Kanellis Invitational
2019 — Iowa City, IA/US
Novice Policy Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideAbout Me - I have debated policy at Glenbrook South for three years.
**Please put me on the email chain - aaralis27@gmail.com
Top Level - If you don't flow, I will dock speaker points. Be nice to your opponents; debate should be an inclusive activity where everyone feels welcome. I will not vote on any offensive arguments.
Topicality - I think topicality can be a really convincing negative argument if done properly. You need to extend your impacts throughout the debate and explain why the world of debate under your interpretation is better than the aff's counterinterpretation. I think that the best aff arguments are based off aff ground and overlimiting, but I can be convinced otherwise.
Counterplans - I am fine with any type of counterplan as long as there is some sort of solvency advocate. The more specific to the aff the better. I think solvency deficits can be the weakest part of counterplans, especially ones that aren't specific to the aff, so be sure to address them thoroughly.
Theory - Theory debates are not my favorite, but if the negative team is being abusive, then you should go for theory. It is important to extend your impacts throughout the debate and explain how they ruined topic education and decimated ground. I think the limit for condo is three, but I can be convinced three is abusive.
Disadvantages - I'm a big fan of disadvantages. I prefer there to be specific links. I think the aff team should extend some type of offense on the disadvantage because its hard to win there is a low risk of a disadvantage with defense only. That being said, impact calculus is the most important part for both the aff and neg.
Kritiks - These are not the type of debates I like to judge. Other than the Capitalism K, I am not familiar with kritiks. This means if you go for a kritik, you really need to explain to me which part of the aff you disagree with and why that is bad. Specific links are a must and a link of omission is not a link. I tend to lean aff on framework, but I can be persuaded otherwise.
Final Thoughts - With all this being said, you should run whatever you feel comfortable with and whatever your style is. The most important thing is to have fun!
UPDATE FOR TOC DIGITAL SERIES #12024
We should be using share.tabroom.com
Aasiyah (ah-see-yuh) Bhaiji (by-jee)
she/they
Conflicts: GBS, The Avery Coonley School
I do not know your acronyms; please explain things at the beginning of your rounds. Most of my work related to debate is with Chicago Debates, where I help to build and maintain programs.
SHORT VERSION
"Do your thing, so long as you enjoy the thing you do. My favorite debates to watch are between debaters who demonstrate a nuanced understanding of their literature bases and seem to enjoy the scholarship they choose to engage in...I think judging is a privilege."-Maddie Pieropan.
I flow as much as my fingers will allow me. Slow down on the important parts and always remember clarity should be prioritized over speed.
LONG VERSION--Policy
Debate as an activity loses all value when debaters do not consider that there has to be a reason why a team deserves the ballot. I try my hardest to stick to my flow and rely heavily on judge instruction as to how I will write my ballot. YOU DO NOT WANT ME TO CONNECT THE DOTS FOR YOU.
I appreciate debaters who are passionate, excited, and well-prepared. The best debaters I’ve witnessed throughout the years have been the ones who show kindness and respect towards their partners and opponents. I am not a fan of teams that openly mock, belittle, and disrespect the people they are debating.
I'd prefer you talk about the topic and that your affirmative be in the direction of the topic. I could not possibly care less if that is via policy debate or K debate.
Planless Affirmatives
I like planless affirmatives, but you absolutely need to defend the choices and explanations you give in early cross-exes. I need to know what your version of debate looks like, and I am finding that most teams aren’t willing to defend a solid interpretation, which makes it hard for me to vote for them.
Please stick to an interpretation once you’ve read it. Clash debates with affs that are centered around the resolution are fun, and I find myself in the back of those debates most of the time.
I am not comfortable judging rounds with affs that rely on "survival strategies" or rounds that force debaters to out themselves/explain their identity for an argument.
I have less thoughts on policy rounds, not because I don't enjoy them, but because they are a lot more clear cut for me.
CPs
I do not default to judge kick; you have to give me instructions. What does it mean to sufficiently frame something? I am so serious. I have been asking this question for what seems like forever now.
I miss advantage counterplans, and I am a less-than-ideal judge for Process CPs (I'm not saying I won’t vote for them, it might do you well to spend a couple more seconds on process cps good in the block).
Solvency advocates are good! Please read one!
DAs
DAs as case turns will inevitably end up on the same flow, so please just tell me where to flow things earlier on in the debate.
Please don't read any terror disads/impacts in front of me, I will not be a happy camper. If you have to read them, fine. But I do hope that you have an indepth explanation of your impact scenarios and understand the nuances of WHY terrorism occurs.
Ks
Biiig fan of 'em.
“Kritiks that rely entirely on winning through framework tricks are miserable. If I am not skeptical of the aff's ability to solve their internal links or the alt's ability to solve them, then I am unlikely to vote negative.”-AJ Byrne
If you cannot explain your alternative using a vocabulary a 7th grader can understand, you are likely using language and debate jargon that I find counterintuitive and, quite frankly, boring.
Most teams are very bad at sticking to their framework, unfortunatley for you all, I DO care about framework and will hold you accountable.
T
Why are we putting this as the first off? I will most likely miss the interpretation if you are speeding through it.
Also, can we please explain our impacts earlier on in the debate? Thank you in advance :)
FW
I am not good for “our interpretation is better for small schools"
Defend your interpretation early on and throughout the debate. I need to be able to know how to evaluate the debate by the time I start writing my ballot.
Also I do think that "roll of the judge" and "roll of the ballot" are different (roj is the mindset in which I should evaluate the debate and rob is what my ballot signifies). Define one, define both, but please try to do at least one of those things.
Other things:
- If I could implement the no more than 5 off rule, I would. Obviously, against new affirmatives, the circumstances are different, but I firmly believe that everything in the 1NC should be a viable option for the 2NR.
- DISCLOSURE IS GOOD!I will try my hardest to be in the room for when it happens and I am not afraid to check teams wikis to see their disclosure practices. If you post round docs and show before I give you my decision, you will be rewarded.
- I am super expressive, and you will be able to tell if I am vibing with whatever you are saying. I do have a very prominent RBF. Don’t take it personally; it means I am trying to get everything down.
- Fine with tag-team but have found myself becoming frustrated when one debater from a team dominates all of cx. I do think that all debaters should speak at some point during cross-ex.
- CX as prep is only justified when there is a new aff or if you are maverick.
- The 1AC should be sent out at the scheduled round start time, the only exception is if the tournament is behind schedule and Tab has alerted everyone of the timing change.
More things I have thought about in regards to debate but aren’t wholly necessary to pre-round prep.
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There is a difference between speaking up and yelling, I do not do well with debaters talking over their partners.
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Please give me time to get settled before you start your speech.
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I LOVE good case debating, and I get sad when the block treats it as an afterthought.
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I had no idea teams gained the ability to remember every single thing their opponent said. FLOW! PLEASE!
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Why are we reading the tier 3 argument against planless affirmatives.... let's start using our critical thinking skills
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Rehighlighting evidence is a lost art. Bring it back for 2024
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Clipping is bad, don't do it. I will clear you twice, and after that, I will stop flowing. If there is a recording of you clipping, it's an auto loss and a talk with your coach
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I flow straight down (primarily because of sloppy line-by-line); the more organized your speeches are, the happier I am.
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DRINK WATER
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I do not care if you put a single card in the body of the email chain.
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Have fun and let the games begin!
Congress--
Not entirely sure if you all read these because I am supposed to explain my ethos rules at the begining of the session. You all should be clear, conscise and kind in your speeches. Have fun and good luck!
I have been inactive in the activity since around 2021. I previously served as an assistant coach for Shawnee Mission West, primarily in charge of coaching varsity teams across various styles of debate. Prior to SMW I was an assistant coach at Newton High School, and debated on the college CX circuit with Emporia State University from 2010-2014.
Due to getting older, being out of the game for a few years, and prior hand injury I may have troubles keeping up with a very rapid pace. I am very expressive and if I cannot follow-along you will know.
Happy to answer any specific questions in round. I have coached, debated, and voted for all styles and arguments and am comfortable with all, with a more critical leaning background.
Barstow Debate: 2014-2017
Barstow '19
TCU '23
Hey yall. I have about three years of experience in policy debate, but I don't know the topic. I will evaluate the round the best I can, but you might need to go a little slower and explain things more clearly.
Thanks!
email: zoe.brous@barstowschool.org
Updated 2 September 2024
Debated Maine East H.S. 2009 -2012, Coach/Judge 2012 -
I have not done any research on this topic so do not assume I understand your terms, ideas, and or acronyms.
Debate is an educational game where everything in debate is debatable i.e. should I prefer tech over truth, do I need a plan text. Be nice to each other, try your best and have fun. Prefer debates were debaters are challenged to think in new ways. Do not be deterred from going for any argument because of what you read here. (Do not read Death Good in front of me.)
I’m open to listening to and voting for any argument even debates about what debate should be i.e. k of debate. Just because I stated that I will listen to / vote on / prefer something does not mean that it is an automatic win. If I do not understand something I will not vote on it.
Has been said in many different ways by many different individuals: debating / coaching for a school without many resources and understanding the experiences of similar schools competing against schools who are well resourced,I am not unsympathetic to arguments based on inequities in policy debates
I will default to a policy maker but am open to other ways of deciding the ballot. I will go off the flow and will try not to intervene, however I might default to my opinions below (which are not concrete).
I will vote for the least complex way to sign the ballot. Explaining your arguments / ideas and keeping the debate organized by road mapping, sign posting, and line by line are key and will help your speaker points. Other things that are key and help to explain / frame the debate are: overviews with impact clac, turns case/da arguments, framing of arguments and the debate, impacting out arguments, and in-depth analysis of arguments. Likewise, overall analysis and framing of evidence / arguments / warrants / qualifications / the round, is key. “Even if” statements will help with speaker points and to frame an argument. Do not assume that I know an argument, author, or specific terms. Analytics, defensive arguments (even without your own evidence) are able to reduce any argument/evidence to zero risk or close to it. If I do not understand a part of the argument or it is not explained/major gaps in your logic I will be less likely to vote on it, even if it is dropped. Explain to me why you should win the round and what this means for both you and your opponent’s arguments. Speed is ok but need to clear. Do not sacrifice clarity for speed. Emailing speeches does not count as prep time as long as it is reasonable and send it all in one doc. Have cites available after the round. I will vote down teams/dock speaker points for rudeness, racist, sexism, unethical, offensive and unacceptable arguments / behavior.
Look at / debate / answer the actual warrants (or lack thereof) in the cards not what the card is tagged as. Comparing evidence / qualifications with explanations as to whose is better helps me to evaluate an argument (even just reading evidence and pointing out its inconsistency is great (will help your speaker points)) and is something that I find is missing in a lot of debates. If their evidence is bad point it out. I will read evidence if call for or if I believe there is an issue with it.
Cross x – Tag Team is fine if both teams are ok with it. Overtaking your partner’s cross-x might result in lower speaker points. Be sure to carry cross-x into the rest of the debate. If you indicted a piece of evidence or proved that an argument does not work, say so in your speech.
Theory – Just like any other argument dropping theory is not an auto-win. If a part of the theory is not explained well enough or the other team points out that it is not explained or missing, I will be less inclined to vote for it. Will vote on all types of theory, but need to explain the theory, in-round abuse (why what they did was bad), voters, fairness, education, impacts and why I should either reject the argument or the other team. Do not just re-read your blocks. The more specific the theory is to the argument / abuse / voters / round, the better.
Topicality – Overviews help. Tend to lean affirmative (Neg has the burden) unless there is a clear: violation / definition, bright line between topical and untopical, impacts for allowing the affirmative and others like it to be topical and in-round / potential (prefer in-round) abuse. Will default to competing interpretations. Explanation on all parts of the flow are key i.e. definition, bright line, topical version of the affirmative, case lists, reasons to reject the team (in-round and potential abuse), standards, ground, limits, voters, fairness, education, and impacts. Reasonability, clash / lit checks, race to bottom, etc. are able to reduce the chance of voting on topically. Will vote on aspec / other spec arguments however, need to show abuse in-round.
Speaker points – My range is 27.8- 28.5, this does not mean that I will not go above a 28.5. The road to better speaker points is in this philosophy i.e. know your arguments, be clear, do line by line, point out inconsistency in arguments and evidence, extend / explain / compare warrants and or qualifications (or lack thereof), road map, sign post, impact clac, frame the debate and the other things that are listed in the various sections.
Plan text / Counterplan text – Should be written down. Check how they are written. Will vote on plan flaws and counterplans that change the plan text with a net benefit.
Affirmative – Two things are key: good overviews with impact clac and in-depth case analysis.
Counterplan – Use overviews. Make sure that there is a clear net benefit and/or solvency deficit.
Disads/advantages – Good overviews with turns case /da along with impact analysis/clac where opponent’s impacts/arguments are considered. Disad links should be clear and specific to the case. All types of turns (link, impact and straight) are also a good idea.
K–Explain. Have a general idea on the basic k, not a k hack, but will vote on them (including k of debate arguments / debates about what debate should be). The k needs to be specifically explained not just in terms of what the idea of the k is, but what is the framework, link (the more specific and clearer the better), impact and alterative (not only what the alterative does but how its solves the k and plan’s impact (i.e. root cause) and what does the world of the alterative looks like). A good overview of the k and framework helps a lot. The affirmative should always question the alterative.
K affirmatives and framework -
Last year, many framework debates were not organized, explained or impacted out. You will need those three if you want to win.Will vote on k affirmative and k of debate arguments / debates about what debate should be. Needs to be a clear role of the ballot and clear reason why your version of debate is better. Totally fine with looking at images, listening to music, narratives, stories and other things. Debates are more interesting when: the neg does not just read framework / k but engages with the affirmative and the affirmative k the negative positions through the lens of the affirmative. Framework and disads to framework have to be explained, show how your interpretation of debate solve or root causes the other side’s impacts, impacted out fairness and education, have analysis to show which style of debate is the best and show why the affirmative or argument should be or not be in debate.
Please add me to the email chain: epdal@umich.edu
Pronouns: He/Him/His
O/V
Sophomore at the University of Michigan
Debated all 4 years in HS (2 years 2A, 2 years 2N)
Low topic experience
Short
I was a more policy focused debater in HS, this means that I do not have an innate understanding of the kritik you are running (except for things like Cap, Security)
This does not mean that I will not vote for Ks, just that you will have to explain it
I probably lean a little neg in Framework/T-USFG vs K aff debates
Impact comparison is super important, as is judge instruction on what the most important parts of the debate are
Long
Kritiks — I have not really read a lot of the lit which means that the explanation and application of your theory will be very important, if I am unable to understand it, it makes it a lot more difficult to vote for it/realize why you are winning
K affs — I’ll vote for them and try to be as impartial as possible while judging these debates, that being said, I probably lean a little neg on T-USFG in these rounds
Topicality — I think that legal precision probably outweighs debatability, if the topic is bad it isn’t the aff’s fault. Please extend a violation and standards in every speech you are extending T, even if they dropped it.
Theory — The neg does a lot of shady things with CPs, don’t let them get away with it. I will default to whatever people say/win on whether to reject the argument not the team, winning reject the argument is probably a lot harder on condo debates than others.
The case debate is very important, especially if you are not going for a CP. It is a very underutilized area of debate and a good job debating case will earn you good speaks.
Make the ballot easy — impact comparison and judge instruction will get you far in close rounds, tell me where I have to look first and why it is the most important or I will have to default to the other team’s instruction/figure out myself what is important
Dropped arguments are true arguments to the extent that they have a warrant and an implication (i.e. i.e. "They dropped circumvention" < "They dropped circumvention, Trump can use 49 other programs to sell arms to that country, means the aff can't solve permanently”).
I’m 95% tech over truth, blatantly offensive things like sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia, etc. will not be tolerated.
Postround me all you want — just be respectful and understand that at the end of the day I will not change my decision. I will do my best to explain my decision to you, and answer your questions.
Run whatever crazy strat you want, ultimately debate is a space where we can all talk about cool topics or things that we are very passionate about/interested in and have fun.
If you have any more questions, just email me at epdal@umich.edu
P.S.
1—You only have to explain what the rehighlighting says and insert it --- if you want to read it, that's up to you but I don't think you have to (and if you do you don't have to explain it, its just a card at that point)
2—The number of conditional words that a multiplank CP with all planks conditional generates if N is the number of planks is (2^N)-1, if you're actually interested, ask me about it
let's not use email chains! Please use tabroom share or speech drop
if you have questions for me post round, you can reach me at gartner.drew@iowacityschools.org
Debate background:
Iowa City High: '11-'15
University of Iowa: '15
Coaching: Iowa City High '15-'18. '21- present
Important disclaimer: I have done nearly 0 research on this topic, and will likely not understand your acronyms without explanation. Please do not assume that I have a shared knowledge of the topic, and take time to explain things.
Important Disclaimer Addendum: I find myself not enjoying the insane speed and time skew of current policy debate. I would much rather have a slower, well developed round. I find it frustrating when a team reads 7 off and it's obvious that only 3 positions are remotely viable to make it into the block. My primary job is being an educator, not a debate coach. I love techy, interesting rounds with well-developed positions. I don't love when I can't understand a debate because everyone is going too fast.
I debated Policy all through high school and did some college policy as well. I mainly work with novices, now. Topic specific acronyms, let me know what they mean I won't know. Don't start your speeches full speed, start at 80% and work up to full speed.
I think most debates can/should be decided without reading evidence. This means it is the debaters' burden to tell me what the evidence says, and the implication of the evidence. This also means that I reward story telling/writing my ballot. I have no sympathy for debaters who ask about "well, what about this evidence that says x" after I give a decision. I will not be embarrassed to vote against an argument that I feel i do not understand. It is your job to tell me about that evidence and why it matters, not my job to read it and implicate it on the debate.
General Philosophy: I come from a team where our primary focus was "traditional policy debate" meaning we liked to read heg, environment affs, et.c. Our main neg strat was the DA and a CP, and that is the type of debate I prefer. I did do a lot of cap debating, and a fair amount of security debating, too. My knowledge of critical theory is very limited and I probably require a huge amount of work on the more "out there" ks to vote for you. That being said, I do believe a dropped argument is a true argument. I will vote on dropped arguments if they are dropped and explained. As a caveat, debaters tend to have bad flows and claim everything was dropped, when the reality is that they probably did not. Please do not use the term "functionally conceded" in front of me, that term makes no sense. Either they have dropped something or they have not.
Specifics:
Disadvantages- Probably my favorite part of debate is the top level interactions with case and good DA O/Ws and Case O/Ws and turns debates. These are probably where the majority of my decision calculus comes from. Obviously, you need to win risk/chance of your disadvantage being true, but good impact calc and turns debates are very convincing.
Counter Plans- there tend to be a lot of cheating counter plans, and as a 2a I am probably sympathetic to reasonable theory arguments and perm do the counterplan. That being said, most counter plan theory should be a reason to reject the argument, it will be extremely difficult to win that it should be a reason to reject the team
Ks- like I said above, i am mostly versed in cap and security. If you want to read too much beyond basic Ks, I am most likely not your type of judge. Floating PIKs are probably bad, don't let the negative get away with them.
"non traditional debate/ performance"- also not very versed in it. I am more than likely not the type of judge for this, but i will not reject any arguments out right. I am pretty sympathetic to FW arguments. However, if you are a "non traditional team" and you get stuck with me as a judge, don't lose faith, I can be persuaded. I enjoy critical affirmatives that actually engage the topic, not just reject debate outright, and plan texts are preferable.
T- I don't know much about this topic, so all the topic specifics should be slower and well explained. I think that most debaters try to go too fast in their final rebuttals on T, which leads to a lot of judgement calls. To remedy this, go slower in your final rebuttal, and you will be rewarded.
Theory- Most things are reasons to reject the argument not the team. I will probably not vote on dropped perm theory, even if you claimed it was a reason to reject the team.
Speech Docs/ Email chains
I like speech drop!
I can tell when you are wasting time and/or stealing prep. DON'T. it's annoying, wastes everybody's time, and will undoubtedly lose you speaker points. technical issues do happen, yes, but they should be resolved quickly and efficiently. I would prefer every speech to start as nearly as immediately after prep or CX as possible. We don't want to be the last round done.
Speaker Points
It's very easy to impress me, using technical skill and clarity.
I am okay with speed, but will yell clear once or twice before the speaks begin to get docked. Nobody likes kids who are fast but incoherent, going slower is in your best interest.
Being nice/reducing all hostility is very preferable.
flow and be nice
Humza Khan
- Debater at Barstow
- Senior
Pls add me to the chain: humza.khan@barstowschool.org
General
You do you -- SLOW down and explain
I enjoy nuanced neg strategies whether that's 8 off or one-off the k.
I value good evidence and will read all the cards, but not all arguments need a card. Execution matters more than evidence.
Pls don't misuse the word "conceded" because I can flow and hate this lol
Teams that slow down and read less cards to explain more often do better
If you mark cards, please say "mark card (last word)" and click enter couple times and send marked copy after-wards.
Topicality/Framework
I enjoy these types of debates. Please explain your model of debate. Limits are a major key.
Kritiks
Cool. Explain more and use examples.
Counter-Plans
I think creative perms and impacted out solvency deficits are best route against cps. I don't have a list of CPs I think are not competitive, depends on debating in round. A coherent net benefit would be great too.
Disads -
No problem. Turns case/impact is good.
Case Debate
Always good.
Finale
Clarity > Speed | Tech w Truth
Feel free to ask or email me with questions :)
Have fun!
Kevin Le -- Lay Judge (at this point in time)
Debated @ Maine East 2014-2018
Assistant Coach @ Maine East 2021-2022, 2023-2024
OTHER STUFF: TSMDebateKL@gmail.com --> ALWAYS include me on the email chain
Note: I have not debated nor researched the current high-school topic; keep this in mind when you're explaining and contextualizing your arguments.
-- I am ESPECIALLY unfamiliar with the virtual debate; please be patient with me.
-- I HATE it when teams don't flash analytics. Debate isn't about outspreading the opponent and hoping that they drop something. You should be able to out-debate them even when they have all your arguments. It also helps me flow when you're going 100000000 mph during your speech.
-- Tag team is fine if you don’t start taking over your partner's cross-ex.
-- I do not count flashing time (or general tech screw-ups) as prep time; just don’t abuse my leniency on this.
-- If you are running more than 5 off-case positions, you need to rethink your strategy. Run it at your discretion, but know that I will be more likely to evaluate in-round abuse (on theory debates) as legitimate and a reason as you why your model of debate is bad.
-- You should err on the side of clarity over speed (this usually means slowing down). You will debate better. I will understand your argument better. Judges who understand your argument with more clarity than your opponent's argument are likely to side with you. If you are going too fast or are unclear, I will let you know. Ignore such warnings at your peril (especially with Kritiks), as I am singularly unafraid to admit I didn’t get an answer and will not vote on it. I'm average at flowing but may miss tricks/theory if you don't make them especially clear. If I can't understand your argument -- either due to your lack of clarity or your argument's lack of coherence, I will not vote for it. I'm a 4/10 for speed and maybe even a 5 if I'm fully awake.
-- I will read evidence if it is challenged by a team. Otherwise, if you say a piece of evidence says X and the other team doesn’t say anything, I probably won’t call for it and assume it says X. However, in the unfortunate (but fairly frequent) occurrence where both teams just read cards, I will call for cards and use my arbitrary analytical skills to piece them together.
-- I will not hesitate to vote against teams and award zero points for socially unacceptable behavior (evidence fabrication, threats of violence, racist or sexist slurs, etc.)
-- You can't clip cards. This is non-negotiable. If I catch it, I'll happily ring you up and spend the next hour of my life doing literally anything else with that time. If you're accusing a team of it, you need to be able to present me with a quality recording to review. The burden of proof lies with the accusing team.
-- If you're referring to me, please call me Kevin.
TOPICALITY: Enjoy. I believe it is NEG's burden to prove the plan is not topical. Case lists and arguments on what various interpretations would allow/not allow are very important. I have found that the limits/predictability/ground debate has been more persuasive to me, although I will consider other standards debates.
DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES: Mostly fine with most DAs, but not a big fan of politics DAs.
COUNTERPLANS: Okay. Case-specific CP's are preferable and do not flatly contradict) with other NEG positions. The AFF has the burden of telling me how a permutation proves the CP is non-competitive.
KRITIKS: Not a fan. I will never be better than below mediocre (3/10) at evaluating these arguments because I don’t read philosophy for entertainment. To win, the NEG must establish a clear story about 1) what the K is, 2) how it links, 3) what the impact is at the policy level, or 4) pre-fiat (to the extent it exists) outweighs policy arguments or other AFF impacts. I won't just vote to reject their evil discourse, advocacy, lack of ontology, support of biopolitics, etc. You must be able to distill long philosophical cards that are read at hyper-speed into an explanation that I can comprehend. I have no fear of saying I don’t understand what the hell you are saying, and I will not vote for issues I don’t understand. I don’t have to impress anyone with my intelligence or lack thereof. If you make me read said cards without explanation, I can guarantee that I will not understand the five-syllable (often foreign) philosophical words in the card, and you will go down in flames. I do require a specific analysis of the link and its impact on the AFF. State-bad arguments are not convincing without specific applications to the AFF. Without an explanation, I will assume a K is a very bad non-unique DA. As such, it will probably receive very little weight if challenged by the AFF.
PERFORMANCE-BASED ARGUMENTS AND KRITIK AFFIRMATIVES: No topical plan that starts with "The United States federal government should..." No win. This is non-negotiable. If your AFF does not contain a topical plan and the NEG raises even a minimal framework objection, I will vote for NEG. Especially on a topic where the AFF can critique some vestige of US [INSERT TOPIC HERE] policy and then read a plan to increase/ban that thing, it is a LOW requirement.
I'm a high school debater at the Barstow school, I have been debating for 3 years now.
Aff
I like it when the Aff team has good impacts that they explain and extend through the whole debate.
I don't mind a K Aff as long as you explain it and make sure that the Neg team and I understand what is going on.
Neg
I don't mind a K as long as you explain it and make sure that the Aff team and I understand what is going on.
When you are explaining your impacts make sure you make the links and the impacts of your arguments clear.
I will vote on whatever as long as it is explained. WARRANTS ARE A MUST, I want to hear how you interpret these things, not just names. Don't be obnoxious or rude, this leads to immediate loss of speaker points.
email: picklara4@gmail.com
- she/her
Glenbrook North '20
Northwestern University '24 (not debating)
- name chain logically (pls include name round and turney)
-- Novices/JV: if you follow my labeling advice for docs I will give you +0.1 speaks
-- if you can, pls send your analytics so I can flow better - if helps me and you, I promise
- clarity > speed (especially when online), seriously go slower or I will probably miss much of what you're saying
- impact everything out!
- no hateful language, don't clip, don't steal prep, death is not good, etc
- tech>truth (within moderation)
-- if I don't understand any part of what you said, that means you did not sufficiently explain your arguments
-- if you want me to flow every word of your analytics, send them in the chain
- Novices: don't read condo if there's only one counterplan or kritik (one advocacy)
- its probably fair to assume I'm not particularly well-versed in your kritik (especially if high theory) and need more explanation to fully understand your arguments. Be mindful of
- not read up on this topic so be sure to explain arguments fully
Novice:
The best way to get my ballot is to debate your best and have fun! I don't have any super strong argumentative preferences.
Being nice to your partner and your opponent > trying to seem smart.
(Some of these may be complicated by online debate but) Extra speaker points if you:
- show me your flow after the debate (extra extra points if it looks good)
- make arguments in your speech off the flow (not in your typed blocks or cards)
- mention that you read this paradigm before the debate
- make a joke in your speech (extra if it's funny, negative if it makes fun of the other team)
Varsity:
Put me on the email chain--dundermifflindebate@gmail.com
I am most comfortable deciding T/CP/DA debates, but I'll listen to almost anything.
If you give your final rebuttal without a computer, I will boost your speaker points by .2.
yes please include me on email chain- warrensprouse@gmail.com
Please turn on your cameras when you are speaking if at all possible.
Remember to weigh claims and warrants within your evidence; I am much more likely to vote on well-explained arguments than taglines, even if those arguments do not necessarily have evidence to back them up. If you can do both- awesome.
Do not be rude or disrespectful to your opponents or your partner.
Tell me in the last rebuttals how to weigh your arguments and how to compare your impacts with the other team’s.
If you read cards that are not in the novice packet and were given to you by your varsity debaters, that is cheating and I will yell at you.
Overall:
-Please flow. It makes it easier for me to flow.
-Time your own prep and speeches.
-Don't be rude to your partner or the other team.
-Try to use all of your speech time.
-Give a roadmap before your speech and stick to it.
CPs:
-I like them. I think they're good arguments to make. If you read one, make sure you understand it and how it functions. Make sure it's competitive and that it has an external net benefit.
DAs:
-I like these too. Make sure you understand the internal link chain of your DA and have a decent impact card. Specific links are good too, so if you have them, read them.
Ks:
-I'm familiar with Ks, but I didn't read them very much. I will vote on a K, but as with any argument, you need to explain it.
T:
-I will vote on T if it is extended throughout the round. Make sure you explain the voting issues, your interpretation, why it's better for debate, and why the aff violates your interpretation.
Speaker Points:
I don't generally give below 27.5 speaker points. That being said, if you're rude to your partner or your opponents or if you say something offensive, you will get less than that.
Cally Tucker
Gbn '19 (Fourth year debater)
Put me on the email chain and feel free to email me after round with any questions- callytucker8@gmail.com
Overall things to keep in mind
- Be clear
- Please do not shake my hand
- Be respectful of both me and the other team. It will impact your speaker points if you are being rude/disrespectful throughout the debate. That being said, offensive comments will not be tolerated. I will issue a warning/stop the round at any point if I feel the need too
- Please flow
- Time your own prep, speeches and cx
- Don't be rude during cx, do not repeatedly bombard the other team if they don't answer your question to your liking. Tag team is fine, try to answer yourself, if you can't, defer to your partner
- Spread, but don't let that get in the way of clarity. If you need to slow down to be more clear, then do it
- try to debate off your flow in the 2ar, 2nr
- give a road map before the speech
- use all speech time
- your arguments are only as good as what I have on my flow
Cp's
I like them and read them a lot and you should too. If you are reading them, make sure they are competitive. Against them, theory (condo bad, dispo bad, process cp's bad, 50 state fiat bad, etc), perms (make as many as you can), and defense. Make sure your cp has a net benefit, and make sure that it works. I don't like consult cp's (possible cheating) but if you really sell me on it, I will consider voting on it.
Da's
Make sure your link story is clear and that your impact card is decent. If you are extending them into the block, make sure you have impact calc throughout at the top and line by line for any args they have. Against disads, have good defensive arguments and explain why it doesn't link. If their link story is bad, or their unq is bad make sure to point it out and tell me why.
K's
I will vote on them but I don't read any others besides neolib often. I am familiar with most, (most likely familiar with any you novs will run or JV). Make sure your alt is well explained and why it is effective in and out of the round. If the alt is to just reject the 1ac, you need to really sell me on why that is important to the ideology of your kritik. If you are against a K, read framework and explain why their alt is bad. Most alts are not very good, but you again have to sell me on this and explain it. AFF: Read condo and make perms.
Topicality
Topicality is good. I'll vote on it if it was extended well and the voting issues were explained throughly. Make sure you also explain your interpretation. TVA's are good.
Speaker points
I generally stick to 27.5+. being rude, really arrogant or disrespectful will significantly dock your speaks. If you get below a 27.5, it is for a reason, and if you'd like to contact me with any questions as to why, you can email me.
gl
My understanding of the topic: "There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?" - Lord of War (2005)
People who influenced my understanding of debate: Tara Tate, Jon Voss, Tyler Thur, JP, Jake Lee, Cicero, Nimil Patel and DHeidt.
"Policy Debate is increasingly neither... I do not mind when it is both." - Repko
Debate is a persuasion activity - persuade me.
I am one of the few people around that am more convinced with a link overview in why the affirmative causes the link to occur rather than an impact overview. Note that impact calc still plays an important role in my decision calculus. I also put evidence quality in a high standard when looking at questionable evidence post-round.
Conditionality is probably fine, Counterplans that do the plan are probably not.
Email: anthonyvaliaveedu@gmail.com
Remember that "there are only two tragedies in life. One is not getting what you want, the other is getting it."