Viking Rumble
2021 — Skokie, IL/US
NJDG Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideMorgan Bard (she/her)
2ac/1nc , 4th year at Niles North, morgan.debate4@gmail.com (add to email chain!!)
any form of homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, etc. results in an automatic L and an email to your coach. if anything you're gonna read has the possibility of being triggering, pls ask the opposing team if they're comfortable with that arg.
tech>>>truth -- ex. the sky is green; as long as you give me good evidence proving the sky is green, ill vote on it.
Quality over quantity of arguments, what this means is i'd prefer fewer better in depth arguments rather than 10 bad arguments that don't enhance the debate round, especially for novi debates.
time your own speeches
t-- love love love. but if you're reading it in the 2NR it should be the ONLY arg in the 2NR. overall one of my fav args.
da's-- amazing as long as you read them correctly and don't drop any part of it.
cp's-- basically the same as da's but you really need to go ham on why it's better than the affs plan.
impact turns-- LOVE THESE!! go all out on turns
k's-- def not my fav arg but that won't affect my vote. just do it well and we'll be good
framework and roll the ballot-- YES-- how should i look at the round! TELL ME how I should vote and why!
if you have any questions at all ask during round or email!!
good luck y'all <3
niles north 23, kentucky 27
general
the core predisposition I have is that technical execution and preventing judge intervention should be at the forefront of whatever approach you take. this means that technical concessions (including cheap shots) matter and there should be lots of judge instruction.
big fan of cool strategies. I enjoy research a lot and will always appreciate and reward a well-researched and thoughtful strategy, whatever that be. (but, I am also not qualified to mediate interpersonal problems between debaters!)
evidence matters a lot. you should read all the cards. debaters have to set the metric for how evidence should be evaluated and do comparison.
organization is extremely important. you should number arguments, sign post, and slow down at times.
thoughts
topicality: predictability matters a lot more to me than other things. have good cards. this means cards that define the word, not just use it. reasonability will forever seem super arbitrary to me but can sometimes be fine against suspect interpretations. limits for the sake of limits is not persuasive and internal link debating is very important.
counterplans: solvency deficits need explainable impacts. competition debates are good. NEG flex and precision are usually very persuasive. most AFF theory violations seem pretty silly to me and standalone theory ever being the A-strategy doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.
kritiks: teams should get to weigh the AFF but excluding Ks doesn’t make sense. vagueness on the link explanation will favor the AFF. backfile Ks with no relation to the topic are icky and the links will always sound unpersuasive. there are a lot of things that teams feel compelled defend but are entirely irrelevant in the larger context of the debate. things like realism, util, etc. often end up just buzz-words used that are not contextualized to any of the larger parts of the 1AC/thesis of the K. the less you disprove the 1AC, the less compelling you are.
planless AFFs: the more you struggle to explain the advocacy (in a non-vague way), the more favorable I am toward the NEG. I'm more persuaded by arguments about skills and methods that result from the 1AC being good as opposed to debate/institutions being bad.
asserting an argument is new or dropped does not constitute an argument, you should jump up and down about it with thoughtful explanation.
LD
everything above applies. I do not like tricks, I do not like phil, and I do not like RVIs. (and whatever else elizabeth elliott thinks)
other
please format email chains properly with the tournament, round, and teams.
if you are interested in debating in college and want to know more about kentucky, feel free to reach out!!
Charlotte Blasi, she/her, senior at OPRF.
email chain please :) - char.debate@gmail.com
Don't be annoying or rude. Do line by line. Flow.
Viraj Bodiwala
University of Chicago '26
Maine East '22
1A/2N
email: mehsdebatevb@gmail.com
IF YOU READ A K IN FRONT OF ME, I WILL HOLD YOU TO A HIGHER STANDARD.
tech over truth.
I'm a second year at UChicago studying quantum engineering, physics, and computer science. I debated at Maine East High School in Park Ridge, IL, for four years, doing moderately well and breaking to semifinals at many national circuit tournaments. I attended camp at Wake Forest University and the Michigan K Lab. Apart from my freshman year, I read primarily critical arguments, but have also have dabbled in topicality and counterplans. My arsenal consisted of afropessimism, baudrillard, settler colonialism, and some performative arguments. I also read a fair bit of memes.
The following is from Parth Shah's paradigm, someone who I more or less completely agree with it when it comes to debate:
I think that debate is a game with pedagogical and political implications. As such, I see my role as a judge as primarily to determine who won the debate but also to facilitate the debaters' learning. Everything can be an impact if you find a way to weigh it against other impacts, this includes procedural fairness. When my ballot is decided on the impact debate, I tend to vote for whoever better explains the material consequence of their impact. Use examples. Examples can help to elucidate (the lack of) solvency, establish link stories, make comparative arguments, and so many more useful things. They are also helpful for establishing your expertise on the topic. All thing said, at the end of the day I will adapt to your argument style.
I dislike judges who exclude debaters because of what they decide to read in a debate round, I will NOT do that as long as you don't say anything racist, sexist, etc.
Speaker points are arbitrary. I tend to give higher speaker points to debaters who show a thorough understanding of the arguments they present. I am especially impressed by debaters who efficiently collapse in the final rebuttals.
Lastly:
Be nice.
Feel free to mmail me with questions about kritiks, philosophy, UChicago, etc.
Hey debaters!
I'm Eleni (E-l-e-n-ee) Chronopoulos, a 4th year policy debater at Glenbrook South. Refer to me as judge, Eleni, whatever you want :)
Add me to the chain please! chronodebate@gmail.com
FLOW! Showing me flows = extra speaks :)
I am decently knowledgeable on the water topic, and have been a policy debater all four years. This doesn't mean I will not vote on the K, just do a good job of explaining it. Know your arguments and you will go a long way when securing my ballot.
LBL is super important-- do it!
I love a good counterplan, but make sure to mention and elaborate on the net benefit and clearly talk about why it is better than the aff.
I vote on T too sometimes, but if its a stretch, probably not unless its poorly debated or dropped.
Theory debates are cool too- but nothing to crazy or excessive.
Be respectful and be kind <3
Have fun and let me know if you have any questions :)
VOTING ISSUES
Topicality:
Neg, if you want to win on T you should be dedicating your entire 2NR to it and probably most of your block as well.
Aff, please run a topical plan - I don't want to vote you down on fairness after a full debate.
Kritiks:
I'm typically a policy-oriented judge, so if you run kritiks just make sure they have a strong link to the plan - the more specific, the better.
Disadvantages:
Neg this is usually how you'll win with me - but if you lose on case then you winning on a disad alone probably won't cut it - run CP's in tandem with disads.
Aff, a good plan has two advantages against disads: a solid case to weigh against the impact of the disad, and a damn good defense against their link. If your case is good and you use these both in the round, you'll probably win on the disad flow.
Counterplans:
I love these. They are my favorite tool in the Neg kit. But please don't run more than two - afterwards it gets abusive to the Aff. Also, I will usually weigh CP's based on uniqueness, followed by net benefits. If the permutation flows aff, I won't vote on the CP.
Also if the CP links to the DA I will automatically flow Aff for it.
Case:
I will vote on this most of the time against a mutually exclusive CP and the DA's.
OTHER THINGS:
I'm not a lazy judge, but I want you all to be good speakers - that means have clarity and emphasis in your speeches. Good ways to do this are signposting well, slowing down for important parts of a card, and speaking clearly as much as you can.
I tend to be pretty objective when it comes to voting in rounds, so both teams have an equal chance against me. Things that will change that are: ad hominem attacks or blatant disrespect / harassment in round. I will automatically vote against you if you're cruel, so just be nice.
If you're funny you'll get good speaker points.
I love cross ex and will usually be flowing it - bring it up in speeches because you can win a round if you utilize your cross ex well.
If an argument is proven nonunique I will flow it to the other side.
If I don't buy the link to an argument I won't vote on it - basically read arguments that make sense.
Debate is a game, so try to have fun and enjoy yourself, and regardless if you win or lose, try to learn from the round to improve in the future! I'll give feedback to each speaker at the end of the round, but I'll also be willing to email any debaters after the round with further feedback.
Use your full speech time - otherwise you'll be using time inefficiently which is bad for your team in round, and I won't be able to give you full speaks since you didn't speak the full time.
OH MOST IMPORTANT THING: If there isn't clash on an argument, I won't have anything good to weigh it on and the flow might just get discarded, so please please please have clash so your arguments can be voted on.
I've debated in middle school for 3 years and high school for 3 years
add me to the email chain: gideonfry1@gmail.com
Do not run a K against me. I will vote for it only if the other team handles it horrifically.
I LOVE TOPICALITY!!!!!!
run DAs and CPs, I'm cool with them, especially weird ones.
I feel the same way about Conditionality that I feel about K's. I will vote for anything over Condo.
If you have any other questions, just ask me.
UK, Niles North
CONTACT
---add arielgabay1710@gmail.com
---please also add: devanemdebate@gmail.com
GENERAL
---I love debate, I think it is the greatest thing ever and I understand how much work it takes to do the activity. I will try and meet everyone halfway and try hard to judge.
---technical execution overdetermines everything. I will try my absolute hardest to be non-interventionist and minimize it, in any regard, to as close to zero as I can. That said, in some debates, that's impossible, and if that is the case, I will let debaters know why I intervened, but will try and optimize that intervention towards what I believe is most fair.
---what I mean by this is that I have zero preference for what argument you go for, debaters work hard and are passionate about different things, you should let rip whatever you feel best increases the chances of you winning, nothing is off the table.
---this is purposefully short for the reason that I do not want you to try and 'adapt' to me, rather I want you to debate in the ways you most enjoy, and as long as it results in technical proficiency, I will try my absolute best to meet you half-way.
OTHER
---please let me know if you are interested in debating in college, and want to know more about kentucky, don't hesitate to ask via email or at tournaments!! I almost always have kentucky debate stickers in my bag.
---I do not like dead time and will lower speaks and take prep if it gets egregious. for every 3 minutes, the round starts after the posted start time -0.2 speaks to the team whose fault it is (obv accidents or whatever happened). Adrienne Brovero has a thorough list of things she would include as dead time that I agree with, but if you have any confusion about whether something is or isn't deadtime, assume it is.
Hello all My name is Colin Goldberg and I'm a senior at Glenbrook South High school.
I've been doing debate for all of the high school so this is my fourth year of debate. I'm a policy-oriented judge, but I will assess any kritiks you want to run.
For me and I hope for yall debate is for fun, so don't be a mean person. Now, this doesn't mean don't try as hard as you can but don't be rude to the specific team.
My knowledge of this topic is not great, so make sure you explain everything. If you can't explain what you're running it will be a lot harder to secure my ballot
My email is 226637@glenbrook225.org please add me to the email chains. As a backup please add the email chronodebate@gmail.com.
Also, online debate fosters an environment where stealing prep becomes the norm. I expect no one will be stealing prep, however, if you are caught I will heavily dock speaks.
hi, i'm betsy!
she/her
please put me on the email chain! betsydebates@gmail.com
senior at glenbrook south, in my fourth year of debate
clash clash clash clash! your top priority should be actually responding to the other team's arguments.
simple arguments that you actually understand & can explain > weird complicated blocks that your varsity wrote for you
do not steal prep
stand when you speak
be nice!!!!!! and speak clearly above all - if i can’t understand you i can’t vote on any arguments you make.
i'm pretty comfortable judging most arguments, as long as they're explained. this is particularly true if you're reading high theory ks, weird technical cps, etc - it needs to be adequately explained if you want me to vote on it, don't assume i already know about it.
join the women & gender minorities in policy debate collective! ask me about it or email wandgminpolicydebatecollective@gmail.com, follow the Instagram @women.genderminoritiesincx
1A/2N niles north hs -- pls add me to the email chain -- jkdebate17@gmail.com
any form of homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, etc. results in an automatic L and an email to your coach. if anything you're gonna read has the possibility of being triggering, pls ask the opposing team if they're comfortable with that arg.
tech>>>truth -- ex. the sky is green; as long as you give me good evidence proving the sky is green, ill vote on it.
tl/dr-- love t, framework, and turns (theory debates are *chefs kiss*). going line by line makes it so much easier for me to vote for you and will up your speaks. make it clear when your going from cards to analytics and vice versa.
args:
t-- love love love. but if you're reading it in the 2NR it should be the ONLY arg in the 2NR. overall one of my fav args.
da's-- amazing as long as you read them correctly and don't drop any part of it.
cp's-- basically the same as da's but you really need to go ham on why it's better than the affs plan.
impact turns-- LOVE THESE!! go all out on turns
k's-- def not my fav arg but that won't affect my vote. just do it well and we'll be good
framework and roll the ballot-- YES-- how should i look at the round! TELL ME how i should vote and why!
good luck y'all <3
anything goes
I would like to be on the email chain - kimbreba@cbhs.edu
I will look at the evidence if I am told to and at the end of the round but I am going to flow what I hear, and I will vote off the flow. I consider myself a very strong flower so don't worry about going fast.
I am very tabula-rosa so I'll vote for anything, but tell me what you want me to vote for in the last speech. I would recommend starting the last speech with "Judge, this round you should vote for _______ because...". or "Judge, these are the reasons to vote aff/neg"
I do not like screaming/screeching during your speech or quietness, I will take speaker points off for screaming an entire speech or being so quiet I can't make out individual words during speeches. It is also far less persuasive to scream/whisper.
I prefer it when debaters label their positions. There seems to be a new debate trend where debaters won't name their positions in order to confuse the other team; this seems like a lazy and cheap trick. I want to judge you on your skill level not because the other team could not figure out what your claims were. But also in contradiction I am not going to disregard an argument just because the other team mislabeled your position, if it applies it applies.
Please ask questions after the round if you have any. I am not all-knowing and if I make a mistake and no one ever calls me out on it then I will keep making the mistake. I know a lot of teams think they should have won but never ask any questions and will leave feeling very salty. If you think you should have won don't worry about asking about it or trying to tell me I'm wrong: the reason for debate is to learn and its as true for the debaters as it is for the judges.
- Glenbrook South 2018-2022 (Immigration, Arms Sales, Criminal Justice, Water Policy); George Washington University 2022-Present (Civic Debate Society: Worker Cooperatives)
- Yes Email Chain - debate.squid@gmail.com
- Call me Sid. Don't call me "judge". I'm not that much older than y'all.
Pre-Whatever Tournament Note:
I have judged approximately 0 rounds on this topic. I don't really know the main T, DAs, Affs, CPs, or topic-specific Ks. I have not flowed in more than 6 months. I will need more detail than other judges will. My debate background and a general understanding of International Affairs is all that I bring to the debate round. Don't assume I know acronyms, don't assume I know debate arguments, don't assume I know what your blocks are saying. Going slower is more likely to help you than going hyper-speed.
Actual Stuff:
Paradigms are stupid. If you're looking at this in the 15 minutes before the round, you do you and I'll try to keep up. If you are looking at this while doing prefs, here's what you should know. I did debate for four years. I had relative success in the back halves of my Junior and Senior seasons, including a TOC trip as a senior.
Things to know about me as a person:
- I'm an International Affairs and Economics major, with a general interest in a variety of topics ranging from Philosophy to Geographical Studies
- I love reading about politics and international issues
- My favorite serious argument is either the Militarism K/DA or the ICJ Counterplan, both from the Arms Topic
- My favorite not-as-serious argument was Wipeout
Things to know about me from a debate standpoint:
- I flow on paper - which is another way of saying "GO SLOW THROUGH YOUR TAGS"
- I mostly did policy impacts
- Fine with funny arguments (Spark, Wipeout) and abusive arguments (certain PICs, CPs, etc.)
- Love process CPs on bad topics
- T is also fun when it's clean
- I think people underestimate the power of a smart analytic
- Just do what you do best and we'll all have an ok time
Also just don't be a jerk. That's about it.
Good luck!
Top shelf:
Pronouns are she/her
Just call me Alyssa or ALB - do not call me judge and dear debate Lord do not call me ma'am.
Email chains: SonomaCardsCardsCards@gmail.com AND alyssa.lucas-bolin@sonomaacademy.org
I deleted most of my paradigm
...Because I have run into way way way too many situations where people wildly misinterpret my paradigm and it leads to a rather miserable situation (mostly for myself.)
Debate well and we'll figure it out.
I'd prefer you talk about the topic and that your affirmative be in the direction of the topic. I could not possibly care less if that is via policy debate or K debate. False divide yada yada. Both policy teams and K teams are guilty of not actually talking about the topic and I am judging ALL of you.
Speed is fine but I need clear distinction between arguments and I need you to build up your speed for the first 10 seconds.
Tag team is fine but I'd prefer that the designated partner handle most of the cross ex - only intervene if it is absolutely necessary. I am an educator and would prefer to see each student develop their skill set.
You must read your re-highlightings out loud.
Stop stealing prep.
Please make as many T Swift references as possible.
Have solvency advocates - plz plz plz don't read a cardless CP :(
Heavy stuff:
*No touching. Handshakes after the debate = fine but that is it.
*I am not the right judge for call outs of specific debate community members
*I am a mandatory reporter. Keep that in mind if you are reading any type of personal narrative etc in a debate. A mandatory reporter just means that if you tell me something about experiencing violence etc that I have to tell the authorities.
*I care about you and your debate but I am not your debate mommy. I am going to give you direct feedback after the debate. I won't be cruel but I'm also not a sugar coater. It takes some people off guard because they may be expecting me to coddle them. It's just not my personality - I deeply care about your debate career and want you to do your best. I also am just very passionate about arguments. If you're feeling like I'm being a little intense just Shake It Off (Lauren Ivey.)
*Clipping = zero points and a hot L. Clarity to the point of non-comprehension that causes a clipping challenge constitutes clipping.
*I am more than fine with you post rounding as long as you keep it respectful. I would genuinely prefer you understand my decision than walk out frustrated because that doesn't help you win the next time. Bring it on (within reason). I'm back in the ring baby.
Let's have a throwdown!!! If you're reading this before a round I am excited to see what you have to offer.
Northside College Prep '19 (debated surveillance through immigration, 2N)
Northwestern '23 (debated 2019-20 space topic, 2A)
Assistant coach @ Edgemont, 2019-20
Yes email chain --- wasim.i.rahaman@gmail.com
Compile and send a doc of cards referenced in your side's final rebuttal as soon as possible after the 2NR/2AR
------------------------------
Novice: don't worry too much about anything below. Do your best and have fun.
AFF should read a plan. NEG should prove implementation of plan is a bad idea.
Tech > truth
Evidence quality > evidence quantity.
Util is true. Risk = magnitude x probability.
Will judge-kick a conditional CP unless told not to. 2AR is too late for the AFF to object for the first time.
Not a fan of theory cheap shots. "Reject the argument, not the team" is a sufficient response to theory that only applies to a CP being kicked.
Not a fan of CPs that compete for stupid reasons (e.g., "should," "resolved," etc.).
Only one debater gives each speech. I won't evaluate anything outside of the round or flow anything said after your speech time is up. You cannot argue for your speaks. Don't threaten people. My identity will not be a factor in my decision.
I don't think it's legitimate to read cards about debate written by people associated with debate (debaters/coaches), though the other team would obviously have to point this out. (Cards from debate alums about things outside of debate are obviously fine.) For that matter, even if they were legitimate, I can't imagine why reading a debater's/coach's card about debate would result in a stronger argument than if you just made the argument analytically.
If you care, I debated primarily on the national circuit and went to the TOC in high school.
Online debate note: If my camera is off, assume I'm AFK until I confirm that I'm present.
Pet peeves:
---Reading "war good" is no longer funny or original. Treat it like any other argument---read it if and only if you think it is the most likely path to victory. I'll vote for it if answered poorly, but I'll be annoyed if it's evident that your strategy is a joke (e.g., vs a new AFF = understandable, vs a core topic DA/AFF = infuriating).
---There is no such thing as asking questions "before cross-ex." Asking what cards someone read is CX.
---If you are just making things up about economics, I will probably know.
rockwell.debate@gmail.com // Rocky, Rock, Rockwell, etc.// he/him // New Trier High School
- Studying Jazz Piano and Political Science at Johns Hopkins—if you have any questions about any of that, I love talking about myself.
- Please time your speeches because I won't, yes tag team cx, yes prep during cx, whatever u wanna do with that time.
- Despite considering myself pretty chill, I'm pretty punctual about time, so like, be on time
- Unpopular opinion: I'm sort of receptive to some level of post-rounding (if you're mean I'm going to be annoyed with you). I'm always down to improve as a judge, and the only way I can is if I receive feedback, but keep in mind the decision is final.
____________________
Read this if your round starts in 30 minutes:
• tech > truth, dropped = true, left is law, etc.
• assume I know nothing about the topic (especially on T <3)
• soft left, planless, and big stick affs are all good in front of me.
• i'm better at resolving a K debate than other stuff because that's where a lot of my debate experience lies, but for what its worth, as a 1a, i read exclusively policy strats
- that's not indicative of a bias towards Ks—in K v Policy rounds, I'd consider myself very impartial compared to other judges.
- I would much rather watch a good T debate than a bad K debate
• 2ac should send analytics
• i only judgekick if someone says so
• fairness is probably an internal link
• 0 risk exists
• condo is the only reason to reject the team
• extra thoughts on kritik/framework below
Notes for Kritiks:
Top level:
• In terms of familiarity, I'm most well-read on Marxism, Bio/Necropolitics, Cybernetics, and Anthropocentrism, but I understand most authors/arguments enough to adjudicate a debate at the high school level
• If by the end of the round I don't understand what your K is talking about, that's your fault for not explaining it well enough, not mine for not reading enough Lacanian post-colonial gender abolitionist authors
• If you don't want to line-by-line at all, don't be mad if I miss something or am not clear where exactly an argument belongs. My expectation isn't for the 1off Baudrillard team to stand up and be like "AT: 2AC 13", just like, roughly follow the 2AC order and signpost at the least.
Framework:
*Note: Generally, these are my opinions which demonstrate how I think about framework—you can win otherwise (see "tech > truth")
• At the end of the day, we can all admit that it's probably most fair to let the aff weigh the 1ac (or the inverse for T - USFG vs. planless affs). The framework debate should be about what fairness means and how it impacts us.
• Debate is an educational activity that uses a competitive game as an incentive structure to encourage better research, and has some limited capacity to shape/create subjectivities. I'm frustrated that many of us take "debate doesn't shape subjectivity" as a given.
- I don't think individual rounds are persuasive or can incite action (i.e. a revolution will not spill out of debate), but debate, which defines a particular approach to politics, has the possibility to influence the way we understand information and decision-making, and there may be different models of the activity which might produce more desirable thinkers. In short, "debate doesn't shape subjectivity" argument can be swapped with "school doesn't shape subjectivity" to realize how silly and reductive the argument is.
• I love philosophical/positional competition a lot, and it shapes the way I think about politics in the real world (what's that?), but I do recognize how it could be competitively unfair/problematic, so I could go both ways on it.
• I think fiating an alternative is awesome, but one should have its justification rooted in framework and not some abigious claim of "reciprocity to the affs model".
Other:
• Overdependenceon jargon is annoying (I recognize sometimes it's necessary, but this is a highschool activity): "ontology" is a good example. Google defines it as "n. the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being", so it always begs the question: ontologyof what? Ontology of the state, the ontology of the oppressed, the ontology of settlers, etc. The point being: clarify things like these and don't rely on buzzwords to make the argument
Stella Tsogtjargal
she/her, maine east '22, 2a/1n
add me to the chain: stsogtjargaldebate@gmail.com
- don't be mean/rude to the other team or your partner. there's a difference between being assertive and being aggressive in cross ex.
- novice debates usually come down to clarity, flowing, line-by-line, and impact calc (learning to efficiently send docs and begin speeches is a plus too)! practice these concepts and you should be fine :-]
- you need to explain why a dropped argument matters in my decision-- just saying it went dropped and nothing else doesn't mean a lot to me.
- not the best for Ks and K affs but I think those arguments can be compelling-- just clearly explain your link and the alt
Email Chain: artsy2133@gmail.com
She/her
Northside College Prep '22
University of Chicago '26
Experience: 4 years of Policy Debate in high school, now American Parliamentary Debate in UChicago. Yes, Parli. Go ahead, laugh. In high school I had a history of running policy, not a master at critical philosophical arguments but can keep up.
TIPS
I like depth over breadth. If you're going to run 11 off, fine. But having a few, well-explained off-case arguments in the 1NC is better for you and your opponents if you actually want to learn something. This also applies to your second rebuttals for both sides; focus on 2 or 3 key arguments you think you are ahead on, explain your warrants, and compare your warrants to the warrants of your opponents.
Make sure to do line by line! Answer your opponents' arguments by inditing their authors or warrants, and explain how your warrants are better. Contextualize it to the round as a whole and TELL ME how it helps you win in your rebuttals.
If you are going to extend an argument from a constructive, make sure it's been explicitly extended in all of the following constructive and rebuttals for it to have weight in the round final decision. If you hear your opponent extending an argument in their second rebuttal that they didn't in the first rebuttal, make sure to call it out and explain why it's not fair. If you do, it's a good sign you are flowing carefully and I will probably increase your speaker points.
AFF
All affs are cool to read, including K Affs. If you are breaking a new aff, please be explicit in your overview to explain the mechanisms, implications, and solvency. Be careful about topicality. This topic implicates a huge scope of affs, so any limiting standards on Topicality will be convincing.
DA
Running disadvantages is good. I have a higher threshold for extinction-level impacts so make sure you explain how your impact has a better probability, timeframe, and magnitude over your opponent's. If you are going against a soft-left affirmative, framing should be a large part of your argumentation in order to tell me how I should evaluate the debate.
CP
The solvency advocate for counter plans needs to be strong for it to win. Make sure you have both internal and external net benefits to the CP so that you explain how the counterplan avoids the disadvantage and how there is an advantage to it that the Affirmative can't access. Permutations are important and will probably be the round decider if it goes insufficiently answered. Have a clear explanation of why your counterplan cannot happen at the same time as the affirmative.
KRITIK
Kritiks are all valid and appreciated. The links should be strong and a viable alternative should be proposed in order for it to be properly evaluated against the Affirmative. I understand the necessity of criticism but an answer to the "so what" question needs to be provided. Makes sure to do K framing to tell me how I should evaluate the Kritik in the round.
THEORY
I do think theory is a voter as long as it's legitimate, so make sure you have a good defense if you are challenged. I consider three or more conditional advocacies to be convincing for condo, but if you have a good explanation of why one or two is cheating, go for it. If you find yourself going for theory, you should dedicate your entire second rebuttal to it. At that point, nothing else will matter. Make sure to isolate points of real in-round abuse or a good argument for why potential abuse is harmful.
Random note: if you are looking for a good pen to use for debate flowing, I recommend Pilot G-2. I like using 0.7mm but 0.38mm is also out there if you prefer Ultra Fine.
Contact/Email-Chain: cpunwincontact@gmail.com
Top Level:
My name is Cameron (he/him), I'm a fourth-year debater at Niles North High School. I started on the immigration topic.
Time your own speeches/prep, I will also be timing for my own purposes but if you're not timing that's gonna hurt your speaks.
Don't be mean. I get it, debaters are grouchy, like to yell and be aggressive CX that's fine you do you, but if you are consistently being condescending and rude to the other team or your partner that is gonna damage your speaks and make me less likely to vote for you. Just be respectful of other people.
Tech > Truth... Yes even if its a really absurd argument (excluding racism, sexism, homophobia etc). It's up to the debaters to tell me that the argument is stupid.
Really read whatever you want... I prefer more policy-oriented rounds but I don't really mind. If its not a common knowledge acronym don't use the acronym form or clarify what it means.
Yup that's it (I only judge novis), have a fun round.
updated 2/18/24
what's up! my name is nick (he/him), i'm a coach for new trier and you should put me on the chain: nwilson1744@gmail.com. in high school i competed regularly on the national circuit for new trier and qualed twice. now i'm a sophomore at cornell university's new york state school of industrial & labor relations, where i study union stuff (but don't debate).
i can evaluate debates on the level you would expect of a standard national circuit judge (in terms of speed, flowing, variety of arguments etc) -- i'll do my best to fairly evaluate almost* any argument you make, and the below is to give you a sense of my preexisting knowledge, aesthetic preferences, and implicit biases.
- do what you do best. i like fluent, passionate argumentation and usually went for args i agreed with when i was competing. you being fired up about your favorite aff, K, or tricky procedural whatever will definitely overwhelm any personal bias i may have against the argument.
- this is my third tournament on the topic-- i'm starting to come to grips with the topic but not fluent yet, so don't assume i understand most acronyms/references to topic vibes on T
- i've been told it's also worth noting on this topic that i'm not very good with neoclassical economics. you don't have to explain those args like i'm five, but you should explain them like i haven't ever been able to get better than a B in an econ class.
- i will default to judge kick if there isn't a 2AR argument against it because i think that's what most judges do, but can genuinely go either way on it if you have the debate, maybe lean 70/30 against allowing it.
- i am as good for the K as i am anything else,but i wouldn't say i have a preference for those debates. i went for cap most rounds senior year and am relatively in the lit. if it's what you do best and makes sense in the round, let it rip.
- i am fairly neutral on framework v planless affs -- i have voted for and against it a good amount. when i've voted aff, the aff has often had a clear & stable (as in, consistent from 1AC-2AR) criticism of the resolution or the debate space, tapped into a coherent literature base where 1AC authors actually agree with one another, incorporated a performance or artistic element, and had an aff-specific ballot key warrant. when i've voted neg, the neg has often gone for offense pertaining to real-world skills and research quality, strictly delineated arguments about models of debate from questions of substance, engaged meaningfully with aff offense, and adopted a tone of "we want the best model for good debates" rather than "they broke the rules!" i've always been especially persuaded by arguments about participation in debate and competing strategies for increasing it (or reasons that we shouldn't increase it, if that's your bag).
- i generally prefer debates over substance -- theory and intrinsicness were always weak points for me as a competitor -- not necessarily a bias towards either side in those debates, but going for it makes it more likely i'll get something wrong
- condo is fine i guess, the counterinterp matters infinitely more than how many off were actually read in the round, my only hard-and-fast opinion is that you should slooooooow down when reading your theory blocks
one more non-debate-related note: i have put the skills i learned from policy debate to work as a union organizer, and truly believe that more debaters should find careers within the labor movement. if you are interested in building a more just world and putting your unique skills to work, shoot me an email! i would love to chat about how you can get involved in the incredible resurgence of the labor movement currently going down nationwide.
*Do not read Death Good or the other abhorrent arguments usually listed alongside it in front of me. If you're unsure if your argument is that, feel free to send me a question in the preround. If someone in the debate is made to feel personally unsafe due to arguments or conduct during the debate, I will not hesitate to intervene as I see fit, and will take seriously any safety-related requests of me from competitors (i.e., asking that I stop the round). Your safety and comfort is more important that anything that could happen in-round.
TOP LEVEL -
I'm a first year out. I don't debate in college. Glenbrooks is my first(and maybe only) tournament of this year, so I don't really know much about the topic specifically, but I still remember a decent amount from my years of highschool debate and will probably be able to piece the round together(just don't assume I know anything since I'm a bit rusty). I haven't updated my paradigm in a while, so a decent amount is in the context of novice debate.
This is my inspiration, everything he says applies. He probably does a better job explaining everything so...
https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?search_first=connor&search_last=kiefer
TL/DR:
I'll vote for anything
do impact calc and judge instruction
Tech required is proportional to how true the argument is
explain stuff (I'm not smart)
I'm ok with open CX
I like funny debaters, but not mean debaters.
I debated for 4 years debating for Glenbrook South (North of Chicago). I do not debate in college. I was a kritial policy debater(just so you know). I am absolutely not big brain, and will probably be the dumbest one in the room.
General Stuff
I am tech over truth most of the time if warrants are provided. Although I used to prefer evidence over analytics, recently I have started to think of well warranted and contextualized analytics as being the same if not better than cards. If you are extending evidence tell me why I should prefer your evidence (and don't just say "well it's more recent" or something like that, tell me why recency matters). MAKE SURE TO DO IMPACT CALC; as a 2a, I rarely do enough of this (don't be like me). I also like judge directions(please tell me how to evaluate rounds, I would like to do as little work as possible). Try to be respectful, but I understand if you have light hearted banter or make jokes.
Order of arguments(favorite - least favorite) this isn't an order of how I vote, just my favorites
1.Kritiks
2. CPs(the cheatier the better)
3. Normal Arguments(Case/DA)
4.misc. theory violations
5.Topicality
Theory
In my eyes, there are no clear rules to debate. If someone drops your stuff, and they are winning sandbagging good, I might still weigh it. If you want a 3nr, go up there and spend most of the time on theory(actually, probably not. Tournaments have speech times. If it's the last round, then I might be receptive). With persuasive theory, I will allow almost anything. TECH OVER TRUTH DOES NOT ALWAYS APPLY HERE. Using a previous answer, if you want a 3nr, you better have some damn good theory arguments. but generally I will vote on theory arguments if they drop it. I generally believe that the neg has the most ground, but am willing to be persuaded. Theory debates should not exclusively be blocks, extend your offense and then do line by line on their defense.
Here's the order of voters I find persuasive
1. Education
2. Fairness
3. Strategy
4. aff/neg Ground
5.miscellaneous
Kritiks
Ks are pretty epic ngl. I have the most experience with Moten, Afropess, Cap, Setcol, but I am willing to listen to any K(as long as you explain this well and aren't too buzz word heavy[I am probably the least familiar with PoMo]). Because of this, I would like to believe that I can be a competent K judge, but I still think that a good K team doesn't go off big words, but instead explains their theory like I have never heard of who Deleuz is. I believe that the affirmative should have to defend the impact of the plan and their representations, but can be convinced otherwise. I think that framing out the aff/k tricks are interesting. I have sympathy for the aff wanting to weigh their impact, but I think this becomes more persuasive when you defend your reps are good or read scenario planning cards. I also think that if the K team does not attempt to moot the aff, they should either have in-depth impact framing or case debating. I believe that in debate, utilitarianism is the most predictable impact framing, and will default to this. That being said, I can very easily be convinced another way.
Counter-Plans
I think counterplans are strategic. That being said, I am very willing to vote on perms, and probably will. IF YOU ARE AFF, NEVER DROP PERM DO THE CP(THIS IS YOUR BEST CHANCE OF WINNING). Also, try to attack solvency and the net ben. I find counterplan debates fun, and went for a process CP almost every neg round novice year.
CX
I am Ok with open CX, but if you keep taking questions from your partner, then you will lose speaks. I understand if you think your partner will cost you the round, but in general, have some trust. Same thing for asking questions. I like teams that are dominant in CX, without being overly aggressive.
Racism/Misogyny/Bigotry
I typically have a pretty high bar for what I would consider to be in this category, like if you mess up a util argument, I won't completely flame you. TECH OVER TRUTH DOES NOT APPLY HERE. If you read a racist argument, I will not evaluate it, and I will yell at you in the RFD. Even subtle things, can be racist if it's a clear dog whistle. I will try not to outright vote you down if you are clearly winning, but if it's competitive, you will lose.
Topicality
I personally do not think a lot of T arguments are legitimate(clearly some are). That being said, I will vote for them(even if they aren't completely dropped). The T ASPEC at the bottom of another T violation is a legitimate strategy, just please be very clear if it isn't in the speech doc.
General Decorum
I am fine, with some light hearted bashing, IF the other team is alright with it. pls no bullying.
If I see you not flowing then you are probably going to lose speaks, as it kinda shows me you don't care. That being said I'm ok with you prepping speeches, just please don't look at the ceiling or look at "cringe compilation #154"
I will shout clear. I probably won't do this a bunch, especially if you send speech docs.