COMPETING ON SUPERDEBATE

You've learned the theory. Now test it. SuperDebate is live, structured debate for adults—the modern Agora rebuilt as a network of clubs where people gather to argue about ideas that matter. This appendix covers what you need to compete: the format, the scoring, and how to apply everything from the preceding twenty chapters under actual pressure.

The format rewards exactly what you've been practicing: clear arguments, honest engagement, responsive refutation. No tricks. No gimmicks. Just the fundamentals, executed well.

THE FORMAT

SuperDebate uses structured debate with constructive speeches, cross-examination, and rebuttals. The default format runs 28 minutes plus 10 minutes of prep time (5 minutes per side, used strategically throughout). Like everything in SuperDebate, these times are modular—your event may adjust them.

Team sizes range from 1v1 to 5v5. Solo debate means you handle every speech. Larger teams divide responsibilities—who takes constructive, who handles cross-ex, who delivers the closing. The skills scale; the coordination complexity increases.

Default Speech Order

The default structure looks like this—but check your event's specific timing:

The format is modular. Event runners and communities adjust timing to fit the evening—shorter rounds for more rotation, longer rounds for deeper engagement. Always check your specific event's structure before competing.

Key Format Rules

Topics and sides are assigned on the spot. You won't know what you're debating or which side you're on until shortly before the round. This isn't a handicap—it's the point. Extensive preparation isn't required or expected. What matters is your ability to think clearly, structure arguments quickly, and engage honestly with whatever position you're assigned.

Cross-examination is questions only. No new arguments during CX. You're clarifying their position, exposing weaknesses, setting up your rebuttals. The witness answers; neither side speechifies. If you catch yourself making a point rather than asking a question, stop.

Second rebuttals are closings. Your final speech serves double duty—respond to their latest arguments and crystallize why you win. No new arguments in the closing; judges will ignore them. Focus on voting issues: why, based on everything that's happened, should they vote for you?

SCORING CRITERIA

Scoring is modular, like everything else in SuperDebate. Tournaments typically use six criteria; club events might use two or three. The event runner and community decide what fits the evening. But the underlying dimensions are consistent—these are the lenses judges use to evaluate performance:

1. Argument Quality

The strength of your claims and logical reasoning. Are your arguments sound? Do your conclusions follow from your premises? This is logos from Chapter 9—the architecture of reason.

What earns high marks: Clear claims with explicit warrants. Specific evidence. Internal consistency. Arguments that directly address the resolution.

What costs you: Assertions without support. Logical gaps. Contradicting yourself. Tangents that don't serve your case.

2. Refutation

How effectively you address your opponent's points. Can you identify the weakest links in their case? Can you explain why their evidence or logic fails? This is elenchus—the Socratic art of testing claims, applied at speed.

What earns high marks: Direct engagement with what they actually said. Explaining why their reasoning fails. Turning their arguments against them. Weighing—showing why your arguments matter more even if theirs are partially true.

What costs you: Ignoring strong opposing arguments. Attacking strawmen. Simply contradicting without explaining why they're wrong.

3. Delivery

Speaking clarity, confidence, and engagement. Can judges follow you? Do you sound like you believe what you're saying? This is where ethos and pathos become visible—your credibility and your connection with the room.

What earns high marks: Clear articulation. Appropriate pace—fast enough to cover ground, slow enough to follow. Eye contact with judges. Vocal variety that emphasizes key points.

What costs you: Mumbling. Racing so fast judges can't track. Reading from notes without looking up. Nervous tics that distract from content.

4. Organization

Structure and case clarity. Can judges follow your argument's architecture? Do you signpost where you're going? This connects to Chapter 11—building a case judges can track.

What earns high marks: Clear thesis up front. Numbered contentions. Signposting transitions. Logical flow from point to point.

What costs you: Rambling without structure. Jumping between points randomly. Leaving judges unsure what your main argument actually is.

5. Persuasiveness

Overall impact and conviction. Beyond the technical elements—did you actually move the judges? Do they want to agree with you? This is the synthesis of everything: logos, ethos, and pathos working together.

What earns high marks: Making judges care about the outcome. Compelling framing. Memorable moments. The sense that you believe what you're arguing.

What costs you: Going through the motions. Technically correct but emotionally flat. Winning on points but losing on impact.

6. Evidence & Research

Quality and integration of supporting sources. Even with on-the-spot topics, you draw on general knowledge, current events, historical examples, and logical principles. How well do you support your claims?

What earns high marks: Specific examples that illustrate your points. Credible sources when you cite them. Evidence integrated into your argument, not just listed.

What costs you: Pure assertion with no support. Vague references ("studies show..."). Evidence that doesn't actually prove what you claim it proves.

HOW EVENTS WORK

SuperDebate runs two types of events: club nights and tournaments. Club events typically feature 2-3 debates plus discussion time—space to talk through arguments, share insights, and learn from each other. Tournaments have more rounds, more structure, and competitive stakes. Both use the same core format; they differ in intensity and purpose.

Topic Selection

Topic selection varies by event. Some clubs have attendees submit ideas and vote on the spot. Others are built around specific themes—an evening focused on AI ethics, or economic policy, or philosophy of mind. Check your event's format ahead of time. If topics are open, come with a few ideas ready.

Side Assignment

You learn your topic and side shortly before debating. You might defend a position you personally disagree with. Good. Arguing the other side is how you discover what you actually believe versus what you can merely assert. The Greeks called this dissoi logoi—exploring both sides of every question.

Judging

Spectators and non-competitors help judge rounds. They don't need debate expertise—they use the event's chosen criteria, rate on a simple scale, and can provide feedback. Multiple judges often score each debate; results aggregate.

This means you're not performing for debate experts. Clarity beats jargon. Accessible examples beat insider references. The person scoring you might be attending their first event. Make your case understandable.

Ratings and Rankings

SuperDebate uses an Elo-style rating system. Your rating adjusts based on outcomes and opponent strength—beating a higher-rated debater gains more than beating a lower-rated one. There are city rankings and national leaderboards. Your reputation builds over time.

APPLYING THE BOOK

Everything in the preceding twenty chapters applies here. Some highlights for competition context:

The Rhetorical Triangle (Chapter 3): You're scored on logos (Argument Quality, Refutation), ethos (Delivery, Organization), and their synthesis (Persuasiveness). The Greeks' framework maps directly to SuperDebate's criteria.

Kairos (Chapter 4): With topics assigned on the spot, reading the moment matters. What does this particular room care about? What examples will land with these judges? Kairos is your edge when preparation time is equal.

Steelmanning (Chapter 15): Especially powerful when you're assigned a side you disagree with. Build the strongest version of that case. Judges notice when you argue with integrity rather than going through the motions.

Refutation (Chapter 12): A core scoring dimension. The techniques from that chapter—attacking evidence, exposing logical gaps, turning arguments—are exactly what judges reward.

The Philosopher's Victory (Chapter 20): You can compete fiercely while caring about truth. The goal is winning well—through better arguments, not tricks. Judges reward integrity over gamesmanship.

YOUR FIRST EVENT

Expect to lose rounds. Expect to feel outmatched. Expect to make mistakes that seem obvious in retrospect. This is learning. Your first event is reconnaissance, not a championship run.

Set a process goal, not an outcome goal. Not "win three rounds" but "complete every speech without blanking" or "flow my opponent's case accurately." Process goals are achievable and instructive.

Manage nerves through external focus. Anxiety comes from internal focus—how do I look, what if I fail. Shift attention outward: listen to your opponent, read the judges, engage with the topic. External focus reduces spiral.

Debrief afterward. What worked? What didn't? What will you do differently? Write it down while it's fresh. These notes are worth more than any abstract preparation.

THE LONG GAME

Ratings compound. Reputation compounds. The debater who shows up consistently, loses gracefully, and improves steadily builds something that one-off brilliance can't match.

Debates you lose well build more than debates you win ugly. Acknowledge good points from opponents. Say "good debate, I learned something" and mean it. Graciousness is rare enough that people notice.

Contribute to the community. Judge when you're not competing. Submit thoughtful topics. Help newcomers. SuperDebate is a network of clubs, not just a competition platform. The relationships matter.

The Greeks invented rhetoric in the agora—the public space where citizens gathered to debate matters of common concern. SuperDebate rebuilds that space for adults who take ideas seriously. That's where this book has been pointing. That's where you test what you've learned.

Go compete.