Viking Rumble
2022 — Skokie, IL/US
NJDG Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideRose - she/her -
Uiowa'27
Niles West '23
Top level:
Debate should be a safe space for all people involved. If you feel unsafe in a round, please let me know and I will stop the round and go to tab. Please put you emotional well being over debate, even if you feel pressure to kept debating through sickness, panic attacks etc it is okay to take an L on tabroom to protect yourself. This also means that racism, misogyny, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and any other form of violence is prohibited. I will not hesitate to hold people accountable in round, high school policy has a huge accountability problem and I want to be part of the solution.
As a disabled debater I understand the struggle to exist within this space, if you need something from me to make it more inclusive (sit closer, need to record the RFD, time to stop and take meds, etc) please let me know and I will do my best.
If you want to know more about debating at Iowa or in college more generally please feel free to come talk to me after the round!
General thoughts:
Although I run k based arguments, while judging I put an extreme amount of emphasis on the flow. Doing line by line and keeping a clean flow are all key to how I view a debate. This does not mean big picture explanations cant win you the debate, you just need to explain why dropped arguments don't matter. I want to be least interventionist as possible, but if you don't clean up the debate for me I am going to have to make my own decisions hence my paradigm. I am going to vote on the 2ar/2nr, if your card in the 1nc is fire but you dont explain it at all I will not be voting on it.
Ks
Think about your subject position when running identity based arguments, any form of oppression you do not experience should not be casually thrown into the round as time skew or a gatcha moment, its harmful and needs to stop. I think aff teams can point this out as long as it done in a respectful manners (Asking "what is your relationship with indigenity/queerness etc?" is better than assuming someone identity)
My main k lit focus is disability studies, cap, and trans studies. In the past run security, fem ir, security studies and orientalism so those are the lit bases I am familiar with. I find k debaters misunderstanding their lit base, cards and arguments one of the most painful things to watch, so please at least be passable in your understanding. Please dont kill the flow, at least attempt to do an line by line instead of a 3 min long over view.
Policy affs - please do not be afraid to take the k up on its theory of power, those are the most fun debate for me to watch as a judge.
K affs/FW
Debate is probably a game, but what that game looks like can be debated. I tend to vote on impacts of the fw flow so impact comparison, internal link analysis and solvency questions will most likely be part of my decision. I do not think fairness is an impact with out an explanation, I think clash is the better impact in almost every case.
Neg teams: Please have something in the 1nc that is not just framework: cap, a push on presumption, a counter plan, etc make the debate way more interesting, nuanced and in-depth. If you do not have some method of resolving aff offense by the 2nr (TVA/SSD) you are shooting yourself in the foot. A pet peeve of mine is team grouping DA when they are completely unique offense, please at least try to not be a block bot.
Policy things
Judge kick if you tell me too. Please do line by line on theory especially condo, there is almost no clash in those debate. Case debating is one of my favorite things in debate. Cards and evidence matter, your terrible no card CP is not going to be the most persuasive 2nr in front of me.
Impact calculus need to be in your final rebuttal. I have often found myself deciding round where there two impacts that are both dropped by the final rebuttals but no one tells me why their impact outweighs, turn, or comes first
Online Debate:
I will have my camera on as much as I can as I am an expressive judge. Please start at a slower speed so I can get used to your voice through a microphone and make sure your zoom setting are not set to filter out back round noise (it often recognizes spreading as back round noise and you will cut out)
Random things/ speaks:
Ethos, puns, and creativity = better speaks
Remember to have fun :)
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!!
kailey --- she/they
tech>truth
--------speaks--------
---be respectful to your PARTNER, OPPONENTS, ME, COACHES, and importantly: YOURSELF.
---do line by line and signpost when you're moving from argument to argument
---make funny jokes about: alex burkman, vivi webb, reagan subeck, raman mazhankou, saad khan, or will sterbenc
--------don't do these things--------
---stealing prep [preparing for speeches without running prep time]
---any of the isms: racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, yk all the phobias. that's ground for me giving you the lowest speaks i can, auto L + emailing your coach
--------the actual debate--------
T/L
---roadmaps: give them! "i am just going to respond to what my opponents said" is not a real order.
---i will vote on things that are straightup not true if they are warranted out correctly/dropped
AFF
---i am a 2a with an extremely high aff elo- MY RECORD DOESNT LOOK LIKE IT BUT I AM A GOOD JUDGE FOR THE AFF!
---k affs shouldn't be read by novices. if you read one in front of me, you better entertain me, because i will be sad
NEG
---please condense in the 2NR.....go for one thing!!!
---topicality: i love these debates...as for this topic, i thinkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk I WILL EDIT THIS WHEN CAMP IS OVER
---counterplans: judge kick if you tell me to, i <3 cheaty process cps, i normally go like 9 off in my own debates but i'm also p good for condo on the aff
---kritiks: i'm bad for these esp like less techy stuff (only go for like...the cap k in front of me)
---disads: underrated asf. econ da is cracked on this topic
---impact turns: mwah but no death good in my rounds please
GBN '24
Dartmouth '28
2A/1N, she/her.
ekcarpen.debate@gmail.com
Everyone should aim to make the round an enjoyable and educational opportunity.
Flow! Please for the love of god!!! To the best of your ability, keep arguments in the order they were presented in. Disorganized debates only disadvantage you because there's a higher chance that I'll miss an argument somewhere or misapply it. That also goes for clarity - it's not my responsibility to try to decipher the 15 point conditionality block you're spreading through. If I miss something because you've decided that articulate wording is a worthy sacrifice, then it's not my problem.
Complete arguments should have a claim, warrant, and impact.
You do you in terms of argument type/style/performance and I'll make my decision based on the line by line at the end of the debate and try to be as least interventionist as possible. I will vote on bad arguments if debated effectively (forced to), but I will reward well-thought out strategies with higher speaker points.
Feel free to ask questions about my decisions, I don't claim to know everything about debate in any capacity. But keep in mind that debate is ultimately a communicative, persuasive activity, and if I have voted against you, that means you have failed to communicate to me the merits of your argument no matter how good you thought your debating was. In other words, stay humble ☺️
Have fun and good luck!
2/18/2024 update...please read - i am now several years removed from the point when i was actively involved in debate and kept up with the topic. i judge a combined total of around 20 policy/ld debates per season. my exposure to the topic starts and ends with each debate that i judge. my knowledge of the topic on any given season is essentially nonexistent, and my knowledge of post-2018 debate in general is probably diminishing with time. i wouldn't call myself a lay judge by any means, but a few steps above. the safest way to win a debate in front of me is to slow down (not to the point where you aren’t spreading at all, but still a bit more slow than you’d normally speak), and focus on the quality of arguments over quantity. pick a few arguments to explain in depth as opposed to having lots that aren't explained well. line-by-line in the style of "they say...but we say..." will also get you a long way with me...overviews/"embedded clash"...not so much...you can feel free to scrap your pre-written overviews entirely with me. if you want the decision in a debate to come down to the quality of evidence, please make that clear in your speeches because i won't do that on my own (i don't usually open the speech docs anymore, nor do i flow author names/card dates. keeping that in mind, statements like “extend the chikko evidence” with no elaboration whatsoever are meaningless to me, as i won’t have any idea what that specific evidence says without an explanation). i won't vote on arguments that i don't understand, miss because of speed/lack of clarity, etc. - i have voted against teams in the past because they went for arguments that i either couldn’t flow or couldn’t understand, even if they may have “won” those arguments if i’d had them on my flows. attached below is my old paradigm, last updated around mid-2019. it is all still applicable…
my old paradigm:
Happy new year.
Add me to the email chain: dylanchikko@gmail.com
I don't time anything. Not prep time, not speeches, nothing. If no one is timing your speech and I notice in the middle of it, I'll make you stop whenever I think the right amount of time has passed. The same is true for prep time.
I have no opinions on arguments. I know nothing about the topic whatsoever outside of the rounds I judge. I don't do research and don't cut cards. I'll vote for anything as long as it's grounded in basic reality and not blatantly offensive. Speak slightly less quick with me than you usually would. I'm 60/40 better for policy-oriented debating (just because of my background knowledge, not ideological preference). But I'll vote for anything if it's done well. My biggest pet peeve is inefficiency/wasting time. Please direct all complaints to nathanglancy124@gmail.com. I’m sure he’d love to hear them. Have fun and be nice to your opponents/partner/me.
I'm an Assyrian. A big portion of my life/career as an educator consists of addressing and supporting Assyrian student needs. That influences my thoughts on a lot of real-life topics that regularly end up in debates. That's especially true for debates about foreign policy and equity. So do your research and be mindful of that.
Don't say/do anything in front of me that you wouldn't say/do in front of your teacher.
Feel free to ask me before the round if you have questions about anything.
Pronouns - him/he\they
Email(s) - abraham.corrigan@gmail.com, acorrigan1@glenbrook225.org, catspathat@gmail.com
Hello!
Thank you for considering me for your debate adjudication needs! Judging is one of my favorite things & I aspire to be the judge I wanted when I debated, namely one who was flexible and would judge the debate based on arguments made by debaters. To do that, I seek to be familiar with all debate arguments and literature bases such that my own ignorance will not be a barrier to judging the arguments you want to go for. This is an ongoing process and aspiration for me rather than an end point, but in general I would say you should probably pref me.
I'm fun!
Sometimes I even have snacks.
<*Judging Quirks*>
- I have absolutely zero poker face and will make a lot of non verbals. Please do not interpret these as concrete/100% definitive opinions of mine but rather as an expression of my initial attempts to place your argument within the particular context of the other arguments advanced in a debate.
- All arguments are evaluated within their particular context - Especially on the negative, as a debater in high school and college I went for and won a lot of debates on arguments which would be described, in a vacuum, as 'bad.' Sometimes, all you have to say is a turd and your rebuttal speeches will largely be what some of my judges described as 'turd-shinning.' This means (unless something extreme is happening which is unethical or triggering my mandatory reporter status as a public school employee) I generally prefer to let the arguments advanced in the debate dictate my view of what is and what isn't a 'good' argument.
- I am not a 'k' or 'policy' judge. I just like debate.
<*My Debate History*>
I am a 2a. This means, if left to my own devices and not instructed not to look for this, the thing that I will implicitly try to do is identify a way to leave stuff better than we found it.
High School
- I debated at H-F HS, in Illinois, for my first two years of debate where I was coached by creeps.
- My junior & senior year in HS I transfered to Glenbrook South where I was coached most by Tara Tate (now retired from debate), Calum Matheson (now at Pitt), & Ravi Shankar (former NU debater).
My partner and I largely went for agenda politics da & process cps or impact turns. We were a bit k curious, but mostly read what would be described as 'policy' arguments.
College
- I debated in college for 4 years at Gonzaga where I was coached by Glen Frappier (still DoF at GU), Steve Pointer (now [mostly] retired from debate), Jeff Buntin (current DoD at NU), Iz-ak Dunn (currently at ASU), & Charles Olney (now [mostly] retired from debate).
My partner and I largely went for what is now be described as 'soft left' arguments on the affirmative and impact turns and unusual counterplans when we were negative.
Coaching
- After graduating, I coached at Northwestern University for a year. My assignments were largely 2ac answers & stuff related to translating high theory arguments made by other teams into things our less k debaters could understand.
- I then moved to Lexington, Kentucky and coached at the University of Kentucky for two years. My assignments were largely aff & all things 2a & answering k stuff on the negative.
- I then coached/did comm graduate work at Wake Forest for two years.
- I then took a break from debate and worked as a paralegal at a law firm which was focused on civil lawsuits against police, prisons, whistleblower protections as well as doing FOIA requests for Buzzfeed.
- I then came back to debate, did some logistics for UK, then Mrs. Corrigan got the GBS job & the rest is history!
FOR NOVICE STATES: IF YOU DO NOT SEND ANALYTICS IN THE 1NC/2AC, SPEAKS ARE CAPPED AT 28.5. Not sending in the block or 1AR is fine.
please add: kaylanfdebate@gmail.com
direct all questions and complaints to WayneTang@aol.com
Non-Negotiables:
add me to the email chain or I WILL dock your speaks to 27.1
Kritikal affirmatives will NOT be read in my round--you may NOT express your identity, EVER!
If I ever catch you stealing even a PICOSECOND of prep time, I WILL talk to your coaches and remove you from the tournament. Stealing prep counts as the time is takes to bring your computer to the podium, sending the documents, time it takes for the document to travel through the internet and land in my inbox, and time it takes for my to open the document, download it, and send it to the rest of my team. If you need to use the restroom, I will take prep time. You should have gone before.
Capitalism is GOOD. I will NOT be convinced otherwise. If you even ATTEMPT to spew that PINKO COMMIE LIBERAL GARBAGE I will contact tabroom and remove you under suspicion of espionage.
How I Judge/Prefs:
Pref me a 1 for every kind of debate (I am extrimeley smartt:)
I was born in the royal house of the Riad and therefore have been surrounded by the wonderful works of critical authors such as Wayne Tang, Brian Roche, Cole Weese, Jack Hightower, ZIDAO WANG (ZIDAO ZIDAO ZIDAO ZIDAO), and Trufnananv.
I am very wealthy (as a result of my genius) and have no time to listen to the grievances of debaters who think economic "inequality" (if everyone would just work hard, they would obviously succeed). If all were up to me, I would prefer debate centers around discussions of how to maintain corporate profits (reverse redistribution would be a prime example). But if you must, I will listen to discussions of economic "inequality". My decision will involve a rating of the socioeconomic setting your school is in (the richer the better, of course) and your ability to explain the benefits of capitalism and the unvaiability of nationalization of the means of production. I will also give a decision based on evidence not introduced into the round and arguments I have written down on flows of the past round I have debated in (possibly from my extremely successful novice year under the Criminal Justice topic (I won our impact calc tournament after school)).
Reasonability is possibly the greatest argument ever created (aside from cap good). I am an extremely reasonable person (my notes above reflect this) and generally agree that if the Affirmative defends the word "fiscal", or "money" they are Topical.
After the round I will ask for a document of all pieces of relevant evidence that will influence my decision. I will permit debaters to add evidence not read in the round that helps their position (especially if it is cap good) and I will thoroughly read through it come to myown conclusions based on said evidence (typically will be that cap is good). If I see the words "CNN", "MSNBC", "The Guardian", "New York Times", or another information source that clearly fabricates lies on a daily basis in a speech document with your school's name on it (regardless of if you read said evidence in the round) I will immediately vote you down and report you to tabroom.
I am especially fond of T-Reverse Federalism versus Dispositionality Turns T debates.
I think Topicality debates that boil down to standards about standard deviations are my favorite to judge.
I am extremely intelligent and am able to adjudicate any kind of debate. My favorite debate is AFF CP vs NEG DA, with the CP being the complex 50 states CP and the DA being the Supreme Court Political Capital Tradeoff DA and the Federalism DA.
Speaker Points:
I determine speaker points based on your outside knowledge of real world happenings. This includes your score on a 50 question MCQ about the principles our President Donald Trump stands for that you have 49 minutes to complete, a random number generator from 1-30, the number of letters in your last name, your ability to use Euler's Theorem to calculate the area of a oblate spheroid to then find the size of the apothem of a three dimensional pentagon, and your ability to explain an auxillary theorem in a minimum of 300 words. This all must be done during your final rebuttal or your speaker points will be capped at 27.
As a genius, I have many thoughts from previous topics I feel are relevant and should be archived in more grand settings, but as the Library of Congress has denied my petition, I submit these thoughts to you as the following:
NATO Topic:
I determine speaker points based on your outside knowledge of real world happenings. This includes your score on a 50 question MCQ about all articles of the North Atlantic Treaty that you have 49 minutes to complete, a random number generator from 1-30, the number of letters in your last name, your ability to use Euler's Theorem to calculate the area of a oblate spheroid to then find the size of the apothem of a three dimensional pentagon, and your ability to explain an auxillary theorem in a minimum of 300 words. This all must be done during your final rebuttal or your speaker points will be capped at 27.
Pursuant to Article 21 of the North Atlantic Treety (novices, it would behove you to memorize the text of every treaty of NATO as that will be very relevant for your speaker points), I will quickly give a decision based on evidence not introduced into the round and arguments I have written down on flows of the past round I have debated in (possibly from the Criminal Justice topic).
Reasonability is possibly the greatest argument ever created (aside from cap good). I am an extremely reasonable person (my notes above reflect this) and generally agree that if the Affirmative defends the word "Cybersecurity", "Artificial Intelligence", or "Biotechonology" they are Topical.
Yes, email chain. debateoprf@gmail.com
ME:
Debater--The University of Michigan '91-'95
Head Coach--Oak Park and River Forest HS '15-'20
Assistant Coach--New Trier Township High School '20-
POLICY DEBATE:
Top Level
--Old School Policy.
--Like the K on the Neg. Harder sell on the Aff.
--Quality of Evidence Counts. Massive disparities warrant intervention on my part. You can insert rehighlightings. There should not be a time punishment for the tean NOT reading weak evidence.
--Not great with theory debates.
--I value Research and Strategic Thinking (both in round and prep) as paramount when evaluating procedural impacts.
--Utter disdain for trolly Theory args, Death Good, Wipeout and Spark. Respect the game, win classy.
Advantage vs Disadvantage
More often than not, I tend to gravitate towards the team that wins probability. The more coherent and plausible the internal link chain is, the better.
Zero risk is a thing.
I can and will vote against an argument if cards are poor exclusive of counter evidence being read.
Not a big fan of Pre-Fiat DA's: Spending, Must Pass Legislation, Riders, etc. I will err Aff on theory unless the Neg has some really good evidence as to why not.
I love nuanced defense and case turns. Conversely, I love link and impact turns. Please run lots of them.
Counterplans
Conditionality—
I am largely okay with a fair amount of condo. i.e. 4-5 not a big deal for me. I will become sympathetic to Aff Theory ONLY if the Neg starts kicking straight turned arguments. On the other hand, if you go for Condo Bad and can't answer Strat Skew Inevitable, Idea Testing Good and Hard Debate is Good Debate then don't go for Condo Bad. I have voted Aff on Conditionality Theory, but rarely.
2023-2024 EDIT:
**That said, the Inequality Topic has made me add an addendum to my aforementioned grievance about being on my lawn: running blatantly contradictory arguments about Capitalism, Unions, Growth, etc. are egregious performance contradictions that I will no longer ignore under the auspices of conditionality. Its not that I am changing my tune on condo per se, its that this promotes bad neg strats that are usually a result of high school students not thinking about things they should be before reading the 1NC. Its pretty easy to win in-round abuse when a Neg is defending Unions Good and Bad at the same time. I encourage you to try.
Competition—
1. I have grown weary of vague plan writing. To that end, I tend think that the Neg need only win that the CP is functionally competitive. The Plan is about advocacy and cannot be a moving target.
2. Perm do the CP? Intrinsic Perms? I am flexible to Neg if they have a solvency advocate or the Aff is new. Otherwise, I lean Aff.
Other Stuff—
PIC’s and Agent CP’s are part of our game. I err Neg on theory. Ditto 50 State Fiat.
No object Fiat, please. Or International Fiat on a Domestic Topic.
Otherwise, International Fiat is a gray area for me. The Neg needs a good Interp that excludes abusive versions. Its winnable.
Solvency advocates and New Affs make me lean Neg on theory.
I will judge kick automatically unless given a decent reason why not in the 1AR.
K-Affs
If you lean on K Affs, just do yourself a favor and put me low or strike me. I am not unsympathetic to your argument per se, I just vote on Framework 60-70% of the time and it rarely has anything to do with your Aff.
That said, if you can effectively impact turn Framework, beat back a TVA and Switch Side Debate, you can get my ballot.
Topic relevance is important.
If your goal is to make blanket statements about why certain people are good or bad or should be excluded from valuable discussions then I am not your judge. We are all flawed.
I do not like “debate is bad” arguments. I don't think that being a "small school" is a reason why I should vote for you.
Kritiks vs Policy Affs
Truth be told, I vote Neg on Kritiks vs Policy Affs A LOT.
I am prone to voting Aff on Perms, so be advised College Debaters. I have no take on "philosophical competition" but it does seem like a thing.
I am not up on the Lit AT ALL, so the polysyllabic word stews you so love to concoct are going to make my ears bleed.
I like reading cards after the debate and find myself understanding nuance better when I can. If you don’t then you leave me with only the bad handwriting on my flow to decipher what you said an hour later and that’s not good for anybody.
When I usually vote Neg its because the Aff has not done a sufficient job in engaging with core elements of the K, such as Ontology, Root Cause Claims, etc.
I am not a great evaluator of Framework debates and will usually err for the team that accesses Education Impacts the best.
Topicality
Because it theoretically serves an external function that affects other rounds, I do give the Aff a fair amount of leeway when the arguments start to wander into a gray area. The requirement for Offense on the part of the Affirmative is something on which I place little value. Put another way, the Aff need only prove that they are within the predictable confines of research and present a plan that offers enough ground on which to run generic arguments. The Negative must prove that the Affirmative skews research burdens to a point in which the topic is unlimited to a point beyond 20-30 possible cases and/or renders the heart of the topic moot.
Plan Text in a Vacuum is a silly defense. In very few instances have I found it defensible. If you choose to defend it, you had better be ready to defend the solvency implications.
Limits and Fairness are not in and of themselves an impact. Take it to the next level.
Why I vote Aff a lot:
--Bad/Incoherent link mechanics on DA’s
--Perm do the CP
--CP Solvency Deficits
--Framework/Scholarship is defensible
--T can be won defensively
Why I vote Neg a lot:
--Condo Bad is silly
--Weakness of aff internal links/solvency
--Offense that turns the case
--Sufficiency Framing
--You actually had a strategy
PUBLIC FORUM SUPPLEMENT:
I judge about 1 PF Round for every 50 Policy Rounds so bear with me here.
I have NOT judged the PF national circuit pretty much ever. The good news is that I am not biased against or unwilling to vote on any particular style. Chances are I have heard some version of your meta level of argumentation and know how it interacts with the round. The bad news is if you want to complain about a style of debate in which you are unfamiliar, you had better convince me why with, you know, impacts and stuff. Do not try and cite an unspoken rule about debate in your part of the country.
Because of my background in Policy, I tend to look at things from a cost benefit perspective. Even though the Pro is not advocating a Plan and the Con is not reading Disadvantages, to me the round comes down to whether the Pro has a greater possible benefit than the potential implications it might cause. Both sides should frame the round in terms impact calculus and or feasibility. Impacts need to be tangible.
Evidence quality is very important.
I will vote on what is on the flow (yes, I flow) and keep my personal opinions of arguments in check as much as possible. I may mock you for it, but I won’t vote against you for it. No paraphrasing. Quote the author, date and the exact words. Quals are even better but you don’t have to read them unless pressed. Have the website handy. Research is critical.
Speed? Meh. You cannot possibly go fast enough for me to not be able to follow you. However, that does not mean I want to hear you go fast. You can be quick and very persuasive. You don't need to spread.
Defense is nice but is not enough. You must create offense in order to win. There is no “presumption” on the Con.
While I am not a fan of formal “Kritik” arguments in PF, I do think that Philosophical Debates have a place. Using your Framework as a reason to defend your scholarship is a wise move. Racism and Sexism will not be tolerated. You can attack your opponents scholarship.
I reward debaters who think outside the box.
I do not reward debaters who cry foul when hearing an argument that falls outside traditional parameters of PF Debate. Again, I am not a fan of the Kritik, but if its abusive, tell me why instead of just saying “not fair.”
Statistics are nice, to a point. But I feel that judges/debaters overvalue them. Often the best impacts involve higher values that cannot be quantified. A good example would be something like Structural Violence.
While Truth outweighs, technical concessions on key arguments can and will be evaluated. Dropping offense means the argument gets 100% weight.
The goal of the Con is to disprove the value of the Resolution. If the Pro cannot defend the whole resolution (agent, totality, etc.) then the Con gets some leeway.
I care about substance and not style. It never fails that I give 1-2 low point wins at a tournament. Just because your tie is nice and you sound pretty, doesn’t mean you win. I vote on argument quality and technical debating. The rest is for lay judging.
Relax. Have fun.
42fryguy@gmail.com
I debated at KU and Blue Valley Southwest, I am currently coaching at Glenbrook North
FW
I am heavily persuaded by arguments about why the affirmative should read a topical plan. One of the main reasons for this is that I am persuaded by a lot of framing arguments which nullify aff offense. The best way to deal with these things is to more directly impact turn common impacts like procedural fairness. Counter interpretations can be useful, but the goal of establishing a new model sometimes exacerbates core neg offense (limits).
K
I'm not great for the K. In most instances this is because I believe the alternative solves the links to the aff or can't solve it's own impacts. This can be resolved by narrowing the scope of the K or strengthening the link explanation (too often negative teams do not explain the links in the context of the permutation). The simpler solution to this is a robust framework press.
T
I really enjoy good T debates. Fairness is the best (and maybe the only) impact. Education is very easily turned by fairness. Evidence quality is important, but only in so far as it improves the predictability/reduces the arbitrariness of the interpretation.
CP
CPs are fun. I generally think that the negative doing non-plan action with the USfg is justified. Everything else is up for debate, but well developed aff arguments are dangerous on other questions.
I generally think conditionality is good. I think the best example of my hesitation with conditionality is multi-plank counter plans which combine later in the debate to become something else entirely.
If in cross x you say the status quo is always an option I will kick the counter plan if no further argumentation is made (you can also obviously just say conditional and clarify that judge kick is an option). If you say conditional and then tell me to kick in the 2NR and there is a 2AR press on the question I will be very uncomfortable and try to resolve the debate some other way. To resolve this, the 2AC should make an argument about judge kick.
He/Him/His
Northside College Prep '24
Policy:
Yes please
What even is condo?
K:
Hells yeah - shoot that's a link
If you are rude, run racist, misogynist, transphobic or any derogatory arguments you and your partner will have 2 total speaks and anyone who defends that rhetoric will be made aware of to their coach.
Make the rounds fun. If I’m judging I want a good debate, but a fun one for sure
If you want any more info I have 0% of a life so send me an email.
GBN '24
I don't think this paradigm will provide you with any relevant insights. Within reason, just debate what you want to debate.
If you care, these are the most important things to keep in mind:
1. Be a good human
2. Flow
3. Tech > truth, but the burden for a full argument is a claim + warrant
4. Debate is a persuasive and communicative activity. At the very least, pretend like you care
5. Do impact comparison
6. I would rather you reason out why their argument is wrong than read blocks you don't understand
Specific thoughts if you're still reading:
DAs:
- This topic has great core disads with expansive lit bases and links to every aff - you can impress me by knowing more about the aff than they do
CPs:
- The existence of actual disads means I have a slightly higher bar for a legitimate CP, but I'm fine with anything you can justify on the flow
- I am getting increasingly frustrated by internal net benefits with ridiculous spillover claims not about the CP - you can likely beat these with analytical pushes
T:
- Paint a picture of your vision of the topic.
- Absent an argument explaining otherwise, I think predictability is the most important internal link because a topic with arbitrary limits is functionally unlimited.
- Might be a hot take but I actually find the T taxes controversy pretty interesting. That being said, I think teams are getting away with making broad, exaggerated claims on both sides of the debate. Just saying "states CP" or "econ DA" isn't an argument.
Ks:
- Without other instruction, I will weigh the world of the aff against the world of the alt by comparing the consequences of each scenario
- If you read anything more complex than cap/security/generic topic ks, you need to be particularly explicit in judge instruction, but that should be true regardless
- In debates with more material alts, the "perm double bind" is often compelling. The less that argument makes sense, the more likely I am to wonder about the value of the neg's framework interp
Theory:
- Everything except condo and maybe 2nc CPs are reasons to reject the argument
- Condo is probably good, but it becomes more questionable when the neg can kick planks or combine separate cps
If I am judging you at a tournament with preferences, then you should strike me if you do not agree with all of the following:
-I am an educator first. If anything happens in the debate that I deem would not be okay in a high school classroom, I will stop the debate and vote against the team that engaged in the inappropriate behavior.
-The affirmative should defend a topical plan and defend the implementation of the plan.
-Affirmative plans these days are too vague. You only get to fiat what your plan says, not what it could mean or what you want it to mean. If you clarify your plan in cross-x, the negative can use that clarification to setup counterplan competition.
-The negative should prove why the plan causes something bad to happen, not why it justifies something bad. In other words - most of your Kritks are probably just FYIs.
-I evaluate debate in large part based on the line-by-line. If you cannot flow, I am not a good judge for you. If you cannot specifically answer the other team's arguments and apply your arguments to them and instead just read pre-scripted blocks, I am not a good judge for you.
-Debate is a communicative activity. I don't follow a card document. I listen to what you say. I will only read evidence if I cannot resolve something in the debate based on how it was debated.
-For something to count as an argument it must be complete and explained. I also must be able to understand what you are saying.
-My lifetime speaker point average range is probably lower than what you are used to.
-If you are visibly sick during the debate, I reserve the right to forfeit you and leave.
Jonah (he/him) - you don't need to call me "judge," but you can if you can if it feels weird to call me by my first name.
Add jhalloran@cps.edu to the email chain and please send out the 1AC asap
For novices -
- Flow, be engaged, and do line by line to maximize your chances of winning. Show me your flows (on paper) immediately after the round for extra speaker points.
- Don't run troll arguments just because your varsity gave them to you and you think you can "shock and awe" your opponents or me - this includes procedurals like ASPEC and objectionable arguments like death good.
- Use your final rebuttal speech to explain why I should vote for you. Tell me which things you're winning, why winning those will win you the debate, and why you losing things you're behind on don't matter.
- Be clear when you are speaking. I need to be able to hear you to flow your speech.
- Always put your offense before your defense!
- Please please PLEASE time your own prep and speaking time.
- Please give roadmap before every speech except the 1AC, telling me which arguments you will be extending/answering, and in which order.
- There's no need to be excessively rude or "edgy." It's ok to be nervous, but you don't need to take it out by being nasty to your opponents. This is especially true if you're much more experienced than them (for example if you debated in middle school or are a sophomore).
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
General
Contact Information:
I was a 2A @ New Trier for four years (Class of 2019).
Also a Northwestern grad (go Cats!), didn't debate and studied computer science.
I don't know much about the topic -- don't assume I know the in-and-outs of some topic-specific acronym, disadvantage, etc.
If you don't read a plan (or view debate as anything other than a competitive activity where the positive/negative consequences of the affirmative are the focus of your debating) I am not the best judge.
My philosophy is probably a linear combination of: Jack Altman's and Roland Kim's.
NILES NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
!!!VERY IMPORTANT!!!
---I will NOT be called anything but "Bucko"
Will vote on literally anything
pls flow
tech>>>>>truth
defer to Raman Mazhankou's paradigm if you don't like mine ;(
T/L:
Raman Mazhankou---NNHS '25
Call me whatever---honestly I would kinda prefer it if you just stuck with judge
Put me on the chain: nilesnorthcm@gmail.com. Please title it appropriate to the round
Feel free to ask any questions, learning is what’s important
Debate however you want---my role is to fairly adjudicate the arguments in the round (unless otherwise stated) and I will try my best to do that regardless of their argumentative substance. I will decide the debate based off the flow and nothing else (see top of things not to do section for exception).
Yes tag team CX is fine, I do not care.
Things for novices to do
Flow (very important---probably one of if not the top skill for novices to learn).
Do line by line---it is hard to judge when none of your arguments are responding to the other team
Judge instruction in the 2[]R---I want to do as little intervention as possible and telling me what I should vote on will help a lot with that
Time your own speeches (it’s kinda awkward when everyone forgets and you are halfway through a 2AR…). To quote the great Will Sterbenc, "don't ask me for 63.124186 seconds of prep just say 'start prep' and then say 'stop prep' when ur done. im not that responsible dawg, i will forget and you will use 75.1928 seconds and be mad at me and no one wants that".
Put me on the email chain
Starting the round on time
Sound confident
Making a joke (only if you are funny)
Have fun
Things not to do
Being intentionally racist/sexist/etc,
Stealing prep egregiously
Reading straight down blocks you didn’t write
Being unfunny
Give up on the line by line
Not give a roadmap
I used to have more detailed thoughts, but honestly, its great for a novice to show up and debate in the first place. Good luck and have fun!
Senior at Maine East High School
4th year debating
1st time judging
Put me on the email chain: macymm07@gmail.com
-
i enjoy when speeches/blocks are like Taylor Swift songs: well thought out, complex and everything having a purpose. Don't waste time with random irrelevant details if they don't connect back to your point. Unlike when listening blondie herself, however, i will not connect the details for you. Please do your own work :)
Topicality: As a Maine East debater i vibe with T and most other theory-esc arguments as long as they have impacts. Someone not being topical is not a reason to vote against them unless you give a reason.
CPs: Counterplans are fun, i like those but explain what they do differently than the aff or else you don't have impacts :)
Ks: i've been to K camp so i have experience with Ks but i'm no expert so please explain what you're saying and what the alt does. i LOVE cap arguments and am willing to vote on pretty much anything (excluding anything bigoted) as long as it's explained well.
DAs: i think politics DAs are stupid but strategic i guess. Just have links and impacts. Case specific links are way more persuasive than "anything will trigger this".
K affs: i like them
Add some passion to your speeches, make it interesting, give it some pizazz, some flare, some sparkle.
i'm sympathetic to tech issues but if you steal prep then please know i strongly dislike your vibes.
if you say something racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, or otherwise i will call you out even if the other team doesn't. On a similar note, if you just randomly call people racist/homophobic/transphobic/sexist in round without actual reason, i'll call you out on that, too. This is real life stuff, unlike nuke war impacts, i don't take it lightly and neither should you. if human decency doesn't entice you, know that i'll take it out on your speaks.
Please put me on the email chain: eriodd@d219.org.
Experience:
I'm currently an assistant debate coach for Niles North High School. I was the Head Debate Coach at Niles West High School for twelve years and an assistant debate coach at West for one year. I also work at the University of Michigan summer debate camps. I competed in policy debate at the high school level for six years at New Trier Township High School.
Education:
Master of Education in English-Language Learning & Special Education National Louis University
Master of Arts in School Leadership Concordia University-Chicago
Master of Arts in Education Wake Forest University
Juris Doctor Illinois Institute of Technology-Chicago Kent College of Law
Bachelor of Arts University of California, Santa Barbara
Debate arguments:
I will vote on any type of debate argument so long as the team extends it throughout the entire round and explains why it is a voter. Thus, I will pull the trigger on theory, agent specification, and other arguments many judges are unwilling to vote on. Even though I am considered a “politics/counter plan” debater, I will vote on kritiks, but I am told I evaluate kritik debates in a “politics/counter plan” manner (I guess this is not exactly true anymore...and I tend to judge clash debates). I try not to intervene in rounds, and all I ask is that debaters respect each other throughout the competition.
Identity v. Identity:
I enjoy judging these debates. It is important to remember that, often times, you are asking the judge to decide on subject matter he/she/they personally have not experienced (like sexism and racism for me as a white male). A successful ballot often times represents the team who has used these identity points (whether their own or others) in relationship to the resolution and the debate space. I also think if you run an exclusion DA, then you probably should not leave the room / Zoom before the other team finishes questions / feedback has concluded as that probably undermines this DA significantly (especially if you debate that team again in the future).
FW v. Identity:
I also enjoy judging these debates. I will vote for a planless Aff as well as a properly executed FW argument. Usually, the team that accesses the internal link to the impacts (discrimination, education, fairness, ground, limits, etc.) I am told to evaluate at the end of the round through an interpretation / role of the ballot / role of the judge, wins my ballot.
FW v. High Theory:
I don't mind judging these debates. The team reading high theory should do a good job at explaining the theories / thesis behind the scholars you are utilizing and applying it to a specific stasis point / resolutional praxis. In terms of how I weigh the round, the same applies from above, internal links to the terminal impacts I'm told are important in the round.
Policy v. Policy:
I debated in the late 90s / early 2000s. I think highly technical policy v. policy debate rounds with good sign posting, discussions on CP competition (when relevant), strategic turns, etc. are great. Tech > truth for me here. I like lots of evidence but please read full tags and a decent amount of the cards. Not a big fan of "yes X" as a tag. Permutations should probably have texts besides Do Both and Do CP perms. I like theory debates but quality over quantity and please think about how all of your theory / debate as a game arguments apply across all flows. Exploit the other team's errors. "We get what we get" and "we get what we did" are two separate things on the condo debate in my opinion.
Random comments:
The tournament and those judging you are not at your leisure. Please do your best to start the round promptly at the posted time on the pairing and when I'm ready to go (sometimes I do run a few minutes late to a round, not going to lie). Please do your best to: use prep ethically, attach speech documents quickly, ask to use bathroom at appropriate times (e.g. ideally not right before your or your partner's speech), and contribute to moving the debate along and help keep time. I will give grace to younger debaters on this issue, but varsity debaters should know how to do this effectively. This is an element of how I award speaker points. I'm a huge fan of efficient policy debate rounds. Thanks!
In my opinion, you cannot waive CX and bank it for prep time. Otherwise, the whole concept of cross examination in policy debate is undermined. I will not allow this unless the tournament rules explicitly tell me to do so.
If you use a poem, song, etc. in the 1AC, you should definitely talk about it after the 1AC. Especially against framework. Otherwise, what is the point? Your performative method should make sense as a praxis throughout the debate.
Final thoughts:
Do not post round me. I will lower your speaker points if you or one of your coaches acts disrespectful towards me or the opponents after the round. I have no problem answering any questions about the debate but it will be done in a respectful manner to all stakeholders in the room. If you have any issues with this, please don't pref me. I have seen, heard and experienced way too much disrespectful behavior by a few individuals in the debate community recently where, unfortunately, I feel compelled to include this in my paradigm.
Glenbrook North- he/him
If you are visibly sick, I reserve the right to forfeit you and leave.
spipkin at glenbrook225.org. Please set up the chain at least five minutes before start time. I don't check my email very often when I'm not at tournaments.
I won't vote for death good
1. Flow and explicitly respond to what the other team says in order. I care a lot about debate being a speaking activity and I would rather not judge you if you disagree. I won't open the speech doc during the debate. I won't look at all the cards after the round, only ones that are needed to resolve something being debated out that are explicitly extended throughout the debate. If I don't have your argument written down on my flow, then you don't get credit for it. As an example, if you read a block of perms, I need to be able to distinguish between the perms in the 2AC to give you credit for them. If you are extending a perm in the 2AR I didn't have written down in the 2AC, I won't vote on it, even if the neg doesn't say this was a new argument. The burden is on you to make sure I am able to flow and understand everything you are saying throughout the debate. If you don't flow (and there are a lot of you out there) you should strike me.
2. Things you can do to improve the likelihood of me understanding you:
a. slow down
b. structure your args using numbers and subpoints
c. explicitly signpost what you are answering and extending
d. alternate analytics and cards
e. use microtags for analytics
f. give me time to flip between flows
g. use emphasis and inflection
3. I think the aff has to be topical.
4. I'm not great at judging the kritik. I'm better at judging kritiks that have links about the outcome of the plan but have an alternative that's a fiated alternative that's incompatible with the world of the plan.
5. I'm compromising on perms. You can insert one perm text into the debate. You can perm by reference. So you can say perm do the cp then the plan. Or perm do the plan and plank 9. And you can also do a functionally intrinsic perm inserted into the debate, but you need to describe what the perm is in the 2AC. So like perm over other issues, text inserted.
6. I flow cross-x but won't guarantee I'll pay attention to questions after cross-x time is up. I also don't think the other team has to indefinitely answer substantive questions once cx time is over.
7.Plans: If you say the plan fiats something in CX, you don't get to say PTIV means something else on T. So for example, if you say "remove judicial exceptions" means the courts, you don't get to say you're not the courts on T. If you say normal means is probably the courts but you're not fiating that, you get to say PTIV but you also risk the neg winning you are Congress for a DA or CP.
8. If your highlighting is incoherent, I'm not going to read unhighlighted parts of the card to figure out what it means.
haaziya saiyed
(Haa-zee-yuh)
LUC 2026
MEHS 2022
used to be 1a/2n
Email - haaziyas@gmail.com
If you have questions feel free to email or ask me after the round!
Not read up on the topic this year, so be sure to explain your arguments in depth.
Top Level:
Very policy but will do my best to adjudicate the round based on the arguments presented in the speeches.
Aff:
Not the best at evaluating critical affirmatives, but explain to me why I should vote for you.
Neg:
DA - Have a link to the aff, if generic contextualize it well enough for me to vote on it. Extend all parts of the DA, uniqueness, impact(s), internal link(s), and link(s). Tell me why it outweighs the impacts on case.
CP - Explain why the counterplan solves the affirmative. Affirmative should extend perms, and negative should answer them if dropped by either side tell me why to either reject or prefer the affirmative.
K - Not the best with these, but give me a clear coherent explanation of why it links to the affirmative, (if you go for the alternative explain why it solves the affirmative impacts), and why your impacts outweigh.
T - Topicality is a voter! Extend standards, limits, and impacts. Tell me why the affirmative is not topical and why it's worse being negative. Please don't read blocks in the 2NR and try to do some line-by-line.
General Comments:
Tech > Truth
Explain and extend your arguments, I can't do all the work for you.
Respect your partner and your opponents.
Tag team cross-ex is cool, just don't take over!
Time your speeches! I'll also time them but it's good practice for future rounds.
Clarity is really important, I'll say clear a few times and if it doesn't improve I'll have to dock speaks.
DO NOT CLIP CARDS IN FRONT OF ME. It's an autoloss and 25 speaks.
yes email chain clairedb8@gmail.com
don't call me judge, claire is fine
gbn 23, she/her, 2N/1A
--
i am an aquarius sun, leo moon, and a leo rising. please take all of the above into consideration and adapt accordingly. debate is an activity rooted in persuasion, your job is to take my personal biases into account and alter your debating to the proper extent.
--
top level
online debate: your camera should be on until the end of the 2ar. if my camera is off, i'm not at my laptop.
any k is fine but i'm slightly better for policy stuff
no death/racism/homophobia/sexism good arguments or anything of that nature -- ignorance is an auto-L and an email to your coach
debating off your flow and making the wrong arguments will get you better speaks than reading a script and making the right ones
tag team cx is fine
any predispositions/biases i might have can be mitigated through good debating :)
--
speaks
a clear roadmap and signposting is the easiest way to up your speaks, prioritize clarity over speed
be nice!! to the other team and especially to your partner
--
if you have any questions about this paradigm or really anything about debate email me before the round and i'll do my best to help out - debate is a great activity that anyone can succeed at and i hope yall have fun!
T/L:
Niles North
Dev—he/him
Add both: nilesnorthsp@gmail.com and nilesnorthdocs@gmail.com(please name the email chains and documents appropriately)
This paradigm is designed for novices so if you aren't a novice just read Ariel Gabay or Hana Bisevac’s paradigm. I agree with almost all of the things on there and I haven’t judged enough times to have concrete opinions or a good paradigm so take a look at those for a better paradigm from great debaters.
(Novices only) I will give you +.1 or +.2 speaks for making a joke about someone from NN if it’s funny
(Novices only) +.1 speaks if you show me your flows
Most important thing in novice year: Ask questions. Novice year is all about learning and having fun. Try your best to use all your speech time. I know debate can be stressful but just try your best to give a full speech instead of giving up.
Tech > Truth
Ultimately I don’t think I am a very biased judge and I will vote on literally anything if it is debated well(not as familiar with Ks so explain them a lot more. I am fine voting for them but don't understand them as well).
Open cross is fine with me but don't take over your partner's cx completely.
Do these:
Time everything(your speech, other team’s speeches, prep, cx)
Flow—it’s one of the best things you can do
Line by line. It makes flowing and following the debate a lot easier for everyone.
Signpost(tell me what argument you are responding to) and give roadmaps
Put me on email chain without me having to ask and get started on time
Try and tell me what to do(judge instruction) in the last rebuttals so I can minimize judge intervention.
Don’t be racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. Will result in L and lowest speaks possible. Debate should be a positive activity so be respectful to everyone.
Don’t steal prep—some judges freak out if you do this so don’t do it. Only prep when the timer is running.
Give an impact to your arguments in the debate round(like not extinction but more like if we win this argument, they have no solvency, no link, etc.). For example: give me an impact on a solvency deficit. Why does it matter if other countries say no or if it takes longer to do a plan)
Storytelling
Also do impact calc(probability, magnitude, timeframe)
Be clear. I don’t want to have to clear you but I will have to for your own good because I need to be able to hear the arguments.
Don't read a K aff novices.
Most theory is a reason to reject the argument(except condo) but spend 5 minutes on theory in the 2ar/2nr if you are going for it and I could be swayed.
Everything else is mostly up to you. Have fun and be confident!
she/her
northside college prep '24- 1N/2A
cmshank@cps.edu for chicago kids
Critical Debate Takes
- I like when 1NCs are off the flow- evidence is for the weak and if you read evidence in the 1NC your speaks are capped at a 27.
- 2AR lies are 2AR TRUTHS. The smartest debaters will change their aff in the 2AR. This is the only way to check back against neg terrorism.
- read warming good and you instantly win. specifically, please read the "quebec secession" scenario or "the ice age is approaching". These arguments are capital T true.
- please post round my decision. if you call me "stupid woman" i will be compelled and go to tab to change your decision.
Top line
- If you're racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, or bigoted you will be voted down and given the lowest speaks possible idc.
- tech> truth
- PLEASE DO NOT READ DEATH GOOD
- Frame the round for me in rebuttals- explain why i should vote for you and why you're winning the round
- Arguments need to be warranted out- if they drop something explain why it matters
- impact analysis impact analysis impact analysis
CPs
- A smartly crafted advantage CP is one of the best arguments in debate
- I like process CPs but they have to have some relation to the topic for me to buy that an intrinsic perm doesn't solve. If you write a creative perm i will be happy.
DAs
- DAs are awesome yay just explain the link stories and do a ton of impact calc against the case
T
- T is cool people just don't do it right- answer each other's arguments and do impact calc. I need an explanation of your interp, why they dont meet it, and the impact of their model.
Ks
- I like Ks but I'm not super well versed in high theory stuff- if you're reading baudrillard, deleuze, etc, you're going to have to be really specific. If you don't know what you're talking about, don't read the K. I love myself some fem IR, Cap , antiblackness, set col, all the basic stuff. It's super important to explain your K's story and links should be articulated and used as offense.
- I'm probably not the best k aff judge but u do u. I like FW and cap v. k aff debates a lot.
Theory
I'm good for theory debates- esp ones like condo, PICs bad, perm theory, etc. However, it's super important to explain impacts and interps. If theory is your strategy, you have to go all in on it in final rebuttals for me to vote on it. I'm also going to be hard to convince that stuff like agent CPs, multiplank CPs or utopian fiat are abusive unless they are completely dropped.
taylor swift reference i boost ur speaks
BE NICE AND HAVE FUN!!
Please add me to the email chain: hinashehzaddebate@gmail.com
Niles West '23
Michigan State '27
**TLDR**
I will try to not let my beliefs influence me, that being said I will not tolerate any offensive acts (racism, sexism, homophobia, etc). You will lose automatically, be given the lowest speak points and I will email coaches/school. Now that is out of the way, you should do what you do best. Most important things are keeping the round organized, show your knowledge about the topic not just read blocks. Arguments need warrants behind them, inserting top level claims even if its dropped is NOT a full argument. I am not as familiar with the highschool topic, so clear explanation, no weird acronyms will be appreciated. Last but not least, debate is suppose to be an activity where you have fun, yes competitive incentives exist but don't let that be the only thing you get out of debate.
**Specific Args**
Kritik:
I enjoy these debates when there is clash between arguments. I believe that framework determines whether links need to be unique. Dropping AFF impacts on case put you in a hard position if you are not winning that they shouldn't be able to weigh case. Teams should not allow the neg to act like/say they fiat 'movements' or 'mindsets' otherwise the debate becomes an uphill battle for the aff. Negative kicking the alt and going for links as DAs can be strategic but understanding uniqueness and framework in these debate is key. KvK rounds for the most goes which ever side has more perm + no link work, specific links are super important in these rounds.
Framework:
I think that I am better for framework than most people may think, but Impact articulation matters for me cause when teams blend impacts and become repetitive/generic it often will make you lose these rounds. These debates should make it clear whether its about models of debate, just fairness in this round or both etc. I believe that "debate is a game" does not = debate is a good game and participation in that "game" does not = can't say the game is bad. Competitive incentives probably overdetermine actions but like you need to win it and explain what it means to the round, inserting it 40 times isn't going to get you anything. I find TVA's to be wayyyy more persuasive than SSD but no matter what at least one of them should be extended because you definitely need to be able to access at least some of their offense. Aff you should just go ham on the impact turn, but it gets hard to evaluate debates where the 2AR is extending every DA and not unpacking/comparing impacts.
Topicality:
I am not very familiar with topicality on the highschool topic, thus things like TVA, list of good AFFs under your interpretation, list of bad AFFs under their interpretation, definition comparison, explanation of neg ground under your interpretation AND the other teams are helpful. I honestly think aff ground is probably a good impact specifically on this topic.
Disadvantage:
Yay I actually like DA and Case debates, comparison and organization is super important in these rounds. High Schoolers read literally horrible DAs that they will never go for, don't be afraid to straight turn them. Rehighlightings prob are good.
Counterplans:
I just don't think I am that good for competition debates, process counterplans confuse me. Rehighlighting 1AC evidence is a good way to show the CP overcomes solvency deficits and truly solves the affirmative. If you think the CP does not solve all of the aff, you should probably have some impact d/turns or whatever on what you don't solve.
**Miscellaneous**
I am willing to vote on theory, but I dont want to vote on aspec.
Condo is good!
I feel like clipping is a weird issue to resolve, like its weird to record someone without their permission? But if I catch you clipping I wont record but you will probably lose.
Tbh I lowkey give high speaks, getting away from blocks, your knowledge about the topic, organization are all the big things that go into how I give speaks. If you aren't clear and I miss an argument, its your fault. Teams also need to be giving more pen time between flows.
I feel like debate can change your subject formation, like you spend so much time in the activity, you make such close friends, spend hours researching and more. Like it is true debaters read things they don't agree with, but it is also true that debate is a unique place because its not like you are just out doing strategic debating and talking about things like IR with like your aunt or school friends. Also like I truly don't think you can look some of these judges who have spent their whole lives on debate and say that debate hasn't shaped them into the person they are now.
For other forms (pf, ld) I will evaluate rounds like I would a policy one. I am not familiar at all with either topic and am not great for weird theory things, trix etc.
I don't think I would be the person I was without the people around me who supported me and helped me through these years of debate. That being said it would be selfish to not want to give back. Debate is expensive, time consuming, has biases so if you ever need help, support etc. Don't hesitate to reach out.
Feel free to post round if you don't agree with my decision. I am happy to discuss it!
Jon Voss
Northside College Prep
I coached high school policy debate full-time for 12 years, National Service through Legal Immigration. I've been around debate, first as a debater and then as a coach, since 02. I sat out Legal Immigration and Arms Sales, but I judged and researched some for the Criminal Justice Reform, the Water Resources, and NATO topics. Debate is not my full-time job – I work in higher education as a program/product manager – so I don't cut a ton of cards, I'm not really up on what teams are reading, I don't know what topicality norms were established over the summer, etc. I can still flow just as well as I used to, which is to say "deficiently."
Yes email chain: jvoss1223 AT gmail DOT com. I don't read along during the debate, I just like it so that I can ensure nobody's clipping cards and also so that I can begin my decision-making process immediately after the debate ends. This is important for how you debate -- using the speech doc instead of your flow as a guide is to your detriment.
-- fiscal redistribution topic - I heard a few debates on it before the season started but (as of the early season tournaments) you should consider my topic knowledge extremely limited, especially as it relates to topicality norms and complex explanations of fringe economic theories. I do have a basic understanding of the academic concepts that undergird the topic, however, and I will be somewhat involved in argument production this year.
-- Almost every debate I've seen so far this year has collapsed into a very-hard-to-resolve "growth good"/"degrowth good" debate. These have been late-breaking and I spent the bulk of my decision time wading through ev that didn't get me any closer to an answer I found satisfactory. In each instance, I was unhappy with amount of intervention and lack of depth involved in my decision. In that regard:
*if there's a winning final rebuttal that does not require you to wade into these waters, give that speech instead. I am willing (and maybe even eager) to grab onto something external and use that as a cudgel to decide that the growth debate was difficult to resolve and vote on <other thing>. I think I would be receptive, too, to arguments about how I should react in a debate that you think might be difficult to resolve, but this is just a hunch.
*you would almost certainly be better-served debating evidence that's already been read instead of reading more cards. This is especially true if the 1ac/1nc/both included a bunch of evidence on this issue...your fourth, "yes mindset shift" card is unlikely to win you the debate (or even the specific argument in question) but debating the issue in greater detail than the other team might.
*debated equally, I'm meaningfully better for the standard defenses of growth, especially as it relates to successfully achieving the changes that would be necessary to create a sustainable model of degrowth.
-- a note on plan texts: say what you mean, mean what you say, and have an advocate that supports it. If the AFF's plan is resolutional word salad, will be unapologetically rooting for NEG exploitation in the way of cplan competition, DA links, and/or presumption-style takeouts. I guess the flip side of this is that I have never heard a persuasive explanation of a way to evaluate topicality arguments outside of the words in the plan text, so as long as the AFF goes for some sort of "we meet" argument, I'm basically unwilling to vote NEG. "The plan text says most or all of the resolution (and another word or three) but their solvency evidence describes something very different," is an extremely persuasive negative line of argument, but I think it's a solvency argument.
-- Rehighlighting - you've gotta read itand explain what you believe to be the implication of whatever portion of their evidence you read. I'm somewhat sympathetic to allowing insertion as a check against (aggressively) declining evidence quality in debate, but debate is first and foremost a communicative activity.
-- I don't need nor want a card doc at the end of the debate. I have everything in my inbox already. I know what cards you did/didn't read because I was flowing. I'm honestly a little skeptical of debaters providing judges a lens through which to evaluate different controversies after the 2AR has ended. And to be frank, most of these debates aren't so close that judgement calls on ev are necessary to determine who won.
-- In favor of fewer, better-developed 1NC arguments. I don't have a specific number that I think is best: I've seen 1NC's that include three totally unwinnable offcase arguments and 1NC's that include six or seven viable ones. But generally I think the law of diminishing marginal returns applies. Burden of proof is a precondition of the requirement that the affirmative answer the argument, and less ev/fewer highlighted words in the name of more offcase positions seems to make it less likely that the neg will fulfill the aforementioned burden of proof.
-- Highlighting, or lack thereof, has completely jumped the shark. Read more words.
-- Clarity, or lack thereof, has been bad for awhile, but online debate really exacerbates the problem. I won't use the speech doc to bail you out. Just speak more slowly. You will debate better. I will understand your argument better. Judges who understand your argument with more clarity than your opponent's argument are likely to side with you.
-- I am generally bad for broad-strokes “framing” arguments that ask the judge to presume that the risk of <> is especially low. Indicts of mini-max risk assessment make sense in the abstract, but it is the affirmative’s responsibility to apply these broad theories to whatever objections the negative has advanced. “The aff said each link exponentially reduces the probability of the DA, and the DA has links, so you lose” is a weak ballot and one that I am unexcited to write.
-- I am generally better for a narrow solution that tackles an instance of oppression than an undefined/murky solution that aims to move the needle further than the pragmatic alternative. Some of this new stuff about philosophical competition and associated negative framework arguments that block the AFF from leveraging the 1ac as offense is wild.
-- I am often way less interested in "impact defense" than "link defense." This is equally true of my thoughts toward negative disadvantages and affirmative advantages. For example, if the aff wins with certainty that they stop a US-China war, I'm highly unlikely to vote neg and place my faith in our ability to the big red telephone at the White House to dampen the conflict. Similarly, if the neg wins that your plan absolutely crashes the economy by disrupting the market or causing some agenda item to fail, I will mostly be unconcerned that there are some other historical explanations for great power wars than "resource scarcity." The higher up the link "chain" you can indict your opponent's argument, the better.
-- Sort of a related point, but I thought it might be good to separate this out. I have found myself mentally exhausted at the end of almost every Zoom debate I've judged. There is something about flicking your eyes across three screens while transcribing an entire debate that's occurring in my headphones that is so much more draining than what debate looked like back in the day. I think this impacts how I judge. I certainly don't have any inclination to spend the decision time reading a bunch of evidence if I can avoid it. I don't think that's laziness (but maybe...) -- I'm just tired of staring at a screen. Anything the 2NR / 2AR can do to help craft a simple path to victory that allows me to minimize the number of "decision tree" questions I need to resolve is highly recommended.
-- Don't clip cards. If you're accusing a team of it, you need to be able to present me with a quality recording to review. Burden of proof lies with the accusing team, "beyond a reasonable doubt" is my standard for conviction. If you advance any sort of ethics challenge, the debate ends and is decided on the grounds of that ethics challenge alone.
-- Yes judge kick unless one team explicitly makes an argument that convinces me to conceive differently of presumption. Speaking of, presumption is "least amount of change" no matter what. This could mean that presumption *still* lies with the neg even if the aff wins the status quo is no longer something the judge can endorse (but only if the CP is less change than the plan).
-- Fairly liberal with the appropriate scope of negative fiat as it relates to counterplans. Fairly aff-leaning regarding counterplan competition, at least in theory -- but evidence matters more than general pleas to protect affirmative competitive equity. I could be convinced otherwise, but my default has always been that the neg advocate must be as good as whatever the aff is working with. This could mean that an “advocate-less” counterplan that presses an internal link is fair game if the aff is unable to prove that they…uh…have an internal link.
-- T-USFG: Debate is no longer my full-time job, so I think I have a little less skin in the game on this issue. I also suspect the Trump presidency and the associated exposure of explicit racism within the United States may have made me a better judge for affirmatives that do not instrumentally defend the topic/federal government action. I'm not sure how much better, though, and I'm probably at best a risky bet for affirmatives hoping to beat a solid 2NR on T-USFG. If you do have me in this type of debate:
**Won't vote on any sort of argument that amounts to, "debate is bad, so we will concede their argument that we destroy debate/make people quit/exclude X population of student, that's good."
**Affirmatives would be well served to prioritize the link between defending a particular state action and broader observations about the flaws of the state.
**Procedural fairness is most important. The ballot can rectify fairness violations much more effectively than it can change anything else, and I am interested in endorsing a vision of debate that is procedurally fair. This is both the single strongest internal link to every other thing debate can do for a studeny and a standalone impact. I am worse for the “portable skills” impacts about information processing, decision-making, etc.
he/they
debated for glenbrook north for 4 years in high school
2a/1n
put me on the chain: paulicydeb8@gmail.com
please time yourselves and keep track of your own prep! if you don't how much prep time is allowed or what the speech times are, you can always ask me.
I haven't debated since high school, so please do not assume that I know the topic super well
don't be queerphobic, sexist, racist, ableist, etc. - i will dock speaks and vote you down
flow and do line-by-line - skill development is more important than reading perfect arguments from a script
don't call me judge, calling me by my first name is cool
prioritize clarity over speed
tech over truth
tell me the main reason why I should vote aff/neg at the top of 2ar/2nr
tag team cx is cool but only if you're not interrupting your partner
i will not count args made after the timer goes off - but cx is binding
Email Chain: benjaminye[dot]email[at]gmail[dot]com
School Affiliations: Eastlake High School ('22), Northwestern University ('26 +- 1)
Topic Knowledge: 6/10---worked with Northwestern's camp this past summer, but haven't really followed the topic since. Err towards overexplanation.
Top:
Debate how you debate best. Preferences are outweighed by clear and effective argumentation.
I'm still trying to sort out my takes on debate broadly. The rest of this paradigm is a list of my thoughts so far:
Non-negotiables:
- I will try to flow to the best of my ability. Numbering, distinct tags, and pen time are great; full speed analytics, long paragraphs, and lawn mower spreading are not
- Please don't literally break debate (speech times, double wins, etc.)
- Rehighlightings should be read for me to evaluate them
- Arguments need to pass the "I can explain it back in the RFD" test
Argument biases:
- Yes judge kick. Consider this the strongest bias on this paradigm
- Conditionality is probably good
- Probably more receptive to counterplan shenanigans than most (cardless CPs, 2NC CPs, CPing out of straight turns, etc.)
- Rejecting the argument is probably sufficient for theory (barring T and conditionality)
- Fairness is probably an impact
- Teams should probably defend some model of debate
Misc:
- I'm relatively visual with facial expressions
- I think I care more than average about clarity, especially on card text
- Will call clear twice before just not flowing, it's on you to figure that out beyond that point
- No -isms, please---I'll err on the side of playing things out but will vote you down if it threatens the safety of anyone in the round
- If you're marking a billion cards, please do so as you're reading them---doing so before cx burns an abhorrent amt of time
- I am uninterested in adjudicating arguments about things that happened outside the round
- My scale for speaks still needs calibration, will try to aim for 28.6-ish for 3-3 bracket but please don't read into them too much
- (Online) Camera off = not here and not ready