So the high-schoolers were having a debate competition at my school. I mentioned to my friend that I was disappointed I wasn't dressed appropriately to participate in the tournament. However, I then hear a call for "All judges to come over here please." I look where they're gathering and see that the judges are in civilian dress.
Me: Let's go be judges
Roommate Brayden: No
Me: Yeah, let's go
We head over and the man in charge begins calling out names and handing out the judging papers. I grow disappointed as it appears they have set people ready for this judging. Just then I spot my old acquaintance, Rodrigo Leon. Brayden and I then accompany Rodrigo to help him judge his event, which just so happens to be an event called Congress.
Rodrigo: I've never judged Congress so I have no idea what I'm doing, can you really help?
Me: [Remembering the one time I competed in a Congress event as a sophomore in high school] Yes. I've done Congress before.
Rodrigo: Sweet, I'm counting on you then.
The three of us then enter the room to begin setting up. It is a large room with way more tables and chairs than I imagine would ever be necessary, so I decide I think it'd be funny if every contestant had to sit at their own table. The contestants begin to flood in and I instruct them to do so.
Skeptic Girl: What?
Me: Every person needs to sit at their own table
Skeptic Girl: Why?
Brayden: We have our reasons.
Me: Shh. We just need you guys to be spread out good.
Other Kid: Can we move that podium that's over in the corner over there so we can use it?
Me: [Looks at Rodrigo, hoping he knows something about the use of podiums in this context]
Rodrigo: [Shrugs]
Me: Yeah put the podium wherever you want, as long as the we can still see your face.
As the kid is moving the podium into place, David walks in with a judging paper of his own.
David: What're these two doing here?
Me: We're helping
Rodrigo: They're helping.
David: ...
Podium Kid: Alright well I think we should go ahead and get started then
Rodrigo: No we're actually waiting on one more judge
Podium Kid: What?
Me: What?
Skeptic Girl: We're gonna have FIVE judges?
David: No, you're gonna have 3. I don't know what these two are doing here.
Me: [Quietly] Wow. Way to sell us out.
We wait another minute for the girl judge to show up (I think her name was Danielle or something like that) and I decide I'll go outside to find her. Almost immediately after leaving the room, I'm confronted by a guy who seems to be in charge.
Him: Are you a judge?
Me: I'm helping
Him: So you're judging?
Me: I'm looking for Danielle
Him: Right. We can't find her. You're judging now.
The guy hands me Danielle's judging papers and I turn around, walk back into the room, and inform the others that I will be filling in as their third judge. The debate then proceeds, with the judges knowing very little of how things are really supposed to be run, and just counting on the kids to not have any questions for us. When it's all over, Brayden helps me to decide how to rate the kids and I go to hand in the paper. As I am leaving, the in-charge guy calls us back over.
Him: Do you two wanna judge again?
Brayden and me: Yes
Him: Sweet. Be back here at 5:05.
[5:05 comes around]
Him: You, orange jacket. What's your name?
Me: Dallin
Him: Dilan?
Me: Dallin
Him: Dilan?
Me: Dallin
Him: Okay Dilan, what's your last name?
Me: Burton
Him: Never mind it doesn't matter. Just write it on your paper.
He then repeats the process of calling out names and handing out judging papers, this time with me actually starting with a paper. Brayden, however, ends up without one and is visibly disappointed. In-Charge guy then realizes this and hands Brayden a paper for an absent judge. And sends us off. Brayden and I compare papers and realize we are going to different events this time. I proceed to my assigned room and discover that I'm to be the only judge present during this event. The students walk in. It is a much smaller event, only two teams of two students this time. The students do their debate, I thank them for their time, and I fill out the paperwork needed, hoping I know enough about what I'm doing to be fair. I then turn the papers into the In-Charge guy and proceed to my class which I was now almost an hour late for.
Also, I later learned that the students I chose to win ended up taking first place overall at the ending ceremony.
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