Middle School TOC hosted by UK
2024 — Online, KY/US
Policy Debate Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideChattahoochee HS '21
University Of Kentucky '25
Add me to the chain: jaredaadam@gmail.com
Top:
I will pretty much vote on anything and lack many ideological predispositions with a few exceptions. I try to be as least interventionist as possible so please do judge instruction that explains to me why you have won the debate & the implications of the arguments you are going for.
Send a card doc after the debate has ended. I'll read the cards you think are important, but I tend to think the quality of evidence comes secondary to who did the better debating.
Debate is a communication activity, I will flow what I hear, not what is in the doc.
Theory:
I prefer to judge substantive debates over trivial theory arguments. Anything that isn't conditionality is a reason to reject the argument not the team. I lean NEG on condo, and would only prefer you go for it if either a. the neg severely mishandles it or b. it's the only winning option. I will not vote on blimpy theory arguments that aren't developed or articulated out earlier in the debate.
Non-resolutional theory is a non-starter.
Counterplans:
Judge kick is my default unless told otherwise.
Huge fan of them, I love me some solvency offense & AFF specific counterplans.
I am okay for counterplan competition, but the more egregious the counterplan, the lower the threshold it is to win the CP is illegitimate.
Disads:
Good
I think the interest rates DA is cracked. Though I haven't judge that many debates on this topic, I do not understand why some variation of an econ DA is not the 2NR in every debate.
Kritiks:
The best kritiks are ones with links to the plan. If you want to just rehash some theory about the world, without contextualizing it to the plan, I am not the judge for you.
Topicality:
I would prefer you read & defend a topical plan. Impact turning framework is more persuasive to me than extending a counter interpretation.
Impact Turns:
Good
Misc:
- tech > truth
- Don't sacrifice clarity for speed
- Bigotry will not be tolerated
Third year debater at Woodward Academy.
Add me to the chain: 26aagrawal@woodward.edu
Tldr:
None of my argument preferences should affect the way you debate, make it an interesting and educational debate for me and your opponent
Tech>Truth
Be Clear, especially on tags and important analytics.
All dropped/mishandled arguments need to be impacted out. Explain y it matters that they conceded it
I tend to lean neg on theory and Ts against K-affs
If you do cheaty stuff be prepared to answer for it, BUT I wont not consider it. For example reading 2NC CP will get you a theory arg but you can still convince me, Or if you say you are allowed to kick planks, be prepared to answer (# of planks)! worlds of condo are bad.
Case:
Not too much to say here. In the 1NC try to get enough case defense instead of trying to outspread your opponents with more off case. I love a turn debate but be prepared to go for it, and have a billion cards on it. Dont read it for more offense. I love CP/Turn debates or just turn debates
DAs:
Great! I personally belive they are the most convincing argument if they are a true opportunity cost to the plan
CPs:
Most of them are great. I lean aff on process CPs/"Cheaty" CPs but love a good plan specific CP. Another consideration is if the CP is intrinsic to the aff. I WILL vote on perm do plan and CP over other issues and isn't commonly extended.
Ks:
Fine. If you can explain it to a layman, you can go for it. If your reading your varsity teams blocks against novices, I will give you low speaks.
T:
Especially useful against small affs that avoid topic gens and I lean neg on T against K-Affs
Ps:
The only situation you should extend the common ones (ASPEC/Vagueness) is if they are dropped or fully mishandled. I can be convinced of procedurals like any other argument.
Condo:
Try and only go for it if mishandaled
Use debate@student.quarrylane.org and title the email chain adequately.
T/L
Been in debate for 4 years.
Don't have all that many hardcore preferences that aren't resolved by better debating.
Case Debate
Good case debate will especially get you good speaks---especially applicable to 2AC case debating; 'not reading new cards bc 2ac messed up' are words you should not want to hear.
DA
Implicate how different parts of the da interact with the advantage, how much of each par the da you need to win --- is any risk of a da sufficient given a solvent cp? Does turns case make any risk of a link sufficient? does dropped link mean that probabilistic uniqueness is irrelevant?
CP
Just like above; contextualize to what extent you need to win a net benefit in comparison to a solvency deficit.
Not great for textual plus functional as an interp. Better for function alone. Alright for textual alone.
Permutation do the counterplan > intrinsic perm
As a fellow 2A, I'll be sympathetic to theory, and think it's less arbitrary than most.
Lack of solvency advocate certainly justifies new 1AR answers.
T
My second favorite type of debate.
Impact calculus is key.
Aff vs K
Good link/link turns case, contextualized alt solvency to the 1AC, and case debating seem the optimal way to do it if this is your strategy.
Framework typically decides these debates so developing diverse offense for the neg would be the way to go; I'll be technical in determining and won't "It was a wash" my way out of it.
Neg vs K
Pick fairness or clash early on so you can develop offense; having both often conflict with one another, i.e going for the 'this ballot doesn't spill out; neg on presumption' 'debate doesn't change subjectivity' in tandem with 'voting neg iteratively spills up to models of debate as the community changes' seem to clash with one another; I think that negs need a mechanism of spilling out if going for models. This means starting the question of what my ballot does early, and being definitve about it.
TVA/SSD are great ways to mitigate AFF exclusion offense and thus should be well-developed; a good 1NR on TVA with solvency debating, impact calculus, puts a lot of pressure on the 1AR.
NOVICE / JV / MS
Make sure I can hear every word you're saying. this is a time to be getting better, and improving so demonstrate you've put in the slightest of effort.
I've judged these and it usually comes down to impact calculus, line by line, or resolving so if you've done all three well your speaks start at 29.
Misc
I only start flowing from the 1NC on case.
I won't look at docs unless a piece of evidence is explicitly disputed/brought up in a final rebuttal.
Number plz.
FR is NEG biased.
SPEAKS scale(stolen):
- Above 29.5: I will spend tonight crying about how beautifully you debated
- 29.5: I will tell my friends about you
- 29 – 29.5: You should get a top 5 speaker award
- 28.7 – 29: You should probably break
- 28.5 – 28.7: You gave solid speeches
- 28 – 28.5: You are a good debater, some strategic errors
- 27.5 – 28: You are decent, but made many errors
- 27 – 27.5: You made many mistakes, and probably lost the debate for your team
- 26.5 – 27: You made many errors and should end 1-5 or 0-6
- 26 – 26.5: You shouldn’t be in whatever level of debate you are
- Under 26: You were literally incomprehensible or offensive
Background:
Walter Payton '27
Kuh-vin, he/him
Add me to the chain: kbendre09@gmail.com
Also add paytondebatedocs@gmail.com
Top Level:
Tech > truth
Post-rounding is good, as long as its done respectfully. If you disagree with part of my decision, feel free to argue with me about it, but know the decision will not be changed after the round.
Disads:
Respond to the warrants of the other team's link/link turn instead of just saying "link outweighs link turn" or vice versa
Counterplans:
I lean Aff on competition.
CPs should (probably) have a solvency claim and warrant (not always a card)
Judge kick is (probably) the logical extension of condo
Kritiks:
Very familiar with cap literature, somewhat familiar with antiblackness, heidegger, settler colonialism, and a few others, but for the most part not super comfortable with K lit. Below average for the Neg in these debates.
Most Ks spread long, confusing tags with large words that often misrepresent the actual content of cards. Make sure to explain the tags and slow down. Do more warrant-level explanation of your cards.
You link you lose is probably bad
K Aff v. Policy:
In order to win the round, Aff teams need to have a clear claim to the ballot - absent this claim, and with the Neg including at least some role of the ballot argument, I'm obligated to vote Neg
Don't read a K Aff if you're a middle schooler or novice
K v. K:
I will have very little idea what I'm doing in this debates, but if you win you win.
Theory:
Nothing's a voter except condo (unless the violation is dropped)
Number of conditional advocacies doesn't really matter, it's more about competing models. Dispo is more likely to convince me than uncondo, but needs to be able to resolve offense.
New Affs don't justify infinite condo
Random Things:
If you insert rehighlightings, their overall implication must be explained,.
If you're spreading long paragraphs of analytics, don't expect me to go back through the doc and find the argument if I don't hear it - if it's not on my flow, I can't evaluate it, even if it really was said and dropped
Hot Takes:
Framework on a K outweighs theory
Neg terror is great, but condo is also probably bad
Zero risk and presumption are real and reasons they are not are usually interventionist
Wipeout is easier to win than Process CPs
Try or die is intuitive
Speaker Points:
-0.1 for every argument you claim to be dropped when it wasn't
Peninsula High School.
Add me to the email chain: aadibhagat2008@gmail.com
Debated for like 2 years ish.(Policy)
Tech>Truth
I can't really understand spreading so be clear if you chose to do so.
Don't assume I understand all your jargon, explain arguments well.
You don't have to stop prep when the email is sent, so you can stop it when you are done preparing, but I do expect the process of the email being sent to be quick and for both teams not to steal prep.
Extend your offense first.
"DON'T KEEP YAPPING"-a wise debater.
Theory:
I WILL vote on APSEC.(Most of the time)
Don't just reread your theory arguments in the block/2nr,explain why fairness outweighs education or vice-versa and extend your standards.
Also, if you have Aspec blocked out and you show that to me after round I will give 30 points.
If the AFF/NEG answers the theory argument you made, don't just extend it bc of my paradigm but extend at your your own risk.
"Please warn me when you're about to start the speech with a 10 second countdown and get verbal confirmation by everyone in the room individually that they're ready for you to start, it's important everyone is ready."
"Please pronounce all punctuation verbally- it prevents me from flowing effectively if you do not."--Brandon Lin
niles north 23, kentucky 27
general
the core predisposition I have is that technical execution and preventing judge intervention should be at the forefront of whatever approach you take. this means that technical concessions (including cheap shots) matter and there should be lots of judge instruction.
big fan of cool strategies. I enjoy research a lot and will always appreciate and reward a well-researched and thoughtful strategy, whatever that be. (but, I am also not qualified to mediate interpersonal problems between debaters!)
evidence matters a lot. you should read all the cards. debaters have to set the metric for how evidence should be evaluated and do comparison.
organization is extremely important. you should number arguments, sign post, and slow down at times.
thoughts
topicality: predictability matters a lot more to me than other things. have good cards. this means cards that define the word, not just use it. reasonability will forever seem super arbitrary to me but can sometimes be fine against suspect interpretations. limits for the sake of limits is not persuasive and internal link debating is very important.
counterplans: solvency deficits need explainable impacts. competition debates are good. NEG flex and precision are usually very persuasive. most AFF theory violations seem pretty silly to me and standalone theory ever being the A-strategy doesn’t make a ton of sense to me.
kritiks: teams should get to weigh the AFF but excluding Ks doesn’t make sense. vagueness on the link explanation will favor the AFF. backfile Ks with no relation to the topic are icky and the links will always sound unpersuasive. there are a lot of things that teams feel compelled defend but are entirely irrelevant in the larger context of the debate. things like realism, util, etc. often end up just buzz-words used that are not contextualized to any of the larger parts of the 1AC/thesis of the K. the less you disprove the 1AC, the less compelling you are.
planless AFFs: the more you struggle to explain the advocacy (in a non-vague way), the more favorable I am toward the NEG. I'm more persuaded by arguments about skills and methods that result from the 1AC being good as opposed to debate/institutions being bad.
asserting an argument is new or dropped does not constitute an argument, you should jump up and down about it with thoughtful explanation.
LD
everything above applies. I do not like tricks, I do not like phil, and I do not like RVIs. (and whatever else elizabeth elliott thinks)
other
please format email chains properly with the tournament, round, and teams.
if you are interested in debating in college and want to know more about kentucky, feel free to reach out!!
Daryl Burch
currently the director of high school debate for McDonogh
formerly coached at the University of Louisville, duPont Manual High School (3X TOC qualifiers; Octofinalist team 2002) the head coach for Capitol Debate who won the TOC. McDonogh won the TOC in 2007. I have taught summer institutes at the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Emory, Iowa, Catholic University, and Towson University and Wake Forest as a lab leader.
I debated three years in high school on the kentucky and national circuit and debated five years at the University of Louisville.
I gave that little tidbit to say that I have been around debate for a while and have debated and coached at the most competitive levels with ample success. I pride myself in being committed to the activity and feel that everyone should have a voice and choice in their argument selection so I am pretty much open to everything that is in good taste as long as YOU are committed and passionate about the argument. The worst thing you can do in the back of the room is assume that you know what I want to hear and switch up your argument selection and style for me and give a substandard debate. Debate you and do it well and you will be find.
True things to know about me:
Did not flow debates while coaching at the University of Louisville for two years but am flowing again
Was a HUGE Topicality HACK in college and still feel that i am up on the argument. I consider this more than a time suck but a legitimate issue in the activity to discuss the merit of the debate at hand and future debates. I have come to evolve my thoughts on topicality as seeing a difference between a discussion of the topic and a topical discussion (the later representing traditional views of debate- division of ground, limits, predictability etc.) A discussion of the topic can be metaphorical, can be interpretive through performance or narratives and while a topical discussion needs a plan text, a discussion of the topic does not. Both I think can be defended and can be persuasive if debated out well. Again stick to what you do best. Critiquing topicality is legitimate to me if a reverse voting issue is truly an ISSUE and not just stated with unwarranted little As through little Gs. i.e. framework best arguments about reduction of language choices or criticism of language limitations in academic discussion can become ISSUES, voting issues in fact. The negative's charge that the Affirmative is not topical can easily be developed into an argument of exclusion begat from predictable limitations that should be rejected in debate.
It is difficult to label me traditional or non traditional but safer to assume that i can go either way and am partial to traditional performative debate which is the permutation of both genres. Teams that run cases with well developed advantages backed by a few quality pieces of evidence are just as powerful as teams that speak from their social location and incorporate aesthetics such as poetry and music. in other words if you just want to read cards, read them poetically and know your argument not just debate simply line by line to win cheap shots on the flow. "They dropped our simon evidence" is not enough of an argument for me to win a debate in front of me. If i am reading your evidence at the end of the debate that is not necessairly a good thing for you. I should know what a good piece of evidence is because you have articulated how good it was to me (relied on it, repeated it, used it to answer all the other arguments, related to it, revealed the author to me) this is a good strategic ploy for me in the back of the room.
Technique is all about you. I must understand what you are saying and that is it. I have judged at some of the highest levels in debate (late elims at the NDT and CEDA) and feel pretty confident in keeping up if you are clear.
Not a big fan of Malthus and Racism Good so run them at your own risk. Malthus is a legitimate theory but not to say that we should allow systematic targeted genocide of Black people because it limits the global population. I think i would be more persuaded by the argument that that is not a NATURAL death check but an IMMORAL act of genocide and is argumentatively irresponsible within the context of competitive debate. Also i am not inclined to believe you that Nietzsche would say that we should target Black people and exterminate them because death is good. Could be wrong but even if i am, that is not a persuasive argument to run with me in the back of the room. In case you didn't know, I AM A BLACK PERSON.
Bottom line, I can stomach almost any argument as long as you are willing to defend the argument in a passionate but respectful way. I believe that debate is inherently and unavoidable SUBJECTIVE so i will not pretend to judge the round OBJECTIVELY but i will promise to be as honest and consistent as possible in my ajudication. Any questions you have specifically I am more than happy to answer.
Open Cross X, weird use of prep time (before cross x, as a prolonging of cross x) all that stuff that formal judges don't like, i am probably ok with.
db
Xavier Burchfield
xavierburchfield09@gmail.com
I have been every speaker pos.
I will easily vote on a well explained and debated theory argument
If I am judging novice, which I probably am, DO NOT BE A BLOCK BOT PLEASE, that is not helping you get better, it just looks stupid when you read something and just don't know what it is when answering cross
Prepared to vote on anything
IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF WINNING, READ A POLICY AFF, DONT READ A K AFF, AND k's on the neg are a little more easy, but it might confuse me.
I will vote on the K, but the team reading it is at a disadvantage as I don't always feel comfortable voting on it if the debate is messy, or if the K isn't explained well
I strongly suggest you don't read a k aff against me, and if you make a mistake and do, pretend I am a baby. Explain everything very well.
I tend to lean neg against k affs
I usually understand the T-FW arguments and don't need as much explanation, but I definitely need help understanding case.
(I will vote on wipeout or spark or death good)
If it is debated well, I will feel comfortable voting on it
Dropping case in the 2ac and full pushing condo the rest of the debate is a fire strategy
I love a good case turn on the neg in the 2nr, and on aff, i love a turn on a disad
This doesn't mean read something completely new, if you read something completely new, I won't even flow it and the other team doesn't have to acknowledge it because it is not their burden.
Don't be scared to go for risky arguments, I won't take my personal beliefs into the debate, so even if you run wipeout or spark, if it is technically debated well, I will vote for it.
If you are answering cross, and you avoid the questions, and just yap about something else, speaks are going to probably go down.
Pronounce punctuation verbally (Brandon Lin)
Impact turn fairness
SPEAKS
- 25 --- Rock bottom, you were discriminatory, mean, etc, or you clipped.
- 26-27 --- You barely spoke and had no warrants and just practically yapped about nothing relevant.
- 27-28 --- It was mid, you spoke fine, but it wasn't anything great.
- 28-29 --- somewhat good, you had good clarity, you had good speed and understanding of arguments.
- 29-29.5 --- You were really good and i liked mostly all of it.
- 29.5-30 --- You have a very bright future and did really well in the debate.
I did high school policy debate all four years in the late 90s and early 2000s and then took a very long break. I'm getting up to speed on the "new" arguments. I've judged a few middle school tournaments this year- mostly varsity or JV and a few novice. I'm pretty well versed on most disads/arguments/topicality etc. and am willing to vote on most things as long as they are argued and explained well.
SPEED: No problems with speed but you must be CLEAR. If I can't understand you, your argument may be missed and go unflowed which means I won't be able to weigh it it come decision time. If I can't understand you during your speech, as a courtesy I will say "clear" a couple of times but if you continue to be unclear, I will stop flowing. I encourage you to slow down for the tag and author but it's fine to speed up in your cards. Try to make distinctions between each arguments with either numbers or a "next". Same with line-by-line.
TOPICALITY/THEORY/K: I think there are better arguments to vote on than topicality but if you have a compelling argument and the aff is clearly in violation, I will vote on it. Same with theory. I'm not super current on the new theory debate or K's but if its run well and is accurate, I will vote on it.
Language is fine, be nice to each other and remember that it's JUST a debate round so while your cards may all say "nuclear war" for everything, I can assure you that the world is not that dramatic :)
quarry lane '26
any pronouns
top level
tech > truth; i will judge off the flow and intervene as little as possible. do whatever it takes to win. flesh out your arguments in the rebuttals. compare evidence. give judge instruction.
speed is fine. clarity is better. slow down on analytics and tags. something i've been told is to put a decently chunky card at the top of your 2ac blocks to give the judge pen time.
explanation is more important to me than evidence, and i will only go back to read ev if necessary.
don't insert evidence; i will only evaluate it if you read it.
smart cx questions are deadly and will be rewarded.
be respectful and have fun :)
theory
voting issues are typically a reason to reject the argument, not the team.
not the greatest judge for condo/theory in general, but if you choose to extend it, explain it well and do good impact calculus. i'll assume dispo means you can kick the cp if the aff reads perms or theory unless you define it otherwise.
efficient condo extensions in the 1ar are lovely.
don't read hidden aspec/theory.
t
i default to competing interpretations. have a lot of evidence and make sure you're comparing evidence quality.
reasonability is convincing against contrived t violations, but i'm not great at evaluating it. we meet is a yes/no question. caselists are very helpful.
k
haven't dug very deep into k literature. i'm better for more common/straightforward k's (cap, security, setcol), but better explanation overcomes most barriers.
i am agnostic on framework, but i'm sympathetic towards 2ar recontextualizations bc 1ars on fw are painful. i am especially sympathetic to 1ar args when the block is sloppy on line-by-line and makes vague cross-apps from the overview.
the link debate is super important -- be specific to the aff and explain why the two worlds are incompatible. "whoever talks about the aff more in a kritik round usually wins."
alt explanation is so crucial too -- what does the alt actually do? if the alt can solve a majority of the aff, that lowers the threshold for the link soooo much. root cause explanation also helps a ton.
cp
case-specific and advantage counterplans are really fun. i prefer functionally competitive cps with solvency advocates, but do whatever it takes to win.
i'm neutral on cp theory, but if the cp has good solvency advocates, i err neg. smart perms will be rewarded.
give instructions for sufficiency framing and judge kick. i default to no judge kick.
presumption flips aff if you go for a world, but i can be persuaded by "less change" or "neg flex" means presumption is neg warranting.
da
impact calc is great. turns case analysis is super important, but don't overdo it because it's largely irrelevant if you lose the rest of the da. explain perception/timeframe differentials and why they matter.
k affs
very fascinating. t-usfg, cap k, and piks make the most sense to me.
i prefer clash as an impact to t, but choose wisely based on the aff and their strat. smart tvas access and mitigate the aff's offense and helps 2nr analysis so much.
misc
post-round me! i think it's really educational.
don't steal prep. don't be racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic/etc.
if you find an ethics violation pre-round, please tell your opponents. treating it like an in-round strategy is a terrible model for debate.
see the paradigms of christopher thiele,yao yao chen,and eleanor barrett for more details.
Newbie Coach for ADL
I flow.
I give pretty high speaks if you're nice.
Email Chain: Brandonchen.135@gmail.com
Ask in round if you want to know more about me
Peninsula
Emails
High School: jordandi505@gmail.com
College: jordandi505@gmail.com; debatedocs@googlegroups.com
Evaluation
I will flow and decide according to that flow. Technical execution and judge instruction in accordance with that flow will override any preferences. Debate would be untenable if I arbitrarily imposed my thoughts and opinions into certain arguments.
Other than the fact that I will flow, most other things about my evaluation of a debate are incredibly malleable. Judge instruction and “framing” of different portions of the debate should be utilized by debaters both early and often to resolve central questions of the debate. This means that a lot of things are up for debate and should be contested, ranging from impact calculus to the permissibility of “new” arguments to inserting a re-highlighting to presumption. If a team forwards a claim + warrant for how I should evaluate a particular issue, it is the burden of the other team to refute that. The only exception that comes to mind is if it’s “new” in the 2AR, where I will reasonably protect the NEG.
If teams leave important issues unresolved, I will attempt to reach the most “reasonable” conclusion.
In that vein, I tend to vote for the team that best identifies the central questions of the debate and rigs them in their favor. That is preferable to me than being provided a “menu” of arguments to possibly vote on.
Whether an argument is considered “good” or “bad” is not something that impacts my decision-making. What determines the quality of an argument is the debating and/or evidence. If you believe an argument is “bad,” you should have no problem persuading me that is the case.
I tend to decide debates quickly. That rarely has anything to do with the quality of the debate. Rather, I have been able to follow the central questions of the debate, which allows me to evaluate it as the debate is ongoing.
I have zero desire to adjudicate anything not pertaining to the debate in front of me.
Planless AFFs
I find answers to T that focus heavily on impact turns related to the process of debate that the NEG’s model forwards to be the most persuasive.
A counter-interpretation is useful to filter AFF offense. I am less persuaded by AFFs that lack a counter-interpretation. However, there are times when no counter-interpretation can be better than having one. This usually occurs when the AFF attempts to use their counter-interpretation mainly as defense to T. For example, it’s difficult to persuade me that a counter-interp is sufficiently predictable to outweigh NEG offense absent a large impact turn. In that situation, winning the large impact turn would have already been sufficent for an AFF ballot.
Debate is certainly a game, but it may be more.
T impacts about fairness / clash are more persuasive to me than topic education.
I think most 2ACs to even generic critiques, such as the Capitalism K, are poor and easily defeated.
The sole purpose of my ballot is to decide the winner / loser of a single debate.
K
The K should either be a DA to the plan or a framework argument that brackets the AFF out of the debate. I am worse for anything in the middle.
If both teams forward a framework argument, I will usually resolve that first. I have frequently been befuddled at how some can evaluate these debates without first going to framework. Additionally, I won't contrive a middle ground between both interpretations. If one team believes their interpretation is the middle ground, I am open to being persuaded. Too often these debates lack comparison and are reduced to the same buzz phrases.
I tend not to care that fiat is not real.
A note on “death good.” I won't vote for anything endorsing self-harm or violence against anyone in the debate. That is different than arguments like spark/wipeout, the "death k," or some revolutionary praxis. I think the line is generally a difference between arguments about the people within the debate vs actual academic controversy.
CP
I must know what the CP does, and it solves in order to vote for it. The combination of a vague CP text with a lack of explanation is not persuasive…obviously.
“Process” CPs are fair game. I have no strong disposition against these strategies and tend to believe the consternation around them is rather silly. This is mainly because I am relatively more persuaded by substance, as opposed to competition or theory, against these arguments than the average person. However, that is not to say I think most 2As are prepared to execute such a strategy (in fact, it seems to be quite the opposite). All that being said, I would prefer it if the CP had topic-specific evidence.
I am good for a model of competition based on “functional only” and “text and function.” Winning a model of “textual only” is a hard sell but not impossible.
Theory
Conditionality and judge kick are good. A longer ramble with specifics is below under “Long Conditionality Ramble.” My line is probably fiating out of a straight turn to offense you introduced.
Judge kick is my default. It will be difficult to make me not consider the status quo with only a theoretical objection. This must start in the 1AR.
Nothing is a voting issue aside from conditionality.
Most theoretical objections can be expressed through competition, and I would prefer that.This is mainly because most theory interpretations are incredibly arbitrary. There may be some exceptions to that, including, but not limited to, “fiating multiple governments” bad, “CPs must be policies,” and “fiating federal and sub-federal actors” bad.
DA
Fiat is usually durable, good faith passage and implementation of the plan.
I do not care about the “type” of DA. Anything is a free game, so long as you are prepared to defend it.
Recent and specific evidence is preferred but can be beaten by smart analytics and spin.
Fiating in offense is underutilized.
Turns case arguments (especially if carded) and “fast” DAs frequently swing debates for me.
T
Provide a clear vision of what the topic should encompass and directly contrast it with the opposing teams' interpretation.
Cards to support various parts of a T argument are underutilized.
Quibbles
None of these will decide a debate but may affect speaker points depending on my mood.
Here are some (I am sure the list will grow longer):
1. Please don’t refer to this paradigm. I have physically cringed every time this has happened, please stop. I might also prefer you refer to me as “judge” than randomly mentioning my name throughout a speech (though this is much more situation dependent).
2. Poorly formatted speech documents. I usually follow along during CX and tend to read cards during prep and other dead time. Bad formatting makes this difficult and annoying. This is not to say you must format in a particular way, but relative uniformity of tags, headers, and the like would be nice. There should not be deleted headers and tags, etc. This applies equally to card docs.
3. Too much dead time. Let’s pick up the pace, especially if you want to give me time to decide debates. Particularly, let’s start debates on time. It’s 2024, you should all know how to use email.
4. Discourse about small schools. I am not referring to this in the general sense but rather the haphazard way this is tossed around in debate arguments. Most of the time this is never in good faith and doesn’t make sense. Sadly, I don’t think being a small school excuses the need to answer the states CP.
Others
Evidence ethics or anything else in a similar vein should typically be debated. That's what I prefer but if there is a clear violation consistent with tournament policy, the onus is on the debaters to direct me to stop the round and address it.
"Being racist, sexist, violent, etc. in a way that is immediately and obviously hazardous to someone in the debate = L and 0. My role as educator > my role as any form of disciplinarian, so I will err on the side of letting stuff play out - i.e. if someone uses gendered language and that gets brought up I will probably let the round happen and correct any ignorance after the fact. This ends when it begins to threaten the safety of round participants. Where that line is entirely up to me." – Truf.
***Long Conditionality Ramble***
Here are my thoughts for the NEG. I don’t really have AFF thoughts other than maybe that these will be the most important things for you to grapple with. Things I am good for the NEG about:
1. I have yet to see a 1NC where I thought the 2A's job was so difficult that it would be impossible to substantively respond. For example, you don't NEED an 8 subpoint response with 5 cards to answer the Constitutional Convention CP. The flip side of this for the AFF is either establishing a clear and consistent violation from the 2AC onward or focusing on the "model" of debate to override my presumption that maybe this 1NC wasn't too bad.
2. NEG flex is great. Two sets of arguments are persuasive to me here. First, side bias. 2AR is certainly easier than the 2NR. I am unsure about "infinite prep," but I am persuaded that AFFs typically can answer most NEG arguments thematically. For example, having a good "certainty key" or "binding key" warrant addresses a whole swath of potential CPs. Second, the topic. Teams that appeal to the nature of the topic (honestly for either side) are persuasive to me. For example, the idea that appeals to "specificity" allows the AFF to murder core generics is one I find persuasive.
3. The diminishing utility of conditionality seems true to me. Appeals to "infinite condo" allowing the nth degree of advocacies is something I am presumptively skeptical about. There are only so many arguments in the NEG box that disagree with the 1AC in different ways. Take what I said about being able to answer arguments thematically to apply here. In addition, for the NEG to accomplish such a massive proliferation, arguments tend to be incomplete. Again, this was talked about above.
4. "Dispo" is a bit ridiculous. The 2AC must define it (the NEG needs to implicate this still). After some tinkering, I unironically began searching for a definition of "dispo." Everything I found either defines it differently from each other or from the way it has been defined in most debates I have judged. Therefore, I can be easily convinced the phrase "dispo solves" by itself does not constitute a complete argument. The only other thought I have other than the "plank + process spam" stuff (which I like) is that I can be persuaded "dispo" would mostly only ever allow one advocacy. It now seems intuitive to me that absent 1NC construction that made sure every DA was a net benefit to every CP, the 2A could force the NEG to have to extend everything but since one links to the net benefit, it would be impossible to vote NEG.
5. This is more of a random quibble that I think can be used to frame a defense of conditionality. It seems logical to me that the ability of the AFF to extend both conditionality and substance in the 1AR, forcing the 2NR to cover both in a manner to answer inevitable 2AR shenanigans (especially nowadays) is the same logic criticized by "condo bad" as the 2AR can pick and choose with no cost. It seems worse in this case given the NEG does not have a 3NR to refute the 2AR in this scenario. This is a firm view, but it seems much easier to me for the 2AR to answer the fourth mediocre CP in the 1NC (like uncooperative federalism lol) than for the 2NR to answer the 5-minute condo bad 2AR that stemmed from a 45-second 1AR.
Coach @ Asian Debate League
Debated 4 years at Kapaun** Mount Carmel in Wichita, Kansas, 2017
Debated 4 years NDT/CEDA/D3 at University of Kansas, 2021
Email chain: gaboesquivel@gmail.com
My biases:
I lean aff for condo. Some might say too much. I might expect a lot from you if you do go for it.
For K's I value consistency between the scale of the links and impacts i.e. in round impacts should have in round links.
I strongly bias toward "The K gets links and impacts vs the aff's fiated impacts" unless someone delivers a very persuasive speech. I can be persuaded that making a personal ethical choice is more important than preventing a nuclear war.
I lean toward affs with plans. Fairness concerns me less than usual nowadays. I like research/clash impacts.
I will read evidence and vote for evidence in debates where things are not settled by the debater's words. This happens frequently in T debates and impact turn debates.
Status quo is always an option=judge kick
How I judge:
I am patient with novices because most of my students are novices.
I listen first and read your evidence second. If you are clear, this distinction shouldn't matter. If you aren't clear I'm not comfortable reading your blocks and cards to fill in the gaps for you.
I flow and use everything I hear in my decision, and overemphasize what is said in the rebuttals. I'll reference the 1AR speech to protect the 2NR on a 2AR that "sounds new" and I'll reference the block on a 2NR that claims the 1AR dropped something. I'll reference a 2AC on a 1AR that claims the block dropped something, etc.
For a dropped argument to be a true argument it must have been a complete claim and warrant from the beginning. I am not a fan of being "sneaky" or "tricky". Unless you are going for condo ;)
I am persuaded by ethos and pathos more than logos. I find myself wanting to vote for a debater who tries to connect with me more than a debater who reads a wall of blocks even if they are technically behind. When both teams are great speakers I rely more on tech and evidence.
I try to craft my decision based on language used by the debaters. I reference evidence when I cannot resolve an argument by flow alone. PhD's, peer reviewed journals, and adequate highlighting will help you here. If I can't resolve it that way I'll look for potential cross applications or CX arguments and might end up doing work for you. If I do work for one team I will try to do the same amount for the other team. It might get messy if its close, that's what the panel is for, but please challenge my decision if you strongly disagree and I'll tell you where my biases kicked in.
**Pronounced (Kay-pen)
UK, Niles North
CONTACT
---add arielgabay1710@gmail.com
GENERAL
---technical execution overdetermines everything. I will try my absolute hardest to be non-interventionist and minimize it, in any regard, to as close to zero as I can. That said, in some debates, that's impossible, and if that is the case, I will let debaters know why I intervened, but will try and optimize that intervention towards what I believe is most far.
---what I mean by this is that I have zero preference for what argument you go for, debaters work hard and are passionate about different things, you should let rip whatever you feel best increases the chances of you winning, nothing is off the table.
OTHER
---please let me know if you are interested in debating in college, and want to know more about kentucky, don't hesitate to ask via email or at tournaments!! I almost always have kentucky debate stickers in my bag.
---I do not like dead time and will lower speaks and take prep if it gets egregious. for every 3 minutes, the round starts after the posted start time -0.2 speaks to the team whose fault it is (obv accidents or whatever happened).
---you are welcome to 'post-round'. debaters work hard and deserve to know why things were decided as they were. you are allowed to tell me you think I am wrong, and I will explain to you why I think that I am right.
David Griffith
Coach at the University of Kentucky and New Trier High School
griffithd2002@gmail.com for high school and college email chains as well as any questions you may have.
ukydebate@gmail.com and debatedocs@googlegroups.com for college email chains only.
Hate mail can be sent to jordandi505@gmail.com and/or debateoprf@gmail.com, and you are welcome to add both of those to any email chain if you want.
Two non-negotiables:
The aff must depart from the status quo---winning that the status quo is bad does not mean anything. If the aff does not provide a solution to a harm and instead chooses to simply explain how the world works to me, I will vote neg on presumption.
The neg always gets infinite conditionality---I am completely unwilling to decide a debate on how many positions were read. The neg will never be punished for obeying the pairing by disagreeing with the aff.
Other than those principles, here are some general notes that will help you get the best decision from me:
Organization is significantly more important than substance---I refuse to flow the speech doc. If you don't number your arguments, talk in intricately worded paragraphs, or fly through every argument at the same speed, I will miss arguments and feel that I'm a good enough flow not to feel bad about missing something. Debate is a speech activity.
Tell me what to do in every place possible---robust judge instruction is your only hope of avoiding catastrophic judge intervention in front of any judge. Final rebuttals should clearly explain the implication of winning your most important arguments relative to other arguments in the debate. Doing so will result in a faster, clearer decision and better speaker points.
Explain the importance of technical concessions---the bar I use for this is that I have to be able to explain to the other team what the implication was of them dropping a certain argument. Often, teams assert that things like "turns case" are dropped but won't say what this means. If you truly believe something is conceded and important enough to jump up and down about, don't leave it up to my intuition to figure out if it wins you the debate.
Complain about new arguments---I generally think new 1AR arguments have gotten out of hand. If the block makes deliberate choices informed by 2AC errors/concessions and tells me this, I am highly likely to obey 2NR judge instruction to ignore whatever the 1AR cooked up. For the aff, I am more than willing to entertain the idea that the 1NR does not get new impacts to the DA (or perhaps give the 1AR add-ons in response). For the neg, I am more than willing to strike an unwarranted "perm do both" from my flow of the 2AC if the 1NC explained why the CP avoided the net benefit (emphasis on explained).
Make complete arguments, and refuse to answer incomplete ones---it is not the 12-off 1NC that makes me angry, it is the 2AC that treats each off-case equally. If the 1NC doesn't read a link, the 2AC doesn't need to go to that sheet because fully conceding the other components of the DA doesn't disprove plan desirability. Is there value in hedging your bets? Maybe, but it's not always necessary. Similarly, I consistently see 2ACs that accurately assess that a 1NC position was incomplete and then spend an inordinate amount of time on that sheet. This will make me second-guess whether the 1NC applied because it tells me that you take the argument seriously. Stop doing that.
How should you approach debates involving planless affirmatives?
Shallow debating will favor the neg---I find that teams will often repeat lines of argumentation that they assume to be true without explaining them. For neg teams, this is oftentimes asserting that fairness is an impact without any of the explanation required to prove such a claim, and for aff teams, this usually looks like asserting some structural problem with debate and/or the topic without explaining why that problem exists/why the aff solves it. This is where my bias comes in: because I am more familiar with the neg side of things, when underdeveloped, I am more likely to intervene for the negative.
You don't need to adapt---I'm agnostic towards both the "best impact" to framework and the "best" way to answer it. I don't view framework debates as distinct from anything else and try my best to maintain the same conventions of judging that I do in every other debate.
Focus on internal links---what I mean by this is that teams seldom disagree with one another about whether debate has some value. The question that each team should try to answer in front of me is how we can maximize debate's value wherever it exists. A good portion of the final rebuttal needs to be dedicated to explaining why the model that you have forwarded does that better than the other team's can. This may just boil down to "do impact comparison," but I find that framework debates are more engaging to watch and easier to evaluate when teams explicitly focus on comparison as opposed to making large, structural claims and trying to get me to connect the dots for them.
What should you know in debates where the neg goes for the K against a policy aff?
Tricks are for kids---I'm a terrible judge for teams that rely on dropped tricks in order to win, especially if those tricks are vague assertions of "serial policy failure" or "ontology" or "root cause" without tailored application to the aff. I'm a great judge for nuanced link debating, competing ethical frameworks, and alternatives oriented towards changing the world in some capacity rather than simply explaining it. Remember, I must be able to explain why arguments interact in order for me to weigh one in your favor, so if I can't explain why the link turns case, the link does not turn the case.
Here is a list of thoughts related to counterplans!
Judge kick is my default, I guess?---does this even matter in the year of our lord 2024, where no one goes for "links to the net benefit" and very few teams have full-throated defenses of permutations against anything but the slimiest of process junk? If no one tells me to kick the counterplan, I guess I'll kick it, but I'm a very easy sell on the argument that I shouldn't.
I need to understand CP solvency---I do not presume that a CP solves the case in the same way that I do not presume the 1AC reading a plan text automatically means it solves its advantages. The 2AC cannot drop solvency arguments if the 1NC doesn't make any. The same is true for the 1AR if the 2NC does not explain the CP. The neg burden here is not unreasonable, but I have seen enough decisions hinging on this issue recently that I feel the need to say this explicitly.
Not great in complex competition debates---these tend to be the debates that go over my head the most. I find myself voting neg a lot just because of technical concessions and a lack of 2AR judge instruction inviting intervention based on my general neg bias. Moreover, I am not intimately familiar with the inner workings of functionally and textually non-severance partially-but-sometimes-fully intrinsic permutations, and I require extra hand-holding in the 2NR/2AR on that particular issue.
Impacts matter---solvency deficits need connections to them. "Delay" and "certainty" only matter if the aff has a short-term impact that requires certainty. If I can't explain what impact that is, the deficit doesn't matter.
Regarding topicality against policy affs.
Love it---some of the best debates I've watched, judged, and have participated in involved T. Good T speeches earn very high speaker points. I don't really care what the T argument is as long as you explain it compellingly.
What is plan in a vacuum?---seriously, someone tell me. How do you interpret the plan in a vacuum? The 1AC read evidence that informs what the plan means. This is why the aff can go for solvency deficits against CPs and nuanced no link arguments against DAs. To me, it seems untenable to suggest that the evidence the 1AC used to define plan function should be ignored when deciding topicality. This is not to say that plan in a vacuum is completely unwinnable in front me. Rather, I am not a fan of writing vague plan texts that lack a clear mandate, reading a 1AC that defends potentially untopical action, and then going for plan in a vacuum as if the 1AC deliberately read an advantage/solvency cards about something the plan didn't do.
Predictability matters vastly more than anything else---I think that the more precise or predictable an interpretation is, the less it matters how good its limits are on the topic in a vacuum. If a "bad" definition is more precise or predictable, limits are solely a reason we should've written the resolution better. I am not compelled by neg limits arguments when attached to unpredictable interpretations. I am equally unpersuaded by whining about aff ground when attached to interpretations that barely define words in the resolution.
The aff should go for reasonability---this is the ultimate conclusion to my disdain for limits. Most neg impacts to T can be taken out easily enough that offense about substance crowd-out can outweigh them.
In the event that the neg goes for the status quo...
This is where I am the most neg biased---I am better than average for believing the world is better now than it is post-plan. I'm generally bad for structural uniqueness arguments if there's adequate link debating by the neg, and I am such a sucker for case defense that even weak DAs end up doing enough for me to win.
Evidence quality matters---this is in the DAs section of the paradigm because it is where it matters most. Far too often, teams read lots of bad cards that gesture at vague economic concepts for a few rebuttals, tell me to read the cards, and then don't look alarmed when I conclude that the cards sucked. Debates over bad evidence result in more intervention, particularly when that evidence is under-explained by the 2NR/2AR. This means that if you're going for the status quo with a DA that doesn't have the best evidence, you cannot afford to let your cards do the debating for you.
Thumpers are boring and cowardly---mostly applies to politics on this topic. "There are other bills in Congress" is not a link nor a uniqueness answer to the politics DA. You have to explain why your thumper implicates the DA or is not priced in by the neg reading a uniqueness card.
Be smart---I am not a particularly smart person but know one when I see one. Smart arguments as an alternative to getting lost in the cards will not only increase your chances of winning, but it will also boost your speaker points. Knowing stuff about the world is really cool.
Some more thoughts on impact turns.
Impact framing matters more than impact defense---I am more than willing to pull the trigger on impact framing even with unmitigated impacts from the other side. I am not averse to stomaching a nuclear war if animals come first or risking the heat death of the universe if future generations don't matter. I think people care too much about impact defense in this debates when it rarely matters. Invest more time in explaining how I should decide the debate than assuming I can follow the implication of every technical drop exactly how you envision I shoudl.
I have no thoughts on the substance of impact turns---everything is fair game. It is virtually impossible to get me to toss an impact turn without substantive refutation. If you can't explain why spark or wipeout or warming good is incorrect, you deserve to lose because the majority of impact turns are academically ridiculous and/or philosophically inconsistent.
Rishi Jain
Put me on the chain : 27rjain@woodward.edu
2nd Year Policy Debater for Woodward Academy — Class of 2027
Top Level:
Online debates if my camera is off I’m not there. Confirm I’m there before starting. Be a bit clearer than usual.
Tech over truth. I believe debate is a game and we're all here to win, though that belief can be changed through some good debating, as can all of my biases. I'll vote on anything (but the '-isms' at the end probably means I'll vote against it, just don’t be any of the ‘-isms’ and I’ll be able to vote on it if you win it.)
Judge instruction == appreciated.
I'm best for judging policy arguments.
Chances are I'll read your evidence. No card doc needed as long as you make it clear what evidence you're citing (alternatively, saying you're on the uniqueness debate, then saying '1NC evidence says [x]' also works, because I know its 1NC uniqueness). That also means you should have good evidence, or at the very least highlight it well.
CP's:
Love them. Running that insanely massive advantage counterplan is pretty cool as well once you read through all the cards and understand it. Might want to explain those decently well in the final rebuttals though. Judgekick if verbally told to, but that can be disputed easily. I don't judgekick by default — you must say it. Process CPs I don't completely like, but I'm 100% able to vote for them, I just think that they can't win against theory arguments and well-crafted perms.
No, it is not game over if you drop a CP plank. I like line-by-lining the planks of course, but those generic "only the aff can solve x" blocks might work out for you if the neg doesn't answer it correctly. Dropping a plank isn't me insta-voting neg.
CPs should be made to not lose to permutations easily. Don't read one that does.
I default to normal permutation theory: a legitimate permutation is one that includes all of the plan and part or all of the counterplan.
Of course, severance and intrinsicness need to be impacted out. Can't just say it’s severance and then move on. You'd be kinda in a weird place if they extend it and say that the internal link to severance perms being bad wasn't said, so there isn't a reason it's bad.
please give a solvency advocate. I’ll be more lenient on all arguments against the CP both real and theoretical if no solvency advocate supports it.
K's (both aff and neg):
(neg) K's are fine, but make sure you explain it to me. I'm not completely well-versed in K's. I’m good with understanding Framework arguments usually. Please make the links easy to understand. Similarly, K-AFFs are fine with me. I love a good K debate. Don't hyper-speed through your framework blocks, or really anything — being clear and concise is great. Also, define words. Please don't expect me to know some random word that the K makes up with a really vague definition. They're kinda interesting when well debated and explained! I’ve gotten better at them recently. If your framework doesn’t moot the aff, get a better framework please because it’s hard to evaluate the aff impacts v. Aff Reps/Epistemology. No framework read = default to evaluating the plan vs. alt and I’ll intervene when necessary if I don’t find any path forward to a decision given by either side. K tricks don’t really work for me without a really good top-level explanation, because most of the time I’m too dumb to understand them.
I tend to think of the K team as just spreading through blocks with incoherent buzzwords reading Ks where framework is just a bunch of repetitive, wrong, and bad garbage. Don’t be that team. There’s a reason I prefer policy arguments more: they actually make way more sense (though everything typically makes 0 sense in debate).
TLDR, default ROB = evaluate plan vs. the alt, default ROJ = determine winner of the debate. explain to me because I'm dumb with high-theory. Cap, Racial Cap, SetCol, Psycho, and Death Ks are the Ks I'm familiar with. I'm slightly familiar with Anti-Blackness and Afropessimism, but not 100%, more like 35.29%.
oh yeah and a fancy poem isn't a kritik. read a card. performance is only critical if you have evidence and you tell me it is.
(aff) K affs == cool. be clear because I know analytics won't be sent out. Saying a bunch of buzzwords and debate jargon isn't an argument, and if it's explained that way in the 1/2AR then idek what your argument is and I'll probably vote neg.
It is my opinion that novices shouldn't be reading a K Aff.
I personally think that W/M and a C/I on T is a terrible strategy compared to impact turning T. The aff has a reason why debating the rez is bad, now go figure out a way to apply it to T (even though, most T impact turns are wrong truth-level)
I think K v. K Affs is cool, so long as it doesn't become confusing. I think performance is able to be evaluated, but you gotta tell me that, and also I think that your performance can just be terrible being a reason I shouldn't evaluate it.
(general) Please utilize CX against the K. I think it's interesting when a K team explains their argument, but they should remember: buzzwords/fancy complex words that aren't things a typical high schooler would know about/understand are always bad. They get lower speaks from me too. AKA, anything ending with "-ology" should be explained, and anything with like over... idk 3 syllables? Just use your judgement.
DA's (aff and neg):
Always great. Maybe it would be fun to just bombard somebody with like 4-5 DAs, but I wouldn’t know. I especially love the all DA 1NR — I think a good 2AC makes it pretty time-pressured which gets all the good arguments and cards read on a position.
Remember the entire DA when answering it. I like to see good offense and smart arguments on all places of the DA. If somebody reads a huge 10-card uniqueness wall in the 2NC for a DA, why bother with the uniqueness debate when you could do a UQ o/ws the link?
Yes, yes, you can win 100% risk of defense. I'm not offense-defense.
When going for offense, please do in-depth clash.
Also, I love these nice turns case people are always making! Do them analytically. If the 1AR drops them, make it the ballot! Turns-case is lovely.
UQ CPs need to be well-crafted and have a reason that they can't be permed. Most lose to PDB. A contrived reason that they can't be permed is kinda stupid though.
Politics DAs == Love them. Elections and PC tradeoff is what I'm familiar with most.
In general, I think that on most DAs the 2AC should have both analytics and cards. Preferably keep the analytics to truth-level claims about how illogical the DA is, and cards go to technical claims that get debated. Analytics are a strong tool for 2As to use against a DA, but making them reinforce technical claims (your cards) with truthful facts means I'll probably lean more aff than neg because the DA doesn't make sense according to those truth-based claims + whatever tech thing you're winning
This might be controversial but I think the best 2ACs on a DA should also keep their best argument at the top. Whatever you think the 2AR should be, let me know it by having it be the first thing written/typed. Followed by the second argument, etc.
I know some people like to organize it by UQ, L, I/L, ! but that can happen in the later speeches — I think starting with your best argument communicates something about it because it's good enough to go to the very top of a block.
Impact Turns:
Love them!! Especially the ludicrous ones. Not much to say. They're a really underused and OP strategy (well, it's only super good if there's good evidence. That's the basis of all argumentation — evidence)
Imo, unethical impact turns aren't a voting issue. Tech over truth means what it means. I'll vote on death good, spark, etc.
kicking case and going for an impact turn is kinda underutilized.
Ts/Theory:
No preferences for Ts. I like running them, but unless the aff is like egregiously untopical or they just drop T, I think it's hard to win. I don't have any random prefs like reasonability first or whatever. Just tell me in the 2NR/2AR why your model of debate is good and why their model is bad. This goes for all theory: All theory is is just a debate about models. Why is your model good? Why is their model bad?
T's are good. Convince me. It’s especially interesting when the AFF is definitely 100% topical but you still argue T. Theory arguments are fine, but I would prefer you don't go all in on theory if you still have some other chances of winning elsewhere in the debate. It takes time to understand and, even though the impacts are evaluated first, I would prefer theory as an end-of-the-debate-all-in-nothing-to-lose sort of thing. No, this doesn't mean I err to reasonability, it just means that if I think you could've gone for something else, or had you been winning somewhere else, why would you take the time and extend that theory? I get it if they drop it, but just going for theory for giggles isn't going to get some cool speaker points in lieu for that nice in-depth econ DA debate you could've had rather than the boring condo debate.
Of course, if you're losing, I guess theory is your savior. Just don't forget theory crossapplications.
Save T for the 2NC not the 1NR. It isn't that much of a deal if you run the same old T an aff has seen 100 times against it and all the 1A has to do is pull out some blocks and that's it. At least in the 2NC they think there's something important going on.
General:
Open CX/'Tag-Team' CX is allowed. Don't bulldoze your partner. You're both supposed to know your arguments.
Don't cheat. I always prefer 0 downtime in debates, so do you really need that marked doc? If I can't understand your argument, you should either go for another one or consider a different argument. I won't vote on it if I can't understand it. If you say it, I evaluate it, and I try my best not to do work for you. Slow down on analytics please I'm decent at flowing but I'm not the godly listener-hyper-typer flower. Be clear please!
Sometimes I flow on paper. Sometimes I don't. That shouldn't affect how you give your speech. Give me pen time and time to switch between flows, and clarity please.Justify new arguments if they’re in the 1AR/2NR/2AR. New 2AR arguments aren’t evaluated (the ones that are really new and unjustified, also, new warrants count this way too). Time yourself. I will time you as well. Use Microsoft Word & Verbatim please for sending docs. At the very least, use word and I’ll convert to verbatim. Unformatted docs are not appreciated, and if you don’t send out some cards, chances are I won’t read them. I won't dock speaks if you don't use word + verbatim, I'd just prefer it this way.
I'm fine with fast spreading, but make sure you are clear when you do it. If I can't understand you, I won't count the argument; please make an overview, but don't have a 5 minute long overview. Tech > True unless both sides are over on tech, then I evaluate the truthfulness of the argument. Explain K's completely, don't expect me to know huge vocabulary words (like seriously, what is floccinaucinihilipilification?). I flow and I use speech docs. If you're going to remove analytics from speech docs, slow down on them.
Comprehensive case defense > running as many off-case as possible and practically dropping both advantages
(and extend that case defense too! I love an in-depth case debates! Affirmatives should be ready for in-depth case defense, not just count on too many off-case and low case defense. The way some affs are crafted is just horrifying to me.)
Double DA block == overpowered.
Speaker Points:
Mainly based off of CX and Rebuttals (unless something sticks out to me during the constructives [including 1NR, yes the block is a constructive]). Immediate loss + 0 speaks if any racism, sexism, or any lgbtqphobic things occur (+ cheating). Basically, don’t be offensive and I won’t give you low speaks. Don't do the '-ism's
Just do your best and you'll do well!
Peninsula '26
peninsulamkdebate@gmail.com
Top Level: Tech > Truth.
No marked copies if it's only one or two cards.
Asking for skipped cards/positions requires prep or cross-ex time.
Time your own stuff and keep track of prep.
Open-cross if fine, don't ask if it is. Don't interrupt your partner.
Disclose at least 20 minutes before the round.
Tech > Truth.
All theory is a reason to reject the arg not the team unless dropped or its condo. I will evaluate the condo debate purely technically.
Good for T, Disads, and all counterplans.
For Middle Schoolers only: If you read a process CP and the other team can't answer it, and then youdon't go for it, and win, I will give you much higher speaks.
Fairness. That's all I'm going to say about kritiks.
Reading any kind of "Pomo" K is the equivalent of speaking Mandarin in front of me: I will claim to know what you're talking about but will only understand 10% of it.
People you can roast for 0.1 extra speaker points-
Jordan Yao
Aiden Kwon
Iva Liu
Scott Wheeler
Jonathan Yang
Jeremy Kim
Vincent Liu
Anyone in the BEJJP Lab
Anyone on the Pen Debate Team
peninsulalailai@gmail.com
Peninsula '24
Stanford '28
Novices, remember these things:
Do line by line. Try to answer your opponents' arguments in the order they made them.
Extend your offense first. This means if you're aff, extend your advantages first. If you're neg, extend your disadvantages first. Defense (responding to your opponents' offense) comes later.
I have found two extremes with evidence. In half of the debates I judge, cards get forgotten. In the other half, cards are overemphasized and rebuttals are referring to cites instead of making the actual argument. Remember to find a balance where you explain your arguments, but refer to authors to support your arguments.
Understand the arguments you are making. I understand it's easy to read the files your varsity teammates gave you, but really try to understand, please.
Ask questions!
peninsulaLL27@gmail.com
Try my best to be tech > truth.
Flow and respond to your opponents arguments.
Cards are not everything! You do not have to read a new card for every argument the opponent makes. Try your best to use evidence you have already read to respond. (2AC and onwards).
Evidence comparison is very cool. Please remember you had 2 constructive before the rebuttals and use the cards you read.
Clarity > Speed.
Judge instruction in the 2n/ar is very helpful. Outline the exact reason that I’m going to vote for you and I will be extremely happy.
Be nice!
(Bonus speaks if you tell me who your debate idol is. Double if they’re from Peninsula)
put me on the email chain laurenmcblain28@gmail.com
Lincoln Park (CDL) 2016-2020
University of Kentucky 2020-present
don't call me "judge," lauren is fine.
Accessibility
preferrable to reduce speed by about 15%
analytics in the doc are appreciated and will result in a .2 speaker point bump
Policy
No experience on the current topic so don't overrely on acronyms or buzz words
Read whatever you want to read - i'll do my best to evaluate all arguments without bias. I have done all kinds of debate.
Tech > truth (mostly) - I have a lower threshold for silly arguments and think a smart analytic can beat a bad card.
T is good, theory is good, disads are good, counterplans are good, abusive counterplans are good, saying abusive counterplans are bad is good, Ks are good, K affs are good, framework is good. Everything that is not racist/sexist/ableist/and/or homophobic is probably good.except for judge kick - do you want me to tell you what to go for too? no thanks. However, if the block says judge kick and the 1AR does not say no judge kick, i will begrudgingly judge kick. if the first i hear of judge kick is the 2nr - the 2ar just has to say 'no' and i will not judge kick.
my voting record on framework is split 50/50.
im biased towards the aff on fairness - i have a hard time believing the aff makes debates procedurally unfair as long as there is a strong connection to the topic. that being said, i'll still vote for it even if i think it's a little silly. best aff strat --- nuanced counter interp that solves limits and ground or just straight impact turns. best neg strat --- tva + switch side.
K v K debates are cool and you should probably still make a framework argument about how to evaluate the round. i do not care if perms exist or not in a methods debate. convince me.
LD
I AM A VERY BAD JUDGE FOR TRICKS --- READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
PF
get your opponents emails and send your case to them before your speech. if you do not do this, i will make you take prep time for anything that exceeds cross time to send evidence back and forth to each other.
Novice
do line by line, respond to all arguments, and extend all parts of your arguments, split the block on the neg, and narrow down what you go for in the final speeches and you will be golden.
Evidence
Sometimes I follow along, sometimes I don't. I tend to only read the evidence when the debate is close or convoluted. Other than that, I think the debating should be left to the debaters in the room, not authors or coaches who cut the cards.
If you read a great piece of evidence but can't explain the warrants and your opponent reads a mediocre piece of evidence and can, I'm more likely to side with your opponent.
Qls 26
add me to the email chain: norahparampath@gmail.com
For Policy:
Focus on depth in arguments (claim + warrent + impact) and clarity more than speed. This means that even with conceeded args you must do the comparative weighing for me. Don't just extend arguments—explain their importance and how it impacts the round. quality > quantity (this means for spreading too). if u steal prep i will be sad :(
also, plz say what word u r marking a card at
Have fun :)
Thais (T.C.) Perez
CSSH'22/Wake'26
Coach @ Quarry Lane
Add to chain:
I evaluate debates through an offense/defense paradigm. I would consider myself pretty flow centric because I often forget things that were said in speeches otherwise, and it helps me determine how offensive/defensive arguments interact with the rest of the flow. I flow straight down, which means doing line-by-line is the best way to ensure everything you are saying gets written down. Cross-examination is a speech that I listen to intently and flow on a separate sheet; if you refer to moments from the cross-ex during speeches I will look back at that flow so take advantage of cross-ex moments to communicate to me, not the other team. I take a while for decisions, but this is mostly because I have a decision already written and spend time playing devil’s advocate to ensure that I made the correct choice. Sometimes, after this, the decision will change, but the vast majority of the time, it will not.
I can be convinced that many, if not most, arguments are true when judging a debate. Even if it is not true that “ASPEC causes extinction,” if technical debating deems that it does, then I am willing to vote for it. If you cannot prove that ASPEC does not cause extinction, you do not deserve to win the debate. That being said, this requires a warrant and an impact. I am unpersuaded by standalone claims without reasons behind them. This does not necessarily mean you need cards to support your claims, but it does mean that you need to justify what you are saying with some form of logic and explanation.
Before debating in college, I thought my ideas about debate would never change. However, I now understand that I am improving along with this activity, and my thoughts about debate will never be static. I believe that it is important to note that most of the ideas that follow are subject to change as I continue to learn from the activity and the rest of the debate community.
Plan affs:
I prefer it when “turns the case” arguments are substantiated with cards, especially if it is a non-impact turns the case argument [link turns the case/internal link turns the case/etc]. I think the politics disad is one of the more educational arguments in debate when written properly, even if it is not “real-world.”
In plan aff vs K debates, I will almost always look at the framework debate first, then the terminal impact debate. I will resolve the framework debate one way or the other. I find it frustrating and anti-educational when judges unjustifiably say things like “the framework debate was a wash” or “I didn’t know how to evaluate framework, so I weighed the aff and gave the neg links.” Aff teams should not underestimate the power of a well-explained alt solves the case argument.
Non-Plan affs:
Negative teams are always burdened with rejoinder, regardless of whether or not the affirmative reads a plan. Saying otherwise is callous and anti-educational. This is one of my views that will not change.
I do not have thoughts on whether or not clash/education/fairness are impacts or internal links. I do not have an impact preference on framework; proving to me that the ballot can solve your offense is the best way to win.
If you are reading a framework interpretation in a K v. K debate, explain why your method is best to solve or turn the other team’s offense.
Try to ensure that you have offensive reasons for why the perm does not shield the link. It will make your life and my life much easier.
Misc:
I find that debaters often attempt to adapt to their judges by reading a strategy that they are not as prepared for and is often not well-executed. In order to debate as best you can, read the arguments that you are most prepared to defend.
Plan/Aff vagueness is so obnoxious. Don't avoid explaining the mechanism or function of the aff, normal means, or how the theory you endorse interacts with the material. If the other team doesn't know what your aff does, neither will I which means I am likely to limit the scope of solvency to cross-examination and to what solvency evidence says.
I will default to competing interpretations on topicality. An offense/defense paradigm means that the affirmative must have an offensive reason why their interpretation is better than the negative’s. If reasonability is introduced, the affirmative must have justifications for why sufficiency [“good is good enough”] is a better metric for these debates and set clear standards for what reasonability looks like under their model.
I will by default judge kick conditional off case positions. I enjoy plan-specific PICs.
Don’t pref me if you don’t read a plan and care about winning.
It is true that every debater enters a two hour round wanting to win, and any argumentation otherwise will result in an immediate vote for the opponents in the spirit of unfairness, because you have just said that you do not want to win.
"When debaters walk in the room, they expect the judge to render a fair decision, not to rob them of years of hard work and dedication by substituting their personal biases for the arguments presented."
I try to make my speaks normally distributed (u = 28.4, sd = 0.5).
Prep ends when email is sent.
Topicality is primarily a question of truth.
Debate is better when debaters are dressed business professional (applies to online debate).
Everything is probabilistic. You can win the full weight of a dropped argument and easily still lose the debate.
Second year debater at Woodward Academy.
Add me to the chain: 26wrieck@woodward.edu
Tldr:
None of my argument preferences should affect the way you debate, make sure to clash with your opponents and have fun!
Tech>Truth
Be Clear, especially on tags and important analytics.
All dropped/mishandled arguments need to be impacted out.
If it’s possible use verbatim/word for docs.
Open cross is fine but if your partner is answering all your cross-ex questions it could affect your speaks.
Case:
Not too much to say here. In the 1NC try to get enough case defense instead of trying to outspread your opponents with more off case.
DAs:
Great! I have most experience with politics and econ, but great impact calc and turns case arguments can convince me of just about anything, especially case specific DAs. Make sure you have enough time to extend them, spending two minutes on a DA in the block for time skew probably isn’t a good use of your time.
CPs:
Most of them are great. I love well put together, case specific counterplans but will lean aff on theory and competition for process CP’s.
Ks:
Fine. Make sure to explain all Ks, especially high theory, and lesser-known Ks.
T:
Go for it! I think that T probably isn’t extended enough. Against small affs that avoid core generics, T is often your best bet, but you can still definitely go for it even if, on a truth level the aff is topical.
Ps:
The only situation you should extend the common ones (ASPEC/Vagueness) is if they are dropped or fully mishandled. I can be convinced of procedurals like any other argument.
Impact turns:
There fine. Most things from disads apply. Would love for a in depth shell to be read in the 1NC, a half-baked, 1 card impact turn can be really hard to win even if your opponent only has a few good arguments against it.
Condo:
I get that its really annoying to respond to a big 1NC but I think condo should be a last resort option, still winnable.
Winner of last year's CFL in policy debate!!!!!
(Assistant) Coach @ Shawnee Mission South
Put me on the email chain :) jrimpson123@gmail.com
TLDR:
Judge instruction, above all else, is super important for me – I think this looks differently depending on your style of debate. Generally, I think clear instruction in the rebuttals about where you want me to focus my attention and how you want me to filter offense is amust. For policy teams I think this is more about link and impact framing, and for more critical teams I think this is about considering the judge’s relationships to your theory/performance and being specific about their role in the debate.
For every "flow-check" question, or CX question that starts with a variation of "did you read..." I will doc you .1 speaker points. FLOW DAMNIT.
General:
I am flexible and can judge just about anything. I debated more critically, but read what you're most comfortable with. I will approach every judging opportunity with an open mind and provide feedback that makes sense to you given your strategy.
I care about evidence quality to the extent that I believe in ethically cut evidence, but I think evidence can come in many forms. I won’t read evidence after a debate unless there is an egregious discrepancy over it, or I've been instructed to do so. I think debaters should be able to explain their evidence well enough that I shouldn’t have to read it, so if I'm reading evidence then you haven't done your job to know the literature and will probably receive more judge intervention from me. That being said, I understand that in policy debate reading evidence has become a large part of judging etc, because I'm not ever cutting politics updates be CLEAR and EXPLICIT about why I am reading ev/ what I should be looking for.
Will have a high threshold for voting for out-of-round violences, but if provided with receipts it's not impossible.
Please know I am more than comfortable“clearing”you. Disclosure is good and should be reciprocated. Clipping/cutting cards out of context is academic malpractice and will result in an automatic loss.
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Truth over Tech -OR- Tech over Truth
For the most part, I am tech over truth, but if both teams are ahead on technical portions of the debate, I will probably use truth to break the tie.
Framework
I think debates about debate are valuable and provide a space for confrontation over a number of debate's disparities/conflicts. A strong defense of your model and a set of specific net-benefits is important. Sure, debate is a game, education is almost always a tiebreaker. Fairness is a fake impact -- go for it I guess but I find it rare nowadays that people actually go for it. I think impact-turning framework is always a viable option. I think both sides should also clearly understand their relationship to the ballot and what the debate is supposed to resolve. At the end of the debate, I should be able to explain the model I voted for and why I thought it was better for debate. Any self-deemed prior questions should be framed as such. All of that is to say there is nothing you can do in this debate that I haven't probably seen so do whatever you think will win you the debate.
Performance + K Affirmatives
Judge instruction and strong articulation of your relationship to the ballot is necessary. At the end of the debate, I shouldn't be left feeling that the performative aspects of the strategy were useless/disjointed from debate and your chosen literature base.
Kritiks
I filter a lot of what I have read through my own experience both in and out of academia. I think it’s important for debaters to also consider their identity/experience in the context of your/their argument. I would avoid relying too much on jargon because I think it’s important to make the conversations that Kritiks provide accessible. I have read/researched enough to say I can evaluate just about anything, but don't use that as an excuse to be vague or assume that I'll do the work for you. At the end of the debate, there should be a clear link to the AFF, and an explanation of how your alternative solves the links -- too many people try to kick the alt and I don't get it. Links to the AFF’s performance, subject formation, and scholarship are fair game. I don’t want to say I am 100% opposed to judging kicking alts for people, but I won’t be happy about it and doubt that it will work out for you. If you wanna kick it, then just do it yourself... but again I don't get it.
Any other questions, just ask -- at this point people should know what to expect from me and feel comfortable reaching out.
Goodluck and have fun!
New judge
Speed: You can go fast but remain coherent
Make sure kritiks are explained very well and are not confusing, if you can’t explain them don’t run them.
Write my ballot for me in your last speeches.
Email: jet.semrick@gmail.com, taipeiamericanpolicy@gmail.com
Coach @ ADL and Taipei American School | Debated @ University of Kansas 2019-2023 and Shawnee Mission East 2015-2019
______________________________________________
Summary:
--My goal is to render a decision without intervention. I will work hard to evaluate and provide helpful feedback for any arguments presented regardless of my opinions. I enjoy judging debates where debaters work hard. I am currently an engineering graduate student.
--I believe AFFs should be topical and solve a unique problem. The NEG should argue the AFF is undesirable. I am a good judge for any strategy that demonstrates the plan is a bad idea.
--Quality of an argument matters. I am more likely to be persuaded by complete, sound, and logical arguments. However, technical debating can change this predisposition. A dropped claim is irrelevant unless accompanied by a warrant and explanation of how my decision should be impacted.
--Preference for fewer, but more developed positions over many underdeveloped ones. My ideal debate to judge is the topic disadvantage against the largest affirmative on the topic.
--Take the debate seriously. Be reasonable with down time, sending out emails, and please don't send out or ask for a marked doc if it's not needed.
--Ethos, clarity, and strategic decisions will be rewarded with speaker points.
______________________________________________
Policy:
Topicality vs. Plans
Plan text in a vacuum is not a persuasive defense of a non topical AFF.
Topicality debates where I vote NEG are generally not close because of truthful arguments that are difficult to overcome via technical debating. High quality interpretation evidence is important.
Prioritize the internal link over impact explanation. Give examples and context. Ground is the most compelling standard because a 'limits explosion' can be mitigated by the existence of predictable and high quality NEG ground.
Counterplans
Specificity is best. Evidence that compares the CP to the plan is the gold standard. 1AC re-highlightings are persuasive.
Competition debates are boring and I usually vote AFF because the NEG is reading and not debating. I sympathize with the need for process on bad topics, but economic inequality... give me a break.
I will judge kick counterplans unless told otherwise. I think conditionality is bad, but necessary. I am convinced that fiating out of solvency deficits and straight turns in the 2NC is not a good practice. In general, more counterplans equal worse debating and lower speaker points. In truth, I think dispositionality is a better model because it would require more strategic decisions and research on the part of both the AFF and the NEG. However, that does not mean I am more likely to vote AFF in a condo debate. I generally end up voting NEG because conditionality does not make debate impossible and NEG flex is important.
AFF on consult, delay, process, international, word PICs, and fifty state fiat. These are reasons to reject the argument. Debates with a partially intrinsic permutation versus a non-germane process counterplan favor the AFF.
Ideally, the NEG specifies net benefits and establishes competition in the 1NC.
Disadvantages
DA and case 2NRs are the best debates to judge. I enjoy debates about the economy and politics. Mechanically sound DA debating is a lost skill. Turns case is most persuasive when supported by evidence.
The AFF should read offense when answering DAs. If the NEG wins an uncontested link argument, AFF uniqueness arguments are less persuasive because there is always a risk the status quo is stable given the certain instability of the plan. The resolve this problem, disprove the internal link which is typically the weakest part of the DA.
Case
A block and 2NR that prioritizes the case is potent given the AFF trend to be efficient at any cost. Solvency deficits and alt causes are more compelling than impact defense.
If you decide to read a "soft left" AFF make sure the framing page is meaningful. Generic framing arguments are boring and generally still devolve to magnitude x probability. I am more willing than most to vote AFF for a small magnitude high probability advantage vs. a low risk high magnitude DA.
______________________________________________
Critique:
Topicality vs. K AFFs
I want to vote NEG in these debates. I have never been compelled by arguments for why the AFF should not be topical. If the NEG reasonably executes the argument they will receive my ballot.
Fairness is the best impact for T. I am also persuaded by impacts about iteration, research, and clash. Without a predictable AFF constraint, I don't think debate could exist. I think topicality is like a baseball strike zone, its boundaries are not perfectly defined or perfect for either team, but without it the game could not be played in a competitive manner.
In order for the AFF to win, they need to defend a model of debate that provides a valuable role for the NEG, solves AFF offense, and is mutually exclusive with the NEG model. If you are impact turning NEG standards, you must provide a compelling reason why voting for your advocacy resolves your offense.
Critiques vs. Policy AFFs
I will likely weigh the plan. To win, the NEG needs to win link turns case arguments, solvency deficits, or impact turns.
Both teams should have a reason for making a framework argument. The 2NR and 2AR need to give judge instruction for what I should do if you win or lose your framework interpretation. I default to weighing the impacts the plan can solves against the impacts of links that the alternative can resolve. I think the AFF is only responsible for impacts that they make worse.
I think the alternative should materially solve a problem, and am not persuaded by rejection style criticisms. I think linear DAs can be good and can be persuaded by an impact framing argument if you win a non-unique link to the plan.
I am persuaded that the NEG does not get to sever reps if other arguments are explicit contradictions. Examples of this are reading the cap K and growth DA. The AFF should exploit tensions between pages and generate smart DAs to alternatives or link turns.
______________________________________________
Ethics Violations:
I would prefer for debates to be completed and am not interested in judging the moral character of debaters or events that took place outside of the round. I value my role as an educator and will intervene or answer questions mid debate if that leads to an agreeable resolution that allows the debate to continue.
I would prefer to strike evidence rather than end the debate. Questions about qualifications, context, and argument representation should be argued in speeches to undermine the credibility of a position.
If there is a formal ethics challenge by a team, the debate ends. If the challenge is successful, the team who made the challenge wins and receives average speaks. If not, they lose and receive low speaks. I will defer to tab, my experience, and advice of others.
If the issue could have been resolved before the debate and is unintentional, I will likely reject the challenge. If I catch clipping, I will give a warning during the speech under the assumption that debaters are competing in good faith. If there is an egregious pattern or the warning is ignored, I will vote for the other team at the end of the debate.
Add me to the email chain: nkshetty170@gmail.com
Parent Judge
Tag team/open cross is fine
Do’s:
Speaking clearly
Being nice to your opponent and make sure to smile!
Adding everyone to the email chain
Dont’s:
Toxicity
Non disclosure
Being mean to the judge or the opponents (there’s no reason to be mean)
Being late
Be respectful, debate is supposed to be fun. Speak clearly and don’t be condescending to your opponents.
Have fun!
Pembroke hill 26’
Email:msiragusa26@pembrokehill.org
Second year of policy
Overview
You can make jokes just make sure its appropriate
Go for whatever you want, Ill flow what you say.
I'm fine with policy or K as long as I can somewhat understand the argument.
Don’t be super rude, or hateful.
I don’t mind if you go super fast just make sure you’re clear.
Ask me any questions.
Theory
Condo: can be good if done well, make good arguments
Disclosure: I like disclosure, if you don’t disclose and the neg runs disclosure theory ill probably lean neg
Other stuff depends.
T:
T can be good
K:
Ill try my best to understand but explain your stuff well
Not the best with Ks so explain what you’re trying to say
Disads:
I like disads
Goofy disads can win if the aff fails to respond to them or if they don't respond well enough
I like PTX disads
Make sure to do it well.
Counterplans:
Counterplans are fun
I'll vote on condo if I have to
Cross:
Make sure that you aren’t incredibly rude
Don’t be annoying
Make sure that you’re ready
(( _ _ ))..zzzZZ
Paradigm
University of Miami '25
I am Bria (she, her, hers) and add me to the email chain please — bsslater02@gmail.com
General stuff:
- I love judging debates and debates should be enjoyable. With that being said, please be nice to your opponents AND your partner. It is more than okay to be strong while you speak during things like CX, but still be respectful to each other.
- Debate how you want to debate, but please note that I am not the best judge for heavy theory arguments.
- Of course, don’t run anything offensive/inappropriate.
- All I ask speaking wise is for clarity and I will tell you if I need you to speak clearer. Don’t get so caught up in trying go fast if you are no longer clear. I don’t want to have to continuously ask you to be clear.
- I am fine with tag teaming during CX but only under certain circumstances. If it doesn’t fall under these circumstances then, please do not speak if it isn’t your turn.
- If your partner is completely stumped with a question and is saying nothing, then you may speak.
- If your partner is about to say something that may lose the round for you.
- Don’t just rely on cards. With that being said, evidence is great! But your entire block shouldn’t just be reading through cards. I will read through the cards, especially if you keep emphasizing one, but reading off nothing but cards won’t get you the debate no matter how good they are. You should explain why your evidence is better. That comes with really knowing and understanding what your evidence is saying.
- I don’t really like “sneaky” debaters. Here is a scenario to explain what I mean by this. Pretend I am a debater in the round and I have just made my speech doc and I save that one for me. I then make a copy of that speech doc and remove all the analytics, perm texts, counter interns, and stuff like that so the other team will not see my speech doc. Remember, if you are trying to hide stuff from the other team by removing stuff from your speech doc, you are also hiding it from me. :)
- Don’t clip. You never know when I get suspicious of you clipping and when I do, I will watch closely and you don’t want to get caught clipping!!
- My motto is even if you do not know what you're doing, just pretend you do :) you'll do better - guaranteed!
- Might be an unpopular opinion, but I am more likely than not truth>tech
With everything else, I want you to debate how you want to debate. At the end of the round, I will look at what both teams have presented me and I will make what I believe is the best non-biased decision. Also, I will not debate for you. Do not assume that I will defer to your side for any reason.
Good Luck!
Back ground on me Perry 23' Uk 27' I have judged / competed in almost every debate category. I mostly debated in Policy and I currently debate for Kentucky.
For judging:
Email: Add me to the email chain Resl227@g.uky.edu Please Name the email chain and use a formate similar to this: Tournament Name-Round # AFF Team v NEG Team.
Arguments:
CP Theory: I am not the judge for a big Counter Plan Competition round or high theory debates. I can judge these rounds I just don't enjoy it. Aside from that you can read whatever you want.
CP General: I also think that CP's need to be explained--tell me what the CP solves and how it is different from the aff etc. Please have some kind of net benefit with the CP. When aff explain the function of the perm and how it avoids the links don't just assert Perm Do Both and move on.
DA's: Love a good DA -- a strong link story is important. Comparative Impact calc is also important.
K's: I think most K arguments are interesting so long as they are explained (don't just expect me to have read all the same literature that you have etc.).
T: This is a hit or miss with me. I am not super familiar with the HS topics that could work in the favor of the Neg. Just like everything else I need you to explain to me why this matters what the violations is etc.
Round Etiquette: Tag cross is fine. Overall just be respectful of me and your opponents and we should be good.
Cliff Notes: Debate is supposed to be fun and educational. I am here not to insert my own opinions but to judge what is in front of me, and I will do that to the best of my abilities.
Feel free to ask me any clarification questions about my paradigm before the debate starts.
add me to the email chain (both please):
mrajusrikantam@gmail.com
qlspolicy@gmail.com
background: currently a 2nd year varsity policy debater for quarry lane (2N/1A) and student coach for novice policy at quarry lane, but briefly did PF and extensively did most speech events + congress for all 3 years of middle school
not novice/tldr: im pretty involved with debate and can probably meet you where you are, so debate how you want---as long as you debate well (judge instruction, clash, weighing) you'll have a fair shot at winning your argument. only slight note for k debate (on aff and neg), ill be good unless its above a mid-level highschool varsity standard. also, i defer judge kick unless debated otherwise. i mostly work with novices so that's what the rest of this paradigm is geared towards, so if you don't think that describes you/its 5 minutes before the round, feel free to skip the rest. good luck!
For Novice Policy (10/20/23): i recommend looking at my pf paradigm below and taking whatever applies to policy out of it. but for a more top-level and policy-debate oriented summary, my most important things/some reminders are:
- i am tech > truth --- this essentially means that if an argument is dropped (not answered) by the other team, i wont let them make new responses and will take your argument as the "truth" in the round, giving you the full weight of it. however, you must point out the argument is dropped, explain the argument itself, and tell me why them dropping it is important. just extending it really isn't enough---and this goes for arguments that aren't dropped too. the flip side of this is to make sure that if you think an argument is winning, extend it in the 2nc/1nr for neg or 1ar for aff so that you can have it in the 2nr/2ar---i wont let you make arguments that weren't in previous speeches UNLESS it's a response to a new argument your opponents make.
- do weighing and respond to your opponents arguments --- debate is about interacting with your opponents, not having a one-sided monologue. if you aren't comparing your arguments to your opponents (telling me why your evidence is better and their evidence is worse, explaining why your argument matters more than theirs, telling me why the reasoning behind their arguments is stupid, etc), it will be very hard for me to decide the debate. i will reward you making + explaining smart arguments and interacting with your opponent's arguments with high speaks.
- extend your arguments fully --- for a DA, that means explaining your uniqueness, link, internal link, and impact—for a counterplan, that means solvency (how does your counterplan solve all of the affs plan) and net-benefit—for a K, that's your link, internal link, alternative, and if you need it, framework—and for topicality, that's your interp, violation, standards, and voter (more on this at the bottom***)—again, if you don't do this, it makes it hard to decide the debate because then i have to intervene and decide whether or not i will give you whatever part of your argument you didn't extend (which means you could lose a round you deserve to win). and again remember, extending an argument isn't just saying the words "link: the plans progressive taxes hurt the IRS" and moving on, but explaining HOW progressive taxes hurt the irs (all your warrants and arguments should come from the card you read before)
- collapsing on neg --- i know it's tempting to go for everything in the 2NR, but you need to make a choice and go for one winning argument. that can be a counterplan + DA, just a DA, just the K, just T, or maybe even really explaining a turn or 2 turns you have on case. of course, make sure your arguments are offensive (reasons why the aff is actually bad and i should vote negative) and not just defensive (arguments that minimize how good the aff is/their impacts). if you are going for a DA, it is good to have case for weighing (your impact outweighs or maybe even turns theirs), and for the K or CP, it is good to have case against any solvency deficits (reasons your cp/alt don't solve all the of affs plan). if you're going for t however, you don't need to go for case or anything else at all because t is a procedural argument and is what i will evaluate first.
- sending evidence/general in-round logistics --- make sure to adhere to your prep time and time your own prep + speeches---i will also be timing you, but it's a good practice to have. while i won't vote against you for minor and clearly accident clipping (not reading all of the highlighted words in your cards), if you are being really abusive then it's kind of forcing my hand. please just say "mark the card at (the last words you said)" if you want to start reading another card---i really don't want to vote on clipping. send speech docs on the email chain with all cards BEFORE speeches—this applies to any card you read, unless you decide to read it mid-speech (please include analytics for the 1nc/2ac---be kind to your opponents). and lastly, this goes without saying, but racist, sexist, homophobic/transphobic etc. arguments/behaviors will not be tolerated by me and result in bad speaks and/or being dropped.
- flow!!!!! --- it's super important to make sure to respond to your opponents arguments and realize that they dropped some of your arguments. i'm gonna decide the round off my flow, so you should plan how to win the round off yours.
NOTE TO NOVICE DEBATORS:having done novice policy extensively myself and currently coaching my own novices, i have a lot of sympathy for novice policy debaters. i know this type of debate is hard to grasp and i want to do my best to help you understand it, so that you can enjoy policy and stay in the event if it's for you. please feel free to ask me questions post round, whether or not its about the debate that just occurred or my decision---ill be happy to answer any policy-related questions you may have :) as we can see from my paradigm, i'll definitely have a lot to say. best of luck in all your rounds!
***note for topicality, conditionality, and theory, if you're kind of lost: yes, if topicality is dropped by the aff or condo is dropped by the neg, i will automatically vote for the neg (for topicality) and aff (for condo) as long as you extend everything you need for it. i'll explain that below, but my recommendation for novice is that you justread your entire block from the 1nc/2ac to make sure you got everything (minus the cards on t---dont reread them, just read the tags of the cards). anyways, if you want a more thorough explanation: extend your interp (for topicality, this is usually a definition that is the first card you read in the 1NC [ex: job guarantee does not include job training], and for condo, it's the top or bottom line [condo ex: unconditionality/dispo/1 or 2 worlds solves]), explain why the other team doesn't meet your interp, also known as the violation (for t, this will be like "the aff violates---they include job training" or for condo "they are conditional and read 3 counterplans", your standards (which are probably prewritten and something like limits/ground for topicality, or depth/time skew for condo---make sure to explain them, or again, just reread your block from previous speeches) and your voter (essentially your impacts, probably fairness or education, but as long as you say the words "this is a voter" ill vote on it). theory is the same (interp, violation, standards, voter) but i'll be really hesitant to vote against the other team on it unless when you read your theory block in the 2ac/2nc/1ar, it says "this is a voter" or you yourself say "this is a voter"---otherwise, ill just reject the argument its on (probably the K or CP) but not vote completely against them on this issue. i love t and theory and can pretend to like condo, so if you have any questions, i'll be delighted.
For PF (4/2/23): tech > truth. i will judge off the flow. debate the way you want, but keep in mind that i am coming from policy and you should treat me like a tech judge. having been on the receiving end of interventionist rfds myself, i will strive to keep my personal bias to a minimum. however, that means that YOU have to do the work for me. do weighing. tell me what arguments matter more and why. be comparative. i value and reward the explanation and implication of arguments. don't just extend arguments—explain their importance and how it impacts the round. quality > quantity. on that note, make sure you are extending arguments correctly and fully (uniqueness/link/ILs/impact). i am good with speed/spreading, and i will be okay to judge a theory/k debate as long as it's no more than a JV-policy level debate. i err disclosure good and paraphrasing bad, though you are welcome to try and change my mind, i won't hack for them. send speech docs with cut cards BEFORE speeches—this applies to any card you read, unless you decide to read it mid-speech. have warrants to back up your claims. i don't really have a tolerance for bad evidence ethics, so send those docs and don't misrepresent your cards. frontline in the second rebuttal. if you go for an argument without frontlining defense, and then your opponents extend that defense, i will evaluate it as conceded defense. any argument that isn't responded to in the next speech, besides 1st constructive, i will consider dropped. offensive args in final focus must be in summary, and defense isn't sticky. any argument you want in the ballot must be extended in summary AND final focus, including dropped defense. take advantage of dropped offense + collapse! both are strategic decisions and i will reward them if they call for it. dont steal prep or be disrespectful. this goes without saying but racist, sexist, homophobic/transphobic etc. arguments/behaviors will not be tolerated by me and result in bad speaks and/or being dropped. admittedly, i am actually really intrigued by pf cross and all its theatrics. however, i won't evaluate cross unless it's brought up in a speech.
lastly, feel free to post-round me! i think its highly educational and good for debate. good luck everyone!
p.s. yes i know this pf paradigm is practically a copy of sachi patel's---she is and probably always will be my best connection to PF :)
kentucky '25
- please please format the email chain correctly -- tournament name -- round # -- name (aff) vs name (neg)
POLICY
- do what you want, i genuinely don't care what you run and will listen to every argument within reason
- make my ballot for me -- don't make me have to debate the round for you because i won't -- tell me why i'm voting aff/neg and what i'm voting on
- cx is binding and i will flow it
- i enjoy watching methods debates but am probably a better judge for clash rounds
- the case debate is under-utilized in most debates
- i love impact turns (please nothing offensive though)
- condo is probably good - i can be persuaded otherwise but if it's less than 5 it will be an uphill battle
- i LOVE a good T debate
- "better team usually wins |---x---------------------| the rest of this" -- dave arnett
+0.1 speaks if you can make me laugh
- have fun and if you have any questions, just ask!
PF
coach for ivy bridge academy
- explain your arguments well -- i will never vote on an argument that i don't get a full explanation of
- crossfire is binding and i will flow it
- final focus should be writing my ballot for me -- tell me why i should vote pro/con and what arguments i'm voting for
LD
- i have limited experience judging/coaching LD and will judge it like its a short policy round
- i'm probably better for k or larp rounds
- i'm not sure why teams think that perm double bind is sufficient enough to win a round on
- i do not like voting on egregious theory but i begrudgingly will - that being said if theory/tricks comprise your core strat i will not be pleased
- since LD rounds are pretty short, i prefer when you really commit to one strategy
Woodward class of 2026
Yes email chain -- 26ltharp@woodward.edu
I am willing to evaluate most arguments and believe in tech > truth. The most important thing to me is clash, so make sure to do that as well as line-by-line. Also, make sure to speak clearly. Go Debate!
+0.2 speaks for showing flows after the round
Most of my argument preferences shouldn't effect how you debate, but here they are:
DAs
Love them! Both DA+CP and just DA 2NRs are great. Make sure to do turns case and impact calculus to frame my ballot. Good turns case/calc wins debates, so do it!
CP
I like advantage CPs, but think that a lot of process CPs are very cheaty. I err aff on most process CP theory, but neg on most other CP theory. However, I find it more convincing to go for competition against process CPs.
Condo
On a truth level I think excessive condo(4+) creates really unfair and uneducational debates. However, I think it can also be hard to convincingly win condo bad on the aff. I think competing interps w/ 2 condo vs 3 condo and stuff like that is really silly.
Ks
I like aff-specific Ks that are well-explained and well-linked out. However, I find generic Ks that can apply to any aff and any topic very unconvincing. Using quotes from the affirmative and explaining those really help solidify the link for the negative. On framework, on a truth level the best FW is probably letting the aff weigh case and letting the neg weigh the K. However, good debating will change how I evaluate framework. For the affirmative, if the negative forwards an unfair framework interp and spends 5 mins on it, don't be afraid to try to beat it.
K-Affs
I lean heavily negative on topicality against K-affs and find clash to be the most convincing impact against these affs.
T
T is fun! Make sure to do impact calculus with the theory impacts. However, I likely won't find T very convincing against very common affs.
Update MSTOC '24
"We have Alex Borgas at Home" Alex Borgas at home:
I debate(d) for Peninsula, I won a few tournaments and broke at TOC. I qualified to CHSSA, somehow.
"I agree with my coach on everything" section - see Gordon Krauss, Rayeed Rahman, or Jared Burke
CX, then LD, then CX then LD.
My history in this activity is just Lay -> Phil -> K -> Theory -> Kant/Critical Combo -> LARP with varying degrees of success.
Operating Procedure
I like debate. Here because I want to be here. Will give your speeches full attention. Taken from Pat's paradigm, "That means I will not be half-flowing speeches while texting friends, I will not be checking Twitter or spacing out during CX, I will not "rep out", and I will not rush my decision to get back to my own team faster"
Definitely on paper in person, 60-40 towards paper for online debate. Indifferent to being on the chain.
How do I win? (MOST IMPORTANT)
Respect. It's good. But so is answering arguments in the order they were made. Tell me why you win.
Policy 2023-24
Background. Cut lots of cards for this, I know a lot of the core affirmative and negative positions on the topic. I didn't debate this topic as much as I wanted to due to circumstances beyond my control, but I'm confident in my adjudication ability as I've spent many weekends thinking about it.I worked with some younger debaters to various degrees / did pre-round prep / cut cards / drills. These kids ran Poly-Crisis and Degrowth.
Econ, Politics, and Elections need updated uniqueness evidence - reading cards from last yar when your opponent has one from last week puts you in a difficult spot.
Second constructive should leverage positions in your first. Sandbagging is terrible. You should present your best version of your argument as soon as possible. I don't understand why you need eight "econ high now" or "biden wins now" cards in the 1NR but you do you.
I dislike novice T debates because no one does any weighing or line by line at all. If this isn't you, this is a challenge to change my mind. I dare you, and if you succeed in this endeavor you will receive no less than a 29.1. Please don't use topicality or theory to exclude less experienced debaters.
2NRs should get to the case and 2ARs should get to the disadvantage -reiterating your points means nothing amidst uncontested points by your opponent.
Condo prob not that good but not that bad.
If you're reading like > 5 off case positions in novice consider why and how this will help you or your opponents learn... but also they have eight minutes to answer it so tough luck for them I guess? If this paradigm says anything it's that I prefer depth.
LD
I do/did this. Topic familiarity high.
Will evaluate after 1NC; 2AR is "after 1NC"
Do anything
Phil/LARP > K > T/Th >> Substantive Tricks >>>>> Theoretical Tricks
Theory prob DTD. Make reasonability offense.
I'm the only person associated with my school in many, many years who gives a damn about philosophical arguments. Like, I read these. I also read the books they're cut from, and I think they're an integral yet unfortunately fading part of this activity. Cards are cool but like you don't need them. I really don't get the obsession with "I have a card and you don't" - like we're all smart people who can justify things...
TLDR: Time yourself and do what you do best, and I will try to make the correct decision. Extremely low tolerance for disrespect. Do not say death is good. Minimize dead time and read aesthetic cards for higher speaks. Be nice, stay hydrated, and have fun!
Email: Add poodog300@gmail.com. Set up the chain before the round starts and include the Tournament Name, Round, and Teams in the subject. Will start prep if you are taking too long. Please take the two seconds it takes to name your file something relevant to the round.
AFF Things: Know what you are defending and stick to it. I will vote on any theory push if debated well enough, but most things are reasons to reject the argument. Terrible judge for non-resolutional K AFFs.
CP/DA Things: #Stop1NAbuse. CPs should have solvency advocate(s). I think competition debates are fun. Not a fan of UQ CPs. Politics is always theoretically legitimate. Can vote on zero-risk.
T Things: Don't blaze through analytics or at least send them out. Explain what your model of debate would look like. Outweighs condo and is never an RVI. Plan text in a vacuum is silly but I will vote on it.
K Things: Agree with JMH: policy debaters lie and K debaters cheat. Don't understand nor plan to learn high theory literature. No good in K v. K. I will be very unhappy if you read a K in a Novice/JV division or against novices. Debate is a game and procedural fairness is an impact.
PF/LD Things: Paraphrasing is fine if you have evidence that can be provided when requested. Will not vote on frivolous theory or philosophy tricks. Ks are fine if links are to the topic.
Nice People: Debnil. Both Morbecks. Michael B. Cerny. Steve Yao. Delta Kappa Pi.
Mean People: Eloise So. Gatalie Nao. Chase Williams. Kelly Phil. Joy Taw.
20250944@student.nths.net - New Trier ‘25 - they/she/he
tldr:
- Be kind, above all.
- Tech > truth, except in certain circumstances below
- Explain your violation and impacts under theory
- you should probably strike me in a K aff debate
- My tech > truth ideology peaks in T
- explain your Ks
- CPs + DAs are chill
- I won't vote on death good
- constructives are for constructing, rebuttals are for rebutting
- relax. have fun.
people who have significantly impacted my thoughts on debate, in no particular order, include Aaron Vinson, Tim Freehan, Dave Weston, Margaret Jones, Rocky Shapiro, Nick Wilson, CPSW lab leaders, and CFMP lab leaders. do with that what you will
First and foremost:
I will never tolerate racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, or general xenophobia. I will email your coach, auto-L, and give you the lowest speaks possible. Debate should be a safe space for people to have fun, not to be attacked. I will stop the round if you do anything that makes the debate space unsafe.
Death good = auto-L, lowest speaks possible, email to your coach. 2Ns, don’t look at this and think ‘but could it be a throwaway?’ Don’t force debaters to deal with that, you have no clue what people are going through and making the debate space violent and unsafe is the antithesis of why I do debate in the first place.
Theory:
In this instance, you really need to explain to me why what they did screwed you over and probably the farthest I get from tech>truth. Why did a neg generic PIC make it so unfair that you should win the round because they ran it? Is 1 condo advocacy that bad? Should your one-sentence hidden aspec be given enough weight to earn a whole ballot? You can win this, but know that the more teams that have won against it, the more the odds are stacked against you. In-round abuse will change this, though. If the neg ran 15+ condo, weaponized perfcon, or ran ten new 2NC CPs with no justification other than ‘condo!’, something like that, run theory and you have a decent shot.
If you're doing a condo 2AR when the neg didn't drop condo, I probably already mentally voted neg.
Case:
I went to camp for 7 weeks and my mom is a prosecutor, so I'd say I know my way around this topic. As a result, you can get away with less explanation of your aff, and I'll err on the side of Googling it if I don't know the terms you're using in return :)
I'm a 2N, but I also see no way around this if I'm team 1% risk---if the 1AR stands up and tagline extends case, there is now a risk of case. A small risk that a DA should be able to outweigh, but a risk nonetheless. I know a good block case strat when I see one, and if you pull it off I will be extremely impressed, but you need offense, not just defense.
Also, exception to team 1% risk, I will vote on presumption if case is a crush and I can't give the aff more than 5% risk, or if the DA is a crush and I can't give the neg more than 5% risk.
K affs:
I should know what your aff does coming out of the 2AC at maximum, and preferably out of 1AC cx. Especially here, I won't penalize speaks for 2Ns saying 'what is this' and you should respond with something that would be understandable to someone who hasn't read your lit(e.g. don't say 'we advocate for a method of corporeal care', say 'we advocate for creating a space for caring about the condition of humans')
Topicality is capital T true, maybe one of the most true arguments in debate, and both teams know it. Please, act like it. I don’t care whether you go for clash or fairness, as long as you have an impact. Most of the time I go for clash, so if you choose that route, I’m better versed there. I’ll still vote on the flow, so aff teams, you can win.
If you say that your survival hinges on an aff ballot, I will be uncomfortable for the rest of the debate.
But honestly, if you read a k aff, you should probably strike me. I don’t believe that these arguments should be ran in novice debate.
T
In general, I don’t like these debates, and reading dictionary definitions after a round isn’t that fun. But if an aff is genuinely untopical and you're sure that their strategy against all of your offense will be 'no link', go for it!
Ks:
I default to the judge is a policymaker, the aff can weigh the plan, and the neg gets whatever fiat they want, but can be convinced otherwise with good debating and warrants. I'm more familiar with cap and security, so other Ks need more explanation. Side note, if you use words that wouldn't be recognizable to anyone who hasn't read your literature(like simulacra in Baudrillard) then please explain them in the block, not the 2NR, otherwise the aff's job is much harder.
read me if you’re actually considering running a K: I come from a hyper-policy school. While I don’t think that this biases me against K arguments, I cannot stress enough how much I will not vote on an argument that I don’t understand. I will appreciate it and spend extra time to try to understand it during decision time if you’re clearly trying your best to explain a K to me. but at the end of the day, you should strike me if you’re running high theory K arguments.
pronounce kritik like critic or cricket and I'll boost your speaks +0.2, and ask Len Livshits or Lindsay Ye why.
CP + DA + ! turns:
For process CPs, I’m aff-leaning on perms, and neg-leaning on theory. For all other CPs, I’m neg-leaning on theory and perms, and aff-leaning on solvency or offense. You need to tell me to judgekick and use sufficiency framing. It’s two sentences and is probably already in your 2NC O/V. If you think that the competition debate is messy, just go to why your standards outweigh theirs(ie- neg bias) and what your standards are.
If your adv CP doesn’t have a solvency advocate, you are the solvency advocate, and I treat the CP’s solvency as such. fyi ;)
100% or 0% risk only exists if the argument was dropped or kicked.
but like...who dislikes adv CP + innovation DA?
2Rs:
Be nice, don't lie, framing my ballot at the beginning of the speech is always a good idea- don't let your opponents decide what the round is about.
Arguments need a claim and warrant in earlier speeches for you to win extending them. eg. ‘CP can’t solve i-law, moving on’ in the 1AR without ‘it’s not a clear signal’ means that I won’t give the 2AR ‘it’s not a clear signal’. I’ll auto-strike new arguments off my flow for the 2AR, so 2Ns, don’t worry. This also goes for the 2NR- you’re not allowed to make up new net benefits or add a fw DA.
This is technically the 1AR, but honestly idk where else to put this- my bar for a warrant in the 1AR is significantly different from the 2AR. For example, states CP(this wouldn't work on the IP topic, if you say this word for word I will be extremely annoyed). If the 1A says the words ‘extend perm do both - looks like federal follow-on so it shields the nb, done by federal funding and state implementation’ and then answers the neg’s reasons why pdb fails, that is all the explanation I need and the 2AR is clear to extend pdb. I’m a 1A, I get it, 1ARs are hard.
If your 2R is less than five sentences and you win, you’re getting a very high 29. If you lose, medium to very low 28. If the 2NR is less than five sentences and is about to win, but the 2AR somehow pulls off something amazing, both speakers are getting high 29s :)
Speaks:
Arguing with your partner will shred your speaks- especially if they're giving the final speech. I don't care if they dropped condo, took 1NR/1AC/1NC(especially 1NC prep can be quite useful, if used well) prep, or went for the thing you think will lose you the debate. You're not helping them nor yourself.
It is very, very, very easy to make me laugh, and this is under the speaks header. Do with that what you will.
I’m a very expressive judge, to the point where if you look at me during the other team’s speech, I’ll probably look back and signal if I buy the argument they’re making or not. Also, I LOVE eye contact during your speeches bc it makes me feel like we’re friends, pls do that and your speaks will look like you’re my friend :)
But I will give high speaks. My baseline is 29, and if you ask post-round I’ll tell you what you got
CX:
Speaking over and then proceeding to repeat exactly what your partner would have said in cx will hurt speaks and almost always what the 1A speaking during 2AC cx or 1N during 2NC cx is like.
Yes open cx, don’t abuse that. The 2N shouldn’t answer all of the questions in 1NC cx.
I will never dock your speaks for asking 'what is this' questions in cross, but it will hurt your ethos if you ask the 1N to explain a core neg generic.
CX is binding, UNLESS the team goes back on what they said immediately and unanimously. Otherwise, you're tied.
I can tell when your varsity just gave you a list of cx questions and told you to ask them, and it’ll hurt your speaks if you do that. Yes, cx is hard, but you need to start out by struggling through it, and ultimately you’ll get way better!
Other:
I’m cool with sending cards in the body of the email.
The more prep time you steal, the less time I have to make my decision, and that favors the team that didn’t steal prep. you’re not just cheating, you’re hurting yourself.
Uncarded arguments are still arguments, but they will probably lose to carded ones. You're a high schooler, 'i’m the solvency advocate' arguments require a LOT of ethos.
Please please please, if you have a blippy 1AC/1NC/2AC, come back from it. This is why I love debate- things can change so quickly and I love being in rounds where people do. your speaks will reflect this, too.
Run what you're cool with, kick what you're not, and make your 2R the best it can be!
glhf :)
current bias:
Policy v policy: 11-9 neg
Policy v K: 1-1
K v policy:
K v K: 1-0 neg
New judge. Please refrain from spreading. If I cannot understand you, I will take off speaker points.
Debaters are encouraged to try a variety of arguments, but bear in mind that arguments that are logically sound and easy to follow are likely to be most persuasive.
Good luck and have fun!
Put me on the chain: quarrylaneyy@gmail.com AND debate@student.quarrylane.org
tech > truth
Hi, I'm Sam, a Junior at the Quarry Lane School. I've done PF debate for the past 5 years and I dabbled in Policy earlier this year.
Tech > Truth
I will be able to give a decent decision in Case/DA debates but will need more judge instruction with T, K, and complex CPs debates.
Hi everyone who is reading my paradigm,
My email is eyoungquist@averycoonley.org for the email chains.
I’ve been coaching policy debate for six years at the Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove, IL (it's a middle school). I’ve also judged a few rounds of high school Public Forum. I kind of fell into the job as a debate coach- I didn’t have any debate experience in high school or college. I've taught Literacy for 16 years, and social studies for the last three.
That being said, please treat the debate room like a classroom in terms of behavior and decorum. If the way you are acting would not fly at your school, don't do it in front of me. Debate can get heated, the CX can get pointed, but outright rudeness, swearing, etc. will come with penalties.
In terns of judging-I always view debate through the lens of a solid analytical argument, just like I would in my classroom. I need a cohesive argument, solid support, analytics, and a breakdown of why your argument is superior to your opponents’ argument. An “A” debate should look like an “A” paper.
Two things I don’t like to hear are extremely fast talking and cards that don’t support their tags. It’s great that you got through a lot of evidence and tried to put a lot of things on the flow sheet, but if you are only reading a sentence or two from each card and it doesn’t add up, it’s not a real argument. I need depth. I need CLASH.
I am really against fast reading. If you words are jumbling together and I can't make it out, it's not going on my flow. If I can't make out what you are saying, I am going to give you a "clear." If it continues, I'll give you a second one. Beyond that, I will disregard it if I can't make it out.
The round is going to go to the group that clearly lays out their argument (love signposting) and advances their ideas clearly while pointing out the flaws in their opponents’ presentation.
I’ll take T’s and K attacks that are on topic and make a valid point, but don't try to shoehorn something in just because it's what you always do. If their case is barely hanging on to being topical, go for it. Can you make a legit critique with some SOLID links? Go for it. Just don't get too esoteric on me, and MAKE SURE THE LINK IS SOLID (yes, I said it again)!!! Blocks of jargon with no real tie to the case will not work.
Please don't run a "K" Aff on me.
I am currently a Policy Debater at Gonzaga University and am coaching at Niles West High School
TLDR
Yes email chain - tzdebatestuff@gmail.com
Time yourself and time your opponents
I have experience with most types of arguments but don't assume I have read your author/lit already. Explain your theory/complex legal args in language that is understandable
Impact calc wins rounds
speed is fine but outside of policy it's cringe
Tech over truth within reason (ie a dropped arg with no warrant or impact doesnt matter)
I don't care at all what you say and will vote on anything that is not immediately and obviously violent
Not a fan of the super-aggressive debate style - unless executed perfectly it comes off as cringe 99.9% of the time
Judge instruction please
T
Some of the most interesting debates I have judged have been T debates against policy teams. In a perfect world the negative should explain what the in round implications of the untypical aff were as well and probably more importantly what it would mean for debate if their interpretation was the new norm.
Going for T doesnt mean you cant extend a case turn youre winning
I probably agree that a ton of small affs would be bad
FW
I have read both policy and K affs but recently have been reading majorly critical arguments
Debating about debate is cool but if it is distracting from x scholarship it is less cool
Bad K affs are not cool but good K affs are cool
K affs that don't address the resolution/stem from topic research are not good
I find myself pretty split in FW v K Aff debates. If the aff sufficiently answers/turns FW I have no problem voting aff to forward a new model of debate. I find this specifically true when the 1AC has built-in or at least inferential answers to fw that they can deploy offensively.
At the same time if the negative does good FW debating and justifies the limits their model imposes I feel good voting on FW. I am not convinced that reading FW in and of itself is violent though I recognize the impact these arguments may have on x scholarship which means that when this gets explained I am down to evaluate the impacts of reading these types of arguments but I don't think its a morally bankrupt argument to go for or anything like that.
Debate bad as an argument is not convincing to me, we are all here by free will and we all love debate or at the very least think it is a good academic activity. This does not mean you cannot convince me that there are problems within the community .
Switch side debate probably solves your impact turn to framework - affs that undercover SSD put themselves in a really tough spot. I often find myself rewarding strategic 2NR decisions that collapse on SSD or the TVA (or another argument you may be winning).
Theory
Theory is good.
If you read like 6 reasons to reject the team I think some warrants are necessary. ex:"Reject the team, utopian fiat bad" is not an argument
If you are going to go for a theory arg in a final rebuttal ensure your partner extended it substantially enough for you to have adequate arguments to go for or give a nuanced speech on the specific args extended by your partner - generalized rebuttals on theory are bad. At the same time I am cool with hailmary rebuttals on theory because you are getting destroyed in every other part of the debate
I tend to lean neg on condo stuff but not by much
Will vote on perf con
Dont read your theory blocks at 2 million wpm
Bonus points for contextualizing your theory args to the round they are being deployed in
If you want to go for theory spend more than 7 seconds on it when you are first deploying the argument
K
Cool with a 1 off and case strat
Kritiks are cool
Vague alts are annoying and if I cant understand how the alt solves case and you don't have good case stuff I am gonna have a tough time voting neg unless the link debate implicates that (and is articulated)
Explain links in clear terms and be specific to the aff you are hitting. Specific links are better than generic like state bad links but if you have a generic link please explain to me how the aff uniquely makes the situation WORSE not just that it doesnt make it better - these are different things
I am totally cool with performance and love me some affect but if you are reading cards about how performance is key to X and your whole "performance" is playing like 10 seconds of a song before your 1AC and you don't reference it again then I am cool voting neg on "even if performance is good yall's was trash" (assuming this arg is made lol)
Winning FW is huge but you still need to leverage it as a reason for me to vote on X. Just because you are "winning" FW doesn't mean I know how you want me to evaluate args under this paradigm. So, when you think you are winning FW explain how that implicates my role as the judge.
CP
CPs are great but 10 plank conditional counterplans are kinda silly.
2nc CPs (or CP amendments) are lit
Advantage CP defender
DA
DAs are awesome and CP DA strat is a classic
UQ is extremely important to me. A lot of links are ignorant to UQ so explain the link in the context of the UQ you are reading
Explain your impact scenario clearly - bad internal links to terminal impacts r crazzzzzy
PF
I did PF in HS but it was trad so I am likely going to evaluate the round through a policy lens.
Will vote on theory
Cool with K stuff
LD
Pretty much same as PF - never did LD but I have judged it a ton so I will likely judge how you instruct me to but default to a policy lens.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Debate is hard and stressful but relax and be confident and have fun!
Feel free to email me with any questions tzdebatestuff@gmail.com
QLS 24 | USC 28
Policy (3yrs) and PF (1 yr).
Email Address: zleyi0121@gmail.com ; debate@student.quarrylane.org
I learned everything I know about debate from Chris Thiele - his paradigm is 1000x more detailed than mine will be.
Top Level (TLDR):
- Tech > Truth
- OpenSource is good. Paraphrase is bad
- Speech Doc is mandated. Please set up an email chain before the round starts and send all your cards and evidence for each speech.
- Don't steal prep and time your speech
- Speed is okay with me (ie: normal high school/college spreading, so don't read spreading theory against your opponent pls. it's dumb.) Just be clear and be slower at the tag and analytics. (Notice English is my second language.) Quality>Quantity.
- Please Line by line the argument. Don't drop arguments and bring up brand-new stuff in your last speech.
- I have no offense with most arguments. You may say, "human extinction is good" or "xx country is evil." I am cool with animal and alien impact as well. At least you should follow the structure of "author+claim+warrants+data+impact."
- Won't judge kick unless getting instruction
- (MS/Novice rounds)
1. I don't believe in the stock issue. Sorry. How people debate in recent TOC/NDT is the only pattern of debate I learned.
2. Collapsing is important: I found many teams choose to go for all the things they have at the beginning to the end for both aff and neg, but none of the flow is fully developed. pls don't do that. Extend more than 2 offs in the 2NR is a signal of losing my ballot.
- Not a huge fans for overview. Just need one sentence in the top of the 2nr/2ar instructed me how I should write my ballot and why you win the debate.
- Cool with Post-Round. I think it's pretty educational. However, the question should be a more technical base regarding the argument. Instead of "I said this in my speech. did you not flow it?" (Truth: I post-round when I am a debater. I think it's more a process of self-validation. The ballot won't change, but I would tell you I made a wrong judgement if I truly think I made a wrong decision. The chance would be pretty rare though.)
For policy specific:
Topicality
- Prefer competing interpretations. Offense/Defense + weighing is better than just going for reasonability.
- More evidence + card comparison determine the truth usually
- In-round abuse is good, but you don't need it to win my ballot.
Theory
- I will vote on theory. However, if you are going to run really weird theories, you should consider either you have amazing standards and warranting or the other team screwed up.
- I prefer to be more offensive in theory. The same goes for topicality. Competing for an interp is definitely stronger than saying we meet.
- Condo: real theory arg, but I am really bad at going for it as a debater. I think the condo is a winning strategy for me only when the neg team drops (auto win or T > Condo?) or the neg off case span is extremely abusive. You can still extend condo and go for it, but my threshold for neg to get away with it in 2NR would be low.
- For independent theory on off case (eg. fifty state fiat and process cp bad), "reject the arg not the team" is sufficient for me if the neg team is not going for it.
Framework
- Powerful tool if you utilize it well. (Fun facts: I had ran a policy aff with 2min case + 6min FW in high school)
- Winning a well-developed FW would determine how I eveluate every argument in the round
- If you want to win the framework, you should contetualize with your opponents' counter fw and explain why your fw is less arbitary and produce better education, policymaking, etc for debate.
- Policy Aff Vs K: There's a really high threshold for me to agree not to weigh the aff, but if the aff team drops your FW, then nvm. (Truth: I hate FW. Every 2N told me I couldn't weigh anything.)
- FW Vs K Aff: Naturally, I prefer to go for Clash and TVA. Fairness can be an impact but less for me, especially when debate collapse on subjectivity change. History already show us K Aff won't completely disappear by reading more FW. Question more down to why the alternative model of debate is more important than the k. The only two true internal links for me on the neg are ground and limit. (Truth: everyone read FW against me I hate FW, but still go for it b/c I hate k v k more)
Case
- I think it's really hard for neg to know more about the case than aff does. If neg has an amazing case neg, I will reward the team.
- Go in-depth into the argument. Card comparisons are always effective. Weighing should not be later than 1AR.
DA
- It would never be wrong to go for a DA. Go hard on weighing + turn case!!
- Follow basic offense + defense pattern
- I feel like DA is the only section that is truth > tech for me. The evidence is the most essential part. The more recent cards plus good warrants always change the uniqueness and control the link.
CP
- My favorite off strat, go on competition
- I hate random cheating cp, especially when there are more than 6 offs. However, go for it when you need to win. (Truth: I also run these cps myself as 2N, but I still hate them when I need to answer them)
- Perm: prefer"perm to do both," "perm to do cp," and "perm to do the plan and part of the cp." You can read other forms of perms, but I don't think that's a winning strategy. (edit: if the plan is a process or devolution cp, i may buy intrinsic perm if u go well on theory)
Ks
- Prefer more plan based link.
- Both sides can fiat the alt. Prove to me how the alt solves the k and the case better compared to the plan. Of course, you don't need an alt to win the debate. I will treat the K like a philosophical DA if you don't go for alt; then weighing and framework is important. FW prefer weigh the aff against the alt. If your A strat is win the fiat K and "you link you lost," I am probably not the best judge for you.
- Perm is generally just served for checking uncompetitive alternatives.
- Ethics violation: If someone's discourse/behaviors has been called out as an ethical issue, I think an apology should always come first. If the situation falls into a deadlock, I would prefer to stop the round and call the tab instead of treating it as a link.
KAffs
- I debated K aff throughout my junior year, so I think I am somewhat familiar with it. I think K aff is pretty interesting, even though most of the time, it will end up collapsing on t-usfg. Statistically, 90% of the time, I am answering the framework, so I will still vote on it if you run it well. On neg, I usually run T against K aff, but you are free to run anything else.
LD:
- I have no experience with LD debate or topic, so I may judge based on policy standards. This means I will still try my best to understand your argument, but better no trick and philosophy.
Be respectful
Have fun!