JudgING FOR NATICK SPEECH & DEBATE

As our season kicks into high gear, our need to recruit judges to join us at our tournaments becomes one of our most important tasks as a team. Below is a quick overview on judge recruitment per tournament, instructions to get a new judge signed up with a Tabroom account so they can be registered as a judge, and training materials for both speech & debate events. 

I believe the very core of judging speech & debate is watching high school students present and giving them your opinion of what they did well and what they can improve. Some events will be more of a performance, some are more persuasive, but all of them are looking for your constructive feedback on ways to improve. It’s really a very enjoyable experience. 
Judge Recruitment Process
  • We usually finalize team registrations for tournaments on Wednesday evenings, ten days in advance of a tournament.
  • Once finalized, we know how many judges we need to provide as a team to cover our entry. 
  • The coaches will send an email to all students registered to attend that tournament, along with their parents, letting them know the number of judges we need. Please reply to that email if you are available to help out for that tournament.
  • Students are expected to check with family members, teachers, or other adults they know that may be willing to help out, so we can meet our judge quota and attend the tournament. 
  • If we are not able to recruit enough judges to fulfill our quota before the official tournament registration closes, we won't be able to attend the tournament.

Tabroom Accounts
  • Just like students, in order to register judges for a tournament, they must create an account on www.Tabroom.com, the online platform we use to administer our tournaments.
  • Please visit Tabroom.com and click “Sign Up” in the top right corner. You’ll then follow the prompts to register as a judge. Please be sure to include a cell phone number, as we sometimes need to reach judges while the tournament is in progress and this is the easiest way for us to collect that information. Click here to view a step-by-step job aid if you need assistance. 
  • Once you have created your account, please email me and confirm the email address you used for your account, so I can link you to our team and register you for whatever tournament you are available to help us out at.

Debate Judge Training Materials
There is quite a lot of information linked above, but the three at the top of the list are probably the most beneficial and will give you the best overview of what you need to know. The others are additional resources if you are interested in learning more. 

Speech Judge Training Materials
Final Notes
  • A day or two before a tournament, we'll email judges with final details like when and where to meet, where the morning judge briefing will be, how to connect with one of our coaches during the tournament, and any other particulars that may be helpful for you to know. 
  • You'll likely also receive an email or two with tournament information which will be sent from the tournament.
  • Judges are expected to arrive in the morning, usually around 8AM and stay until all rounds have completed. This will vary depending on the tournament, but if generally around 6PM. If judges are not used for a final round, they will be dismissed a bit earlier.
  • Judges are asked to stay in the building for the day so they are available for any round assigned to them.
  • You will have down time during the day, so it's always a good idea to bring things to keep you occupied. 
  • All judges should bring a laptop or tablet with internet access, and whatever charger they may need to stay powered throughout the day. All tournament information will be sent through Tabroom.com and you'll complete your judging tasks online as well. 
  • Food is available for purchase, but judges are welcome to bring their own food as well. 

If you are interested in joining us as a judge at one of our tournaments this season, please email [email protected].