Last changed on
Tue March 26, 2024 at 4:38 AM CDT
Plano East 24’ & UT Austin 28’
I compete primarily in Congress but I have also qualified to TFA State & NIETOC in Extemp. If you have questions about the round or how you can improve feel free to text me after the tournament. (817)-691-9094. I love teaching debate so don't be shy to reach out :)
Congress:
I am a competitor that finaled national circuit tournaments like FBK, UT, Stanford, and broke at championship tournaments like the TOC and TFA State. You will be ranked well if you:
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Make arguments that WIN the debate. Ethan Wilkes articulated this perfectly when he said, “The easiest path to my 1 is for you to stop making arguments that you think are decent or good and start making arguments that you think will WIN the debate. There is a very key difference. Answer that argument nobody else will and defend your side's winning condition if you want my 1.”
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Frame your speech within the rest of the round. Zach Wu once said, “Congress involves many different debaters spewing many different facts at the judges -- the best debater is the one who can provide the judge with a coherent and advantageous arrangement of said facts.”
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Say more with less. You have only three minutes to convince me you are the best. I don’t care how you “structure” your speech so long as it is signposted and easy to follow. Every part of your speech should be thought out and fit together. AGDs should flow throughout your speech and be tied back at the end. The “smartest best-delivering” speaker will get my 1.
Presiding Officer - If you make mistakes you will not break. If you do not make mistakes, you will break. If it is finals and you do not make mistakes expect a rank somewhere within my t6. If you are truly exceptional and/or no speakers stand out, you could get the 1.
Oral Interpretation:
When ranking an OI round, these are the things I consider (most important first):
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Real emotions
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A piece with good plot structure
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Unique and good blocking
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An intro with a universal message
Extemporaneous Speaking:
You will get my 1 if you do the following -
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Answer the question well
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Have zero fluency breaks
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Include excellent structure and analysis
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Are the “smartest best-delivering” speaker.