Copper Classic
2019 — UT/US
Policy Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HidePlease add me to the email chain: kvaoki2000@gmail.com | kvaoki2000 AT gmail DOT com
Background + Top Level
West High School SLC '18
Harvard '22
Currently an assistant debate coach at Harvard
Have some background knowledge on the college topic through research + judging. Have a minimal background on the high school topic. Explanation in both, particularly at the beginning of the season, is always helpful.
I begin evaluating almost every debate by listing out all the impacts made in the 2NR and 2AR and then determine the degree to which each team gets access to the fullest extent of those impacts by parsing out the rest of the debate. After, I'll weigh these impacts by deciding what the implications of winning each of them are (defaulting to and prioritizing the comparative metrics forwarded by the debaters in the round) and then usually have a good idea of who I believe should win.
Line by line is appreciated and minimizes intervention I must make after the round. Further, the more granular the debate (like debates over particular terms of art, specific details, etc.) and/or the closer the debate is, the more I'll look to evidence to break ties. Please engage in evidence comparison to limit the degree of intervention I have to do in a debate.
Quality > Quantity of arguments particularly in rebuttals.
Ultimately, do what you do best because you shouldn’t have to sacrifice your style for any minor predisposition that I may have.
Topicality
Please unpack, apply, and compare, commonly used buzzwords as the rebuttals get closer, i.e. “vote neg because our interpretation sets a functional limit on the topic,” isn’t a complete argument until there is an explanation of why the parameters the neg sets up are better than the aff interpretation for xyz reason.
Impact + caselist comparisons are essential.
Reasonability needs to be connected to how it interacts with neg offense and not just a laundry list of reasons why it is better than competing interpretations.
I think cards and evidence comparison are often underutilized in these debates.
Counterplans + Counterplan Theory
Relatively straightforward. If you’re aff, tie your solvency deficits to a specific impact and explain why it outweighs the net benefit to the counterplan. Conversely, if you’re neg, explain why the deficits don’t apply or why the deficits are unimportant because the CP sufficiently solves.
Will presume judge kick
In terms of most theory issues: literature oftentimes determines how I evaluate the extent of abusiveness of a counterplan; the more specific the solvency advocate, the better. I default to reject the arg, not the team and am relatively unpersuaded by process cps, agent cps, etc. being a reason to reject the neg.
DAs
Strong analytical pushes are good and persuasive, but also not an excuse to not read cards
Turns case arguments on multiple levels of the aff (link level, impact level) are fantastic
Zero percent risk is possible, but not the most preferable strategy
Ks
This is where most of my debate experience is in
Contextualization > Explanation in every instance, which should reflect in the way you give an overview
My biggest thought about these arguments is that both neg teams running the K and aff teams answering the K should recognize where 1AC/NC strengths are. A heg aff is not built to perm the colonialism K and pivoting to that as your strategy in the 2AC is more detrimental than beneficial. In essence, when aff, know whether you will be going for an impact turn or a perm and work backward. When neg, know whether your links/framework/alt are strongest in relation to the aff and work backward.
I've found often that many neg framework interpretations don't generate a lot of offense in terms of grander strategy because they give the aff too much leeway. I've found that I'm most persuaded by framework strategies that do one of three things:
- attempt to just exclude the aff and win substantial impact turns to their model of plan focus/consequentialism,
- limit the scope of aff solvency while enhancing the scope of alt solvency, or
- are ditched in favor of more particular engagements on the link/impact/alt level of the kritik
K Affs/Framework
Having a relationship to the topic is preferable, but that certainly doesn't require "topical action" which I think is up for debate both on what topical constitutes as well as whether being topical is desirable
K Affs probably get a perm, but
- I'm extremely open to adjusting the parameters of how perms should function in these debates and
- I think I have a higher threshold of aff explanation for how any permutation functions with a competing kritik/counterplan/advocacy.
Fairness can or can’t be an impact in front of me based on debating. The most persuasive fairness arguments I’ve heard are ones paired with a discussion of how it implicates debate as an educational activity/more education-related impacts as well as how fair norms are necessary and mutually beneficial for both teams. In these debates I typically view fairness as a tiebreaker for the negative but can be convinced that it is more important than that if heavy investment is done.
TVAs should have a substantive explanation as to how they provide a similar discussion of the aff's issues and internal links and framework DAs. Simply reading an alternative plan text is not sufficient. Further, TVAs and Read On Neg/Switch Side have varying degrees of value based on aff offense against T which should affect how you deploy them by the 2NR (if not earlier).
Performances are great, but they're greater when they have explanations and develop organically as the debate continues
Misc (but still important) things
If you have an issue with access in terms of debate, please feel free to send me an email before the round so that I can make the necessary accommodations.
Tech > Truth except arguments along the lines of “racism/sexism/antiqueerness/antiblackness/ableism good”
A dropped argument still needs an extension of a claim and a warrant for me to evaluate it.
I usually look grumpy/apathetic/tired during rounds; I promise it's not usually because of anyone's actions (if it is, I'll be explicit about it after the round), and is more just my face. I deeply appreciate people's commitment to this activity and want to emphasize that I'll do my absolute best to adjudicate. Further, I feel like most of the learning I've had in the activity can be attributed to the comments provided by judges after round. Following that, please know that no amount of questions is too much, and I'm happy to answer any and all of them to make your time in this activity more valuable.
General Notes:
- Please include me in the email chain callielynne26@gmail.com
- Warrants are what make me vote on arguments- isolate the specific warrants you want me to remember because I won't remember every warrant from every card in the constructives
-Please slow down a little bit on your typed analytics, especially if they are most of or at the beginning of your speech. Argument tags will help me flow your analytics but no worries if you don't have them. Just know that I can't flow every word as fast as you can say them.
Argument Thoughts:
K Affs and Framework- I've read these affs and thing they can be really cool if you know what your aff does or does not do and can explain that. I find that I lean towards affs that are in the direction of the topic not being as big of a violation of framework as others, but I am also willing to vote against these affs if the neg can explain why this is bad. The cleaner the framework flow is the happier I will be.
Topicality- Good T debate is specific T debate. What affs do they include? What successful teams are reading topical affs?and reading a case list are all some examples of viable options. Make sure you answer all of their standards sufficiently, this often(though not always) means that for T to be a viable 2NR strat at least 3 minutes of the block should be spent on it. I have also found that I am more persuaded by ground args than limits, but I'm willing to vote on limits if it is more specific than generic blocks your varsity's varsity wrote.
Theory- The more I've judged the more I've realized I am not super willing to vote on theory. I will if I need to and am much more likely and willing to vote on theory if it is specific and contextualize to the round. I have no idea how to evaluate two teams reading generic theory blocks and if the round turns in to this it will be so much harder for me to vote on theory.
CPs- Handle theory appropriately. Make sure you explain what your counter plan does and have good perm answers.
DAs- I like DAs with clear internal link analysis. If it is vague and something along the lines of "X causes the economy to decline which causes a nuclear war" with no explanation of how the economic decline causes a nuclear war I will have a hard time defending a DA scenario on the ballot.
Kritiks- Make sure you can explain the alt and defend it in CX. I think the best K debate is specific K debate, so if you can read lines of their evidence to prove the link and/or isolate multiple links that is best. You should also make sure you are winning at least some risk of the alt solving or doing something good.
I debated policy in highschool- a long, long time ago, but I really loved it. I enjoy judging, but I haven't done much so I am not updated on the most modern kritiks and theories. I'm pretty traditional. I lean policy maker, but I will vote on topicality if it's relevant. You'll have to be very convincing to get me to vote on a kritik or more 'out of the box' argument. Speed is fine if you are clear. Please slow down for tag lines and analysis. It's important to me that debators/speakers be respectful of others and polite in rounds. You can absolutely be passionate and forceful about your arguments without being dismissive of others in your rounds. If any type of abuse does occur, it's fine to point out ot briefly, but I'll be aware, so please don't waste time whining about it in your speeches. I will be a little out of my element judging rounds other than policy, but I'll do my best to be fair and thorough.
Assistant Debate Coach Skyline High School UT (2011-present)
Update: 11/14/18
[justinbaker006 gmail com]
I evaluate debate argumentation before evidence. Unless you specifically tell me to look at x,y,z evidence first, it's unlikely that I will hinge the debate on the evidence. I prefer voting off of the flow, but will look to substantiate evidence comparisons through the evidence.
I heavily favor debates that actively encourage clash. I find this notoriously lacking in small circuit policy v k debates. For the kritik, I like concise overviews and additional link analysis.
I prefer contextualized theory debates, over flow heavy theory debates. Resolution and round specific analysis carries more weight on my flow than the number of your turns to topic education.
I try to follow a speaker point system with median 28 and deviation .5. In this system a 29.5-30 reflects top 2% of speakers on the national circuit.
**Online update: if my camera is off, i am not there**
I think debate is a game with educational benefits. I will listen to anything, but there are obviously some arguments that are more persuasive than others. i think this is most of what you're looking for:
1. arguments - For me to vote on an argument it must have a claim, warrant, and impact. A claim is an assertion of truth or opinion. A warrant is an analytical connection between data/grounds/evidence and your claim. An impact is the implication of that claim for how I should evaluate the debate. debate is competitive and adversarial, not cooperative. My bias is that debate strategies should be evidence-centric and, at a minimum, rooted in an academic discipline. My bias is that I do not want to consider anything prior to the reading of the 1AC when making my decision.
2. more on that last sentence - i am uninterested and incapable of resolving debates based on questions of character based on things that occurred outside of the debate that i am judging. if it is an issue that calls into question the safety of yourself or others in the community, you should bring that issue up directly with the tournament director or relevant authorities because that is not a competition question. if you are having an interpersonal dispute, you should try resolving your conflict outside of a competitive space and may want to seek mediation from trained professionals. there are likely exceptions, but there isnt a way to resolve these things in a debate round.
3. framework - arguments need to be impacted out beyond the word 'fairness' or 'education'. affirmatives do not need to read a plan to win in front of me. however, there should be some connection to the topic. fairness *can be* a terminal impact.
4. critiques - they should have links to the plan or have a coherent story in the context of the advantages. i am less inclined to vote neg for broad criticisms that arent contextualized to the affirmative. a link of omission is not a link. similarly, affirmatives lose debates a lot just because their 2ac is similarly generic and they have no defense of the actual assumptions of the affirmative.
5. counterplans - should likely have solvency advocates but its not a dealbreaker. slow down when explaining tricks in the 2nc.
6. theory - more teams should go for theory more often. negatives should be able to do whatever they want, but affirmatives need to be able to go for theory to keep them honest.
7. topicality - its an evidentiary issue that many people impact poorly. predictable limits, not ground, is the controlling internal link for most T-related impacts. saying 'we lose the [insert argument]' isnt really an impact without an explanation of why that argument is good. good debates make comparative claims between aff/neg opportunities to win relative to fairness.
8. clipping - i sometimes read along with speeches if i think that you are clipping. i will prompt you if i think you are clipping and if i think you are still clipping i will vote against you even if the other team doesnt issue an ethics challenge.
9. 2nr/2ar - there are lots of moving parts in debate. if you disagree with how i approach debate or think about debate differently, you should start your speech with judge instruction that provides an order of operations or helps construct that ballot. teams too often speak in absolute certainties and then presume the other team is winning no degree of offense. that is false and you will win more debates if you can account for that in your speech.
10. keep track of your own time.
unapologetically stolen from brendan bankey's judge philosophy as an addendum because there is no reason to rewrite it:
---"Perm do the counterplan" and "perm do the alt" are claims that are often unaccompanied by warrants. I will not vote for these statements unless the aff explains why they are theoretically legitimate BEFORE the 2AR. I am most likely to vote for these arguments when the aff has 1) a clear model of counterplan/alternative competition AND 2) an explanation for where the
I would prefer that debaters engage arguments instead of finesse their way out of links. This is especially awful when it takes place in clash debates. If you assert your opponent's offense does not apply when it does I will lower your speaker points.
In that vein, it is my bias that if an affirmative team chooses not to say "USFG Should" in the 1AC that they are doing it for competitive reasons. It is, definitionally, self-serving. Self-serving does not mean the aff should lose [or that its bad necessarily], just that they should be more realistic about the function of their 1AC in a competitive activity. If the aff does not say "USFG Should" they are deliberately shifting the point of stasis to other issues that they believe should take priority. It is reciprocal, therefore, for the negative to use any portion of the 1AC as it's jumping off point.
I think that limits, not ground, is the controlling internal link for most T-related impacts. Ground is an expression of the division of affirmative and negative strategies on any given topic. It is rarely an independent impact to T. I hate cross-examination questions about ground. I do not fault teams for being unhelpful to opponents that pose questions in cross-examination using the language of ground. People commonly ask questions about ground to demonstrate to the judge that the aff has not really thought out how their approach to the resolution fosters developed debates. A better, more precise question to ask would be: "What are the win conditions for the negative within your model of competition?"
I am primarily a policymaker judge, with a stock issues influence. If you have no idea what this means, you need to ask your coach. Whether you know what it means or not, everyone needs to learn how to adapt to judges.
While I am an experienced policy debater, after my debate career, I experienced a traumatic brain injury. This makes some things harder, but in all reality, I think you should debate this way anyway. EXPLAIN your knowledge of every piece of evidence or analytic that you bring to the table. ARTICULATE/EMPHASIZE the taglines and analytics, because if I can't flow it, you don't get credit for it. What's more, part of my brain trauma was to the right hemisphere which impacts my understanding of most Kritiks, so it's safer not to run Ks in front of me, sorry! I thoroughly understand UTIL.
I'm mean with speaker points. I feel that 30 speaks should be triumphant, not expected. HUGE bonus points if you can make me laugh, if you make fun of someone, if you reference Psych, quote Brian Regan, and if you keep speech times short. You absolutely should not feel like you need to ever fill up all of the speech time, say what you need to say; if it takes all 8/5 minutes, great, if not, perfect, sit down. Ask questions. If you don't know if something is allowed, try it anyway.
P.S. Speechdrop.net is my favorite way of sharing evidence.
Please put me on the email chain - madelinebrague@gmail.com
Quick version for 5 minutes before round:
I am most fluent in critical literature, but I would MUCH prefer a good policy debate to a sub-par K debate. If you read a politics DA, I need more than a single generic link (some damn good analytics can do it for me in some cases). I love a well-executed K, but I would say I'm equally sympathetic to framework and policy turns. Just win your arguments and know that I'm not a good judge for extremely ticky-tacky debate on the exact political implementations of a plan mainly because I usually don't care (process counterplans, I'm looking at you).
***NOTE: please PLEASE don't start top-speed, it's very difficult for me. A few minutes into the speech and you're good to go full speed but don't start there, ESPECIALLY on T or framework or case overviews (full-speed analytics are a hellish nightmare). Start as though you're giving a 2nr overview on T. If you want more info, see below.
Now the details for all you people-pleasers:
A bit about me - I debated for Rowland Hall in high school and currently coach for them. I love debate because it is what you make it. If you win the argument (and I agree that you won it), I'll vote on it. I debated using mostly critical literature when I was the captain, but I usually had policy partners. We went for framework 95% of the time. This means that I am *technically* most experienced with critical jargon, but please don't go for a K that you don't know rather than giving me a solid policy debate. To quote Misty Tippets, "Debate is for the debaters."
Judges I hope to emulate:
Shanara Reid-Brinkley, Daryl Burch, Calum Matheson, Kinsee Gaither, Misty Tippets
About speed:
I'm totally good with speed—but debaters tend to start at top speed and then gradually slow down as they lose steam, which is bad. I cannot catch your arguments when you start that way, and I WILL NOT say "clear" or "slow" to let you know, because it's your job to debate and speak in a compelling way that makes me want to vote for you. Maybe this is more of a problem for me than other judges, but please PLEASE please start slower so I can get used to your voice.
Preferences by argument:
Disads - I love a good link analysis and case turns that don't rely on the threat of nuclear war. DA's are obviously the building blocks of debate, so use them. Remember that generic blocks by themselves won't necessarily get you too far because it's a debate, not a monologue.
Politics - I gave this its own section because I can very much appreciate a politics DA with killer link analysis and a "legitimate" internal link chain (let's be real, they're all stretches). However, please do not run a politics DA when you only have generic links unless it's literally the only argument you have against the aff. When the link is that any aff being passed ever triggers the link, I have a lot of sympathy to the whole non-UQ argument (which makes it very hard to win this DA in that scenario).
Counterplans - if you have a decent net benefit, I think counterplans are great with one exception: process counterplans. I think most debaters tend to run these without a solid internal link to the net benefit, and I just don't think they're very strategic. If you win them, I'll vote on them, but remember: using unexplained political jargon—policy trigger words like "due process"—will not help you at all in front of me.
Topicality - I think case lists are really important for actually winning an impact for both sides. This means both sides should have one! Don't just randomly assert that one side loses or gains a bunch of ground without proving it. Remember that as the neg, you need to win that your model of debate is good in all instances, not just this round. For the aff: I don't have a definition of reasonability that I'll hold you to, because there are lots of interpretations of what it means and I don't think it's necessary to prefer one over the others. But YOU need to define it for me.
Kritiks: I think these have the potential to be both the best and worst arguments in debate. Know your literature and use your evidence! I will likely know your literature—so anything from afropessimism to Baudrillard is fine—but even if I understand your jargon-filled cards, you need to prove to me that YOU understand them (if you don't, at least try to fake it till you make it). The best K debaters will work closely with aff evidence and arguments, not dismiss them as irrelevant to the "real questions" that your shut-in scholars like to ponder.
Planless/nontraditional affs - I'll jive with whatever you're throwing at me as long as you can defend it. Some relation to the topic is probably good, but if you can defend why not then I'm down. I ran these a lot and will likely have a basic understanding of your literature, but I think a good TVA can be deadly. You need to prove that 1) you DO solve things, 2) it's the BEST way to solve those things, and 3) those things are important. Please make your solvency mechanism and impacts clear.
Framework - I think this is a strategic argument when done right, and I enjoy a good defense of the model of debate that you think is most productive. Fairness is the only true impact in my opinion—you can win education is good, but I don't think you can win that you're the only ones who access education. I think framework as an impact turn/pseudo-counterplan is very strategic, and you can have education/game net benefits. It will help you to weigh framework against the mechanism of the aff in front of me. Framework against a critique will VERY rarely be enough to win the debate on its own but can be strategic in hedging against the offense of a K.
Theory - I usually feel good about voting on these kinds of arguments until the impact debate, where teams hope that if their opponents drop it then I'll automatically vote. I'll be very sympathetic, and certainly don't beat a dead horse on the theory flow, but please actually explain your impacts! There has to be a reason why it matters that they dropped it!
Stuff I like -
- a joke or two—stop taking this activity so damn seriously
- showing legitimate respect towards the other people in the room
- detailed links to minutiae in the aff
- 1ARs given off of paper (except for reading a card)
Pet peeves -
- Saying "CX was DAMNING on this question." No it wasn't. Just say "CX proves that..." and don't be so condescending.
- Yelling over people in CX just to prove a point. The judge can never hear what's going on when both speakers are trying to talk over each other and you're being rude.
- Not flowing the 2AR/just randomly gazing off into space during the 2AR. The debate hasn't ended, so you're still a debater...act like it.
- Using lots of your prep time to ask CX questions just to be annoying to the other team. I'm not listening at this point.
- Spreading through blocks. If they're that long, then you should shorten them.
- Saying "obviously debate doesn't leave this room when we say the government should do something." Oh really? I thought you were a senator. My b
I hope this goes without saying, but I will not tolerate any kind of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, queerphobic, ableist, or otherwise exclusionary discourse/conduct. Doing so will result in lowest possible speaks and an automatic loss for me.
Please put me on the E-mail chain: baileybrunyer7@gmail.com
I am a debater at WSU and I have been apart of the debate community for 5 years. I have debated and/or debated against almost every argument that you have probably ever heard of. I have been switching between being the 2A and the 2N almost my whole debate career. Honestly just do whatever you want and if you win it, I will vote on it. Here is some more specific shit.
Affirmative
There are two thing that you need coming out the 1AC
1: An impact that is generated for the status quo
2: A way to solve those impacts
If you don't have both or either of these, there is very little chance that I will vote for you
FW
All of debate is a performance and all research must first require an interpretation of how debate should look or happen. I believe that the best interpretation is that there is always room for any interpretation about debate. Form there we can debate on which interp is just better, that may include predictability or it may include inclusivity.
DA
Offense is key! if you don't have this on at least one of the flows, there is very little chance that you could win. I believe that a team could win on running only defense, but no one wants to give or listen to that 2NR. I don't think that enough 2As will go for things like the theory level threshold of the link. For example, I think there is something to be said about fill-in DAs because it seems to not be an effectual consequence of the Aff but rather just something that happens after the plan. On the other side, I think that there are issues with that arguing swell. The takeaway should be that DAs should not just get away with the links that they read if they seem unfair on a meta level of any offense.
CP/Alternatives
I really like seeing unique CP/alternatives but if you don't have a net ben then there is no reason to vote for them if the Aff. teams reads a perm, duh. Even if you have a boring CP but you think it could win, then read it. With that said, I think it would be really cool to see some perm theory.
Theory
I really like seeing good theory debates but something that I would like to see more theory shells talk about voting issues that are more kritikal but I done;t mind education and fairness being the voting issues.
** Updated for the 2023-2024 Academic Year**
She/Her/Hers
Evidence: Apparently I need to put this on here now, but evidence standards will always be an a priori issue to evaluation for me. If there is a procedural argument that is brought up on the standards for evidence (example: distortion, not being able to access source for evidence, clipped evidence, or non-existent evidence). I will default to NSDA evidence standards unless there are other standards governing evidence evaluation. I will also only evaluate evidence that has been brought up on an ethics violation. Once an evidence ethics argument has been made, I will stop the round and vote immediately on that issue before anything else in the round proceeds. I see evidence as a core ethics argument that impacts the ability to go through anything else in the round and impacts my ability to trust any evidence that has been read by a team with evidence issue.
General Background: I’ve been in the world of policy debate for about 15 years, ranging from participation to coaching. Way back in the day, I debated at both Topeka High and Washburn Rural HS. I also debated in the regional circuit for University of Kansas for a few years and coached in Kansas, Alabama, and Mississippi. I have a deep love for the activity. I am currently working on a Ph.D. in Political Science and I study immigration surveillance as part of my research.
Topicality/Procedural Issues: I vote on these. While I default to competing interpretations, it's important that you are answering all levels of the argument-- including the impact level of the debate. If you are negative and hope to win the round on T, you need to make sure you have a complete argument out of the gate to vote on. I should see a definition, interp, link, and impact level to your argument and I should see the aff responding to these. Cross-apply this to any procedural argument as well (such as ASPEC, condo bad, etc.)
Disads- There needs to be a terminal impact (or at least solid analysis as to why that impact outweighs aff impacts in the round), a risk/okay probability of the disad happening (otherwise, why does your UQ matter?), and a plausible link to the aff. Generic DAs are fine, but there needs to be a plausible link, even if just at an analytical level.
Counterplans-- I tend to be alright with CPs and lean negative. I think most are generally smart. However, that being said, the CP needs to be both rhetorically and functionally competitive. I think Affs can/should be held accountable for clarifications made on positions and that those links apply across both CP and DA grounds.
Kritiks-- I'm fine with these, however, keep in mind that I am studying political theory in a Ph.D. program, so if your whole knowledge of your K is from a long series of back files on the K or from reading a few paragraphs of Nietzsche, this might end badly for you. I tend to prefer Ks with wider reach (capitalism, feminism, racism, etc) and less so Ks of particular authors, mostly because they are generally done poorly. If you run a K, it is EXTREMELY important that you provide a clear narrative of a) the role of my ballot, b) the world of the alternative, and c) how I should prioritize impact calculus in the round.
General Notes:
- If you are going for more than 2 major things in your 2NR/2AR, there is a low chance you are going to win the round. Similarly, if you don't provide an impact calculus, you likely will not like the decision I make at the end of the round.
- Negative strategy-- there needs to be some sort of offense in the round. A defensive strategic approach has rarely won my ballot.
- Please don't be unpleasant during the round. I can almost guarantee that if you are, it's not aligned with the quality of your argumentation and it's just going to be a long round. For me this looks more like arrogance or intentional cruelness-- I'm fine with bluntness, anger, frustration, etc. If you are unsure what I mean by this, please ask.
- I pay attention to the rhetoric used in the round. Slurs and derogatory language will almost assuredly earn you lower speaker points.
- Both teams should start impact calc early, use this to frame your speeches and line by line, and use impact calc to prioritize voting issues and role of the ballot.
- I reward debaters who make an effort to deeply engage with the topic area and issues.
- Squirrel affs are rarely good affs. They generally have poor structure, poor solvency or advantage foundations, and generate poor debate. I would rather see a super mainstream topic that prompts a lot of clash in the round than an aff that is poorly written for an ambush factor.
- In more policy-centered debates, I may err more on the tech aspect of the debate. In other cases, I may give some leniency on tech if the arguments are "true" (understanding that truth can be a subjective value).
- I'm starting to realize through my working social justice that I'm more easily affected by detailed narratives of sexism, racism, ableism (esp. invisible disabilities), and sexual assault. Trigger warnings aren't very helpful for me as a judge (I don't have a choice to opt out of them and I don't think that I would want to) but know that I may ask for a minute to just breathe or get some water between speeches, so I can have a clear head for the next speaker if there is a particularly vivid or powerful speech. This is by no means a common thing that I do, but I did want to add this to affirm the value of self-care in this activity.
- Add me to the email chain: devon.cantwell@gmail.com
- I flow on my computer, so please make sure you take a beat at the top of flows before jumping in and please slow down to about 70% for analytical arguments, especially if they are fewer than 5 words. I have physical pain in my joints, especially at the end of long days of judging. This doesn't make my ability to assess your arguments any less, nor does it impact my competency. I will do my best to say "slow" if my joints can't keep up.
- If you think you might want my flow of the round, I'm happy to send it. Please try to give me a heads-up before the round starts, as I organize my flows a bit differently when they are being distributed. Also, send me an e-mail after the round to remind me to send it to you.
TL;DR: You do you. Have fun. Be a decent human in the round. Learn some things.
I debated for 4 years in high school and debated my Freshmen and Senior year at Gonzaga. I graduated last year and haven't heard a debate on this topic so assume I know very little of the relevant literature.
Feel free to do what you do best, just be prepared to explain it clearly. In life I like to do as little as possible, debate is no exception, so please make my decision easy.
Aff:
I'm most familiar with affs that read a plan but I'm open to whatever you're doing as long as you have some brand of advocacy statement. The less you bracket off as having to defend the more likely I am to be sympathetic to framework arguments (which really shouldn't be a surprise). If you are reading a policy-based aff then really getting into case arguments will be persuasive to me.
Neg:
Framework:
Theoretical framework isn't as persuasive as substantive framework. I'd much rather hear why policy progress in the area of the resolution is desirable. TVA's are good but not necessary, if you aren't going to read one that is probably an indication that theoretical arguments should compliment substantive ones.
Topicality:
I default to competing interpretations but am more likely that most to vote on a reasonability argument. Please slow down in these debates. Standards should be debate liked internal links to voters.
Disads:
I'm not the best judge for the politics DA because of the quality of the evidence. If you happen to have fire evidence then read it in front of me because I enjoy being surprised. Topic and case specific DA's are always appreciated.
CP's:
Smart case specific counter plans will be rewarded above all else. If you are running some generic agent/process counterplan you need to have a solvency advocate that agrees with your counterplan text, but if you have some great case specific idea go wild. I won't immediately dismiss your consult counterplans, your conditions counterplans, really anything just because the aff claimed it was unfair.
K's:
I probably won't have in depth knowledge of whatever literature base you are pulling from but I likely have some passing similarity. That means I probably need some more explanation of how everything is suppose to function especially in the context of the round. Spending time explaining what the alternative does is probably worthwhile.
Misc:
Conditionality: I'll vote aff on it if you don't deal with it properly but as a rule of thumb if you don't contradict you're good.
I have a low threshold to vote on a dropped argument, even if I don't necessarily like it, so assume that is more important than any of my opinions about specific arguments.
Run less arguments, develop them better, and have a clear vision of how they interact with the rest of the debate.
Put me on the email chain.
Questions? trentdegiovanni@gmail.com
Marley Dominguez
Please put me on the email chain - marleyixchel@gmail.com
Background:
Juan Diego Catholic H.S. (2N/1A) - 3 years of national policy debate
*Copper Classic Note - 2018-19 H.S. Topic: This is my first time judging on this topic, so please clarify any acronyms or complicated topic-specific jargon.
Arguments:
K Affs- Mostly what my partner and I read during hs but that doesn't mean you should worry about reading a policy, plan-based affirmative with me in the back. I'm good with both and prefer you to do what you do best. K affs should have some relation/be in the direction to the topic and have good solvency mechanisms.
Case Debate- V important! Good case debate looks like case DAs/case turns for the neg and a case flow in every speech for the aff.
Framework- I think this is definitely a good strategy against K affs, but prefer it to not be the only strategy coming out of the 1NC, but more so that it engages the affirmative. Include a topical version of the aff and why it's a better method to solve the impacts that the affirmative outlines. Fairness and predictability as impacts against K affs aren't as persuasive to me, but making arguments about why the tools/skills policy education gives you is key.
Kritiks- This is what I'm most familiar with, but specifically Ks in the gender/feminist literature base. If you choose to run a K make sure there are multiple links specific to the plan, turns case arguments, and a good explanation of the alt and how it implicates the impacts of the aff. A good explanation of the alt and the links are especially needed for high theory/postmodern Ks, as I have limited knowledge on this lit base.
Disads/CPs- Make sure to have a strong link debate. Include impact comparison & calc. Disads specific to the aff is cool just make sure to explain the internal link chain in the block so we're all on the same page. The CPs function should be clearly explained in CX/the block.
Topicality- While T is the argument I have least experience on, don't be afraid to go for it if the aff is v untopical. Be sure to slow down when reading T so I can catch everything. Impacts are super important in a T debate, and must be thoroughly explained (ie. not just saying "limits").
Speaking Style/Points
Similar to a lot of paradigms, it is best when speakers write my ballot in the final rebuttals (ie. frame what is the most important part of the debate and why you win.) This makes the decision a lot easier, but also allows you to focus on the larger question of the debate.
If you read theory, slow down when you get to it so I can actually flow what you're saying.
Clarity > Speed.
Have fun, be respectful of others, and be nice. Any offensive/violent/overly aggressive speech or behavior won't be tolerated.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or ask me questions before the round.
I like a fair fight, use sources paired with the information you give.
1.Ensure that both your opponents and I know what cards you are running on your document, be sure to give all of the cards you are using through email chain, flash drive, ect. If you bring a new argument or new piece of info that works toward an argument into the debate without providing the card to your opponents and I, I will mark it down on the ballot and it will alter your chances of winning the round.
2.Clarify the order of your speeches
3.I will evaluate your cases by following stock issues carefully, try to not drop advantages/disadvantages and arguments as a whole.
4.I like clear speaking during the whole round so I can hear and understand all the information that is given so I can make the best judgment of the students cases.
enjoy your time debating, and be proud of the work you put into your cases. :)
I debated in highschool at Rowland Hall, where I cleared at the TOC. I've judged rarely over the last 5 years, and just a few rounds on the immigration topic. Feel free to treat me like an averagely intelligent person that knows zero acronyms and would benefit from you slowing down 20%. Clarity >> speed always.
Other than that, please do what you do best. Put yourself in my shoes and ask yourself how to make it easiest for me to vote for you. I agree with everything in Mike Shackelford's paradigm if you want more specifics.
I will try my best to be objective, although I will reward your ethos within the round:
- Reference cross-x in your speeches - otherwise what's the point?
- Don’t be afraid to make bold decisions or use humor – it’ll improve the round
Other random stuff:
- Tell me where to vote. I've had this in my paradigm forever and I'm often disappointed that rebuttals don't include specific instructions on where/why I'm signing my ballot
- Impact comparison is your friend (this includes T/Theory)
- Don't read arguments you don't understand
- Answer the best version of your opponent’s argument.
I am not easily offended – take from that what you will. THAT BEING SAID, please always be respectful of your opponents and have fun!
Debated in High School from 2010-2014, Judged and coached from 2014-2019. I may need a bit of time to adjust as I haven't judged since then, so bear with me. my email is dylan.paul.frederick@gmail.com for any questions, and for adding me to the email chain.
I've seen a lot of stuff, please feel free going with any debate style you prefer. Try to assume I don't know a ton about what you are reading.
If you want to win in front of me, please try to go top down - what is the framing I should look to at the end of the round, what is the most important impact/voting issue/whatever, and what is the link to that offense. I pretty much look at what offense is there for me to vote on at the end of the round, and try to sort out which offense wins. You can't go wrong with more depth on your link arguments in front of me, as long as there's a reason to vote for those links.
I don't have strong opinions either way on theory arguments, critical affs, T violations, ect. Do what you like and convince me what the debate should be about.
The debates I like the most are ones where you play to your best strengths, and debates with plenty of actual argument interaction. I have ADHD so the best way for me to disengage from the debate or miss an argument or just not care is to read blocks at each other and not make any explicit, direct challenges to your opponents arguments. If you're not going to actually debate, it makes me want to flip a coin, because you're leaving me to decide which arguments were best myself (I'm always trying my hardest to be fair, but I'm not going to give good speaker points if I'm left trying to compare two ships passing in the night)
If you have any specific questions or concerns, feel free to ask me.
I have long experience in formal and informal speech and debate events. I debated in high school and college. I teach critical thinking and ethics at university. Perhaps you could say that I'm a traditional judge. As such, I'm very objective and will judge impartially, based solely on the merits of the debate. I generally have the following judging philosophy for Policy (CX):
Framework - Framework is necessary. Tell me where you're going and how you're going to get there. If no framework is provided, I'm left to making up my own mind what you're arguing. Impact calculus is crucial, because if the "problem" has no measurable impact, your policy is not necessary.
Topicality - For me, this is the foundation of Policy Debate. Establish, and root in the topic. Make sure all arguments have a claim, warrant, and impact. If your plan does not address the resolution, that's bad news for your case.
Solvency - Did I just say that "Topicality" is key? Okay, well, honestly, Solvency is the most important. You must convince me that your approach will effectively resolve a real problem. And when I say "resolve," I mean that real people are really affected.
Speed - I have no problem with your speed as long as you slow down a bit on identifying tags/authors for signposts. Clarity is far more important than speed. I personally prefer a slow, deliberate, thoughtful speech over a speech that is simply trying to wedge as much as possible into a short window of time.
DAs - Go for it, as long as your disadvantages are specific and topical. Nothing is worse than vague generalities.
Ks - Not a fan. But give it a go if that's your thing.
CX - Although I know other judges ignore and/or hate cross examination, I actually prefer it. A good CX demonstrates an intent to understand the opponent's point of view. Engage (don't accuse) in CX, and seek to understand. Understanding your opponent's position makes for a far more compelling debate.
Critique - I feel it's entirely appropriate to question the resolution itself. Just be sure that you can substantiate (with evidence) your critique of the resolution. The people who create resolutions are pretty smart folks, too, and the resolution deserves a fair shake.
Don't Drop Arguments - You drop, you lose.
Evidence, Evidence, Evidence - But reason, argumentation, and passion employing the evidence (quality) is far superior to a bucket-full of evidence (quantity). Substantiate all arguments with evidence.
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos - balance. Aristotle's views have persisted for 2500 years for a very good reason.
Off-time roadmap - No. Just. No. (Is this a thing in Policy?? It's a terribly annoying thing in other events.)
Bottom Line:
No Ad Hominem attacks; you must treat your opponent(s) with the utmost respect and civility, or I will penalize you. Be nice. Argue the issues, not the opponent. Speak plainly and clearly -- speed is fine, but not at the expense of understanding. I can easily see through "snow jobs"; I understand the reality of you reading a position that was originally written by someone else, but if you haven't bothered to study and understand the issue(s), the arguments, and case for yourself, you will not win and you're wasting everyone's time.
I’m very familiar with Lincoln Douglass, competed for a year there in my senior year. I spent my sophomore year with oratory and other speech events. I would prefer teams not to spread, traditional persuasion methods preferred.
Experience:
· 4-year policy debater in Montana
· Debate camp counselor
· Come from a family of debaters
· Full-time graduate student and I judge tournaments when I can.
Judging Philosophy: Policy Maker
· Focus on the impact calculus. Set aside a portion of your rebuttals for analysis. This will make my job easier.
· Focus on offenses arguments - Harms and Impacts (Advantages vs DA/CP)
Specific Issues:
Topicality
· I am willing to vote on Topicality if it is presented correctly. It needs to be structured and the Negative team needs to flow through and give analysis on the voters. If the voters are not flowed through or are dropped, I will not vote on it.
Inherency
· If the negative team chooses to run inherency, they need to create a framework explaining why it is important. Inherency attacks alone are not enough to outweigh.
Kritiks
· I have run and I am familiar with them. I want them to be structured with a clear alternative. Since I’m a Policy Maker judge, I want to hear the impacts of the K and how it will weigh against the other impacts in the debate.
Other Notes:
· Please be nice to each other. Being a jerk is only going to hurt your speaker points
· Please signpost!
· I'm fine with speed as long as you are clear overall (especially during taglines).
· Have fun, smile, tell a joke.
Policymaker, comms, flow judge.
Clarity is key.
Updated 10/1/20 for UK
nicholasjlassen@gmail.com please include me on the email chain- you're also welcome to email me for any other questions as well
I debated in high school and college and I am the current head coach at Bingham HS in South Jordan, UT.
College Topic: I am well versed in debate but relatively new to this topic. Please explain important acronyms the first time you use them.
High School Topic: I have several tournaments on this topic already and I am pretty familiar with the literature base.
Theory - I really enjoy a good topicality debate. However, my expectation for the negative to win is that they can clearly define the impacts of the argument i.e. how has the aff been unfair to you directly, what grounds have been lost, why is your model for education better? I dislike time suck theory that you are never going to go for-i.e. things like incredibly thin pics such as capitalize the L in the word lands and disclosure theory. The important thing to keep in mind is that if you want me to vote on theory, you have to be good at articulating the impacts.
CP's - I believe that counter plans really need to be mutually exclusive either through actor or avoidance of a DA or something or else, otherwise it's really easy to buy the affirmatives claims of the perm. The permutation should be a test of competition towards the counterplan. In the plan v counterplan debate it is important to prove why your side is net beneficial either through some DA story or winning some solvency mitigation towards the aff or the CP.
DA's - My expectation on the DA debate is really articulate the link story. I think a lot of generic da's are easy to non/unique out of. As far as the link story goes, I need a good internal link chain. Please make sure that I can see how we get from the aff to point b and then point c.
Politics - I have a strong tendency to default to more recent evidence on politics disads. This can definitely create a research burden but if you want to run politics then you should know that this means that a lot of the time, it boils down to a recency/card quality debate.
K's
Aff - I want to know that your K aff means something. I am much more likely to buy into your criticism if there is some sort of personal connection. Make sure you are ready for the framework debate. I need to know why your framework is better for education than the negative or why I should choose to recognize your role of the ballot versus theirs.
Neg - I am open to most K's on the neg. I know it practically impossible to have hyper specific link cards for every aff. But with that in mind, please articulate how the aff links through a thorough analysis. Please make sure that you articulate the alternative well if you want to go for it -I want to know what the world of the alternative looks like and what happens when I sign my ballot neg. If I am left confused about what the world of the alt looks like, it will be hard for you to win the debate.
Method v Method
The one point I want to make here is that I have a higher threshold for voting on the permutation then i do in a plan v cp debate. I hold the aff to a similar burden as the negative, I would not let them just stand up and coopt your advocacy so I most likely wont let you stand up and just say perm do both and gain 100% access to their advocacy. I want the competing ideologies weighed against each other and to know why your world is "better" then the opposing teams.
Please don't be rude, disrespectful, racist, sexist, transphobic, etc. I will doc your speaks and most likely drop you. It's not welcome in debate or in society overall.
The time has come for my yearly overhaul of my paradigm
Crystallegionaires@gmail.com
Debating
Weber State University- 5 1/2 years included attending the NDT and breaking at CEDA
Alta High School- 3 years
Judging
Judging and helping at West High- 5 years
Current Judging for Weber State
"I know in your heart of hearts you hate [policy arguments] but you also vote for that stuff all the time."
-Mike Bausch
The more I judge, the more I find that the way that I debated and the way that I judge are fairly different. I love kritik debate and I find it to be some of the most educational debates and research that I have found personally with inserting and forefronting real life impacts and experiences into debate especially for me as a disabled transgender woman. I also find that "kritik" or "performance" or "nontraditional" teams or what have you are bad at answering policy arguments from framework to simple extinction outweighs. It's incredibly frustrating but despite my reluctance, leads me to voting a fair amount for policy arguments. Let me make this clear though, I'm not a great judge for your super technical line by line on a politics disad though I won't be opposed to voting on that for you if you win.
One of the main reasons I present this with a caveat is because I have a **sensory processing disorder.** If you want to spread through and get as many arguments out no matter what, I will be unable to keep up with you and I will tell you to slow down. It is in your best interest to do so. The more time I struggle to hear the less I'm hearing and writing down. Furthermore if you refuse to slow down, **I will stop writing down arguments and start removing speaker points.** I'll tell you to slow down 3 times and then I will stop flowing. Further speeches will have 1 warning before that happens. Whatever speed I lower you to, go one lever below that to account for speeding up in the speech later. Trust me, you don't need that last argument more than you want me to understand the debate. 1 card I do understand is way better than 10 cards I don't. I almost never read cards unless necessary or if I'm looking for feedback so reliance on cards won't get you that far. If you want me to read a piece of evidence, it needs to be on an important part of the debate that can't be resolved otherwise and needs to be impacted out.
I'm a truth over tech judge one good/"true" argument can beat ten terrible cards. However, that doesn't mean you can't get me to vote on tech, you just have to impact it out more. If there is a strategic messup by your opponents and you explain why that should grant you and argument eg if they concede a permutation and you go for it even if it doesn't make sense outside of debate, if you explain it, I'm willing to grant it to you. You need to explain your shit. Cards and dropped arguments aren't inherently true and round ending. You have to tell me why all your shit matters for me to weigh it. I find teams are especially light on their impact level of the debate and on the solvency of their arguments so I would make sure to have emphasis there.
Postmodernism, psychoanalysis and the like aren't my cup of tea. I often spend these debates trying to wrap my mind around the terminology rather than the argument in question which can be a detriment to the debaters in round, just how my mind processes new information. I won't straight tell you I won't vote on it but I also find these arguments struggle to have applicability that can be explained in the "real world."
I believe there can be zero risk of impacts. I don't believe in assigning .1% risk of impacts to extinction. Either way the impacts go you need to tell me why that is the case.
I also don't believe that you just saying so means that you solve 100% of the aff with your counterplan. You need to explain in depth why that is the case
I default that the ballot does have meaning and that debate isn't just a game. I can be persuaded otherwise but I feel you need to explain why the community and activism that happens in debate is more of a side effect instead of debate actually having meaning
I think nontopical affs are often really cool and bring extra insight into the topic. For framework teams, i can be persuaded that these teams are cheating if it's impacted out and the education is bad but there is often a lack of legalistic warrants or topic specific education warrants to these arguments which needs to be present. I generally think it is better for the aff to be resolutional eg if it's an immigration topic, talk something about immigration but I won't penalize you for not doing so.
If you run a nontopical aff, you need a disad to the topical version of the aff on framework. I can't stress this enough. Many of my decisions have been made because the TVA solves the aff meaning the offense goes away or the aff forget to extend offense or impact out that disad. This is THE point that I find myself voting on over and over again on framework/t
I do find the evidential debate on disads and counterplans especially to have unique education and debate benefits that don't exist elsewhere and look forward to how debaters utilize them
I think theory debates are really useless. Everyone runs condo and severance perms and it's more of a flow check. I have a high threshold for a theory argument and there better be a damn good reason why you are turning the debate into a theory debate. I also find debaters being exceptionally bad at impacting out theory and explaining the standards. For these reasons I don't see myself voting on theory in the near future. Exceptions to the rule are 50 State fiat, world government fiat and other ridiculous multiactor counterplans and possibly utopian fiat on absurd kritiks.
I think "performative" arguments are really important to the activity and bring pathos that the event often badly lacks. Because of this, I often find myself giving better speaker points to performative teams. I don't think it is cheating or undebateable for someone to bring in their or other experiences and I look forward to these debates. That being said, I can often be persuaded to vote on framework because performative teams often struggle with what to do with their performance once they have performed.
I prioritize speaking clearly and slowly enough that it's understandable. I will vote based on persuasion and convincing evidence, and mostly consider realistic outcomes and impacts.
I am a high school teacher. I have a degree in theater, psychology and English. I took debate all four years in high school and have been head coach for state champion speech and LD teams for years. I competed equally in policy and in Interp events.
I can follow most spreading, but I would rather not.
I am not a fan pf progressive debate - no performance or outrageous K's.
I appreciate the ability of a debater to think logically for themselves and not regurgitate cases written solely through purchased evidence files or a college coach. With that said however, you better have more than analytics to back up your arguments.
I typically won't vote for lack of fair education - unless the other team is very egregious is their abuse.
In partner debates I expect each partner to debate strong enough on their own that tag-teaming is not necessary.
I expect debaters to frame their arguments with a weighing mechanism with which you want me to view the round. Tell me why your argument is better - don't expect me to to just get it. If you want me to judge based on your defined values, you better explicitly state them.
You could win ten arguments to their six, but if their six have more weight, you will still lose.
Debated for four years for Bonneville High school and I am a current debater for Weber State University.
I was a 1A/2N in a very policy oriented circuit in High school.
I have a good understanding of most debate arguments. I will most likely understand your argument and how it interacts with your opponent's.
Biases
I will try not to let any biases I have as a debater influence my decision. Each round isnt about the judges pre-determined ideas, it is about who does the better/smarter debating.
I default to a policymaking framework unless told not to.
Impact out your FW arguments, you will have a tough time trying to win FW in front of me if you dont impact it out. I love a good FW debate, you just need to tell me why it matters.
K affs - I tend to prefer affs that are in the direction of the topic. However, if you run an anti-topical aff, dont be afraid to run it in front of me. I will evaluate the claims you are making. Make sure you have a good defense for your stance.
I believe debate should be a place for people to have discussions that they otherwise wouldnt be able to have elsewhere. Debate should be a space where everyone should feel welcome. There is line between "rage" arguments (which I like) and personally attacking opponents for who they are.
Strategy for my ballot
Impact out your arguments.
give me some way to view your argument, dont assume that I will just default that value to life outweighs extinction and vice versa. You must do that work for me.
Have fun, nothing is harder to watch and judge than a round where no one wants to be there. Compete and do your best.
I understand your kritikal arguments. I understand your policy arguments. Tell me why they matter. How does your marx K interact with their Space aff?
I reward witty and humurous debating with higher speaker points.
If you have any questions - email me at tl32501@gmail.com
I would like to be in the email chain/pocketbox
BG:
Currently, I'm a radio news producer and have been for the last two years. Prior to kick-starting my career, I debated in college for 3 years, coached high school debate for 4 years, and competed in high school debate for 4 years.
I'm really up on current events, considering current events are my 9-5 and hobby. However, I love to learn new things and hear compelling and unique arguments.
In college, I competed in parliamentary debate. The best way to describe the event is like policy debate and extemporaneous speaking combined. I coached all forms of debate. And in high school, I did Oregon parliamentary debate and Public Forum.
What I like to see:
I'm a big fan of clash and having a clear flow. If I don't have it down on my paper, I'm less likely to vote for the argument. I'm a bit of a scatterbrain (thank you ADHD) so while I can keep up with a hoppy flow, I would prefer it keep it as clean as possible, for yours and my sake.
I enjoy strong impact and link debate and believe that's usually where the debate comes down to. When judging K debate, I believe framework and the impact debate are most important.
Additionally, I LOVE hearing arguments you wouldn't normally hear or go for. So, that wacky K or questionable disadvantage... free game. Debate isn't just about winning--I believe the fundamental point is learning and getting better at the craft. Try new things out when I'm your judge. I'll give you feedback and let you know how to make the case stronger for your next round.
I'm fine with speed, but will clear you if I have zero idea what you're saying. If I clear you or your opponent does more than twice, I would recommend just slowing down.
Disclaimer: I'm a fan of trigger warnings when talking about sensitive subjects such as sexual assault and suicide. I won't automatically dock you if you don't inform me that you'll be talking about this before the start of the debate, but I probably will have a sour look on my face.
As always, feel free to ask me any specific questions before the round and I will answer them to the best of my ability.
I want to be swayed by your arguments. A few well thought out points can be more powerful than a large volume of uncorrelated facts. I like originality. Show me why your position is best! Have fun!!!
I have set up point systems for each event. These are based upon the event's structure and the participants ability to function within those limits. I follow time limits and add/deduct points based upon -10/+10 seconds from time. Failure to manage your time can cost you the round. Spreading is fine but doesn't benefit without value. Data dumps are just that and nothing more. I also give equal value to offensive and defensive arguments, and will penalize for failure to do both should your opponent's presentation require it.
I debated policy for West High school and went on to coach for them, as well as becoming the dedicated policy coach at East High school. When I was in high school I was a k, framework, and theory debater. As long as an argument follows the proper structure, I don't care how crazy it is, go for it. Explain it well, however, I like to know what I'm getting when I sign a ballot. As for speed, if you sound like a garbage disposal chewing up a glass, I will just stop flowing.
If you have any specific questions feel more than free to ask them for the round, but I am lazy and don't feel like writing 20 paragraphs on what arguments I like.
Note- my judge wiki hasn't been updated in quite awhile and is focused mostly on policy judging (http://judgephilosophies.wikispaces.com/Pack%2C+Erin ). Please default to the paradigm below.
Paradigm: I identify most strongly as a Tab judge and will listen to any warranted argument. I tend to default to Policy Making and enjoy a good impact calc debate. Argue what you are comfortable arguing. It's your debate round, not mine.
Speed: I understand spreading pretty well, but please enunciate. I will shout "CLEAR!" one time if I can't understand. Adjust accordingly. Be especially clear on your tags and theory args.
Kritiks: As they logically flow within the context of the round, go for it. You need to have more than a Spark Notes understanding of the author's ideas. The rule of thumb for me with K's- don't read something if it doesn’t offer a competitive alternative and you can't sufficiently link it into the case without making a huge leap. I want logical progression. Generic Ks for their own sake are no bueno.
Style Points: Be polite and present thoughtful arguments. Don't be an awful human being. I consider this to include: being rude to other people in-round, randomly shouting at the other team during their speeches, racist/sexist/classist/xenophobic/homophobic/ableist comments to other people.
LD Specifics: I appreciate good clash on framework. Most of my LD ballots go to debaters who can provide the most offense-based arguments and the best value/criterion linkages. I also like evidence, policy-based approaches, and a priori considerations.
Who is this person?: I love debate, and believe it can be a force for good. This is my 13th year of semi-regularly judging! I'm originally from rural Texas, hold a BA in History and a Masters in Social Studies Education, and ran my own full-service forensics programs in Texas and Utah for 8 years. I served on the curriculum board of the Women's Debate Institute, worked several camps, tabbed many tournaments, and was the judge coordinator for the 2016 NSDA Nationals in Salt Lake City. After a short "retirement" period, I'm now an assistant coach at Green Canyon High School in Utah.
I prefer "conservative" cases (straightforward, followable arguments) and I am looking for a clear link-chain that is supported by quality evidence. Please state your arguments and conclusions very clearly.
I am a relatively new parent judge but am in a profession where I evaluate the quality of arguments every day. I am comfortable with both traditional and progressive arguments as long as they are clearly connected to evidence.
I insist upon professional and courteous decorum toward one's opponent(s) and all judges present.
I would like to be added to email chains, but I do not want to have to rely on written evidence or arguments to keep up your argument. If you speak too fast, I will say "clear."
YOU DO YOU!
***CX***
Put me on the email chain: Capynes@gmail.com
• Will consider any arg (except anything blatantly racist, homophobic, misogynistic , etc.) Just argue it well.
• Down for the K on either side but if you can't it explain it, don't expect a ballot. My background in Higher Theory isn't super extensive but i can generally keep up. That being said just assume that I know nothing about your K cause there is a possibility that its true.
• Performance is cool.
• Affs don't have to defend the topic but topicality can still be a voting issue if argued right.
• I will reward creative args and answers with speaks
• Act however during speeches but be civil when the timer's not running, debate should be fun for all.
• I personally believe good analytics are more powerful than a wall of cards
***LD***
• My background is in policy however this year I have gotten a bit of experience judging LD, take my notes with a grain of salt I am still learning what high level LD really looks like.
•Speed? cool.
• Will consider any arg (except anything blatantly racist, homophobic, misogynistic , etc.) Just argue it well.
•"will you listen to X progressive argument?" Yes, of course.
• Framework args need love too, I really am not loving the trend of shadow extending your interps with no warrant.
•I should understand most of your concepts but good explanations are always good.
• I will reward creative args and answers with speaks
• Act however during speeches but be civil when the timer's not running, debate should be fun for all.
I am a coach of over 15 years for policy, pf, ld and all speech events at North Sanpete HS, Mission San Jose, Alta and Summit Academy, at Westlake High School and currently an Assistant Coach for Salem Hills High School.
In HS I competed in Speech events, LD and coached policy teams (there was no pf then).
I am the Chair for the NSDA Sundance District and former president for the UDCA. I have judged IE and debate events at the Nationals Level and have served on the pf wording committee. In other words, I know what I'm doing and know speech and debate very well!
I believe that you should give a well organized logical argument in any debate or speech. Topicality is imperative to a debate, and supporting and explaining your position on that topic is vital to a clear argument construct. If you don't say it, I didn't hear it. Don't assume I will know what your evidence means the same as you...
Policy debate should be relevant, and well understood by the competitors otherwise it will not be understood by the judges. I do not mind speed, but if it is so fast that I can no longer understand your words, then I can no longer understand your argument to judge it. K's and theory are fine as long as they go toward the overall value of the debate and topic. They should in no way demonize or devalue any individual or group of people asa part of the K. Analysis and connection of evidence/cards to the plan and solvency is imperative in making a good argument and being a good debater. Cards do not a case make, the debater does. Know your cards, know your plan, and know how they work to support and solve the inherency of the issues involved.
Public Forum should be a thoughtful discussion and not overly repeat questions and answers. Don't just read evidence and think it will make your argument for you. PF IS NOT just policy light....it is its own event with no plans and merits. Treat it well. Weighing and analysis of the topic, evidence, and oppositions arguments are imperative.
Lincoln Douglas should have a clear value and criterion from which to work from, and stay focused on topic and argument. Don't just read evidence and think it will make your argument for you. CARDS and EVIDENCE DO NOT A CASE MAKE...the debater does. Analysis, rebuttal, and connections to the value criterion are paramount in an LD round Plans are ok, as long as they are relevant, on topic, and are shown how they connect to the value criterion like any other argument in the case.
IEs should be unique, appropriate, and follow all structures outlined in their respective events. I look for organization, relevance, creativity and thoughtfulness as well as the presentation being engaging, and suitable for piece and audience. Remember when trying to engage an audience, one should want to help them understand, be brought into the conversation, and allowed to learn another perspective while still maintaining their own in the end. Try not to preach, demean, or ostracize your judge in your piece or presentation---even when controversial topic---they can be great, if done right.
Just tell me how to vote I don't really have an inclination to anything.
Please include me on the email chain: jdutdebate@gmail.com
Do what you do best. I’m comfortable with all arguments. Practice what you preach and debate how you would teach. Strive to make it the best debate possible. I reward self-awareness, clash, good research, humor, and bold decisions. I will not tolerate language or behaviors that create a hostile environment. Please include trigger warnings for sexual violence. Feel free to ask me any questions you have before the round.
Specific things:
Speed - I'm comfortable with speed but please recognize that if you're reading typed blocks that are not in the speech doc at the same speed you are reading cards, there's a chance I will miss something because I can't flow every word you're saying as fast as you can say them. Slow down just a bit for what you want me to write down or include your blocks in the doc. I will say "clear" if you are not clear.
Topicality- I enjoy good topicality debates. To me good topicality debates are going to compare impacts and discuss what interp of the topic is going to be better for the debate community and the goals that are pursued by debaters.The goals and purpose of debate is of course debatable and can help establish which impacts are more important than others so make sure you're doing that work for me.
Counterplans- I enjoy creative counterplans best but even your standard ones will be persuasive to me if there is a solid solvency advocate and net-benny.
Theory - In-round abuse will always be far more persuasive to me than merely potential abuse and tricksy interps. I expect more than just reading blocks.
K- I really enjoy a good critical debate. Please establish how your kritik interacts with the affirmative and/or the topic and what that means for evaluating the round in some sort of framework. Authors and buzzwords alone will not get you very far even if I am familiar with the literature. I expect contextual link work with a fully articulated impact and alternative. If your K does not have an alternative, I will weigh it as a DA (that's probably non-unique).
Performance - All debate is a performance and relies on effective communication. If you are communicating to me a warranted argument, I do not care how you are presenting it.
John Shackelford
Policy Coach: Park City, UT
***ONLINE DEBATE***
I keep my camera on as often as I can. I still try to look at faces during CX and rebuttals. Extra decimals if you try to put analytics in doc.
I end prep once the doc has been sent.
GO SLOWER
****TLDR IN BOLD****
Please include me in email chains during the debate (johnshackelf[at]gmail). I do not follow along with the speech doc during a speech, but sometimes I will follow along to check clipping and cross-ex questions about specific pieces of evidence.
Here is what an ideal debate looks like. (Heads up! I can be a silly goose, so the more you do this, the better I can judge you)
- Line by Line (Do it in order)
- Extending > reading a new card (Your better cards are in your first speech anyway. Tell me how the card is and how it frames the debate in your future analysis)
- More content >Less Jargon (avoid talking about the judge, another team, flows, yourselves. Focus on the substance. Avoid saying: special metaphors, Turns back, check back, the link check, Pulling or extending across, Voting up or down. They don’t exist.)
- Great Cross-examination (I am okay with tag team, I just find it unstrategic)
- Compare > description (Compare more, describe less)
- Overviews/Impact Calc (Focus on the core controversy of the debate. Offense wins)
- Engage > Exclude
- Clarity > Speed
- Making generics specific to the round
- Researched T Shells (Do work before reading T. I love T, but I have a standard on what is a good T debate)
- Arguments you can only read on this topic!!
Popular Q&A
- K/FW: More sympathetic to Ks that are unique to the topic. But I dig the 1 off FW strat or 9 off vs a K.
- Theory: Perfcon theory is a thing, condo theory is not a thing. I like cheating strats. I like it when people read theory against cheating strats too.
- Prep time: I stop prep time when you eject your jump drive or when you hit send for the email. I am probably the most annoying judge about this, but I am tired of teams stealing prep and I want to keep this round moving
- I flow on my computer
Want extra decimals?
Do what I say above, and have fun with it. I reward self-awareness, clash, sound research, humor, and bold decisions. It is all about how you play the game.
Cite like Michigan State and open source like Kentucky
Speaker Points-Scale - I'll do my best to adhere to the following unless otherwise instructed by a tournament's invite:
30-99%perfect
29.5-This is the best speech I will hear at this tournament, and probably at the following one as well.
29-I expect you to get a speaker award.
28.5-You're clearly in the top third of the speakers at the tournament.
28-You're around the upper middle (ish area)
27.5-You need some work, but generally, you're doing pretty well
27-You need some work
26.5-You don't know what you're doing at all
26 and lower-you've done something ethically wrong or obscenely offensive that is explained on the ballot.
All in all, debate in front of me if your panel was Mike Bausch, Mike Shackelford, Hannah Shoell, Catherine Shackelford, and Ian Beier
If you have any questions, then I would be more than happy to answer them
Mike Shackelford
Head Coach of Rowland Hall. I debated in college and have been a lab leader at CNDI, Michigan, and other camps. I've judged about 20 rounds the first semester.
Do what you do best. I’m comfortable with all arguments. Practice what you preach and debate how you would teach. Strive to make it the best debate possible.
Key Preferences & Beliefs
Debate is a game.
Literature determines fairness.
It’s better to engage than exclude.
Critique is a verb.
Defense is undervalued.
Judging Style
I flow on my computer. If you want a copy of my flow, just ask.
I think CX is very important.
I reward self-awareness, clash, good research, humor, and bold decisions.
Add me to the email chain: mikeshackelford(at)rowlandhall(dot)org
Feel free to ask.
Want something more specific? More absurd?
Debate in front of me as if this was your 9 judge panel:
Andre Washington, Ian Beier, Shunta Jordan, Maggie Berthiaume, Daryl Burch, Yao Yao Chen, Nicholas Miller, Christina Philips, jon sharp
If both teams agree, I will adopt the philosophy and personally impersonate any of my former students:
Ben Amiel, Andrew Arsht, David Bernstein, Madeline Brague, Julia Goldman, Emily Gordon, Adrian Gushin, Layla Hijjawi, Elliot Kovnick, Will Matheson, Ben McGraw, Corinne Sugino, Caitlin Walrath, Sydney Young (these are the former debaters with paradigms... you can also throw it back to any of my old school students).
LD Paradigm
Most of what is above will apply here below in terms of my expectations and preferences. I spend most of my time at tournaments judging policy debate rounds, however I do teach LD and judge practice debates in class. I try to keep on top of the arguments and developments in LD and likely am familiar with your arguments to some extent.
Theory: I'm unlikely to vote here. Most theory debates aren't impacted well and often put out on the silliest of points and used as a way to avoid substantive discussion of the topic. It has a time and a place. That time and place is the rare instance where your opponent has done something that makes it literally impossible for you to win. I would strongly prefer you go for substance over theory. Speaker points will reflect this preference.
Speed: Clarity > Speed. That should be a no-brainer. That being said, I'm sure I can flow you at whatever speed you feel is appropriate to convey your arguments.
Disclosure: I think it's uniformly good for large and small schools. I think it makes debate better. If you feel you have done a particularly good job disclosing arguments (for example, full case citations, tags, parameters, changes) and you point that out during the round I will likely give you an extra half of a point if I agree.
Experience:
- 11 Years Policy Debate
- Weber State and University of West Georgia
- Coach at Juan Diego Catholic High
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Good evidence is secondary to what a debater does with it. I really appreciate evidence of interrogation in speeches and cross-examination.
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I often vote for the team that can make complex arguments sound like common sense. Clarity of thought is paramount
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If there is an “easy” way to vote, that's warranted, I’m likely to take it.
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I appreciate technical execution and direct refutation over implied argumentation.
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The earlier in debate that teams collapse down to lower quantities of positions and/or arguments, the more likely I am to latch on to what is going on and make a decent decision.
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Identifying what I have to resolve behooves you. Debates are won or lost on a few primary debatable questions. If you are the first to identify and answer those questions thoroughly, you will be ahead in my mind.
***If you have me judging on the 2/4/18 there is a large possibility that I will be watching the superbowl instead of flowing your round (Go Patriots!)***
Updated for Golden Desert Public Forum: I am a hardcore policy judge and have next to zero PF experience so pref at your own risk.
I am a coach over at East High School in UT and have been for the past couple years
***+0.5 speaks for any High School Musical References.***
Argument Preference:
I think framework is fairly pointless and will probably end up avoiding evaluating it at all costs, but you do you.
Your contention titles should be clear enough for me to understand your entire argument based on them alone.
I feel like Public Forum all to often ignores offense but this is a huge no-no with me, tell me why each contention individually wins you the round
Plan is ok but make sure to lay out solvency well, remember you don't get fiat here like you do in policy.
I love topicality, so try and work it in when y'all are neg
General:
I only intervene in special situations (i.e. sexism, racism, republicanism, ect.) I will listen to every type of argument except politics because in this climate I think it is fairly pointless.
Will drop a team for suggesting the globe is round and always looking for like minded science allies. Really not a fan of ignorance in general and you can expect low speaks if your speeches come close to a presidential levels falsehoods.
Make sure to be aggressive during cross-ex, I hate hearing "Would you like the first question?", this is a competition take anything you can to get a leg up on your opponent.
Speaks:
Most of the time I give around a 26 but that can change, I have never given a 30 so try and be my first :)
Good Trump impressions +1.0
Bad Trump impressions -2.0
For local tournaments
I think that if you are going to do progressive debate at a tournament where your opponent is more traditional it would be great for you to have some way they could read your case if you are spreading. I don't think it is constructive or education to not assist someone who is unfamiliar with terminology or specific types of cases.
Additionally, while it is probably my preference to judge more progressive arguments I would prefer to watch a good traditional debate than a mediocre progressive debate.
LD
This is the event I’m most familiar with. I competed in highschool and am good with most types of arguments. Honestly just do what you feel most comfortable with.
K arguments
I am comfortable judging k-affs, performance Ks and regular Ks.
I love a good K and am familiar with a lot of the literature. If it is something obscure I need you to explain the K (for my sake and the sake of your opponents.
CPs
go for it
Topicality
I need weighing against counter-interp. no RVIs plz
Theory
For both theory and topicality I need them to be justified. I don't think an excessive theory shell makes sense at all strategically nor do I believe that it is a good use of time.
Policy
Good with whatever, if you have any specific questions lmk. Please include me in the email chain.
Public Forum
I’m a flow judge, am good with speed and I’m really okay with whatever you want to run. Please, please, please use sign-posting and clear extensions. line-by-line is helpful for everybody in the room.
If you are going to claim an opponent is violating the rules, I need this to actually be the case. Particularly due to time constraints I really don’t want to watch a debate about the rules of debate if the argument of abuse is not grounded - it’s honestly a waste of your time, your opponent’s time and my time.
Random bits and pieces
1. I’m not going to be flowing cross-x, I view it as mainly for the benefit of debaters.
2. I don’t have any preference around sitting or standing, just do whatever is comfortable.
3. I have a weak immune system, please do not shake my hand.
email: claire.e.smith@me.com
I do college policy at Weber State University
email: jordanstephens2@mail.weber.edu
1. I will hear any argument you have. Just make sure it has a claim, warrant, and impact.
2. I do more performative arguments so I am not the best tech wise. I should be able to hear and understand your arguments no matter the debate.
3. Cross ex is important and I will consider the things you've said.
4. Do not be rude, racists, homophobic, ect. You can be mad, loud, soft, funny. Just do not be rude.
5. Last just have fun and learn something! Be passionate. Extra speaker points for the level of spiciness you bring to a debate.
Background I am the head coach at Century High School in Idaho. I competed in high school for 4 years focusing on policy debate, though I competed in all the other formats. I also have 4 years of collegiate debate experience in IPDA, PF, and BP, with a national title under my belt, and several other national awards.
Ultimately this is your round, so you can run whatever you want. I'm primarily tech over truth.
Debate is a game that should be accessible to everyone. That includes creating a safe place to have an educational debate. Being racist, sexist, violent, etc. in a way that is immediately and obviously hazardous to someone in the debate results in a loss and lowest speaker points. My role as educator > my role as any form of disciplinarian, so I will err on the side of letting stuff play out (i.e. if someone used gendered language/incorrect pronouns and that gets brought up I will probably let the round happen and correct any ignorance after the fact). This ends when it begins to threaten the safety of round participants. Where that line is at is entirely up to me. As such, make sure you give this a wide berth and don't do anything that even makes me consider this. Out debate your opponents without being a problem in the round and you'll easily get my ballot.
Evidence Sharing: Add me to the email chain: tylerjo@sd25.us or use speechdrop please
Framework FW is essential to me as a judge. Tell me how I should evaluate the round and that's how I'll vote.
TheoryI love theory debate, make sure to extend impacts and abuse. If you want me to vote for you, clearly explain what the abuse in the round is.
Condo I tend to err condo bad at a certain point. I would rather see high-quality argumentation that continues throughout the round than a massive number of terrible arguments that get kicked for the purpose of a time skew. 6 total off-case positions for neg is where I'm pretty happy with conditional arguments. As the number of off-case positions increases from here, the easier it becomes for aff to win a condo bad debate, as I become skeptical of the quality of the round I'm watching. That said, I'll listen to condo good theory when neg reads more than 6, and I can even vote for it too. Just be aware that you will need to thoroughly win the condo argument to avoid me voting on abuse.
Topicality T debate is fine. If neg wants to go 8 minutes of T, I'll listen and have a good time as long as it's done well
Counterplans CP's are fun, I find myself leaning aff on process counterplans, but I'll still vote neg on them. Other than that, have fun with them.
DA This is debate. Who's gonna tell you not to run a da?
K's Absolutely love K debate. The alternative needs to be clear. K Aff's are fine, though they are not in my realm of expertise. Narratives and performance are fine but do note that I come from a traditional circuit where this is less prevalent. So long as you justify it in round, I'm happy to listen and have no problems in picking you up. I haven't gotten to judge as much policy as I would like this year, so I'm not up to date on the lit. Make sure that's explained to me.
Speed Speed is fine, I can keep up with it all. 4 notes on it, however.
1) Debate is a game and it should be accessible to everyone. If there are people you are debating with, or you have panelists who would prefer you to slow down, then I don't think you should exclude them from the round by speaking quickly.
2) Slow down on tags and authors so I can write them down. If you don't do this, I may miss important arguments, which you definitely don't want.
3) Slow down on theory and analytical arguments so I can write them down.
4) Enunciate every word. Speed and spewing are not the same. If I cannot understand you, I am not persuaded to vote for you. It is the burden of debaters to communicate clearly to their audience. As such, you will never hear me say 'clear'. I will simply ignore you without remorse. Obviously, if some external factor is causing this and it isn't your fault, (intercom, loud AC, natural disaster, etc.) I'll let you know.
In the context of a virtual tournament, going fast is fine as long as everyone has access to the files or can hear everything. If internet connection is poor, I will encourage slower debate.
Courtesy Be nice to each other. Debate is a game you play with your friends, so don't be mean. If you are demeaning, rude, or just a jerk in the round to your opponents/partner I will drop you. Any form of harassment or discrimination to your opponents or partner will result in the lowest possible speaker points and a loss in the round. So play nice :)
Also, be nice to novices/inexperienced debaters. We would like them to keep with the activity and continue to grow the debate community. So, if you make them feel bad about the round, I'll make you feel bad about your speaker points.
Tag Teaming I hate this. Please don't do that. Cross should be closed
Speaker Points These are entirely subjective, and I won't give you 30 just because you asked. However, I will give verifiable birthday points and last senior tournament bumps at invitationals ONLY
LD All the same information above is valid for me in LD. Run CPs, K's, and DAs to your heart's content. My threshold for conditionality in LD is much stricter due to structural problems with LD as a format. If you go beyond 3 off-case positions as neg, then aff will have an easy time winning the round on condo bad.
PF Please give me some sort of framework for the round. Everything in your final focus has to have been extended throughout the round. If you give me a voter your partner didn't make analysis on in the summary, then I will not evaluate it. Be strategic about what you go for and communicate. Kritiks are cool in pf. Just do them well, not just to say "I read a K in pf."
Feel free to ask me any specific questions before the round begins
I debated throughout high school and then at Idaho State University for 5 years. I then coached at Idaho State University for 2 years, Weber for 1, USC for 1, and am currently with Houston.
I am a firm believer that debate is for debaters. I've had my time to make others listen to whatever (and I mean absolutely whatever) I wanted to say, and it's my turn to listen to and evaluate your arguments, whatever they may be. While I'm sure I have my limitations, make me adapt to you instead of the other way around.
I try my damnedest to line up all the arguments on my flow. I am, however, open to alternate flowing styles. I really do prefer when debaters make specific reference of which argument(s) they are answering at a given time regardless of flowing style. I also flow the text of cards.
I prefer not to call for evidence (although I would like to be on your email chain... misslindsayv@gmail.com). This means explain, explain, explain! Tell me what the card says; tell me why I should care and how I should apply it. That being said, I do not think that cards are always better than analytics.
Be prepared to defend all aspects of your argument.
Everything is open to (re)interpretation. For example, some questions that may be relevant to my ballot include: What is the purpose of debate? How does this affect the way that impacts are evaluated? These kinds of top-level framing issues are the most important to me.
This means things like framework and T (fun little-known fact: I've always found topicality in general super interesting--I love the nit-picky semantics of language) can be viable options against K affs. However, you are better off if you have a substantive response to the aff included as well.
I'm still kind of deciding how I feel about how competition functions in method debates. I think the most accurate depiction of what I think about it now is this (and it all obviously depends on what's happening in the debate/on the flow, but in general): I'll probably err that the affirmative on-face gets a permutation to determine if the methods are mutually exclusive, and so that means the best strategy for the negative in this world is to generate their links to the aff's method itself to prove that mutual exclusivity.
I'd really appreciate it if you could warn me in advance if there will be graphic descriptions of sexual violence.
If you have any questions email me vanslootenandrew@gmail.com
I'm a tab judge.
I'm good with speed.
Impact debate please.
End your last speech with a limerick for extra points.
Also, Avengers references are welcome.
Add me to the chain at zeeht@duq.edu or use SpeechDrop.
At the outset, I debated three or so years between Policy and Lincoln Douglas (LD) debate in high school, three years on the NFA LD circuit in college (Utah), a little bit of coaching here and there (CCHS and Harker), and am currently a (1L year) law student at Kline.
At a high level,I generally view myself as prioritizing technical concessions over truth, and a well-developed technical debate with in-depth analysis is always encouraged.
As far as arguments and "unconventional cases",arguments are arguments; performance, advocacy, non-traditional, soft left, etc. are all arguments. Questions such as "Does policymaking outweigh individual resistance?" or "Does activism come before ground?" are questions that are usually answered on a round-to-round basis.
I love critical evidence arguments (huge speaker points here), whether it's arguing a team's evidence doesn't say what the team claims it does, a parallel compression between two pieces of evidence, or even a comparison of the persuasiveness of the authority behind the evidence. You gotta go further than, "their evidence is power tagged ... next!" No no, explain the warrant as to why it does so.
On topicality, ever since I entered law school, I've warmed up to T debates. As a prior issue, you must actually prove abuse. For example, when you say negative ground, the negative team must actually be suffering from a lack of readiness, and explicitly explain why that is. Or, if you say fairness, why is it unfair and why should I be willing to vote a team down for being unfair? With that said, I will tend to apply either 1) the most widely accepted reasonable interpretation of the word in question (community reasons) or 2) the most legally and academically sound definition.
Next on the K, I enjoy the K. When judging the K, I generally analyze the round through framework. Each side should have a well-warranted framework argument as to why I should view the round their lens (e.g., policy making over epistemology, ontology over individual resistance, or even government fiat over subject formation). I will filter the rest of the Kritik through the lens of whomever team wins framework. Oh, and I frankly have no opinion on whether alternative fiat's a thing.
Finally, the DA/CP. I tend to avoid voting on a 1% risk of the disadvantage means a negative ballot argument. I find that debaters generally lack the warrant development and explanation as to why their disadvantage matters and I won't do the work for them. If you're going for a disadvantage, timeframe and likelihood matter. Actor, consult, etc. CPs are great, while well-developed analyses on actor CPs with warrants are even greater.
On LD and PF, the inclusivity of LD debate means that speed must be agreed upon between debaters. If you ignore the accessible standard of speed that your opponent has set up for you, I have no problem dropping you off of a ten-second speed theory shell. PF calls for an accessible and public-based style of communication. This means eloquence, persuasion, and easy-to-flow argumentation will be rewarded far more than tech and speed. Of course, this does not mean discounting the role of warrants in your argumentation.