For LD competitors I am looking for the most convincing arguments.

I have participated as a judge for several years but do not have a technical debate background or experience. That said, I do not always track everything on the flow point for point.

Instead, I am looking for coherent arguments that can stand on their own, while also addressing the arguments of your competitor. The winner in my eyes will be the person who does this most effectively.

Im an Ex debater with 4 years of experience. 2 in Pufo (My favorite) and LD so I know how things work, and I know how i wanted my past judges to judge me, that is why I takeout any sort of political or moral or social bias I may have when I judge, I will buy any argument, counterplans or K's or extremely progressive or extremely conservative args, anything goes! BUT you must have evidence and you must show me the links, if you dont make links in your args, im forced to make them myself and that might not always end up being in your favor. I try to be the best mix of Tech Vs Truth so of course there will be some conclusions that I just have to make on my own (like if you tell me that Vladimir Putin is the supreme leader of the United States, I cant really buy that because thats just simply not true)

other than that, I love aggression, obviously no Ad Hominem type stuff but I like to see a good aggressive CX (its meant to help you and harm your opponent, so use it!)

LD specifically: use your frameworks, what makes you different from pufo is that you have frameworks, SO USE THEM. I have a wide range of exp with different philosophies and I'm also majoring in PHIL so I dont have a problem on following along if you want to run something wild (In fact i admire when you run good and complex frameworks)

Note for both: the squo is important... if the aff cant provide any sort of solvency or a "better" world than the neg... I will default to the squo (neg)

Please Sign Post so I know where you are on the flow.

I consider myself a traditionalist. Lincoln-Douglas debate was created for a reason. The intent of debate is to facilitate communication, therefore use of speed should not be the emphasis in this activity. A good litmus test is the following...would Abraham Lincoln have used spread during his debate with Stephen Douglas? No? Then you probably shouldn't either. Exchange of ideas, discussion of which value is superior, respect and civility should be of paramount importance. Analysis and organization is extremely important. The debater in front of me should explain why their analysis is superior and why their value defeats the opposition.

As I noted above, the intent of debate is to facilitate communication. Speakers need to remember, and this is extremely important, that communication is not only about speaking, but it is also about listening. I have seen it happen more times than I can count, that your opponent will give you information to flip against them in the round, and that flip is not utilized. The tough part is identifying that information. Do not be constrained by what is obvious, meaning do not be afraid to ask "what if". Lateral thinking therefore, is incredibly important to consider.

Further, I consider myself a pragmatist. Originally, Lincoln-Douglas debate was designed as a values-oriented platform. This has evolved into a policy-values hybrid so while I will look at a round from a purely values perspective, the values and values criteria have become more of a means/end assertion. The use of real world links and impacts should support your decision. If you are able to demonstrate why your real world analysis/evidence supports your values/values criteria and you set that parameter up front, I will strongly consider that as a voter. I would however note the following:: the links to your impacts are absolutely critical to establish in the round. Off time roadmaps are also important. Organization is absolutely critical. It is your responsibility to tell me where you are on the flow.

Impact calculus is one of the major concepts I will weigh in your round. That is an incredibly huge point to remember where I am concerned as a judge. However, it is important to consider the nature of the impact. This is where the aforementioned links come into play. Of further note, since LD has become a hybrid, I buy off on solvency being an issue as a means to justify the resolution. Those of you who have had me before as a judge know why that statement alone can determine an entire round. In short, back to the point on the "what if" issue I broached earlier, that would be a very good place to start.

I also look at framework. If you are going to run something out of the norm...i.e. counterplan, Rights Malthus, general breakdown of society, etc., you need to make sure your links are airtight, otherwise I will not consider your impact. The two would operate separate of each other if there is no link.

I started my involvement in LD in 1982, I also debated policy from 1980 to 1982, competed in speech from 1980 to 1984, and competed at the college level in the CEDA format in 1985 and from 1988 to 1990, and have been judging since 2014 in the Spokane, WA area. I also judged policy in the Chicago, IL area in the early 1990"s.

In terms of the January/February 2024 LD topic on reducing military presence in the West Asia/North Africa region, I have very unique experience and perspective. I am retired military, retiring in 2014 and having served 4 years active duty in the Navy and 16 years in the Washington Army National Guard including a one year deployment to Iraq from 2005 to 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I saw first hand the effect of what many of you may try to argue. I also attended many briefings from subject matter experts prior to going in country, including geopolitical/economic briefings, etc. I do consider myself a bit more well versed than many judges in this field based on my personal experience. In short, examine your argumentation and analysis carefully. The bigger picture is a major area of focus and as the semester progresses, you will begin to see adjustments based on the feedback you are getting.

A couple of administrative notes. Eye contact is really important if for no other reason, to see how much time you have left. One of my biggest pet peeves is cutting off your opponent during CX. I have no problem annotating that you did so on your ballot so your coach can discuss the matter with you after the tournament. Civility and decorum are important, and I can surmise several of you have had this happen to you. I also do not have a problem with you timing yourself or sharing evidence, provided it does not detract from the overall use of time in the round.

Finally, it is extremely important to remember....this activity can be fun and it will help you in ways you can't even imagine later down the road. Everyone at this tournament, whether they are coaches, judges, your peers, etc...started as a novice. Bad rounds happen. They are a part of the landscape that is debate. This teaches an important life lesson. How do you bounce back from adversity? How do you apply what you have learned to make things better next time?

Remember that the case/argumentation you start off with at the beginning of the semester, will not be what you end up with at the end, provided you do a self assessment at the end of each round. Ask yourself what was supposed to happen. What did happen? What three things went well for you. What three things happened to you that are opportunities for improvement. If you are consistently applying these criteria, and using your coaches/opponents/peers as resources, by default your weaknesses will get shored up. Incidentally, this is a really good life skill as well and can be applied in the real world. Good luck to you going forward!

I did LD for 4 years, there isn’t much that you could throw at me that I couldn’t understand.

If you spread, be clear and tag well or I won’t be able to follow along as well and that might cost you the round if I didn’t hear an argument.

Framework is as important as you make it, if both fall though I will judge based on contentions left standing and how they counter each other. Be civil and have fun. And please impact

If you spread please give me a heads up and if its of the nat quality speed I would prefer you flash me a copy before beginning so I can make sure to follow along properly :)

(I do prefer progressive debate, but debate the way you do best)

Hey there, debaters! Here's how I roll:

I am a newborn child and know nothing about the world. I am here to learn and am easily persuaded by well constructed logical arguments.

For speech events passion and vibes matter. If you're genuinely excited about your argument, that enthusiasm might just sway me.

For debate events I'm looking for the best presented value and how well it is supported. Keep your flow logical and provide sign posts.

Let's have some fun, everything is awesome!

I am a 4 year debater with LD being my primary focus. I am comfortable with any argument you wish to run, but be prepared to defend it. When I look at the round I like to look at the round through the lenses of the value and value criterion and then look at the voters that may be present. Please signpost where you are in the flow, it makes it easier to follow you and if I can’t get it down or get it down in the wrong spot it doesn’t end well for you. I don’t flow crossx but if there is something in there you wish to bring up I will flow it.

im not super big on speed, but I can sorta deal with it. If something is dropped don’t just say oh it’s dropped, impact it and show me the significance of that drop.

Lincoln-Douglas is a moral based debate which differentiates it from other types of debate. As such, values and value criterions are incredibly important in your case. I am a traditional judge. I’d prefer not to have policy bleed into LD. No k’s, if your running a counter-plan you better do it very well or I will mark you down for it.

No spreading. I can keep up with speed but slow down on the tag lines and connect your cards. Annunciate your words carefully and clearly no matter the speed.

I am a flow based judge. Make sure to let me know what your opponent has dropped in your case and that will be weighed heavily in my decision as long as it was brought up in each round.

Sign posting is probably the most important thing you can do. It is not my job to figure out where to put your arguments and rebuttals. Tell me EXACTLY where you want me to put it on my flow. (Contention 1 on the aff said this __ which is incorrect because ___. Ect) That being said, no need to go over framework twice for each flow, just do it as a whole.

I don’t flow CX. If your opponent says something contradicting or important bring it up in your speech.

Self timing is okay. I’m terrible at giving time signals so i’d prefer if you self timed. I’d be happy to go over any part of the round with you after or answer any questions. I’m also not great at writing a ton of feedback so please ask any questions after round, respectfully. Good luck!

Winning my ballot comes down to a few things.

First and foremost this is a game. While I understand doing everything possible to try and win rounds, insensitive/hateful comments or actions towards your opponents or anyone for that matter are not tolerated. They don't contribute to the case and if necessary I have no problem getting tab involved.

To get more into the specifics for LD...

I prefer traditional LD debate. Progressive is fine but I believe that Value/Value Criterion are key pillars in the LD format and that additional level of moral debate is what makes LD different from the other forms. Ultimately, the more work you put into debate the more you can expect to get out of it. Most of the time, the debater that has done more research on the topic will come out on top.

For debate in general...

If a framework is brought up and defended that will be used as the weighing mechanism for the round. Flow is important and typical NSDA rules as far as dropping and new arguments apply to my flow/judging. Anything that has evidence can be ran, I will flow any argument as long as it is well supported (no matter how crazy the idea may sound). At the end of the day my vote should match any reasonable person in the same position. Winning should never come down to a coin toss or a personal preference, simply argumentation. That win should be apparent even if it is not the outcome wanted. Remember debating has nothing to do with convincing your opponent that they are wrong and everything to do with convincing the judge that you are right.

** Please try your best to avoid suicide related topics. If you have anything you need to run to win the round at least give me a trigger warning **

I am a Lincoln-Douglas Debate alumni, having done it all four years throughout high school, and I've been judging since 2018. I want to see clean, well reasoned rounds; this is VALUES debate, and your values should be your highest priority. I care more about how you work within your framework, your opponent's framework, or both, than minor statistical evidence crammed into your contentions. Those matter, of course - evidence matters, it gives your argument teeth - but if you're fixating on that to the exclusion of your framework and the broader scope of your argument, then you are missing the point of the debate form.

So, prove your framework deserves a spot at the table. Show how your opponent fails to uphold it. Prove that either your opponent's framework doesn't deserve consideration or show how you function under it and even uphold it better than them, or demonstrate that your opponent's case/argument doesn't function under their framework.

Other important things:

-I don't like spreading (i.e. excessively fast speaking, to the extent that pauses and emphases are sacrificed in the name of speed). In my opinion, if you're spreading in an LD round, you're in the wrong debate type. LD is about reasoned arguments, not who can cram more into six minutes than their opponent. In addition to the actual argumentation, I am judging you based on your speaking ability, and you abandon all pretense of effective oratory when you spread.

Speaking fast is fine - I can deal with speed, but spreading is a no. I will not flow it. Hustle, don't hurry.

-On a similar note, I am a traditional LD debater/judge. I can keep up with progressive LD to an extent, but if you start spraying jargon you're running the risk that I don't know what you're talking about. I did not do policy debate, where much of it originated from, and so do not assume I am going to know what your jargon means. Explain to me what you are doing, or trying to do, and you'll be fine.

I don't find extinction arguments convincing, both because I find the links tend to be weak at best outside of very specific topics, and because they are overdone and uninteresting. It's the big hammer in impact calculus, and tend to have very little to do with value debate.

Aside from that, speak well, speak with reason, and be polite and kind to one another. Your tournament placing is not worth the enmity of your peers or judges if you are not. Debate is a sport, not a blood sport.

I'm a parent judge who has been judging nearly every tournament for 5 years for my kids.

No Swearing.

No spreading. I can't understand it, and if I can't understand you, I can't judge you and that's sad.

Sign post. If you don't sign then I get to guess where what you say applies and you don't want me to do that. I often don't guess correctly.

Provide impact(s). Tell me why what you said is important. It should not be a restatement of your contention.

Don't make me think for myself. Please tell me how to think, how to judge how to apply your arguments. Otherwise I have to use my own bias to draw the lines, no one wants this. Not even me. I will take the path of least resistance to a ballot. If one is better explained, I will go with that one. Make sure you case is well-explained.

For CX
hlsoderquist@gmail.com for document sharing.

• Use 5th grader terms. While I am aware of Ks, T args, perms and the like, my knowledge comes from their use in LD, so my depth is lacking. If you accidently use a term in round please explain it.

• Seriously, please don't spread. I'm sorry. I will say out loud "clear" if you are going too fast. Most likely, you are going too fast. I'm sorry. Slow down on taglines, contention names, and other very important issues...like your case. I'm sorry.

• I think linearly, so don't rely on my ability to multi-thread thoughts in order to get through your links to your impacts. Keep it simple OR clearly connect it for me. If it is muddy or I don't get it, I will not vote on it. Your job is to explain your case to me in a way that I can vote and understand it. In other words, I am a flow judge.

• If you "kick" something, please tell me the tagline or contention or argument name and instead say We or I am dropping this. If not, once again, I will guess what you dropped, and that could be really bad.

• My favorite cases are ones that outline their case, support it with evidence, explain the evidence and tell me what and why I am voting for them. Contentions - Impacts - Voters

• If you change the role of the ballot, tell me what triggered it, why it is more important than the resolution and what the new role is. I will then be able to decide if I want to use your new ballot, or if your arugment is lacking I will keep the current one. This must be a rock solid argument and trigger for the new role.

• I will go wherever you take me. I am happy to entertain any debates backed by evidence and a clear train of thought. Nuclear war, extinction, fascism, and all the things are on the table. But please argue them with tact and warrants and clearly show me how we will get there. If you can do this, I am willing to judge it and weigh it in the round.

• Thanks for accommodating me and good luck.

For PF, if you use a RA, make sure your contentions support your analysis. Ensure I know why it is important to judge on that analysis.

For LD, I expect a traditional LD debate on moral grounds tied to a value and seen through the lens of your value criterion. Make sure all of your contentions support that value/value criterion.

I like a clear case with well defined arguments. I am an Industrial Automation Engineer who designs autonomous machinery. Give me facts and data to judge by. No fear mongering. Emotional arguments will not impress me.

ncsoderquist@gmail.com

ALL EVENTS: I WILL NOT VOTE ON ANYTHING RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC, OR ANY OTHER HATE SPEECH. Please do not use speech and debate as a platform to spread any type of hatred. You will not win my vote.

This is my fifth year judging. Past Asst. Coach at Middle School for Public Forum. I debated in High School. I have one child in LD.

DEBATE:

I like the clash, but keep it polite. My biggest pet peeve is poor sports-person-ship. I do not mind if you take control of your cross-ex. Argue your points, and refute your opponents. Back up with facts, quotes, stats. Use impacts and YOUR VALUE!!! Use your VC as a weighing mechanism. I am a flow judge and follow my flow and arguments made there. I am a tech over truth judge. Lead me through your evidence and tell me how to vote. I will take the path of least resistance to a ballot. Don't make me guess or make my own conclusions, as they may not match what you are presenting. In other words, impacts and voters.

Slow down on tags and contention tags. If it is critical to your case, slow down for that portion and taglines. Enunciation is key for me to understand your case. If I am trying to figure out what you said, I miss your case. Spreading is an art form that has guidelines, breathing patterns, and rhythm. Don't confuse talking fast with spreading, they are two different things. If I cannot flow it, I do not judge it. If I stop typing, you know I am not getting it.

I do not judge on cross-ex. I will flow it, because I have the memory of a goldfish, and if you bring it back into round, I want to have notes on it. But if you do not bring it into round, it flies away and never comes back again. If it is a good point, don't let that happen.

IEs:

I will count stutters/missteps and crutch words. If a round is close I will rank off who has less. Tone/Infection are important during any speech, use them. Work on not yelling to show all emotions in any speech. Anger/Sadness has many faces, explore these to rank higher. Those who have their presentation memorized will rank higher than those who do not.

Informative: You got to pick your topic. Make it FUN and INTERESTING to me. Show me your passion and excitement about the subject. Be a human in your speech, not a robot. Please do this by making jokes, puns, or using conversational speech to keep me hooked. Pieces with good transitions, hooks, and conclusions rank higher.

Impromptu: I look for a framework. If you set a framework for your piece, I expect you to follow it. You don't have to have 3 points if you have a strong speech with 2.

Have fun and good luck! :-)

Price: $2.50 adjusted for inflation

Thanks for debating and reading my paradigm. Here it is in no particular order.

4 years LD experience in HS, not real versed in progressive theory. Flow judge.

-As a judge, I want to hear everything you have to say. To weigh your arguments to the fullest, I need a good warrant/justification for them and then access to some kind of harm or impact. What I mean is, I'm not a tabs judge in that I don't like to take an arg you present as fact without a reasoning behind it.

-Respect and good faith debating are important for me. It's totally cool to play to win, be direct and assertive, but no need to be impolite in the way that we go about it. All friends here ideally.

-If you have faith in your argument or angle, even if it's a little cheesy, then imo the debate becomes much more layered as we go because you know the reasoning behind a big picture you're going for. Love to see it!

-Please stay humble in cx and utilize it to the best of your ability. Pointed questions are good, but please don't force a yes or no answer to get ammo for your argument. I never liked being told to only answer yes or no and you probably don't either. I think the main function of CX needs to be clarifying your opponent's position so you can respond accordingly. In that vein, when your opponent sufficiently answers your question feel free to move on to the next. Also, CX questions and answers should be directed at the judge instead of directly at/facing each other.

-Signposting, roadmaps, down the flow speeches, anything to keep the debate flow organized is much appreciated. I flow on paper, typing skills just not on point. So, I know time runs short, and if you can summarize an arg I'll have an easier time getting all the points on the flow. At the end of most debates I look at my flow, prioritize the framework arguments, and then apply those frameworks to the contention level debate. If impact calc wasn't already provided, I'll look to see which points I felt went to each side and weigh them up on the whole.

If you want an argument cross applied or it addresses multiple parts of a case, a quick how and why.

-If your opponents drops/doesn't sufficiently respond to a significant point, feel free to argue that it's conceded in the round and apply that arg/ impacts to the debate. That said, there are instances where it wouldn't be fair to vote on or heavily weigh some tiny argument that wasn't directly addressed. If a case is structured well imo, there's a few main points to focus on and not a laundry list. No hate on the homies running 15 contentions but it's tough to flow.

-Progressive arguments are cool, but please accommodate both me and your opponent in terms of speed and accessibility. I don't have a solid knowledge of specific progressive structure or lingo. That said, meta cases which aren't built on speed/jargon but rather view the resolution or the debate in a different light are v fun as long as they can interact with the opposing case in a meaningful way.

-I love a nice synergy between the value and criterion. Especially where the value is the goal or moral standard and the crit is the lens for achieving that goal.

-Your time is your time, so please don't feel bad or anything if you want to use it to collect your thoughts, breathe, or consult your flow! I believe it's in your interest to take any down time in your speeches, prep, or cx to think or flow as needed. However you feel comfortable presenting is good, I don't bother too much with needing to stand for speeches or how much eye contact you have (even though at least some is nice :D). You won't get less than 25 speaks unless there are major issues or inappropriate behavior.

-Impacts: do 'em? Unless you're not feeling that ig, but an argument has to be pretty convincing or morally compelling to work without impacts imo. I think a good impact plays on the two worlds: what does the aff world look like, what does the neg world look like, and how is one better or worse than the other (especially viewed through the framework). I also think a good impact is well defined and specific, with a clear throughline from the evidence/argument presented to the outcome.

good luck!

I am retired United States Army. This is my first year judging debate, but I have recently completed the NFHS debate judge course and am nationally certified. I prefer sound logical contentions and discourse that is backed up by fact. I expect all debaters to treat each other with courtesy and respect. All speaking should be directed at me, and I would also prefer the debaters to stand when speaking.

OV: I’m a tabula rasa judge, I will buy literally any argument you throw at me. I’m a former policy/prog LD debater on the national circuit, so there isn’t much that I won’t understand. (Lingo is awesome!)

Additionally, slow down on tags, flash your case, or disclose on the evidence wiki if you are going to spread.

FRAMEWORK

Value-Value Criterion: This is the primary weighing mechanism in the round. I will judge both neg and aff under the lens of the winning VVC if not specified otherwise.

Resolutionary Analysis: This is the secondary weighing mechanism, I’ll default to VVC if the RA debate becomes a wash. (If your circuit doesn't use the RA in LD, disregard and assume T-shell is the secondary weighing mechanism)

Theory Shells: This is the tertiary weighing mechanism. RA and VVC come first, but if the theory debate is substantive in rebutting either the RA or VVC, its weight defaults to the same weight as the framework it rebuts.

CONTENTIONS

Literally, do anything you want, I’ll flow whatever. I understand the stock issues pretty well and philosophy, so anything goes. Just make sure it’s clear so I can flow it properly!

ADDITIONAL NOTES

You will not win a round solely with good speech. Logic to me matters over all else. I don’t care if you are screaming or if you are the most charismatic person on the planet, the content and rationality of your argument matter most to me.

Impacts are awesome! But please make sure they function under the VVC as the weighing mechanism.

Good luck!

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) nuclear war and climate extinction??? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)