MVLA Shutdown Showdown
2020 — The Internet, CA/US
Novice Lincoln-Douglas Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideHi! I just graduated from Notre Dame High School (San Jose, CA) and will be studying Political Science/ Economics at the University of Chicago this fall. I did LD (5 years, lay and fast), OO, Imp, a little PF, and Worlds Schools Debate.
General
Most important thing is to weigh all impacts from your case and on the flow (I don't want to make any decisions that aren't brought up in the debate itself). Make sure you go slow for this part so I catch everything.
Please refer to evidence by tagline/ what it's about instead of author's name and date, since I don't often flow that in super detail. Make sure it's clear when you're reading evidence through a clear citation.
Please don't use acronyms that aren't defined earlier in the round, since most likely I haven't researched the topic you all are debating.
A good CX/CF will boost your speaker points. Just don't be overly aggressive and keep the debate friendly. Any form of being rude to your opponent/ xenophobic commentary leads to LOW speaks and potentially a loss depending on what's said. Let me know before round if there are any questions. :) Good luck!
LD
I prefer a lay/flay round (minus any fluff like quotes at the beginning and unrelevant analogies) but if you want to go fast please read below:
Speed: Please go at a fast conversational speed for me (no spreading). If you spread I probably won't catch what you're saying since I was never good at flowing spreading + I won't be flowing off a doc. Also online audio isn't the best time to practice your spreading skills on me. I will call slow as many times as needed, but if you don't slow down, I won't flow, and I can't vote on an argument I never flowed.
Theory: I'm fine, but I don't like frivolous theory or disclosure theory on a small school/ new debater or on a lay debater that has no clue what theory is. Make sure you go slowly through your standards (have 2 good ones instead of 10 one-line standards) and weigh the impacts.
K's: I'm down for most mainstream K's like cap but I never really liked Baudrillard/ Wilderson (but you can run it, you just have to go slow for me). Make sure you explain the K in your own words for it to come across clearly for me.
I'm good with a stock case of advantages, disadvantages, and counterplans. Sketch counterplans are fine with me as long as you run it well and are prepared for theory.
PF
If you want to go fast or anything, read what I wrote above regarding LD. Otherwise, a fast conversational speed works for me.
If a rule is violated in the round, you should point it out to me (during your speech, not mid round) since I don't have PF rules memorized. Make sure to compare evidence, have good clash in round (instead of just repeating your own points), weigh arguments, and keep the round friendly.
Hello! I did Parliamentary debate for 2 years and Lincoln-Douglas debate for 4 years in high school. While I can handle technical debate, I've never been a fan of spreading or running technical arguments (theories, Ks) unnecessarily (ex. just to trip up your opponents). I also very much so appreciate a well-done impact calculus and good weighing!
I have included my preferences below. If you have questions that are not answered below, ask them before the round begins.
- I evaluate arguments on the flow.
- I am a tabula rasa judge; I will vote on almost any argument that is topical, properly warranted and impacted. If an argument makes no sense to me, it's usually your fault and not mine. In the absence of an explicit framework, I default to util.
- I am fine with moderate speed. Although I personally spoke very quickly when I competed, I will misflow tag-lines and citations if they are rushed, and I prefer a more understandable debate. If you want my ballot, you will be better served talking clearly; too much speed will hurt your speaker points.
- If there is no offense in the round, I will presume first speaker by default, not con. This is because I believe PF puts the first speaking team at a considerable structural disadvantage. If both teams have failed to generate offense by the end of the round, the onus should fall on the team going second for not capitalizing on their advantage. This is my attempt to equalize the disparity between the first and second speaking team.
- I do not take notes during crossfire and only pay attention selectively. If something important comes up, mention it in your next speech!
- I will typically only vote on something if it is in both summary and final focus. If you read an impact card in your case and it is not in summary, I will not extend it for you, even if the other team does not address it. Of course, there are inevitably exceptions, e.g. defense in the first FF.
- No new evidence is permitted in second summary (it's fine in first summary). This is to encourage front-lining and to discourage reading new offense in second rebuttal. Additionally, new carded analysis in the second summary forces the final focus to make new responses and deviate away from its initial strategy. The only exception I will make is if you need to respond to evidence introduced in the first summary. New analytical responses are fine.
- First summary doesn't have to extend defense, but it is responsible for extending turns/any offense. Second summary and both final focuses need to extend defense.
- I try to be visibly/audibly responsive, e.g. I will stop flowing and look up from my computer when I don't understand your argument and I'll probably nod if I like what you're saying. I will also say 'CLEAR' if you are not enunciating or going too fast and 'LOUDER' if you are speaking too quietly; don't be caught off guard.
- I will only ask to see evidence after the round in one of three scenarios. (1) I was told to call for a card in a speech (2) Both teams disagree over what the card says and never fully resolve it (3) I'm curious and want to read it.
- I usually won't keep track of your speech and prep time. It is your job to keep your opponents accountable. If there is any particular reason you cannot keep time, please let me know and I will try to accommodate
- I will evaluate theory arguments and Kritiks if they are well warranted enough. As a warning/disclaimer, if something doesn't make sense to me, I may not feel comfortable voting on it. This means you will probably have to over-explain advanced and complex arguments (this applies to non-progressive arguments as well).
- I evaluate the debate on an offense/defense paradigm. This does not mean you can wave away your opponent's defensive responses by saying "a risk of offense always outweighs defense," because terminal and mitigatory defense are not the same thing. Terminal defense points out flaws in the logic of an argument while mitigatory defense accepts an argument as a logical possibility and attacks its probability or magnitude. I personally dislike 'risk of offense' type arguments because I think they encourage lazy debating, but I will happily vote on them if they are well executed. You must answer responses that indict the validity of your link chain if you want to access offense from an argument.
- I reserve the right to drop you for offensive/insensitive language, depending on its severity. Some things are more important than winning a debate round!
- If you plan to make arguments about sensitive issues such as suicide, PTSD, or sexual assault, I would strongly advise issuing atrigger warning beforehand. I believe debate should be a safe space, and while I don’t necessarily believe inclusivity should compromise discussion, the least we can all do is make sure everybody is prepared for the conversation.
- I expect all exchanges of evidence to take less than 2 minutes. If you delay the debate any longer while looking for a specific card, I may dock your speaker points for being disorganized and wasting time. If someone requests to see your evidence, you should hand it to them as soon as possible; don't say "I need my computer to prep."
- I don't care if you have WiFi on, as long as you're not communicating with anyone outside of the round. Feel free to download a PDF or look something up on Google – whatever makes for a better/fairer debate. The exception to this rule is if certain tournaments have very explicit rules prohibiting internet access (e.g. NCFLs).
- Be nice to each other!
I did LD for four years in high school, currently I'm a freshman in college.
Overall: I like line-by-line arguments, and I like it when debaters go deep into arguments to closely examine them. I like quality over quantity. I like it when debaters take time to unpack what their (and their opponent(s)) evidence is saying, rather than spamming cards. I like it when debaters pay attention to the details of what their opponents are saying.
If your evidence or logic says something different from your opponents', I would like to hear why one is better than the other.
Framework: If you say something is good or bad about a framework, say why that matters. For example, if you say that your opponent's framework can't be clearly measured while yours can, explain why a framework needs to be measurable.
Speed: Talk fast at your own risk. I'm generally not that good at understanding debaters who talk fast.
If you go overtime during your speech, I will not take off speaks or interrupt, but I won't flow arguments made after the timer goes off.
Random preferences: I am very unlikely to vote for theory or Ks or tricks or other circuit arguments, so if you want to run those, you should probably strike me.
I'm generally fine with plans and counterplans, but I don't really like extremely specific PICs. Anti-PIC theory is one of the only theory arguments I would vote for.
I don't know what T debates are. People have tried to explain disads to me, but so far I don't get what's different about them from the neg saying "contention 1"
I'm unlikely to vote for extinction link chains unless they are really compelling or the topic is about nuclear weapons.
If you do math in the round, I will give you very high speaks.
One final thing:
Debate should be chill and friendly, educational, and most importantly fun. I know there can be a lot of pressure; I certainly felt that pressure when I was debating in high school. I hope you can enjoy yourself and learn from the experience no matter whether you win or lose.
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. to win my ballot, you should explain and contextualize your arguments. try not to rely too much on jargon. only use jargon if you know how. extend evidence properly and ensure that your cards are all cut correctly (please refer to the NSDA evidence rules). 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 have more answers than questions by the end of your speeches). pursue the points you are winning and explain why you have won 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. as nueva gc artfully articulated, "feel the rhythm, feel the ride, get ready, it's spreading time!" 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, though you should try to finish punctually. i stop flowing after 15 seconds have passed.
teams who use hateful language automatically lose. i’ll end rounds early if given a compelling reason to (e.g. evidence violations).
don't be mean. don't lie. don't shake my hand.
rfds. i always try to give verbal rfds and feedback 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, but do not fight me on my decision. i also accept emails and other online messages. i miiiiight not disclose if you're part of the first flight and/or the next round is expedited.
now, specifics!
topicality. 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.
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 (linking the NSDA evidence rules in case). 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 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. none of these arguments will be considered in my ballot, so please do not waste time on them. additionally, i don't like to (and tend not to) evaluate arguments without evidence in the back half. you should read carded links and impacts minimum. 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!
Debated for Fullerton Union High School - policy for 4 years
- 2a for my entire career only ran affs with plans. 2a's be creative. I want to give you credit, but you have to justify it. 2ns flag stuff and close doors.
- 2n senior year, only went for politics, process CPs, and T. Not too much T as a 2n tho, but I love it. Ev matters. Predictable Limits >
- cheating CPs are fun, but have a good theory block. If I don't catch your args and the 2a goes for theory, I will assume it wasn't said. I won't fill in gaps.
- not a fast flow. Explanation and clarity plz.
- I'm probably not the best for K affs. I didn't understand them when I debated at a high level, so the threshold of need for explanation in debates is probably much higher, but I will vote for them.
- I went for FW against K affs. Fairness impacts need to pair with an arg about why fw is good for skills or something.. try to solve their offense plz and not just complain.
- take advantage of drops
As a judge, I will look for the following in the debate
a) Don't spread too much. If you want to spread, please share the case with me in advance. I may hear your speech/argument, but if you do not give me enough time to process it, I may not vote on it.
b) Don't bring any evidence if the probability of the issue happening is very low.
c) Don't bring any new arguments/evidence in the final speech.
d) I prefer Quality over Quantity.
I will try to be as neutral as possible. Having said that It is your job to make sure I know your argument without having studied it myself.
Hi Everyone,
My name is Warren Levy and I've competed for all of HS in LD (circuit and traditional) and PF. I've mainly competed in CA and WY. I'm generally pretty flexible with args as long as they're not racist, sexist, etc... TL;DR: you'll probably be fine running anything as long as it's not ridiculous but here are some more specifics.
email chain: warrenlevy@me.com
General Things:
- Don't be rude
- I'm fine with speed (but do make an effort to actually say words)
- Argue a value or don't, I don't really care (but be prepared to counter if your opponent does)
- Line by line is appreciated
Evidence:
- Please have your case in Verbatim - if not just make it easy to see your cards
- Make sure to cite using MLA or whatever you prefer
- I like author quals if you have them
- Deliberately changing evidence will get you dropped
Affs:
- Make it topical
- Get creative
- K Affs are fine
- The threshold for winning is an arg standing that neg can't disprove
- You have to defend the resolution absolutely always
Negs:
- I love k's
- CP's are good as long as they don't counter your DA
- The only CP I don't like is an iffy delay/consult
- Disads are always a safe bet
- Make your args specific to the res - don't use a generic k
Hi,
I'm Jyothi and this is my first year judging debate tournament. Please share the case and evidence details in zoom for me to follow the speeches. As this is my first time judging, I prefer if you speak at average speed rather than spreading.
While I am judging, I will be having fun listening to your debate. I appreciate you taking your weekend for debating and my very best wishes to you.
Please weigh the debate and show why your impacts outweigh your opponents. Be polite, positive, and good luck !!!
Hi, I am Thomas Maramag. As a judge, I believe strongly in strong evidence and research on the topics of the debate. Arguments should have strong references like case studies, statistics, and scientific research. I understand that individuals have a limited time to provide their arguments, but rushed deliveries are frowned upon in my judgement. Please, be able to clearly articulate your argument.
I've debated LD for three years in high school.
Please speak at a reasonable pace and loudness. Feel free to spread, but you'll lose. Be a decent person. Being overly aggressive or treating the opponent disrespectfully causes a loss.
Try to provide evidence for your claims, and systematically respond to opponents. It's good to be persuasive. Be funny; it may or may not improve your speaks :). Don't be too nervous; we're all here to have fun and learn. Do not drop a nuclear bomb during the round, even if you are negating.
Hi! My name is Sierra, my pronouns are she/her/hers, and my email is sierraromero002@gmail.com for the email chain.
Bio: I've done 3 types of debate (ld, cx, pf), but most of my judging has been in LD. In high school, I competed at Albuquerque Academy and I got an at-large to the TOC in LD senior year. I also coached at Academy 2020-21 season and ISD summer 21. I'm a sophmore at Columbia prob studying math and african-american studies (idk), and I've done parli once.
Basics:
1. truth > tech. I have no tolerance for racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic/ableist etc. and I will comfortably vote you down if these arguments are made. I also think that you should be mindful of the impacts you are talking about if you do not belong to that group of people. Debate has material impacts for the people in it, and winning tech arguments will not change that.
2. Layering sets up my ballot. The top of the 2NR/2AR should start with layering. Framing/ROTB is one of the best ways to do this. impact calc is also very important with layering
3. Speed- Please don't spread through analytics if you aren't flashing them (flash your interps too). Go with the speed your most comfortable with.
General: (these are somewhat in the order of what I prefer to evaluate)
Ks
I am most persuaded by links to the specific action that the aff takes. If the neg proves that the action the aff takes links to the K, then it makes it much harder for me to grant the aff a permutation. For the alt, I need a clear explanation for how it solves for the impacts of the K. Winning your theory of power/having a clear explanation of your lit is really important.
For K/performance affs, tell me why your interpretation/rejection/framing of the topic comes first. I also need to know what the world/methodology of the 1AC is for me to vote for it which entails a clear explanation of your lit. For T/FW vs K affs, it's most strategic to go for education as your impact in front of me. I don't recommend going for procedural fairness bc I will be very hesitant to vote on it.
For affs hitting Ks, win the perm debate and explain the world of the permutation. For me to vote on a perm you need to 1) win the link debate, 2) win impact calc on the perm. I am hesitant to grant perms on performances/methodology. The other route to go would be disproving the K's theory of power. If you are going this route, I would expect that you are very familiar with the lit in order to understand its specific problems.
Policy/LARP
I feel pretty comfortable with anything except theory debates (I am not the best judge to go for theory in front of). If you are going to read more than 4 off, don't do it for the time suck. I enjoy policy debates that are built with good strategy, where any off case position could be in the 2NR. Good DAs/CPs are some of my favorite arguments to hear. DAs should have a clear link to the aff and internal link story in the 1NC and good impact calc/weighing throughout the round.
T/FW
I am most persuaded by arguments that tell me why your model of debate is better for education. I love, love, love, impact turns on T, and I think that that is one of the most strategic answers to T. BUT you have to be winning the fairness debate for me to evaluate the impact turn or tell me a reason why your impact turn layers before fairness does on my ballet.
For T vs LARP affs, I need a very clear explanation for why your interp produces better clash and why that's better for education. In T/FW vs K affs, I want to hear why your model of debate is better and doesn't exclude the aff's education. If you want to go for T in front of me, make sure to warrant all of your arguments really well/sequence how I should evaluate the round (i.e. tell me why T comes first or smt).
Phil
I am not too familiar with phil authors, but a clear explanation of your author and weighing will make the round much easier for me to evaluate. This means that you have to be winning your framing, but also contextualize it to the rest of the impacts in the round. Tell me how to weigh specific impacts through your framing or why specific impacts come first.
Theory
I definitely have the least experience with theory/tricks. If you go for either of these in front of me, you need to tell me why procedural arguments come first (i.e. why does it come before fiat, pre-fiat, etc.). Please explain what the impact of your shell is and weigh it against the model of debate that your interpretation excludes (impacts are very important for me if you want me to vote on the shell). Lastly, if you're going for theory make sure to extend the entirety of your shell, meaning that you should extend your interpretation and violation, otherwise I won't feel comfortable voting on it.
Haven't judged debate in a minute, but do whatever you are comfortable with, and I'll do m best to evaluate.
Gabriel, He/Him/His, sandovg65@gmail.com
UPDATE ASU CONGRESS 2024: I've debated congress before but this is only my second time judging it. I'm a debate judge so focusing on the cohesiveness of your arg is my priority but speaking also matters (can't get a 5 or 6 on arg alone). Happy to answer questions pre-round.
Intro
I debated Policy for 4 years at both the state and national level, and have experience judging all three debate events. I was an assistant Public Forum coach for a year and have also helped coach Policy students. I'm fine with spreading as long as you slow down for your analytics-- if it's unintelligible, I won't flow it. Just make it really clear when you're transitioning from one idea to another.
I don't trust tabroom completely anymore, so if you have any issues seeing ballots/ anything else with my profile, just email me, I will have the rfd's all saved in a word doc.
Because this is a concern I've heard expressed from some debaters I know-- if I'm not looking at you, it's a good sign, because it means I'm flowing. If I am looking at you, I'm trying to figure out what on Earth you are saying, so I can try to flow it.
Please put me on the email chain.
FOR LD/POLICY (pfers scroll to the bottom):
On Policy and "traditional" args
Theory/ Topicality: I'm cool with this stuff if and only if it is run when necessary. Be careful with theory as it isn't always your friend-- sometimes it is just a time waster. For example, I don't like it when teams run disclosure just cause they're used to it/good at it. Run it if the aff is tricky and them not disclosing actually hurts how you are able to debate-- you need to prove that it is your education at stake if you want to run disclosure in front of me. Truth over tech for sure when it comes to theory.
Topicality I have more patience for (I'm more willing to vote on it for tech-based reasons) but also you need to prove to me why it's bad for debate if the aff is untopical. I'm not going to vote on theory or t just because the aff drops one of your million analytics--but I will vote on them if I feel like you've proven to me the world of debate will be better adhering to your norms. I actually really like topicality when it's run properly I just think that often times it's run as a time suck which makes me sad.
Other Policy args: Framework is good. Disads are good. CP's are good (but I am sure to be considerate of the aff and the potential harm that ridiculous CP's bring, especially if aff makes args for itself). "Traditional" style LD debates are good. Policy style debates are good.
Everything is pretty much good with me if it doesn't undermine the well-being of your fellow debaters or marginalized groups in some way. I also value education in the debate space VERY highly-- don't stifle it.
Tricks-- If you have to rely on tricks to win a debate round, you should probably strike me.
On K Debates
I'm cool with K debates and think that if done right they are some of the most educational debates. I do have one rule, however. Either a K aff should be semi-related to the resolution or the aff debater needs to devote a couple seconds to telling me why the K takes preference to the resolution. I feel like most debaters do this, so it's not normally an issue, but if you don't I think then it's fair game for the neg to fight for resolutional debate. Basically, I go into the round prepared to vote based off the resolution, but I will do differently if it is successfully argued otherwise.
I've both debated K's and debated against K's before, BUT if you read anything too critical, consider summarizing it briefly for me in lay terms-- if I don't know what it is, it'll help me out, and if I do, then it'll boost your speaks because it shows me you can adapt to lay debate with critical arguments. Putting it into a "real-world" perspective will highlight to me why this argument matters.
Overall I think K debates are great and are always better if they're a K you run passionately than if they're the old Cap K you pulled from a camp file 2 years ago and shoved a link card on.
On Voters/ how you should debate
I love both traditional debates and non-traditional-- but I need you to include voters in your rebuttals that tell me why I should consider voting for you. These voters should be for strats that you have carried throughout the round and fleshed out well-- it's okay to condense down to a couple key arguments if you know they can win you the round. What's not okay is just dropping your opponent's arguments without either making it clear to me why they don't matter in the context of the round or neglecting to tell me why the issues you have selected are the critical talking points of the round and deserve all of my attention. There are usually so many arguments in the round, and having each team tell me what they value as the most important argument and why said argument is a voter makes it much easier for me to give a ballot (this means you should condense, even if you are aff, don't try to go for everything, it never ends well). Without voters, you risk me voting on whatever issues I think are most important, and who knows if that will benefit you or not.
Again, tell me exactly WHAT you did that I should focus most on and WHY it is worthy of a ballot. I can look through my flows and evaluate the technical aspect of the debate myself-- what I can not do myself is determine which arguments are most important without bias. Please don't make me even come close to having to rely on my personal opinions to decide a round.
Overall, debate is a game, somebody will win, and somebody will lose. I love seeing different strategies and approaches to it-- that's what makes debate fun. That being said, no game should ever come at the expense of hurting somebody personally, so if there are abusive attacks and/or harmful arguments at the expense of a marginalized group/ a debater, I will take it very seriously both in the administration of the space and with my ballot.
Always feel free to ask me questions before round.
Speaks Chart (for tournaments with decimal speaks):
30: I feel lucky to have judged you because you are just that good.
29.7-29.9: Your performance "wowed" me, good on the flow, good at speaking, and with exciting argumentation.
29.3-29.6: Great debaters.
28.5-29.2: Good debaters and good at speaking.
28-28.4: Good debaters with room for improvement on speaking.
27.5-27.9: You made a couple of errors, but nothing that significantly frustrated me.
27-27.4: You made several errors, but I can see a semblance of strategy.
26.5-26.9: You made several technical errors that have me questioning if you really ever had a path to the ballot.
26 or lower: You said something really offensive/made the debate space actively bad.
FOR PF:
1) Weighing is really important!!!! Teams NEED to tell me how to vote-- I go in to the round open to voting for just about anything (no racist, homophobic, etc. arguments). Telling me how to vote and providing me with evidence/args to back up your claim that you have the best voters is key to my ballot. Especially in debates with lots of args all across the board-- I need voters so that I can see what you think is most important about the round. Teams weighing helps make my ballot so much easier.
2) Refute your opponent's arguments in addition to extending your own, but also don't try to go for everything in your final focus. CONDENSE! PLEASE!
3) As a former policy debater, I'm decent with speed, but be careful transitioning too fast between contentions/ analytics. Those fast transitions are what can make PF hard to flow. Basically just slow down to sign post so I put things on my flow properly. Maybe one day PF will pick up flashing and I can delete this.
4) Have arguments that are backed up by both evidence and analytics. I'm not going to vote solely on unwarranted claims, but I'm also not going to vote for you because you threw a bunch of authors at me and just said "figure it out." Evidence debates are only good if your opponent's evidence is unethical/incorrect, and rarely are good when your evidence is just "better."
5) I'm not the biggest fan of sticky defense or not frontlining defense in second rebuttal, but I understand that PF speeches are short and you're in a time crunch, so I won't hold these things against you. All offense must be frontlined in second rebuttal, however. No new arguments in second final focus, ever!
I'm not a fan of PF cross x and there is a pretty big chance I won't evaluate it unless things that are said come up again in later speeches. I will listen to it, but probably won't put anything down on my flow based solely off of what I hear in cross. Teams being nice, clear, and not turning cross X into a garbled mess often times get rewarded with high speaks from me in this event.
If you have more questions you can ask me before the round. I implement the same speaks chart as listed in the LD/Policy section (if there are decimal speaks).
email chain: amyzhou@gmail.com
Hello! I'm a college student doing finance at Wharton + am on Penn Debate, somewhat active in american parli. Was an LDer at Leland HS for 4 years, have also tried PF a couple times for fun – familiar with all the debate events except policy.
Don't have a very rigid paradigm – as long as your argument is well-explained and well-warranted, I'll vote on it. I'm not very familiar with theory (did trad LD), but am interested in learning about it through watching rounds! (just don't assume I'll automatically be familiar with what you're running)
- tech over truth
- am a tabula rasa judge
- i'll pay attention during cross, but won't flow it
- signpost, extend, and time yourself please
- speed is fine but I definitely can't guarantee that I'll catch every word you say. Will retain/flow more info if you're not spreading.
Humor is good! light roasting/sass can be fun too. but definitely do not be an asshole.