Plano West Wolf Classic
2023 — Plano, TX/US
CX Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HidePut me on the email chain: dustyn.beutelspacher@gmail.com
Affiliations: Debated at Niles West in high school, UTD in college. Now coach for UTD and Greenhill school
LD exception - If an argument can be described as a 'trick', please dont read it in front of me. Likewise, if your theory argument is based on something you opponent didn't do, it is probably unpersuasive to me.
TL;DR:
Go for what you want to go for, if you got a K aff, make sure you can beat framework, if you go for a process cp, make sure you can beat theory, etc, etc, I will try my hardest to adapt and judge the round as objectively as possible.
I love line-by-line. The more you engage with your opponent's arguments, the more likely you are to win and the higher your speaks will be.
I won't vote on things that happened out of round or in other debates.
You can insert rehighlightings of the other team's evidence, text of a card only needs to be read once for it to be evaluated.
No racism/sexism/etc, be nice. Don't do that thing where you delete tags or read new affs on paper or stuff like that to make your speech harder to read.
Longer:
I've become more willing to comb through evidence over the years, but it's mostly out of curiosity since debaters seem to be getting better at spinning ev, obviously I have my limits, but the debate includes the debate over the evidence.
I think conditionality is good, it seems to be necessary in this day and age when topics are very broad. I've become more neg biased recently but maybe it's just my disillusion with one unwarranted sentence of condo bad somehow becoming an entire 2ar. Condo in general seems to have gotten significantly more shallow. There probably is some point at which condo becomes bad, but I can't truthfully see myself voting for condo bad absent some egregious neg strategy or technical error.
Since it has come up more than once, my stance on judge kick is that I will presume judge kick if nothing has been said on theory, if the aff wants to win no judge kick, then you must at least make the arg in the 1ar.
You get infinite condo against new or undisclosed affs.
I personally don't particularly like process cps, this is a sliding scale, as consult ICJ or a commission cp seems less competitive than something like a states cp on face, but it seems like people are either unwilling or unable to actually invest time in theory in the 1ar anyways, so it often doesn't matter. I think fiating multiple actors (think both USFG and the states, not the states cp, or fiating compliance with another actor whom you fiat) is probably cheating, but I can be convinced otherwise. I tend to lean neg on theory questions despite all that
I like Ks the more specific the link analysis is. I tend to think of Ks as one or multiple thesis statements that, if won, should theoretically disprove the aff. This means the more you pull warrants from cards, explain the aff in the terms of your K, etc, the more likely it is that you beat the perm since that explanation makes links a lot more salient. That's a lot more persuasive than big aff/neg framework pushes to me
FW/T vs K affs. Since this is the only portion of a paradigm that matters for most pref sheets, yes I will vote on framework, yes I will vote against it. These debates seem to come down to impact comparison, as usually it seems hard to win either topical affs are necessary to prevent the entire collapse of this activity, versus framework is genocide, which makes winning as much of your impact quite important. Fairness impact seem to make intrinsic sense to me if debate is a game, but im not sure why that is a catch-all win if the aff wins debate rounds have impacts.
On a side note, I hate long overviews. Overviews should be for args that either: a. Are significantly more important and necessary for your argument to work, or b. Don't make sense when on the line-by-line (eg, meta-framing for how I should evaluate a debate). If you can do it on the flow, do it on the flow.
Last Substantially Updated 04/03/24
"There can be no give up" - Martin Osborn
secondnegativeconstructive@gmail.com
Firstly - all the stories you've heard are greatly exaggerated.
Secondly - I'm 16, I haven't earned the right to write out a multi-paragraph explanation of my thoughts on debate. Just know I love the activity and I love hard-working debaters and will try my hardest to make a useful and helpful RFD. I'll vote for any argument and would prefer to see a team do a good job going for an argument I don't like/think is dumb than see a team do a bad job going for an argument I like/think is smart. I've never understood saying "I don't like X debate" because, at the end of the day, all debate that we do is policy debate and I believe you should be encouraged to engage in "X" style if that's what you want to do. Do your best and have fun. (You have common sense and obviously know where the line is drawn. No isms or phobias, don’t be stupid).
Lastly - If you so desperately need to know my thoughts here is a list of the paradigms of people who have influenced my view of the game and have helped to form my ideological predispositions. I will try to judge in a similar fashion to them -
Geoff Lundeen (his paradigm isn’t very helpful so I haven’t linked it, but if you know him you would be right to assume I share a lot of the same thoughts and opinions about debate that he does).
James "My name is Layton stop calling me James" Braziel (pronounced Bruh-Zil)
I really like aspec :)
I am a policymaker at heart. I will listen to and vote on kritical positions, but I am really looking at policy implications, even of the k. A kritical position ought to be one that you can consistently defend and be a meaningful argument that advances debate, not just a side argument you are running to see what happens. Education and debate on the current topic matter to me.
I think that topicality can be an important issue in the round, but it should only be run when there is ground to debate the violation - not merely as a time suck.
Disads and counterplans can play important roles in the round but should be meaningfully constructed and argued - not just read as a time suck to "see what might stick" (and counterplans need to be competitive).
I listen to arguments and to evidence - I am looking at the debate and argumentation, not just who can read the most/fastest. If you run it, you should be able to explain it, apply it, analyze it, and defend it.
Speed is fine as long as it's clear.
Email Chain: noahcorb101@gmail.com
Former CX debater. I'll listen to (almost) anything (which includes well-run and warranted arguments as to why I shouldn't listen to something). I have a philosophy degree, so I'm quite into theory (which includes T) when it's developed and run well, and I *love* a good K-prior debate. Please make sure you don't shadow extend- I value warrants more than taglines. This is my first year back in the circuit after a multi-year absence, so it would probably behoove you to focus on depth over breadth in your spreading and/or neg strats.
For K and theory debate in particular, please do notsimply read down your 2A/2N blocks without regard for telling me where on the flow you want me to be putting things and what is addressing what part of the debate/the opponents. I prefer competing interpretations evaluations on a typical flow, but I believe that in most cases this is a framework either team can win.
Otherwise, good luck, and if you have additional questions feel free to ask!
Note for LD: As you can probably tell from my CX background/paradigms, I'm going to pay a lot of attention to who is winning the framework debate: i.e. who is better using it to amplify their 1A/N offense relative to the opponents'. This flow serves partially as a (meta-extended) form of impact weighing for me, so the more work you do for me there, the more likely it is that I'll frame the round the way your case wants me to. Just keep that in mind for me given my background is mostly CX.
i do PF at pwest
respond directly to your opponent's arguments and signpost well (on their c1, go to the weighing, etc.)
use crossfire to your advantage to get concessions, don't be loud pls
argumentation is just as important as winning on the flow, you need to be convincing with your logic
will eval anything, play nice
have fun!
round guide:
1st and 2nd constructive
- don't go too fast
- have clear contention names and importantly have impacts
- if you have time left over, just say some more stuff, add more impacts, do anything really, its better than nothing
1st crossfire
- ask clarification questions (can you reexplain your contention 1? what does this mean? what does this card say?), these questions are the most valuable, the more you can understand their case, the better you can attack it
1st rebuttal
- attack your opponents case
- say as much stuff as possible, the more you say, the more they have to respond to, even if you don't know what you are saying and it doesn't make sense, fill the time
- quality responses > quantity of responses > saying nothing
2nd rebuttal
- you can go for a single contention here and defend that contention (i recommend you do) (spend about 2-3 minutes on this)
- attack your opponents case (spend about 1-2 minutes on this)
- if you have extra time, just do some random weighing
2nd crossfire
- try to refute some of your opponents responses here
- ask more clarification questions, they are very helpful and useful
1st summary (very hard speech!)
- 1st goal: defend your case and win your argument
- 2nd goal: weigh your impacts over your opponents impact
- 3rd goal: extend attacks on your opponents case
- defend and extend > weighing > attacks
- please re-explain the reasoning behind the argument you are going for (extend your argument)
2nd summary (pretty hard too)
- same goals as first summary
- respond to their weighing
-
Bio - Debated for Jesuit 2015-2019, coached on and off there since then
TL;DR – I’m cool with anything as long as it's explained well. Please call me Gio. Use gferrerfalto@gmail.com when putting me on the email chain.
General thoughts
- Be nice to eachother
- High evidence quality, thorough warrant extension, clear clash = good
- Don't read silly stuff
Case
- Please make case matter at the end of the debate
Theory
- Please slow down
- 1 specific theory arg > many generic args
Topicality/Framework
- Please do specific internal link and impact work instead or relying on buzzwords
- Even if debate is a game, we might be able to discuss its nature and goals. Please defend your view on those up front.
Disadvantages
- Please be aff specific when running the DA, especially on turns case args
- Frame arguments in relation to the other teams offense (ex: Link v. Link Turns)
Counterplans
- Solvency advocates should probably be a thing, defend them and point out when the team doesn't have them
- Solvency deficits should have impacts
- Net benefits should be clear and demonstrating why the CP does/doesn't link is important
Kritiks
- Please make framework matter at the end of the debate
- Please articulate link and internal links without relying on clunky jargon or lazy overviews
- Explain how and why I should evaluate the alt a certain way, same for perms
chain: arrmanloveschai@gmail.com
hi! i'm arrman, i've debated pf on the national circuit for three years as plano west LK and jasper LK. three time nsda nationals qualifier and gold toc qualifier.
DON'T BE ANY OF THE ISM'S, AUTO L AND LOWEST SPEAKS POSSIBLE IF YOU ARE.
follow @thedebatehotline on insta and show me proof that you did for an auto 30 speaks!
substance debate, copied from will pirone's paradigm:
Tech >>> Truth. You can read any type of argument you want in front of me, as long as it contains warrants. I’ve read everything from politics DAs, tricks, round reports theory, riders, and consult Japan to “warming opens the Northwest Passage which prevents Hormuz miscalc”—do what you’re comfortable with.I enjoy voting on creative, fun argumentsI haven't heard before.
Go as fast as you want as long as you're clear. I won’t flow directly off a doc but will take one in case I miss something/want to check for new arguments/implications. That said, please don’t confuse words per minute with arguments per minute – clear spreading is orders of magnitude easier to flow than a slightly less speedy blip-storm of arguments.
I tend to be very facially expressivewhen judging—it can help you know which args to collapse on and which to kick. If I'm vibing with something you're saying, I'll nod along with it during your speech.Argument selection is critical to my ballot—identify the best possible collapse strategy, go for the right argument, and do solid comparison on it.
Please label email chains adequately. Ex. “TOC R1 – College Prep HP (Aff 1st) vs. LC Anderson BC (Neg 2nd)”
If you disagree with any part of my paradigm, just make a warrant why I should evaluate the round differently. I'm open to almost everything.
If parts of your argument are uncontested, you do not have to extend warrants for conceded internal links in summary and final focus. Definitely extend uniqueness, links, and impacts though. This also applies to impact turns—if your opponents' link is conceded by both sides, you don't have to extend it.
Smart analytics are great—but please add empirics/warrants to them. Do not dump blippy analytics, ever.
Please don’t put analytical warrants in tags unless your evidence backs it up. If you pull up with something along the lines of “because a revoked Article 9 would cause a Chinese state collapse and the re-emergence of the bubonic plague, Shale-13 of Brookings concludes: revising the constitution would be unwise,” I will laugh but also be very sad.
In almost all circumstances, link weighing is preferable to impact weighing. Don’t just say extinction outweighs and move on—do comparative analysis on why your link is better(larger, faster, more probable, etc).On a similar note,make sure to resolve clashing link-ins/prereqs—otherwise, I will be very confused and probably have to intervene. This also means that 1FF can read new link weighing mechanisms to resolve clashing prerequisite arguments, as long as they weren’t conceded in first summary.
Defense isn't sticky. That said, I am very lenient towards blippy defense extensions in first summary if second rebuttal doesn't frontline something at all, just make sure it's there.
progressive debate, also copied from will pirone's paradigm:
prefs:
1 - framing, topical k's, theory, da's
3 - non topical k's
4 - tricks
Theory:
I'm chill with any shell as long as it's warranted. I also won’t be biased when judging theory, so feel free to respond in any way you wish—meta-theory, interp flaws, impact turns, etc, are all fine with me. Friv is fine, just make it funny (dinosaur/shoe/no evidence theory is interesting, disclose rebuttal evidence is boring).
I default to spirit > text, CI > R, No RVIs, Yes OCIs*, DTD.
If you do choose to disclose, do it right. Genuinely think disclosure bad is a more persuasive argument than full texting > OS.
*OCIs good is the one thing in my paradigm that you cannot alter with warrants. If you win that your shell is better under a model of competing interpretations, or win turns to your opponents’ interp, you win. The definition of what constitutes an "RVI" is irrelevant.
K:
I will evaluate topical kritiks. I'm relatively comfortable with cap, set col, imperialism, and security—anything else is a stretch so please slow down and warrant things out.
No paraphrased Ks—this is non-negotiable.
If you are reading substance + pre-fiat framing (or a topical link to a kritik in any way) you must still win your topical links to access the pre-fiat layer. I am never going to vote for a “we started the discourse” link or arguments about how your opponents cannot link in.
Your opponents conceding the text of your ROTB is not a TKO. You still need to win the clash on your argument. Similarly, rejection alts/ROTBs are silly billy, read an actual one.
CPs:
not experienced with them because i do pf but i understand them, read what you want.
FW:
read what you want, i love framing and would be happy to evaluate a framing debate.
speaks:
if you're a decent human being, you get a 29!
speaks can only go up from there based on how well you debate.
most importantly, have fun! debate isn't always the best but i just want y'all to have the best experience possible!
Stalking the judges eh? Well, it's always good for debate, so keep it up! (Also W strategy in my opinion)
I have been competing in Extemp, Congress, and PF for 5 years now, as well as Oratory, Musical Pantomime, and some other interp events in middle school, so I obviously love speech and debate, especially at the high school level. My favorite event is Domestic Extemp, but I am familiar with the obscurities and strategies of most of the debate-related events.
For Extemp: I look for content as the most important factor in ranking, I am fine with occasional stutters or pauses as long as it doesn't interfere with the quality of the speech. Please do not make up sources, because on the off chance that I want to search one up if I'm interested in the topic, then it looks extremely bad and will be reflected in your rank. Obviously, if you can incorporate sources to solidify your points then I will appreciate it. Funny AGDs are always nice at the beginning of a speech but do not be afraid to use a more serious AGD if it better fits the question. Following the Extemp structure makes it easier for me to follow your speech and helps me give more critical feedback.
For Congress: The main things I look for are proper etiquette and the content within the speech. If you are going to address someone else's speech within your own as a point of argumentation, I would like to actually see a deeper level of analysis than just simply name-dropping other people's speech within your own. Bringing new and fresh arguments into the round look much better from a judge's perspective rather than being redundant, especially as the round progresses. Creative AGDs or even solid transitions are always appreciated but focus on the content and quality of speeches. For sources, I won't source-check since I honestly don't really care as it's not as important as it is in Extemp. However, don't use this as a way to bring in exaggerated statistics or arbitrary points, because I am always listening!
For PF: Here are the main things that I look for: Spreading: As long as I am able to follow your cases, I don't care about speed, but if you are speaking like you just downed 1,000 mg of caffeine and I can't understand your case, I will definitely take off speaker points. I value the cross-fires but please do not ask "Do you agree" questions unless they are actually connected to a further point of analysis because most of the time they just waste time (Ask good questions). Obviously, don't pull new points from thin air in the final focus, and be respectful to your opponents. If you can definitively drop your opponent's contentions and prove the scope of your own argument by the end of the round, I will most likely rank you higher.
Overall, for feedback, I will always try to give both positive feedback and areas of improvement. It's ok to be nervous but don't let it interfere with the quality of your speech/round, because let's be honest debate tournaments are meant to be competitive but exciting, so let it be! I look forward to seeing you in round-YOU GOT THIS!!!
Dan Lingel Jesuit College Prep—Dallas
danlingel@gmail.com for email chain purposes
dlingel@jesuitcp.org for school contact
"Be smart. Be strategic. Tell your story. And above all have fun and you shall be rewarded."--the conclusion of my 1990 NDT Judging Philosophy
Updated for 2023-2024 topic
30 years of high school coaching/6 years of college coaching
I will either judge or help in the tabroom at over 20+ tournaments
****read here first*****
I still really love to judge and I enjoy judging quick clear confident comparative passionate advocates that use qualified and structured argument and evidence to prove their victory paths. I expect you to respect the game and the people that are playing it in every moment we are interacting.
***I believe that framing/labeling arguments and paper flowing is crucial to success in debate and maybe life so I will start your speaker points absurdly high and work my way up (look at the data) if you acknowledge and represent these elements: label your arguments (even use numbers and structure) and can demonstrate that you flowed the entire debate and that you used your flow to give your speeches and in particular demonstrate that you used your flow to actually clash with the other teams arguments directly.
Some things that influence my decision making process
1. Debate is first and foremost a persuasive activity that asks both teams to advocate something. Defend an advocacy/method and defend it with evidence and compare your advocacy/method to the advocacy of the other team. I understand that there are many ways to advocate and support your advocacy so be sure that you can defend your choices. I do prefer that the topic is an access point for your advocacy.
2. The negative should always have the option of defending the status quo (in other words, I assume the existence of some conditionality) unless argued otherwise.
3. The net benefits to a counterplan must be a reason to reject the affirmative advocacy (plan, both the plan and counterplan together, and/or the perm) not just be an advantage to the counterplan.
4. I enjoy a good link narrative since it is a critical component of all arguments in the arsenal—everything starts with the link. I think the negative should mention the specifics of the affirmative plan in their link narratives. A good link narrative is a combination of evidence, analytical arguments, and narrative.
5. Be sure to assess the uniqueness of offensive arguments using the arguments in the debate and the status quo. This is an area that is often left for judge intervention and I will.
6. I am not the biggest fan of topicality debates unless the interpretation is grounded by clear evidence and provides a version of the topic that will produce the best debates—those interpretations definitely exist this year. Generally speaking, I can be persuaded by potential for abuse arguments on topicality as they relate to other standards because I think in round abuse can be manufactured by a strategic negative team.
7. I believe that the links to the plan, the impact narratives, the interaction between the alternative and the affirmative harm, and/or the role of the ballot should be discussed more in most kritik debates. The more case and topic specific your kritik the more I enjoy the debate. Too much time is spent on framework in many debates without clear utility or relation to how I should judge the debate.
8. There has been a proliferation of theory arguments and decision rules, which has diluted the value of each. The impact to theory is rarely debating beyond trite phrases and catch words. My default is to reject the argument not the team on theory issues unless it is argued otherwise.
9. Speaker points--If you are not preferring me you are using old data and old perceptions. It is easy to get me to give very high points. Here is the method to my madness on this so do not be deterred just adapt. I award speaker points based on the following: strategic and argumentative decision-making, the challenge presented by the context of the debate, technical proficiency, persuasive personal and argumentative style, your use of the cross examination periods, and the overall enjoyment level of your speeches and the debate. If you devalue the nature of the game or its players or choose not to engage in either asking or answering questions, your speaker points will be impacted. If you turn me into a mere information processor then your points will be impacted. If you choose artificially created efficiency claims instead of making complete and persuasive arguments that relate to an actual victory path then your points will be impacted.
10. I believe in the value of debate as the greatest pedagogical tool on the planet. Reaching the highest levels of debate requires mastery of arguments from many disciplines including communication, argumentation, politics, philosophy, economics, and sociology to name a just a few. The organizational, research, persuasion and critical thinking skills are sought by every would-be admission counselor and employer. Throw in the competitive part and you have one wicked game. I have spent over thirty years playing it at every level and from every angle and I try to make myself a better player everyday and through every interaction I have. I think that you can learn from everyone in the activity how to play the debate game better. The world needs debate and advocates/policymakers more now than at any other point in history. I believe that the debates that we have now can and will influence real people and institutions now and in the future—empirically it has happened. I believe that this passion influences how I coach and judge debates.
Logistical Notes--I prefer an email chain with me included whenever possible. I feel that each team should have accurate and equal access to the evidence that is read in the debate. I have noticed several things that worry me in debates. People have stopped flowing and paying attention to the flow and line-by-line which is really impacting my decision making; people are exchanging more evidence than is actually being read without concern for the other team, people are under highlighting their evidence and "making cards" out of large amounts of text, and the amount of prep time taken exchanging the information is becoming excessive. I reserve the right to request a copy of all things exchanged as verification. If three cards or less are being read in the speech then it is more than ok that the exchange in evidence occur after the speech.
LD: I look at the debate from a traditional lense. Value/Criterion -> link to your Contentions. I'm expecting clash throughout. You may read fast (but not too fast) you should enunciate. Voting blocks at the end help summarize the debate and that's my preference to hear in the final ARs. Unlikely to weigh counter-plans. LD is a value style of debate. Resolution is absolute unless specified. I'm very tabula rasa with 99% of arguments. However, if it's something completely off the wall I'm not going to weigh it. However, it's your opponent's job to still attack that specific argument (if it has some miniscule form of credence). You don't need to spend much time dismissing it in your rebuttals if it's non-sensical. No K's, Theories, Piks, other random things.
I want to see a Value and a Criterion. Both, that's TWO. What do you value, how do you get there (criterion).
CX: Most important part of CX for me: Would I rather live in Neg world or Aff world. But I will evaluate K's Kritiques, Theory. However, a large percentage of the round will come down to that. If you want to go off-case then do so. There will be no on-case ROB. You will need to thoroughly explain your off-case arguments. Don't assume I'm familiar with the literature. I would like to hear an overview attached to it. Doesn't need to be written but certainly needs to be explained. You will need to pass all mechanisms needed to earn my ballot.
PFD: Traditional lense. Clash is expected. Summarize key voting issues. The debate should center around the topic. Whoever can display their case is stronger than their opponents (makes more sense logically, with impacts) wins the debate.
Congress: Presentation is big for me. Think Extemp but with actual arguments and clash
Another thing; Let's say your opponent failed to attack your case in any of those speaking blocks where they must do so. In your next speech just go ahead and say that and save us all all this time so we can move on with our lives. No need to continue droning onward if your opponent just literally dropped the entire round unbeknownst to themselves. I wouldn't put this here if it didn't happen before.
Outside of the above you should be using all your time. I'm sure there's something either A.) You missed or B.) You can add some analytical analysis of something throughout the round.
Use speechdrop.net (Make everyone's lives easier)
At the end of every debate round there should be voters and weighing. Do that.
Also, let's not make it awkward after the round. If you want an RFD then just ask.
One more thing. Do Not say "Latinx." En lieu use the gender neutral term "Latino." ¿Entiendes?
Please include me on the email chain: peteyloh06@gmail.com
Hello, I'm Peter Loh, a current senior who debates for Jesuit Dallas College Preparatory School. This paradigm will be brief as this is for a novice tournament I'll be judging at but here are a few things I like to see in my debates:
Line by line and clash - I love to see teams that clearly respond to and refute their opponent's arguments in an organized manner. For novices, this would look like the "they say this, but..." Teams that don't clearly respond to their opponent's arguments or are very vague in their extensions are less likely to get my ballot because I'll be confused as to how they are responding to an opposing side's arguments.
Explain your arguments - sell your arguments in a clear, coherent, and responsive way. Any argument (as long as they aren't racist, sexist, ableist, that kind of stuff) is fine with me, but you have to elaborate on what you're saying and sell the story to me. Why does your argument matter? How does it relate to your opponent's arguments? If you aren't giving me a coherent reason why I should vote for your argument, I will still do the work to figure out who won but I (and you) really don't want me to do that.
I have done Public Forum Debates in the past; however, I do not know how to flow well so please go slowly.
I am not familiar with other debate events so please be patient with me
I will try my best to disclose at the end of the round.
Feel free to ask questions! You will not be able to change my decision though.
Be nice and make the round enjoyable for high-speaks
Email: ronaldlongdebate@gmail.com
Competed in events through UIL, TFA, TOC, and NSDA circuits. UT Austin 2020, hook 'em horns.
You either win, you learn, or both.
2021-June 2023: Director of Speech and Debate, Callisburg High School
2018-2021: High School debate consultant
2018-2020: Policy Debate, NDT and CEDA circuits, University of Texas at Austin
2018-2020: Student Assistant, UIL State Office - Speech and Debate
2014-2018 years: Speech and Debate, Princeton High School
Sparknotes:
I think I am a gamer judge. For the most part, I treat debate as a game. You can run any argument, and it should have some claim, warrant, and impact. Do what you do best. I evaluate arguments by comparative analysis through a lens of offense/defense. I vote close to how I flow. I look for specificity, line-by-line, warrants, and contextualization. I’ll vote for any argument under any framework you explicitly put me in and win. Typically, I evaluate tech over truth. Around the neg block, I like a strategic collapsing of arguments. If you can't beat a bad argument, you should probably lose on it.
For other specific strategies and threshold questions, ask me before the round.
Don't...
make offensive or rude comments. I’ll probably start deducting speaker points.
cheat, for the most part, that means don’t clip cards.
Logistical Stuff:
Do not unnecessarily draw out flashing/speech drop/email chains.
Speaking:
Speed is fine; go as fast as you want (after GT-AM 500 WPM, I may yell “clear” twice before I stop flowing).
I like catching theory args, analysis, warrant-level debating, and sometimes authors, so slow down a bit there.
“My partner will answer that in the next speech” is NOT a cx answer; if you use it, it’s minus one speak.
Framework:
I'm fine with good framework debate and am okay with voting under any framework you explicitly tell me to. I think it usually comes down to winning some argument about why you have a better model of debate and/or some methodology. There should be an impact or offense to whatever standard you extend. You should probably be winning some piece of offense under that framework. Impact framing on arguments you plan on winning under the framework debate is probably helpful.
T:
I don't really default to competing interps or reasonability. It depends on the debate. There are general parts of T. If you go for T, then explain and have an impact or an explanation to your standards (like limits and ground) and voters (like fairness and education). This usually includes warranted reasons to prefer and comparative analysis. For Aff specifically, I think it is strategic that you have some offense, pre-fiat arguments against T, a discussion of case lists, and/or neg args.
Theory:
I think theory involves the rules and/or norms of debate that are challenged, changed, or presented. I think theory arguments have general components. I was never a theory hack or anything. If you go for a(n) potential/in-round abuse story, then it is probably offense, and you should give me warrants and have an impact story. Tell me how and why I should evaluate. If you run any theory (especially if it’s what you decide to go for), you probably need to warrant it and have some framing mechanism and some offense.
Note: I probably default to fairness as an internal link to education for impacts like education or fairness, but I can be convinced otherwise.
Disads:
When you win the disad, you should also be winning some disad-case comparison portion of the debate (disad outweighs case, disad turns case, case solves disad, case outweighs disad, etc.).
Counterplans:
Counterplans are cool unless you tell me otherwise. To win the counterplan, you probably need to be winning some net benefit and/or competitiveness argument. I like some comparative analysis discussions like counterplan uniquely solves, aff solvency deficit, aff solvency advocate or mechanism not key, etc.
Kritiks:
Disregarding my knowledge, you should always assume you know your literature better than me or that I am unfamiliar with it. In high school, I read Technocracy, Myth of Model Minority, Cap, Neolib, and Security. Planless Affs I read included a Disaster Cap and a Baudrillard one. Please give me an overview for the K (try not to make it too long, like minutes on end long, because you might as well do the line-by-line at that point). I like clear explanations and warrants, like pulling specific lines from the evidence or generating links off Aff ev. There should be a discussion of how the K functions in the round, probably some framework debate, and an alt explanation (or the linear disad explanation). Be mindful of the floating PIKs.
Perms:
Be specific. For example, I think that saying “Perm do both” isn’t enough. There should probably be a solvency discussion. The severance, advocacy, intrinsic, etc. could go on the top level, and/or the theory page.
Affs:
I am usually pretty good with any format. If it is performance, a planless affirmative, and/or K aff, I would prefer you give me a ROB and/or ROJ. Take clear stances and advocacies, and contextualize them. You should pull warrants and provide explanations of the arguments and the method/reps/advocacy, etc.
Otherwise...
Ask questions.
Hi, I'm Kyle (he/him)
Jesuit '24 (currently a 2a/1n but was a 2n/1a for the past 3 years if that matters)
please add me to the email chain: jesuitcm@gmail.com
General Info (in no particular order)
• tech > truth (generally) but every argument needs a warrant- saying as many claims as possible and hoping your opponent drops it is not persuasive.
•the two exceptions to this are saying racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. are good- it is not tolerated- and reading ev that is objectively wrong (ie. Trump is still president).
•line by line and clash are good- please interact and clash with your opponents' arguments
•frame the debate- every 2NR/2AR should start with lines that will be said in my RFD. Tell me what you are winning and why it wins you the debate-- if I can't explain an argument at the end of the debate I won't vote on it
• be respectful! there is a line between being confident and arrogant- do not cross it
• clarity > speed
• open cx is fine but do not talk over the person who is supposed to be asking/answering questions- it damages your ethos too
CPs
• external net benefits are much better than artificially competitive internal net benefits
• if you're going for the perm make sure that you're either making shields the link args or you are winning a solvency deficit to the CP
• theory args can be reasons to reject the team but specificity is good (ie going for multiple conditional contradictory process CPs without a solvency advocate bad vs condo bad)
• sufficiency framing arguments are good
• have solvency advocates for your CPs- aff specific ones are best but at least have ones in the context of the rez
Disads
• it is possible to win 0% risk of a disad- but its better to go for offense and defense together
• case turns the disad and disad turns case are compelling arguments- as long as they are well warranted. do comparative analysis on your case outweighs arguments
• recent uniqueness is good (even more so when you're going for a link turn) but a few hours is not going to win or lose you the debate. if you want to make a recency argument make sure to impact out why recency is good in that specific instance
• if you're going to go for a link turn its easier to win if you also win defense against their links and other parts of the disad
Ks
• line by line >>>>>>> 7 minute overviews
• go for link/impact turns
• FW interps about kicking Ks out of debate arent persuasive- and the aff should probably get to weigh the aff
• links of omission aren't links
• links specific to the aff > generic FJG/UBI/SS links > fiscal redistribution links > government bad links
• if you're neg make sure to explain how the alt resolves the link- if you're aff explain how the perm solves the link OR explain why the impact turn outweighs
T/procedurals
• T debates can get really messy- stick to the order of the 2ac
• interps that have intent to define AND intent to exclude > interps that have intent to define OR intent to exclude > interps that have neither (they aren't interps)
• ASPEC isn't a voter
• case lists / and TVAs are great ways of proving why your opponent's interpretation of the rez is bad
• I'll default to competing interps but if you want to go for reasonability explaining what does being reasonable mean
• make sure to do impact comparison between your standards and your opponents' standards
Last but not least, feel free to ask or email me any questions you have after the round!
Hello Debaters!
Good for you at checking paradigms.... I judge several different types of debate:
As a communicator, you should be able to adapt to your audience...ie Judge.
Have fun! Debate is a wonderful activity where you can be smart, have fun, and learn at the same time.
Some items I think you should be aware of that I think weakens your presentation:
Being rude, forgetting to tag your cards, not having cards formatted correctly, and not making some kind of eye contact with judge during cross.
DO NOT say please vote for Aff/NEG...your argumentation and evidence should demonstrate your side should win.
Things to help your presentation: Smile, being polite, and organizing your arguments with internal signposting...sharing cards and evidence before using them.
Public Forum- DO NOT PROVIDE AN OFF TIME ROADMAP- I do not need it.
Please have started the email chain and flipped as soon as you can.
include me in the email chain macleodm@friscoisd.org
Or use a speech drop
General Ideas
There is not enough time in PF for effective theory/K to run. I will not vote for you if tricks or theory are your only arguments. I expect the resolution to be debated and there needs to be clash.
I think you should be frontlining offense (turns and disads) in rebuttal. Straight up defense does not need to be frontlined, but I do think it's strategic. Summary to final focus extensions should be consistent for the most part. Overall, the rule of thumb is that the earlier you establish an argument and the more you repeat it, the more likely I will be to vote for it, i.e., it's strategic to weigh in rebuttal too, but it's not a dealbreaker for me if you don't.
To me warrants matter more than impacts. You need both, but please please extend and explain warrants in each speech. Even if it's dropped, I'll be pretty hesitant to vote on an argument if it's not explained in the second half of the round. Also, I have a relatively high standard for what a case extension should look like, so err on the side of caution and just hit me with a full re-explanation of the argument or I probably won't want to vote for you.
The most important thing in debate is comparing your arguments to theirs. This doesn't mean say weighing words like magnitude and poverty and then just extending your impacts, make it actually comparative please.
Technical Debate
I can flow most of the speed in PF, but you shouldn't be sacrificing explanation or clarity for speed.
I will try my best to be "tech over truth", but I am a just a mom of two five year olds and I do have my own thoughts in my head. To that end, my threshold for responses goes down the more extravagant an argument is.
If you want me to call for a piece of evidence, tell me to in final focus please.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me before the round.
Policy I am a stock issues judge when adjudicating Policy. I am fine with speed/spreading with signposting and roadmaps.
I can't stand the K. Please don't run one. Debate the resolution or run a T argument but very rarely will I vote off case arguments.
Parli/World Schools- Need to see fully developed warrants, impacts and confidence. I love stories and learning new TRUE stuff...
LD- I love debates about Criterion and no neg cases are great if ran with logic, links, and detailed examples. Tell stories. I will buy it if presented professionally and with logic. I need weighing of worlds and chrystalization.
Congress- Please make sure to reference previous representatives speeches and show me you have been flowing and are responding to what has been said in round.
Showing decorum and being polite- like thanking the previous representative always a good thing :)
PLEASE DO NOT ask if I am ready- I am always ready or I will say to please wait.
World Schools- I love the decorum/Parli element and terminology usage. Attacking the premise of arguments, call out logical fallacies, and weigh the worlds please....Make sure to give examples that are not just made up- I know Harvard studies everything, but please refrain from making stuff up.
I do appreciate puns/tasteful humor and use those POI requests and answers strategically.
Wolfpack Goes To War West Camp Tournament
Public Forum:
Speaking
-voice modulation: your speech shouldn't just be you reading words off of a google docs -> fluctuate your voice when you are reading important stuff, explaining stuff, and reading impacts.
-Be confident when you give speeches
Argumentation
-make sure you actually explain your responses (can't JUST be claims, but also needs warranting)
-if your opponents frontline one of your responses, do not just drop it, but actually respond to it
What I'm looking for in specific speeches:
**frontline means respond to your opponents responses to your arguments
1st Rebuttal: go straight down your opponents case and respond to everything
2nd Rebuttal: frontline your opponents response FIRST, then attack your opponents, and if you have time left over start to weigh impacts
1st Summary: extend your case (basically restate your argument outlines to remind the judge what you are arguing), frontline your opponents responses to your case, weigh, attack your opponents arguments
2nd summary: same thing as 1st summary basically, just respond to responses made in 1st Summary
**Summary in general: explain why you are WINNING
1st Final Focus: whatever order you are comfortable with, just tell me order before your speech and actually execute it. You need to weigh, you need to explain why your opponents responses against your case arent standing, and why your responses against your opponents cases are.
2nd Final Focus: same thing as 1st final focus, just respond to any responses that were made in 1st final focus
**Weighing: weighing is COMPARING your impacts to your opponents impacts -> make sure you actually ANALYZE and COMPARE impacts, dont just talk about yours
General Rules
-Do not steal prep
-be nice
-sit up straight
Crossfire:
-please ask questions dont just get up there and restate your arguments -> has to be QUESTIONS
Updated Sept 5, 2022
Tracy McFarland
Jesuit College Prep - for a long while; back in the day undergrad debate - Baylor U
Please use jcpdebate@gmail.com for speech docs. I do want to be in the email chain.
However, I don't check that email a lot while not at tournaments - so if you need to reach me not at a tournament, feel free to email me at tmcfarland@jesuitcp.org
Reason for update - I have updated my judging paradigm not because my fundamental views of debate have changed, really. BUT , as one of my labbies put it this summer, apparently the detail of my previous paradigm was "scary". So, I have tried to distill down some of the most important ways I evaluate debate.
Clash - it's good - which means you need to flow and not script your speeches. LBL with some clear references to where you're at = good. Line by line isn't answer the previous speech in order - it's about grounding the debate in the 2ac on off case, 1nc on case.
Dates and "real world" matter - with WMD after 9/11 and immigration during Trump as close rivals, this topic seems one of the most current event influenced debate topics I've experienced. Obviously I mean this in terms of Russia invasion on Feb 24, 2022 - but I also mean in the sense of Madrid Summitt and new Strategic Concept as it relates to the areas; new president in the US as of 2021 with very different policies about NATO and IR; etc. You do not need evidence to integrate current events into your argument - you do need an explanation about why dates matter - ie what's happened that the other team's arguments don't assume. But these arguments can go far in my mind to reduce risk of a DA or an advantage - so you should make these arguments and use as indicts of the other team's evidence as appropriate. . I am persuaded by teams that call out other teams based on their evidence quality, author quals, lack of highlighting (meaning they read little of the evidence
Process CPs and other neg trickeration - it's such a good topic that I would definitely prefer to see topic specific arguments. This means that there are some process CPs or other debates grounded in the lit that are really good debates; there are some that are not. Particularly as the season progresses, I would expect a discussion of what normal means is - both on the aff and the neg to justify process-y cps.
DAs - it's possible to win zero risk that the DA is an opportunity cost to the aff.
Ks - specific links are good. You should have a sense on the aff and the neg what FW is going to get you in a debate.
K affs - should be tied to the topic in some way. If they aren't, then neg args with topical versions or ways to access the education the K aff offers through the resolution are usually persuasive to me. If the aff has a K of the topic, that's great offense that negs need to have an answer. I don't think that debate is just a game. Its a competitive activity that does shape our political subjectivity.
T - if you have a good violation and reasons why an aff should be excluded, by all means read it. If you are just reading it as a "time suck" then, meh, read more substance. And, an argument that ends in -spec is usually an uphill battle unless it's clever [this cleverness standard does preclude generally a- and o-]
Impact turns - topic specific one = good; generic ones - more meh
New affs are good - and don't need to be disclosed before a debate if it's truly the very first time that someone at your school has read the argument. But new affs may justify theoretically sketchy args by the neg - you can integrate that into the theory debate, you don't need a new affs bad 1nc arg to do that.
Be nice to each other - it's possible to be competitive without being overly sassy.
Modality matters - when you are debating in person, remember that people can hear you talk to your partner and you should have a line of sight with the judge. If you are online, make sure that your camera is on when possible to create some engagement with the judge.
Plano West 25' jaivalap@gmail.com
Plano West Camp Tournament:Don't be nervous and try your best. I will flow and probably vote based off weighing.
Try to have fun during round! I will give critiques and answer any questions after disclosing at the end of the round. Just be sure to keep the debate space safe and be considerate of fellow debaters.
Speech outlines if you're feeling confused:
1st Rebuttal: Attack all aspects of your opponent's case in order
2nd Rebuttal: First, frontline (defend) your case from the attacks. Secondly, attack their case
Summary/Final: First, start on your case; extend (reexplain) your arguments then frontline (defend) them. Secondly, weigh. Third, extend (reexplain) responses on their case
I agree with Micah Mathai, Anuj Lohtia, and Aaryan Tomar.
utd 26'
email: rahulpenumetcha10@gmail.com
NDT x2
Top Level -
The debate should be up to the debaters and I will not intervene - any of my opinions discussed below will not affect my decision-making process if any argument in the debate is made over them.
A lot of this philosophy (and my beliefs in debate) will echo austin kiihnl, kevin hirn, and julian habermann's philosophies'.
There is almost always a risk of any argument, its a question of how the debaters do calc as to which risk matters more
I will vote on any argument that I disagree with or is not true if the argument is won at a technical level (doesn't apply to non-negotiables)
"Evidence quality influences technical debating and I value good evidence highly"
"I have a fairly strong preference for organized, technical debating, and not debating in this way will probably make it a lot harder than you'd like for me to adjudicate the debate." (From Austin)
Notes:
-Analytics need to be used more (esp vs less truthful args)
-I won't judge kick unless told to
-I don't lean a certain way on cp theory but 2ac blippiness means the neg block has a low threshold to meet. I'm better than most for theory to make it into the 1AR but still, every cp theory other than condo is probably a reason to reject the arg
-We meet on T is a yes/no question - generally T debates are my favorite when done well.
-“I will weigh the aff unless convinced otherwise. I enjoy alt debating far, far more than FW. Aff-specific link explanation will be rewarded highly. I am most likely to vote for a K if it uses its critical theory and explanatory power to directly diminish aff solvency rather than try to access a larger impact. If debated like a critical CP, DA, and case push, you will be rewarded.” (From Julian)
-I've spent a decent amount of time reading critical literature with the most time spent on Calvin Warren, Frank Wilderson, Christina Shrape, Arthur Kroker, and Douglas Kellner in that order. This means my threshold for your explanation might inevitably be higher, however aff specific contextualization and the explanation of the theory of power on the line by line should overcome any gap in understanding.
-I have a sweet spot for impact turn debates.
-My evaluation of K affs vs FW is best for the aff when there is either a firm impact turn strategy with some metric to evaluate aff case offense or a counter interp that focuses on establishing an inroads to 2nr offense while solving external impacts. I'm better for the negative when the strategy is either hard right fairness and providing a metric to view aff offense through or a strategy that revolves around clash/fairness and establishing ways FW can solve aff offense via a TVA/SSD. If it matters I've been on the neg side of these debates slightly more than the aff.
Non-negotiables
Do not be racist, sexist, homophobic, or misgender.
CX is binding
I will not vote on anything that did not happen in the round because that is not what a judge ought to do.
If the debate can be made safer, accessible etc. Please let me know.
Tristan Rios (they/them)
BTW looking for teams to coach, feel free to reach out via email
Email - Trisrios6955@gmail.com - plz put me on the email chain
for organizational reasons please make the subject of the email chain "Tournament - Round # - Aff team v Neg team" or something similar
who on hell is Tristan?
I am currently debating at UT Dallas (2022-Present), I have been debating for 6 years prior - 2 years at Lopez Middle school (2016-2018) , and 4 years at Ronald Reagan High school (2018-2022)
last year i was an assistant coach at Coppell as well as a coach for a few individual cx and ld teams
I have done it all, from occult horror storytelling to trans theory to baudrillard, to the all foreboding framework makes the gamework, the kids i coach also go for a very wide variety of arguments from exclusive k teams to policy fascists. Both me and the kids I coach have gotten bids and been to the toc. I state this not as a flex but more so to state that even though I may seem very k leaning (and I admit it is the literature i read the most in my freetime) but I have successfully coached and am aware of a wide variety of argumentative styles which means you will do best if you do you, dont try to adapt. if I think an argument is bad that doesn't mean i dont evaluate it, it just means i have a higher expectation for the other team to answer it well.
Non-negotiables
- misgendering
- trigger warnings
- anysort of interpersonal "-isms" that is done from debater to debater
General Thoughts/Preferences
- generic links are fine as long as they are contextualized to the aff
- I want to be on the email chain, but I am not going to “read-along” during constructives. I may reference particular cards during cross-ex if they are being discussed, and I will probably read cards that are important or being contested in the final rebuttals. But it’s the job of the debaters to explain, contextualize, and impact the warrants in any piece of evidence. I will always try to frame my decision based on the explanations on the flow (or lack thereof).
- I default to viewing every speech in the debate as a rhetorical artifact IF not told otherwise. Teams can generate clash over questions of an argument’s substance, its theoretical legitimacy, or its intrinsic philosophical or ideological commitments.
- I think spin control is extremely important in debate rounds and compelling explanations will certainly be rewarded. And while quantity and quality are also not exclusive I would definitely prefer less cards and more story in any given debate as the round progresses. I also like seeing the major issues in the debate compartmentalized and key arguments flagged.
Speaks
if u send blocks during the debate +0.3 speaks
if u open source + 0.1 speaks
Note for LD:
i know alot of tech judges have a strange amount of distaste for evaluating traditional debate, but dont worry about that with me, i will happily judge the round regardless of your stylistic preferences
Debate Experience
Law Magnet High School: 2012-2016
The University of Texas at Dallas: 2016-2019
Assistant debate coach at Coppell HS: 2018-now
sanchez.rafael998@gmail.com - I would like to be on the email chain :)
Specifics:
Case: You should read it. Lots of it. It's good, makes for good debates and is generally underutilized. Impact turns are best when they are debated correctly.
Topicality: I enjoy T debates. If you're looking for a judge willing to pull the trigger on T, I'm probably a good judge for you.
DAs: DAs are a core debate argument and I love judging DA(& CP) v. case debates. Specific DAs are always a plus, but obviously that's not always possible. I tend default to an offense/defense paradigm.
Counterplans: A well thought out specific counterplan are one of the strongest debate tools that you can use. I will vote on almost any cp if you can win that it is theoretically legitimate and that it has a net benefit.
Kritiks: I have a pretty good grasp of a lot of the more popular Kritiks, but that isn't an excuse for a lack of explanation when reading your argument. But be aware that if you are reading more PoMo/high-theory args, you might have to explain the arg a bit more.
K AFFs: I have no problem with teams running untopical affs but this doesn't mean that I wont pull the trigger on FW, you still have to win the affs model ow the negs model of debate.
Theory: I have no problem voting on theory if it is well warranted. I honestly believe affirmative teams let the negative get away with a ton of stuff, and shouldn't be afraid to not only run theory but to go for it and go for it hard.
*Note for online debates: I'm very forgetful and my keyboard is loud af, so if I forget to mute, remind me to mute myself if the keyboard noise is being bothersome.
Plano West '25
I've finished my 3rd year of competing in Congress and 2nd year of Extemp.
Zachary Watts (call me Zach, please)
Affiliation: Jesuit Dallas
History: Debated at Jesuit Dallas for 3 years in high school and at UT Austin for 4 years, coached at Jesuit Dallas for a year.
Speaker Position: 2A/1N in high school, 2N/1A in college
Email: zeezackattack@gmail.com
Updated 10/19/2023
Note: I haven't been too involved with judging, research, or argument development on this topic (for both college and high school), so I likely won't be super familiar with topic-specific arguments - when you're going for arguments, make sure that you're fully explaining them!
If you need a shorter version because this is right before a debate -
1. be nice to your opponents - debate isn't an activity to make people feel bad.
2. Make sure you're clear - I'm okay with speed, but if I can't understand you I can't flow you.
3. You should feel free to run the arguments that you're used to running and the debate will probably flow better if you do that as opposed to trying to fit my preferences - make sure you're condensing down to the key questions of the debate in the final rebuttals providing impact framing so I can evaluate which impacts I should view first.
Have fun and good luck!
General:
I will try my best to evaluate the debate based upon what I flow, although I am human and have some tendencies/leanings (discussed further below). I will flow the debate to the best of my ability - go as fast as you like, but if I can't understand what you're saying, I can't flow you (if this is the case, I will say clear - if you hear this either slow down or enunciate more (or both)). I will read a piece of evidence at the end of a debate if it is particularly important to my decision and heavily contested or you ask me to read it after the round (and have explained what you think is the problem with the evidence/why it warrants reading it after the round), but I think that the debate should come down to your analysis of the evidence in your speeches and comparative arguments as to why I should prefer your evidence/argument. I don't count flashing as prep - however, if you are obviously prepping after you called to stop, I will start prep and notify you that I'm doing so. If you are cheating (i.e. clipping cards) you will lose the round and get minimal speaker points; if you accuse somebody of cheating and there is not proof that they did so, the same will happen to you (and, in that case, not the team accused of cheating) - debate is supposed to be a fun, educational activity - don't ruin it for other people by trying to gain an unfair competitive advantage.
Speaking:
As stated above, I'm fine with you speaking quickly, just don't sacrifice clarity for speed. Please engage in line-by-line and clash with the other team's arguments (this means doing some comparative analysis between your argument and that of your opponent, not just playing the "they say, we say" game or extending your arguments without referencing those of your opponent). If you could stick to the 1NC order on case and the 2AC order of arguments on off-case, that is very much appreciated. Using CX strategically (i.e. setting up your arguments, fleshing out some of their args to contextualize comparative analysis, pointing out flaws in their evidence, etc, and actually implementing them in your speech (it's okay to take prep to make sure some of the good things from CX make it into your speech)) will definitely earn you points. I will start at 28.5 and add or deduct points from there. Doing the things I said above will earn you more points (more points for executing them well) and not doing them or being rude to the other team will lose you points.
Topicality:
I think that topicality tends to be a bit overused as a time-suck for the 2AC, but don't let that deter you from running it - just an observation. If you're going to run T, you need to clearly articulate what your vision for the topic is, why the aff does not fit in that interpretation, and why the aff not fitting under that interpretation is bad and a reason that your interpretation is good. A lot of this comes down to the standards debate, but really explain why allowing the aff's scholarship being read in the round is bad for debate - why does the aff being outside of your interpretation make debate unfair for the negative team and why is that bad and/or why does the aff's form of scholarship trade off with topic-specific education and why should that come before the aff's form of education? On the aff, you should push back on these questions - you should have a we meet, a counter-interpretation (or at least a counter-interpretation and a reason why their interp is bad for the topic), and a reasonability argument - if I think that the aff fits within a fair interpretation of the topic and doesn't cause the "topic explosion" internal link that the neg is saying you do, I'm very likely to lean aff in that debate (please don't go for only reasonability in the 2AR - at that point, if you don't even have a we meet, it's very difficult for me to determine how you are reasonably topical). Please also be framing the impacts in terms of what the aff justifies (for the neg) or in terms of what it does in the round (for the aff, especially if you're pretty close to the topic) and explain why I should look at the T debate in a specific light (i.e. "in-round abuse" vs. "it's what they justify"). Especially in the rebuttals, please slow down a little bit on T (you don't have to go conversational speed, but please don't sound like you're going as fast as you would reading a piece of evidence) - it's a very technical debate to have and I might not get every warrant if I can't write down the words that you're saying as quickly as you're saying them, which may be frustrating to you if I didn't get something important. There's not a lot of pen time (i.e. times when I can catch up with flowing such as when cards are being read), so slowing down a bit on T would probably be beneficial for you.
Counterplans:
I think that counterplans are extremely useful and strategic for the negative and are often blown off by the aff. Counterplans should be competitive (textually as well as functionally - aff, if you point out that a CP is not functionally competitive, I am pretty likely to lean aff and dismiss the CP - be careful with this, though, as process CPs often have an internal net benefit; you should engage that CP on a theoretical level as well. Use CX to determine what the CP actually does before making the arguments about CP competitiveness), and I think process CPs are usually not theoretically justifiable. I am more likely to view these CPs a legitimate, however, if you have a solvency advocate specific to the aff or can use the aff's solvency evidence to justify the CP (especially if you have a reason why whatever process you do the aff through can't just be tacked onto the aff via a perm). Perms should not sever or be intrinsic, and CPs must demonstrate an opportunity cost with the aff.
Note about CP competition - CPs must be both textually and functionally competitive - that means if you're running a PIC, in order to compete, it must not only functionally do less than the plan, the CP text must also be written in such a way that it does not include all of the plan text.
If you're running a process CP, it must have a net benefit that is a DA to the aff and not simply an advantage to the process the CP has chosen. If it is the case that the process must be done in the context of the affirmative in order to achieve that advantage, then you have established an opportunity cost with the plan. If not, you have not established an opportunity cost with the plan.
DAs:
Neg, run specific links, diversify your impacts across DAs and make sure that the 1NC shell isn't just a case turn. Both sides need to do some impact calculus and tell me why your impacts turn the other team's or just outweigh them. Aff, especially in debates with multiple DAs, make sure your strategy is consistent - don't double-turn yourself across flows.
Politics DAs - I'm not a fan of the politics DA - I'm not saying you can't run it, but I'm more likely to reward smart aff analytics that point out inconsistencies in the uniqueness-link-internal link logic chain of the DA even if you read a lot of evidence highlighted to produce a warrant where none actually exists.
Kritiks:
I don't think that Ks should be excluded from debate, and I think that questioning the philosophical and theoretical basis of the arguments that are run is a good educational exercise that can be enjoyable to watch when it is done well. I think that you should read a specific link to the aff (or at the very least be able to explain why something the aff does is indicted by the link evidence you've read), an impact with a clear internal link to the link argument, and an alternative to solve that. While I think that Ks that impact out the implications of the aff's rhetoric in-round might lower the threshold for alt solvency beyond a rejection of the plan, anything (like the cap K) claiming larger and broader impacts will have to do more work to prove that the alternative is capable of solving that and explaining a reason why the permutation cannot function. For both sides, the FW debate needs to be handled like T in terms of competing interpretations for how I should evaluate the debate and explaining how your interpretation accesses your opponents standards and how your standards outweigh or turn the ones you do not solve. On both sides, you should also be explaining by the rebuttals what the implication of your interpretation is - if I, for example, treat the aff as an object of scholarship, what does that mean in terms of how I evaluate whether or not the aff is a good idea/should be endorsed? I think interpretations should be somewhat generalizable to debate as an activity, not your specific K - I think FW interps along the lines of 'ROB is to do whatever the K is' are too easily characterized by the aff as self-serving and arbitrary metrics for how the debate should be evaluated. Make sure to include turns case analysis in the block in addition to the impact in your 1NC (and remember to extend it in the 2NR!). Affs, you should have a reason that your scholarship should be prioritized, and take advantage of the fact that the weakest part of a K is usually the alt - if you can win reasons why the alt can't solve case or the K, it makes it easier for you to outweigh the K using case. Also, if the link is not specific, you should point that out and use your advantages (if possible) to prove a no link argument or a reason why the perm can solve. While I've become more familiar with the form of some Ks of communication, they're not my favorite and, from what I've seen, usually just become a fiat bad argument. My K literacy is less along the lines of post-modern Ks, so it'll probably take a bit more explanation on those for me to vote on them. I'm not the judge for death good arguments.
K aff v. K debates:
In these debates, it is very important for the negative to distinguish themselves from the aff. I know that sounds obvious, but truly, you need to be very specific about the link - what in specific about the aff are you criticizing (the way they construct the world/explain how violence operates, their solvency mechanism, etc.) and why does that matter - this is particularly true when there's not a whole lot of difference between the aff's and neg's impacts. This can be helped by distinguishing the alternative from the aff in order to resolve whatever link you make. For the aff, use the theoretical grounding that's probably already in your 1AC in order to engage the link debate (it's probably going to be a question of proving that your understanding is correct and good) and (if applicable) make perms. Neg, if you're going to make the argument that the aff shouldn't get perms in a method debate, do a bit of explanation about why (I'm not asking for like a minute on perms bad - maybe a 5 second explanation about testing the affirmative's method is good in debate or about why the two methods are mutually exclusive should be good enough).
Non-Traditional Affs/Framework:
After having many of these debates in college, I've come to enjoy thinking about FW debates from both the aff and the neg side. I think that when you're aff, whether you're running a creative take on the topic or have very little relationship to it, you need to come prepared to defend a model of what debate looks like (or why your unlimited approach to debate is good) and why it's better than switch side debate. I phrase it like this because I think that one of my biggest issues with aff approaches to answering FW is that they rely on winning some exclusion offense (that the content of what is being discussed by the aff/1AC is excluded under the neg's interpretation). I feel like that's often not the case - even if you're right that the neg's interpretation precludes you from running this 1AC when you're aff, it doesn't preclude you from running your critique of the topic as a negative strategy. I think that, if you approach the debate with trying to beat switch side debate in mind, you'll have a much better chance of winning that your model of debate is actually key to your offense. On the negative, I think that one of the most important framing arguments you can utilize to neutralize much of the aff's offense is the argument that debate is ultimately a competitive activity - even if it's educational, the ballot and a presumption that either team could get it if they win the debate incentivizes teams to do specific, in-depth research. I think that this allows you to claim that if you're winning a limits DA or another internal link for why the aff's counter-interpretation/model of debate creates an undue procedural burden on the negative, it means that the education impacts the aff claims to solve don't get debated or researched under the aff's model because there's not an incentive to do so.
Theory:
Theory requires a significant time investment for me to vote on it. I think that most theory arguments (i.e. one of the many reasons a process CP is theoretically objectionable) are reasons to reject an argument not the team; of course, conditionality is a reason to reject the team (if you win the theory debate). Theory arguments should have a clear interpretation, violation, and impact when initiated; the answer should have a counter-interpretation and reasons why that's a better vision of debate. I think that smart counter-interpretations can get out of a lot of theory offense because most theory impacts are based on worst-case scenarios. I think that there is definitely a scale for theory (i.e. I'm much more likely to vote on multiple conditional contradictory worlds than just condo) - while I apparently used to prioritize fairness over education in this calculus, that has decidedly changed. I think that in a condo debate, for example, you're much more likely to convince me that debates are worse quality if the negative gets conditional advocacies than that it is unfair for the negative to get conditional advocacies. Like on topicality, slow down on theory. If this is your victory path, it should be the entirety of your final rebuttal (2AR) - you're going to win or lose on this, and none of the rest of the debate matters when theory is a question of whether the debate should be happening in the first place (although if there are other parts of the debate that the neg has gone for that may be considered a prior question to theory, you need to have arguments for why theory comes first).