Saint Georges Invitational
2020 — Online, WA/US
Policy Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideMacLean Andrews—Gonzaga Prep
I debated policy in high school and NPDA/NPTE parli at Point Loma. I then coached NPDA/NPTE at PLNU. I am now the Director of Forensics at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, WA. I mostly coach and judge high school CX and LD now. I see debate as an academic game and that’s how I will judge the round. Please feel free to ask me any questions before the round or email me if you have questions while filling out pref sheets (first initial last name at gprep.com)
1.Speaker points
- 28-29.9 usually.
2.Critical Arguments
- I think there are critical implications to every speech act. Affirmative cases, topicalities, procedurals, kritiks, and performances can all be critically analyzed if the teams take the debate there. I am more than willing to listen to any type/kind of arguments but nothing will make me cringe more than a bad K debate. In the end it is up to the debaters in the round to tell me what framework I am to use to evaluate the round.
3.Topicality.
- I tend to see T through a competing interpretations framework unless told so otherwise. I used to say that I have a fairly high threshold for T but I am finding myself voting for it more and more. If it is the best strategy you have to win the round go for it.
4.Theory
- I am willing to listen to all theory arguments as long as a team can give me a reason to vote on the position. Theory positions should have a framework/interp, arguments for your position, and voters/impacts. Simply stating fairness or education as voting issues usually isn’t enough to win. Impact out why fairness or education or (insert voter) is important.
5.Weighing Arguments
- I will default to Net Bens…but if you want to use an alternative weighing mechanism please explain and provide justification for it.
- I appreciate it when weighing is done in the speeches. The last thing you want is for me to have to weigh your arguments for you.
7.Random Thoughts
- Speed is great if clear.
- The round is for the debaters, do what you have to do to win. I will try to adapt to you instead of you adapting to me.
- Impact calc wins debates
- Debate should be fun.
Conflicted:
Kamiak (all teams)
quick prefs:
performance/id pol k - 1
structural k - 1
theory - 2
larp/policy - 2
(LD) phil - 3
(LD) trix - 4
background:
I debated for Kamiak HS in Mukilteo, WA and briefly debated for Wake Forest. I started debate in middle school, and throughout my career, I have earned 17 total TOC bids, qualifying in both LD (3 times) and Policy (1 time) and most recently cleared to quarterfinals of GSU in 2019 (my only college tourney). I have experience in both policy and LD debate on both the local and national circuit. I primarily read kritikal arguments, but trust and believe I can follow you and have experience in policy, phil, and theory stuff.
THIS PARADIGM IS WRITTEN FOR POLICY BUT MOST THINGS IN HERE APPLY TO LD TOO. LD SPECIFIC THINGS ARE NOTED AS SUCH.
pre round:
yes put me on the chain (emailnikob@gmail.com)
Pronouns: black/black or they/them
SPEAKS
[Voices Update] - In round robins speaks matter more, so I will give actual speaks. None of the extras apply, but the minuses certainly do.
Speaks are wack and arbitrary and I don't think they are a good tiebreaker. I wish tournaments would use opp wins as the first tiebreaker instead and I will die on that hill. With that being said, I'm a bit of a speaks fairy unless you do something blatantly offensive in which case speaks will go down down down down down faster than Jay Sean can sing it. And, if you don't get that reference then strike me ;)
+2 speaks if you bring me iced coffee w/ sugar and lots of cream because judging is wayyyy more tiring than competing
+1 speaker point for 2 well executed West Wing references throughout the debate - tell me what they were after your speech so I can keep track or in case I miss it.
+.5 speaker points if youre in LD and you say "we meet" just because I think its wack that some judges care enough to take away speaks, and as someone who did both events it really annoyed me.
-1 speaker point if you misgender your opponent and they don't call it out. Repeated violations especially if its called out will lead to larger "punishments" or whatever.
-5 speaker points for saying "I'm not racist but..." or any variation.
random musings:
tech > truth, but tech without some truth is rarely enough
(LD only) good tricks debate makes judging easy bad tricks debate makes judging hell // [post camp update] and I will not vote on shoes theory or any other theoretical violation about your opponents clothing and/or appearance (identity args exempt). Arguments like shoes theory and etc. are antithetical to the purpose of this activity and I guarantee you will not like your speaks or the decision should you try to read them in front of me.
if you're gonna larp (straight up policy) please for the love of God weigh impacts
A dropped argument is a dropped argument, but it's up to you to tell me the implications of it.
sass and shade are fun...apparently people think I'm a rude debater, but who cares. If sassy/"rude"/shade is your thing then feel free to do you when I'm in the back.
actual stuff:
tl;dr - do you. I like to think I'm pretty tab and can evaluate any type of debate. Tech and the flow are probably more important to me than others who debated like I did in HS. I'm a pretty simple judge so if you weigh your impacts and tell a story in the 2nr/2ar you'll be fine.
TOPIC KNOWLEDGE: 7.5/10 - I've judged a fair amount this season but haven't been coaching as much so don't expect me to know what solvency advocates are shit or what the gold standard definition for reform is.
*Current LD topic - 6/10 - something about drones right?
k debate:
general
we love that. If this is your thing then go for it, but if it isn't please don't make me sit through 2 hours of a bad k debate. I don't think that the negative (for most Ks) needs to win an alternative if they can prove that the aff sucks or that their structural analysis of the world is both preferable and incompatible with the 1ac. Also, chances are I understand and am familiar with your buzz words, but that doesn't mean you should rely on them to win the round. If I can't explain to the other team why their aff, performance, or implicit assumptions in the 1AC/resolution are problematic then it will almost always be an aff ballot. For the aff, I never understood why debaters don't go for the impact turn strat against certain K's. Obviously, I don't condone teams standing up and saying things like racism/sexism/etc. good, but going for cap good, fem IR bad, etc. is fine. Lastly, sometimes I feel as if 2as get so focused on answering the K that they forget to win that their aff is in some way a good departure from the status quo, which is to say please extend your offense in the 2ar.
Clash Rounds
For K aff teams, if you are losing my ballot to cap you are probably doing a lot of things wrong. I think most fwk/cap teams I've seen and most of those rounds I've been in has been underdeveloped on the cap side. The 2ac, if done correctly, should pretty much shut down the cap route. There's should be almost no way the 2n knows more about your theory and it's interactions with cap than the 2a does, which should make those debates pretty easy for you to get my ballot. Framework on the other hand...I feel like k aff teams need to do a significantly better job defending a model of debate, winning debate is bad, winning the aff is a prior question to the resolution, or etc. I tend to vote for framework in clash rounds (not because I enjoy or ideologically agree with it), but because the ^ things are often not executed well. Framework teams, please make sure the arguments the 2nr goes for are somewhere in the block and not just the same tired canned 2nr that somebody stole from Hemanth. Carded TVAs with proper extensions are pretty damning for the aff and your good research/engagement will likely be rewarded (either with speaks or the ballot). I think procedural fairness is an impact, and it will be somewhat of a hard sell to convince me otherwise absent the aff team putting in some work; this doesn't mean I won't vote on structural fairness ow or impact turns, but rather that you actually need to warrant, explain and extend those arguments. I'd much rather see a framework 2nr on limits/truth testing/procedural fairness than skills and policy education, but hey that's just me. I also think that framework teams need to engage in case significantly better than what most teams currently do. Tbh probably slightly better for policy teams in k aff v. fwk rounds and slightly better for k teams in policy aff v. k rounds.
k v. k rounds
I got u...win your theory of power, framing and relevant offense.
policy(LD - LARP):
weigh weigh weigh weigh! I think more than any other stylistic approach to debate, policy teams NEED to do more comparative weighing. You will likely be unhappy with my decision if I can't point to specific points on my flow to weigh between your competing nuke war/extinction/etc. scenarios. I love watching policy teams who have nuanced, fun and creative impact scenarios. Some personal preferences for policy rounds are below -
Judge kick/choice is just not a thing. I'm still baffled how teams win arguments on this; it always seemed like lazy debating to me, and you are probably better off investing that time on other parts of the flow. Obviously if its conceded I won't hack against it, but I can't promise it won't be reflected in your speaks. I think strategic 2nrs will know when to go for the CP and when to kick it and defend the squo, so I'm not inclined to do that work for you.
Live by the flow, die by the flow...I think I'm a pretty well-informed person when it comes to politics/IR, but I probably won't know enough to fill in the gaps of actual nuanced scenario analysis which means you need to weigh and make the arguments you want to hear in the RFD.
I'd much rather watch an engaging 3 off policy strat then sit through watching some poor 1nr try to kick 12 of the 14 off read.
T: I fucking love T. Go for it in front of me. Go for it often in front of me. Go for it well in front of me. Biggest mistakes I see teams going for T in front of me do if forget to extend internal links to their impacts and that's the tea (pun intended). If youre a "K team" and you beat a policy team on T let's just say you'll like your speaks. I think one of the reasons I find framework ideologically ridiculous is because I've seen some really non-T policy affs and I always get indignant - like the conditions aff on this topic or the Saudi aff on last years J/F LD topic.
(LD Only) Phil:
Usually pretty simple debates imho, but make sure you respond to your opponents fw justifications as well as extend your own. After judging almost nothing but phill working at NSD all summer, I feel like these rounds are nearly impossible to resolve absent actual responses/weighing. Also, I'd much rather watch a substantive framework debate between Kant and Hobbes than see someone use Hobbes to trigger linguistic skep and have to watch a six minute 2nr on it.
Theory:
down for anything - weigh standards and win an abuse story. Here are some defaults (obv up for debate) See my note at the top about certain types of LD friv theory. I should clarify that my threshold in theory is slightly higher in policy than in LD and I'm not as open to friv theory in policy. I think policy is a more educational activity, and I don't want to see it go down a similar path vis-a-vis theory.
No RVIs
Text over spirit
meta theory = theory
theory = K
competing interps
drop the arg
fairness = edu; both a voter
Add me to the email chain - jbellavita@berkeley.edu
Berkeley '23
Water topic update
I have very little topic knowledge. This has two implications for you
1. Obscure/schematic T arguments might not be the best strategy. If that is the 2nr, however, try to be crystal clear about everything.
2. Obscure/schematic CP competition arguments might not be the best strategy. If that is the 2nr, however, try to be crystal clear about everything.
I'm perfectly willing to vote for either of these things, and I'll do my best to evaluate these arguments, but know that the chances of me misunderstanding something are a bit higher than you might like.
Four most important things
Clarity >> speed
I am a bad judge for the K, I am a good judge for framework. Pref me as such or suffer the consequences.
I will eagerly vote on explicit judge instruction in the 2AC/block that's extended in the rebuttals (I will also boost speaks)
I think evidence comparison is the most important skill in debate, and a few smart pieces of evidence comparison can often decide a close debate for me
Other stuff
The aff gets to weigh the plan absent major concessions on framework
I will not vote on things that have happened outside of the debate I am judging, nor will I vote on personal attacks towards one of the debaters
The neg can read any CP they want and do whatever they want with it. I will likely only vote on theory if it is dropped or substantially mishandled
I have no moral or ethical issue with Russia war good/Spark flavors of impact turns, and I will evaluate them like any other argument -- I think there is value in learning how to explain why absurd arguments are absurd
You can (and are encouraged to) insert re-highlightings
28.7 is average for the pool barring some tournament rule about speaks
Email me with questions
LD/PF/Anything else
The more you make it like policy debate, the better
That means spread, read a lot of off, read case turns, etc.
I dislike theory in Policy, and those feelings are magnified when it comes to LD theory
Overall:
- Debated policy for four years in high school
- Relatively unfamiliar with this year’s topic, so please don’t breeze through acronyms assuming I understand.
- Comfortable with speed if you’re clear, but please slow down for long overviews.
- Argue whatever you’d like. I’d say I’m “tab” with a few preferences
Preferences:
- Not a big fan of topicality to be honest. I feel like debaters usually end up getting lost in the weeds in these debates and lose sight of their interpretation, or counterinterpretation, entirely.
- If you have a long overview for a K, please organize your thoughts. Long, stream of consciousness overviews are hard to follow.
- If you’re 1NC includes obviously contradicting positions, I tend to side with the affirmative on the issue of conditionality. Otherwise, I am fairly neutral.
I am pretty open to anything. Just have fun and be respectful. Feel free to email (charliedarnall1211@gmail.com) me with any questions. (He/Him/His)
I
I mainly debated policy for four years in highschool. I also did PF at a few tournaments. I went to GDI twice and went to state 3 times.
I am mostly a policy judge but have judged plenty of LD and PF over the years as well.
LD & PF:
Speed is always fine. Make sure that you are respectful to eachother. I have no specific argument preferences. Impact calc is always important. Tell me why your impact matters more/outweighs. Make sure that you cover both your opponents and your own case. Please make sure that if you are making good arguments that you extend them in your following speeches so I can vote on them.
Policy:
Stock issues are voters, T is especially a voter. I thoroughly enjoy K and T debates, and theory is fun.
If there is a theoretical violation, my threshold for voting on it will probably be pretty low. During theory debates, for the love of God, don't spread through every standard in 4 seconds.
I dislike almost all colonialization debates and colonization K's...
Don't run a counter plan unless you can do it right.
Make sure that you are extending arguments and cards.
When in doubt, do impact calc/outweigh work. It's always nice when I have an easy and clear way to vote.
A drop is a concession
I do not flow new arguments in rebuttals (very rare exceptions)
I allow tag team cross ex and flashing doesn't count as prep. I am a flow judge, so responding to arguments and offense is very important
Northwestern, Peninsula, GBN
Emails
High School: jordandi505@gmail.com
College: jordandi505@gmail.com; debatedocs@googlegroups.com
Evaluation
I will flow and decide according to that flow. Technical execution and judge instruction in accordance with that flow will override any preferences. Debate would be untenable if I arbitrarily imposed my thoughts and opinions into certain arguments.
Other than the fact that I will flow, most other things about my evaluation of a debate are incredibly malleable. Judge instruction and “framing” of different portions of the debate should be utilized by debaters both early and often to resolve central questions of the debate. This means that a lot of things are up for debate and should be contested, ranging from impact calculus to the permissibility of “new” arguments to inserting a re-highlighting to presumption. If a team forwards a claim + warrant for how I should evaluate a particular issue, it is the burden of the other team to refute that. The only exception that comes to mind is if it’s “new” in the 2AR, where I will reasonably protect the NEG.
In that vein, I tend to vote for the team that best identifies the central questions of the debate and rigs them in their favor. That is preferable to me than being provided a “menu” of arguments to possibly vote on.
Whether an argument is considered “good” or “bad” is not something that impacts my decision-making. What determines the quality of an argument is the debating and/or evidence. If you believe an argument is “bad,” you should have no problem persuading me that is the case.
I tend to decide debates quickly. That rarely has anything to do with the quality of the debate. Rather, I have been able to follow the central questions of the debate, which allows me to evaluate it as the debate is ongoing.
I have zero desire to adjudicate anything not pertaining to the debate in front of me.
Planless AFFs
I find answers to T that focus heavily on impact turns related to the process of debate that the NEG’s model forwards to be the most persuasive.
A counter-interpretation is useful to filter AFF offense. I am less persuaded by AFFs that lack a counter-interpretation. However, there are times when no counter-interpretation can be better than having one. This usually occurs when the AFF attempts to use their counter-interpretation mainly as defense to T. For example, it’s difficult to persuade me that a counter-interp is sufficiently predictable to outweigh NEG offense absent a large impact turn. In that situation, winning the large impact turn would have already been sufficent for an AFF ballot.
Debate is certainly a game, but it may be more.
T impacts about fairness / clash are more persuasive to me than topic education.
I think most 2ACs to even generic critiques, such as the Capitalism K, are poor and easily defeated.
The sole purpose of my ballot is to decide the winner / loser of a single debate.
K
The K should either be a DA to the plan or a framework argument that brackets the AFF out of the debate. I am worse for anything in the middle.
If both teams forward a framework argument, I will usually resolve that first. I have frequently been befuddled at how some can evaluate these debates without first going to framework. Additionally, I won't contrive a middle ground between both interpretations. If one team believes their interpretation is the middle ground, I am open to being persuaded. Too often these debates lack comparison and are reduced to the same buzz phrases.
I tend not to care that fiat is not real.
A note on “death good.” I won't vote for anything endorsing self-harm or violence against anyone in the debate. That is different than arguments like spark/wipeout, the "death k," or some revolutionary praxis. I think the line is generally a difference between arguments about the people within the debate vs actual academic controversy.
CP
I must know what the CP does, and it solves in order to vote for it. The combination of a vague CP text with a lack of explanation is not persuasive…obviously.
“Process” CPs are fair game. I have no strong disposition against these strategies and tend to believe the consternation around them is rather silly. This is mainly because I am relatively more persuaded by substance, as opposed to competition or theory, against these arguments than the average person. However, that is not to say I think most 2As are prepared to execute such a strategy (in fact, it seems to be quite the opposite). All that being said, I would prefer it if the CP had topic-specific evidence.
I am good for a model of competition based on “functional only” and “text and function.” Winning a model of “textual only” is a hard sell but not impossible.
Theory
Conditionality and judge kick are good. A longer ramble with specifics is below under “Long Conditionality Ramble.” My line is probably fiating out of a straight turn to offense you introduced.
Judge kick is my default. It will be difficult to make me not consider the status quo with only a theoretical objection. This must start in the 1AR.
Nothing is a voting issue aside from conditionality.
Most theoretical objections can be expressed through competition, and I would prefer that.This is mainly because most theory interpretations are incredibly arbitrary. There may be some exceptions to that, including, but not limited to, “fiating multiple governments” bad, “CPs must be policies,” and “fiating federal and sub-federal actors” bad.
DA
Fiat is usually durable, good faith passage and implementation of the plan.
I do not care about the “type” of DA. Anything is a free game, so long as you are prepared to defend it.
Recent and specific evidence is preferred but can be beaten by smart analytics and spin.
Fiating in offense is underutilized.
Turns case arguments (especially if carded) and “fast” DAs frequently swing debates for me.
T
Provide a clear vision of what the topic should encompass and directly contrast it with the opposing teams' interpretation.
Cards to support various parts of a T argument are underutilized.
Quibbles
None of these will decide a debate but may affect speaker points depending on my mood.
Here are some (I am sure the list will grow longer):
1. Please don’t refer to this paradigm. I have physically cringed every time this has happened, please stop. I might also prefer you refer to me as “judge” than randomly mentioning my name throughout a speech (though this is much more situation dependent).
2. Poorly formatted speech documents. I usually follow along during CX and tend to read cards during prep and other dead time. Bad formatting makes this difficult and annoying. This is not to say you must format in a particular way, but relative uniformity of tags, headers, and the like would be nice. There should not be deleted headers and tags, etc. This applies equally to card docs.
3. Too much dead time. Let’s pick up the pace, especially if you want to give me time to decide debates. Particularly, let’s start debates on time. It’s 2024, you should all know how to use email.
Others
Evidence ethics or anything else in a similar vein should typically be debated. That's what I prefer but if there is a clear violation consistent with tournament policy, the onus is on the debaters to direct me to stop the round and address it.
"Being racist, sexist, violent, etc. in a way that is immediately and obviously hazardous to someone in the debate = L and 0. My role as educator > my role as any form of disciplinarian, so I will err on the side of letting stuff play out - i.e. if someone uses gendered language and that gets brought up I will probably let the round happen and correct any ignorance after the fact. This ends when it begins to threaten the safety of round participants. Where that line is entirely up to me." – Truf.
***Long Conditionality Ramble***
Here are my thoughts for the NEG. I don’t really have AFF thoughts other than maybe that these will be the most important things for you to grapple with. Things I am good for the NEG about:
1. I have yet to see a 1NC where I thought the 2A's job was so difficult that it would be impossible to substantively respond. For example, you don't NEED an 8 subpoint response with 5 cards to answer the Constitutional Convention CP. The flip side of this for the AFF is either establishing a clear and consistent violation from the 2AC onward or focusing on the "model" of debate to override my presumption that maybe this 1NC wasn't too bad.
2. NEG flex is great. Two sets of arguments are persuasive to me here. First, side bias. 2AR is certainly easier than the 2NR. I am unsure about "infinite prep," but I am persuaded that AFFs typically can answer most NEG arguments thematically. For example, having a good "certainty key" or "binding key" warrant addresses a whole swath of potential CPs. Second, the topic. Teams that appeal to the nature of the topic (honestly for either side) are persuasive to me. For example, the idea that appeals to "specificity" allows the AFF to murder core generics is one I find persuasive.
3. The diminishing utility of conditionality seems true to me. Appeals to "infinite condo" allowing the nth degree of advocacies is something I am presumptively skeptical about. There are only so many arguments in the NEG box that disagree with the 1AC in different ways. Take what I said about being able to answer arguments thematically to apply here. In addition, for the NEG to accomplish such a massive proliferation, arguments tend to be incomplete. Again, this was talked about above.
4. "Dispo" is a bit ridiculous. The 2AC must define it (the NEG needs to implicate this still). The only other thought I have other than the "plank + process spam" stuff (which I like) is that I can be persuaded "dispo" would mostly only ever allow one advocacy. It now seems intuitive to me that absent 1NC construction that made sure every DA was a net benefit to every CP, the 2A could force the NEG to have to extend everything but since one links to the net benefit, it would be impossible to vote NEG.
5. This is more of a random quibble that I think can be used to frame a defense of conditionality. It seems logical to me that the ability of the AFF to extend both conditionality and substance in the 1AR, forcing the 2NR to cover both in a manner to answer inevitable 2AR shenanigans (especially nowadays) is the same logic criticized by "condo bad" as the 2AR can pick and choose with no cost. It seems worse in this case given the NEG does not have a 3NR to refute the 2AR in this scenario. This is a firm view, but it seems much easier to me for the 2AR to answer the fourth mediocre CP in the 1NC (like uncooperative federalism lol) than for the 2NR to answer the 5-minute condo bad 2AR that stemmed from a 45-second 1AR.
First...
Debated policy for four years at Saint George’s School. 2N. I was really into the activity then, but I no longer do debate now. Because I haven't debated for several years, I probably require a higher level of explanation than most judges you're used to.
I don’t know this topic so please don’t assume I know any of the acronyms!
I’m perfectly fine with speed as long as you slow down on tags.
Tech>Truth
My paradigm is short because being out of the activity has really softened any predispositions I used to have against certain arguments. I leant mostly towards k literature when I debated but that doesn’t mean I’m going to immediately pick you up just because you read it. I want you to read what you’re comfortable with. The best part of debate is when you read stuff that you care about and learn from and I’d much rather you focus on that aspect of the activity than reading something just because you think it’ll win you the debate. That being said, winning feels good too, so you do you and just try to have fun.
Don’t clip cards/don’t steal prep (duh?) I don’t take prep for flashing.
I flow on paper if that matters at all???
Email chain: gracegenerousdebate@gmail.com
Background:
I mostly debated kritiks or soft left stuff in high school, but that doesn’t mean I won’t vote on “traditional” policy arguments. I care more about the clash that occurs within the round than how personally attached I feel to what is being said.
The theme of the day is context! Don’t assume I’m going to do work for you just because I know the argument. I go by what’s on the flow.
Affs:
I read plans and I didn’t read plans (but mostly I didn’t read plans). I am both equipped and open to listening to any type of aff but please remember I don’t know this years’ topic, so I don’t know what’s “core of the topic” or not. Whether or not you read a plan I have a soft spot for case debate (I was a 1N for a bit) and think that affirmatives (especially K affs) cannot just breeze over it and take it for granted.
T:
tl;dr if you're a big T team I'm probably not the judge for you.
Please slow down. I really dislike when T teams read their standards/impacts at 500wpm in the 1NC and the block and then, in their 2NR, go “remember that standard/impact from the 1NC?” No. I don’t. No one remembers it because no one heard it. I didn’t run T much in high school but long as you’re clear and give me context, I am fine judging a topicality debate. I will admit, however, that I tend to lean towards reasonability.
Disads:
I get them, I read them, I like them. Please, again, just give me context and don’t assume that I will know what you’re talking about the moment you say the name of the disad. Also have some good evidence.
Counterplans:
Counterplans are great. SLOW DOWN WHEN READING THE PLAN! Both sides need to do work on the perm, especially the aff. Just because you said PDB in your 2AC doesn’t mean you don’t also need to show me what that looks like. Don’t assume I’ll do the work connecting the CP and the net benefit.
Ks:
Yay! I love a good K but don’t pull one out just cause I like them. I’d much rather see you run something that is strategic and that you are comfortable and confident with than a random K you got from your backfiles. I think doing work on the links is SUPER important and strategic for both sides. I ran identity and high theory stuff so I’ll listen to all of it. Context, context, context!
Theory:
Interpretation AND impact please. Some theory arguments are icky but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to answer them. If you drop the violation, you dropped it and it’s still an important part of the debate. I don’t like voting on icky theory though so please just don’t drop it.
Conditionality:
Condo is good within reason. Multiple conditional CPs or multiple conditional Ks feels questionable to me (especially multiple Ks) and you’re just wasting that precious, precious flow paper.
Finally...
I LOVE WHEN YOU WRITE THE BALLOT FOR ME!
Not as important but I appreciate an organized debate. I do my best to flow in a way that keeps the debate clean and neat so please help me out with that because if stuff gets messy there’s a higher chance I miss something.
Debate is STRESSFUL so please just have fun and run whatever you want because I’ll truly listen to anything that’s not blatantly bigoted and at the end of the day your mental/physical health is the most important thing.
put me on the chain: rhys.debate@gmail.com
please keep your camera on (unless there's a good reason)
the rundown:
k affs are cool
framework vs k affs cool too
spreading is fine
will vote on technicalities or tricky args (theory, weird T shells, obscure framing args)
generally well versed in policy intricacies but less familiar with courts debates
i will reread your advocacy text to figure out what it does
i will take your advocacy text literally absent a consistent and reasonably extrapolated explanation
other stuff:
i debated policy at Garfield 2016-2020
consistently gave 1nr's on T (so run it)
cut and ran hard policy, soft left, and performative k affs
i will like it if you read a cool process cp (even vs k affs) and number arguments/use author names
generally understand common debate k lit but ask me about specific authors/fields
speaks are 25-30 but depend on tourney; 29.5 at washington locals is a 28 at nats
Short Answer: Debate is for the debaters and I mean that. Do what you want and I will do my best to evaluate the debate. I competed in policy debate for 8 years (2007-2015) and have coached many different teams at the high school and college level. I am well accustomed to the vocabulary, concepts, and debate application of a wide variety of schools of thought. I have judged very few rounds on this topic and I do not coach any HS teams so don't expect me to know a lot of the nuances or conversations about this topic. Debaters who explain those nuances and communicate those distinctions effectively will be rewarded.
Long Answer:
Debate isn't one dimensional. I believe that people do debate for a plurality of reasons including but not limited to educational enrichment, competitive ambitions, activist commitments, useless expenditure, policy training, artistic expression, or the game itself. I believe that debaters, coaches, and community members ususally have a complicated relationship with debate, especially debating at this particular historical moment. Debaters who can execute positions that articulate not only the importance of the content they are presenting but also the manner in which they are presenting their content are ahead of the curve in my book. I invest a lot in questions regarding not only what we should advocate or what we learn but also what type of people debate is training us to be.
I tend to be expressive when I judge so debaters who are attuned to my reactions during the round will get a lot of valuable information and feedback about how I think the debate is going.
Clarity is a huge issue for me. I think that many debaters could benefit from slowing down in order to say more. I value depth in argument over a large volume of technical arguments or cards. I find myself reading less and less evidence as I judge more so if you want me to stack up the ev at the end of a debate, you're going to have to do the comparison in your speeches.
When it comes to issues of framework/topicality, I am much more persuaded by substantively answering the aff through a competing methodology or starting-point instead of as an issue of fairness or contestability. This means I don't find procedural fairness to be a persuasive impact in and of itself. I will not be persuaded by the argument that it is impossible to debate against the affirmative or characterizing the essence of an affirmative to the argument "X is bad." I am much more persuaded by theoretical arguments on framework that are internal links to substantive framework impacts. This doesn't mean that I won't listen to framework/T but you are much better off going for a competitive criticism to the aff.
For the left, although I am familiar with many of the concepts and traditions routinely executed in debate, I tend to have a higher threshold for explanation. Using buzzwords as replacement for indepth link analysis or the way the alternative is tailored to the aff will not be a winner. This threshold for explanation also applies to more traditional debates. Being able to assess and compare impacts is essential not only late in the debate but early on if you want to establish a framing for me to view the rest of the debate.
I'm not the judge for your trolling or gotcha backfile checks (nuclear malthus, wipeout etc.).
Molly Martin - they/them - mollyam22@gmail.com
Email chain: Always in policy. (Subject Line: Tournament - Round - Aff vs Neg)
Graduate student and assistant coach with the University of Pittsburgh. I competed in policy debate for C.K. McClatchy (14-18) and Gonzaga University (18-22). Mostly read and went for policy affs in college but my research is more aligned critical literature. Regardless of the style of argument you want to make, I care more about an interesting strategy and well-executed decision-making in rebuttals than what type of strategy you choose.
TLDR, 9-14-24:
I'm very warrant-centric, so the more you're explaining your arguments past the tagline and telling me why those arguments matter for the debate, my ballot, etc., the better! I benefit from really direct communication and clear judge instruction about which arguments you think are the most important and which evidence helps support your arguments the best - regardless of the style or types of argument you wish to make. I look for judge instruction, direct clash, evidence comparison throughout a debate, extension of and reference to warrants (beyond the tag), and clear impact analysis/calculus/comparison to help me decide a debate.
I am looking forward to judging your debate, and to hear the arguments that you are interested in making. My argumentative preferences are left at the door; just make complete arguments (claim-warrant-impact) and we'll be good!
Prioritize clarity over speed. Please avoid starting your speech at max speed - work up to that speed. Slow down more for me on analytics, topicality, theory, and case overviews; annunciation is important.
Tech over truth, for the most part - still gotta tell me why things matter. For example, you need to tell me why dropped arguments matter in my decision-making process.
While defense is important (and wins championships), I find that rebuttals that sound or are too defensive miss the boat for me in controlling the debate.
I believe that debaters should want to control the perception of their arguments as much as possible so that judges should not have to read evidence after the debate, and that debaters should attempt to write as much of the judge's ballot as possible. While I will read cards needed, my preference is to vote off your explanations of the evidence over the author's - just don't rely on the card doc to do work for you.
Pet peeves: top-heavy overviews, not timing yourselves, stealing prep, excessive CX interruptions, rudeness to your opponents, teammates, or me.
Content:
Case debate -- do it. The best 1NCs on case have analytics that indict affirmative evidence/solvency claims AND evidence. Follow a consistent format/formula to extend your evidence.
Off-case arguments: Links should directly implicate the affirmative or be contextual to the aff, whether it's on a DA or a kritik. I like diversified links to the aff, use of CX moments, and rebuttals that make choices that best tell the full story of the plan and why it is a bad idea.
Affirmative teams should actively use the aff in responding to off-case positions. I find that high-school debates I judge that go for the kritik often do not talk about the aff nearly as much as you should. Links should be predicated on some consequence to the plan, whether it be epistemic or direct.
Turns case arguments are especially important. I want to know how impacts in debate interact.
The best extension of kritiks use examples. What can your theory or thesis be applied to?
Explain, in detail, your permutations. The 2AR is too late to start that. I find it helpful when include info about net benefits to the permutation.
K Affs: I like debates with at least a tangential tie to the resolution, but I will still evaluate affs that don't. I do think not being in the direction of the topic makes negative arguments about limits more compelling. Have reasons why your project is key to resolving specific impacts. What does solvency mean to your project and what role does debate have in it?
Framework: In terms of impacts, internal links, I prefer debates over clash and predictable limits or skills and deliberation over debates about fairness. This just means explain to me why fairness is an impact if that's your preferred strategy.
Use framework as a mechanism to engage with the aff - how can your interpretation speak to and enable debates about what the affirmative is discussing? Have examples of what debate looks like under your topic.
Theory:
I hated judge kick as a debater - I encourage all aff teams to make no judge kick arguments. My preference is that the negative mentions if I can judge kick or not in the block and in the 2NR - I feel it is judge intervention otherwise.
If you are winning theory and you are winning substance, go for substance. If you go for theory do not make me evaluate anything on/about the case.
I will evaluate theory as is debated in the round, and will put aside any preferences I have. Conditionality is not my favorite argument, but will vote on it if debated well/if it is dropped.
Slow down on your theory blocks. A good final rebuttal will break away from pre-written blocks to explain how their interpretation resolves their opponent's offense.
Please feel free to reach out with questions before the round if there is something I didn't include. Happy to talk about debating in college for any high school teams I judge.
Max McGougan
Saint George's School '17
maxmcgougan@gmail.com
Top level
1. Familiar with policy debate. I am a bit more of a stickler for clarity, but especially online, I understand how it can be difficult. I'll make sure to communicate (likely multiple times) if I need you to slow down.
2. Don't assume my familiarity with the topic, especially earlier in the tournament.
3. Argue what you want. If you are convincing, I'll vote for you. Although I'd like to say I'm "tab", I do have some argumentative preferences. These aren't concrete, but may give you insight into what I prefer.
Arguments
4. I value narrative/coherence of an argument very highly - if you have a relatively small disad but convincingly argue it, 9 times out of 10 I'll prefer it to a shoddily-built affirmative w/nuke war. Don't take this as license to phone-in some risk cards and hope I vote for it. What I mean is that pointing out the "obvious" flaws of some argument is sometimes enough - don't get too tunnel visioned.
6. I need to edit my stance on kritik's to reflect my real preferences. Most kritiks appear to be cheating, make it impossible for the aff to debate, have nebulous links and alts, and rarely answers to permutations that extend beyond links are da's. Answers to framework gesture at "epistemology" and assume those are the magic words to end the debate. I don't enjoy judging these rounds and find that very frequently the neg is using Ks to avoid clash and attribute positions to the aff in bad faith.
Now, if this doesn't apply to you, or you're a great "K debater" in an outround with me as a judge, or even if you have read and understand the aff and think you have a good K, ignore it. I've voted on lots of Ks, and I'm always going to vote on who does the better job debating. I don't have a vendetta against Ks, I just think the way they are typically employed is silly and most of the discussion so surface level that I just tune out.
7. I like topicality. Agnostic on reasonability/CI - my position is probably C/I, with some degree of just erring aff if I think the violation is unsubstantial. I'd prefer you not get tied down in the reasonability/CI debate. In the absence of technical drops, I'll defer to what I just said. Standards work is good and debaters seem to do a lot of that, but try to make it clear early in the speech what you're interp is and how they violate - I don't have a lot of topic experience so slowing down and explaining this is so useful for me.
8. Counterplans should be competitive, and I have incredibly low standards for the aff to beat counterplans that compete off of should or steal the aff. However, I side fairly negative with PIC's, CP's that have solvency advocates that distinguish from aff, and other predictable CP's that steal most of the aff but at least have some theoretical justification for their existence. I enjoy and reward creative, well though out counterplans.
General
Reading long prewritten blocks is very suspicious (especially in K, T, or DA impacts). If you are here, you may as well use your time to debate!
Debate should generally be fun. Be respectful of your opponents, and enjoy the opportunity to debate!
Maize High School '20 (China, Education, Immigration, Arm Sales)
Wichita State (Alliances)
Cornell '24 (Didn't debate)
I now work as a researcher for the United Steelworkers's collective bargaining department. Reach out if you ever want to learn about working in the labor movement. Also means that I don't judge a ton of debates anymore and probably am not super familiar with the topic.
Formerly coached at Maize High School and St. Mark's School of Texas. Call me Connor. they/them
---Top Level---
1. Do whatever you're best at and I'll be happy. When I debated, I primarily ran policy args. My last year of debate, ~50% of my 2nr's were T. I was more K focused for a few years. I'm probably not the absolute best for K debaters (see section below), but I can hang. I usually find myself in clash debates.
2. Disclosure is good. Preferably on the wiki. Plus .2 speaker points if you fully open source the round docs on the wiki (tell me/remind me right after the 2ar. I'm not going to check for you and I'm bad at remembering if you tell me earlier).
3. Don't be mean or offensive. Please actively try to make the community inclusive. I think debate is sometimes an opportunity to learn and grow. However, openly reprehensible remarks and a continuation of poor behavior after being corrected will not be tolerated. I will not hesitate to dock speaks, drop you, or report you to the tournament directors/your coach if you say or do anything offensive or unethical. I can "handle" any type of argument but maintaining a healthy debate environment is the most important aspect of any round for me.
---Things that make me sad---
"Mark that as an analytic" - no.
Not numbering and labeling your arguments. Give your off names in the 1nc. It makes me frustrated when everyone's calling the same sheet different names.
Asking for a marked copy bc you didn't flow.
Stealing prep. You all are not as clever as you think you are. I know what you are doing.
Not starting the round promptly at the start time and generally wasting time unnecessarily. Debate tournaments are exhausting for everyone and I would like the round to be finished ASAP so I have time to write a ballot, give an RFD, talk to my teams, eat food, etc.
Not knowing how to email. I get that mistakes happen, but also it's the year of our lord two thousand and twenty four. The chain should be set up before the round. I really don't want to do a speechdrop. Call me crotchety or old fashioned, but I like to have a record of the round in case it's needed later.
Give your email a proper subject line so everyone involved can search for rounds when they need to later.
"I can provide a card on this later" - no you won't, no one ever does.
---Online Debate---
I'm a big fan of posting the roadmap in the chat.
Slow down. It's possible that I might miss things during the round due to tech errors. Most mics are also not great and so it can be harder to understand what you are saying at full speed.
I have a multiple monitor setup so I might be looking around but I promise I'm paying attention.
If my camera is ever off, please get some sort of confirmation from me before you begin your speech. It's very awkward to have to ask you to give your speech again bc I was afk. It has happened before and it sucks for everyone involved.
---Ks---
I'm totally fine with Ks, but my audio processing issues often are not. I struggle to flow K debates the most I've noticed, and I think a lot of that has to do with the way K debaters debate. Being hyper conscious of the flowability of your arguments is key to me picking up everything. I won't be offended if that means you pref me down. I'm mostly just requesting you don't drop huge blocks filled with words that are not easy to flow if you want me to flow everything you said.
If you're reading something that includes music in someway, I'd greatly appreciate if you turn it down/off while you speak. My auditory processing issues makes it difficult for me to understand what you're saying when there is something playing in the background. I don't have any qualms about this form of argumentation, I just want to understand what you're saying. I'm happy to work with you to find a solution that's still meaningful.
K affs need counter interps. I require a greater explanation of what debate looks like under the aff model more than most judges. You should explain how your (counter)interp generates offense/defense to help me conceptualize weighing clash vs your model. I don't think shotgunning a bunch of underdeveloped framework DAs is a good or efficient use of your time. Most of them are usually the same argument anyways, and I'd rather you have 2-3 carded & impacted out disads.
I think that fairness is probably an impact, but I don't think it makes sense to use it as a round about way to go for a clash terminal. Just go for clash or go for fairness. Predictability is usually the most persuasive i/l for me. I think debate has game characteristics, but is probably not purely a game. If you go for clash, contextualize the education you gain to the topic and be specific.
---Other thoughts---
Condo is good but I'll vote that it's bad if you go for it. I mostly don't think there's a great interp for either side.
I love scrappy debaters. I've only ever debated on small squads (i.e., my partner and I were the ones doing the majority of prep for the team) so I respect teams that are doing what they can with limited resources more than most. Debaters who are willing to make smart, bold strategic moves when they're behind will be rewarded.
I'm not sure how I feel about judge kick. It seems like it makes 2ars incredibly difficult, but I think sometimes that's okay.
I like T debates more than most judges.
Monta Vista PS
Michigan PR
Michigan PP
Tech over truth. I do not share the sensibilities of judges who proclaim to be technical and then carve out an exception for death good, wipeout, or planless affirmatives. The only situation in which I will not vote on an argument is when forced to by the Tabroom.
This applies to everything. You do not get a blank check because your opponents’ arguments are “trolls” or “science fiction.” Whether something could be “read identically on a previous topic” has no bearing on whether it rejoins the affirmative. It is my experience and firm belief that the vast majority of judges who describe arguments in such a fashion are dangerously incapable of answering them.
With that in mind, I will decide the debate based on the flow and nothing else.
Evaluating Debates
I have a lower bar for a warrant than most. I am unlikely to reject an argument solely on the basis of ‘being a cheap shot’ or lacking ‘data.’ Unwarranted arguments are easily answered by new contextualization, cross applications, or equally unwarranted arguments. If your opponent’s argument is missing academic support or sufficient explanation, then you should say that.
I’m strict about new arguments and will protect earlier speeches judiciously. However, you have to actually identify and flag a new argument. The only exception to this is the 2AR, since it is impossible for the neg to do so.
Planless Affs
Critical teams should pref me if they are confident that they can out-tech their policy opponents. If you can’t do this, then you will likely lose. I don’t have a strong ideological predisposition against critical affs, but personally believe the best arguments favor topicality.
Equally good for ‘fairness’ or ‘skills’ framework. The aff either needs to counter-define resolutional words or have an impact turn large enough to outweigh the full magnitude of the neg’s offense.
Critiques on the Neg
The best critiques are framework arguments that moot the plan. Critiques make almost no sense when they use the language of causation or are debated like CPs. By design, they lack uniqueness and attempt to establish exclusivity through something other than traditional opportunity cost. This requires an alternate framework for evaluation.
Accordingly, I am much better for frameworks that exclude the case (or, alternatively, exclude the K) than most. I will decide the FW debate in favor of one side’s interpretation, not attempt to divine some arbitrary middle ground that splits the difference. Of course, you are free to advocate a middle ground interpretation.
Topicality
I judge topicality like any other position. This entails defaulting to offense/defense, not randomly suspending impact calculus because the aff “feels” topical enough. Reasonability is a winnable argument but requires substantial investment and should be offensively framed.
No strong opinions about any standards. Fine for ‘predictability outweighs limits’ and the reverse.
Theory
Most theoretical objections to CPs are better expressed through competition. The average theory interpretation is self-serving and contrived. All CPs have ‘a process,’ anyone can be a ‘solvency advocate,’ and any CP could ‘result in the plan.’
Against these and similar interpretations, I find neg appeals to arbitrariness difficult to overcome. If, however, you manage to craft an elegant theory interpretation, I’ll be receptive. This could include ‘CPs can only fiat governments,’ ‘CPs may not fiat both federal and sub-federal actors,’ and so on.
My default is limitless condo. This is a strong default as far as the 1NC and a moderate default for the block. I can be persuaded some egregious CPing---like CPing out of a straight turn in the 2NC---is illegitimate, but I’m inclined to lean negative there as well.
Counterplans
Much better for process and competition-based strategies than most. I don’t share the community’s sanctimonious distaste for Process CPs and tend to think a 2AC requires more than sputtering with indignation. I won’t automatically discount a net benefit because it is ‘artificial’ or ‘not germane,’ nor do I take it for granted that process strategies are inherently less educational than their counterparts.
I’m equally good for ‘must compete textually and functionally’ and ‘functionally only.’ Textual competition alone is a hard sell. If the aff wins the CP needs to compete both textually and functionally, that justifies permutation that are partially legitimate.
I’ll judge kick the CP if no one says anything. If the aff wants me not to, they need to say so in the 1AR, but it’s an uphill battle.
Disadvantages
I do not understand nor participate in the moral panic about politics, ‘generic’ DAs, or links to fiat. A disadvantage is just some negative consequence the plan brings about. The nature of that consequence is entirely irrelevant, so long as the neg is capable of winning it outweighs the advantages.
What fiat means should be debated like any other argument. My default is to assume that fiat entails durable, good-faith passage and implementation of the plan.
Case
'Try or die' refers to whether extinction is inevitable. If the neg only goes for solvency takeouts, then the aff controls try or die. If the aff drops an internal net-benefit to a CP and only extends deficits, then the neg controls try or die. This is a relevant consideration. Both sides should always be aware of whether they access try or die and either point this out or explain why it is irrelevant.
Zero risk is obviously possible, but extremely hard to get to in practice. If the neg drops 1AC impacts, you should reference them, but don’t need to formally extend them in the 2AC. However, the 1AR must always extend an impact for it to be eligible for the 2AR.
Miscellaneous
For online debates, I’d prefer cameras on. I won’t punish you if you choose to keep it off though.
You don’t need to take prep for tech issues, going to the bathroom, getting water, etc.
You don’t need to flash analytics.
This off-season, I rethought my approach to debate. For this season, the team that introduces, extends, and goes for a critical position will most likely be victorious. A K aff or K on the neg will give you the best chance of winning. While I’m open to evaluating topicality and framework arguments, I prefer not to adjudicate policy vs. policy debates, as I find they don’t engage the critical theories and systemic issues that drive more meaningful discussions.
Debate and me
Epictetus says: "If you undertake some role beyond your capacity, you both disgrace yourself by taking it and also thereby neglect the role that you were unable to take."
Well, that ship has sailed, and I will be judging you. Here is my email: sposito@umich.edu
T
Plan text in a vacuum is both intuitive and desirable upon reflection. That said, T doesn't really bother me and offense-defense is how I think about it, but that includes me thinking that the aff starts with some offense because of the risk of substance crowdout. I don't know what's topical or not and so I advise trying to trick me (and guarding against the other side's tricks). I am a sort of credulous and unassuming person, and very sincere.
Counterplans
Limitless conditionality is not so bad, neither is process. "Functional only" is probably best but it's a debate. Judgekick is fine and the default. Theory is sometimes necessary because competition can't exclude everything (or shouldn't be made to), but the counterplans for which this is true are already broadly disreputable and thus not likely to be read in the first place.
Sufficiency framing feels like a logical consequence of offense-defense, and therefore unnecessary to say.
Text vagueness
For both plans and counterplans, this seems under-theorized. Is it really all just "normal means"? It doesn't bother me morally when texts are vague, not to say that there's no strategic cost.
DAs
I don't mind riders or links to fiat, really, but you need to answer the objections as usual. Politics is fine. I don't understand "link controls the direction of uniqueness" or the reverse.
K arguments, tech, and the truth
I have decided, for self-interested reasons, to become more pragmatic about what I will vote on in debate rounds. So, I will pretend not to be gleeful if wipeout or Christianity is introduced, and not vote on egregiously blippy arguments or things that are patently absurd. That said, I will still strain to be fair and not capricious.
In consequence, I am probably no longer workable for the K... its subtlety and complexity outstrip my simple mind. When I was trying to be technical, I would vote for K things that didn't make sense to me, but without that sort of strained (if self-regarding) principle, I am liable to vote against it by default. At the very least I will want the K to either fully exclude the case through framework, or be some kind of weird, vague counterplan with a relaxed standard for evidence. I used to insist that real tech over truth included ad hominems too. Although that's obviously the case, I am bound by it no longer.
Generics
Whether or not an argument is reusable between topics is logically unrelated to if it refutes the plan... I don't have any distaste or annoyance at generics. In fact the sentiment, if it's anything, is positive, like that toward old friends. And sunsets.
Risk
"Any risk" logic breaks down somewhere, for reasons of Pascal's mugging or the St. Petersburg paradox or others. Whether or not that logic is apt for risks of the size we discuss in debate rounds is an open question. "Tags start at 100%" seems like a bad norm, but it isour bad norm.
The will to win
I don't think it's advisable to send analytics....
In general, I admire confidence and feel sympathy for (not to say "I like") the fact that the will to win can sometimes result in unfriendliness.
I won't be offended if you think it's in your best interest to do unusual things with cross-ex, speaker positions, paper, et cetera.
Newnesss
The 2NC gets wholly new arguments. Neither the 1NR nor 1AR do without justification, although justifications are easy to make or come by.
Weird moves in the 2AR will be ignored: I don't want to adjudicate an edge case.
Something is new if I couldn't understand it from the earlier speech--I feel like that's intuitive, no?
Echoing
If, during your speech, your partner says a few words, you don't need to repeat them. Please don't push the line and ruin it for everyone. There is a really great office suite that Google has released for free, all run on the cloud, and one of the components is called Google Docs. It's a word processor that
LD
I know speech times are broken, and so I will be a little more forgiving of aff theory arguments, but my background is still policy and my attitude still laissez fare.
PARADIGM FOR CHAD RIGSBY
I'm the current Saint George's Debate Coach and a former Assistant Debate Coach at Gonzaga University. I've been judging on and off for 20 years.
I believe that debate is a combination of strategic game and storytelling. I consider the flow the game board and I pay attention to drops, but I expect that debaters will have a coherent story to explain their victory at the end of the round. Although I am comfortable with most sorts of arguments, I would say that I'm primarily interested in strategic decisionmaking and in an explanation of why a team should win.
I don't have many set preferences about arguments. I'm fine with critical/methodological arguments, though I do look closely at the Role of the Ballot in these situations; too often, these arguments devolve into discussion of methodologies that don't seem to really compete. I am willing to listen to most theory arguments and don't have particularly strong preconceptions about them, though I do look for theoretical consistency.
I understand that debate often requires people to speak fast. I'm fine with that. I will tell you if you're not clear enough.
Good Luck & Have Fun!
Hi Yall!
(he/him) I'm Justin and I am currently a student at Claremont McKenna College for the Class of 2024! I did Policy debate since Freshman year and qualified for the TOC my senior year.
I was pretty flex during my first 3 years in debate, but eventually read one off kritiks and a k-aff during my final year of debate. I am pretty well versed in Queer Pessimism, Biopower, Psychoanalysis, and Afro-Pessimism as these were the main arguments I read in my final years of debate. However, this should not change any strategies you run in front of me!
Please put me on the email chain!: jshen24@students.claremontmckenna.edu
tl;dr:
- Run what you love, I enjoy listening to any debate from kritiks, topicality, to disads and counterplans.
- I will not accept ANY argument that is racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. This is your one and only warning.
- Please be kind and please have fun! I love this activity and spent almost all my free time in high school here, if you are enjoying the round your speaker points will improve!
Paradigm that I based mine off of: https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?search_first=Eunice&search_last=
See y'all in round!
FOR UK SEASON OPENER/ LONG BEACH:
This will be my first or second tournament I will judge during the season so please understand if I don't immediately grasp some of the intricacies in this year's topic. Mainly, this just applies to topicality and f/w when you explain specific violations so please just slow down on them!
For Ld Debate:
I'm a policy debater so I may not know all the tech and intricacies of your event but I will try my best to evaluate the round to the best of my ability! I love philosophical arguments, but I am down with any policy oriented strategies as well! Feel free to spread in front of me. I don't really buy RVIs but I will evaluate and vote for basically any argument you run in front of me (that is except anything racist, homophobic, sexist, etc.). Also most importantly- Please Have Fun!
OES (Oregon Episcopal School) '20
UC Berkeley '24
she/her
email chain: alexactsai@gmail.com
TL;DR: I'm probably not the best judge for you if you're a K debater, and definitely not a good judge for you if you don't defend a topical plan.
- I pretty much only read policy arguments in high school.
- If you're reading a K, please have an actual link (not a link of omission or a link to the status quo). The alternative should do something, and I usually don't understand why you would kick the alt. The affirmative should get to weigh the plan against the K.
- Please do line-by-line, slow down on analytics and theory blocks, and emphasize the most important arguments in the debate. Judge instruction is always appreciated!
- Don't steal prep or clip cards.
- Turn on your camera (if you are able to)!
- I would prefer not to judge a debate where I have to make a decision based on a debater's personal identity.
- Be nice :)
Good luck and have fun!
Currently working with Alpharetta, previously worked with Chattahoochee. I debated throughout high school, then at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Central Oklahoma, and am now a member of U of West Georgia debate.
I’m comfortable with all speeds and styles, especially those regarding the k – I’m most familiar with poststructural + positional criticisms, though you should do whatever it is you do best – you can just as easily win with a plan, theory, framework, etc. If you want to test a sneaky new framework strategy, I'll happily adjudicate your chess match; if you're all about the Death K, well, I've done my fair share of that stuff too. Give me your best args and write my ballot. I privilege tech over truth and frequently vote for arguments that contravene my personal beliefs. I judge k affs frequently but this only thickens my belief that they need some relation to the resolution, even if only neg-neg. I thus also believe that the neg, in turn, needs to prove why either A) the aff links to harder to the k than squo does, or B) why that distinction doesn't matter - i.e. how I can vote without presumption and/or L/UQ or why presumption still goes neg, does not exist, sucks, whatever. I am not, personally, keen on the notion that presumption can flip aff, but am willing to entertain the argument and have voted on it when used to exploit a neg weakness.
I flow on paper, if you care. I'll say clear twice and then stop flowing anything incomprehensible. If you begin a speech in unsettling fashion (e.g. giving an inaccurate roadmap or jumping the gun with 400+wpm), I'll act flustered and require a few effervescently dramatic seconds to get my affairs in order. If I'm otherwise not flowing or I'm on the wrong sheet, it's because either you've created a mental backlog of arguments that I'm flowing in retrospect or I'm repackaging your arguments to make them more palatable to my flow, or both.
Some things that frustrate me: excessive rudeness (toward opponents or judges), offensive strategies (racism inevitable/good, for instance), and clipping (zeroes + L = bad time for you). The advent of digital debate brings with it a new and widespread sense of suspicion, and though I will do my best to catch any and all forms of cheating, I ask that debaters remain vigilant for it as well. Also, and I can’t believe I need to write this, please don’t engage in acts of self-harm to win my ballot (you know who you are). Instead, please demonstrate mastery of persuasion, word economy, and 2nr/2ar prescience – teams that reverse-engineer strategies and execute them methodically speech-by-speech impress me the most – a searing cross-ex is, of course, welcome – entertaining and innovative teams will be rewarded with speaker points.
A few final notes: not a huge fan of process counterplans (but I’ll still vote for them), conditionality is pretty good (as is neg fiat), link uniqueness wins k rounds, and maybe, just maybe, go for presumption.
LINCOLN_DOUGLAS UPDATE 1/7/2023
I am clearly a policy judge even though i have judged some LD before and have seen many topics and am familiar with the basics like value, criteria, resolutional analysis, etc. What i have been finding is I need a story in the final rebuttals to win the ballot. Please don't just start the top of your last speech digging into the line-by-line. Please tell me why the line-by-line matters. You will have to concede arguments, more than likely, to win a competitive round so keep in mind that no debater wins every single argument in every single round. I need a comparative explanation of why you should win the round despite the fact that you are losing other arguments on the flow.
JAN/FEB TOPIC: I am finding that you will need more than terrorism, trafficking, or narcotics to win my ballot on the negative. Not to generalize, (that's kind of what we do in our paradigms) the argument has not been very persuasive to me, especially when the data indicates that citizens here commit violent crime at rates far exceeding the immigrant/refugee community. I don't wanna say that it would be impossible to win with this case on the negative, but just know that it might be a difficult and uphill venture. It sounds and feels kinda nativist, to say the least.
UPDATED 1/31/2021
I have been in policy debate since the early nineties. I debated at Gonzaga University in the late nineties. There's not a lot that i haven't seen in this activity. I cant even calculate how many rounds I have actually judged. Speed is obviously fine, if you need to be clearer I will tell you to do so as you are speaking. I really don't do this very often but it is a small issue now with online debate.
I need to be on the email chain and I super prefer flashing your theory arguments (if you really, really wanna win the round on them).
I will vote on framework arguments (AFF or NEG) i have no biases here. I really don't have any biases against arguments like K affirmatives, multiple CPs, condtionality....you name it, its debatable. I will vote on topicality and definitely will vote on stasis based arguments against K affirmatives that are clearly outside the resolution. (this isnt to say dont run non-topical critical Affs, i vote for them frequently.) I really like policy based CP and net benefits VS plan debates. I love a good (or bad) politics disad with super fresh/recent evidence and updates. I will vote on case turns (if they are unique, of course) this is a viable strategy for my ballot. I also like in depth/heavy case debates.
The most fundamental part of my paradigm is this: The debate round exists for the participants, not the judge. The affirmative or negative strategy should be based on what YOU like to run, what YOU feel is important, substantial, or an issue of prima facie concern. I can be persuaded to vote on any type of argument (topicality, critiques, framework, counterplan and net benefits VS the plan, even justification arguments) as long as clear voting issues and/or impact analysis is provided.
One of the best ways to win my ballot is to use “because-even if-because” argumentation. Here’s what I like to see in the last rebuttals:
“The affirmative/negative wins the round because (fill in the blank.) Even if the other team wins their arguments, we still win because (fill in the blank.) This is an old school paradigm that I picked up in the 90s from the late great Becky Galentine.
Furthermore, I need to see issue selection in the final rebuttals. Very rarely will you be winning every argument. Winning one vital argument soundly is better than winning small risks of numerous different impacts or disadvantages. The ability to concede arguments and “collapse down” into the key issues is often the difference when making my decision.
When clear impact analysis or voting issues are not delivered, I often find myself “reading into” your evidence to base my decision. This may help or hinder your case depending on the quality of your evidence. In other words, if your evidence does not say what you claim it does then I may have difficulty voting on the issue. When I cannot come to a clear decision in my mind and “on the flow”, I often look into your evidence for further assistance. At this point I often base my decisions on verbatim text from evidence read, not just taglines. I typically read a lot of evidence at the conclusion of the round. I often find myself voting based on "a preponderance of the evidence." Please make sure you are clear with the authors for each piece of key evidence so I know what to reference in my decision. If you call out an author in the last rebuttal I will almost certainly read that evidence.
Please be aware that i take a long time to decide almost every round. I am typically the last (or next to last) judge to turn in a ballot just about every time. I like to go over all arguments thoroughly.
Finally, I like to see creativity in the debate round. I will vote as a policy maker when put into that paradigm. I have no qualms doing so. Again, the round is yours, not mine. However, I can also be persuaded to vote on “outside the box” types of arguments and usually enjoy those debates immensely.
**Reach out to me via email after the round anytime for further answers regarding my reason for decision. I always save my flows.***
jhyake@hotmail.com
Bottom line: I'm a tabula rasa judge. Run whatever you would like to run, and tell me how you would like me to evaluate the round.
Email: jasoncxdebate@gmail.com
Experience:
I debated CX on the national circuit for 4 years in high school, did not debate in college. I've been coaching CX at Garfield HS since 2014. I judge ~50 rounds a year, split between the local and national circuit. We took a team to the TOC in 2021. My day job is as a social science researcher who does a lot of applied research with Indigenous, Black, and BIPOC communities. This keeps me pretty engaged with philosophical and critical theoretical literature, and very attendant to questions of power and equity. I am a white, cis-gendered, heterosexual male who was educated and socialized within a Western context, which undoubtedly shapes my epistemic view of the world.
Feelings about specific things:
T/FW: Excellent. Specific and creative violations are more fun to judge than generic ones
DA: Great.
CP: Awesome. Highly specific CP strategies (such as PICs) tend to produce more interesting debates than generic CPs, but they certainly both have their place.
Ks: Excellent. Especially if you can articulate specific links to the aff
Policy affs: Great
K affs: Awesome. I find that K vs K debates are often more interesting than K vs FW debates, but that isn't always the case
Theory: Good. If you want to win on theory, make it more substantive than a few warrantless blips
Disclosure Theory: Not very convincing for me. I think that the open source/disclosure movement within debate has been somewhat uncritically embraced in a way that doesn't fully consider how the open sourcing of knowledge reproduces new forms of inequity (often along neoliberal/service economy lines, wherein better resourced teams are better able to take advantage of the open knowledge economy).
New arguments in the rebuttals: Generally not a good idea. Completely new arguments should not be made in the rebuttals. I will strongly protect the negative team from new arguments in the 2AR.
Judge Kicking: Nope. Don't expect me to judge kick things for you. Make a strategic choice for yourself.
Overviews and impact calculus: Yes, please. Clearly frame my choice for me at the end of the round, and you are much more likely to get my ballot. Also, 'even if' statements can be super persuasive in the final rebuttals.
Backing up Claims with Warrants: Super important.
Impact Calculus and Overviews: Also super important - I like being told how I should vote, and why you think I should vote that way.
Clipping: Don't do it, I will vote you down for cheating.
Speaking: Please be clear! If you're clear, then I am fine with speed. Clarity is especially important in the online debate format.
Dropped arguments: These flow through as 'true' for the team making them.
Voting: I will vote for one team over the other. Don't ask for a double win (or loss).
At the end of the day, I believe that debate should be about the debaters and not about me. My job is to create a safe and educational space, and to do my best to decide the round based on the arguments rather than on my own beliefs. If you clearly tell me how you think I should be judging, then there shouldn't be any big surprises.