Congressional Clash May Madness
2023 — Online, NY/US
Congress Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HidePairings just came out, the round begins in 5 minutes, and you don't want to read the full paradigm version: Be nice, be engaging, be funny, have a unique persona. Warranting and weighing is VERY VERY important. Do not be rude (it really aint that deep). comparative analysis = very important.
My main areas of experience are congress, PF, parliamentary (east coast), LD, extemp, and OO.
I value strong argumentation, (respectful) clash between, and debaters who have a unique persona (especially debaters who lean into their sense of humor). From the first neg onward, clash and substantive refutation is a MUST. While I'm mainly looking at the quality of your arguments, it's also important that you speak clearly and keep everyone interested. Don't be afraid to take risks and let your personality shine through. I want to be entertained!! During cross-examination, just keep it respectful and avoid getting too loud.
Back up your speech with evidence and warrants. Don’t just vent to me about your thoughts on this bill or how you think other speeches suck. Simple arguments (especially comparative arguments) with strong warranting usually win. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be nice to eachother. I really don’t want to see a bunch of angry highschoolers yelling at eachother about sanctions on Cuba at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Be enthusiast and be entertaining.
Do not be dependent on your legal pad. While this is congressional DEBATE, public speaking and engagement is extremely important. Making good points will not be nearly as effective if you do not deliver them well. Think of it this way: never in my life have I heard someone say, “yeah, Obama really won that debate on the flow.” people determine if politicians win the debate based off of both the content they deliver and, more importantly, HOW they deliver. The heart of congress is persuading the ordinary person. So, act as if I am a first time parent judge from rural minnesota who has never even heard of congressional debate before.
Be spontaneous and engaging. Im a sucker for good ORIGINAL rhetoric…don’t just tell me that democracy dies in darkness…put time and thought into your rhetoric.
Do NOT just dump evidence without actual analysis. I'd rather see thoughtful analysis that explains your points clearly than a bunch of card dumping. In new york state finals my sophomore year, I read a speech with 17 cards and statistics in it…do NOT be that guy. Remember, warrants are key; your arguments need to make sense on their own, not just rely on evidence. Be clear and to the point in your reasoning.
Take risks. I HIGHLY (like very very highly) reward when speakers stand up for speeches when they have to (e.g. flipping on an uneven debate or prepping a sponsorship last minute).
POs: BE FUNNY AND HAVE PERSONALITY.be fast, fair, and efficient. your job is to lead the chamber, not JUST calling on people and dealing with parliamentary procedure. try to get us out of session as fast as possible. a good po will be ranked top 4.
ANY homophobia, racism, or any misogyny will get you INSTANTLY dropped. Also, do not tokenize the trauma of minorities for the sake of “pathos.” If you want to know what I mean by that, read this: tinyurl.com/tokenizationarticle
If you have any questions, feel free to email me (owcasey@packer.edu) or dm me (owencaseyy_).
Hey!
Just a few quick things:
-Be adaptable to round/clash with other people's arguments
-If you're speaking about lives, you need to show me that you actually care; don't be afraid to use emphasis
-Don't lie; this one seems obvious, but I will notice if you're making things up that have no evidence to back them up
-Be respectful in questioning
-Don't be afraid to try and be a leader in your round
Ultimately, the more sense your arguments make, and the more persuasive you are, the better you will do.
Good luck, you've got this!
Summary: be clear, respectful, and make sure your arguments make sense.
As a judge, I am looking for arguments that are well-sourced, (not from biased sources) backed by logic, and make sense. I value argumentation over delivery, fancy rhetoric comes second to solid arguments that include refutation and bring the round forward.
I do not value rehash - after the first affirmation and negation speech, every speech should include refutation and also provide new insight into the round. When refuting, make sure to be respectful and courteous while mentioning other speakers.
I value presiding officers that sacrifice their speaking time to serve the chamber - be sure to know your procedures and move the round as efficiently as possible while maintaining order and clarity.
Last but not least, have fun! I really enjoy judging Congress and look forward to judging you all.
Hey I'm Chris, I've competed in Congress on the national level for three years and am a novice director at my school for debate. I have some experience competing in parliamentary debate (albeit in middle school).
I don't have any experience judging LD, PF, or policy, so I'm looking for logical warranting and weighing, and very human impacting. I'll try to flow everything you say but I'll be completely lost if you spread or run tech/prog arguments so please don't!
Have fun and good luck
Email: procaccic@bxscience.edu
Pronouns: he/him/his
Congress: This is a speech AND debate event. I value the debate side of things a lot more than the speech side-- if you don't have ref after the sponsorship, I'm not going to rank you over someone who does, no matter what. (and if you're the sponsor, it wouldn't hurt to also put some preref in). And when you're giving a speech last cycle, I really don't want to hear a constructive point.
The speech side of things isn't crucially necessary, but having it in your speech gives you a major advantage in my rankings.
Other than that, entertain me-- I enjoy larping and humor of all kinds in speeches as long as it isn't insensitive. On that note, don't be racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or bigoted in any way. Doing so is the easiest way to get a 9 from me. As long as you don't use your political views to be discriminatory towards others, and your argument is well substantiated/from a source that isn't considered extremely unreliable, I'm willing to entertain very conservative or very liberal points. I'll try to not project my political views in any way on your ballot.
- In prelims, your speech should be 2:55-3:15. I'll rank you down a lot if its anything longer or shorter than that. I'll also rank you down for trying to break base 1/2 if your chamber is doing it. In out rounds, all of these things are a given.
- Also in prelims, I'll rank POs right after higher-level speakers, likely around 3rd to 5th. In out rounds, I'll give you the 3 or 4 if you don't make any major mistakes.
- Don't be aggressive in speeches/questioning-- I get that you're passionate about these issues, but I won't buy it if you're screaming.
Most importantly (besides not being a racist), have fun!
Content and speaking both matter to me.
-Content:
*clarity - easy to follow
*ref - no drive by refs; your refs need to hold significance and the other competitors arguments actually need to be addressed
*intros - pick a style that works for you, I am not the biggest fan of generic intros that work for any bill
*impacts - weighing is appreciated, consider other arguments when making your impacts, make sure they are meaningful in the context of the round!!
I want to see adaptation and integration to whatever is happening in the round. No rehash!!!! Your speech should work for where it is given - this is very important to me
-Speaking/round presence:
*tonal variation - not every part of your speech should sound the same
*Hand gestures - use them to your advantage
I want to hear you asking questions, making motions, and engaging with the round outside of your speeches. BE MEMORABLE.
Most importantly, don't be disrespectful, racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or anything of that sort. It goes without saying.
Congress:
I compete in congress at the national level, and am now in my fourth year of competition.
Summary (if you don't want to read the whole thing): Flow is what gets you ranked, lay is what gets you the one.
Speeches: Solid arguments and round interaction are crucial to doing well and they're the baseline for getting ranked. Your intros and impacts, no matter how well-worded or well-delivered, don't matter if you don't have strong logical links and cards to prove that your impacts will even happen in the first place. After you've established this, in rounds where there are a lot of good arguments presented, having something like a good bar or intro, and especially cohesive speaking and round presence, is what will make you memorable. Someone who delivers their speech with confidence and clarity, perhaps adding in a bit of rhetoric, and has a strong argument will set themselves apart from everyone else in my perspective.
Ref/Weighing: Round interaction is key. You should almost always be refuting or weighing other people's arguments with your own. However, keep in mind quality doesn't equal quantity and that your refutations and/or weighing should be easy to follow. Group people's arguments together and respond in depth to it as a whole.
Questioning: Questioning won't be the difference between you getting the 1 or dropping the round entirely, in my opinion. I want to see you respond with confidence to questions after your speech. I won't pay a ton of attention to what is said, but I will notice more if you lose your confidence or someone successfully dismantles your argument. Additionally, once again, round interaction is key. Ask questions of other speakers.
POs - POs start at a 3 on my ballot and go up or down based on how the round goes. Run an efficient and organized round, lead the round through conflicts (too few speakers on one side, needing to flip, etc.), don't make an obscene amount of errors, and you will easily do well in my rankings. A few little mistakes that don't impact the flow of the round are okay in my book. We are all human, just collect yourself and move on, and I will too.
Other things: Don't be disrespectful/discriminatory/anything of the sort. That will get you dropped instantaneously. Be courteous, don't cut people off in questioning. But above all, have fun. Don't be afraid to show your personality in speeches or be passionate about a topic!
Good luck!! :)
For other debate events:
I've only ever debated in Congress, and that's where the majority of my experience is. I'll (try to) flow what you say, but given that I probably don’t know much about the nuances of your event and will become completely lost if you spread or give any tech arguments, so consider me lay.
And to reiterate what I said above, don’t be disrespectful/discriminatory/anything of the sort. That will get you dropped no matter what event I’m judging.
My email is oceanazhu@gmail.com should you need to send anything or reach out.