Wichita Collegiate Last Chance Winter Weeknight
2021 — Online, KS/US
Judges Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideLillian Ardis, They/Them
You don't need to call me "judge" Lillian is fine!
Debated for four years at Salina South high school and currently debating for KSU. (Ask me about KSU debate or just KSU in general!)
I am also currently the assistant debate coach of Abilene high school.
Add me to the chain: lardis.debate@gmail.com
Top level: Do what you want, you do not have to adapt to me, just have fun. If you're sending out docs include analytics!! (especially if you're spreading) It allows me to follow everything much easier, and allows for a more cohesive RFD.
Can I run whatever thing? Sure! I really don't care. You do you. It's probably better that you read what you are comfortable with because that will help both of us understand what's going on in the round. I think debate is yes, a communication activity but you are not going to have fun if you're not reading things you enjoy.
Evidence: You can dump evidence, but I am a sucker for analytics & indites. Doing open debate the majority of my high school career really makes me believe that you cannot solely rely on evidence in a round lol. You are smart people, and can come up with your own arguments. Though, if you are cut clipping cards, that is an auto loss and I will stop the debate.
Speaks: Not that deep, I generally give higher speaks
Affs: get better link chains!!! how do you get from point a to point b? I see this with policy affs especially recently, but it is really hard to vote on nuke war, when I don't even know how you get to that impact.
Cps/DAs: Of course! Always always read offense in a round. I am a sucker for a DA + CP combo so feel free to read whatever.
Ks: I started reading Ks my junior of high school. The more I read them, the more I love them. I have the most experience with: cap, security, queer theory <3, abolition, rhetoric Ks, and some anti-blackness. That being said, I will not be happy with Ks that are run when you don't understand what you are talking about because, most likely, I won't know either, I haven't read your specific theory especially if its on this topic. If you're running a K you should be able tell me what I as the judge need to be looking at, or how I should evaluate the round. That said, just be able to explain what the K does, how it links, etc. Overall: me like the K
****I think one of the best things to do is to tell me how to weigh things in the round or how to vote. I think not only will this win you rounds, but it also easier to sign my ballot when I am told, this is what you need to be voting on in the round.
Overall: Just have fun! :))
I coach at a 3A high school in Kansas. I'm a policymaker in that I look for impacts and weigh them against the defense in the round.
Do not tell me about the rules of debate unless there is an impact to your argument. The impact could be fairness or something.
Generic DAs are fine if the links are clearly analyzed.
Topicality is super important. I weigh it first, but don't run it on the biggest aff on the topic.
CPs are fine, although I'm not crazy about topical CPs.
Kritiks are acceptable in context. However, I didn't do policy debate in high school or college, so am I going to understand it by the end of your speech? The odds of me 1. understanding your k lit, and 2. being able to see nuance in your k lit during cross-ex or prep time between constructives is pretty low if I've never seen it before. Am I going to see why it can't be permutated? Are you running it just to confuse your opponent into defeat? Does it clearly link? Are you not winning on anything else on the flow? Maybe it's a better idea to shelve it this round...
Kindness is a voter.
I prefer moderate contest speed.
I flow. Please keep your speech organized.
I was a four year debater in high school and competed at a high level, albeit it was in the 3-2-1A division. I am mostly comfortable hearing any issue, but would warn that for any K's or higher level arguments it must be done very well for me to decide on it. I will not sign a ballot for a team that uses a K to surprise the opposing team rather than have a knowledgeable debate. I'm currently in law school, so I feel that I am going to be more open to hearing procedural arguments about the law than most judges would be. I am going to use a balancing test to make my final decision. Each issue brought up in the debate will be balanced along with all the others. This does not mean that a team cannot win on Topicality alone, just that the Topicality case is going to have to be so strong that it balances out the lack of other issues. Since I will be balancing every issue, I would encourage teams to argue every issue. Furthermore, I would prefer that you tell me how to balance the issues but if not explicitly stated to analyze the issues another way I will follow a modified BPL analysis.
I'm definitely a policy maker at heart, but if you don't give me great impact calc. I will resort to stock issues.
I am not the biggest fan of counter plans but I recognize that some resolutions lend themselves to them and they are justified and in those cases. I actually enjoy judging them in these situations. Don't run one if you don't know how to do it well though...that will just frustrate me.
I like specific DA's but again, I'll vote on a generic one if they aren't argued well.
I think T is a priori and will vote on it first--even if it's crappy. Answer it.
K's aren't my favorite either--mostly because they aren't run well. However, if you know how to run it and the opposing team can keep up, making it a genuinely good debate, go for it. I'm all about listening to good arguments. Just don't run them if it's a tactic to trip up the other team. That won't fly and it will only be a waste of your time and mine.
Speed doesn't bother me. I can keep up. But spreading as a tactic to avoid clash, and genuine persuasive debate, won't get you far with me.
So, basically, give me clash. Give me a solidly good debate where you are all trying to communicate well. That's what I want to see. I was a 3 year high school debater, and a 1 year college debater. I've been a coach for 16 years. (I took a break to raise my daughter). I know what I'm doing. If I give you a verbal critique at the end of the round, listen. I don't give them often and when I do it's because something is in earnest need of being addressed.
I don't put up with rudeness. Period. I will give you the loss on a 7 if you are awful to an opponent or your partner.
That's it. Good luck!
Savannah Bonilla
pronouns: she/her
Be kind to your opponents!! Yall are here to debate not perpetuate a culture of hostility :)
Email Chain - savannahgrace2302@gmail.com
Experience: 4 years of high school policy with Salina South, currently doing LD and NPDA at Kansas Wesleyan University (2022 PKD Parli Champ ;)) and assistant coaching for Salina South.
I am a mom, and a student on top of being a part of this activity, so this early in the year prob don't assume I am as deep in the literature of this topic as some.
There are some things you should slow down for me. I am gonna flow the speech and not the doc, if you have a really dense block that you fly through as fast as you can, I'm gonna miss some of it.
Your 2AR / 2NR should write the ballot for me. I appreciate impact calculus, I appreciate clear analysis in analyzing arguments. The debate shouldn't be a block reading contest, I want to see more analysis and refutation. For the love of god engage with the material that you are reading.
Framework or K Aff: If I'm your judge in a clash debate, both teams are going to be unhappy. I'll try my best to evaluate both args as fairly as possible. Rounds that I have seen on the question put me at 50/50.
I think debate is a game, but, I am not a fan of judge adaptation, I think you should run what you want, and I will do my best to follow. Big theory debates are going to be frustrating for me to work out, and I will be less confident in my decision. Don't assume I am going to be familiar with every concept that you bring up, if I look like Im not getting it, im prob not.
I tend to be tech>truth, though I hold a lot of value in debating truth and have a low threshold for takeouts of low truth arguments. I don't feel as though I am as 'tech' as some of my peers, it doesn't mean I can't follow, but I might not be as inclined to make my decision here.
I will probably make a decision rather quickly. It doesn't mean that I am not paying attention or evaluating your arguments, I usually just don't need a long time to sort things out. I'm probably going to give you a pretty short and sweet RFD.
I don't think I'm hard to read, if I think your argument is bad, you'll probably see that on my face.
Be nice to one another in the round.
Will I listen to a K? Sure. I have voted here before but you are going to need to do some work.
"I am a K team - all I want to do is read the K, all of the K's, both sides, K-it-up, should I pref you?" Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I will happily listen to your K but it's safe to assume I am not read up on your specific k lit. If it looks like I am not jiving with your K, paint me a picture.
Disads and Counterplans? yes, please
Do you need to shake my hand? No thank you, knucks will suffice :)
Can we go fast? Sure.
Competition- Salina South High School (KS): 2018-22 (immigration, arms sales, criminal justice, water), Missouri Valley College 2022-2024 (NFA-LD elections, NDT/CEDA nukes), Western Kentucky University 2024-Present (Energy)
Coaching- Rock Bridge High School (MO): 2022-2024 (NATO, fiscal redistribution)
I use she/her pronouns, but you can just call me Sage or judge, whichever you prefer
Yes email chain: sagecarterdb8@gmail.com
The Short Version:
Judges should adapt to the debaters and to what the debaters say. I don't like intervening and love when debaters clearly explain their route to the ballot. I decide the debate on the flow, giving me good taglines and soundbites to help my flow is appreciated and will help you. I enjoy just about any style of debate, but I do have some biases and things I default to with certain arguments, these are outlined in my paradigm and can easily be changed with good argumentation. Please ask me if you have any questions regarding anything before or after the debate.
General Misc. Things-
I love theory debates, but a lot of them that I have seen have been very fast and hard to keep up. If you are going for theory or on a theory argument, I encourage you to slow down just a bit. I'll try to be clear if I am not keeping up with you, so try to be looking for my expressions.
Doing impact work is incredibly important for me. I usually start my decision at the impact level, deciding what the biggest impact is in the round and then who solves it better. Starting there and working backwards is probably the best way to get my ballot in every 2AR/NR.
T/Theory-
Default to competing interps and no RVI's
I like to see T as if I am voting for the best model of debate. This means that you need to clearly explain what your interp looks like for debate, and why that is preferable.
Small school specific standards/impacts and bright lines are some of my favorite standards when debated well. I don't have a massive preference on your standards/voters so long as you warrant and impact them out
I don't think I have any real opinions on many of the T arguments on this topic, I do think many of them are a little aff leaning but if you can debate it well go for it. I might be a secret T-Subsets lover...
I vote neg on T when they establish that the affirmative does not fit their model of debate, and allowing affirmatives like that leads to a much worse debate outcome than not allowing it. I vote aff on T when they establish a better model of debate that includes at least their affirmative, if they meet the negative interpretation, or if the negatives model harms debate more.
T-FW-
I think these debates are fun, internal links are probably the thing that ends up being the tiebreaker here more often than not, do more weighing work with internal links as well just like offense.
I'll evaluate just about any impact as long as it is clearly articulated and warranted as to why the other sides interp causes it, weighing it makes it easier to vote for it.
Make sure you answer the aff at some level so they don't just get to outweigh you the entire debate
I like good aff counter-interps, clearly outlined standards make them even better
TVA's without evidence are probably an uphill battle, be able to defend it well
C/A the voting explanation from regular T
DAs-
I love when teams use the DA strategically across multiple sheets. Link turns solvency, internal link turns solvency, timeframe impact calc, use the DA to act as multiple arguments.
Do impact calc, the earlier the better
I vote neg on the DA if they explain to me how the DA creates a worse world than the status quo or if they avoid the DA through a different action. I vote aff on the DA if they show that it should have happened, it has happened, they don't link, they turn the DA, solve the DA themselves, or just outweigh.
Counter Plans-
Counter plans can have a little logical reasoning, as a treat. I like seeing specific solvency, but don't need it, though I would like an explanation on how your mechanism specifically solves for the aff.
I need offense with a counter plan, solving better isn't reason enough for me to vote for it.
Explain your perms and your answers to the perms and we will all be happier
I enjoy counterplan theory and think it needs to be utilized more. PICs and international fiat bad are some of my favs.
Not super familiar with counterplan competition so you may want to avoid it but you do you
Love condo debates <3. I usually flow condo on the CP sheet, if you do not want me to do this make sure you tell me. I can be convinced that a team should not have any conditional advocacies, but that's pretty difficult. I don't really lean any side on condo, but if you read more than 4 conditional advocacies, the more I sympathize with the aff. I like arguments about why the certain number in the interpretation is necessary and time skew arguments.
I vote neg on the counterplan when the neg effectively shows me that the counterplan is mutually exclusive and they can solve for most of the affirmatives impacts and one of their own that the aff cannot solve. I vote aff on the counter plan when they show me the aff and CP can exist together, it has major solvency deficits, a DA of its own, or if you win the theory debate.
Ks-
I love the K and have gone for it in many 2NR's and judged that, I prefer line by line work to overviews but if you combine them be clear about the argument you are referencing. I love framework debates but they can often get muddy, clear framework debating goes a long way on my ballot. For literature bases I have read a lot and argued with, I am familiar with capitalism, biopolitics (Agamben specifically), queer/trans theory, settler colonialism, security/racial IR, militarism, and university/academy Ks. Not a huge Fem IR or psychoanalysis fan, I'll still vote on it, but I find arguments about how those fields of thought are transphobic or problematic in other ways very persuasive.
I'd like to think if I am not super familiar with a lit base I can catch on quick in a debate, but if your K is like super complex and hard to understand, you may want to put it up. Feel free to ask how I feel about your K lit base and how much I know.
Being clear about why the K comes first helps a lot
I think the aff needs to do more than throw their blocks of state good, policy making good, and extinction outweighs. Doesn't mean you can't read those arguments, I just like when teams make smart analysis on how you don't link or in line with the alternative.
Explaining what your alt does, looks like, and how that solves for the impacts throughout the debate will put you very far ahead.
I vote neg on the K when they win it's mutually exclusive their framework and a link (a note for this, just because you are the only side that presents a framework and they don't read a we meet doesn't mean an auto win. If they can win an impact turn on the K that makes it not fit the framework then I won't vote for it.), or when they show how the aff makes a bad thing much worse and they win a way to avoid that. I vote aff on the K when they win their model of debate, they show they don't link or link turn, they win an impact turn (that is not morally egregious), the alt is bad, or a permutation that makes sense and is explained well.
K Affs-
I'd prefer it if the aff defends something, it makes your life much easier, but if you are not going to then you better be ready to defend that.
It is probably a good thing if your aff is connected to the topic, and especially your mechanism, but if you want to not even mention the topic then go for it.
I like argument's related to the education of the topic and good impact work with those
Clear solvency is essential here, be ready to answer the what happens when the judge votes aff questions
Performance is cool, make sure to relate it to the topic and please attempt to garner offense off of it or include it in the rest of the debate in some capacity
I vote neg when they win an alternative model of debate is better and potentially includes the affirmative, the affirmative advocacy does not actually solve for their impacts, the aff advocacy creates more impacts than solvency, or if the neg wins a counter advocacy. I vote aff when they win their model of debate is preferable, the advocacy is able to create some solvency and not create impacts, or they win that they can exist with a counteradvocacy or that advocacy is not preferable.
LD-
I did some LD in high school, it was mostly trad value/criterion though so I am pretty inexperienced with circuit LD.
I am probably better for policy (y'all call it LARP?) and K arguments since that is my background. Phil seems interesting, but I have no experience with it or many of the arguments. I know some Rawls and Kant, but if your phil args are not super easy to understand you may want to read something else.
I don't entirely know what tricks are, if its just theory then great! I love theory debates. But, if it is more cheap shot, one line theory args or just silly args, I am not your judge and more than willing to hold the line on arguments I think are not pedagogically valuable.
I think the rest of my paradigm should answer most questions you may have, but if it does not, ask me anything! I don't really know what a good LD paradigm looks like so I def missed something. I am still super excited to judge your round!
Stolen Paradigm Lines I Agree With
"I want my opinion to come into play as little as possible during the round. I would like to be told how to vote and why, by the end of the rebuttals I will almost always pick the easiest simplest route to ballot possible. You can do this through Impact Calc, Framing debates, link directionality claims, etc. I don’t particularly care what the debate ends up being about, topical or in total rejection of the resolution I’ll be fine either way."- Nadya Steck (Her entire paradigm could just be mine)
"Impact framing is essential for all arguments, regardless of content/form. I almost always vote for the team who better frames "what is important" and explains how it interacts with other arguments. The magic words are "even if..." and "they say ... but". Winning 2NRs and 2ARs use these phrases to 'frame' the big picture of the debate."- Eric Lanning
"I think that I probably will hold the line on cheap shot arguments more often than not, typically one line arguments on a theory shell/solvency flow will not get my ballot. Generally the team that does the better link/impact analysis/comparison will win my ballot."- David Bowers
I am a Stock Issues judge first and foremost. That means that I hold all four (4) Stock Issues at an equal and high regard in a debate round. Inherency, Harms, Solvency, and Topicality are the biggest voting issues for me. However, that does not mean that I won't listen to DisAds, Ks, Advantages, CPs or any other argument, they just hold spots within the different Stock Issues.
Disadvantages and Advantages deal with Solvency and Harms to me as they talk about how the plan will make everything better or worse. Counter Plans deal with Solvency and Inherency, and should clash against the plan itself. As for Ks, I am not that familiar with them, however I will listen to them, and take them into consideration. The central issue is the AFFs plan, if it solves the problem (stated in the Inherency), fixes the issues caused by the Status Quo (Harms), and makes the world a better place (Solvency).
I have no problem with Topicality at all, and will listen to all T arguments. However, I do have an issue with restatement of KSHSAA rules. Unless there is an actual infraction of KSHSAA rules, please don't recite them to me. I am a coach, and I am aware of KSHSAA's debate and forensics rules.
As for Forensics. I have a history in Theatre, and will view each performance as a performance. Entertain me. Lead me into the world of the piece. The more you make me look up, and the less I'm holding my pen as a judge, the better your chances are in hitting a 1 ranking.
If it's a speech event (Extemp, Impromptu, Oration or Info), then I will listen to the presentation as if I'm judging a speech in my classroom (I am also a Speech teacher), but more because I expect more than what my Freshmen do.
Baine Dikeman
Coaching Experience
Eisenhower High School: Head Coach (since 2020)
Previously Mulvane High School:Assistant Coach (2017-2018)
Debating experience as a competitor:
3 Years High School Policy
2 Years HS Lincoln-Douglas
1 Year HS PFD
This Year's Topic
As of 09.20.24, I have judged one practice round on the topic. I have researched the topic and been coaching it, but my round experience is relatively low. Keep that in mind before the round begins.
Decorum/General Procedures
Flash Time/Email Chain Time/Speech Drop time can be off time, but I would prefer we expedite these processes as much as possible.
I expect every debater to keep track of everyone’s prep/speech time.
I prefer to be included in all email chains and sharing of evidence to ensure best practices.
I will typically deduct speaker points for haphazardly jumping around on the flow or disrespect in CX or speeches. There’s a fine line between aggressive and rude.
I can handle all speeds, but I would like you to slow down on tags and cites.
I will not interrupt you during a debate round. However, I may miss something on the flow if you are unclear. Make sure you annunciate tags and cites well.
Details of Paradigm
I typically fall within the tabula rasa archetype with some caveats.
I don't like the new Off Case in the 2NC. So, unless AFF does something pretty scummy in the 2AC, please don't run new in the 2.
On T: This is a valid strategy for the negative. I treat it with equal voting power as a DA or CP but remember your voters.
On CPs: CPs can be conditional or unconditional, but make sure you have a decent net benefit.
On DAs: Generic DAs are fine, but I tend to vote on DAs with solid and specific links.
On the K: I will only vote on a K if it is unconditional. The K debate is the one argument that I do not believe should be gamified. If you run a K or K AFF, believe in it. This means that Ks need specific links—no generic Ks, please.
Ask me any questions for clarification.
Hannah Erdman, Wichita East High School Head Speech and Debate Coach
Previous Experience: Assistant Coach for Eisenhower High School, HS Policy Debate, HS Forensics Kid, Kansas State University Policy Debate
- Include me on email chains: herdman@usd259.net
- Spread is fine. Just slow down on taglines and make sure you signpost. Ask your opponent's preference for spread to keep the debate fair and equitable.
- Tech > Truth, but don't be surprised if I leave some feedback that you have some very obviously glaring falsities in your argument, but overall, I value the structure of the round and will honor the arguments actually made.
- If you don't flow, I'm not flowing. I tend to vote on the flow in a policy maker style.
- Don't pull new in the 2-- I find it cheating.
Novices:Honestly, I really just value that you are in a round and getting it done. Make what arguments you feel comfortable making and do what makes you feel most comfortable. I will help where I can, and I will have patience and grace as long as it does not interfere with fairness and the structure of the tournament. Please know that I givea lotof feedback, so even if I am not looking at you and I am typing, it is because I am writing with the intent that you get better based off of my notes. In addition to that, a lot of novices and competitors have commented that I look like an intimidating, angry judge. I promise I am incredibly kind and personable-- my face is just like that. :) Practice professionalism and kindness as a novice, and you will go far in my book. However, debate is still argumentation, so make sure you give me that clash! Spice it up with some good analytics-- don't just read cards. I really don't like to see framework, theory, and K run in novice, but if you do it, know it through and through. Have fun!
-JV/Open:You are on your way to Varsity! Keep up the good work, here's what I expect out of JV/Open: Trust in your arguments and follow through with them. I am not a huge fan of seeing K, Framework, and High Theory in JV. More K can come through in Open.
Disadvantages: Always a great strat, but I'm not a huge fan of generic disadvantages. You should have a really strong internal link and cards that aren't contradictory, easily turned, or land in a thumper argument. You're here to have fun, and I love to see that, so go for the existential impacts and make it good. I will also deeply appreciate some solid philosophical debate on ethical impacts and the subsequent Impact Calculus.
Topicality: Lowkey, I kind of hate topicality arguments, but I'll listen to them. Just make sure it's not a throwaway argument for you. Many times when I see T run in JV and Open, it's dropped or conceded by the end of the constructives. If you also try to argue fariness and vagueness, then you pull out 3 specific DA's? I really hope the Affirmative catches you on that. Really believe in T and don't use it as a filler argument ("10 off, starting with 5 T" is really a pet peeve of mine.)
Counterplans: Unironically, I do kind of love counterplans, especially ones that challenge the structure of the round and of the affirmative plan. On the flipside, make sure the perm isn't lazy-- really give it some work and push back on it. The only thing I ask for counterplans is that you make it pretty obvious that it's a counterplan and not just some randomly mis-labeled argument that looks like you pulled it from a random file. You're open and JV, you should know what you've got going.
- Varsity: Go crazy in varsity-- you got here, let it all out and have the fun you deserve. The only thing I ask is that you don't get too aggressive in the round. I'm fine with about every argument in varsity: DA, Topicality, CP, K, High Theory, Framework, etc. I am also fine with spread, but please check in with your partner and slow on taglines so I know where you are at in the document. See my comments in JV/Open about DA, T, and CP.
Kritik: I generally love K because I think it adds a certain angle to the debate that you do not see in other rounds. Varsity is a place to experiment and have fun, but even in performatives, K Affs, and other strats, make sure there's at least a thread that links back to the topic. It's hard to prep for otherwise, especially if you're not disclosing earlier than 30 minutes before the round (Debate Wiki).
High Theory: I was in college around the time that high theory became pretty prevalent in debate. As someone that likes to challenge norms and values in a round, I want to see some high theory and rules arguments including some potential negotiation and debate over the definitions/limitations of current rules. I also kind of love some meme debate in varsity, because it keeps it fresh and fun without becoming a verbally violent policy fight.
Framework: Listen, I'm generally acting as a policy maker, but if you want to try to run some paradigm shift and re-define how I vote for the round, that's cool. I like seeing the creative ways in which debaters want to frame the round. It allows for some mental gymnastics that are ultimately good for the soul.
- Any other questions, comments, or argument clarifications can be emailed to me at least 30 minutes before round begins or asked at the top of round.
I am an experienced 3rd year debate student. I will be judging tabula rasa and in the occasion you do not tell me how to vote then I will judge based off of the list below. Furthermore, I am a mix of Stock Issues, and I do not personally like topicality unless it explicitly necessary to the case.
-Speaking. I want to be able to understand what you are saying. Annunciate and speak up. I will not be able to understand your arguments if I cannot hear you.
-Arguments. No matter the circumstances, the aff must win on all arguments, no matter how small. If any argument is not addressed in a debate round, the aff will lose the round. I also hope that you signpost and roadmap within the round and explain all arguments.
-Topicality. When/If topicality is run, I prefer the neg win on the argument if structured correctly, meaning you have both standards and voters. If this is not met, then the aff can address the argument similarly to how the neg structured it. For the aff, all topicality must be addressed similarly to how the neg structured it.
-Rules. The rules of debate must be upheld within the round in most circumstances. This means keep prep time to your allotted time, no new arguments in a round, ect. Breaking any of these rules will almost always count as an automatic loss to your team.
Most importantly, I hope all students I judge find this to be a learning experience and have a fun debate round. Please respect all students and judges in the round and do your best today!
Hey all! I am a former policy debater of 3 years. I have done an immense amount of rounds in my time, at all speeds so I am fairly up to date on it all. I vote on most arguments and will give explanations in ranks or arguments as see fit or if I am asked to do so.
Side note: I am only a few years out, so I understand how specific arguments work (also I have not done much work on this topic so make sure your arguments are clear as you speak).
Ask me any questions, if paradigm is unclear or want few more specifics on preferences! :)
Email Chain: charman201910@gmail.com
Overall- Debate is fun and is what you make of it. I enjoy all arguments and will vote as told to. I enjoy comparing of impacts between the aff and neg. I am a flow judge and will look at my flow as I weigh the ballot. Have fun through civil discourse and smart arguments; be persuasive and communicative.
Specifics
Speed - I can do all speeds. If you do spread very quickly, I ask that you read tags clearly and show a tonal difference between tags and evidence to allow flows (both mine and competitors) to be smoother and faster for the round overall.
Additionally, I prefer flashes of the speeches to ensure that flowing is proper and no card clipping or to ensure if arguments are dropped, that I am seeing it in multiple instances across the flow.
Topicality – I do believe in topicality arguments, and I will vote on them. However, if the plan and the aff is blatantly topical, don’t run topicality because that is my point of not voting on it. If you do run T, make sure it’s good and the links are there. If you run T, and decide to carry it through, tell me it is a voter and I’ll evaluate it otherwise I will decide from other round arguments. If you carry it through also, 2NR doesn’t need to do in-depth work; touch on it, tell me it’s a voter if it is and continue in your speech.
Disadvantages – I enjoy DAs a lot and love to seem them, especially if you can pinpoint where the aff is flawed. Make sure your story makes sense, especially with the link level. If you can’t produce a good link, the internal link and impact is not likely to happen and won’t do much for you in the end. Produce a clear story, clear links, and ensure impacts will occur. Again, I love DAs so I’m open to any DA.
Counterplans – Counterplans can be fun! Make them competitive in function and text. For me, showcase how your CP will effectively produce the plan’s advantages without running into other off-case arguments. I am not a fan of PICs so please don’t try and run those much with me. Do the work, do the CP, show me why it’s better.
Kritiks – I don’t mind Ks. I enjoy listening to them and they can create interesting dialogue. However, I prefer a more classic style of debate and would prefer to work through the case without a K. If you do run a K, make the link level make sense, explain your narrative, and type of K. You will need to do impact calc heavily if you run a K. I do look at impact calc regardless if a K occurs or not. Keep the flow neat if running a K.
Policy Debate Wichita East 1993-1997
Policy Debate Wichita State 1997-2000
Head Coach Wichita Heights 2002-2005
Head Coach Andover High School 2005-Present
I have judged many debate rounds over the years and honestly I am open to just about any style. I hesitate to call myself tabula rosa as I lean more towards policy maker, but have voted for K's on many occasions. If you are going to run a K, just make sure that you have a good explanation of how it works in the context of the debate. I do think that topicality is important and will absolutely vote on it if it's won in the debate. I am fine with generic positions, DA, CP, or K.
Speed - I don't see has many fast rounds as I used to, but I am generally fine with rapid delivery as long as you are clear. I would like to be on the email chain or in the evidence drop.
Things to avoid in the debate - One major pet peeve of mine is teams who overly use "cut the card here." I understand doing this a time or two during a speech, but if you are doing this for every card, this is a problem. I believe that this one of the key reasons clipping is such a problem.
If your opponent takes time to tell you their pronouns, I expect you to use them.
Feel free to ask many any specific questions that you have. Good luck!
Hello, this is me, your Judge. Koalten
email: koalten.hornback@gmail.com
Debate Experience:
- Debated competitively 4 years at Nickerson High School
-2 years of debate coaching at Hutchinson High School
TL;DR: I'm a tabula rasa judge who defaults to policy-making when there are no framing arguments made. Good ol' fashioned policy is what I like to see, but I'll roll with anything.
Delivery:
I can keep up with about anything. However, my biggest thing is that clarity is more important than speed. Debate is supposed to be an activity that is accessible to everyone, and spreading cuts down the potential audience of a round. Communicate in a way to educate, not just to win. If you do choose speed, be able to justify it if the other team argues against it knowing my preference. Something that is rarely discussed is the skills policy debate teaches you that you can bring to other aspects of your life, and I have yet to be convinced that reading super fast off of prepared evidence is something you can apply to other areas of your life.
2020 Update: obviously I'll be super understanding with the stuff over virtual, don't worry about this so much, just make sure that I can actually tell what you're saying over zoom and don't rely on an email chain with me
Kritiks:
If you choose to do it, do it well. Be succinct with the alternative and tell me why I should be voting for the alternative over the case. Links need to be specific here. Impact debate is a great way to win me over. I know most of the common K's, but still explain the theory of what you're kritiking and how the alternative will help fix the status quo. BTW I don't buy the "reject the affirmative" alternatives and don't debate the role of the ballot, it's just a way to record data and we assign too much meaning to it. Perms usually get sloppy so make sure to explain what a perm would actually look like in the real world.
CP's:
Go for it, but don't turn it into a theory debate unless there's clearly been some sort of detrimental harm to education. See above on perms too.
Case and Disads:
This is the stuff that I really love to see. Attack case all day long and tell me why they fail. Run DA's and see if they stick. Generic disads are fine - it's the affirmative's job to uphold the resolution and if they can't kill a DA that links to the resolution, they fail to uphold it. I love a good old fashioned policy debate, and I think the educational value in preparing for a case debate is really quite valuable.
Topicality:
I like a smart T argument, especially those that use contextual evidence. I'm open to just about anything on T.
Decision Making:
I'm pretty open when it comes to framing the round and I think that it's a great debate to be had. Having said that, if framing is just not touched on at all, I'll resort to a policy-making paradigm, and weigh the impacts of the plan vs the impacts of the DA's (touching on impact calc would do well for you here if you don't argue for a different framing method).
History: for some reason, a tabroom glitch doesn't display to you my full judging history to you, but rest assured, I have voted almost exactly 50/50 this entire year and past years.
Education:
I am a Wichita State University student with a Bachelors's in English and a minor in Criminal Justice. Currently enrolling in a Fort Hayes State University Master's program for Education.
I debated four years in high school, and judged off and on since. Head coach at Paola High School.
The threshold for refutation of arguments that I don't like is low, but not zero.
I’ll flow what you tell me, not what’s highlighted on your speechdoc.
If you cut a card for time, make sure you’ve read me the good stuff.
Run whatever you want. Seriously. If you can justify it and defend it, I’ll consider it.
Case debate is good, but I love a great offcase debate.
Theory is fine, and I’m well-versed. However, don’t spend too much time here, as I’ve probably already reasoned this out with you.
T is good but I’ll only vote for it if you run it correctly. This is also true for CPs and DAs. I expect Aff teams to tell me when Neg arguments aren’t structured correctly, but I also expect you to answer them anyway. If there’s no impact card, voters/standards are missing, etc., say so, then move on to your answers.
K’s are fine, but I’m a lot older now than when I used to run them. Be prepared to explain them.
Reading a big block of cards without any analysis from you doesn’t do much for me – in fact, it makes me grumpy.
If I don’t like an argument, you’ll know.
If I’m not flowing your speech, it doesn’t mean I’m not listening, but rather I have already made my decision. I am good at figuring out the round and will likely make a quick decision. However, I will never formally sign or write my RFD until the round is over – sometimes miracles happen.
Speed is fine, but please slow down for tags/dates so I don’t get lost on my flow. If I can’t keep up, I’ll let you know.
Impact calc at the end of the round is good. My RFD should ultimately sound like your 2NR/2AR.
Be kind, have fun, learn something.
I am a HUGE SpeechDrop truther, please do not use an email chain.
I am the head coach at De Soto (KS).
Tech/Truth, Ev Quality
For both of these things, I try to limit judge intervention as much as I possibly can. I'm probably 70/30 tech v truth and I think your evidence should actually say what you claim it says. That being said, because of my intervention philosophy, you need to call this out deliberately in the round for me to evaluate it. I will absolutely vote on "untruthful" arguments if there are no responses (or responses too late in the debate) claiming otherwise. However, I am increasingly realizing how much I dislike meme-y arguments in debates so at least make an attempt to say things that are moderately real, otherwise I might embrace my grumpy old man mentality and vote it down on truth claims.
K
I will listen to and evaluate critical positions. I have become a lot more K-friendly over time, but please don't interpret that statement as a green light to read something just because you can. Accessibility is a very important (and, in my opinion, undervalued) part of any kritik. As such, be very explicit on what the role of the ballot is and what the intended impact of the alt and/or performance is. I will vote on no link to the K and I will default to policy impacts if told to do so. Don't be a moving target or change advocacy stances between speeches (obviously you can kick out of the K but some of those things might haunt you on other flows). Perf con arguments are very persuasive to me.
CPs
Competition > nearly everything else. For this reason, I really have a hard time voting for advantage CPs. I am typically persuaded by PICs bad arguments unless the neg can prove competition/lack of abuse in round. Be sure to have a clear net ben (internal or external) and articulate what it is: I've seen far too many CPs without them gone for. For the aff, I don't love hearing a laundry list of every perm you can think of. Read and articulate perms that actually test competitiveness (i.e. "perm do the aff" isn't a thing) and explain how the actions can coexist.
DAs
DAs should be unique. Generics are good but link quality is important.
Condo
I have no threshold for the amount of conditional CPs or Ks or whatever the neg wants to run. However, if the aff wants to read abuse or condo bad I will certainly listen to it. Watch out for those pesky perf cons.
T
Explain your definitions and make sure the card you use has warrants that actually state (or strongly imply) your interp. Competing interps need to be evaluated in terms of both the definition's contextual value to the resolution as well as the warrants of the definition read. Explain your limits/ground. No laundry list here; articulate how exactly in-round abuse has occurred or how what the plan text justifies is bad. Explain your voters. If you want to read and actually go for T, I need to see contextual work done early and often.
Theory (General)
In terms of other theory arguments like spec, disclosure, etc. I need to have clear voters. Make sure to articulate the sequential order of evaluation when multiple theoretical stances are being taken. On this note, RVIs are a *silly* thing and I will *begrudgingly* vote for them but they need to be weighed against the initial theory claim well.
CX
I don't flow CX. I view CX mainly as a means to generate (or lose) ethos in the debate, not necessarily to win arguments on the flow. Don't make this a shouting match please, otherwise I'm just going to ignore both teams and nobody wants that. We're all friends here.
Speed
I am okay with speed. However, if your argument is 1) intricate and requiring significant analytical explanation 2) not in the speech doc or 3) rooted in accessibility literature slow it down. It will help you if I can understand what's going on. I'd prefer you be organized, clear, and slow instead of messy, unintelligible, and fast. I won't ever give up on your speech if you have a hard time with clarity, but just know I may not pick up all of your arguments (obviously a bad thing for you).
I am a first year coach with high school debate experience. I primarily vote on stock issues. I like to hear well prepared speeches where applicable evidence referenced and its impact and effect on the arguments at hand is well explained. Good speaking abilities are also key for me, make sure your words and therefore your point can be easily understood. I do not like Kritiques, I have limited exposure to them and would rather have the debate round focused on the topic area chosen by the Aff. If counterplans are run they should be well thought out, and not run just to get something on the flow.
Tabula Rasa
I've been in the debate community for 16 years. Please tell me how I should vote and why. I am open to any judging paradigm.
Clear links, signposting, and substantial impacts are critical. I enjoy good impact calc when weighing the round as a policymaker. If you want me to vote from a stock issues paradigm, please provide an excellent line-by-line debate.
D/A's - I expect clear and direct links to the AFF case when using generic D/A's.
K's - Welcomed if severe and authentic. If it's a joke about us living in the matrix, I will probably not vote for it unless the other team can't answer.
Topicality - I don't care. I understand the strategy of T to cause commitment to an affirmative stance to provide stronger links. If proper T shells exist on both sides, it becomes neutral in my mind unless a team offers an excellent analysis that sells me.
Speed - I support spreading evidence at any pace. I do care about cadence and accuracy during spreading. However, I do prefer your analysis or warrant to be clearly articulated.
I am the Assistant Coach in Debate at Salina South High School.
I value a variety of things during my debate judging: Some of these things involve solvency and a resolution of issues being discussed. I also value great cross examination questions and summarizing the topics in order to prove the points of the arguments as data is being shared.
Secret Permenter, B.A. in History and Political Science.
FORENSICS:
I have experience judging different events in Forensics. Do not have much experience with Lincoln-Douglas Debate, but ready to learn and grow! I have knowledge on the subject at hand and I know what is expected in an LD judge, so...
DEBATE:
3 years of debate experience. I am typically a Tabula Rasa or policymaker judge, but I am very fluid in my paradigm. If Neg is not presenting a counterplan, I will likely not judge as a policymaker. How you debate will determine how I judge. I am very open-minded in my judging.
Speaking Speed -- I do not mind fast talking/reading in a round, as long as the words are able to be understood. If you are talking so quickly that I cannot understand what you are saying/arguing, then the other team may not as well.
My biggest pet peeve is burden of proof. The AFF has burden of proof. It is up to the AFF team to Prove that their plan is worth winning and that their plan isn't as bad as the Neg team may say it is.
Another pet peeve I have is people who argue who is more credible than another. If your only argument against the other team's evidence is that you have a more credible source, it is not necessarily a strong argument.... Obviously you can argue that point, but it shouldn't be the basis of your entire argument.
Below is some information to help you understand how I feel about certain key components of debate. You are always welcome to ask questions!
Topicality/Theory - I am informed on what the current debate topic is, and I have experience in its relevance to the current world. Aff needs to have plans that are topical. Neg- if you argue topicality, don't just give me definitions because definitions can be argued to no end. Give me reasons as well. Why is your definition the best definition. How does the definition prove non-topicality.
Disads - Every plan, no matter how good, will have disadvantages. If you are upright about disadvantages, it shows me your case has actually looked at more than the positive sides. If you can't fit disads into 1Aff, then 1Aff should be prepared to offer them up in Cross if asked. If you claim to have no disadvantages, then your topic is not as researched as it should be.
Counterplans - I am not for or against counter plans. Counter plans can work well and win, but they need to be executed well. Do not enter the debate with a counterplan as your only course of action, and don't use it as a last resort. Good Neg teams will show that the Aff argument is bad and that there is a better route (i.e. counterplan).
Kritiks -- There is a time and place to do Kritiks and they can be a good argument, but explanations of Kritiks are going to be key. I may not know what K you are talking about, so it is important that you get me and the opposing team on the same page as you. If I as a judge am unable to understand the Kritik, how can I judge based on that?
Personal Stories/analytical arguments -- I do not mind the use of personal experiences in a debate, as long as you use evidence as well. Many personal stories can be supported by statistics and facts and therefore these things should be included. Personal experiences should not be the bulk of your speech or the bulk of an argument, but simply an anecdote to help your argument. Analytical Arguments are typically made when you know a specific set of facts/statistics, but might not necessarily know where you learned said information. These are okay if you have other points that back it up. I am not taking your personal word over the word of evidence found from credible sources.
Speaker points-
There are a few criteria I take into consideration when giving speaker points:
1. Whether or not you speak fluidly in a way that is both easy to hear and easy to understand. (Mumbling, speaking too quickly or too slow, and speaking too quietly can have negative impacts on speaker points)
2. How kind you are. I have been in debates where my partner and I received the highest speaker points because the other team was being rude, disrespectful, and yelling at us in Cross. I will not give high points to those who are disrespectful and rude in their cross, speeches, or otherwise. We are here to talk facts, not to belittle our opponents. I penalize rudeness toward other teams, toward eachother, etc.
3. Using your time. If you have 8 minutes to talk, I expect you use up as much of it as you can. Reiterate points I may not have caught the first time. Aff -- Sell your plan more. If you have finished counterarguing, make your plan look great. Neg -- explain your points, have more than one.
4 and final. Whether or not you have explanations. Both AFF and NEG need to read evidence AND explain how it applies to your argument/counterargument.
Pronouns: he/him
Email chains: Yes, please add me. johnsamqua@gmail.com
speech drop is fine as well.
TLDR:
I coach.
I don't coach that many fast teams. Clarity is what I put the most stock in.
Speed=4-6/10
Debaters that clean messy debates up will get my ballot.
I understand the K to a serviceable degree, but I wouldn't stake your hopes on winning on it in front of me unless you're just miles ahead on it.
Experience:
I competed in Kansas in both speech and policy debate for 4 years in high school. I did not do debate in college. It has been over a decade since I've been in a competitive round.
I've judged and coached for 10 years. I tend to judge infrequently.
Judge Philosophy:
Generally: Run the things you want to run. My background basically makes me a policy hack. If you want to read something out of my wheelhouse just make sure you have good explanations. I coach teams that compete on a mostly traditional (meaning there's an emphasis on communication, and the debates are much slower) debate circuit, where it is seldom we see that type of argumentation. However I have coached a handful of varsity teams that do contemporary varsity style debate and I'd say they're pretty damn good. Put it this way, I got absolutely cooked in a demonstration debate we did for the novices. I may not be the most qualified judge when it comes to very fast and very technical debating.
Inclusion: I think that the debate space should be accessible to everyone, and if you engage in behaviors that negatively affect the people in the round then I will vote you down. I do not care if you are winning the debate. It's simply over. I've voted teams down in the past for being rude, racist, sexist or otherwise problematic. Just don't be a horrible person, don't talk over people, if you must interrupt try to do it politely.
Style: It's seldom that I see really good line by line. The more organized that you are during your speech the better chance you have of winning in front of me. Otherwise it's hard for me to parse where one argument ends and another begins and things get missed which is going to cause you to be not happy with me. Basically I'm saying that you're the master of your own destiny here.
Delivery:
Speed 4-6/10 (please interpret this as I'm not great with speed)
I emphasize clarity
If I'm on panel with other judges that can handle more speed, I understand if I get left in the dust.
I mostly coach teams that are slow.
Argument Specific:
Disads: Yes.
Counterplans: yep.
T: yep. If you're going for it, make sure you spend a lot of time on it!
K: I have pretty limited experience with K's. But that doesn't mean you should avoid them in front of me. My wheelhouse in terms of critical theory is Cap, and Biopower.
Theory: This is usually very hard for me to wrap my head around unless it's something like a spec argument. But also if we're reading spec then maybe you've already lost? Condo debates are just really hard for me to render a decision on. Like why is it my burden to do the heavy lifting here?
Stock Issues, extremely big on Sig and Solv
Tell me why anything you are reading in the round matters, don't just rattle off cards. That is key to clash for me.
Disadvantages this year are in desperate need of uniqueness, tell me how the Aff plan itselfis going to cause the impact. I don’t mind Kritiks, just be aware of the weaknesses inherent in putting one forward in the round.
Email: Mtaylor@silverlakeschools.org
General:
I really appreciate nice humans. Rude, racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, etc. behavior will not be tolerated.
Overall, I like debate...in all its forms. If you want to win something in front of me just do the work to make it matter.
Some general thoughts...
Don't flow from the speech doc. Every debate round I have judged for the past 6 years on the circuit has pretty much been won by the team who was flowing properly. When you aren't flowing, you aren't able to see the round properly, you miss really important things like turns and cross applications, your line-by-line is terrible, and you reduce the debate to a bunch of overviews that don't help me decide anything.
I can handle most rates of speed fairly comfortably, but if you are going top-rate, I'm going to be less confident in my ability to get everything, especially virtually. If I am not able to understand I will say clear. Obviously, don't race through theory or any blocks of really important analysis that you are going to want me to vote on later.
The 2AR/2NR should be telling me when, what, where, why and how. If you want me to vote for something tell me explicitly how to evaluate it and why it matters. "even if" arguments are really important in your framing of the round in rebuttals. Contextualization is important.
Topicality
I will always listen to everything you read, but I generally subscribe to the theory that if it is not blatantly untopical, then I really don't care to waste time on T. I am going to break from tradition and scandalize a few people here...but I will generally evaluate reasonability with the same frequency I do competing interps...UNLESS you don't impact it out and give me some analysis why reasonability is good. Blocked out blurbs about ground and predictability are not going to do much in terms of showing me why this argument is important. I hold T to the same standards of analysis and impact development as all other arguments. That being said, do the work and I will be more likely to vote on it.
Disads
Generic is fine...but in my old age I am starting to really prefer specific links and I love a really unique/specific link story. Really good analysis and inference can take a mediocre DA and make it pretty good, so take the time to do the specific analysis.
CPs
In a world where a lot of our big topics become overly generalized by the affirmative team without much attention to rule of law or specifics, I think the CP has a lot of value. I like a well thought out plan text with good Solvency. What ever happened to dispositionality? I don't think affs utilize their cases enough when answering and I think that there needs to be a lot more debate on the CP proper than what currently happens. I will listen to theory, but I generally don't vote unless there is evident abuse.
Ks
Don't expect that I can do much work here for you in terms of lit; I just don't know enough to be able to make those connections in my head. I'm fairly familiar with Neolib, Cap, Set Col and Fem, the rest I'm really going to need you to slow down and give me some analysis. I was not a K debater in school, but that was mostly due to a lack of exposure, not necessarily preference and I really enjoy the critical side of debate. Context is important. It is much easier for me to vote Neg on the K when the negative can show that their alt resolves the links to the K and takes time to contextualize how the Alt functions in the world of the Aff.
I am basically a policy maker judge. However, I also consider stock issues.
Things I dislike:
Generic arguments unless they can be directly linked to case.
Speed. I'm an English teacher, and I can take notes. If I can't keep up, you're going too fast. And no, I don't want a copy of your speech. I am judging the round based on the speeches, not the written notes and cards. Your responsibility is to get the information into the round--verbally. That's what I judge.
*Counterplans: Debate the affirmative case! Unless the aff case is totally non-topical, then engage with them. Offering your own plan (which you had ready before the aff ever spoke) defeats the purpose of a debate round, in my opinion, and is actually dodging the responsibility of the negative.
* I know this year's topic is one that spawns counterplans, so I'm not going to give you the loss JUST because you offered a counterplan. I also understand how a counterplan with a Kritique could be effective. However, my basic philosophy is that you should debate the affirmative plan, not offer your own and ursurp the round.
Position on the following:
Topicality: Rarely do I award the win based on topicality. Unless it's blatantly non-topical, it's topical. I do understand though that running topicality arguments gives your partner more time to prepare their speech; just know that your splitting hairs over definitions isn't going to affect my decision.
Kriitiques: I haven't judged a round where a kritique is offered. However, I understand the concept and would expect it to be presented and explained as a Kritique, and an alternative solution/plan should be presented with it.