Four years policy debate at GMU

Yes I want to be on the chain - Email: bbigbiggs1@gmail.com

General Notes

- PLEASE treat everyone in the room with respect, especially your opponents

- I flow straight down, it's in your best interest to keep it as organized as possible

- More familiar with policy args, but have and will vote for critical args

- Inserting re-highlighting is good if you are pointing out specific context that is left out and in small doses, not if you are essentially making a new card out of it

• These are my general thoughts but things can obviously change on a debate by debate basis depending on how the round goes

- This paradigm is geared towards policy debate since that is what I judge most frequently. If I am judging you in a different format; do no stress about the nuances here, I adopt to the norms of whatever format I am judging without bias to the best of my ability/knowledge

Notes for Online Debate:

- Please be conscientious of speed and clarity. I never will negatively impact your speaks because of mic issues but I can only vote on what I hear.

- If my camera is off assume I am not there.

Policy v Policy

- I will look through the evidence so a card doc would be useful; however, good evidence shouldn't be a substitute for poor explanation.

- Please make sure to extend full arguments. If you just say there is "no impact to US-China war" in the 1ar with no explanation for why, I will not vote for it in the 2ar even if dropped in the 2nr. That is just a phrase not an argument.

T:

- Limits/ground is the impact I find most persuasive. It will take more work to go for precision or other impacts but I can be swayed

- I tend to err on competing interpretation but actually can be persuaded by reasonability IF explained properly

Theory

Condo - tend to be neg leaning though more than three starts to push it. More open to condo args if the CP's are particularly abusive or if they've read multiple with no solvency advocates

PICs - I'm fine with PICs out of specific portions the aff defends. Not the judge for word PICs (unless they say something absolutely egregious in their plan text)

No solvency advocate CPs - I probably don't think this is a reason to reject the team, but I will likely be annoyed and lower speaks if you don't have one. Exceptions if you're against new affs or it is a very niche CP to answer a specific impact.

Other theory - 99 out of 100 times, if it's not condo, it's a reason to reject the arg. You need a clear reason why they skewed the round to get me to drop them even if it is dropped. Having said that, if you win that a CP is illegitimate you're probably in a good spot anyways.

Clash

Top Level: I've found myself judging more of these debates than I expected so I want to update this portion of my paradigm. I tend to have a higher threshold for 2ar re-articulation of arguments than most judges so I find myself voting neg more often in these debates than other rounds I judge.

Policy aff v the K:

- I tend to err aff on the f/w portion of the debate. Weigh the aff vs the alt, key to fairness, etc. are all args I tend to find more persuasive. Impact framing is the portion of the debate you should focus on. Make sure you're answering all the nuances of the util v structural violence (or any other framing) debate

- Be careful with the link debate. Even if you win that your case outweighs the neg can still win a link turns case arg that can make it tough for you to get my ballot.

K's v Policy Affs:

- Impact framing will essential. You will have a hard time persuading me that I should just reject the aff for some reason, but can definitely persuade me that your impact outweighs/is more crucial to discuss in the debate space.

- Specificity of the link is going to be important. Generic state bad links aren't going to be as persuasive as links to the specific action of the plan.

- Simplify the debate. Don't spread yourself too thin, try and pick just one link for the 2NR (unless two are very poorly answered but I'd cap it there) and really impact it out.

- I find embedded turns case args on the link debate very persuasive if it is a specific link to the aff.

- Clarity on the alt will be important. This is an area of the debate that I feel like gets under-explained throughout the debate. I like some explanation of what your alt materially looks like and how it resolves the link.

F/W v K affs:

- Fairness can be an impact, but I generally find the way teams explain it is more of an internal link to education (a pretty good one at that).

- When the aff is reasonably in the direction of the topic - I tend to place a lot of weight on the TVA and need explanation of lost ground and why the ground you lost is good.

- When the aff is blatantly anti-topical or an aff that is meant to be a personal strategy, go for clash good. I don't believe you need a TVA in this instance (or should extend one) as long as you have a good reason why the discussions that happen under your model of debate are good.

K affs v F/W:

- The easiest way to get my ballot is if you win your impact and win the "limits/clash means they can't access the aff's benefits even if it is theoretically good" arg you are in a very good place so long as you don't royally mess up the TVA debate or SSD. Having said that: I am open to other strategies, do your thing, but just understand that I will need more explanation than your typical judge.

- We meet probably not ideal unless the neg messed up the interp.

- If you are an aff that is in the direction of the topic, counter-definitions should be your friend.

- If your aff is outside the scope of being able to do so, you need to impact turn their model of debate. I am not gonna be persuaded by a counter-interp that was clearly designed to include your aff. Obviously extend your interpretation, but don't use it to try and mitigate their offense.

- Things to avoid: I do not find blanket stating "k debate is predictable" persuasive. Give me a reason why your specific aff is predictable for the negative to debate if you want to go that route.

K v K

I will not be as knowledgeable in K literature as either team is going to be. The best thing you could do to get my ballot is to make the debate simple. I may not be familiar with a lot of your terminology - and I am not going to vote on something I do not understand - so you may benefit by clearly explaining certain terms or at least having evidence that is clearly highlighted to define abstract terms/concepts.

Impact framing/explanation is going to be key in these rounds.

Clarity is far more important than speed. Slow down on your cards/tags and punch your arguments. The QUALITY of your arguments will outweigh the QUANTITY of your arguments every single time. If I cannot follow your arguments, I will not be able to vote for you.

No Kritiks. If you do, know that you have to be very clear in your arguments. I need a clear path to vote.

I appreciate lots of impact calc (the earlier in the debate the better).

Absent obvious issues, I will probably not vote on topicality arguments or theory. I don't appreciate nuisance arguments.

I do not flow cross-ex, but I will pay attention and judge clash for speaker points. Open cross-ex is okay if it is civil and both teams are okay with it. Please remember decorum.

Assume I don't know the acronyms on the topic - define them!

Roadmaps/signposts (off-clock is fine) are essential. I also want to be included on any chains via email (scotrotsios@gmail.com) or flash drive.

Show me that you have command of the issues. Be persuasive. Summarize the voting issues. Make it easy for me to vote for you.

Hello debaters. I look forward to watching and judging your rounds. Rather than try to present a paradigm, I will just offer you some facts about myself and you can reach your own conclusions.

I am a parent of a debater who is now in 11th grade. I have been judging debate tournaments -- first in Parli then in PF -- for a full four seasons. I was never a debater myself; everything I know about debate I learned from watching you all. I now run the team at my son's high school, so I am judging at all the UDLNYC tourneys as well as about four National Circuit tournaments each year.

I am a professor of journalism at Hunter College, so I know well how to identify valid evidence, sound arguments and good writing. But this also means that I really value writing structure and organization; I want to be able to track -- or flow -- your arguments in each speech.

Ok, so I guess I do have some nit-picky preferences: I do not get anything from spreading (it just makes it harder for me to follow) and it bugs me when people give an off-time roadmap, especially since 99 percent of the time the debater does not follow it. If it is important for you to layout your plan (and I would argue it is), make it part of your speech. I also pay attention to the crossfires since I think it reveals a lot about the individual speakers more than the speeches do sometimes.

One thing for certain: I LOVE debate. Hats off to you for taking on all the work it requires.

Paradigm 

I vote on almost anything if you win the debate. I believe that debate should be an even competition of what happens in the round and how it affects the outside world instead of the other way around. Also don't do anything racist, homophobic, sexist, patriarchal, transphobic, heteronormative or simply disrespectful in round without expecting poor speaker points. It will also affect how I view your argumentation in this safe space.

 Spreading

In regards to spreading I'm fine with it just don't start out at full speed I need time to adjust to voices. Also be clear and slow on tags so I can know what you are saying and what I should be voting on. I can't vote on something that I  can't hear.

nickkdebate@gmail.com

I've been out of debate for two years and as an old washed up debater my opinions are probably less firmly held than they once were. I was a varsity policy debater for George Mason University. I did K debate for the last two years, mostly in the realm of ‘high theory’ Baudrillard, and Deleuzian surveillance, disability, and some feminist themes.

Don't let that dissuade you from reading policy, I'll listen to and vote for most anything if you win the debate. My degree is in international relations, my thesis was on the relationship between corruption and the proliferation of WMDs. I also interned for in Congress. I understand IR theory, its fine if you want to defend a big stick heg debate or any other policy techniche.

One thing that's definitely changed since I debated - please no handshakes

Philosophy:

01. Just Do It™
Don't start with what I want to hear. Do you. If you win the argument, my opinion is irrelevant. I'd much rather hear a good debate about what you want to talk about than a thousand bad rereadings of the things that I enjoy. Just do it well. I once called thinking "wonder" and convinced more than a hundred judges that it was a unique and revolutionary alternative. Nothing is impossible if you have arguments to back it up. Just keep your head up, you'll be alright.

02. "Gory, gory, What a hell of a way to die!"
Clash: Not doing it is the fastest way to make these rounds ugly real quick. Don't shy away from clash, embrace it, and fill it with warrants. The very tired line about two ships passing in the night has some value - If you don't clash I have essentially carte blanche to make a decision. You may not like that decision. Easy solution: don't make me do that calculus. Close doors.

03. A true thing poorly expressed is a lie
It doesn't matter what your argument is, if you can communicate it to me and the other team cannot then you are ahead. I don't care how fast you spread, its strategic up until you cannot communicate intelligible words while spreading, at which point I can't flow and you'll probably lose as a result. Speed is good, but clarity first always.

04. “Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system!”
There are rules. Speeches have fixed times. Holding up one round holds up the whole tournament, I'm not doing that. I will always flow, and it will be the sole determinant of the ballot. This is non-negotiable.

05. “Tools! We need tools! Mechanical and philosophical instruments!”
I largely debated "high theory" in my own career. In practice, I find that I vote for framework more often than critiques because K teams mess up the "policy tricks" as much as policy teams do the reverse. Framework teams – I'll vote for you, but not just because the other team took away your DA's. I want to hear why you think whatever is making debate less predictable, fair, etc.. is important so that there can be a debate about whether or not those benefits outweigh or are outweighed. I approach all arguments introduced with extreme skepticism and suspicion.

06. Smile, smile, smile x infinity..
If you're about to pref me to talk over your opponents with some real edgy Baudrillard blocks you found online: I think the value in 'high theory' authors and arguments is lost when people overdetermine the difficulty and complexity of the arguments themselves and dwell in the cult of personality. Good high theory debating is the process of making complex arguments accessible to people not invested in the literature, and applying it through examples that apply to the round. I'm not going to assume your arguments fit the ivory tower stereotypes. In exchange I ask that you don't live up to them.

07.
I don't automatically vote down teams making arguments termed by others 'stupid' or 'offensive'. Evil seduces when labeled taboo and off-limits. Moreover, I'm uncomfortable voting for someone who can't articulate why something offensive, dangerous, or stupid should not be affirmed. That doesn't mean speaks won't be affected.

08.
Speaker points are an entirely subjective and arbitrary assessment, and 'ranges' are not an exact science. Act as you choose, my points will reflect my feelings on said actions. I only give exceptionally low speaks if you do something ethically messed up. If your tournament uses NDT/CEDA 30 point maximums, then my speaks are probably a little above that average. I would say use good judgement generally applies, however there are a few things that some people think are acceptable with which I disagree and will punish speaks. The primary two- I will not evaluate arguments comparing someone's arguments to sexual assault. I think those debates are anti-educational, and only risk harm to everyone involved. I also will not evaluate genocide denial, for similar reasons. If you decide to read either, expect to find your speaker points capped at 10% of the tournament max.

If you find any of these stipulations objectionable, I respectfully request the quiet dignity of your strike to the alternative.

PF Paradigm

I am highly conscious of my role as a judge to put my own bias aside, to listen intently, and to come to conclusions based on what you bring to a round. If you and your partner prove to me that your warrants, evidence, and impacts weigh more heavily in the round than your opponents then you win, plain and simple. Please don't tell me the burden is on the other team to prove or disprove or whatever else. Public Forum Debate focuses on advocacy of a position derived from issues presented in the resolution, not a prescribed set of burdens.

I have a serious problem if you misconstrue evidence or neglect to state your sources thoroughly- you have already created unnecessary questions in my mind.

Rebuttals are a key part of debate and I need to hear a point by point refutation and clash and then an extension of impacts. Refuting an argument is not "turning" an argument. Arbitrary and incorrect use of that term is highly annoying to me. A true turn is difficult at best to achieve-be careful with this.

I cannot judge what I can't clearly hear or understand-I can understand fast speech that is enunciated well, but do you really want to tax your judge?-Quality of an argument is much more important than the quantity of points/sub-points, or rapid-fire speech and it is incumbent upon you and your partner to make sure you tell me what I need to hear to weigh appropriately-it is not my job to "fill in the blanks" with my personal knowledge or to try to spend time figuring out what you just said. Also spreading is a disrespectful tactic and defeats the purpose of the art of debate-imho- so don't do it. (See Quality not Quantity above).

The greater the extent of your impacts, the greater the weight for me. If you and your partner are able to thoroughly answer WHY/HOW something matters more, WHY/HOW something has a greater impact, WHY/HOW your evidence is more important, that sways me more than anything else.

Lastly, be assertive, not aggressive. Enjoy the challenge.

I debated for Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, PA from 2006-2009 in LD, Congress, and Policy Debate. (Though once I did a round of poetry at NSDA (then NFL) national tournament in 2008 and it went horribly.) I now teach Biology and coach PF debate at G.W. Carver High School of Engineering and Science in the Philadelphia Scholastic Debate League. 

In general, medium speed is OK. I will interrupt if I can't understand. Observations/framework need to be extended and defended. 

In Congress specifically, I try to give weighting to clash and analysis in addition to its basic nature as a speech event. 

I am okay with spreading (speed reading), and I look to see who proved their point better during the round, but while trying to attack their opponents points as well. Do not forget your opponents side of the debate while trying to prove your own.

I want to make sure everyone is curteous and respectful as they debate against one another.

While I understand the need to crush the opponenent, there does not need to be any overly rude behavior when doing so.

LD is supposed to be debate before a lay audience and presume I am a lay person. Construct a cohesive presentation and deliver at a speed and choice of words a lay person will comprehend. My eyes and ears tend to glaze when I hear too much debate jargon. Contextualize and rank your contentions clearly articulating the value. Your contentions should be credible and pass a smell test and I tend to discount projections that have a quantum probability. I have a physics/math background and tend to look at questions for a lens of 'Is this a useful question to ask'. Treat your opponents with respect.

Updated for 2018 TOC

Public Forum Paradigm for 2018 TOC

First thing to know about me, I am a lay public forum judge. I have judged around the circuit, but I emphasize to you, I am a lay PF judge. I am judging for Bronx Science.

I like delivery that is slow, tasteful, and artful. I prefer big picture analysis over a highly technical line-by-line approach. The role of the final focus should be to tell me who is winning the round clearly and concisely--narrative speeches are preferred. Extension is very important to me, and I will not take well to teams that extend through ink.

With that being said, ink will be limited. During speeches, I like to sit back and listen. Persuasion is very important to me, and for that reason, I value understanding your arguments over following them on the flow, and will take limited notes. I am not aware of arguments regarding topicality or kritiks, and plans are illegal in Public Forum, so I will not vote for them.

I tend to value style and argument equally, as both are very important. I will always vote for the team with the clearest arguments and delivery at the end of the round. I do not care much for how you structure your speeches, but all arguments that you expect to win on have to be in both summary and final focus--not grand crossfire. A second speaking team is not expected to cover their own case in rebuttal.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate:


To preface my paradigm, I have very limited LD judging experience. That said, you may want to strike me. If you are a brave soul and have decided not to strike me, or are considering preffing me more highly in the pool, here are what I expect to be my judging preferences as a new LD judge:

• NO SPREADING. I don’t have problems with it on principle. I just won’t understand you. If you are going too fast (spreading or not), I will simply stop flowing.
• If you are debating in front of me, I might not understand the nuances of the more complex frameworks. If you decide you don’t care and read a complicated framework in front of me, you should be using cross-x and your later speeches to make it as clear as possible for me. If I can’t understand it, I won’t vote on it.
• As someone who has more public forum and congressional debate judging experience, I appreciate good public speaking skills and a strong sense of ethos in round. I will reward these qualities with higher speaker points.
• Please be respectful. There is a big difference between being funny in round, and being rude/hostile. Debate is an educational activity, which requires a level of respect between competitors.
• Finally, to reiterate- I AM AN INEXPERIENCED LD JUDGE. Do not run your Ks, Plans, Counterplans, Disads, T-interps, or run theory arguments in front of me. I will not know how to evaluate these types of arguments. I will probably just be confused.

I guess in general I’ll say the following: You can think of me as an extremely ‘lay” judge. If I cannot understand an argument, I will not vote on it.

My name is Joe Rogers and was an Extemporaneous speaker at Pittsburgh Central Catholic. I have judged PF and LD for 10 years. As a judge, I am looking for consistent arguments that carry throughout the debate, a central theme, appropriate clash, and civil discourse.

Your arguments should be clear and concise, and you should address your opponent's points as well.

Most of my experience is in PF but I have judged everything in both debate and speech at one point or another.

For debate:

If something is important to your case or argument do not be afraid to repeat it. Despite my best efforts there are always going to be times where a stat, date, figure, name, or card is mentioned but missed in the heat of the round. It never hurts to repeat what matters, especially if you believe you are winning on that point.

You may time yourselves, but if I call for time you should end what you're doing. You may finish a thought/sentence after time ends but do not abuse this by adding multiple sentences or thoughts.

My preference is a debate that argues the assigned topic in good faith, I would prefer not to hear K Cases. Speed in speaking is fine, spreading is less fine but understandable.

In the interest of keeping rounds moving, I do not disclose after round unless specifically instructed by the tournament directors. If you want feedback later I will gladly discuss the debate with you between rounds.

I am a parent judge from West Windsor Plainsboro High School South.  Here are some of the most points about my judging philosophy. Don’t spread, if I can’t understand your arguments I can’t vote for you so slow down or take something out of your case. I am a strong believer in speaking well and making logical arguments, if you can explain your position with clarity you will get high speaker points and more than likely win.

Evidence

I will not call for evidence unless you ask me to. All I care about evidence is that you don’t lie or alter the author’s purpose. If the evidence is doctored and your opponents tell me that, you lose.

Flowing

I write down all your arguments during your first speech and see how they play out during the debate. Convince me that your arguments stand at the end of the debate and if I see that they were emphasized at the beginning then you will win.

Cross-fire

This is one aspect of debate that I find really important. I pay attention to every cross because it shows me how strong of a debater you are. Reading from paper is a lot different than on the feet thinking. I don’t want cross to be a shouting battle, but more of an opportunity to show your skills. If you get something good in cross make sure you bring it up in your speeches and I will definitely weigh that heavily.

Jargon

I don't care for it so keep it to a minimum. 

Etiquette

Please debate with respect. I will disclose my decision at the end of the round and provide all debaters with feedback. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me.