward you will look at your first tournament and cringe at all your rookie mistakes. But your kid will never forget your efforts and that you were there. 

Natalie Soderquist is an avid parent judge who has been judging at her children's debate tournaments for three years. Somehow, she even roped her husband into helping. She even got the volunteer of the year award for the entire district in 2021. For sincere advice and tips on how to judge, look for her upcoming post, 4 REAL tips on how to survive your first tournament as a parent judge.