Unpack Debate Jargon

Double Octafinals

Doubles is for the top 32 teams of a tournamen and is the elimination round which directly precedes quartefinals.

Drop A Ballot

To drop a ballot means to lose the round.

Entry

An entry refers to a participant or team registered to compete in a specific event at a debate tournament.

Evidence

Evidence is another word for the card. It consists of a position or data taken from a source who is not the debater. Evidence can be from news articles, journals, and government sources.

Extend

To extend an argument means to brielfy go over a previeous argument made and extrapolate on why it's important. Debaters do this in the second half of the round.

Fiat

Fiat is the assumption that if the resolution is affirmed, the action will occur. This allows debaters to argue the topic's consequences instead of whether it's probably the government would pass the resolution.

Final Focus

The Final Focus speech is unique to Public Forum. It is two minutes and is the final time the judge will hear from both sides.

First Affirmative Rebuttal

The first affirmative rebuttal is when the affirmative team attacks the negative's positions and rebuilds their own.

First Negative Rebuttal

The first negative rebuttal is when the negative team attacks the affirmative's positions and rebuilds their own.

Flay Judge

A flay judge is somewhere between a lay and flow judge. They generally have some experience with debate but aren't well suited for progressive debate and don't take scrupulous notes.

Flow Judge

Flow judges are usually former debaters and/or coaches. They understand the complexities of debate and are generally experienced with progressive types of argumentation, though some will discourage theories and Kritiks.

Flow Through

Flows through means an argument has gone unrefuted and, therefore, should be weighed by the judge.

Flowing

Flowing is how debaters take notes within a round. There are multiple different methods, with some competitors using computers and others preferring pen and paper.

Format

Numerous debate formats exist. The main three in the United States are Public Forum, Lincoln Douglas, and Policy. Other types are Parliamentary Debate and World Schools.

Gold Bid

A Gold Bid is an award given out by the University of Kentucky to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. To receive one, a debater must make it to a certain round a tournament which provides bids, known as a bid tournament.

Hybrid Entry

A hybrid entry, is when in a two-versus-two event the partners come from different schools. Numerous tournaments do not allow these types of entries to compete.

Impact

The impact of an argument is why it matters in a debate round.

Impact Turn

An impact turn is a type of turn where the debater accepts their opponents links but then argues that their impact is actually a good or bad thing.

Independent Entry

An independent entry is one not affiliated with their school.

Internal Link

An internal link is the connecting logic between two parts of an argument—typically between a cause and its effect, or between a smaller impact and a larger one. While commonly discussed in the context of disadvantages, internal links exist in all types of arguments. For example, if a team argues that banning fossil fuels will reduce carbon emissions, and reduced emissions will slow climate change, the internal link is the argument that lower emissions lead to a slowdown in climate change.

Interpretation

An interpretation is generally part of a theory shell. It is the team's definition of a particular rule or norm.

Judge

A judge is the adjudicator in a debate round. They decide who winds and who loses.

Junior Varsity

Junior Varsity is for students who are too skilled for novice but not quite ready for varsity.

Kritik

A Kritik is a type of argument made that challenges the underlying assumptions of another team's advocacy.

Lay Judge

A lay judge is someone who is inexperienced or does not like technical debate. These judges are usually parents and require debaters to speak at slower speeds and utilize less jargon.