Judging Debates

Took some time away to judge at the NCFCA (National Christian Forensics and Communications Association) Florida Qualifier Tournament.  Students that advance from this tournament will compete at the regional tournament, advancing from there to national competition in speech and debate.
I spent a good bit of time with my foot propped up and a pen in my hand.
I judged several different types of speeches - persuasive, informative, humorous, and duo interpretation where two students compete together bringing a literature selection to life. (Now that the tournament is over, I can tell you my personal favorite was Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Such an awesome job these two young men did!)
I also judged a couple preliminary debate rounds, as well as the final round of Lincoln-Douglas Value Debate where the resolution they debated was National Security ought be valued higher than Freedom of Press.
Excellent tournament. All the students were incredible. And I got to see a lot of friends that I had not seen in a couple years. Such an awesome thing to be able to judge, critique, and offer encouragement to so many wonderful young people. And I was still able to get a little tangling in at night time. It was a win/win all around.