ACTAA High School September Regional
2020 — Online, AR/US
Debate Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideI am a lay judge.
DON'T SPREAD. I need to be able to understand what you are saying, so that you get the best possible score. I know that doing these debates online has thrown extra technical difficulties into the mix, so it is more important than ever not to spread. It glitches up and I'm unable to understand what you are saying.
Signpost well so I can flow properly.
HELLO!!!!
I am a fairly new judge to debate.
I expect RESPECTFUL debate...the minute you get an edge to you and become aggressive toward the other team...I shut off and will cast my vote for the other team. It is SO IMPORTANT that we have a respectful exchange of ideas and debate those accordingly. I do expect there to be a clash of ideas...just not a clash of personality. Questioning is important.
I enjoy strong connection to your material and expect you to provide strong reasoning and support for the points you are bringing to the table. If you have to spell it out for me, please do so. Be meticulous in how you explain things for me so that I can follow what you are saying. ORGANIZATION to your delivery is the key.
Speed: I am NOT a fan of spreading so do NOT do it.
I prefer a slower debate, I think it allows for a more involved, persuasive and all-around better style of speaking and debating. It is your burden to make sure that your speech is clear and understandable and the faster you want to speak, the more clearly you must speak. If I miss an argument, then you didn't make it.
I LOVE terrific cross-examination!!!
For all debate- I will pick a winner based on who best communicates the most logical arguments. When judging communication, I take into account speaking pace, clarity of delivery, and organization.
Maysen Brokaw
TLDR: do what you want. I’m fine with speed as long as it’s clear-put me on the email chain. Framework is important and I can vibe with progressive args. Respect your opponents or I will drop you.
LD: I am a traditional LD debater. Heavy framework, integrated into your contentions and impacts. I think framework is extremely important so if you win framework, then there’s a high possibility that you win the round. However, case debate is really important too. Turns and defense looks really good along with framework. Impacts are a big deal. If you drop impacts, then you’ll most likely lose the round. Signpost please. I’m okay with any arguments made as long as they can be supported throughout the debate. Be cordial in cross-one of my biggest pet peeves is people trying to talk over each other or be overly aggressive during cross. I’m okay with speed most of the time as long as you are clear. I will yell clear three times before I stop flowing. After the 1AC, I’d like a road map so it is not a messy flow. For the negative, I’m not a big fan on topicality unless it is argued correctly. Plans, Disads, Counterplans are cool. This happens frequently-bringing up new args or impacts in the last affirmative speech. Don’t do it because I won’t weigh it; it is unfair to the negative.
Also, any type of racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, or generally problematic comments will result in a L. It's not tolerated in the speech and debate community.
Hey dudes I'm Jillian
I did debate for three years, 1 year was novice policy at Bentonville HS, and two years were at Bentonville West doing LD. I have won local tournaments, competed at national ones, and was 1st Alt for Nationals last year in LD. Also, I understand all formats so please don't try to trick me because I will know lol.
In terms of LD and PF, I am pretty laid back because I expect you to do the work for me. (aka a flow judge) I would like all arguments to be as flushed out as possible, and I will try my very hardest not to make assumptions or fill in any blanks in someones argument because I see that as unfair. However, you cannot just make unseemly claims and expect me to buy them, especially if they are in any way racist or sexist. (I will for sure vote you down if you are being intentional.)
On the flow, if you drop something, and the other person points out that a) you dropped it and b)why that matters, you will lose that argument. However, if they do not point it out and it goes uncontested, the last argument is the one I will consider at the end. Framework is important because for LD- it is based on values, and PF, it is critical in order to evaluate impacts, but honestly I like case debates so much better. That being said, you cannot win the round if you lose framework.
People should not get below 25 speaker points with me, unless you are extremely triggering or if you concede the round. Also, speed is cool with me because I definitely spoke too fast for most judges but just be as clear as possible, and if I need to I will just ask for evidence or clarification after the speech.
Good luck and have fun!!!!!
Updated 9/24/24 Post-Greenhill
Hi everyone, I'm Holden (They/He)!
University of North Texas '23, and '25 (Go Mean Green!)
If you are a senior graduating this year, UNT has debate scholarships and a program with resources! If you are interested in looking into the team please contact me via my email listed below and we can talk about the program and what it can offer you! If you are committed to UNT, please conflict me!
I would appreciate it if you put me on the email chain: bukowskyhd@yahoo.com
Most of this can be applied to any debate event, but if there are event specific things then I will flag them, but they are mostly at the bottom.
The TLDR:
Debate is about you, not me. I think intervention is bad (until a certain point, those exceptions will be made obvious), and that letting the debaters handle my adjudication of the round as much as possible is best. I've been described as "grumpy," and described as an individual "that would vote on anything," I think both of these things are true in a vacuum and often translate in the way that I perceive arguments. However, my adherence to the flow often overrides my desire to frown and drop my head whilst hearing a terrible argument. In that train of thought, I try to be as close to a "no feelings flow bot" when adjudicating debates, which means go for whatever you want as long as it has a warrant and isn't something I flat out refuse to vote on (see rest of paradigm). I enjoy debates over substance surrounding the topic, it's simulated effects, it's adherence to philosophical principles, and it's critical assumptions, much more than hypertechnical theory debates that aren't based on things that the plan does. Bad arguments most certainly exist, and I greatly dislike them, but the onus is on debaters for disproving those bad arguments. I have voted for every type of argument under the sun at this point, and nothing you do will likely surprise me, but let me be clear when I encourage you to do what you interpret as necessary to win you the debate in terms of argumentive strategy.
I take the safety of the debaters in round very seriously. If there is ever an issue, and it seems like I am not noticing, please let me know in some manner (whether that be through a private email, a sign of some kind, etc.). I try to be as cognizant as possible of the things happening in round, but I am a human being and a terrible reader of facial expressions at that so there might be moments where I am not picking up on something. Misgendering is included in this, I take misgendering very seriously and have developed the following procedure for adjudicating cases where this does happen: you get one chance with your speaks being docked that one time, more than once and you have lost my ballot even if an argument has not been made related to this. I am extremely persuaded by misgendering bad shells. Respect people's pronouns and personhood.
Tech > Truth
Yes speed, yes clarity, yes spreading, will likely keep up but will clear you twice and then give up after that.
Debate influences/important coaches who I value immensely: Colin Quinn.
Trigger warnings - they're good broadly, you should probably give individuals time to prepare themselves if you delve into discussions of graphic violence. For me, that includes in depth discussion of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide.
I flow on my laptop, and consider myself a pretty good flow when people are clear, probably a 8-8.5/10. Just be clear, number your arguments, and slow down on analytics please.
Cheating, including evidence ethics and clipping, is bad. I have seen clipping become much more common and I will vote you down if I feel you have done so even without "recorded" evidence or a challenge from another debater.
For your pref sheets (policy):
Clash debates - 1
K v K debates - 1
Policy throwdowns - 1/2 (I can judge and am fairly confident in these debates but have less experience in this compared to others and need a bit more hand holding)
For your pref sheets (LD):
Clash debates of any kind (Policy v K, K aff v framework, phil v k, etc.) - 1
K - 1
Policy - 1
Phil - 1
T/Theory - 1/2
Tricks - 4
Trad - 5/Strike
I'm serious about these rankings, I value execution over content and am comfortable judging any type of debate done well.
The Long Version:
Who the hell is this person, why did my coach/I pref them?
Hello! My name is Holden, this year will mark my 9th year in debate. I am currently a communication studies graduate student at the University of North Texas, where I also got my bachelors in psychology and philosophy. During my time as a competitor, I did policy, LD, and NFA-LD. My exposure to the circuit really began my sophomore year of high school, but nothing of true note really occurred during my high school career. College had me qualify for the NFA-LD national tournament twice, I got to octas twice, broke at majors, got gavels, round robin invites. I now coach and judge exclusively, where I have coached teams that have qualified to the NDT, qualified to outrounds of just about every bid tournament, gotten several speaker awards, have accrued 30+ bids, and made it to elimination rounds and have been the top speaker of the TOC.
I judge a lot, and by that I mean a lot. Currently at 600+ debates judged since I graduated high school in 2020. Those (probably too many) debates have ranged everywhere from local circuit tournaments, the TOC, and to the NDT, but I would say most of my time judging is in national circuit LD, with college policy debate coming in right behind that. I think the reason I judge so much is because I think judging is a skill, and one that gets better the more you do it, and you get worse when you haven't done it in a while. I genuinely enjoy judging debates because of several reasons, whether that be my enjoyment of debate, the money, or because I enjoy the opportunity to help aid in the growth of debaters through feedback.
I do a lot of research, academically, debate wise, and for fun. Most of my research is in the kritikal side of things, mostly because I coach a bunch of K debaters. However, I often engage in policy research, and enjoy cutting those cards immensely. In addition, I have coached students who have gone for every argument type under the sun.
Please call me Holden, or judge (Holden is preferable, but if you vibe with judge then go for it). I hate anything more formal than that because it makes me uncomfortable (Mr. Bukowsky, sir, etc.)
Conflicts: Jack C. Hays High School (my alma mater), and the University of North Texas. I currently consult for Westlake (TX). Independently, I coach Barrington AC, Clear Springs EG, Clear Springs MS, East Chapel Hill AX, Jasper SG, Jordan FJ, Jordan KV, Plano West AR, Plano West RC, Riverside Independent JD and Vestavia Hills MH.
Previously, I have been affiliated with Jordan (TX) institutionally, and with American Heritage Broward CW, Bellevue/Washington Independent WL, Cypress Woods MM, Greenhill EX, and McNeil AS.
What does Holden think of debate?
It's a competitive game with pedagogical implications. I love debate immensely, and I take my role in it seriously. It is my job to evaluate arguments as presented, and intervene as little as possible. I'm not ideological on how I evaluate debates because I don't think it's my place to determine the validity of including arguments in debate (barring some exceptions). I think the previous sentence means that you should please do what you are most comfortable with to the best of your ability. There are only two concrete rules in debate - 1. there must be a winner and a loser, and those are decided by me, and 2. speech times are set in stone. Any preference that I have should not matter if you are doing your job, if I have to default to something then you did something incorrect.
To summarize the way that I think about judging, I think Yao Yao Chen does it best, "I believe judging debates is a privilege, not a paycheck. I strive to judge in the most open-minded, faor, and diligent way I can, and I aim to be as thorough and transparent as possible in my decisions. If you worked hard on debate, you deserve judging that matches the effort you put into this activity. Anything short of that is anti-educational and a disappointment."
I’ve been told I take a while to come to a decision. This is true, but not for the reason you might think. Normally, I know how I’m voting approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute after the debate. However, I like to be thorough and make sure that I give the debate the time and effort that it deserves, and as such try to have all of my thoughts together. Believe me, I consider myself somewhat comprehensible most times, I find it reassuring to myself to make sure that all my thoughts about the arguments in debate are in order. This is also why I tend to give longer decisions, because I think there are often questions about argument X on Y sheet which are easily resolved by having those addressed in the rfd. As such, I try to approach each decision from a technical standpoint and how each argument a. interacts with the rest of the debate, b. how large of an impact that argument has, c. think through any defense to that argument, and d. if that argument is the round winner or outweighs the offense of the opposing side.
If it means anything, I think most of my debate takes are in camp "2N who had to be a 2A for a while as well so I think mostly about negative strategy but also think that the aff has the right to counter-terrorism against negative terrorism."
What does Holden like?
I like good debates. If you execute your arguments in a technically impressive manner, I will be pleased.
I like debates that require little intervention, please make my job easier for me via judge instruction, I hate thinking.
I like well researched arguments with clear connections to the topic/the affirmative.
I like when email chains are sent out before the start time so that 1AC's can begin at start time, don't delay the round any more than it has to be please.
I like good case debating, this includes a deep love for impact turns.
I like it when people make themselves easy to flow, this includes labeling your arguments (whether giving your arguments names, or doing organizational strategies like "1, 2, 3" or "a point, b point, c point, etc."), I find it harder to vote for teams that make it difficult for me to know who is responding to what and what those responses are so making sure I can flow you is key.
I like debaters that collapse in final speeches, it gives room for analysis, explanation, and weighing which all make me very happy.
I like it when I am given a framing mechanism to help filter offense. This can takes place via a standard, role of the ballot/judge, framework, fairness v education, a meta-ethic, impact calculus, or anything, I don't care. I just need an evaluative lens to determine how to parse through impact calculus.
What does Holden dislike?
I dislike everything that is the opposite of the above.
I dislike when people make problematic arguments.
I dislike unclear spreading.
I dislike messy debates with no work done to resolve them.
I dislike when people say "my time will start in 3, 2, 1."
I dislike when people ask if they can take prep, it's your prep time, I don't care just tell me you're taking it.
I dislike when debaters posture too much. I don't care, and it annoys me. Debate the debate, especially since half the time when debaters posture it's about the wrong thing. There is a difference between being firm, and being performative.
I dislike when debaters are exclusionary to novice debaters. I define this as running completely overcomplicated strategies that are then deployed with little to no explanation. I am fine with "trial by fire" but think that you shouldn't throw them in the volcano. You know what this means. Not abiding by this will get your speaks tanked.
I dislike when evidence exchange takes too long, this includes when it takes forever for someone to press send on an email, when someone forgets to hit reply all (it's 2024 and y'all have been using technology for how long????). If you think email chains aren't vibe then please use a speechdrop to save all of us the headache.
I dislike topicality where the interpretation card is written by someone in debate, and especially when it's not about the specific terms of art in the topic.
I dislike 1AR restarts.
How has Holden voted?
Since I started judging in 2020, I have judged exactly 653 debate rounds. Of those, I have voted aff approximately 51.45% of the time.
My speaks for the 2024-2025 season have averaged to be around 28.571, and across all of the seasons I have judged they are at 28.528.
I have been a part of 204 panels, where I have sat approximately 12.25% of the time.
What will Holden never vote on?
Arguments that involve the appearance of a debater (shoes theory, formal clothing theory, etc.).
Arguments that say that oppression (in any form) is good.
Arguments that contradict what was said in CX.
Claims without warrants, these are not arguments.
Specific Arguments:
Policy Arguments
Contrary to my reputation, I love CP/DA debates and have an immense amount of experience on the policy side of the argumentative spectrum. I do good amounts of research on the policy side of topics often, and coach teams that go for these arguments predominantly. I love a good DA + case 2NR, and will reward well done executions of these strategies because I think they're great. One of my favorite 2NR's to give while I was debating was DA + circumvention, and I think that these debates are great and really reward good research quality.
Counterplans should be functionally and textually competitive with germane net benefits, I think that most counterplans probably lose to permutations that make arguments about these issues and I greatly enjoy competition debates. Limited intrinsic permutations are probably justified against counterplans that don't say a word about the topic.
I am amenable to all counterplans, and think they're theoretically legitimate (for the most part). I think that half the counterplans people read are not competitive though.
Impact turn debates are amazing, give me more of them please and thank you.
I reward well cut evidence, if you cite a card as part of your warrant for your argument and it's not very good/unwarranted then that minimizes your strength of link/size of impact to that argument. I do read evidence a lot in these debates because I think that often acts as a tie breaker between the spin of two debaters.
Judge instruction is essential to my ballot. Explain how I should frame a piece of evidence, what comes first and why, I think that telling me what to do and how to decipher the dozens of arguments in rounds makes your life and my job much easier and positively correlates to how much you will like my decision.
I enjoy well researched and topic specific process counterplans. They're great, especially when the evidence for them is topic specific and has a good solvency advocate.
I default no judge kick unless you make an argument for it.
Explain what the permutation looks like in the first responsive speech, just saying perm do both is a meaningless argument and I am not filling in the gaps for you.
For affs, I think that I prefer well developed and robust internal links into 2-3 impacts much more than the shot gun 7 impact strategy.
Explanation of how the DA turns case matters a lot to me, adjust your block/2NR accordingly.
Thoughts on conditionality are in the theory section.
K's
Say it with me everyone, Holden does not hack for the kritik. In fact, I've become much more grouchy about K debate lately. Aff's aren't defending anything, neg teams are shotgunning 2NR's without developing offense in comparison to the 1AR and the 2AR, and everyone is making me feel more and more tired. Call me old, but I think that K teams get too lost in the sauce, don't do enough argumentative interaction, and lose debates because they can't keep up technically. I think this is all magnified when the 2NR does not say a word about the aff at all.
This is where most of my research and judging is nowadays. I will be probably know what you're reading, have cut cards for whatever literature you are reading, and have a good amount of rounds judging and going for the K. I've been in debate for 8 years now, and have coached teams with a litany of literature interests, so feel free to read anything you want, just be able to explain it.
Aff teams against the K should go for framework, extinction outweighs, and the alt fails more.
Framework only matters as much as you make it matter. I think both sides of the debate are doing no argument resolution/establishing the implications of what it means to win framework. Does that mean that only consequences of the implementation of the plan matter, and I exclude the links to the plans epistemology? Does that mean that if the neg wins a link, the aff loses because I evaluate epistemology first? Questions like these often go unresolved, and I think teams often debate at each other via block reading without being comparative at all. Middle ground interps are often not as strategic as you think, and you are better off just going for you link you lose, or plan focus. To sum this up, make framework matter if you think it matters, and don't be afraid to just double down about your interp.
My ideal K 1NC will have 2-3 links to the aff (one of which is a link to the action of the aff), an alternative, and some kind of framing mechanism.
I have found that most 2NR's have trouble articulating what the alternative does, and how it interacts with the alts and the links. If you are unable to explain to me what the alternative does, your chance of getting my ballot goes down. Example from both sides of the debate help contextualize the offense y'all are going for in relation to the alternative, the links, and the permutation. Please explain the permutation in the first responsive speech.
I've found that most K teams are bad at debating the impact turn (heg/cap good), this is to say that I think that if you are against the K, I am very much willing to vote on the impact turn given that it is not morally repugnant (see above).
I appreciate innovation of K debate, if you introduce an interesting new argument instead of recyclying the same 1NC you've been running for several seasons I will be extremely thankful. At least update your cards every one in a while.
Please do not run a K just because you think I'll like it, bad K debates have seen some of the worst speaks I've ever given (for example, if you're reading an argument related to Settler Colonialism yet can't answer the 6 moves to innocence).
K tricks are cool if they have a warrant, floating piks need to be hinted at in the 1NC so they can be floating.
For the nerds that wanna know, the literature bases that I know pretty well are: Afro-pessimism, Baudrillard, Beller, Deleuze and Guattari, Grove, Halberstam, Hardt and Negri, Marxism, Psychoanalysis, Reps K's, Scranton/Eco-Pessimism, Security, Settler Colonialism, and Weheliye.
The literature bases that I know somewhat/am reading up on are: Abolition, Accelerationism (Fisher, CCRU people, etc.), Agamben, Bataille, Cybernetics, Disability Literature, Moten and Harney, Puar, and Queer pessimism.
A note on non-black engagement with afro-pessimism: I will watch your execution of this argument like a hawk if you decide to go for it. Particular authors make particular claims about the adoption of afro-pessimist advocacy by non-black individuals, while other authors make different claims, be mindful of this when you are cutting your evidence/constructing your 1NC. While my thoughts on this are more neutral than they once were, that does not mean you can do whatever. If you are reading this K as a non-black person, this becomes the round. If you are disingenious to the literature at all, your speaks are tanked and the ballot may be given away as well depending on how annoyed I am. This is your first and last warning.
K-Aff's
These are fine, cool even. They should defend something, and that something should provide a solvency mechanism for their impact claims. Having your aff discuss the resolution makes your framework answers become much more persuasive, and makes me happier to vote for you, especially since I am becoming increasingly convinced that there should be some stasis for debate.
For those negating these affs, the case debate is the weakest part of the debate from both sides. I think if the negative develops a really good piece of offense by the end of the debate then everything else just becomes so much easier for you to win. I will, in fact, vote for heg good, cap good, and other impact turns, and quite enjoy judging these debates.
Presumption is underrated if people understand how to go for it, unfortunately most people just don't know how. Most aff's don't do anything or have a cogent explanation of what their aff does to solve things and their ballot key warrant is bad, you should probably utilize that.
Marxism will be forever underrated versus K affs, aff's whose only responses are "doesn't explain the aff" and "X explains capitalism" will almost always lose to a decent 2NR on the cap k. This is your suggestion to update your answers to challenge the alternative on some level.
Innovation is immensely appreciated by both sides of this debate. I swear I've judged the exact same 2-4 affs about twenty times each and the 1NC's just never change. If your take on a literature base or negative strategy is interesting, innovative, and is something I haven't heard this year you will most definitely get higher speaks.
Performance based arguments are good/acceptable, I have experience coaching and running these arguments myself. However, I find that most times when ran that the performance is not really extended into the speeches after this, obviously there are some limitations but I think that it does give me leeway for leveraging your inevitable application of the performance to other areas of the debate.
T-Framework/T-USFG
In my heart of hearts, I probably am very slightly aff leaning on this question, but my voting record has increasingly become negative leaning. I think this is because affirmatives have become quite bad at answering the negative arguments in a convincing, warranted, and strategic manner. If you are an aff debater reading this, my response to you is toinnovate and to try to emphasize technical debate rather than posturing, you have an aff and you should definitely use it to help substantiate your arguments.
It may be my old age getting to me, but I am becoming increasingly convinced that fairness is a viable impact option for the 2NR to go for. I think it probably has important implications for the ballot in terms of framing the resolution of affirmative and negative impact arguments, and those framing questions are often mishandled by the affirmative. However, I think that to make me enjoy this in debates negative teams need to avoid vacuous and cyclical lines of argumentation that often plague fairness 2NR's and instead
Framework isn't capital T true, but also isn't an automatic act of violence. I think I'm somewhat neutral on the question of how one should debate about the resolution, but I am of the belief that the resolution should at least center the debate in some way. What that means to you, though, is up to you.
Often, framework debates take place mostly at the impact level, with the internal link level to those impacts never being questioned. This is where I think both teams should take advantage of, and produces better debates about what debate should look like.
I have voted on straight up impact turns before, I've voted on counter-interps, and I've also voted on fairness as an impact. The onus is on the debaters to explain and flesh out their arguments in a manner that answers the 1AR/2NR. Reading off your blocks and not engaging specific warrants of DA's to your model often lead to me questioning what I'm voting for because there is no engagement in either side in the debate.
Counter-interpretations seem to be more persuasive to me, and are often underutilized. Counter-interpretations that have a decent explanation of what their model of debate looks like, and what debates under that model feature. Doing all of the above does wonder.
In terms of my thoughts about impacts to framework, my normal takes are clash > fairness > advocacy skills.
"Fairness is good because debate is a game and and we all have intrinsic motivation to compete" >>>> "fairness is an impact because it constrains your ability to evaluate your arguments so hack against them," if the latter is more in line with what your expalantion of fairness is then 9 times out of 10 you are going to lose.
Topicality (Theory is it's Own Monster)
I love T debates, they're absolutely some of my favorite rounds to adjudicate. They've certainly gotten stales and have devolved to some model of T subsets one way or another. However, I will still evaluate and vote on any topicality violation. Interps based on words/phrases of the resolution make me much happier than a lot of the LD "let's read this one card from a debate coach over and over and see where it gets us" approach.
Semantics and precision matter, this is not in a "bare plurals/grammar means it is read this" way but a "this is what this word means in the context of the topic" way.
My normal defaults:
- Competing interps
- Drop the debater
- No RVI's
Reasonability is about your counter-interp, not your aff. People need to relearn how to go for this because it's a lost art in the age of endless theory debates.
Arbitrary counter-interpretations that are not carded or based on evidence are given significantly less weight than counter-interps that define words in the resolution. "Your interp plus my aff" is a bad argument, and you are better served going for a more substantive argument.
Slow down a bit in these debates, I consider myself a decent flow but T is a monster in terms of the constant short arguments that arise in these debates so please give me typing time.
You should probably make a larger impact argument about why topicality matters "voters" if you will. Some standards are impacts on their own (precision mainly) but outside of that I have trouble understanding why limits explosion is bad sans some external argument about why making debate harder is bad.
Weigh internal links to similar pieces of offense, please and thank you.
Theory
I have judged numerous theory debates, more than the average judge for sure, and certainly more than I would care to admit. You'll most likely be fine in these debates in front of me, I ask that you don't blitz through analytics and would prefer you make good in-depth weighing arguments regarding your internal links to your offense. I find that a well-explained abuse story (whether that be potential or in-round) makes me conceptually more persuaded by your impact arguments.
Conditionality is good if you win that it is. i think conditionality is good as a general ideology, but your defense of it should be robust if you plan on abusing the usage of conditionality vehemently. I've noticed a trend among judges recently just blatantly refusing to vote on conditionality through some arbitrary threshold that they think is egrigious, or because they think conditionality is universally good. I am not one of those judges.If you wanna read 6 different counterplans, go ahead, but just dismissing theoretical arguments about conditionality like it's an afterthought will not garner you any sympathy from me. I evaluate conditionality the same no matter the type of event, but my threshold of annoyance for it being introduced varies by number of off and the event you are in. For example, I will be much less annoyed if condo is read in an LD round with 3+ conditional advocacies than I will be if condo is read in a college policy round with 1 conditional advocacy.
Sure, go for whatever shell you want, I'll flow it barring these exceptions:
- Shells abiut the appearance and clothing of anoher debater.
- Disclosure in the case in which a debater has said they can't disclose certain positions for safety reasons, please don't do this
- Reading "no i meets"
- Arguments that a debater may not be able to answer a new argument in the next speech (for example, if the 1AR concedes no new 2AR arguments, and the 2NR reads a new shell, I will always give the 2AR the ability to answer that new shell)
Independent Voters
These seem to be transforming into tricks honestly. I am unconvinced why these are reasons to reject the team most of the time. Words like "accessibility," "safety," and "violence" all have very precise definitions of what they mean in an academic and legal context and I think that they should not be thrown around with little to no care. Make them arguments/offense for you on the flow that they were on, not reasons to reject the team.
I will, however, abandon the flow and vote down that do engage in actively violent practices. I explained this above, but just be a decent human being. Don't be racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, etc.
Evidence Ethics
I would much prefer these debates not occur. If you think there is a violation you either stake the round or don't make an argument about it.If you stake the round I will use the rules of the tournament or whatever organization it associates itself with. Debater that loses the challenge gets a 25, winner gets a 28.5.
For HS-LD:
Tricks
I have realized that I need more explanation when people are going for arguments based on getting into the weeds of logic (think the philosophy logic, IE if p, then q). I took logic but did not pay near enough attention nor care enough to have a deep understanding or desire to understand what you're talking about. This means slow down just a tiny bit and tone down the jargon so my head doesn't hurt as much.
My thoughts about tricks can be summarized as "God please do not if you don't have to, but if you aren't the one to initiate it you can go ham."
I can judge these debates, have judged numerous amounts of them in the past, and have coached/do coach debaters that have gone for these arguments, I would really just rather not deal with them. There's little to no innovation, and I am tired of the same arguments being recycled over and over again. If you throw random a prioris in the 1A/1N do not expect me to be very happy about the debate or your strategy. If I had to choose, carded and well developed tricks > "resolved means firmly determined and you know I am."
Slow down on the underviews, overviews, and impact calc sections of your framework (you know what I'm talking about), Yes I am flowing them but it doesn't help when you're blitzing through independent theory argumetns like they're card text. Going at like 70% of your normal speed in these situation is greatly appreciated.
Be straight up about the implication and warrant for tricks, if you're shifty about them in cross then I will be shifty about whether I feel like evaluating them or whether I'm tanking your speaks. This extends to disclosure practices, you know what this means.
Tricks versus identity-based kritikal affirmatives are bad and violent. Stop it.
Phil
I love phil debates. I coach plenty of debaters who go for phil arguments, and find that their interactions are really great. However, I find that debate has trended towards a shotgun approach to justifying X argument about how our mind works in favor of analytical syllogisms that are often spammy, underwarranted, and make little to no sense. I prefer carded syllogisms that identify a problem with ethics/metaphysics and explain how their framework resolves that via pieces of evidence.
The implication/impact of the parts of your syllogism should be clear from the speech they are introduced in, I dislike late breaking debates because you decided to hide what X argument meant in relation to the debate.
In phil v phil debates, there needs to be a larger emphasis on explanation between competing ethics. These debates are often extremely dense and messy, or extremely informational and engaging, and I would prefer that they be the latter rather than the formr. Explanation, clear engagement, and delineated weighing is how to get my ballot in these debates.
Hijacks are cool, but once again please explain because they're often just 10 seconds long with no actual warrants.
Slow down a bit as well, especially in rebuttals, these debates are often fast and blippy and I can only flow so fast
For those that are wondering, I'm pretty well read in most continental philosophy, social contract theorists, and most of the common names in debate. This includes the usual Kant, Hobbes, Pragmatism, Spinoza, and Deleuze as well as some pretty out of left field characters like Leibniz and Berkeley.
I have read some of the work regarding Rawls, Plato, Aquinas, Virtue Ethics, ILaw, Particularism, and Constitutitionality as well.
I know I have it listed as a phil literature base, but I conceptually have trouble with people reading Deleuze as an ethical framework, especially since the literature doesn't prescribe moral claims but is a question of metaphysics/politics, proceed with caution.
Defaults:
- Comparative worlds > truth testing
- Permissibility negates > affirms
- Presumption negates > affirms
- Epistemic confidence > modesty
Trad/Lay Debate
I mean, sure, why not. I can judge this, and debated on a rather traditional LD circuit in high school. However, I often find these debates to be boring, and most definitely not my cup of tea. If you think that you can change my mind, please go ahead, but I think that given the people that pref me most of the time I think it's in your best interest to pref me low or strike me, for your sake and mine.
NFA-LD:
Everything above applies.
Don't think I'm a K hack. I know my background may suggest otherwise but ideologically I have a high threshold for execution and will punish you for it if you fail to meet it. Seriously, I've voted against kritikal arguments more than I've voted for them. If you are not comfortable going for the K then please do not unless you absolutely want to, please do not adapt to me. I promise I'll be so down for a good disad and case 2NR or something similar.
"It's against NFA-LD rules" is not an argument or impact claim and if it is then it's an internal link to fairness. Only rules violation I will not roll my eyes at are ethics challenges.
Yes non-T affs, yes t - framework, yes cap good/heg good, no to terrible theory arguments like "must delineate stock issues."
Why are we obsessed with bad T arguments that do not have an intent to define words in the topic in the context of the topic? Come on y'all, act like we've been here.
Speaks:
I don't consider myself super stingey or a speaks fairy, though I think I've gotten stingier compared to the rest of the pool.
I don't evaluate "give me X amount of speaks" arguments, if you want it so bad then perform well or use the methods I have outlined to boost your speaks.
Here's a general scale I use, it's adjusted to the tournament as best as possible -
29.5+ - Great round, you should be in late elims or win the tournament
29.1-29.4 - Great round, you should be in mid to late elims
28.6-29 - Good round, you should break or make the bubble at least
28.1-28.5 - About the middle of the pool
27.6-28 - You got some stuff to work on
27-27.5 - You got a lot of stuff to work on
Anything below a 27: You did something really horrible and I will be having a word with tab and your coach about it
Welcome to my paradigm page, I am very glad to see you here. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ME AS A JUDGE THAT YOU READ THE THINGS THAT I SAY HERE IF YOU WANT TO WIN MY BALLOT:
To start, my credentials are as follows:
-Nationally ranked 7th in Big Question Debate
-The furthest a debater from Arkansas has ever advanced at the NSDA national tournament
-Arkansas State Champion for collegiate debate.
-Various first place trophies in the debate forms Big Question, Public Forum, IPDA, and Congress
With all of these in mind it is safe to say that I am well versed in all debate forms, though I never competed in policy or Lincoln Douglass debate I do have an great understanding of them.
Now, what does it take to win my ballot?
I am a simple guy, I like solid argumentation that is straight up with the topic and I don't want to see poorly thought out, squirrely argumentation. One would think that would be enough said on the issue, but I will outline what that means.
Public Forum:
-I am traditionalist in debate forms. That is to say that in Public Forum, for example, I do not want to see people running Ks, plans, or especially spreading (brisk speaking is not spreading, spreading is marked by the sharp inhale of breath along with a massive amount of speed! Do not do this if you have any hope of winning my ballot, while I can keep up with you, I am a traditionalist and I know what the format calls for. Don't do it!)
-If you want to win my ballot, make logical arguments and impact them out for me. If you use a weighing mech, then keep using it if you want me to vote on it.
Policy:
-Here I expect to see well thought out plans and argumentation. The restrictions that we have on other debate formats is lifted here, so speed, Ks, and plans are all encouraged. Ultimately do what you're supposed to do as a debater you'll have access to my ballot.
LD:
-*See Public Forum in regards to the rules on speaking*
-This is value debate, please do not lose your value.
IPDA:
-This is meant to be friendly and cordial and you will be judged on that. Don't try to bulldoze one another like you would see in another debate format.
Congress:
-Debaters must further debate at all times to gain the latter half of their points. This is to say that what you need to do (after the authorship/sponsorship speech) is not just give me information, but also refute the other side.
-If I see you just giving me the same information as other debaters you will get no more than a 2 in regards to speech quality
BQ:
-This debate is near and dear to my heart, I competed in it at nationals twice and my senior year it is the debate form that I placed 7th in the nation in. Suffice it to say that I know the ins and outs of this debate especially, and that includes the purposes of each speech. If you violate any of the Big Question principles either in speech purpose or via incorrect argumentation I will vote you down without hesitation.
Public Forum, Big Question, IPDA, and Congress debaters: Do not use a slippery slope argument, a plan, or a K on the resolution or I will drop you.
Beyond that, make sure your arguments are topical and impact them out for you, I am a flow judge and I do not shadow extend your arguments for you. You are not Aaron Rodgers and I am not Davante Adams, there will be no Hail Mary arguments caught by me for you to snatch the dub. Other than that, have fun and go catch some Dubs.
About Me:
She/Her
Names I'll answer to: "Angela" is preferred. "Ms. Duggins" is fine.
I am a former college assistant coach and am currently a communication instructor and third-year PhD student in communication and performance.
Feel free to email me with any accessibility accommodation requests ( angela.duggins@siu.edu ).
How I Judge:
I always try to adapt to the weighing mechanism or judging criteria offered in the round.
I keep flow using shorthand. I'm not a fan of spreading, but I can keep up.
I will comment on (culturally mindful) diction and posture for your learning, but it won't factor in to final decision.
I do not tolerate massive facial expressions or pronounced head shaking with the intent of distraction while someone else is speaking. It will bring your speaker points way down.
I will not tolerate personal attacks on your opponent, outright racism, ableism, sexism, or other bigotry. "You people" style blanket statements are never effective. If I notice a potential bias in your argument that you may not be aware of, I will comment on the ballot.
I don't stick around to talk after rounds because I need to write my feedback while I still remember it. It's not that you don't matter. It's an adaptation I have to make.
What I look for:
Clarity. Clear, well-signposted arguments that follow a logical progression. Clear linkage between each point and the resolution and/or thesis.
Courtesy. Respect your opponent's time. Stay audience focused. Define terms that need defining. (Aside: Professionalism does not have a set look or sound) (Second aside: I don't need theatrical greetings at the top of each round, but I'm okay with it if you want to practice)
Creativity. Within reason and with respect for your fellow humans, I encourage you to explore creative arguments and integrate your knowledge of your passions outside of debate.
Advice:
Maintain audience focus. Legitimately care about whether or not those listening understand your position. If you focus on making what you say clear to them, you will focus less on yourself. This will make you a stronger speaker (and it's a great way to fight stage fright).
Triggers/Content:
I have no triggers to disclose. Be mindful of your opponent and others in the room.
A note on plagiarism:
If every single one of your points and sources is a direct copy of a Last Week Tonight or Patriot Act segment, I will notice.
personal info:
she/her
im a former debate student from bentonville high school and am currently attending stony brook university. i was involved in the speech and debate program for about five years.
speaking:
- use of debate jargon is fine, so is speed to an extent
- if you are being racist, homophobic, sexist, or in any way bigoted…don’t expect good speaker points or to win
debating:
- the substance of your debate matters so much more to me than how good of a speaker you are
- make sure your warrants are strong
- if you drop something on the flow and your opponent points this out AND points out why this is critical they will win on that point. however, i don’t mind if you kick out of an argument if it is no longer important or has been dropped by both sides
- framework / definition debate: boring, time suck, waste of time >:(
do what you want with this information
good luck bad boys B)
if you have any questions or just wanna talk you can email me (rebeccaell2s@gmail.com) im a nice human, i promise
< :) 3
Experience:
High School:
I competed in multiple types of debate during my four years in high school. Public Forum was my specialty, with multiple appearances in state finals and state championship in Public Forum speaking. Along the way, I picked up three qualifications to NSDA nationals and another to the TOC in Kentucky.
College:
Currently, I am getting my masters.
In undergraduate, I did college competition in IPDA debate. I have made multiple finals appearances as well as been nationally ranked in the top ten debaters in my division for the last three years of my collegiate competitive years.
I have also served as a parliamentarian for many high school tournaments while in college.
If you have any questions email me: tommyraegan015@gmail.com
General Debate Comments:
- Although an increased rate of speaking is the norm in the status quo, I don't want your breathing to become distracting and annoying with large intakes of air that are audible from space.
- T/Definition/Standard debate when done well and when needed will be rewarded.
- If a card becomes an issue I will call for it, please have cards ready if you foresee an issue in them.
- It is important that you are polite. Do not speak loudly to your partner while the opposing team is speaking. It it ok to pass notes, but you should not be audible to the judge or audience.
- Debate is about clash. This means that you HAVE to flow and you MUST not drop points. Organization that occurs through flowing will make sure that you clash with your opponent and do not drop key points.
- THE ONE THING THAT WILL KILL SPEAKER POINTS AND EARN AN L is if you are racist, homophobic, xenophobic or disparaging to excluded groups. Please make sure your arguments do not fall into this category.
- I love theory and K debate, well done it will be rewarded. poorly done then :(
- Please do not call me judge :)
LD:
- You have to link your arguments to your V/VC (don't assume I know the link)
- Speed is fine as long as it doesn't exclude the other debater
- Ks need to be good and have the evidence to back it up to get my vote
- All General Debate Comments apply here as well. :)
PF:
- Anything that resembles a K/Plan will be voted down
- Flow is everything
- Any new arguments in the Final Focus will be thrown out and lower your speaks
- Do not assume I know the frame work link
- All General Debate Comments apply here :)
Congress:
- The expectations for congress are for it to not look like any of the other debate formats. This is supposed to model real rhetoric used in actual congressional sessions.
- While your speech should have three points: intro, body, and conclusion. It should NOT sound like a debate case.
- Do not rehash arguments in the round just to get a speech in
- You should be be not only advancing your positions arguments but engaging with the opposition to persuade the chambers to vote a certain way.
- A good PO is one who does the bare minimum in controlling chambers. A GREAT PO is one who is commanding, possesses great knowledge of parli pro, and is a charismatic speaker. POs can either make or break a chamber.
hiya im cora ferguson and i graduated from fayetteville high school in 2019.
she/hers, im an economics major at american university in Washington, dc
I did almost every style of debate during my three years on the team. Mostly congress my senior/junior year, LD and PF my novice year. I've competed in PF, LD, CX, and congress so I understand the structure of debate.
Judging wise- make my job easy, tell me why I should vote for you. I tend to vote for framework in LD/PF debate so make sure you explain this fully. Don't just talk about your own case and framework, don't leave arguments or definitions unanswered.
Know what you're talking about, don't pretend you do if you don't.
update: toc 23'
Email chain: chris@alterethosdebate.com
TLDR
Debaters ought to determine the procedural limits and educational value of each topic by defending their interpretations in the round. I ought to vote for the team that does the best job of that in the debate.
I mostly care about warranting arguments and engaging with opponent's through analysis and impact comparison. The team that does the better job justifying my vote at the end of the debate will win.
Debaters should not do any of the following:
Clip cards
Steal prep
Ignore reasonable things like showing up on time and maintaining speech times and speaking order.
Disregard reasonable personal request of their opponents. If you don’t wish to comply with opponent requests, you ought to have a good reason why.
Misgender folks
Say or do racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or ableist things.
Read pessimism args from identities they don't identify as.
Argumentative Preferences
WARRANTS & EXPLANATIONS over blippiness.
Education > Fairness
Breadth = Depth ---> both are important please make warrants here.
K’s don’t need to win an alt to win.
Reasonable disclosure practices should be followed.
Analytic > Low quality evidence
Specific Stuff
Theory
Disclosing before the round is a reasonable thing to do. That being said, I come in with a slight bias against theory arguments in LD. Lots of frivolity in this space right now.
To adapt for this bias teams can read theory that actually has the potential to improve debates or read shells that will have clear and significant violations. Running theory as an exploit of tech judges makes debates less enjoyable for me and I am inclined to vote against them at the smallest of responses. Affirmative teams should feel comfortable reading fewer spikes and more substance.
t/framework
Neg teams ought to engage with plan free or non-topical affirmatives. Affirmative teams should advocate for some departure from the status quo within the context of the topic. The more an aff is steeped in topic literature, the less likely I am to vote against it as a procedural issues, so strong topic links are crucial. I generally think education is a more important element of debate than fairness and that an inability to prepare against an argument doesn't inherently mean that argument is unfair.
Topicality
I default to reasonability because I think it incentivizes innovative research by the aff and expands the limits of the topic in a good way.
Perf Con.
I'm good with multiple worlds but think perf cons make for less enjoyable debates and I am inclined to vote against 1NC's that read cap and the econ da in the same speech.
Counter Plans
If you have a solvency advocate, its legit.
PIC’s are generally good because they force the affirmative to more deeply examine their advocacy, I want them to be excluding something substantial and to have a solvency advocate of some kind.
Conditionality
Neg definitely gets to be conditional. Limited conditionality is the most reasonable interp.
DA's
I like topic DA's, and find most politics and econ based internal links implausible. But, I won't vote against them on face, I let your opponent make those arguments.
Presumption
Neg walks in with presumption. Neg teams should still make presumption analysis in the round though.
*If I haven't mentioned it here, ask me. It has been a minute since I've judged.
just a little introduction to me, My names Karsten, I debated 3 years at Bentonville High School (2017-2020) in Arkansas and a few national tournaments. I debated mostly Public Forum for 3 years, but i did try policy, congress, world schools, and ipda, i also attended Emory debate camp for PF, do what you want with that information
A few important notes for all styles of debate-
To be honest i hate most debate jargon, but i understand its necessary, so do what you want with that information as well
I really enjoy creative and unique arguments, it makes the debate much more interesting and enjoyable
any sort of racist, homophobic, sexist or ableist arguments will automatically result in a loss for you, theres no room for any of that in debate.
Since i really only debated PF for a majority of my career i only have paradigms for that, sorry!
PF
Few things to prepare yourself for if I'm judging
I cannot stand definition debate, unless there is no clear definition of a word in the resolution, there is no need for you to define every-word in the resolution, you'll lose my attention very very quick. this goes for FW to the most part as well, prefer if you just stick with
I believe PF is a style of debate that literally anyone should be able to come and watch and fully understand, which means no theory, K's or spreading (i can understand but you will see big drop in speaker points, especially over the laptop)
the more unique the argument the more i'll listen but make sure to have solid and reliable links
I really enjoy debates that clash, go after your opponents case, don't spend time defending an argument that hasn't been attacked when you can use that time to prove to me why your opponents are wrong.
Creativity is Key, creativity is what makes debate fun, if you're creative with titles, wording, arguments, etc. You'll hold my attention which is key to winning the debate
for me the debate comes down to impact, who has the biggest impact, most immediate impact, how likely is the impact, etc.
Impact, impact, impact.
Speaker points
Everyone starts at a 28.5
like i mentioned spreading will make that go down
it will be practically impossible to get a 30
I don't think PF specifically needs to be the most formal debate in the world, show me your personality while talking
i don't mind being strong-headed and pushing your opponents buttons, or getting under their skin, but there is a limit, don't antagonize or be overly rude, i will dock speaker points
If you have any questions feel free to email me: Kgjeruldsen01@gmail.com!
I'm a former high school debater with three years of experience in both the state and national circuit. I spent most of my time doing Public Forum but have judged other styles as well. I don’t mind speed as long as I can understand you; if you see me put my pen down, that means I am not flowing and therefore not considering your argument. If it’s not on the flow, I will not vote on it. Don’t expect me to make assumptions about any sort of rhetoric; it is your job to convince me why it matters or ties into your case. I will vote you down if you are racist, sexist or homophobic. Have fun! Learn lots!
Public Forum
• I don’t mind aggressiveness in cross-examination if it helps you make a point. But always make sure to be assertive AND polite.
• Speak clearly, if I can’t understand you/hear you I can’t flow it.
• I don’t mind speed, but if it's borderline spreading I will tell you to slow down, this is not policy.
• Make sure to clearly tie your contentions to your framework if you have one.
• Framework is important but don't spend your entire speech only talking about it.
• Voters are key.
• PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure to use your warrants. If you cannot clearly articulate why what you’re saying is true/will happen I won’t be able to actually evaluate it.
I am super passionate about debate and I am extremely excited to be your judge. I hope this is a great learning experience for you guys!
I'm a parent judge but with experience previously judging public forum. I like rounds that don't get too technical but I'm open minded and willing to vote on most arguments. Make sure your arguments aren't offensive and you explain them well. I like to have clear 'voting issues' in the final focus that make it easy for me to write my ballot.
Top-Level
Qualifications: Cleared at 10 collegiate policy debate tournaments, including 17th seed at both the NDT and ADA.
Speaker Points: 28.5 is my median, 28.8 is my mean, it ranges from 27 to 30 and looks like a bell curve leaning slightly to the right.
My mantra is that I try to follow community consensus. I imagine what most people watching the debate would think, and who the community would think wins, and that is how I lean. I dislike sounding like a judge with odd tendencies that deviate from most judges you see. At the end of the day, I am a debater first and foremost, and I just happen to be able to judge because I did debate. I don't like being a nitpicky judge. I will vote on who is clearly winning the debate. My own hot takes or ideological leanings will not influence the debate.
Novice -
----- Novice Neg Notes:
1) Split the Block: Novices always forget the negative has two back to back speeches (2nc and 1nr) and they should have completely separate arguments from one another (but also not contradictory otherwise it's a performative contradiction). Again, they should be totally separate positions, i.e. 2nc takes the counterplan and case, 1nr takes a disadvantage and kicks out of any other argument.
2) Note to 2N's: The 2nr must choose and narrow down. You want either a DA, or a case turn, or you could do a DA with a counterplan, but do not just go for a ton of different random unrelated arguments. Narrow down in the 2nr. If you're all over the place, I will vote aff.
3) Note to 1N's: 1nc and 1nr should not need prep time - you should have your 1nc ready before the round, and after you finish asking questions to the 2ac you should immediately start working on the 1nr. I recommend the 2nc takes half of the prep time you have, and the 2nr takes the other half. The 1nr should have at least fifteen minutes to prep this way, and it should be a really good speech because you can take one position and just solidly answer every single argument they put on that one position for a winning 2nr.
----- Novice Aff Notes:
1) Answer every position and try to not drop any flow (as in, any position - you can surely drop parts of a position in novice debate and be fine usually). Think about how much time you need to spend on each one in advance and break it down.
2) Don't drop your case in any speech, and put case as the first thing in every affirmative speech. Please do not drop their case turns in your 2ac. have blocks that respond to each off case position and if you can do at least that, you're good.
3)The 1ar only needs a couple good arguments on each flow so just pick and choose and go fast. At minimum, the 1ar must extend your case impact for 5-10 seconds, and solvency for 5-10 seconds. If you don't do at least that, then i will vote neg on presumption.
Varsity - ABC's
Conditionality: Unbiased.
CP Theory: Unbiased.
critique: the more u talk about the aff the more likely i will vote for u. dont drop their answers to your super important things, i get that you can drop stuff but it makes me sad when they have an on-point answer that you pretended to not hear. collapse down on the offense and close doors for me. For policy teams answering it, you win the round mostly based on good strategic vision, which are often times realizing they have no actual substance against your basic arguments. use your aff and answer alts, your strategy typically either needs link defense and perm or just really good offense on framework and your aff's impacts not turned or solved by them.
Framework against planless affs: Biased against it slightly. To compensate, I will tell you about what I think is a threatening [AKA winnable] T-USFG framework speech: Overall, I will vote for whoever is doing the better debating about debate, I promise. Less on the cheap shots, more on the impact level.Fairness, clash, education, or skills should be your policy framework 2nr terminal impact. Predictability is your friend to insulate against offense and limits should frame how you describe the iteration of your model over the course of a year. Otherwise, limits are an internal link to the above four impacts. Testing turns case because refinement breeds better advocates or something like that is cool. Ballot cannot solve because Debate doesn't shape things is a winnable argument. Their model links back to their own offense because it's not intrinsic to reading plans is understandable to me. You should mitigate their turns to the process of Debating because they fall back on relying on them in some way are the four key components of negative strategy in my opinion. I think Defense wins Debates, the TVA or SSD lets you absorb their DA and Case impacts with your model, and people can say they don't solve their case withgeneric presumption pushes or particular conceded cards specific to something they have said that their aff relies on. I know the aff will shift but something you have said will probably stick if you are smart and can actually engage with them.
Disadvantages - The 1ar must answer turns case arguments made in the block. Turns case is different based on whether it implicates the actual solvency mechanism itself or presents an additional impact that fits within the aff advantage, but honestly it usually doesn't matter if it's conceded entirely. Evidence quality matters more than quantity, but a balance is ideal and optimal for debating at a high level. Uniqueness frames the link for me but I can be convinced otherwise. My main intuition is that in a lot of situations, uniqueness either is so powerful it overwhelms the link or it loses to thumpers, so exploit that for me if it applies to the specific disadvantage. I think you should frame conceded internal links against the relative probability of aff solvency or your impact defense on their advantage if you have any, or if you are pairing it with a counterplan then frame it as any risk of a link to net benefit combined with sufficiency framing.
Theory - This is apart from CP theory and Conditionality. I often think reject the arg, not the team is a decent response to lots of them, because these ones are categorically less impactful to me. I am also am willing to hear defenses of left field ideas. I think textual competition alone is not too good but in tandem with functional it might be permissible, and a big lit base usually checks abuse.
Final Notes:
Good Strategy: There are many different ways to view Debate which are all "good". i believe there are a lot of different ways to understand what "good" strategy is. I'm honestly tired of having opinions on lots of strategic disagreements between different sectors of the Debate community and I molded my brain so much over the years that I really don't have any strong opinions about which strategies are good, in a sense of what wins Debates. I try to just compare community consensus to my own takes to approach my own potential biases as a judge. I'm mostly just an ideologically motivated person in the real world who tries to be neutral in Debate, rather than someone who judges but is biased within different Debate schools of thought. Just do you.
Tech first makes sense obviously, but truth first isn't just what someone arbitrarily dictates is the truth on a personal level - it's the framing and narrative of the Debate that isn't just about technical coverage. Most of the time though, when it's a simple Debate, Truth = Tech, because they end up being usually the exact same when the winning team goes for dropped arguments that are executed well and become true even when we might not agree on what the capital T Truth is.I flow well enough to know when something is dropped, but good cross-applications can save you. Giving a speech with more persuasive and narrative value, even if you drop a minor blip, is better because well-executed strategy always maximizes your chances of victory.
Don't worry about adjusting your strategy in front of me, unless you double turn yourself, not just multiple contradicting worlds. Debaters are already under enough stress as is at a debate tournament. Just debate well. I can recognize good debaters regardless of what argument you read and how you present yourself, so actually just be yourself and I can give you tips on how to just unlock your true potential based on what you already do, not based on what I want you to do. Just go for the argument that is both the most technically sound decision because of lack of technical coverage, AND the argument that is the most coherent in general against the affirmative you're going for and would be your A-strat against the best team that could be reading that aff.
Defense-Offense, or Offense-Defense it is better known, is intuitive to me because of how I have been coached in college. I divide arguments into Defense and Offense intuitively, but Idon't discriminate if your strategy is more of one than the other. I've seen teams prioritizing the latter in Debates, and give incredibly difficult speeches to fight back against effectively even though sometimes i think they don't collapse down and instead extended way too many different pieces of offense. i've seen teams give largely Defensive speeches thatI thought were pretty good too, and they were persuasive because they were directly responsive to the other team's primary arguments and largely controlled the direction of the Debate enough to actually determine the condition for the win. Most people do a mix, which is generally good, but interestingly I thinkdifferent styles are conducive to different ratios of Defense to offense, if that makes sense. But don't overthink it - you should just do what you're already prepared to do.
Background:
I debated for 3 years at Bentonville High School, two years in CX and one year in PF. I qualified to NSDA Nationals twice, once in World Schools, and one in PF. I also qualified to TOC in PF once. I am not a lay judge, and I would not like to be treated like one, I am a tab judge, so you best believe I will follow my flows. I currently attend BYU, where I do not do debate
Speaking:
I do not care how fast you go, just be clear and articulate. I see speed as a useful tool to be effective if used correctly. It is NOT to try and confuse your opponents by trying to make them miss some of your points. If you go fast, and I cannot understand you, that is your problem, not mine. Be organized in your speaking, go down the flow line by line, and make sure you are giving me CLEAR reasons why I should vote for you.
Framing and Theory:
I did CX for 2 years, so I love these type of arguments. Although they are not traditional in PF, I would love to see these type of arguments. Just do it well, or not at all. Tell me how I should view the round, where I should put my focus. Please, do not argue about the Rules of PF, it is annoying and honestly, I do not care.
Sportsmanship:
Debate is an activity that can get heated quickly. I DO NOT want to see yelling, and tensions getting out of control in the debate space. Be respectful to your opponents as well as your partner! If I see you being rude or unprofessional, that can reflect in your speaker points.
Judging:
tech > truth. I weigh everything in a debate round, but in your final speeches, tell me what you believe I should vote on. I will not do much work for you. If you do not extend an argument in your rebuttal speeches, the odds of me voting on it in the final focus are slim. Make sure by the end of the debate, I have clear voters.
If you have any questions for me, email me at lane.julia.33@gmail.com
Conflicts: Bentonville West High School
Experience:
I did debate for 3 years in high schools, primarily Congressional Debate, but I also did a little bit of Public Forum. Debate is supposed to be fun, so be courteous and kind to your fellow competitors. Show them the same respect you would want them to show you.
Speed:
I am not a huge fan of speed. It makes it harder for me to follow what you are saying. I would prefer a speaker who speaks slower, but has more substance and depth to their arguments over a speaker who just tries to get as much information out as they can.
Argumentation:
Please have a clear claim, warrant, and impact for your arguments. I want to know exactly what your argument is and why it matters. If that means telling me exactly what the claim and impact of the argument is, please do that. If I don't know what your argument is about or there is any confusion on my end about an argument, I won’t be able to accurately consider it in my decision.
Questioning:
Be respectful to your opponent(s). Please don't be rude to anyone in the debate space. It makes this activity less fun for others. There is a fine line between being overly aggressive and assertive. Stand your ground during questioning, but don't take over. Additionally, don't admit defeat during questioning. If you can find a response to a question, do that.
Congressional Debate:
In Congressional Debate, I like to hear some form of a rebuttal immediately following the authorship for a piece of legislation. Do not re-hash arguments or just repeat the same thing 5 times. It will make the debate stale. Additionally, I will take into account how well you respond to questioning; if you are unable to stand up to questions and you allow your arguments to fall, you will be marked down. Furthermore, I really appreciate sign posting; TELL ME WHAT YOUR MAIN POINTS ARE. Evidence must be recent or at least relevant to your argument, meaning that if you choose to use a foundational document (constitution, bill of rights, federalist papers, etc.) you must be able to accurately explain how it relates to the legislation and your arguments.
Presiding Officers
In regards to the presiding officer, I will be especially vigilant about how well you are able to maintain control of the chamber as well as the way you interact with individual competitors and other judges. If you are presiding, it is imperative that you know Robert's Rules of Order as well as Parliamentary Procedure. Failure to show that you have a good understanding of these two things will be frowned upon. If you are unsure about something during a round, PLEASE ask for help. I would much rather you ask for help than do things that would jeopardize your standing in the round.
Important!!
I will not tolerate any form of discriminatory comments or offensive remarks. If you do either of those things, you will lose the round and I will be speaking to someone in a position of authority in the tournament.
If you have any other or more specific questions about my preferences, feel free to email me at moyesn34@gmail.com however be mindful that I am a college student, so my responses may not be the fastest. Have fun debating and Roll Tide.
**For Nationals Policy Paradigm, scroll to the bottom**
General Debate Paradigm:
Experienced Coach and Flow Judge and 4 Year High School Debater, World History/Psychology/Sociology Teacher with previous career as a Community Corrections Officer (Probation and Parole).
In my experience, all forms of Debate are a synthesis of examples, evidence, and analysis. Competitors need to dive deep into the resolutions presented and wrestle with the ideas, evidence, philosophy, experiences, and impacts that stem from the resolution while tying back the original intention of the resolution. (Framer's Intent)
In my estimation all possible areas of inquiry are on the table, but be mindful that some styles of debate depend more on some mechanics then others. If you run inherency in a LD case, it feels off. If you try to solve for BQ, that's just wrong. Debate styles need to stay in their own lanes and crossover is risky if I'm judging your round. Debate is about connections and persuasion and connection with your judge.
I believe in the Burdens of Debate. Aff must prove the resolution's premise as true and correct via the Burden of Proof, regardless of the style. If not they lose. Neg must attack and uphold the Burden of Clash (Rejoinder) and if they do not they can not win.
A quick word on preferences for case presentation. Constructives need to be clear cut and purposeful, lay out all your arguments and evidence, simply open doors or you to walk through in the next speech. Extension evidence is always welcome to expand your points in support in 2nd speeches. Cross should allows be respectful and civil, I do take notes on cross but the points made there highlight your style and ability to think on the fly. Use of canned questions in any form are looked down on.
Rebuttals are fair game but you should always attack, rebuild and expand your arguments in this speech. Repeating points in Rebuttals doesn't increase the weight of the argument.
Consolidation Speeches are for crystalizing the main ideas and presenting voting issues in and overall persuasive and final presentation of your case through points. Please respect the format, arguments that extend well past the rebuttals do not carry more weight with me and are presented too late, make sure to do your job in each segment of the round.
A word about style within the round:
Using excessive speed (defined as 145 or more words per minute, above regular conversational speed of speech) or use excessive points or stylistic tricks to try to disadvantage your opponent in a round will win you no style points with me. If you are speaking beyond my ability to flow or use excessive points within a case I will put my pen down and this signifies that I am no longer constructively in the round. This is to be avoided at all costs, keep your judge “in the round” and go slow, standard conversational pace.
A word on technology and style choice: I have noted in my time as a judge and a coach that reliance on your computer makes you sound robotic and read faster than running off paper. Although I won't ever vote someone down who reads off the computer, you need to make sure to get the message home to the judge with emphasis and good speaks to do well in the round. Having a flat monotone computer voice, spreading evidence, card slamming, and hyper-aggression will not win you any points with me and arguably makes your job harder.
Other Points:
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Case Points for case clarity are gladly accepted.
- Tie things back to framework to impress me and get me on your side. If you "set and forget" a framework or weighing device, its on my flow but not helping you win. This is true for Value Criteria, Weighing Mechs, and Frameworks generally.
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Running Logical Fallacies are strongly encouraged. If you spot one, feel free to call an opponent out for it provided it is valid and you can explain the logical flaw clearly and directly (thus avoiding committing a fallacy of your own.)
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Unique arguments hold more weight then generic arguments, so look for a new angle to gain the upper hand. You have got to prove links to the resolution and prove topicality, if you can't then the claim is bound to fail.
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If you are Aff/Pro and doesn't rebuild and/or extend in later speeches, they lose. If you are Neg/Con attack doesn't attack, clash, and disprove, they lose.
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Observation is good, Observation + Analysis is better, Observation + Analysis+Evidence is best.
- In this world of "technological wonders", I am not on team AI, the expectation is that you write your own case, have your own thoughts, and defend your own ideas. If it is clear you didn't write it and don't know how to run it, I'm not likely to vote for it. Play with AI toys on your own time, not mine.
- NATIONALS 2024 POLICY PARADIGM-
Going to be honest here, policy is not my favorite style. I am not a fan of spreading, speed dropping cards, and theory arguments before the resolution. I won’t buy card formatting arguments or other fringe or minor arguments that do not deal directly with the administration of the cases in the round.
Aff Burden: I am an old school Policy Judge. Aff needs to set a Plan that is well thought out, supported with cards, and a detailed and nuanced Plan that takes into account the harms/ads/disads and impacts of the Plan. Plan needs to think through all the standard planks.(• Topicality • Harms / Inherency • Significance • Solvency • Advantages / Disadvantages) If you run something that is not a plan, it is hard to address/solve the burden of the Aff which is to propose a Plan.
Neg Burden: I’m ok with the Neg focus on counterplans and but my main focus as the judge is if the plan is well supported, funded, enforced and FESABILE. Neg should pressure test the Aff plan and be able to show how the plan presented, originating from the three possible policy applications, may have flaws/shortcomings/disads/impacts that the Aff may not be looking at or see. Neg needs to keep it topical though, I will not be buying any argumentation that reducing Social Security would lead to nuclear war, or anything of the like. If Neg does not establish and maintain strong link chains and impacts its going to be hard to show the flaws and get around or past the Aff plan.
Disclosure Note: So when it comes to disclosure, I am not going to factor into a decision disclosure of cases online well before the round. I would love a copy of the case in paper or digital form before you start, I feel it is required if you plan to spread. If you expect me to flow your spreading without some form of your case I will not flow your case, I will just put my pen down. If you go at a moderate speed, I can and will flow with you but would still appreciate a copy of the case to look at in case I have questions. If you are doing a piecemeal Neg case that is Straight Refusal and line by line, then no case is needed but make sure you go slow enough that I can flow it out.
Cards Note: If you have the card, be able to provide it if asked. I prefer paper cards, but know that is way Old School so make sure I have your Linktree/Drive or something established so if I have a question on a card I can see it. If it sounds too good to be true don’t be surprised or offended if I ask to see it. Also, do not try to discredit cards due to templating, without a National template I am not the style police for carding, if they made an effort, can provide it and it makes sense it is admissible to use in the round.
Spreading Note: Honestly, not a fan of spreading, it is a choice in delivery, and not a requirement. You have 8 mins to set the case, if you need to sacrifice speed for speaking I think that your case is overloaded and you are card slamming just to give the opponents more to answer. I think spreading takes away from the communication of debate and would rather hear the arguments and experience the clash then hear someone mumble their case at me. Set the case as you choose but then give the spreading a break and advocate for why your case is a good thing and should win. If you spread every speech at me with no real application or connection it will be a hard win. Just being honest.
Importance of Impacts: I am a impacts debater, meaning I want to see the impacts that a line of argument of questioning have on the status quo or proposed Aff/Neg world. I often follow the line for impacts to a ballot so be sure to apply the impacts of your attacks all the way through. Don’t just stop at the evidence and ask me to apply it for you, show me your warrants to get that impact!
What doesn’t Flow: I flow cross if it applies to advancing argumentation. I don’t flow ad hominum/personal attacks. I will flow case side extensions but not too late in the case and will always flow impacts and stock issues flowovers if set up and backed up with cards.
Plan Planks Priority: For me the order goes, from most to least important:
Topicality, Solvency, Advantages/Disadvantages, Harms/Inherency, Significance
My Preferences:
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I love to see passion and that you truly believe in what you’re saying, but be respectful with your words and body language.
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While I understand your time constraints and the vast amount of information you have to communicate, if I cannot understand you because of speed, that will hurt you more in the long run.
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While organization and clear signposts are not the most important thing to me, it does help me understand how you are supporting your side. That being said, the content of your words is the most important thing to me.
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I do not disclose winners during the round. When I submit your scores, I will also provide feedback from my notes for you to consider.
Just a couple of things to keep in mind:
1. Make sure you take advantage of crossfire. Although I am not going to vote from your crossfire, this is a time where I want to see clash of arguments and engage with warrants. You should not be repeating what you just read in case but rather tell me how your argument works and finding/pointing out flaws from your opponent's arguments.
2. If your opponents are asking for a piece of evidence make sure you are able to provide it within a reasonable amount of time or I will run your prep time. You should be prepared.
3. If you are using framework in case, make sure it is warranted/carded. Also do not read framework and then drop it after the constructive and never bring it up again in round. There should be a clear purpose when using framework.
4. Please weigh! This is important for nearly every speech but especially the final focus as close rounds tend to be decided in the very last speech of the debate! Tell me why I should prefer your argument over your opponent's! Impact analysis please! I know in the final focus you might want to go for nearly every argument in the end but you only have 2 minutes. Make sure you pick and choose the most important arguments in the round and tell me why I should vote for you!
5. For my second speakers: I know you might want to read tons of different arguments and "flood" the flow but it is not necessary. It is better to read 3 or 4 solid well warranted responses per argument rather than 6 or more blippy responses that are not developed at all. Also remember to use up your entire time! Take advantage of it! If you have time to defend in your rebuttal speech, address important turns on your case but only if you think you have completely attacked your opponent's case.
These are just a couple of things to keep in mind. I am pretty laid back so if you have any questions feel free to ask me before the round starts. Don't hesitate to ask! Good luck!
experience: cx, pf, ld, bq, congress, world schools
cx
include me on the email chain. it's pretty rare that i will vote on t, that would be a very special circumstance. tell my how many off case positions you're running please. i'm fine with any type of argument as long as you articulate it well. i feel like there isn't really anything unique to put here, if you have specific question you can feel free to ask me. if you want what happens in cross to matter you need to bring it up during your speech.
public forum
i'm fine with any kind of argument. my decision is more often than not based off the line by line debate. be sure to have real impacts that you carry across the flow and weigh against your opponents. if there is a weighing mech make sure it's actually one worth while and that you continue relating back to it and explaining how you win under it. take full advantage of cross- don't just start rambling off an argument during that time, ask questions and move on, alsoif you want what happens in cross to matter you need to bring it up during your speech. arguments need to have warrants and links. i'm fine with speed, but not if you're sacrificing clarity- also speed doesn't equate to spreading.
lincoln douglas
speed is okay, but not at the cost of clarity. no need to spread but if you absolutely must then you should warn me/ your opponent and probably send out the doc. please do not turn the whole round into a framework debate. if you want to debate frameworks the whole time, don't allow it to dominate your speech time. be sure to actually be relating your arguments/ impacts back to the framework you've chosen to run. i am big on line by line, that's what makes the decision. i am fine with any type of arguments, as long as you have a link/ warrant to the case you're making. if you want what happens in cross to matter you need to bring it up during your speech.
any homophobia, sexism, racism, ableism, etc will result in an L. respect your opponents.
-Roadmap before you begin and signpost as you go through your speech. If you don't tell me where it goes, I'll put it off to the side until you do.
-If you are speaking too fast for me to flow, I will put my writing utensil down. If it goes down, that is your sign to slow down.
-Be civil, especially during cross examination time. It stinks to lose because you were equally matched, but one team was too snippy.
*No ad hominem attacks, purposeful misgendering, racist language, etc.
-Use your weighing mechanism or framework throughout the debate, not only at the beginning and only at the end.
*On that note, it is not in your best interest to waste time arguing framework or weighing mechanism unless the framework first provided is unfair. If you ask me to judge using both frameworks/weighing mechanisms, I will, but make sure you tell me how your case fits both.
Background: high school policy debater, small town Arkansas 2004-2008, parli and LD in college at Arkansas State University.
I've been judging since 2010.
My paradigm is simple and straightforward.
I prefer not to be included in your email chain. If you find it imperative to point out inconsistencies with evidence, etc, do so during your speech. I don't feel it is my prerogative to check the merits of your evidence.
I value politeness, and despise those who are snarky. Even if you and I both know you're easily winning the round, there's absolutely no reason for you to behave in a manner that is disrespectful to your opponent.
I listen to any argument presented to me. If you present something wacky, be prepared to defend it. You should know your argument inside and out. Debate on the case is a must. I will not vote NEG with no clash on the case. I will not vote AFF if AFF drops their case only to refute NEG arguments.
I consider myself a pretty expert flow-er. Speed is fine, slow down on your contentions/tags if you want me to flow them to the letter. I do not flow CX, but I listen carefully. If you set up an argument during CX, follow up on that in your speech so that it is on my flow.
The round comes down to clash and impact calculus. Line by line argumentation is paramount. Topicality is a voting issue for me.
Affiliation and Big Picture:
I debated three years for Bentonville HS, then debated policy, parli, and collegiate LD for Oklahoma. Currently a master's student at NYU and a Mock Trial/Model UN assistant coach in Albany, NY.
I debated primarily K, but I will always vote on what you present to me. If you are straight policy, great. If you are very performance, also great. You know your arguments. I will vote on framework and T, but I won’t necessarily just give the round to you because the other team is running a kritikal aff. Prove your impacts and weigh it out. I like clash. I assume you do too.
Be careful about saying something is a priori if you are not sure of winning it, because I will evaluate it as such.
Be good in CX. Effective CX trapping is impressive and can be good for speaks. Being a jerk isn’t. Also in the same vein, avoid being problematic as a general rule- y’all are in high school and know how to not be harmful to your competitors.
I would like to be added to email chains and I will flow on paper, I stop at the timer with what I last heard.
Specific Arguments:
Topicality- Articulate it well and extend it properly and it has a chance with me. I actually like T a fair amount as long as it can be proven. If you’re using it as a time suck, don’t.
K- Don’t assume everyone knows your lit base or that the buzzwords are automatically understood. It’s important to explain the idea in a way that your competitors can understand the premise as well. Well-run K is important, and the link chain needs to be articulated.
DA/CP- If this is your negative argument of choice, the rules are pretty standard. Make them stick to the aff. Net benefits must be articulated properly.
Affs- I like to hear creative affs as well as standard affs, as long as you can articulate your particular position and defend it.
Theory- I will hear it, but remember. Condo on some ungodly number of CPs might be buyable, condo on one CP and one K won’t be. Be reasonable.
Good luck everybody and I can’t wait for some great debates! Email is gswall97@gmail.com if you have any further questions(before or after this tournament!) or ask before round.
I am a communications teacher (I was never a debater) therefore I focus more on the educational aspect of the debate. Please do not assume that I understand all debate terminology and techniques. I need you to educate and persuade me through organized speeches and clear explanations.
Former k policy and congressional debater from Little Rock Central High School. I attend the University of Arkansas- Fayetteville and do not actively debate.
email me for questions: abbywalton28@gmail.com
Note: please don't call me ma'am- I won't call you out if you do, but I prefer not being called that. I use they/she pronouns & prefer they.
Spreading is OK for me.
In high school, I was the kind of debater that constantly had Framework debates and hated the subject. Now, especially judging formats like Big Questions and LD, I appreciate Framework a lot more and give that argument priority. Please tell me how to vote and what to vote for!
I also never read a capitalism or hegemony good argument, although I will vote for it if it's the more substantiated and better debated claim.
To get good speaker points, have a well structured speech, speak clearly, and use lots of good well thought out evidence. I think a well organized speech is what I look for and appreciate the most.
Hi! Hello! I am Turner Ward!
I am a full-time theatre student and participated in Forensics and Debate for five years in high school and now do judging after graduating.
Word of advice. BREATH.
Hello lil baby debaters !!!!
heres the gist of it... I did policy debate at Bentonville High School for 3yrs..
I will easily be able to follow your arguments and your speed... but if your spreading is UNCLEAR then it won't make it onto my flow.
-- ORGANIZATION IS KEY!!!! If you don't sign post I won't know where arguments go. I'm a flow judge and if I don't know where your argument goes then it will probably hinder how I evaluate the round at the end
-- if you want outstanding speaker points you have to work for it... just because you can spread isn't enough for me, you have to be able to show me that you can speak PERSUASIVELY!! Slow down, emphasize words, repetition, hand gestures, analogies, eye contact. I should be completely moved to tears/ action by your speech.
-- NEVER END A SPEECH BEFORE THE TIMER GOES OFF. you should always have something to say
-- don't ask if you can sit during your speech the answer is no-- **THIS WAS PRECOVID U CAN SIT**
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-- I will flow any argument but you better KNOW it and be able to explain it well. If you are going to read something that you just found a few hrs before... be careful
-- if it comes down to a specific card I will comb through it so this is a WARNING to make sure your card says EXACTLY what you are arguing .... I would rather you have incredibly strong analytics than mediocre evidence
-- if you have strong evidence/ can argue something crazy really well, then go for it. my outside biases/ opinions do not affect my view. You have good evidence that says Atlantis the lost city has been found then it's a valid argument that must be adequately addressed by your opponent. Argue that your team is actually pirates idc
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-- rebuttals need impact calc.
-- I like rebuttals to consist of analysis of the round, less cards & more explaining WHY your team is winning
-- TOPICALITY IS A PRIORI (I don't care what the new fad is, but to me that is one of the most important things in the round) --> that also means, don't run dumb ones and make sure your technique is correct
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-- NEG try not to bring up new arguments in the 2nc... it annoys me when rebuttals turn into the aff whining/ a debate over the rules of policy. If you DO bring up a new argument it better be the strongest thing you have, don't just waste time.
-- NEG I want to see a good use of the negblock... don't say the exact same thing for 13 mins
-- I WANT CLASH. Case debate is so often swept under the rug !!!! even if you don't have specific cards against their case I will flow analytics. Strong analytics !!!!!!! This holds true for all forms of debate.
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-- don't be rude to your opponents during cross ex
-- don't run sexist, racist, homophobic, etc.. arguments. If I think that the round has become offensive I will stop you and force you to take YOUR prep time to re evaluate. Don't be insensitive.
-- if you flash files I will not count it as prep
-- have a phone or timer for your speech... I will not be your judge AND timekeeper.
-- open cross ex is fine in my book BUT if your partner is answering all the questions for you I will take that to mean that you don't understand what you just read
-- do NOT start off cross ex with 'how are you' or lame filler questions. Just end cross ex or ask for more details... but don't waste my time. CROSS EX SHOULD BE INTENTIONAL.
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-- K affs are fun, go for it !!!
-- do not forget to extend your case in every speech.
--AFF if you are going to have framework in your plan I better hear it until the very end. Don't say read it in the 1ac and then not mention it again until rebuttals.. I will consider it dropped
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FOR PF and LD...
-- I've judged enough rounds that I understand and can follow the arguments you make
-- I'm okay with K's being run in an LD round but no CPs; progressive or traditional whatever your preference is go for it
-- I know that PF and LD are supposed to focus more heavily on slow, well spoken, persuasive speeches, that being said, I am okay with speed but DO NOT SPREAD.
-- look you don't get a lot of time in these speeches, I get that, but I also need to see that you are adequately responding to every argument on the flow !!! (This is part of being organized)
-- impact calc is still relevant, I wanna hear some hella persuasive speaking in those summary speeches
-- also you CAN debate the weighing criteron... I expect you to extend. Don't just define your criteron, you better put it into the context of the resolution.
-- no 'open cx' in pf, don't ask. You have grand crossfire/ you should know your case well enough to answer questions on your own.
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Big Questions
-- have fun... good luck... I better hear some enticing, impressive, creative, and logical arguments !!!! Claaaaaassssshhhhhh! Do your research.
- don't just repeat your case over and over...
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Congress
- i don’t remember reading or even thinking about paradigms the few times I participated in Congress back in the old day BUT in case you are reading this… most of what i said for PF/LD apply to you. I would say be more cautious with speed because other judges aren’t gonna like that even though i don’t mind as long as you can talk fast and still be persuasive and include tone fluctuation
- when disagreeing (or agreeing) with an argument if u mention someone refer to them as a fellow delegate.
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-- if you decide to flash or have some sort of email chain during round I want to be included. whitemadisonj@gmail.com
-- I try not to disclose in round because I want you guys motivated and encouraged for your next round so PLEASE don't ask me who won
-- I expect you to come to the round having already read my paradigm... you may ask me questions about what I have said or anything I didn't specify but I will not repeat all of what I have typed
-- be unique and creative !!! Have fun with this !!!!! Can't wait to see how hard you have all worked !!