Tournament Process

Question 1

“Schem”

Answer 1

Short for “schematic”, this is a list of your judges and your judge, typically given before rounds begin.

Question 2

Flight

Answer 2

A full debate consisting of half a round. Usually two debates per round, Flight 1 and 2 most common.

Question 3

Breaking

Answer 3

Making it into an elimination round, such as “double-octos,” “octos,” “quarters,”
“semis,” etc.
EX: “I broke to quarters” is debate-speak for making it to the top 8 places
in a given tournament.

Question 4

Ballot

Answer 4

Where a judge marks who wins, and the comments about the debaters

Question 5

Tab

Answer 5

Short for tabulation, this is where the organizers of the tournament create schematics and
make decisions (usually with a photocopier nearby).

Question 6

Pre-Flow

Answer 6

To outline one’s arguments right before one debates. Say you’re a debater arguing
the Aff side of the resolution. Right before you begin your round (or hopefully earlier), you
outline your arguments on your flow, instead of doing this during the round (that’s flowing).

Question 7

Constructive

Answer 7

Case, a set of reasons, supporting facts, and arguments that shows why we
should affirm or negate the resolution.

Question 8

CX

Answer 8

Opportunity for a debater to ask questions but should be relevant, be used to get admissions or concessions from the opponent. One way in LD, but two way in PF

Question 9

Rebuttal

Answer 9

Refuting, offering a contrary contention or argument

Question 10

Value premise/Value

Answer 10

Overall standard by which the round should be WEIGHED (graded)
EX: Societal Welfare, Justice, Individual Welfare, Democracy,
Quality of Life, Quality of the Future, etc. “Free Speech” isn’t so great as a value because it can
be bad, like in wartime (for more info, go look up the Supreme Court cases Shenck v. U.S. and
Abrams v. U.S.).

Question 11

Value Criterion/Criterion

Answer 11

How you measure or define your value.
EX: Societal Welfare, and the criterion could be Preservation of Rights. Or:
Democracy (value) via Accountability (criterion).

Question 12

Contention

Answer 12

A large argument or a set of smaller arguments that supports a case.

Question 13

Flow

Answer 13

An outline of what the debaters are saying

Question 14

Prep Time

Answer 14

Time to write down responses in preparation for CX or rebuttal

Question 15

“Going down the flow”

Answer 15

Responding to arguments starting at the “top” or beginning of the previous speech going to the “bottom”, or the end. Very recommended to look better

Question 16

Signpost

Answer 16

To indicate where one is on the flow
EX: “In my opponent’s second
contention subpoint A, they said [tagline]…” Second contention subpoint A can be
abbreviated C2A.

Question 17

Tagline

Answer 17

The one-sentence summary of a contention to a subpoint
EX: Community
standards have a “chilling effect” on teachers which is detrimental to the education of high
school students. Or, “the chilling effect.”

Question 18

Warrant

Answer 18

A reason so as to why an assertion is true

Question 19

Impact

Answer 19

Importance of a claim

Question 20

Link

Answer 20

A connection between the impacted claim and the value (Because ____, _____ happens and is therefore beneficial/negative”

Question 21

Card

Answer 21

A piece of evidence that proves a point (Author, Year)

Question 22

Fallacy

Answer 22

False or invalid inference

Question 23

Harm

Answer 23

Something bad that happened because of the position one side takes.
Ex: Aff
is advocating tha t democracy is better than anarchy, Neg might point out the harm that
democracy makes people pay taxes. (The obvious response Aff would say is that we get more
benefits from paying taxes than the comparatively small harm of losing income.)

Question 24

Non-unique

Answer 24

a harm or a benefit that can happen on either side and is therefore a wash

Question 25

Wash

Answer 25

Cancelling out of the harms/benefits, as when they’re equal on both sides.

Question 26

Non-resolutional

Answer 26

When a point doesn’t pertain to the resolution.

Question 27

Supererogatory

Answer 27

Unnecessary, superfluous, performed or observed beyond the required or expected degree

Question 28

Drop

Answer 28

When a debater didn’t respond to a subpoint or an argument, didn’t refute it, meaning that they agreed with it. Drops heavily impact count.

Question 29

Dropping

Answer 29

The debater lost

Question 30

Picking Up

Answer 30

Winning

Question 31

Grouping

Answer 31

Debater addressing several points at once by responding to the underlying idea behind them.
“Group these subpoints together.”

Question 32

Voter/Crystallization point

Answer 32

Your favorite argument from your case, your favorite answer to an opponents attack, and why you win.

Question 33

Extend

Answer 33

To carry across the flow, to continue a previous point.

Question 34

Sliming

Answer 34

When a new point is brought up in the second rebuttal, to which the other debater doesn’t have time for nor is obligated to respond.

Question 35

Crystallize down the flow

Answer 35

Arguing down the flow and making certain points voters. Can be confusing if not signposted.

Question 36

Lincoln Douglass Times

Answer 36

6 Aff Constructive - 3 CX - 7 Neg Constructive - 3 CX- 4 1st Aff Rebuttal - 6 1st Neg Rebuttal - 3 2nd Aff Rebuttal

Question 37

Speaker Points

Answer 37

Points awarded to debaters. Some ballots list them as on a scale from 0 to 30,
but it’s a general rule that speaker points are on a 22-30 scale. Anything less than 22 is
effectively horrible – e.g. throwing food at the judge or opponent. 30 = the best you’ll hear
today, 29 = Superior, 28 = Excellent, 27 = Very Good, 26 = Good, 25 = Decent, 24 = Okay, 23 =
Fair, 22 = Improve. (taken from Menick’s How To Judge page)