I judge in the moment. Past experiences have no bearing on my ranking. I MAY consider trends or things I have seen in the past when awarding speaker points and making comments. The only exception is when I suspect plagiarism. I believe in competition.
Competition is the tool coaches use to teach effective communication skills.
They see a game or competition that looks like fun. As educators we must use fun to our advantage. As a coach I focus on the process and not the product. Therefore, I try to judge with the same mind set. It is my job as a judge to help the student with this particular stage of the learning process.