Marist Scrimmage Series 1
2021 — Online, GA/US
PF Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideTL;DR: Speed is fine, tech> truth, send a speech doc, read cut cards, disclosure is good, paraphrasing is bad.
Background
I currently coach a few teams and worked at a debate camp this past summer for a month so I like to think I am above the level of a washed second-year-out.
I debated public forum at Marist for 4 years (2019-2023). Competed in lots of rounds on the national circuit and went to TOC my junior and senior year.
I expect there to be an email chain sent up for evidence exchange every round. My email is:
General Paradigm
Outside of issues of ethics I don’t believe it is my role to tell you how to debate the round. However, it is your responsibility to tell me how you wish me to judge the round. Debate is an inherently comparative activity which means that it is your obligation as a debater to provide me with a frame of reference for how my decision should be made. Weighing is paramount. Unless both teams use the same form of weighing, you should probably be answering the meta question about why your type of weighing is preferable. For example, why does it matter that your impact is bigger if there one is more likely? You need to win offense to access your weighing, but I have never written “you weighed too much” as a reason for a losing ballot.
Big debates aren’t usually better debates. You only need to have one good path to the ballot to win the round. Condensing the round will almost always be to your benefit. Rebuttal is your chance to throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. The back half is where you need to make strategic decisions about how to win the round. The speech times shrink, so your speeches should as well.
All offenses you plan on going for along with turns must be front-lined in second rebuttal. That being said, defense is not sticky. Given that summary must mirror final that doesn't make structural sense. If a team kicks out by extending a delink, it is typically safe to assume the remaining defense on the argument is conceded. Often, defensive concessions can be taken advantage of elsewhere on the flow. You all need to be taking time to think about the round as a whole and consider how arguments interact with each other at both a practical and technical level.
Yes, I can flow speed. Debate is competitive, so you don’t need to slow down for your opponent. What you do need to do is be clear. Poor clarity is not a reason for me to flow off the doc. If you are a team that is inexperienced with speed and hit a team that goes fast, the best solution is not to try spreading for the first time in a round. Take some time to think about their arguments and try to condense the debate. Quality will always overwhelm quality. Debating smarter usually bests debating faster.
Evidence
I strongly prefer full cut cards and no paraphrasing when introducing evidence. If you don't do this, you will probably lose the theory debate.
Call out bad evidence practices! If I am on a panel where theory is not an option you can still make general arguments about rejecting the argument that I will be partial to.
Compare evidence and author quality. Teams don’t do this enough and it can give a major lef up in the round.
If you want me to call for a card, you should tell me in speech. You also need to tell me why it matters.
I prefer author qualifications be included in the citation. This wasn't a belief I held as a debater but is something I have come into believing as a coach. I think author qualifications allow the debate to be more educational as it facilities better evidence comparison.
Verbal citations are a must and need to include author name and publication year. Otherwise it is plagiarism.
Progressive
Theory
If this is a Nat Circuit Tournament and a team is not disclosing or paraphrasing you should probably read theory :)
If you include author qualifications for ALL of your evidence and your opponent doesn't, I think this could be a situation where theory is justified and persuasive.
I default to compete interps and think rvis are largely regressive unless the shell is frivolous
If you disclose round reports may be beneficial, if not then I think they are a waste of time
Not a fan of trigger warnings unless an argument is actually graphic. My threshold for what it takes to be considered graphic has never been met thus far in debates I have either competed in or judged. Gabe Rusk’s paradigm has a long excerpt on why trigger warnings are likely bad that is worth a read and corroborates most of my admittedly less educated views.
Ks
Time constraints make Ks hard in PF, but I can’t say I don’t like a good K debate. Just make sure you understand the literature you read.
Win the K on the flow and you will be good, but don’t presume I have knowledge on the more unorthodox positions. Basically just extend and weight effectively and you are fine
If you hit a non-topical K and don’t read topicality I will be disappointed. I am not biased either way but think it makes for a good debate
If you are reading an argument that talks about changing the debate space, please don't have an opt-out form, it is counter-intuitive, and potentially terminal defense on your method if you are willing to not debate an argument that aims to change the space
Speaker Points
I’ll start at a 28.5 and adjust based on a mixture of style and strategy.
Have fun, you should never not enjoy a round.
I am a three-year varsity debater. I do flow and will vote off the flow; however, crossfire will not be flowed. Do not try to gain extra preparation time by over-asking for cards and/or delaying the time it takes to send your cards to the opposing team. Both competitors are responsible for upholding the time intervals for each speech and cross during the debate and to time their prep time. If there is an email chain to exchange evidence, please include my email (willfligg23@gmail.com)
Thanks
Experience:
I'm a varsity debater at Marist School. I did policy my first year, so speed isn't an issue. I currently do public forum on the national circuit.
Technicality:
Don't bring up new arguments in final focus. Remember to signpost. I won't count the argument if it was brought up after summary, which includes grand cross. Cross x isn't that important to me, so if an important point is brought up, tell me in your speech. Don't forget to weigh because it makes my decision easier. Make sure to clash in your debate and do analytics. Don't just read a prewritten rebuttal, summary, or final focus. Remember, extending arguments doesn't mean just saying "extend this card". You need to explain how extending it helps your case.
PF: I've probably debated on the topic multiple times, so please don't read me definitions unless they are a "unique" interpretation of the word.
Speaks:
high speaks: clarity, analytics, signposting
low speaks: spreading excessively, rude comments-- I will dock points for any offensive remarks against race, gender, nationality, etc. Cross isn't important to my ballot, but I will dock points if you don't let the other team ask questions.
I debated 4th year PF debater at Marist School in Georgia.
Add me to your email chains
If you spread, send a speech doc
Tech>truth
Time your own speeches, prep, and crossfires.
I pay attention to cross solely for speaker points, if something happens that I should know about, let me know in the speech.
Please weigh and collapse in your summaries. Narrowing down the debate is important in the back half of rounds
Email me if you have any questions about rfd.
she/her | add me to the email chain: ellykang@mit.edu
competed in nat cir public forum for 4 years at marist
general notes
tech > truth
please preflow before the round
i will always prefer better comparatively weighed arguments
love weighing introduced earlier (especially in rebuttal!)
warranted analytics > unwarranted evidence
can handle speed but will clear you if i can't understand + you should be slowing down on taglines, send speech docs in the email chain if you spread
if you do paraphrase, please at least have cut cards. if evidence is called for and sent in the email chain, it should be sent in cut card format. if you don't have a cut card for key evidence, your speaks and the argument will be dropped.
won't evaluate arguments in cross unless they're made in speeches
rebuttal
must frontline in second rebuttal (at the very minimum, frontline what you collapse on and every offensive argument)
implicate your responses and tell me why they matter in context of the round
summary + final
defense isn't sticky
collapse in the back half. for anything you collapse on, extend every part of the argument (uniqueness, link, internal link, impact)
back half should be consistent. everything in final needs to be in summary or i won't evaluate it
progressive argumentation
i do believe reading cut cards and open source disclosure are good norms, but reading those shells is not an auto win. you have to win the shell for me to vote off it
i don't like friv theory that doesn't actually contribute education or fairness to debate + probably won't evaluate it. i consider friv anything that isn't disclosure, paraphrasing, or content warning theory. but note i have a fairly high threshold for what requires a content warning
have judged kritiks several times, but not the most familiar with them. if you read one, i'll do my best to evaluate
other notes
i give speaks solely based on strategic decisions in round
if you are any kind of -ist in round, i will immediately drop you with the lowest speaks i can give
if you have any questions you can always ask! feel free to email me if there are any others after the round
I am a four-year varsity debater.
Here are some guidelines for the round:
- I expect everything in the final focus to be in the summary.
- Second speaking teams must respond to the first rebuttal.
- First speaking teams must extend defense in the first summary.
- I don't flow crossfire.
- Competitors are responsible for upholding the time intervals for each speech and cross during the debate and to time their prep time (I will keep time as well).
- If there is an email chain to exchange evidence, please include my email (keeganleary23@marist.com).
She/Her
Marist '22 | Northeastern '26
Debated for 5 years on the national circuit
Include me on email chains nahasmaggie@gmail.com
I'd say I'm a fairly typical flow judge. Extend and weigh your arguments clearly. No new arguments in final focus. Make sure you are signposting in your speeches. I'm fine with some speed, but please don't spread. Please don't read me framework unless you actually plan to weigh under that framework. The second speaking team should absolutely be frontlining in rebuttal. That being said, the first speaking team does not automatically gain access to all unfrontlined responses during first summary. I want to see your arguments being extended fully, meaning extend whatever links/internal links/warrants/impacts/frontlines/etc. that you're going for. If you just tell me to extend your *enter last name* card, it will probably mean literally nothing to me, so focus on the actual arguments. I will always prefer cut cards over paraphrasing. I generally think paraphrasing is bad and disclosure is good for the activity. Stealing prep is really annoying and so is taking excessive time to produce called cards. If something important happens in cross, tell me about it in a speech, otherwise, it won't be on my flow and probably won't affect my decision.
The reason I love debate is because it is inclusive and educational. If anything happens in the round which goes against these values, I will dock your speaker points.
I am a four-year debater from Marist School in Atlanta. I did Policy debate for a year and a half and then did PF debate for 2 years and a half and did several speech events throughout.
Speed is fine, as long as you're clear. Please be nice to your opponents, I will take speaker points off if you're not. Please, please, please signpost and give off-time road maps! I am fine with theory and K debates, just make sure your opponents are ok with it too. I will time your prep time so do not steal. I do not flow cx but I do pay attention- especially to grand cx. I am not a fan of overviews- if you give one please tell me where to flow it and make it short.