GSA Scrimmage A
2018 — Fremont, CA, CA/US
All Judges Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideI graduated from James Logan in 2020 and I did PF mostly
1) In round I just expect you to do the basics like comparative analysis, weighing, signposting, impact calc, and extending things properly (not just card names) so I know what you're talking about.
2) Speed is fine but obviously if you're going too fast I may miss things so the more comprehensible the better. I haven't flowed a round since my own state quals tournament before COVID hit so keep that in mind
3) I'll only call for a card if you explicitly tell me to or if it's legitimacy is heavily debated and it's key to the decision
4) For speaks, honestly just do all of the above really well. I'm not gonna tank your speaks unless you do something really bad so dw about that
I may be rusty since I haven’t done anything debate related since I graduated but that's pretty much it, feel free to ask me questions before round
Former PF debater with ~6 years of experience, went to TOC & states
Some general things:
- weigh! tell me exactly how and where you want me to vote
- ill be flowing
- dont spread, clarity is key
- logical warranting should be clear
- might ask to see cards if needed/ if a team requests
- signpost and give me an overview in your latter speeches
- no theory
- if something important comes up in cx i wont be flowing so bring it up in a speech
Good luck!
hi! i'm sky.
please conflict me if i've coached you before. i've marked many of you as conflicts, but it is impossible to get all of you when you attend multiple schools, debate academies, etc. i'll always report conflicts to tabroom.
email. add spjuinio@gmail.com and nuevadocs@gmail.com to the chain.
please try to have pre-flows done before the round for the sake of time. i like starting early or on time.
tech over truth. i don't intervene, so everything you say is all i will evaluate. be explicit; explain and contextualize your arguments. try not to rely too much on jargon. if you do use jargon, use it correctly. extend evidence properly and make sure that your cards are all cut correctly. tell a thoughtful and thorough story that follows a logical order (i.e. how do you get from point A to point E? why should i care about anything you are telling me? i should know the answers to these questions by the end of your speeches). pursue the points you are winning and explain why you are winning the round. remind me how you access your impacts and do NOT forget to weigh. giving me the order in which i should prioritize the arguments read in round is helpful (generally, this is the case for judge instructions). sounding great will earn you high speaks, but my ballot will ultimately go to those who did the better debating.
read any argument you want, wear whatever you want, and be as assertive as you want. any speed is fine as long as you are clear. i will yell "clear!" if you are not. my job is to listen to you and assess your argumentation, not just your presentation. i'm more than happy to listen to anything you run, so do what you do best and own it!
speeches get a 15-second grace period. i stop flowing after 15 seconds have passed.
don't be rude. don't lie, especially in the late debate.
rfds. i always try to give verbal rfds. if you're competing at a tournament where disclosure isn't allowed, i will still try to give you some feedback on your speeches so you can improve in your next round/competition. write down or type suggestions that you find helpful (this might help you flow better). feel free to ask me any questions regarding my feedback. i also accept emails and other online messages. the only time i might not disclose is if you're part of the first flight.
now, specifics!
topicality. it would behoove you to tell me which arguments should be debated and why your interpretation best facilitates that discussion. make sure your arguments are compatible with your interpretation. if you go for framework, give clear internal link explanations and consider having external impacts. explain why those impacts ought to be prioritized and win you the round.
theory. make it purposeful. tell me what competing interpretations and reasonability mean. i like nuanced analyses; provide real links, real interpretations, and real-world scenarios that bad norms generate. tell me to prioritize this over substance and explain why i should.
counter-plans. these can be fun. however, they should be legitimately competitive. give a clear plan text and take clever perms seriously. comparative solvency is also preferred. impact calculus is your friend.
disadvantages. crystallize! remember to weigh. your uniqueness and links also matter.
kritiques. i love these a lot. i enjoy the intellectual potential that kritiques offer. show me that you are genuine by committing to the literature you read and providing an anomalous approach against the aff. alternatives are important (though i have seen interesting alternatives to...alternatives. if you go down this route, you can try to convince me that your argument is functional without one. as with all arguments, explain your argument well, and i might vote for you). as aforementioned, tell me to prioritize your argument over substance and why.
cross. i listen, but i will not assess arguments made in crossfires unless you restate your points in a speech. try to use this time wisely.
evidence. again, please cut these correctly (refer to the NSDA evidence rules). i'll read your evidence at the end of the round if you ask me to, if your evidence sounds too good to be true, or if your evidence is essential to my decision in some fashion. however, this is not an excuse for being lazy! extend evidence that you want me to evaluate, or it flows as analysis. make sure to identify the card(s) correctly and elaborate on their significance. don't be afraid to compliment your card(s). consider using your evidence to enhance your narrative coherence.
public forum debaters should practice good partner coordination, especially during summary and final focus. consider taking prep before these speeches because what you read here can make or break your hard work. arguments and evidence mentioned in the final focus need to have been brought up in summary for me to evaluate it. i flow very well and will catch you if you read new arguments, new evidence, or shadow extensions (arguments read earlier in the round that were not read in summary). none of these arguments will be considered in my ballot, so please do not waste time on them. focus on the arguments you are winning and please weigh, meta-weigh, and crystallize!
tl;dr. show me where and why i should vote. thanks :)
you are all smart. remember to relax and have fun!
I did pf in hs.
- I am truth > tech. Just because you have a card saying something is true but your opponents put a lot of analytical defense on it, that goes unresponded to, I will not vote on that argument.
- DO NOT misconstrue ANYTHING. I will call for cards if you tell me to or if the round is so close I need to look at evidence.
- I’m a pretty fast speaker myself, I can handle speed. That being said, don’t spread outright and if i yell clear please slow down. You going too fast for me harms your prospects of winning.
- If you are running untraditional pf arguments (theory, K, etc.) tell me how to evaluate it. Don’t run theory unless there is abuse because if there is no abuse, I will not vote for you.
- I think framework arguments are really cool and I’m fine with any framework set by either team as long as it is a) warranted very well and b) you tell me why that framework should be prioritized. Framework does not have to be in case, you can make it an overview.
- Long overviews of any type (framing, narrative, new argument, solvency takeouts) are completely fine in both rebuttals. Second rebuttal does not have to frontline. First summary does not have to extend defense.
- EVERYTHING said in FF HAS to be in summary. No exceptions.
- The easiest way to my ballot is weighing. Weighing should generally start in rebuttal or summary. DO NOT say “we outweigh on magnitude” without telling me HOW you outweigh.
- All evidence cited for the first time has to have author’s last name and date at the minimum. If it doesn’t have that, just say no author or no date.
- Offtime roadmaps are SO important to me, so please do that for everything but case/cross! Signpost, otherwise I won’t flow what you are saying.
- I don’t flow cross. I will most likely be looking at memes.
- Your outfit needs to match your vibe.
- Bring me food. I'm vegetarian and I don't like junk food. Food = automatic 30.
I’ll give high speaks to teams that I think deserve to break. My speaker points are not based on how pretty you sound, but how smart you are in round. If you are condescending in any way, I will give you a 26. If you are racist/sexist/homophobic/outright being a jerk, I will give you a 25. I like humor and sarcasm and I will give you higher speaks if you try to entertain me during cross.
I think going first is a structural disadvantage, so if the round comes too close, I will pref the first speaking team. Feel free to ask any questions before round and you can always hit me up anytime during the tournament if you have any questions about how I voted.
Hi! My name is Shreya, and I debated Public Forum at Mission San Jose HS from 2015-19. I'm going to list my preferences below, but please be aware that I'm not overly familiar with the structure and nuance of events outside of PF and it may take me a moment to adapt! If you have any questions or concerns before your round, please feel free to email me at annam.shreya@gmail.com.
1) I am, generally speaking, going to judge tech over truth. That said, any argument that is sexist, racist, homophobic, ableist, xenophobic, or similarly offensive will not be tolerated. I will drop any argument that advocates for genocide, ethnic cleansing, or anything of the sort.
2) Feel free to run Ts and Ks, but please be detailed in your explanations of them! I'm likely not going to know them beforehand, but I'm very happy to judge on a theoretical level, and I'm familiar with a relatively large body of philosophy.
3) I can keep up with most speeds, but I'm not preferential to spreading! I will evaluate clarity higher, and I'll let you know if I need you to slow down or am otherwise having issues understanding you.
4) Structurally, try to keep things neat! The cleaner my flow is, the more straightforward the RFD is going to be.
5) Be kind to your fellow debaters, poor etiquette will cost you in speaks!
For any other preferences, feel free to ask before round start! Good luck, and have fun!
i did PF in high school (2014-18) and coached for ~2 years after.
i have not thought about debate in the past 4 years, i don't have topic knowledge, and am not comfy with technical/theory-ish things in PF. please treat me like a flay judge! i like seeing lots of impact calc, meta/weighing throughout the round along w/ a clean narrative — doing all of these well will mean i give u high speaks (29+). i will lower speaker points for teams that are mean :(
you can wear whatever is comfortable for you in rounds. i don't believe in having to wear a suit for tournaments.
more importantly, i hope you are having a good day :)
sanjim@berkeley.edu
My name is Margot (she/her) and I debated Public Forum at MSJ from 2015-2019. I haven't really been active on the circuit since, so please bear with me while I adjust to any new norms that might have sprung up in the last few years. If you have any questions, let me know at the beginning of the round or at zhaomargot@gmail.com!
Pretty simple, but a couple things I'm looking for when judging PF:
(1) All arguments (and important cards) used in FF must be in Summary. Collapse on important arguments & frame the round well, don't go for everything on the flow!
(2) Beyond line-by-line defense, I'm looking for clear and insightful weighing that explains how your arguments directly interact with your opponents', ideally starting from rebuttal, but especially in the latter half of the round. From summary onward, tell me how the round should be evaluated and give a concise explanation of your path to the ballot.
(3) I'll judge tabula rasa ("tech over truth") for the most part, meaning that I will vote off the evidence presented in round rather than what I believe to be true. If one team says something inaccurate, it's up to the other to dispute it.
This line of reasoning does not apply to clearly racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, or otherwise harmful rhetoric or remarks.
(4) If you'd like me to call for your opponent's evidence, please clearly explain your issue with the evidence so I know what I'm looking for!
(5) Please signpost as clearly as you can throughout every speech. If my flow gets messy, it will not be of help to you!
(6) I don't flow cross! If something important happens, bring it up in speech.
I want to give high speaks generally (especially in JV) but will absolutely dock for bad etiquette (ex. how you conduct yourself in cross...)
Any other event:
As a PF debater, my knowledge of LD or CX is limited.
I would prefer to have cards / cases emailed, clear signposting throughout speeches, and please try to thoroughly explain any kind of K / T that you run as I will not be familiar with most. I'll try my best to keep up with speed and let you know if you're going too fast for me to flow. Feel free to email with any clarifications you may need before round.
Good luck to all competitors!