Round Rock TFA
2021 — Round Rock, TX/US
PF Judges Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideAustin '20 | TTU '24
Email: jaickareth@gmail.com
I did PF for 4 years, and have competed in 5+ IEs throughout this time.
PF Paradigms
Overall:
- Debate is supposed to be an enjoyable experience for ALL, so keep it that way.
- I do not evaluate theory, kritiks, tricks, or anything of that sort. This is PF. Theory does not belong in PF. I'm definitely a traditional debater and have never spent the time or effort of evaluating them. If there is any abuse in the round, warrant it, and tell me why I should drop them.
- I will intervene as minimally as possible. Tell me what I need to flow, and I'll do it. ASSUME I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE TOPIC. If you tell me a response is bad or unresponsive, tell me why. Simply stating it won't do it with me.
- Tech>Truth.
- Speed is fine, spreading is not. Again, this is PUBLIC forum. You shouldn't be spreading, because honestly, you don't have to.
- Frontlines need to be addressed in the speech right after. This burden falls on both teams now that summaries are 3 minutes long. Any offense and defense you want to bring up, do it in the next speech. If you don't have time, hit what's important.
- Defense isn't necessarily sticky. I would suggest you extend your defense arguments no matter what.
- Defaulting NEG. If there is no offense in the round, I will default NEG.
Case:
- Don't really care. Just do what you usually do.
CX:
- No open crossfire. Ik it's fun, but it also gets annoying quickly.
- Cross is binding.
- Be nice. Cross is the best part of PF. Don't ruin it by being a jerk.
Rebuttal:
- Sign Post and Roadmaps. Please signpost, it'll be easier for me to flow your round. Also, a roadmap at the start of the speech will always help.
- You need to frontline.
Summary:
- The best way to get me to vote for you is to have a bomb summary.
- Extensions. Tell me what the author says and its implication in the round. Make sure to extend defense
- First Summary
- New Evidence to Frontline is okay.
- Second Summary
- Weighing. Make sure weigh here. After this, I will not accept anything new.
Final Focus:
- IF IT'S NOT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY, IT SHOULD NOT BE MENTIONED IN FINAL FOCUS. Don't waste your time by saying stuff that wasn't mentioned in summary. I will not listen to it.
- COLLAPSE. I don't care if you line- by- line or big picture, but you better collapse on what's important.
- EXTENSIONS. Extend weighing; doing so is in your advantage.
AUTOMATIC Ls:
- MISCUT EVIDENCE
- ABUSIVE TO OPPONENTS
- RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC, ETC.
If you have any other questions, you can email me or ask me before round starts!
I am a parent judge for Westwood High School, please treat me as one. I want clear and concise argumentation, good speaking and a good atmosphere in the debate-space. Perhaps most important, please be nice to each other and have fun, otherwise it's not worth it.
DO NOT SPEAK TOO FAST. PLEASE KEEP A CONVERSATIONAL PACE FOR THE SAKE OF A PARENT/LAY JUDGE.
Background:
I did Public Forum for 3 years at Vista Ridge High School, and a few Policy tournaments but I doubt it really counts. I debated on the national and local circuit, qualifying for TFA State my Junior and Senior years of High School. I am currently a Sophomore at St. Edward's University in Austin.
General:
I am not tolerant of any sexism, racism, or anything of derogatory nature and my ballot will reflect that.
WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH. AND SIGNPOST. I am more tabula rasa than not.
Also, keep track of prep yourself I am too lazy to do it.
I generally listen to cross-fire but I don't decide the round on it.
Please be kind to one another and do not talk over each other. Debate is a game of intellect, not to shout over each other as if you were in a bar fight. (this will also get your speaks docked)
If you have a good joke that is tasteful and in context, go for it.
Speed:
I think that you can go at a fast pace as long as I can understand you, and I will just say clear if I can't but this does not mean spreading. Please do not spread, there's no point and it does not make you win more round in the long run. All in all, just be clear. I am not a judge that overestimates their ability to comprehend speed, I would rather everyone be in understanding of what is happening rather than going at warp speed.
LD - If you flash me everything you read, you go as fast as you want. If there are off-screen analytics being made I would slow down a bit.
Types of Arguments:
Keep in mind I did PF, not LD or CX. Run theory at your own risk. I did PF when they were running disclosure, I will listen to it but your voters or RVI's have to be pretty compelling for me to give you a round win, but it can be done. Other theory arguments like T's or K's are usually not done correctly and just make things messy. Also, running these arguments because the opponent doesn't know what theory is, is exclusionary and not cool.
I also do not like weird squirrely arguments to throw the opponents off, it just isn't needed but if its clever and in your constructive than more power to you.
The Split:
I think the second rebuttal should always frontline/address the first rebuttal. That is all.
Summary:
Defense is NOT sticky.
Given that you have a 3-minute summary, there better be some good condensing in there.
If you're giving first summary, you don't have to extend the defense from rebuttal, but you should put defense on any giant turns or disads from the second rebuttal. I like clear voting issues in summary and final focus. I also like it when teams collapse well in these speeches. If something important isn't in the summary, I'm not voting on it in final focus.
Evidence:
Truthful paraphrasing > miscut cards.
I can't believe I have to say this, but please represent evidence honestly. I'm not going to punish you for paraphrasing but I do expect you to stay true to what the evidence is saying if you choose to do so. I will punish you for misrepresenting evidence or knowingly reading authors that are fraudulent or very clearly unreliable.
Please don't do "debater math" or over-extrapolate the results and numbers in studies. It's often unethical and usually just not educational and inaccurate. Wrong. Bad. Pls don't.
You should know where your evidence is. I won't start immediately running your prep when opponents want you to find some evidence because I think that's silly, but if you start taking more than a minute or so I will.
Bracketing in your card is bad. The one exception, I guess, would be clarifying a qual or something. For example, if your card says "Amar continues" and you add "[Yale Law professor Akhil Reed] Amar continues" that isn't a huge deal, but it's probably easier to just note it somewhere else before/after the card.
Card dumps ≠ warrants, pls explain your arguments.
Speaker Points:
If you speak clearly and your in-round strategy is good, don't worry about speaker points. I generally don't give below 28 but it takes a good amount to get a 30.
Hi, I am a fairly new to judging debate. Please don't spread, and if you can try not to use too much jargon and feel free to explain some definitions when appropriate.
Try to crystallize in your last speeches, and make it easy for me to decide the outcome.
Please add me to the email chain. Here is my email: prateekf@yahoo.com
Strake Jesuit Class of 2020
Fordham 2024
Email - hatfieldwyatt@gmail.com
Debate is a game, first and foremost.
I qualified for the TOC Junior and Senior years and came into contact with virtually every type of argument
Summary of my debate style - I just enjoyed the activity while reading all types of arguments with my own spin on them. I think debate is often boring with debaters just reading blocks and not being innovative.
Please note that I have strong opinions on what debate should be, but I will not believe them automatically every round they have to be won just like any other argument. Tech>truth no exceptions.
Triggers - French Revolution and Freemasonry
I am not a fan of identity-based arguments. Please don't run arguments that are only valid based on your or your opponent's identity.
Speaks -
How to get good speaks 29-29.5
- be entertaining either with good music, good jokes etc
- making arguments that I like or agree with; this includes Catholicism and Monarchism.
- Style
- Reference something from Scooby-Doo
How to get 30
- Define the 4 Marian Dogmas
- Explain Unam Sanctam
- Explain who you think the greatest monarch is and why
- Explain who you think the greatest Saint is and why
- Recite the our father or hail mary in latin
How to get low speaks
- Having bad strategy choice
-being really rude or mean
- Swearing or cursing, try to keep it professional and respectful, please
Styles of Debate -
I will vote on all of them if I see your winning them
Tricks - 1
Larp - 2
Phil - 1
K - 3
Theory - 1
K performance - 5
Speak slowly. Not necessarily too slow but should not be so fast as if its like some of the commercials on radio or tv when they explain the fine-prints.
he/him
I did PF at James Bowie HS in Austin, TX for 4 yrs, graduating in 2019.
I would prefer offense to be frontlined in second rebuttal. Any unaddressed defense doesn't need to be extended in summary. Any offense that you want me to vote on must be fully extended in summary and final focus. Don't just say the words extend + the card author. Please actually extend argument. If you don't, I will look to vote elsewhere. Weighing is very important. Please give me a way to evaluate the round.
Speed is fine as long as you're clear. For online debate, I think its good practice to send speech docs prior to constructive given connectivity issues. If an email chain is used, I would like to be added.
I'll attempt to evaluate any argument you read in front of me, but I am more comfortable with standard stuff. I never ran K’s/theory/CP’s/etc. Feel free to ask me specifics before the round!
Lastly, please be nice to each other.
If anything in here was unclear, I'm happy to answer your questions!
Love to be on the chain.... sfadebate@gmail.com
LD---TOC---2024
I'm a traditional leaning policy judge – No particular like/dislike for the Value/Criterion or Meta-Ethic/Standard structure for framework just make sure everything is substantially justified, not tons of blippy framework justifications.
Disads — Link extensions should be thorough, not just two words with an author name. I'm a sucker for good uniqueness debates, especially on a topic where things are changing constantly.
Counterplans — Counterplans should be textually and functionally competitive but I'm willing to change my mind if competition evidence is solid. I love impact/nb turns and think they should be utilized more. Not a fan of ‘intrinsic perms’.
Kritiks — I default to letting the aff weigh case but i'm more than willing to change my mind given a good framework/link push from the negative. I’m most familiar with: Cap, Biopolitics, Nietzsche, and Security. I'm fine voting for other lit bases but my threshold is higher especially for IdPol, SetCol, and High Theory. Not a fan of Baudrillard but will vote on it if it is done well.
K Affs — I'm probably 40/60 on T. If a K aff has a well explained thesis and good answers to presumption I am more than willing to vote on it. A trend I see is many negative debaters blankly extending fairness and clash arguments without substantial policymaking/debate good evidence. I default to thinking debate and policymaking are good but I'm willing to be persuaded otherwise absent a compelling 2NR.
Topicality — Big fan of good T debates, really dislike bad T debates. I don't like when teams read contradictory interps in the 1NC, you should have good T evidence, and I like a good caselist. Preferably the whole 2NR is T.
Theory — Not a fan of frivolous shells but i'm willing to be convinced on any interp given a good explanation of the abuse story. I default to In-round-abuse, reasonability, and have a high threshold for RVIs.
Phil — As an Ex-Policy Debater, my knowledge here is very limited. I'm willing to vote on it if it's very well warranted and clearly winning on the flow. But in a relatively equal debate I think I will always default to Util.
Tricks — Don't
edited for LD 2022-3
I have not judged a lot of LD recently. I more than likely have not heard the authors you are talking about please make sure you explain them along with your line by line. Long overviews are kind of silly and argumentation on the line by line is a better place for things Overview doesn't mean I will automatically put your overview to it. If you run tricks I am really not your judge. I think they are silly and will probably not vote for them. I have a high threshold for voting on theory arguments either way.
edited for Congress
Speak clearly and passionately. I hate rehash, so if you bring in new evidence and clash you will go farther in the round than having a structured speech halfway to late in debate. I appreciate speakers that keep the judges and audience engaged, so vocal patterns and eye contact matter. The most important thing to me is accurate and well developed arguments and thoughtful questions. For presiding officer: run a tight ship. Be quick, efficient, fair, and keep accurate precedents and recency. This is congressional debate, not congressional speech giving, so having healthy debate and competition is necessary. Being disrespectful in round will get you no where with me, so make sure to respect everyone in the room at all times.
Edited 20-21
Don't ask about speaks you should be more concerned with how to do better in the future. If you ask I will go back and dock your speaks at least 2 points.
Edited for WSD Nats 2020
Examples of your arguments will be infinitely more persuasive than analogies. Please weigh your arguments as it is appropriate. Be nice, there is a difference between arrogance and excellence
Edited for PF 2018-9
I have been judging for 20 years any numerous debate events. Please be clear; the better your internal link chain the better you will do. I am not a big fan of evidence paraphrasing. I would rather hear the authors words not your interpretation of them. Make sure you do more than weighing in the last two speeches. Please make comparison in your arguments and evidence. Dont go for everything. I usually live in an offense defense world there is almost always some risk of a link. Be nice if you dont it will affect your speaks
Edited for 2014-15 Topic
I will listen to just about any debate but if there isnt any articulation of what is happening and what jargon means then I will probably ignore your arguments. You can yell at me but I warned you. I am old and crotchety and I shouldn't have to work that hard.
CXphilosophy = As a preface to the picky stuff, I'd like to make a few more general comments first. To begin with, I will listen to just about any debate there is out there. I enjoy both policy and kritik debates. I find value in both styles of debate, and I am willing to adapt to that style. Second, have fun. If you're bored, I'm probably real bored. So enjoy yourself. Third, I'm ok with fast debates. It would be rare for you to completely lose me, however, you spew 5 minutes of blocks on theorical arguments I wont have the warrants down on paper and it will probably not be good for you when you ask me to vote on it. There is one thing I consider mandatory: Be Clear. As a luxury: try to slow down just a bit on a big analytical debate to give me pen time. Evidence analysis is your job, and it puts me in a weird situation to articulate things for you. I will read evidence after many rounds, just to make sure I know which are the most important so I can prioritize. Too many teams can't dissect the Mead card, but an impact takeout is just that. But please do it all the way- explain why these arguments aren't true or do not explain the current situation. Now the picky stuff:
Affs I prefer affs with plan texts. If you are running a critical aff please make sure I understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. Using the jargon of your authors without explaining what you are doing won't help me vote for you.
Topicality and Theory- Although I certainly believe in the value of both and that it has merit, I am frustrated with teams who refuse to go for anything else. To me, Topicality is a check on the fringe, however to win a procedural argument in front of me you need specific in round abuse and I want you to figure out how this translates into me voting for you. Although I feel that scenarios of potential abuse are usually not true, I will vote for it if it is a conceded or hardly argued framework or if you can describe exactly how a topic or debate round would look like under your interpretation and why you have any right to those arguments. I believe in the common law tradition of innocence until proven guilty: My bias is to err Aff on T and Negative on Theory, until persuaded otherwise.
Disads- I think that the link debate is really the most significant. Im usually willing to grant negative teams a risk of an impact should they win a link, but much more demanding linkwise. I think uniqueness is important but Im rarely a stickler for dates, within reason- if the warrants are there that's all you need. Negatives should do their best to provide some story which places the affirmative in the context of their disads. They often get away with overly generic arguments. Im not dissing them- Reading the Ornstein card is sweet- but extrapolate the specifics out of that for the plan, rather than leaving it vague.
Counterplans- The most underrated argument in debate. Many debaters don't know the strategic gold these arguments are. Most affirmatives get stuck making terrible permutations, which is good if you neg. If you are aff in this debate and there is a CP, make a worthwhile permutation, not just "Do Both" That has very little meaning. Solvency debates are tricky. I need the aff team to quantify a solvency deficit and debate the warrants to each actor, the degree and necessity of consultation, etc.
Kritiks- On the aff, taking care of the framework is an obvious must. You just need good defense to the Alternative- other than that, see the disad comments about Link debates. Negatives, I'd like so practical application of the link and alternative articulated. What does it mean to say that the aff is "biopolitical" or "capitalist"? A discussion of the aff's place within those systems is important. Second, some judges are picky about "rethink" alternatives- Im really not provided you can describe a way that it could be implemented. Can only policymakers change? how might social movements form as a result of this? I generally think its false and strategically bad to leave it at "the people in this debate"- find a way to get something changed. I will also admit that at the time being, Im not as well read as I should be. I'm also a teacher so I've had other priorities as far as literature goes. Don't assume I've read the authors you have.
Please add me to the email chain. My email is aparnapolavaram@yahoo.com
I have no experience in debate, so please don't use debate terminology. Please be clear and slow when you give speeches. Please tell me what I should vote on, and why I should vote for you. Also, if you want to be voted for make sure you clearly explain your arguments and the different parts of your argument.
I am a parent judge. I am unfamiliar with the different positions on the topic. Please speak clearly.
Good Luck!
Hello! I am currently a student at UT Austin and a former debater at Plano West Senior HS. I have competed and judged rounds of Public Forum, Congress, and Extemp. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at rishikaprakash@gmail.com.
PF/Congressional Debate Paradigm:
1. Argumentation: I am most focused on the logic and content of your speeches. As a judge, the easier it is for me to understand your arguments and their clash, the easier it is for me to evaluate your performance. Evaluate the larger context of your arguments and weigh impacts. I appreciate a good argument whether I support it or not, as a judge, I try my best to stay unbiased. I will not rank debaters that fail to support and strengthen arguments with evidence. And please weigh as much as you can.
2. Content (rebutting and extending): I expect refutations to be strong and supported by both logic and evidence (if necessary). If you are expanding on a previous speaker’s arguments try to highlight how you are furthering their contention. I do not find it necessary for later speakers to say the names of previous speakers, but if it helps to clarify the evidence or arguments you are referring to, I would recommend doing so. Do not restate previous speakers’ arguments as your own, that is not extending and will not help you. I expect speakers to have rebuttals and responses in the round that are backed by logic or evidence. If you do not fully explain the links in your refutation argument then it is not possible to weigh it.
3. Participation: Be an active member in the round with strong questions in cx and make your speeches relevant. Congress is a participation event, and failing to participate (speaking or questioning) will hurt your ranking. Do not use cx as a time to seem like you are participating in the round with fluff questions. I will only take note of strong questioning which requires paying attention. Make motions when necessary and try not to waste time.
4. Speaking: I appreciate a good and clear speaker, but pretty speaking isn’t enough to be successful in the round. Try your best to weigh and refute clearly and explain everything thoroughly. As a judge, I do not want to focus on your speaking style so try your best to have a speaking personality that isn’t a distraction but rather a strength.
I highly value respect for one another in congress rounds, so please remember that a strong debater is not a rude one.
Let’s have some fun, I can’t wait to see what y'all come up with. Good luck!
Position yourself so I can hear you. Don't speak into your laptop or stand on the opposite side of the room. Don't read typed-out things like they are the text of a card. Slow down and change the intonation of your voice when you're speaking.
I normally look to impact calc throughout debate
If I don't understand something, I will not vote on it even if it is conceded.
I am getting tired of multiple conditional cp's. Seriously, it is getting out of hand. The neg gets 1 conditional cp or Kritik.
I not only look for argumentation but also HOW you debate (aka how well you can convince me).
Clarity is key. If you are spreading and I can not clearly hear your arguments I will not flow them.
last speeches should start with telling me exactly what should be on my ballot.
I WILL NOT VOTE FOR:
Things I will not vote on:
Arguments that suggest students should engage in risky behavior.
Death is good.
Fear of death is bad
Bataille
Baudrillard
Hello,
I'm a lay judge so please keep these things in mind:
1. Don't speak fast
2. Don't interrupt each other
3. Cross is important
Have fun and make it an interesting round! I will not be disclosing at the end of the round.
I am a parent judge.
Especially during online debates, please be clear and don't read very technical positions in front of me as I will likely not be able to evaluate the debate as you want me to.
Background: PF @ Mountain House High School '19, Economics @ UC Berkeley '22, Berkeley Law '26. This is my 5th year judging.
THREE ABSOLUTE ESSENTIALS BEFORE YOU READ THE REST OF MY PARADIGM:
Due to the fast paced nature of debate nowadays and potential technical difficulties with online tournaments, I would really appreciate if you could send me the doc you're reading off of before each speech to my email write2zaid@gmail.com. If you can use Speech Drop, that's even better.
Preflow before the round. When you walk into the room you should be ready to start ASAP.
I will NOT entertain postrounding from coaches. This is absolutely embarrassing and if it is egregious I will report you to tab. Postrounding from competitors must be respectful and brief.
JUDGING PREFERENCES:
I am a former PF debater and I still think like one. That means I highly value simple, coherent argumentation that is articulated at at least a somewhat conversational speed.
In my view, debate is an activity that at the end of the day is supposed to help you be able to persuade the average person into agreeing with your viewpoints and ideas. I really dislike how debate nowadays, especially LD, has become completely gamified and is completely detached from real life. Because of this, I am not partial to spread, questionable link chains that we both know won’t happen, theory (unless there is actual abuse) or whatever debate meta is in vogue. I care more about facts and logic than anything else. You are better served thinking me of a good lay judge than a standard circuit judge. NOTE: I also am strongly skeptical of K AFFs and will almost always vote NEG if they run topicality.
That doesn’t mean I do not judge on the merits of arguments or their meaning, but how you present them certainly matters to me because my attention level is at or slightly above the average person (my brain is broken because of chronic internet and social media usage, so keep that in mind).
I will say tech over truth, but truth can make everyone’s life easier. The less truth there is, the more work you have to do to convince me. And when it’s very close, I’m probably going to default to my own biases (subconscious or not), so it’s in your best interest to err on the side of reality. This means that you should make arguments with historical and empirical context in mind, which as a college educated person, I’m pretty familiar with and can sus out things that are not really applicable in real life. But if you run something wild and for whatever reason your opponent does not address those arguments as I have just described, I will grant you the argument.
You should weigh, give me good impact calculus (probability, magnitude, scope, timeframe, etc), and most importantly, TELL ME HOW TO VOTE AND WHY! Do not trust me to understand things between the lines.
More points that I agree with from my friend Vishnu's paradigm:
"I do not view debate as a game, I view it almost like math class or science class as it carries tremendous educational value. There are a lot of inequities in debate and treating it like a game deepens those inequities.
Other than this, have fun, crack jokes, reference anecdotes and be creative.
There is honestly almost 0 real world application to most progressive argumentation, it bars accessibility to this event and enriches already rich schools.
Basically: debate like it's trad LD."
SPEAKER POINT SCALE
Was too lazy to make my own so I stole from the 2020 Yale Tournament. I will use this if the tournament does not provide me with one:
29.5 to 30.0 - WOW; You should win this tournament
29.1 to 29.4 - NICE!; You should be in Late Elims
28.8 to 29.0 - GOOD!; You should be in Elim Rounds
28.3 to 28.7 - OK!; You could or couldn't break
27.8 to 28.2 - MEH; You are struggling a little
27.3 to 27.7 - OUCH; You are struggling a lot
27.0 to 27.2 - UM; You have a lot of learning to do
below 27/lowest speaks possible - OH MY; You did something very bad or very wrong