Marlborough Middle School and Novice Invitational
2023 — LOS ANGELES, CA/US
LD Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show Hidehi! I'm gabi (she/her). add me to the email chain: gabrielaadler25@marlborough.org
Marlborough debate - LD since 2019/20ish. Almost everything on here agrees with Adam Torson,Cameron Lange, Clare Bradley and Chris Theis.
TLDR: I evaluate off the flow. I’m good for well known Ks and all policy positions. I do NOT flow tricks and cannot say im comfortable with pomo or anything like that. I will not vote for anything morally grody, ie. sexism, homophobia, racism etc. Will vote on evidence ethics.
General Info
policy>k>phil>tricks
weigh everything. probability can outweigh magnitude if you don't put in the work and explain the scenario to me.
extend more than just your impacts, i.e. warrants, link chains, etc.
PLEASE slow down on analytics. PLEASE.
T + Theory
fairness and education are important but how will you be educated without actual clash in the debate ????
PLEASE lbl the T debate, just saying "pref our intern" is not enough -- but slow down when doing so.
disclosure is always a good thing, however disclosure interps get so out of hand
condo and pics are generally good unless you convince me otherwise
K
I can handle basic Ks (cap, fem, setcol etc). for other Ks treat me like a toddler!
I love a nice link/impact debate - impact turn 2AR <3
dropping the alt non-uqs the k and it will be hard to convince me otherwise
lots of lbl, please !!!! don't docbot. and judge explanation is important as always.
CP
YAY! depending on the CP/Number of CPs my theory threshold can increase and decrease
no stance on judge kick, however I'd prefer if you didn't make me do it.
DA
UQ controls the link
impact calc!! thank you
Phil
NOT your girl! my rfd will reflect how confused i am in round. again, act as though i am a toddler. explain your offense (why is it uq, why does it exclude impacts, why is it good)
PF
i have been judging pf a lot and just wanted to say that judge instruction is especially important in pf debates for me! i am not super familiar with pf, and i need to be told how to vote or how to weigh. please sign post, most of the generic things on here should still apply!
Other
don't disclose speaks
debate is fun and should stay that way. be kind to everyone and i will be happy
intense c/x makes me very happy, but there is a difference between confident, perceptually dominant c/x and being rude
over all, have fun and be nice!! im very reactive so you'll be able to tell how i feel about certain args and positions as you read them.
Hi! I'm Violet (she/her).
I am in my fourth year of varsity LD at Marlborough School. My preferences and perspectives probably align with those of most other Marlborough debaters and coaches.
Please disclose, & please include me in that disclosure (violetaffleck24@marlborough.org).
I care deeply about the educational mission of debate. To that end, I think your arguments should be as close to true as possible. I don't think it's impossible for any given policy to result in nuclear war, but I am an excellent judge for any weighing argument that requires a high burden of proof for intuitively improbable link chains. (A card saying "it would be bad if I spontaneously combusted" is not the same as a card saying "I am going to spontaneously combust"). Poverty/inequality, conventional conflict, and climate change are high-magnitude impacts. I am impressed by line-by-line & CX questions specific to your opponents' evidence.
I am fine with speed, but please slow down on analytics that aren't in the doc (particularly in rebuttals).
I can handle phil but prefer policy/K arguments. (However, I will actively look for reasons to vote against you if you read critical literature cynically -- this applies especially to any pessimism arguments and 10000x if you don't share the identity you're reading pess about). Don't read tricks.
I am not here to tell you what to do with your body. Feel free to sit, stand, get water, use the restroom, or debate while lying on the floor -- the world is your oyster.
*Woodward Update*
After 3 years of dedication to my KN95, I am familiar with the challenges of speaking in a mask & will not dock speaker points for any related difficulties; if you would like a mask at any point, I almost certainly have one in my backpack.
Pronouns: she/her ♀️
Email: nalan0815@gmail.com,
Please also include: damiendebate47@gmail.com
I debated policy debate for 3 years in high school 2008-2011 and have judged for 10+ years now.
I REALLY like to see impact calculus - "Even if..." statements are excellent! Remember: magitude⚠️, timeframe⏳️, probability ⚖️. I only ever give high speaker points to those that remember to do this. This should also help you remember to extend your impacts, and compare them with your opponent's as reasons for a judge to prefer your side.
- However, I don't like when both sides keep extending arguments/cards that say opposite things without also giving reasons to prefer one over the other. Tell me how the arguments interact, how they're talking about something different, etc.
- Be sure to extend arguments (especially your T voters) even if they're uncontested - because that gives me material for the reason for decision. If it's going to be in your last speech, it better be in the speech before it (tech > truth here). Otherwise, I give weight to the debater that points it out and runs theory to block it from coming up again or applying.
------------------------- Miscellaneous ----------------------------
Prep and CX: I do not count emailing /flashdriving as prep time unless it takes ~2+ minutes. Tag-team cross-ex is ok as long as both teams agree to it and you're not talking over your partner. Please keep track of your speech and prep time.
Full disclosure: Beyond the basic K's like Cap, Security, Biopow, Fem, etc., I'm not familiar with unique K's, and especially where FrameWork tends to be a mess, you might need a little more explanation on K solvency for me or I might get lost.
I often read along to the 1AC and 1NC to catch card-clipping, even checking the marked copies.
Hey, I'm Ananya (she/her/hers)! I've been doing LD for a bit under a year now and did PF for about 4 years before that. I'm currently a high school junior.
If you are sharing evidence or disclosing cases, please send it to my email as well (ananya.anand44@gmail.com).
Here are a few things (listed in no particular order):
- Don't spread
- Please be nice to your opponent (no bullying). Don't interrupt them during cross.
- Please time your own speeches and prep time. Don't exploit this as I will also be timing.
- Off-time roadmaps are greatly appreciated
- If you make any arguments that are racist, sexist, insensitive, etc, the ballot immediately goes to your opponent
- Please weigh impacts! Sooner you weigh, the better. Make sure your weighing is comparative (compare your impacts with your opponent's impacts—answer the question: why do yours outweigh/why should I prioritize your impacts?)
- Please sign post and go over the flow in order (don't jump around/go back-and-forth; if you start with AFF, go over everything before moving onto NEG and vice versa).
- If you're going to collapse, do it sooner than later.
- I'm okay with grouping arguments!
- I don't consider dropped arguments or new arguments brought up in the last speeches
- Do not extend through ink. Respond to the arguments your opponent makes (don't pretend they were never made)
- Please don't post-round. It wastes everyone's time.
Good luck and have fun! If you have questions, feel free to ask me before the round starts!
Debate is a game; play to win. I'll listen to anything, but I'm partial to humans and other animals having rights and death and suffering being bad. Y'all have to weigh your impacts and actually do the arguing, though. Clash is key. Speed is fine, slow down for your tags. If you say something egregious I'll assume Hanlon's Razor and we'll talk.
Happy to answer any questions you have before the round.
add me to the email chain: hbartels@lareina.com
hi! i'm jasmine, here are some things you should keep in mind as i'm judging you :)
- organization is really important to me. take your time to tell me what you're answering, when you're moving onto another argument, or onto your case/your opponent's case
- i won't flow debate jargon, so please don't use any debate-specific terms!
- i use paper flows, so make sure to go at conversational speed
- don't just read evidence, make sure you explain what your cards mean and how they apply
- i want you to give me an off time road map!
- i'll time you, but i would appreciate it if you also timed yourself and kept track of your own prep time if possible
Hello, my name is Lesly De Anda She/Her - Add me to the email chain: leslydeanda8@gmail.com
Some things about me: I Graduated from Steam Legacy High School class of 2019’ debated for 4 years for Los Angeles Urban Debate League (LAMDL for short) as a Policy Debater! I attended Fullerton College where I debated for 2 years in JV-Open Policy Debate transferring to UC Riverside. I no longer debate competitively, but I am active in judging and coaching if you ever need any help please go ahead and email me any questions after round I would love to help! I am a Policy Coach - @ STEAM LEGACY HS and affiliated with LAMDL. I judge Policy Debate, LD Debate, and Public Forum. So I am becoming more versatile, I am still a little new to the lingo so please be patient with me.
Receiving High Speaks: I love strong speakers and debaters who asks great CX questions, I love to feel the clash in the room. I tend not to pay attention to CX but when it leads to clash I will take it into consideration. Please address me by my name and talk to me before round, I hate going into round feeling like I don't know anyone lol. Debate is a show, do your BEST and be CHARISMATIC this is your show and we are all just watching.
Receiving Low Speaks: if u create a hostile environment for the other debaters in the room or people in the room i will end the round and vote up the other team immediately.
- If say something racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, any ism's etc. I WILL DROP YOUR SPEAKER POINTS. i get it, debate is a competitive sport that can get very heated, but to me, this is an educational space and should also make you feel safe. be a good person to the people you share this space with and contribute to the great things that this activity contributes in the best way you can do such.
- If you have spectators in your round, please be respectful I will LOWER your speaks and and VOTE YOU DOWN if you are TEXTING and even INTERACTING with them IRKS me and is super DISRESPECTFUL.
Spreading - Is okay with me as long as everyone in the room can fully understand you - remember you can read 8 off but if I didn’t understand you who does it benefit in round ? If you ask me if I can understand spreading then I will tell you no ._. Read my paradigm.
CX - I will NOT vote on anything during CX UNLESS brought up in the constructive or debater asks me too, if you are going to create a strategy ask me to flow, if not I will not pay attention to CX.
Prep - take the time you need before a round, the internet sometimes sucks and computers act up it happens, do not steal prep time while flashing or emailing files. I am very understanding so please do not take advantage or else I will be force to stop the round. If you need to cut a card while you are reading pls send a revise version before the next speech, I find it unjust and unfair.
Flowing - I do flow everything ( not CX unless stated to), but I will not flow if your spreading is illegible, if you know your spreading is not as good as it needs to be do not make me work harder to understand.
Policy/K’ Affs - I ran both myself, but have no biasness towards either both are awesome to run! Just make sure you know how to defend yourself against Topicality. Love the uniqueness of K aff's show me what you created !!!!
Topicality - T is work and you have to put in the work in order to win my vote on T, if you are going for topicality or any theory argument in the 2ar/2nr you need to extend interpretations, violations, and standards. Standards must have impacts fairness and education is not super persuasive and will probably lean to reasonability. Good interps of what a "topical" plan should be --- that being said i will default to the better interp/definition and vote accordingly.
K’s - I LOVE A GOOD K debate and usually do vote on the K if the links/impacts are made clear. Link contextualization is key no matter the kritik. Alternative contextualization is key too if at the end of the round I do not understand what your alternative then I will drop the K and vote on the AFF on this one. PLEASE do your research, and explain what the alternative does, and how the aff links into such.
(Policy debates)Tag team CX- Once you are in Varsity , I don't believe you should be tag teaming.
2017-2019 LAMDL/ Bravo
2019- Present CSU Fullerton
Please add me to the email chain, normadelgado1441@gmail.com
General thoughts
-Disclose as soon as possible :)
- Don't be rude. Don't make the round deliberately confusing or inaccessible. Take time to articulate and explain your best arguments. If I can't make sense of the debate because of messy/ incomplete arguments, that's on you.
-Speed is fine but be loud AND clear. If I can’t understand you, I won’t flow your arguments. Don’t let speed trade-off with the quality of your argumentation. Above all, be persuasive.
-Sending evidence isn't prep, but don't take too long or I’ll resume the timer. (I’ll let you know before I do so).
Things to keep in mind
-Avoid using acronyms or topic-specific terminology without elaborating first.
-The quality of your arguments is more important than quantity of arguments. If your strategy relies on shallow, dropped arguments, I’ll be mildly annoyed.
-Extend your arguments, not authors. I will flow authors sometimes, but if you are referencing a specific card by name, I probably don’t remember what they said. Unless this specific author is being referenced a lot, you’re better off briefly reminding me than relying on me to guess what card you’re talking about.
-I don’t vote for dropped arguments because they’re dropped. I vote on dropped arguments when you make the effort to explain why the concession matters.
- I don’t really care what you read as long as you have good reasoning for reading it. (ie, you’re not spewing nonsense, your logic makes sense, and you’re not crossing ethical boundaries).
Specific stuff
[AFFs] Win the likelihood of solvency + framing. You don't have to convince me you solve the entirety of your impact, but explain why the aff matters, how the aff is necessary to resolve an issue, and what impacts I should prioritize.
[Ks/K-affs] I like listening to kritiks. Not because I’ll instantly understand what you’re talking about, but I do like hearing things that are out of the box.
k on the neg: I love seeing teams go 1-off kritiks and go heavy on the substance for the link and framing arguments. I love seeing offense on case. Please impact your links and generate offense throughout the debate.
k on the aff: I like strategic k affs that make creative solvency arguments. Give me reasons to prefer your framing to evaluate your aff's impacts and solvency mechanism. The 2ar needs to be precise on why voting aff is good and overcomes any of the neg's offense.
[FW] Choose the right framework for the right aff. I am more persuaded by education & skills-based impacts. Justify the model of debate your interpretation advocates for and resolve major points of contestation. I really appreciate when teams introduce and go for the TVA. Talk about the external impacts of the model of debate you propose (impacts that happen outside of round).
[T/Theory] I have a higher threshold for voting on minor T/Theory violations when impacts are not contextualized. I could be persuaded to vote on a rebuttal FULLY committed to T/theory.
I am more persuaded by education and skills-based impacts as opposed to claims to procedural fairness. It’s not that I will never vote for procedural fairness, but I want you to contextualize what procedural fairness in debate would look like and why that’s a preferable world.
[CPs] CPs are cool as long as you have good mutual exclusivity evidence; otherwise, I am likely to be persuaded by a perm + net benefit arg. PICS are also cool if you have good answers to theory.
[DAs] I really like DAs. Opt for specific links. Do evidence comparison for me. Weigh your impacts and challenge the internal link story. Give your framing a net benefit.
I am more persuaded by impacts with good internal link evidence vs a long stretch big stick impact. Numbers are particularly persuasive here. Make me skeptical of your opponent’s impacts.
Hi, my name is Elle Dershewitz. I have been debating in LD for three years.
liladershewitz25@marlborough.org
General:
Keep the space safe. Please slow down on tags. I will time your speeches, but I expect you to keep track of your prep time.
TLDR: WEIGH. Be ready to over-explain things. Lots of judge instruction. No tricks or friv theory.
LD:
LARP/Policy:
Please do clear impact calc.
Ks:
I'm familiar with some of the more stock Ks, but please explain in your NR why I should prefer and not weigh the case, as well as what voting neg does. For K Affs, be ready to debate T.
T:
Explain what your opponent's model justifies, what your model justifies, and why I should prefer your model.
Theory:
In-round abuse is the most persuasive, though I will vote on dropped args.
Phil/FW:
Probably not great for these. Will evaluate, but probably won't know specifics of the literature.
Tricks:
Please don't read.
PF:
Not as experienced, will evaluate to the best of my ability. Weighing and judge instruction should be the bulk of your final speech.
Updated for Northwestern: It occurs to me I haven't touched this thing in awhile. They often feel quite self-aggrandizing, so I'm hoping to keep this short and informative.
For college debates, please add
For HS, please add
Ks & Framework: I like clash. I think debate is special because of the depth of debate it allows. That means if your K aff is only for you, I'm not. If your K aff defends topic DAs and has a cool spin on the topic though, I'm your guy. I don't believe that heg good isn't offense, and people should feel comfortable going for impact turns against the K in front of me, because it's cleaner than T a lot of the time. Fairness is an impact, but it's way worse than skills.
Theory: the primary concern is the predictability of the interp. In order for it to be predictable, it needs to be based in a logical interpretation of the resolution. This precludes the vast majority of theory arguments. People seem to be souring on conditionality --- I am not one of those people. I've yet to hear an objection to it not solved by writing and reading higher quality arguments.
A few closing comments: unsorted
-I'm kind of an ev hack. I try not to read cards unless instructed, but if you read great ev, you should be loud and clear about telling me to read it, and if it's as good as you say, then speaker points may be in order.
-Sometimes recutting the other team's card to answer their argument is better than reading one of your own. If you want me to read their card on your terms, include highlighting in another color so we're on the same page on what part you think goes the other way.
-Arguments I won't vote for
-X other debater is individually a bad person for something that didn't happen in the debate
-saying violence to other people in the debate is a good idea
-speech times are bad or anything that literally breaks the debate
-new affs bad
Lincoln Douglas
I judge this now, but I'm still getting used to it, so go easy on me. So far, my policy debate knowledge has carried me through most of these debates just fine, but as far as I can tell these are the things worth knowing about how I judge these debates.
-Theory doesn't become a good argument because speech times are messed up. Dispo is still a joke. Neg flex is still important. That doesn't mean counter plans automatically compete off certainty/immediacy, and it doesn't mean topicality doesn't matter. It does mean that hail-marry 2AR on 15 seconds of condo isn't gonna cut it tho.
-Judge instruction feels more important than ever for the aff in these debates because the speech times are wonky.
-I generally feel confident w/ critical literature, but not all of the stuff in Policy is in LD and visa-versa. So if you're talking about like, Kant, or some other funny LD stuff, go slow and gimme some time.
-This activity seems to have been more-or-less cannibalized by bad theory arguments and T cards written by coaches. I will be difficult to persuade on those issues.
-I don’t flow RVIs.
Public Forum
Copy-Pasting Achten's.
First, I strongly oppose the practice of paraphrasing evidence. If I am your judge I would strongly suggest reading only direct quotations in your speeches. My above stated opposition to the insertion of brackets is also relevant here. Words should never be inserted into or deleted from evidence.
Second, there is far too much untimed evidence exchange happening in debates. I will want all teams to set up an email chain to exchange cases in their entirety to forego the lost time of asking for specific pieces of evidence. You can add me to the email chain as well and that way after the debate I will not need to ask for evidence.
This is not negotiable if I'm your judge - you should not fear your opponents having your evidence. Under no circumstances will there be untimed exchange of evidence during the debate. Any exchange of evidence that is not part of the email chain will come out of the prep time of the team asking for the evidence. The only exception to this is if one team chooses not to participate in the email thread and the other team does then all time used for evidence exchanges will be taken from the prep time of the team who does NOT email their cases.
Please add me to the email chain: yukig1234@gmail.com
Peninsula '26
Tech > Truth
Clarity > Speed
Overall:
I will vote on any argument as long as it's well explain and impacted out. I will default to judgekick. I'm not too confident on Ks but will still try to evaluate them in the debate to the best of my ability. Don't let this stop you from reading them though. If I don't understand what you are saying I will say clear. After I say clear 3 times during one speech, I'll stop flowing. Don't be racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. It'll be an auto loss. Speaks start at 28 and go up or down depending on what you do in round.
Specifc arguments:
Topicality/Theory: Provide counterinterps, specific violation, etc. Fairness is probably good. I won't vote on RVIs.
Counterplan: Perms are a test of competition. I lean neg on condo but I will vote on it.
Disadvantages: Impact calc is important. Doing good work on the link debate is also important.
Kritiks: Make sure you understand the kritik and can clearly explain the story. I am familiar with basic Ks (Cap, Set Col, Imperialism, Security) and some other random ones but try to explain your K clearly anyways.
For LD and PF, I'm not familiar with the topic so please clearly explain confusing arguments.
Have fun! ☺
Heyyyyy,
I debated for 2.5 years at Cal State Long Beach. I am now a debate coach at Cal State Long Beach. I was a K Debater running arguments pertaining to Afro-Pess, Misogynoir, Reproductive Justice (& Feminism in general), sexual politics, and colonialism. During my time at Long Beach I also competed in IPDA and Parli; also having debate experience in World Schools.
Please add my email to the chain: jaysynteacher20@gmail.com
Judging style:
I understand the debate space as an academic site centered on the development and dissemination of knowledge. Primarily a discursive activity, I want to know the importance of theorizing and discussing specific ideas within the space. I am very Truth over Tech and my RFDs will center logic and reason over the technical aspects of the debate (unless the technical is very glaring within the round). I am extremely receptive to historical and sociological theory and use these things to understand arguments.
Things I find helpful within debates: what is the role of the judge? How should I evaluate arguments? What about their plan, methodology, alt, etc. is bad or harmful? how do arguments interact with each other?
K AFFs:Your theory should be the foundation and the background of ALL of your explanations within the debate. You should be using the vocabulary of your 1AC throughout every flow. Please refrain from using buzzwords with no explanation. I like High Theory but don't assume I walk into the room knowing the specifics of your arguments. I expect K Affs to be able to adequately answer generic K's and FW.
Policy AFFs: Because I am Truth over Tech I would like to see y'all interact with such truths. For instance, if your opponents read Set Col and the 2AC extends the Russia/China advantages with generic extinction impacts, this will not move me. I would be impressed to hear how the specifics of your plan affect various indigenous groups or the project of settler colonialism in general. In essence, I would like particular interaction with the details of your opponent's arguments rather than proceed forward with "everyone dies under extinction, and this overwhelms the links"
Go ahead and speak at the speed you are most comfortable.
I flow on paper and I also tend to flow CX paying attention to interesting moments or points made.
I also pay heavy attention to the way power flows through the debate space and I am critical of the space people take up within round. With that said I like it when debates get heated but just make sure to be reasonable with one another.
Tell me how to navigate the debate. Persuade me and you have my ballot.
If you have any questions feel free to ask but other than that, Happy Debating!
Jaysyn Green (she/her)
Beach Forensics
Hello, my name is Siena and I use she/her pronouns. I am a varsity LD debater at Marlborough school!
Please add me to the email chain, my email is sienagrouf25@marlborough.org
I prefer plans, counterplans, disads and T/Theory, but I am familiar with most K positions as well. If you are reading a more unconventional K or phil argument, make sure to be explanatory, because I can't vote on arguments I don't understand. Substantive debate is always better than tricks, and every argument should have a claim, warrant and impact if you want it in the RFD!
Some thoughts in no particular order:
1) I default to util, and if you run another framework, be explanatory! Make sure I know how this framework interacts with the impacts in the round.
2) Be sure to sign post and be as organized as you can
3) I am okay with speed, as long as you speak clearly
4) Any argument that relies on your opponent missing it or misunderstanding it is not a good argument
5) Make sure to weigh, and write the ballot for me
6) Don't clip cards or be unethical with evidence in any way. If there is an evidence ethics challenge, make sure you are willing to stake the round on it, because I will need a recording to prove there was clipping. With power tagging and things like that, I will treat it as an argument against the evidence, but won't end the round for it.
7) No racism, sexism, ablism or any other ism will be tolerated whatsoever. Overall, don't be offensive or unkind to your opponent. We are all responsible for making debate educational and safe for everyone involved, so justbe a decent person! (Also being mean lowers your speaks)
My judging philosophy is very similar to most other Marlborough debaters and coaches, so if you want more details, you can check their paradigms. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me before the round.
Have fun, you've got this :)
Hi, my name is Jina (she/her) and I have debated LD at Marlborough School for four years. Please add me on the email chain: jinakang23@marlborough.org
Basics
- Be nice, debate is an educational activity that should be fun. This means absolutely no racist, sexist, or homophobic comments—any of these will result in both an L and low speaks.
- Weigh, weigh, weigh. I'm good with speed but make sure to explain to me in the 2AR/NR why I should vote for you. I won't do the work for you in my flow, so make sure you are clear enough to write my ballot for me.
- Signpost throughout your speeches!!
- I won't vote on tricks.
K
- I'm familiar with most Ks (set col, cap, fem, etc) and I generally enjoy K debates, but make sure to include clear judge explanation, especially if you will read an obscure K.
CP/DA
- All good
- If you would like me to judgekick, clearly explain why.
T/framework
- Love this, had many framework debates throughout high school.
Theory
- Will vote on Condo if you are very clear about why it outweighs ts or ks.
- Slow down on analytics.
Phil
- I'm not very familiar with Phil so may not be the best to read in round. I'm definitely open to these debates, if you clearly explain it to me and refer to the flow.
The only things you really need to know:
1. If you berate, threaten, verbally or physically attack your opponents, I will end the debate and you'll receive a loss along with the lowest points Tabroom will allow me to assign.
2. Don't endorse self-harm.
3. Arguments admissible for adjudication include everything said from when the 1AC timer starts until the 2AR timer ends. Anything else is irrelevant.
4. I'm unlikely to vote for hidden dropped one line theory arguments. Hidden ASPEC, new affs bad, severance in a voting issue, X random CP type is bad etc. I accept that my commitment to the idea judges should assess debates as technically as possible and this notion might seem contradictory but big debates coming down to these types of arguments makes the activity worse and detracts from my belief that hard work is what should be rewarded.
Other than that, do what you do best. Technical debating is more likely to result in you winning than anything else.
I am a coach at The Harker School. Other conflicts: Texas, Emory, Liberal Arts and Science Academy, St Vincent de Paul, Bakersfield High School.
Email Chain: yes, cardstealing@gmail.com
You will receive a speaker point bump if you give your final rebuttal without the use of a laptop. I will give higher points to speeches with errors/pauses/inconsistencies etc. where the speaker debates off their flows than speeches that sound crystal clear and perfect but are delivered without the speaker looking up from their computer screen. If you flow off your laptop I will use my best judgement to assess the extent to which you're delivering arguments in such a way that demonstrates you have flowed the debate.
Ultimately, do what you do best. Giving speeches you're comfortable with is almost certainly a better path to victory than attempting to adapt to any of this stuff below. Debate is extremely hard and requires immense amounts of works. I will try to give you the same level of effort that I know you've put in.
Debate is an activity about persuasion and communication. If I can't understand your argument because what you are saying because you are unclear, haven't explained it, or developed it into a full argument-claim, warrant, impact, it likely won't factor in my decision.
The winner will nearly always be the team able to identify the central question of the debate first and most clearly trace how the development of their argument means they're ahead on that central question.
Virtually nothing you can possibly say or do will offend me [with the new above caveat] if you can't beat a terrible argument you probably deserve to lose.
Framework- Fairness is both an internal link and an impact. Debate is a game but its also so much more. Go for T/answer T the way that makes most sense to you, I'll do my best to evaluate the debate technically.
Counter-plans-
-spamming permutations, particular ones that are intrinsic, without a text and with no explanation isn't a complete argument. [insert perm text fine, insert counter plan text is not fine].
-pretty neg on "if it competes, its legitimate." Aff can win these debates by explaining why theory and competition should be separated and then going for just one in the 2ar. the more muddled you make this, the better it usually is for the neg.
-non-resolutional theory is rarely if ever a reason to reject the team. Generally don't think its a reason to reject the argument either.
-I'm becoming increasingly poor for conditionality bad as a reason to reject the team. This doesn't mean you shouldn't say in the 2ac why its bad but I've yet to see a speech where the 2AR convinced me the debate has been made irredeemably unfair or un-educational due to the status of counter plans. I think its possible I'd be more convinced by the argument that winning condo is bad means that the neg is stuck with all their counter plans and therefore responsible for answering any aff offense to those positions. This can be difficult to execute/annoying to do, but do with that what you will.
Kritiks
-affs usually lose these by forgetting about the case, negs usually lose these when they don't contextualize links to the 1ac. If you're reading a policy aff that clearly links, I'll be pretty confused if you don't go impact turns/case outweighs.
-link specificity is important - I don't think this is necessarily an evidence thing, but an explanation thing - lines from 1AC, examples, specific scenarios are all things that will go a long way
-these are almost always just framework debates these days but debaters often forget to explain the implications winning their interpretation has on the scope of competition. framework is an attempt to assign roles for proof/rejoinder and while many of you implicitly make arguments about this, the more clear you can be about those roles, the better.
-i'm less likely to think "extinction outweighs, 1% risk" is as good as you think it is, most of the time the team reading the K gives up on this because they for some reason think this argument is unbeatable, so it ends up mattering in more rfds than it should
LD -
I have been judging LD for a year now. The policy section all applies here.
Tech over truth but, there's a limit - likely quite bad for tricks - arguments need a claim, warrant and impact to be complete. Dropped arguments are important if you explain how they implicate my decision. Dropped arguments are much less important when you fail to explain the impact/relevance of said argument.
RVIs - no, never, literally don't. 27 ceiling. Scenario: 1ar is 4 minutes of an RVI, nr drops the rvi, I will vote negative within seconds of the timer ending.
Policy/K - both great - see above for details.
Phil - haven't judged much of this yet, this seems interesting and fine, but again, arguments need a claim, warrant and impact to be complete arguments.
Arguments communicated and understood by the judge per minute>>>>words mumbled nearly incomprehensibly per minute.
Unlikely you'll convince me the aff doesn't get to read a plan for topicality reasons. K framework is a separate from this and open to debate, see policy section for details.
PF -
If you read cards they must be sent out via email chain with me attached or through file share prior to the speech. If you reference a piece of evidence that you haven't sent out prior to your speech, fine, but I won't count it as being evidence. You should never take time outside of your prep time to exchange evidence - it should already have been done.
"Paraphrasing" as a substitute for quotation or reading evidence is a bad norm. I won't vote on it as an ethics violation, but I will cap your speaker points at a 27.5.
I realize some of you have started going fast now, if everyone is doing that, fine. However, adapting to the norms of your opponents circuit - i.e. if they're debating slowly and traditionally and you do so as well, will be rewarded with much higher points then if you spread somebody out of the room, which will be awarded with very low points even if you win.
add me to the email chain: um202151@umich.edu jeremykimdebate1@gmail.com
Peninsula '25
my paradigm reflects pretty much all other peninsula debaters (Steven Yu, Mike Li, Coralynn Yang, Mason Kim, Brandon Lin, Zhian Xu, Kris Deng, Arman Omidvar, Arthur Qin, Kevin and Devin Lai) and Scott Wheeler so you can refer to that if you want more info
send out the 1ac before the round PLEASE
tech>truth, but arguments need warrants
clarity>speed
read a plan.
please make my job easy and do impact calc. "speak in terms of internal links"- Scott Wheeler
u can choose to recommend me a song to listen to while I'm writing my rfd +0.1 speaks if i like it, -0.2 if i don't. no points if i already know the song. u get one chance. genres I'm pretty into rn: rnb, rap, jazz
don't be rude.
Email chain: joan.kim@alumni.harvard.edu
General:
-
Speed: You do you but quality over quantity with clarity
-
Voting issues are not necessary
-
Jargon or technical language should be kept to a minimum
-
I don’t count flashing as prep unless you are taking advantage
-
You don’t have to constantly remind me that your opponent dropped such and such argument(s)--don’t rely on a win because they dropped x amount of arguments
Love:
-
Framework
-
Fantastic CX
-
Clash
-
Impact!!!
-
Creativity
Yes:
-
Evidence, analytical and empirical--state your source
-
Logical Analysis
-
Roadmaps and overviews
-
Weigh your arguments
No:
-
Card cutting- you will lose the round
-
Rudeness
Debated for Fullerton Union High School - policy for 4 years
- 2a for my entire career only ran affs with plans. 2a's be creative. I want to give you credit, but you have to justify it. 2ns flag stuff and close doors.
- 2n senior year, only went for politics, process CPs, and T. Not too much T as a 2n tho, but I love it. Ev matters. Predictable Limits >
- cheating CPs are fun, but have a good theory block. If I don't catch your args and the 2a goes for theory, I will assume it wasn't said. I won't fill in gaps.
- not a fast flow. Explanation and clarity plz.
- I'm probably not the best for K affs. I didn't understand them when I debated at a high level, so the threshold of need for explanation in debates is probably much higher, but I will vote for them.
- I went for FW against K affs. Fairness impacts need to pair with an arg about why fw is good for skills or something.. try to solve their offense plz and not just complain.
- take advantage of drops
peninsulalailai@gmail.com
Peninsula '24
Stanford '28
Novices, remember these things:
Do line by line. Try to answer your opponents' arguments in the order they made them.
Extend your offense first. This means if you're aff, extend your advantages first. If you're neg, extend your disadvantages first. Defense (responding to your opponents' offense) comes later.
I have found two extremes with evidence. In half of the debates I judge, cards get forgotten. In the other half, cards are overemphasized and rebuttals are referring to cites instead of making the actual argument. Remember to find a balance where you explain your arguments, but refer to authors to support your arguments.
Understand the arguments you are making. I understand it's easy to read the files your varsity teammates gave you, but really try to understand, please.
Ask questions!
Little Rock Central '20
Please add me to the email chain: valorielam@gmail.com
TLDR: I am fine with anything! I went for kritikal args most of high school but I have a general understanding of policy args and am a very tech-oriented judge. If you do impact calc, explain your args, contextualize, and answer arguments then you will be okay.
Hi, my name's Nicole (she/her), and I am soo excited to be judging your rounds :)
As a current sophomore, I've been in the PF division for around 3 years, and I've competed a fair amount of times (if I'm your judge for any other event, just treat me as an "experienced lay judge"). As someone who is still learning, I will be trying my best to vote fairly, but here are just a few things I hope you can all keep in mind:
- If you're are going to be sharing evidence, start an email chain before the debate. Here's my email to include: nickelnicole2008@gmail.com
- I hope you all extend your weighing. I find impacts to be very important, so if that is emphasized, that's more convincing.
- Be organized, and signpost. I want to be able to write on my flow top down without struggling on finding what responds to what.
- There should be no new evidence or arguments being brought up in the summary or final focus. That should all fit into the rebuttals! What I am looking forward to for these speeches are just extensions.
- Speedwise, I don't mind you going too fast, just not to the point where you're spreading.
- Please keep track of your own time, but keep in mind I will be as well.
- I want to see polite clash in crossfire :)
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you debate! Don't stress, just have fun!
Peninsula 2025.
Truer arguments require less tech to win.
The affirmative should prove the desirability of the resolution.
The negative should disprove the desirability of the affirmative.
Case specific strategies will result in higher speaker points and a greater chance at victory. Process counterplans and generic framework critiques are not ideal and will be an uphill battle.
In particular, critiques should make sense in a world where the plan happens. Framework should not be deployed as a procedural violation to invalidate the entirety of the 1AC.
Conditionality is good.
Above all, keep things civil.
Extensive evidence is no use if not analyzed.
Your arguments ought to be able to convince both myself and my 7-year-old cousin.
For email chain: yilin@modernbrain.com
- I did not compete in speech and debate but have been involved in speech and debate since 2016. I’ve Judged and watched a fair amount of rounds, mostly in speech, with some in Congress and PF. Also judged a few rounds in LD and other form of debates.
- Speech and debate are such amazing activities, enjoy yourself and do your best!
- Please be respectful and kind.
- If you see me in a speech round, know that I care about authenticity, evidence, creativity, and presentation.
- If you see me in a debate round, please don’t spread, and be clear so I can understand you. Tell me where I should be flowing. Tell me why you are winning. Tell me why should I vote for you.
- Have fun, be nice, make some friends!
Don't Be a bully or overly aggressive. Being passionate is okay, but do not disrespect your opponent.
Rebuttals: Create logical and/ or emotionally persuasive arguments
Off-Time Road Maps: I encourage off-time roadmaps so that I can flow easier.
Spreading: I can not keep up with spreading and ask that you avoid using it with me. If I cannot understand your speech due to spreading, I will be swayed to vote against you.
K's and Theories: I am open to K's and theory arguments. However, I will not vote for them if they do not make sense and have no link.
CX: I will not flow during your CX and any new information made during it, must be said during the debate for me to add it to my flow. I will only intervene if necessary.
Timing: I expect you to time yourselves (If you need me to time you and do any time signals please talk to me directly)
Overall I want a straightforward, easy-to-follow debate. I am open to unique plans and encourage you to think outside the box. I view debate as a game, so have fun.
Email: stephaniejomarquezz00@gmail.com - Add me to the email chain.
peninsula '26
add me to the chain: planfocusistrue@gmail.com
answer arguments line by line and do impact comparison. put the reasons why you win first.
I will try my hardest to fairly evaluate debates since everyone spends their time to be here and win.
Ask questions. I will answer (to the best of my ability, which is not the best if I'm being honest).
Hi!
Lamdl alumni,
Debated for bravo medical magnet high school.
The first few years I ran mainly policy affs and negs, then my last year I ran a k aff on chicana feminism, and set col/cap ks on the neg.
Disclose as soon as possible pls.
Debate should be fun so run what you like (however any hurtful arguments will not be tolerated).
i think i hate spreading now?
recently debaters have been unflowable through the analytics/blocks/standards, make sure youre very clear because if I dont hear it I cant flow it
Be respectful, nice and have fun!
add me to the email chain please: pantojaasenat@gmail.com.
Policy affs
I ran policy affs my first few years of debate. Make sure you’re winning your solvency and preferably a framing argument as to why the aff is important within this space.
For the neg, case turns ! also solvency deficits.
Ks & k affs
I like them. This however doesn’t mean I know all about them so make sure you really explain your theory of power and really flesh out your links. If you want to win the alt, make sure everyone knows what your alt actually does. Specific aff links> generic links, 1 off K with a lot of substance are probably some of the best debates. In terms of framework make sure its clear why your interp should be preferred,
CP/DA
Make sure your CP is competitive with the aff and you have a good net benefit.
I get easily persuaded by good permutations, so make them and also don't drop them (both sides).
Make sure to explain that your disads ow the aff. impact calc! On the aff, link turns!
T/Theory
education>fairness. Make sure you’re contextualizing your impacts to the round and the space.
*Varsity Speaks: Boost in speaker points when you compliment your partner in-speech - the more fun or earnest, the higher the speaks boost :) I've found this gives some much needed levity in tense rounds.
*Online: Please go slower online. I'll let you know if you cut out. I'll try on my end to be as fair as possible within the limits of keeping the round reasonably on time. If the tournament has a forfeit policy, I'll go by those.
Background: 3 years of college super trad policy (stock issues/T & CPs) & some parli. I coach PF, primarily middle school/novice and a few open. She/her. Docshare >
PF:
Firm on paraphrasing bad. I used to reward teams for the bare minimum of reading cut cards but then debaters would bold-faced lie and I would become the clown emoji in real time. I'm open to hearing arguments that penalize paraphrasing, whether it's treating them as analytics that I shouldn't prefer over your read cards or I should drop the team that paraphrases entirely.
Disclosure is good because evidence ethics in PF are bad, but I probably won't vote for disclosure theory. I'm more likely to reward you in speaks for doing it (ex. sharing speech docs) than punish a team for not.
“Defense is sticky.” No it isn’t.
Ex. Fully frontline whatever you want to go for in second summary in second rebuttal. Same logic as if it's in your final focus, it better be in your partner's summary. I like consistency.
If you take longer than a minute to exchange a card you just read, it starts coming out of your prep. Speech docs make sure this is never an issue, so that's another plug.
Collapsing, grouping, and implicating = good, underrated, easy path to my ballot! Doc botting, blippy responses, no warrants or ev comparison = I'm sad, and you'll be sad at your speaks.
Cleaner debates collapse earlier rather than later.
I'm super into strategic concessions. "It's okay that they win this, because we win here instead and that matters more bc..."
I have a soft spot for framing. I'm most interested when the opposing team links in (ex. team A runs "prioritize extinction," team B replies, "yes, and that's us,"), but I'll definitely listen to "prioritize x instead" args, too. Just warrant, compare, etc.
Other "progressive pf" - I have minimal experience judging it. I'm not saying you can't run these debates or I'm unwilling to listen to them, but I'm saying be aware and slow down if I'm the one evaluating. Update: So far this season, I've voted down trigger warning theory and voted for paraphrasing theory.
I'll accept new weighing in final focus but I don't think it's strategic - you should probably start in summary to increase my chances of voting off of it.
All else fails, I will 1) look at the weighing, then 2), evaluate the line-by-line to see if I give you reasonable access to those impacts to begin with. Your opponents would have to really slip up somewhere to win the weighing but lose the round, but it's not impossible. I get really sad if the line-by-line is so convoluted that I only vote on the weighing - give me a clean place to vote. I'll be happy if you do the extra work to tell me why your weighing mechanism is better than theirs (I should prefer scope over mag because x, etc).
LD:
I’m a better judge for you if you're more trad/LARP. The more "progressive," the more you should either A) strike me if possible, or B) explain it to me slowly and simply - I’m open to hearing it if you’re willing to adjust how you argue it. Send a speech doc and assume I'm not as well-read as you on the topic literature.
All:
If it's before 9am, assume I learned what debate was 10 minutes ago. If it's the last round of the night, assume the same.
Open/varsity - time yourselves. Keep each other honest, but don't be the prep police.
On speed generally - I can do "fast" PF mostly fine, but I prefer slower debates and no spreading.
Content warnings should be read for graphic content. Have an anonymous opt-out.
Have warrants. Compare warrants. Tell me why your args matter/what to do with them.
Don't post-round. Debaters should especially think about who you choose to post-round on a panel when decisions echo one another.
Having a sense of humor and being friendly/accommodating toward your opponents is the easiest way to get good speaks from me. Be kind, have fun, laugh a little (but not at anyone's expense!!), and I'll have no problem giving you top speaks.
If I smile, you did something right. If I nod, I'm following what you say. I will absolutely tilt my head and make a face if you lost me or you're treading on thin ice on believability of whatever you're saying. If I just look generally unhappy - that's just my default face. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hi I'm Penelope! add me to the email chain or just use speechdrop: penelope.pressman@gmail.com
current LD at Marlborough (policy camp though)
Basics:
policy>k>phil>tricks
args that are offensive (racist, sexist homophobic etc) will get you an L + lowest possible speaks, same for clipping/ev ethics if your opp stakes the round on it
nope not voting on tricks.
I probs won't vote on things I can't explain back to you
debate should be fun and educational -- don't be mean
"if torson or theis would be disappointed in me for voting on it, i will not be voting for it." - Wyeth
K:
-I'm okay for most generics, (cap, setcol, fem etc) but explain your links pls and make them contextual to the aff
-it would be really really great if you can explain why your alt actually solves
-I mostly went for t-fw against k affs, so
CP/DA:
-yay!
-competition debates :) but good luck going for "but their cp isn't functionally and textually competetive!" as dtd
-tell me if you want me to judgekick
-solves better is probs not a nb
other theory:
-slow down on analytics - just because you think you said it does not magically make it appear on my flow
-I'm not going to promise to vote on a random dtd arg just because it's dropped, but it'll certainly give you a low bar to win
-the cheatier the consult cp the more likely I'll be to vote on theory against it, lean neg on condo but very much depends on the round
-sure, read disclosure if there was an actual substantive violation of norms, not if there was a typo in their round report from last topic
T:
-I love good T debates, lots of lbl pls and yes fairness is important
-RVIs mostly do not exist
Phil:
EPISTEMIC MODESTY.
My debate background is in Parli but I am familiar with all formats of debate. I am okay with all forms of arguments you want to run (T's/K's/whatever) as long as it serves a purpose in the round I dislike when debaters run a shell just for the sake of running an argument. I am okay with speed in round spreading is also fine (as long as your opponents are okay with it too) however I may not get everything you say on my flow and if I don't hear it I won't evaluate the debate with it so if something is important make sure to slow down. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.
Hi! I'm Vihan (he/him) and I'm a sophomore in high school at Oxford Academy. I have around three years of debate experience in Public Forum, and I'm currently a varsity debater for Honor Academy.
General Comments:
-try keeping track of your own time, but I'll also be timing as well. that being said, don't be the prep police but if your opponents are taking hidden prep or are way overtime do call them out for it.
-set up an email chain before the round and add me, vihanrevagadgd@gmail.com. i won't look at the evidence or cases unless it's indicted or called out by either side as being incorrect, but still include me in evidence sharing.
-if it takes over a minute to exchange evidence, it starts coming out of prep time.
-speed is fine, but absolutely do NOT spread. if i can't understand what's being said there's no way to flow it, and thus i can't evaluate it when i make my final decision. if you're going too fast while speaking, i will let you know.
-absolutely NO racism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. will be tolerated. if i hear any hateful comments, I will end the round early and cast my ballot for the other side by default.
-be nice to each other, more than just the debate itself i appreciate it when debaters are kind to each other. the nicer you are, the higher chance there is of getting higher speaks from me.
Public Forum:
-PLEASE EXTEND. if it's not brought up in rebuttal, you can't talk about it in summary. if it's not extended in summary, don't extend in final focus. if i hear you talking about a brand new response past second rebuttal, i'm not going to flow it.
-you CANNOT bring up a brand new contention/subpoint after constructive speeches, it's unfair to the opposing team.
-before making a response, signpost; tell me where i should put your arguments on my flow. if i'm confused or i don't know where you're responding, i'm not going to be able to flow your arguments and they wont be evaluated in my final decision.
-empirics are important, just remember to tell me WHY i should buy them.
-don't just rely on evidence/cards, give me your own analysis and tell me WHY that matters and how that means either i vote for you/don't vote for them. if there's no analysis i don't know how to flow it bc i don't know how to evaluate it.
-make sure to weigh; i prefer that you weigh as early as summary, but if you run out of time i expect to hear it in FF. remember, weighing is the idea of COMPARING impacts, don't just give me your impacts and tell me they're important, give me YOUR impacts, THEIR impacts, and then tell me why yours are better/more impactful.
-i love collapsing, i think the idea of picking one of your contentions and telling me why that's the most important place to vote in the round is great, but don't do it just to do it.
-i don't really like theory or the idea of it, but I'm willing to listen as long as you explain slowly/clearly. that being said, don't use it unless you absolutely NEED to or if there's something unfair in the round that you need to talk about.
-i enjoy a fun crossfire with lots of clash, but remember to keep boundaries
-HOW I EVALUATE A ROUND. 1) weighing, 2) offense/arguments left standing, 3) the line-by-line.
PS: if you compliment your partner in your speech (ex. "extend the response my amazing/wonderful/fantastic partner ____ said where they tell you that ____"), i'll give higher speaks.
Lincoln-Douglas
-have around no experience regarding LD, although i'm fine with a trad round. treat me as a "lay experienced" judge.
-i'm fine with debate lingo, but anything LD specific please explain to me. if you're more of a "progressive debater", i'm fine with hearing those args as long as you slow down/ explain everything clearly.
-i would appreciate disclosure from both sides in the case of LD as it makes it easier for me to understand as a judge.
Other:
-treat me as a lay judge with absolutely no experience. don't spread, slow down and explain your arguments clearly.
If you have any other questions feel free to email me or talk to me before the round :)
Don't stress out, just try your best and make sure to have fun!
Please add me to the chain, my email is rosasyardley.a@gmail.com
Policy from 2014-2021 for Downtown Magnets High School/LAMDL and Cal State Fullerton.
thoughts
general: I will listen to anything you have to say. I need you to control how I think about what is going on in the round. Framing weighing and comparing impacts is important. Extending and debating warrants as thoroughly as the debate allows is so important to me especially in the rebuttals . Also because I feel like tech and truth determine each other. You should be able to do a lot more with less. I flow on paper so I will miss quick, short, and intricate arguments. Tell me what it is I need to be voting on and why I should vote on that thing. I am very receptive to an rfd that is straight up given to me. My rfds are broad and I don't ever really get into specifics unless asked and rarely vote on a single argument.
specifics: I like k v k and k v policy debates the most. I have the most experience with arguments about the state, racial capitalism, and the intersection of race/gender/queerness/class. I need to feel like you are politically and/or socially motivated by the world to run the k you are running for me to really be persuaded by it. I need Ks to have a strong explanation of either the world or debate. Ks on the aff need a clear method and solvency. I don't mind if this isn't as strong on the neg unless the aff makes it a thing. In k v fw rounds I need both sides to have models of debate and comparison work being done on the offense. I lean towards skills, clash, tva for the neg. Generally I need links to be as specific as possible for any kind of offense or argument. I will consider any theory argument. But if you are going for them, be as contextual to the round as possible. Frankly, 4+ off is irritating to me no shade but I live for drama so go ahead but that raises the bar for you and lowers it for the aff.
other: sorry if I get sleepy, it's probably not because of the round
Hello,
my email is liamcryals@gmail.com
policy debater for 7 years so im fine with anything. I like Ks, antiblackness, and Orientalism. probably wont vote on fw or t
email:
About Me: I am a former Open Debater at Cal State Fullerton. I had 3 years ~ debating in college and experience as a coach at CSUF. I have vast judging and coaching experience at the High School level. I spent a lot of my Career running mostly critiques including Settler Colonial K's, Afropessimism K's, Baudrillard K's, performance K's, as well as experience running Framework.
Aside from that my cases usually involved futurisms and storytelling.
Coaches: Toya Green, Romin Rajan, Lee Thach.
Me as a judge real talk: I can understand spreading, and I'm as good as anyone at getting this down. But Imma be honest, it is hard for me to stay organized. I joined debate in college, no high school experience.
In other words, framing is super important for me. Clarity is important to me, because I want to understand how you think we/you/ I should think, view and participate in the community, in this round, at this tournament, etc. Is debate a game? is the game good? why or why not? I'd like these question answered either implicitly or explicitly. I don't inherently work with the perception that debate is (just) a "game", but if given a good argument as to why I should take on that perspective (in this round, all the time, etc) I'll take on that perspective. I prefer not to feel like a worker in the debate factory who needs to take notes and produce a ballot, but idk maybe I should function in that way-just tell me why that's true.
Evidence Reading: I will read your cards if you urge me to look at them, or if they are contested during the round. Otherwise, I am assuming they say what you tell me they say. IF you don't mention the evidence outside of the 1ac/1nc, they most likely wont stay in the forefront of my mind during the debate. This means reading the evidence will a clear voice will give you an advantage with me, because I will most likely understand the evidence better.
Impact: Proximity and likelihood> magnitude and time frame
MISC:
Clipping Cards is an auto DQ.
I really don't care what you do as far as tag teaming, changing format, playing music, using stands, seating placement, etc. Do you, just don't make the debate go longer than it needs to. Also feel free to talk to me before, after and during prep in rounds. I generally enjoy talking about debate and like helping young peeps. Just chit chat and such.
Policy- I think that a straight up policy plan is dope. MY biggest concern is the debaters ability to explain numbers to me. ITs hard for me to do the calculations and understand why specific stats are important and win you the debate. I am pretty line by line when it comes to a policy debate. Id say with me, focus on some impact calc because thats usually where my attention is mostly at. Liklihood and proximity are more important than severity, magnitude. Time-Frame is iffy but doable.
FW- Honestly, framework is pretty cool. I think its become kind of a meme at this point about my annoyance with whiney FW debaters, so make sure you are being real with your critique. Framework says that there is a structure which needs to be followed for this activity to run efficiently. This assumes that the game of debate is good, so explain why the game is good, or why your specific version of the game is good. When you run framework you are saying that the other team is debating in a way that lessens/nullifies the benefits of debate. That is a big claim, so treat it as such. If you are just using it strategically- more power to you buuuuuuut, it makes you hella less persuasive if thats how you are coming off. Also, Fairness is not inherently a terminal impact, lol. At least mention debate is a game and tell me why the games good.
K- I love k's, but they get hella sloppy. With k's, i need to know that you are solving your impacts. seems basic but im shocked at how often debaters dont explain how their "self abolishment" solves antiblackness. Acknowledging that there is a problem isn't a solution, or plan or anything. It's just a diagnosis. I need a prescription. HAving said that, Im pretty open minded when it comes to different strats. The more weird the more fun for me.
I'm way more truth than tech.
Hi I'm Sam (she/her) and I’m a junior in college. I have 3 years of experience in PF, 1 in Parli, and now I coach PF.
Add me to the email chain: samsemcheshen@gmail.com
------------------------------------------
All:
Read content warnings for anything that might need it and have an extra case if someone opts out.
Be respectful, I'm fine with rounds being casual but everyone in the round should be respected. Be nice, be polite. If I look annoyed, that's probably just because I'm tired, but if I make it very obvious that I have stopped flowing and I am just staring at you, you're probably doing something wrong. Bad behavior will reflect in your speaks and in some cases possibly my decision.
Speed is fine (not spreading though lol) but I prefer slower debates, especially if we are online.
Time yourselves please I'm lazy. If it's novice I'll time, but you should still try and time yourselves in case I forget and so you don't have to rely on me solely.
Keep each other accountable but don't be the prep police or speech sheriff. For speeches, I'd say give each other like a 10 second grace period.
HOWEVER, I don't know why I keep seeing this but a lot of online people just start taking prep without saying anything. Please don't do this or else I am going to have to nag to make sure you're not stealing prep. If you're gonna take prep please just say so before you start.
SIGNPOST!!!! or I will have no clue what is going on.
Terminalized impacts please, I don't care that the GDP was raised by 1% what does that even mean. I should also not be hearing your impact once in constructive then never again or you just referring to it as "our impact" without restating what it is. EXTEND IMPACTS.
I'm cool with a rowdy cross those are fun just don't get too carried away and make sure everyone is able to speak.
Also, reading whole cards in cross is my pet peeve. Try not to do that.
Some evidence things!!!!:
- To save time, set up ev exchange before the round starts. (I think email chains are best but its your call)
- On that note, I don't have a set time limit for how long pulling up evidence should take, but it shouldn't take long. I've seen teams struggle to find a "card" they just read in their speech and like ???? You either got the card or you don't.
- If you just send a link and tell someone to "control f" I am gonna cry. Send cards, its not hard.
- To help enforce better norms, if I see that when your team's evidence is called for, it is properly cut and shared in an appropriate way (AKA not pasted into zoom/NSDA campus chat or handing each other your laptops), I will give your team a speaks boost. All evidence shared must abide in order to get the boost.
PF:
PF has the worst evidence ethics so go ahead and reread the evidence points I put earlier just in case.
I'm cool with paraphrasing cards but you better have a cut card version if someone calls for it.
I hate when people wait until 2nd summary to frontline. I am more comfortable evaluating frontlines done in 2nd rebuttal than if you skip that and only frontline in 2nd summary. Frankly, if the other team comes up in ff and says that frontlining only in summary is unfair, I'll probably agree with them and you'll be out of luck.
Is defense sticky? NOPE!
If it is not extended into summary, I'm not evaluating it in ff. Don't just spam your impact numbers, remind me how you get there. If you don't think you have time for that, then maybe you should have been collapsing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Basically, if you end up not extending your case properly, oh well your loss. Literally your loss.
Other:
For LD, Policy, Parli, etc. just treat me more trad.
I can evaluate theory but I am not super experienced with it. If you want to do it anyway, make sure you slow down and REALLY explain it well to me.
If I'm allowed to, I typically disclose and give feedback. If you have questions about my decision or want specific feedback, I'm happy to explain as long as you are going about it in a respectful way.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask me before the round :)
Max Wiessner (they/them/elle)
Put me on the email chain! imaxx.jc@gmail.com
email chain > speech drop/file share
*****
0 tolerance policy for in-round antiblackness, queerphobia, racism, misogyny, etc.
I have and will continue to intervene here when I feel it is necessary.
*****
about me:
4th-year policy debater at CSUF (I also do IEs: poi, poetry, ads, ca, and extemp). I've coached BP, PF, LD, and policy. Currently coaching LD and policy, so my topic knowledge is usually better in these debates. I would consider myself a K debater, but I’ve run all types of arguments and have voted for all kinds of arguments too
- Debate is about competing theorizations of the world, which means all debates are performances, and you are responsible for what you do/create in this round/space.
- More than 5 off creates shallow debates. Don't feel disincentivized to add more pages, just know better speaker points lie where the most knowledge is produced. clash/vertical spread >>>>>>
coaches and friends who influence how I view debate: DSRB, Toya, Travis Cochran, Beau Larsen, JBurke, Tay Brough, Vontrez White, Brayan Loayza, JMeza, Bryan Perez, Diego Flores, Cmeow
"Education is elevation" -George Lee
DA/CP combo:
CPs are fun. Impact calc is key, how does the impact of the DA supersede AFF solvency claims?
K’s:
I usually run/most familiar with arguments relating to set col, antiblackness, racial cap, bio/necropolitics, and/or queer/trans theory, so those are the lit bases I know best. Just EXPLAIN your theory as if I know nothing bc I might not (pls don't just namedrop a philosopher and expect me to know them)
- Are we having a debate about debate? survival methods? education models? life? make that clear
- K on the NEG: don't fall behind on the perm debate. Contextualized/specific links good. Severance is definitely bad, both on a theory level and an ethics level, but you have to prove that it happened.
- Policy v K: I love judging clash debates. I think these are maybe the best for topic education (unpopular opinion). FW should be a big thing in these debates. What's my role? What's urs?
- KvK: I love a method v method debate, but they can get messy and unclear, especially in LD so please focus on creating an organized story. I will never undermine your ability to articulate theory to me, so I expect a clear explanation of what's going on to avoid the messiness/unclearness
FW v K’s:
I’m pretty split on these debates. I think in-round impacts matter just as much as the ones that come from a plan text bc debate is ultimately a performance.
Education is probably the only material thing that spills out of debate. That means (procedural) fairness isn’t an auto-voter for me. Clash and education are more persuasive.
- Counter-interps are key for the AFF to win the education debate. So is some sort of "debate key" or "ballot key" argument
I have a pretty low bar for what I consider "topical", and I looove creative counter-interps of the res, but I think the AFF still has to win why their approach to the topic is good on a solvency AND educational level
if I’m judging PF:
I think the best way to adapt to me in the back as a LD/Policy guy is clear signposting and emphasizing your citations bc the evidence standards are so different between these events
- also… final focus is so short, it should focus on judge instruction, world-to-world comparison, and impact calc
Misc:
- DO NOT steal prep. The timer goes off, stop typing/writing, and (depending on the format) send the doc or get ready to start speaking/flowing.
- I will not connect things that are NOT on the flow, I'm gonna quote Cmeow's paradigm here bc they got a point "I read evidence when I'm confused about something, and I usually will do it to break the tie against arguments, or I will read ev if it's specifically judge instruction and something I should frame my ballot on. But, I will never ever make decisions for debates on arguments that have not been made."
- yellow is the worst highlight color. Don't feel like you need to re-highlight everything before the round, you won't be marked down. Just know if I make a weird face, it's the yellow...
and most importantly, slay
Peninsula '23 | Emory '27 | Peninsula & OCSA
Tech over truth. To minimize intervention, I will accept what you say at face value and strictly evaluate technical concessions.
That being said, I think debates are best when clash and research are maximal. Thus, affs should be topical and negs should say that the plan is bad.
Similarly, tech over truth should incentivize engagement, not be taken to the extreme of shallow argumentation & cheapshots. I won't artificially enforce an argumentative threshold to exclude an uncontested premise, BUT if litigated, I am easily persuaded that embedded theory, floating piks, laundry list impact evidence & cardless counterplans are clash-avoidance devices, not arguments.
Hello!
My name is Daria. I've participated in Speech at Cal State Long Beach for two years. I've been most active in ADS and Impromptu, and I have given speeches pertaining to political legitimacy and social issues.
I am new to the debate side of things but I am a quick learner :-)
Please speak at the rate most comfortable for you. I'd prefer if you do not spread but I will clear if necessary.
I am inclined towards arguments related to identity (gender, sexuality, race, class, ability), politics (legislation, international relations), colonialism, and the environment.
I appreciate debates that are impact-driven and I highly consider the way participants weigh impacts when it comes to my RFD. I am a big-picture judge, and I consider context more than structure.
During Cross-X I look for competitors who explain their arguments thoroughly and ask questions that expose the underlying assumptions of their opponent's arguments. I'm alright with a spicy cross-x as long as you're being respectful toward your opponent.
I believe debate provides the opportunity for people to expand their minds to other ideas and explore effective methods of communication.