Tabroom.com

WESTMINSTER

2018 — Atlanta, GA/US

JV Novice Judges Paradigm List

All Paradigms: Show Hide

Holland Bald Westminster

Last changed on Tue July 2, 2024 at 4:47 AM EDT

me: holland, not "judge," he/him. dartmouth 2025, westminster before that. hollandebate@gmail.com. put me on the email chain.

tldr: i believe that the best debates contain many topic-specific cards and rigorous line by line between two teams over the consequences or core ideological assumptions of topical plans. i am committed to technical evaluation of arguments presented to me, so with jurisdictional exceptions*, you are welcome to do whatever you'd like. however, at the margins, the further your debating deviates from this model, the less likely you are to win.

i will do my best to be tabula rasa. i believe that most debates are not close enough to require intervention, so you should do what you do best and not over-adapt. however, in cases where i do have to intervene, the below should give you a sense of my predispositions. if something is missing from this paradigm, it probably means i have no strong opinions about it.

tech over truth, but the threshold for answering a facially bad argument is low.

ip topic: i know nothing about it. i know a little bit about patents because they have come up on different college topics. slow down on core distinctions, explain acronyms, etc etc

clarity: i care a lot about it. particularly in debates where constructives are >20% analytics, you must be clear. i will also be very amenable to arguments about why i should not allow an unclear team to re-characterize their arguments if i did not understand them the first time. (i mean this. no one has taken advantage of it so far. you should.)

clash debates (general): the more you can do to make these debates not boring, the better off you will be. we have all heard the same speeches on "debate doesnt shape subjectivity" and "competitive incentives determine everything" and, conversely, "the judge is an educator; the ballot can't pass the plan" and "participation is a pre-requisite to accessing clash and fairness" one thousand times. the more you can get off of these enthymemes and actually explain what is happening in the debate at hand, the more you will connect with me and the less my eyes will glaze over. put another way, performance (subconsciously) influences my assessment of these debates; if one side looks like they're going through the motions of "a clash debate" and the other seems invested, quick on their feet, and eager to contextualize, the latter will likely win.

Ks on the NEG:

good for them if they say a core concept in the 1AC is bad. bad for them if they are recycled and/or you dont look like you have done any reading.

in truth, i think "framework, no Ks" should be an uphill battle. conversely, so should "you link, you lose."

your framework interpretation should make sense. i often find that the aff tries to proclaim the framework debate is a wash and so "we get to weigh the aff but they get the k." i have no idea how one would weigh "fiated plan action solves extinction" vs, for example, ks of language or representations, since those two arguments operate on separate planes of evaluation. after stating your framework interpretation, you need to lay out how i would go about making a decision under it.

lastly, the obvious logical conclusion of many neg framework interps in my mind is plan inclusion (since the point of critiques as distinct from counterplans is that the locus of competition is not plan action). i think in many cases it is more strategic for the neg to just say and defend that.

Ks on the AFF: very good for T with the above clash caveat, which very often poses a large hurdle for NEGs that want to give rehearsed framework speeches and seem bored. much more amenable to impacts about the process of debate (clash, fairness) than its content (topic education, skills). i have exclusively been on the NEG side of this debate, so while i am capable and willing to vote for planless AFFs, the threshold for explanation is likely higher for the AFF and i am likely to be able to subconsciously fill in the gaps for the NEG more. the NEG going for a specific position will likely be rewarded with high points.

counterplans: i would say i have a 70% grasp on textual and functional competition. the less you can use buzzwords and rely on me to fill in everything for you in high-level competition debates, the better off you will be.

advantage counterplans are racing toward incoherence. "the USfg should invest in pandemic preparedness, transition to a green economy, and increase supply chain adaptability" is a non-argument.

which way does presumption go? my understanding is that if the AFF is zero, the NEG wins, unless the NEG has gone for a deviation from the squo (CP or alt) and their offense is also zero, in which case the AFF wins. however, i don't really understand WHY this is the case/the origin of this set of questions. so, i will default to this understanding, but you are free to explain to me a different way to evaluate low/no risk.

theory: slow down. my sole strong opinion is that 2nc counterplans out of 2ac straight turns are obviously bad. i often find that objections in the vein of "this cp is too close to the plan" are better expressed as competition, not theory.

disadvantages: the only maybe-quirk i have here is that, due to the nature of debates on the college nukes topic, i have spent a fair amount of time this year thinking about try or die. i think it is pretty silly - but the NEG must say at least something about it or it will be difficult to defeat a 2ar that spends a lot of time explaining and unpacking why it should frame my decision.

T vs plan affs: this will be an uphill battle for the NEG if the AFF seems like it is advancing a reasonable construction of the topic. this is particularly true for short T extensions with nearly no cards. AFF-specific violations and card-heavy 2NCs are great.

evidence quality: i think one of the most valuable parts of debate is the original research skills it teaches. i will greatly reward you for reading good, new, topic-specific evidence that you cut. that said, i will not pick through all the cards before deciding. i will read evidence in two situations:

1. there is contestation over its quality, highlighting, and/or warrants. evidence comparison is wonderful and debaters who can balance it with substantive argumentation will be greatly rewarded.

2. the debate is close enough that i cannot resolve it based on the words on my flow.

this means that if a silly argument is dropped, i will not read the evidence to determine whether it is true. this also means that "read our card" does NOT substitute for extending its warrants. however, if the NEG is reading a bad card for their silly argument and AFF is making smart analytic presses against it despite not having a card of their own, the NEG should not expect to win on "we have a card and they do not."

*jurisdiction:

trufanov: "Being racist, sexist, violent, etc. in a way that is immediately and obviously hazardous to someone in the debate = L and 0. My role as educator outweighs 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 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. You should give this line a wide berth."

awsare: "No double wins, devolution to another game, or soliciting audience participation. First to initiate receives a L and very low speaks." "Ad hominem is a logical fallacy. Screenshots are not ev. I have neither the authority nor resources to launch an investigation about outside behavior, coach indiscretions, and pref sheets."

giampetruzzi: "I strongly believe you should email your opponents if you find an ethical issue with their evidence or strategy pre-round. Treating ethics challenges like case negs is worse for the integrity of the activity than the ethics issues in question."

Quang Bui Marist School 6 rounds

Last changed on Wed November 16, 2016 at 9:06 AM EDT

Background: Debated mostly Policy Debate for 4 years at Marist School although I did a couple of PF tournaments here and there.

Email: bnq2658@gmail.com

Last Update 11/16/16

Policy Paradigm

Summary: I usually prefer DA Case CP debate but K's are fine if I can understand it. Really don't want to vote on theory though.

General Things

I don't take prep for flashing or emailing unless the tournament is running behind or tab is nagging me to get done faster
Keep the debate calm and more relaxed
I probably won't look at evidence unless it is specifically indicted or highlighted

China Topic

I haven't had a lot of experience with this topic so please don't use too many abbreviations and acronyms
I don't know much about China policy as of this year but I know a good amount of Japanese politics and policy if that helps you at all

Case

Please don't read an econ impact in front of me if your internal links aren't amazing. I study economics and unless your internal link and solvency cards are by economists with a ton of numbers. I like warming impacts and sciencey impacts like nuclear fusion since they interest me and I would probably more likely to pay attention to them
I'm getting tired of heavy impact debates and overviews. It seems like most of the time the debate boils down to nothing
Solvency debates and debates about the actual aff are the most enjoyable for me since they make the debate less generic. They also have to be explained a lot more in detail since I probably won't know it

I really like DA debates
The DA debate is probably going to be won or lost at the link level so I would probably focus on that

Counterplans

I like CP's but I'm sometimes easily confused about what they do so you have to make it clear in CX or the 2NC as to what it does
I'm fine with judge kicking the CP even if you don't say it, given you extend case

K's

I'm very hit or miss when it comes to K's. Often I get very confused by the barrage of information 2N's introduce in the block. Here's my advice if you decide to go for a K in front of me, slow down when you get to the K flow and explain everything as if I've never debated before
K debates are way too technical and I hate that. Debate the K like how your authors would, slowly and philosophically
The link debate is honestly the only important thing about the K debate. If you run a K, I'm pretty much going to agree that you that you will outweigh the aff. I will, however, give you a much higher threshold to meet for the link so you need to spend about 75% of your time on the link debate
K tricks are stupid and cheap ways to win rounds so I'm probably not voting for them
On the aff the first thing you should do is just hammer that 1NC link evidence. It's usually super generic

I probably won't for T unless it is pretty much obvious that the aff is untopical. I'm probably going to default to reasonability
If it is a questionable aff, then please make the impacts clear and go slow.
If you prove that the aff is untopical but still lose the impact debate then I'll probably still just vote for you

Non-Traditional Arguments

I honestly don't know how I feel about these since I've only encountered a single unorthodox debate. I would prefer it if your argument is topical
If you do something really weird I'm probably going to have this confused look on my face and default to the more orthodox team

Theory

I hate voting on theory. Please don't make it a theory debate and if you do slow down. Theory about one specific argument is a reason to reject the argument.

Word PICs: have to be extremely justifiable
50 State Fiat: stupid but not an immediate reason to reject
International Fiat: good
Consult and Conditions CP's: depends on the solvency advocate
Condo: probably won't vote on unless dropped or perfcon
Multiplank CP's: fine if you have a solvency advocate for each plank
CP Perms: can make the CP go away, not sure about it as an advocacy
K Perms: kind of dumb. Just go for the no link

Manav Daftari Westminster 5 rounds

Last changed on Sat November 17, 2018 at 7:48 AM EDT

I am a 2A at Westminster and this is my fifth year of debate.

Short Pre-Round Paradigm

- add me to the email chain b4 the db8 please -- daftari.manav@gmail.com

- Do you what you do best. Go for any argument you want to. I will vote on any argument that you win. Do NOT let this judge paradigm influence your arguments in the debate.

- I prefer debates to be about the topic.

- if you plan on going for theâ€¯kritikâ€¯make sure you explain the alt and most important parts of the K to me

- I love tricky and complex neg strategies to test the affirmatives internal links. Specific CPs are the most fun to see debated out. This doesn't mean I won't vote for a generic strategy.

- Be yourself-- I love jokes, especially good ones. Any jokes about people I know (especially harrison hall, Arjun Mohan, Chris Eckert, and Alex Greene) that are funny might influence speaks. But be respectful.

- I think all affs should defend USfg action.

- I will award each person will +.1 speaker points if they show me your flows before the decision is delivered and they are neat and have been used in the debate.

Long Version:

General Notes:

- Seriously, Do what you want!! Debate is an activity that should be fun for you and everyone else. Don't let this influence you in any way.

- Be respectful. I don't like disrespectful people. I think everyone should be treated equally and debate should be a place where everyone has respect.

- I have found myself nearly obsessed with specific, substantive engagement between the two teams — and increasingly frustrated when one team sidesteps opportunities for well-evidenced clash between arguments in favor of generic, all-purpose positions or supposed trump cards that set aside the majority of the debate. The team at fault — given its responsibility to respond — is often the negative, and on some topics I vote aff at a dizzying clip. -- Seth Gannon

- CLIPPING IS NOT ALLOWED -- I WILL FOLLOW THE SPEECH DOCS

Topicality:

- I think I defer to reasonability. If the aff's interpretation of the topic is reasonable for the topic and doesn't make it impossible to be negative, then I think there is no abuse and no reason to vote negative.

- I do love a good T debate though. Please have an adequate case list for the topic for the affirmative.

Kritiks:

- I am down for topic specific Kritiks. But not the best for 1-off K strategies.

- I think the permutation is the most important part to win for the negative. Random disads to the permutation are NOT reasons I will disregard the permutation.

- You have to win links to the permutation and not links to the aff where the permutation changes the way the aff works or is conceptualized.

- I think the aff gets to weigh it against the K, but can be convinced otherwise.

- The two most important parts of the K debate for me is the alternative and the link debate. Please explain these two parts very clearly.

- Aff-- I love the argument "links must be predicated on the plan text." If this can be executed correctly, I will probably vote on it, and maybe bump speaks.

CPs:

- Love them. Specific and complex CPs are great. Make sure to explain them.

- I am not great on counterplan competition questions. So if you think the CP is competitive, explain why.

- If you are aff, go for the best impacted out solvency deficit to the CP and don't try to spread yourself too thin. One amazing solvency deficit > a couple decent solvency deficits

DAs:

- Love them. Explain the link.

Theory:

- I don't have any pre-dispositions with theory questions. Prove in round abuse.

- I really do feel conditionality is not that bad UNLESS it is above 3 condo.

Have Fun.

Priyanka Gokare Alpharetta HS Debate 6 rounds

Alex Greene Westminster 6 rounds

Cameron Jacke USN 6 rounds

Timmy Chanwoo Jeong Hire 6 rounds

Jordan Kopcha Westminster 6 rounds None

Akash Kurupassery USN 6 rounds

Last changed on Sat November 14, 2020 at 1:57 PM EDT

About Me: Junior at Emory University. I debated for 4 years in high school at the University School of Nashville. Add me to the email chain: akurupa@emory.edu

New Paradigm [9/27/2019]

I am re-writing this paradigm to be a little bit more transparent on some of the key issues which have been affecting a lot of the ways I judge debates. I used to consider myself more of a neutral judge, but I think it is time that I recognize my own biases because they definitely do affect a lot of my decisions.

Addressing each of the key issues outlined below is a great way to get my ballot. I would definitely recommend reading this thoroughly before your round because I definitely differ from other judges.

Key issues -

1.) K - If you are running a K, I want you to treat me as if I do not understand the literature. This way your argument becomes clearer in the round, and if I am genuinely not familiar with the literature then you have still done the work necessary to win the round. I think that this is a very hard skill to do in round with the limited time allotted to you (especially with the more jargon-heavy kritiks), but I think it is an important persuasive tool and it shows that you actually know your argument and aren't just relying on the other team's lack of understanding to win the round. I would rather you spend a minute or two on explanation rather than just reading additional sub-points to an irrelevant argument on the flow.

2.) Speed/Clarity - I prefer slower, clearer debate to faster technical debate. I think that this realm is where the best debates happen as it leads to better clash and argumentative nuance within the round. It also takes me a bit longer to understand arguments, so many times I just won't understand an argument if you are blazing through it. If you are debating whether to be fast or be clear - I would definitely recommend clarity in all instances. Some implications of this:

a.) I don't appreciate 1NC strats designed to spread the 2AC thin

b.) Signpost and number your arguments!!

c.) Please take time in speeches to clarify complicated/nuanced issues (especially in final rebuttals)

d.) I appreciate slow final rebuttals (except when you have a lot to cover - then almost certainly go fast) and writing my ballot at the start of the 2AR/2NR.

e.) Always start slower in speeches then go faster

f.) If you don't understand something the opponent said then please signal that in your response to it (as I probably didn't understand it as well)

g.) I don't read cards until after the round, so clearly spreading through the text of the card matters just as much as the tag!

3.) T/Theory - My least favorite debates to judge, but I understand the necessity of it at times. In front of me, I really do not want these to be the 2NR/2AR except where actual abuse occurs (Cheaty CPs/Non-Topical Affs). If you can debate substance over going for either of these, always go for substance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Old Paradigm: Nothing here is really "different", so you can still look at this as a reference for how I evaluate debates.

Quick Version: Run arguments that you are comfortable with. I will vote on anything if it is well argued and defended. I am familiar with kritikal literature as well as policy arguments.

About Me: Sophomore at Emory University. I debated for 4 years in high school at the University School of Nashville. Add me to the email chain: akurupa@emory.edu

Argument Preference - Pretty non-existent. I don't want to tell you what to run so here is a tl;dr:

CP: Win the tech to win the CP

DA: Impact Comparison goes far.

K: Define your terms and have specific analysis

T: I will vote for whoever wins the tech debate - I lean towards reasonability on affs which are core of the topic.

K affs: Win framework and defend your method. Perms are probably illegit if the link is decent to the method/analysis.

Theory: Warrant out your arguments and don’t spread through blocks. Please don't go for theory unless there is legitimate abuse.

Connor Li Westminster 5 rounds

Addie Matteson Westminster 5 rounds

Beth McMahon Decatur High School 3 rounds

Last changed on Mon April 8, 2024 at 2:31 PM EDT

Atlanta Urban Debate League (UDL). Decatur, Ga. Currently I teach AP Lang and direct a small AUDL program without a ton of institutional support but in a previous life I coached mostly policy on the national circuit. In fact, I've been around long enough to see the activity go from notecards in ox boxes to xeroxed briefs to some computerized debates to having everything online. I prefer to flow on paper because that's how I learned back in the dark ages.

You can put me on the E mail chain: mcmahon.beth@gmail.com.

For UDL tournaments:

I am an old school policy coach and do not love the K (even though my teams do run it) because teams just read their blocks and don't evaluate the round. That said, if you run the K, awesome -- be ready to debate the line by line and go for something other than framework. See my note below about having an advocacy of some sort.

For the Barkley Forum: If you are in speech events, know that my background is in policy. If you are a policy debater, know that I haven't judged a lot of varsity debates this year so watch the topic specific acronyms. From what I've seen it will be fine but just wanted you to be aware.

Old stuff:

Current Urban Debate League coach (Atlanta/AUDL) but a long time ago (when we carried tubs, no one had a cell phone, and the K was still kinda new) I used to coach and judge on the national circuit. I took a sabbatical from coaching (had kids, came back, things have changed, no more tubs). I still flow on paper and probably always will. FYI -- I have not judged national circuit varsity debates consistently since 2008 when I worked at a now-defunct national circuit program that had some money for travel. I've been told I'm more tech over truth and although I enjoy listening to K debates I don't have a K background (my national circuit experience has all been old school policy so like DA plus case plus CP). If you are a K team I expect some sort of ADVOCACY not just a bunch of block reading and a framework dump. If you don't have a plan you still need to advocate FOR something. Theory dumps are very frustrating to me because I don't know how to evaluate the round.

Crystalizing the round in rebuttals is an important skill - especially in front of a judge like me that did not spend 8 weeks at camp nor has read all of the lit. Or maybe any of the lit. You absolutely will be more familiar with your evidence than I will so please don't expect that kind of deep dive into the post round discussion. There was a point in my life when I could have those discussions, but I'm not there anymore. I am however more likely to buy your case attacks or a topicality argument so there's that.

Notes for IE/LD -- I judge more policy debate than LD/IE/PF/Congress but at some point this year have judged all of the above. I tend to be more tech over truth with LD and am looking for some sort of impact analysis of the values presented. My policy team does not run the K and debates more traditionally -- one of the most underutilized strategies in LD is to debate the other team's case.

Caroline Miller Westminster 6 rounds

Lee Miller Westminster 2 rounds None

Maria Misiura Henry W Grady HS 4 rounds None

Projeet Mukherjee Chattahoochee High School 5 rounds

Rhea Niyyar Westminster 2 rounds

Last changed on Sat November 17, 2018 at 5:51 AM EDT

yes email chain: rheadebate@gmail.com

top level

be respectful. debate should be a safe space for everyone. other than that, i will judge the debate that happens -- you do you & do it well. if you say anything incredibly offensive i will vote against you and dock your speaks tremendously.

if youre confused abt something on this paradigm (or something excluded), ask before the round -- i'd hate to render a decision based on a minor bias i have that's not reflected on my paradigm

pay attention to my facial expressions--unless its an 8am round and im exhausted i think i'll be pretty expressive and youll be able to tell what i think of an arg as its being made

if your strategy is a k (on either side!), be sure to explain it well. (if it’s a critique of gender, security, or cap, you’re probably in the clear — but still err on the side of explanation.)

please explain the alt. please be straight up about your theory and what you will and will not defend. i should understand the k after 1nc cx, and at worst after the 2nc. are u state action? do u think the state is ever good? who does the alt? gotta know these things.

i prefer reading soft left affs and going for the perm. some ppl prefer reading big affs and going for util. wherever u fall, just do it well

framework (on the k)

- probs gonna weigh the aff (the only arg im persuaded by to not is that fiat isn't real so you should only evaluate the education produced by the aff--but that's still much harder to win than "u get to weigh the plan but also we get to k the whole aff and u should defend it" and the like)

- probs cant sever reps if ur aff unless the k is discursive and they have the same discourse

- neg probs gets links to not the plan text

other

overviews should be a minute or less. do lbl.

fwk/t-usfg

probably neg-leaning — but if you win on the flow, you win. if i don’t know why the aff needs to read an aff that’s not t and why it outweighs t, im not voting aff.

both sides: impact. comparison. line by line. using t against the case & vice versa. explaining your impacts. comparing what your model of debate looks like. what do debates look like? what affs are read?

neg: i think topical versions & good case presses are very helpful. i’m persuaded by state as a heuristic. probably hard to win the arg that "t=procedural=1ac shldnt have happened=dont evaluate the case" but super helpful if you can win it

aff: explain the aff well as a da to t. policymaking is not genocide. counter interpretations should define words in the resolution. "every other debate" is not a counterinterp. "only our aff" is not a counterinterp. waren 11 is not a counterinterp (dont drop it tho). ur probs not the usfg but idk

is fairness an impact? maybe--gotta win debate is good tho. (by the way, debate is good.)

policy stuff

- go for it

- slow down on plan texts & cp texts

offense

- turn, solve, and/or outweigh the case. pls.

- death is probs bad but idk

- yes: dedev, space col bad, base da

cps

- cheat, no matter which side ur on--crazy cps justify crazy perms

- default to yes judgekick, if you're aff "no judgekick" needs to be in the 1ar at least

- err toward perms not needing to be t

- solvency deficits need impacts

case d

- do it in every 2nr. even if youre going for a cp. even if the 1ar dropped turns case. have some ink on the case flow.

- go for presumption, thatd be fun

- 6+ mins on case in the block would be cool (if the aff sucks, it sucks)

theory

2-3 condo is ok, any more you’re on thin ice (unless the aff is new). everything else is a reason to reject the arg.

if ur interp is dispo, explain what dispo means bc idk

clipping--if i notice, you lose (i usually dont follow along on docs). if you notice them doing it, record it--an incorrect/unwarranted accusation=you lose, a correct one=they lose.

not persuaded by perfcon unless it interacts w the substance of the k (links are discursive, etc etc)

seems like on this topic affs literally only need a certainty key warrant to beat every process cp--and those warrants seem abundant--so likely to err neg on theory questions

willing to vote either way and i go for t a decent amount. do impact calc

ya girl loves t but be sure to impact it out if i don’t know why not being t matters im not gonna vote on it

t-substantial: yes pls

speaks

havent figured out a way to evaluate them. (has anyone?) here's some thoughts:

good: (+ at least .1 speaker point)

- jokes (abt westminster debaters)

- puns (great)

- being strategically aggressive

- references to: vines, John Mulaney, parks and rec, the office, literally anything ill take it

- writing my rfd (meta-level stuff, impact framing, even-if statements, addressing concerns, pre-empting 2ar args if ur neg)

- mentioning things that happen in cx in every speech (esp final rebuttals but it has to be in previous speeches obv)

bad:

- being rude

- saying people dropped things when they didn't

- not answering questions straight up (ur not willmo, you know what condo is, nobody in the room is a robot, and cx is good)

- not standing to speak (obviously this doesnt apply if ur differently abled but if ur just trying to be edgy....dont)

- tag team cx if the person not officially involved in the cx is dominating--otherwise it's fine and i wont dock or care

- getting @ something good in cx and then not mentioning ever again

1ar

- should probably have a short impact overview

- maybe u dont have to extend every impact but i'd prefer it if u did

- new args? yes, if the block:

a. makes new args ((duh))

b. makes a pivot that could not be determined as per the tags in the 1nc (usually happens in k debates -- if the cards the 1nc read are in fact about what the tags say they are but they also have a minitheory like temporality hidden within them, the 2nc shouldnt get to be like "its gg they dropped the third line of the second 1nc card"--1ar gets to answer that)

- new cards?

- policy debate: duh good

- k debate: maybe if the 2ac messed up -- otherwise spend that time explaining ur countertheory or doing lbl

final rebuttals

- try not to read new cards

- write my rfd. impact framing. even-if statements. tell me where to look first. do meta-level stuff -- if you drop some stuff on the lbl because you spent time on this, so be it.

Anish Panchumarthy Wheeler High School 6 rounds

Rishika Pandey Woodward Academy 6 rounds

Last changed on Mon March 11, 2019 at 10:46 AM EDT

Woodward '17

UGA '21

Yes, I would like to be on the email chain: rishika.pandey21@gmail.com

Feel free to ask me any questions before the round or email me afterwards, I'm here to help!

When reading through these comments, just remember that they reflect my background and thoughts based on debates that I've had, watched, or judged so far - don't let them determine your neg strat or 2AR decisions. You do you. I can keep up.

General comments:

1. Be nice. There's a difference between confidence and rudeness, and I will dock speaker points if you are rude/offensive to anyone (yes, including me and your own partner) in the room at any point.

2. If I have to remind you to be clear, then you shouldn't expect above a 28. Use your words.

3. Prep-time: I'll stop the timer when you tell me the speech doc is done; however, if it takes you too long to email/flash the speech to everyone, I'll probably be suspicious and dock prep time.

4. I read evidence apposite to the nexus question of the debate.

5. Yes, absolute defense is possible.

6. Smart analytics over trash evidence.

7. Evidence - don't underhighlight, clip, or do any of that cheat-y stuff. You're not as cool or sneaky as you think you are.

Specific arguments:

T - Nuanced T debates are great. T over theory unless explained otherwise. Reasonability is fair if the neg interp is meta and non-specific to the aff. You need to explain what the topic would look like under your interp and provide clear case lists and DAs to the other team's interpretation.

DAs - GOOD aff-specific researched DAs are pretty much my favorite arguments. On the other hand, I'm fine listening to politics and other general topic DAs (although you'll have a harder time convincing me to vote for your generic budget or trade-off DA).

CPs - I get excited judging innovative CPs. Defend your CP against CP theory, especially if you think you have a great solvency advocate (though not all CPs need one). No, I won't "judge-kick" a CP for you - you need to make a decision and stick to it.

Theory - 1-2 conditional advocacies is fine; any more is probably excessive and/or abusive. Politics theory is fine as a time-skew, but I'm not likely to vote on it. Floating PIKs/PICs and process CPs are generally bad.

Ks - I'm good with most general/topic/identity/reps critiques, but not necessarily all of the high-theory Name Ks. The best Ks in front of me are contextualized to the aff (using aff evidence as links). Clear explanations and in-depth analysis will most likely help you win a K debate in front of me, not just evidence.

Affs/case - Affs should generally have a plan text/advocacy statement, but I'll listen to affs that don't. Also, case debates are AWESOME and way too undervalued - I love impact turns, alt causes, link turns, etc. Be innovative.

For extra clarity, if necessary, my debate ideology has been strongly influenced by Maggie Berthiaume - see her paradigm.

Kaiya Patel The Paideia School 2 rounds None

Sam Pavur Westminster 6 rounds

Last changed on Sat February 10, 2024 at 9:19 PM EDT

Westminster '21 Emory '25

Add me to the email chain - thebestsampablo@gmail.com

---

Top Level - Do what you do and don't over adapt to anything on this paradigm. I see this on a good amount of judge paradigms, but it's particularly important to me to leave my predispositions about debate at the door. Debate is ultimately for the debaters and I will try my best to listen and evaluate which team should get the ballot after 2 hours. As a debater, I'm most impressed by judges who try their best to be receptive to a wide range of debates and arguments. That being said, I'm not a robot and debate is a persuasive activity, so I will add some of my feelings about things that persuade/fail to persuade me in most instances below. Finally, if I make a mistake or something important wasn't in the RFD please post round me, I'm trying to become the best judge I can be.

---

I don't love hearing...

- Death/Suicide Good

- Most Spec arguments

- "Embedded Clash" / "It was answered in the overview"

- Heavy perm focus in K v K debates (I am not someone looking to give K AFF teams an easy out on the perm, especially if the link is well debated)

- Spreading in theory debates

- Counter-interpretations that don't define words in the resolution

- "____ controls the direction of ____"

- The fiat double bind

- Prefs based arguments

---

I enjoy hearing

- NEG strategies that are AFF specific or at least interact with the AFF a high level

- Impact turns

- Evidence directed arguments

- Strategic trolling (it's not that funny if you lose)

- Slow theory debates

---

If you're trying to figure out where to pref me

- Check the "I don't love hearing" section above

- I'm a 1A/2N

- I go to Westminster

- I'm a fifth year who's judged 25 novice rounds

- I have read a plan in most rounds on the AFF

- I go for K's somewhat frequently on the NEG

- I default to fairness being an impact and I think most other impacts on T are often not worth making and easily straight turnable

- In presumption debates I fall under the category of judges the defaults to negation theory not the category of judges that defaults to the world of least change

---

Speaker Points

Under 27.5 = You said something offensive, clipped, forged evidence or didn't follow speech times

27.5 - 28 = Needs work

28 - 28.5 = Some of the pieces were there but there's room for improvement

28.6 - 28.9 = Super solid, keep it up

29 - 29.4 = The best range of speaks I could realistically give, you demonstrated an excellent understanding of your arguments and executed

29.5 - 30 = One of the best debaters I've ever seen, first speaker material

---

If you have any questions please email me or ask before the round.

Rohan Pethkar USN 6 rounds

Maria Sanchez Asian Debate League 6 rounds

Last changed on Sat January 13, 2024 at 1:46 AM CDT

Northside College Prep '16 - University of Kentucky '20

Please add me to the email chain: mariaesan98@gmail.com

Judging Notes:

Please keep track of your own prep
Please be as quick with tech as possible - I will deduct from your prep time if this becomes unreasonable as I want to be respectful of the folks running the tournament
No tag team CX - I really prefer to hear individual 1 v 1 CX clash and this helps me determine speaker points more easily
Unless this is a reasonable ask, if you care about where a team marked their cards/what cards they did or did not read, then please be diligent about flowing that yourself - I have a very strong preference towards not sending out marked copies of speech docs when there were only one or two marked cards

I will always reward smart teams that can effectively and efficiently communicate their arguments to me. Engaging with your opponent, having a well-thought out strategy, and demonstrating that you’re doing consistent, hard work is what this activity is about. Please be respectful to both your partner and your opponents and give it your best!

Disads:

I like them a lot. There is such a thing as zero risk of a disad and there can be no link. Do impact calculus, have a clear link to the affirmative. Quality evidence is appreciated, though it's not the only thing! Being able to communicate what your ev says and why your ev matters is key!

Theory:

Conditionality is good.

Critical Strategies:

I am okay for critical strategies. However, I didn’t debate these so make sure to explain your authors to me. Affirmatives that do little engagement with the critique alternative are likely to lose. Critiques that do little engagement with the affirmative itself are likely to lose. Explain your links in the context of the AFF and your AFF in the context of the alternative. The perm is not always the best strategy and that is okay.

I am willing to vote either way on framework. I should be able to tell that you know and understand what the affirmative is if you are reading it. Framework is best when it engages with the methodology of the AFF and questions the state’s role in activism. I like topic education arguments.

Payton Selby Westminster 2 rounds None

Kavya Vadapalli Westminster 5 rounds

Nithilan Vincent Chattahoochee High School 4 rounds None

Sarah Wingo USN 6 rounds

Last changed on Fri September 24, 2021 at 1:02 PM CDT

Email: sarah.wingo@gmail.com Please include me on the email chain.

TL;DR: Choose your battles for the second rebuttals, don't just tell that you're winning everything. Tell me why the impacts that you're winning are more important than the impacts that they're winning. If going for theory args, you should spend at least 4 minutes on it. I flow by ear, not by speech doc so it behooves you to be clear.

General: I expect every debater to flow and to be nice to both opponents and partner. Cross-examinations should be civil and at a conversational volume.

I value clarity over speed and have a tendency not to evaluate arguments that are not sign posted. The clearest speaker will receive the highest speaker points, and I will let you know if you’re not being clear. If I can’t understand you, I can’t flow your arguments, and they probably won’t factor highly in my decision. I don’t care if you sent me the whole speech doc and said it word for word. Debate is a competition of communication and reasoning, you need to be clear. That is usually at the expense of speed, which means you also need to manage your speech time effectively.

I will be more impressed by students that demonstrate topic knowledge, line-by-line organization skills (supported by careful flowing), and intelligent cross-examinations than by those that rely on superfast speaking, obfuscation, jargon, backfile recycling, and/or tricks. This means that instead of reading yet another card, you should take the time to explain why the context of the evidence means that your position is better than that of the other team. This is particularly true in close uniqueness and case debates.

Time and CX: You should keep track of your own prep, speech, and CX times, as well as your opponents', if you deem it necessary. CX is not a shouting match. It’s not a game of interruption

a. Conduct your own CX as much as possible. CX is an important time for judge impression formation, and if one partner does all asking and answering for the team, it is very difficult to evaluate both debaters. Certainly the partner not involved in CX can get involved in an emergency, but that should be brief and rare if both debaters want high speaker points.

b. Aim to ask the question that the debater couldn't answer if that person had the whole 3 minutes.

c. I absolutely loathe when questions are basically “you said this but what about our card that says the opposite?” That’s setting up the debater to then spend 3 minutes telling me why I should prefer their evidence.

d. As the questioner, do NOT let them run away with your time. Ideally they won't because you're not asking questions like the one above. The way to shut them up is saying, “ok that’s fine. Moving on, [separate question]?”

DA/CP: No preferences/opinions

K Aff: I think affirmative teams should have a plan text. On the aff you must win a reason why FW is violent/bad and a reason why this round in particular is key. The reason why either side tends to lose is because they don't interact with the other sides' arguments: that means that k teams should adapt their blocks to answer the specific way the neg team is going for framework and neg teams should engage with the substance of the aff.

Ks on the Neg: Links should be specific to the aff. Even if your evidence is generic, good analysis and spin can still win you the round. If your links are just state bad or based on fiat, I will probably vote aff. SLOW DOWN ON THE K. Assume your judge hasn’t ever heard the K before and is trying to understand the reasoning that it indicts. I am especially inclined to vote for an identified and impacted performative contradiction.

Topicality: I don’t particularly enjoy T debates, but I will vote on them. I generally think that if the neg has specific blocks to answer the case, it’s probably topical. I’d prefer a debate on limits and grounds rather than “abuse” and “fairness.” I’d like to hear a debate on the literature and competing interpretations.

Other Theory (condo, alt vagueness, etc.): I generally dislike theory arguments. Either go for them (whole 2NR/2AR) or just don’t read them. That being said, I will hear them and vote them up if explained and impacted. If you can explain why something such an issue, I will vote on it. However, I am more likely to reject the argument not the team. You must tell me how I should evaluate the debate, meaning in which order I should evaluate theory and policy. I am not inclined to judge kick an argument unless the 2R tells me to (and poor answers).

******Updated 11/14/2020

Aaron Yu Westminster 2 rounds

Last changed on Mon April 8, 2024 at 8:46 PM EDT

Add me to the chain: aaronyudebate@gmail.com

Tech over truth, but good evidence will help you. I probably won't read cards that neither side tells me to read.

I like clash. That also means I don't like long overviews or speeches that involve a lot of reading.

I lean neg on most theory since this topic is not fun to be neg on. That also means I'm sympathetic to limits impacts on T, but predictability matters a lot too. If you prove to me that there can be good debates with in-depth clash on the water topic, I'll be very generous with speaks for both teams.

I like to see good case debating, especially against advantages with bad internal links. Zero risk is always possible.

Politics DAs that rely on contrived interpretations of fiat have never been great, but I'll give the neg a little more leeway than I would on other topics. Aff teams can make up for this by making logical arguments.

Ks are fine as long as you explain yourself. Examples and specific links to the aff are good. The aff will probably get to weigh the plan.

K affs: I'll vote for them. I think that clash and procedural fairness are probably good if debate is good, but can be convinced otherwise if the aff has substantive offense and explains why it outweighs the neg's impacts. K v K debates are great.

Please disclose as soon as you can. Coming into the room 2 minutes before the round and disclosing an aff that's not on your wiki is something that needs to stop.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions!

Online debate

You should always time your own speeches, but I'll also have a timer running, and if I can't hear you, I'll make sure you know and if I have to stop the speech, I'll let you know how much time you have left and what the last thing I heard was.

I don't care strongly if you keep your camera on or not, but it'll probably help me understand your inflections/nonverbal cues/whatever.

Samford addendum

I do not like voting on ASPEC.

Login to Tabroom

WESTMINSTER

2018 — Atlanta, GA/US

JV Novice Judges Paradigm List

Judges