Hi! I'm Haneen Awadallah (she/her), an avid lover of debate and good political discourse. I have participated in PF debates for five years--my entire high school experience--but I staunchly believe that all aspects of speech and debate are critical to fostering a healthy, conscious, and impactful life well beyond your teenage years.

One aspect of speech we often neglect is universal language. Jargon (language used in specific professions, like "GDP" or "OCO" for economics and cyber security) is perfectly acceptable, so long as you ensure that terminology are defined. Don't assume I'm educated enough to know something--always lay the groundwork yourself.

I always write a flowchart as I listen to the round, and I'll sometimes add in arguments I think of as the round progresses. I do take into account style when assigning speaker points, but I try to separate style from arguments when assigning wins/losses. If, at the end of round, you'd like to hear some potential arguments/counterarguments, feel free to ask! You won't be penalized at all; tournaments are your time to shine!

I do believe Ks and theoryshells, two debate tactics used within case-writing, negate the purpose of a true debate. (If you are unfamiliar with that terminology, don't worry about it! I can define it in person.) I vastly prefer evidence clash and creative, logical counterpoints when arguing. Avoid speaking so quickly that I cannot understand you--if you are concerned about your speed, talk to me before the round!

Respect your opponent(s), respect your partner(s), and respect your judge(s). I will keep time, and will offer a ten-second grace period for you to wrap up final sentences, but after that, I will no longer flow. I will ensure to mention this before round, too. This is to ensure fairness across both sides, as well as out of respect for your opponents. I heavily urge you to time yourself, however.

I strongly prefer roadmaps and signposts. You will not be penalized for lacking either, but roadmaps (detailing the order of which you plan to do your speech--defending your case, attacking their case, then running through impacts, for example) and signposts (alerting me what Contention, Subpoint, or which speech an argument was made in, so I can flow the argument across) do help clean up and organize your speeches. If you would like an example of either, ask before round! I'd be happy to elaborate.

I am always willing to offer advice and help, whether it be through simple accommodations or definitions or post-round discussions. I will not, however, tolerate any forms of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ableism, nor any other variation of identity-based discrimination. If you believe someone has said or done something harmful that I have not noticed, please bring it to my attention immediately after round.

I'm completely nonthreatening. Please feel free to ask or talk! I want you to enjoy and flourish in this tournament, truly. Don't be intimidated--I love teaching, and I love talking, and I love getting to show off. I was in your shoes! Have fun, play nice, and convince me of everything.

I see each round as a game: I start at 27 speaks, from there you win points for well-made arguments, good use of cards, and clear attacks and rebuttals and you lose points for dropped arguments, poorly sourced or clipped cards, and vaguely linked or unclear impacts. However, I won't flow dropped arguments to your side unless you call them out!

- The easiest way to earn speaks is to clarify the voting issues and prove how and why you outweigh. I'll weigh the round based on the criteria you give me, so be sure to give me a metaphorical rubric!

- I'm a tabula rasa, so I'll vote exactly how you tell me! So hit your framework/V/VCs early and often.

- When making arguments, I like to see claim-warrant-impact. I flow what you say, not what I think you mean.

- Spreading doesn't scare me and will not affect your speaks. However, if I can't flow the argument, you didn't make it.

- Cards should be clearly cited and available for review should there be a conflict over source validity or context. Clipping will not be tolerated.

- Signpost! Whenever possible, reference the Contention # or specific subpoint in your speeches and CX. Pretend I'm your pickiest English teacher.

- If you're running a K or using theory shells, explain it fully and explain it well, otherwise I'll flow it as a fluff argument.

- CX is for questions; if you make arguments during CX I will cry. If you make the judge cry, you will get lower speaks.

Finally, as a former debate team member and policy nerd, I love interesting debates; however, civility is of utmost importance to me. If you can't separate aggression from argument, then you might as well not even debate.

email: mikaylacfair@gmail.com

I competed in PF all four years of high school and went to nationals in PF. I also did OO and FEX for a year each. I currently compete in collegiate parliamentary debate, but I'm also learning policy debate in hopes of switching soon. I've also judged LD. I'm also currently an international relations major at Tulane.

Paradigm:

General- Please be respectful in and out of round. If you are racist, sexist, or homophobic to your opponent or to me, I will vote you down.

Public Forum-

• Please do not argue in cross-examination, and bring up anything important from cross in your next speech as I don't flow cross.
• Signpost (tell me what you're addressing on the flow).
• Almost nothing should be considered common knowledge, you need to have evidence for your empirics, please do not assume I know all the details of one really specific event.
• Ks/Theory: So long as you properly link it, I'm okay with it. I will warn you it is difficult to do K arguments well with pf time constraints so just be prepared for that.
• Framework: Warrant your framework and weigh it against your opponent's fw. Everything should flow through this lens so be sure to link it back into your speeches.
• Evidence Integrity: Please cite all your sources (last name & year). If you cite the same source twice please make it clear that this is a different citation of the same source. Do not power-tag evidence. Refrain from paraphrasing and if you do, it better say the same thing as your card and you better clarify that you are paraphrasing. You should be referencing fairly credible people.
• Email chain/doc: Please add to me any email chains or docs you have. I won't pay much attention to the cards in those docs unless they are repetitively contested and I'm told to reference it.
• No email chain/doc: Unless a card is readily disputed back and forth, I will not call for cards at the end of the round unless one team tells me to.
• Please run reasonable arguments. I know it can be fun to do something kind of outlandish, but just be careful. Honestly, I'm okay with it so long as you explain it well and link it well.
• In general, I'm tech over truth. The flow matters. Functionality matters, don't drop anything, especially your own arguments.
• Spreading: Personally, I'm fine with SOME spreading in PF just because time constraints suck, but also everyone in round needs to understand you. You shouldn't be spreading as a means of abuse.
• tech over truth
• Please bring up framing every speech. Tell me why you won the round, not just the individual arguments.

Lincoln Douglas-

• Please give proper backing for your value criterion and repetitively bring it up throughout the round.
• The value proven to be most moral is the one I will prefer for the round so make sure you uphold this, and better yet, make sure you uphold both values in your case.
• Please impact weigh. Sometimes arguments in LD get really broad, but it's important you apply those impacts in the round (aka. tell me what they mean in context, give empirics, numerics, etc.)
• Ks/Theory: I'm totally okay with these. Link it well and make it loud. If you're running a K, this should almost always be the center of your debate and the first and last thing you discuss. At the same time, please don't ignore the case debate.
• Evidence Integrity: Please use reliable sources and don't power tag anything. If you cite a source twice with two different cut portions please make it clear which is which or have a speech doc that can do the same. If you paraphrase anything please make sure you're actually
• tech over truth
• Please explain why you are overall winning the round, not just individual arguments. This should be connected to the value debate and general framing of the round.

Lastly, I understand that debate can be stressful and sometimes the decision of a judge may seem unreasonable or unclear, so if you have any questions about my decision/comments feel free to email me at mikaylacfair@gmail.com

Overall, spark clash and have fun!

I prefer no spreading, but I should be able to follow if absolutely necessary.

Overall, I am more traditional and look at Framework debates as well as how well cards are utilized.

My personal policy is I do not provide verbal feedback or announce the winner directly after the round. All notes, comments, and feedback are posted on my written ballots.

I do not prefer K cases.

Lawrence Jin

Jesuit Dallas '23, Currently debating for Tulane University

4 years of policy debate experience - 3 Years as 2N, 2A in my senior year.

Of course I want to be on the chain - jesuitmuji@gmail.com

1.) 5-10 min before round start - I am an econ major, so I have some rudimentary knowledge of fiscal policy. However, my knowledge of the topic should mean nothing to you, plz over explain - Novices and varsity alike - but especially novices - Practicing well-warranted clash and line by line (even if it means sacrificing some speed) will get you miles. I'm really not a fan of how block-centric Novice/JV policy debate has become and hope debaters can be competent at the most basic level of debating before relying on pre-written args. That said, I love debate and I hope everyone who participates in the activity would respect the game.

• If we're in zoom, slow down by 15%. This is purely for giving me pen time.
• 75% tech, 25% truth (No death good, no discriminatory args of any kind)
• The more thoroughly it is impacted out, the more understanding I will gain from it.
• Wanna read multiple offs? The links better be specific - I find it extremely difficult to evaluate neg condo args where the links and ILs are obviously used as time suck against the 2ac/1ar
• The 2AR/2NR need to give me a reason to vote for an argument
• Clarity/Logic > Speed - always
• Don't read blocky blocks and expect me to do the work for you.
• Make a tasteful joke during round and i laughed? Remind me after round and I'll reward you.. +.1 speaks:)
• Call me Lawrence, not 'judge' please :( I'm not that old
• That said, don't over-adapt to me, give it your best shot and I will do my best to evaluate anything you say. Have fun!

2.) Top Level - My RFDs ARE LONG! - If you need to leave, just let me know:) I believe learning by example is one of the best ways to educate. Therefore, I will do my best to deliver well thought out, well-warranted RFDs. I will attempt to be as thorough as possible in my feedback - if you have any questions after the RFD finishes, please send me an email.

PLEASE POST ROUND ME - I won't be offended and in fact - it shows to me that you are engaging with the feedback .. which is good:)

Those that significantly influenced my judging philosophy:

Tracy McFarland

Dan Lingel

Tejas Murugesh (The most epic Indiana business bro you'll ever know)

Cody Morrow

Jack Moore

3.) Speaker points - Line by line and high quality clash seems to be a rare occurrence nowadays.. To combat this, show me your flow at the end of the end, and if it's good, I'll give you +.2 speaks (we all want extra credit right..?) Being able to flow and clash are two of the most under-appreciated yet important parts of not just novice year, but debate in general. Tbh it's not hard to garner great speaks from me - debate is extremely time consuming and stressful and I understand how much speaks mean to debaters looking to clear - therefore, if you respect the game, I will reward you.

That said,

29.2+ You should break/Very Impressive Job/Chefs kiss cross ex etc

28.9-29.1 - You're on the right track/Great Line by Line with several stylistic Issues

28.5-28.8 - Average/There can be some improvement

28.3-28.5 - You made some errors/Multiple Strategic Mishaps

28.0 and below - You violated rules/you yelled at ur debate partner or smth

4.) Evidence and Cards - Evidence ethics and integrity is extremely important to me. If I detect clipping at any point in the round = instant L.

I do not like those that steal cards. If I find that you have stolen any piece of evidence from another team, school, or institution you read during a round, I won't vote you down, but I will not consider it.

Cards randomly containing 11 pages of 1 pt font in tiny text and 2 pages of actual highlighting? they make me :(

Why is quantity > quality meta nowadays?? Explain to me why a card is BETTER through recency and qualifications rather than reading more evidence. I'd much rather you explain something to me than expecting me to do the comparison work for you after a round. Remember the 3 Rs in line by line - Reference, Refute, and Read evidence if NECESSARY.

5.) Counterplans - Pleaseeeeeeeee enough of these nonsensical artificially competitive cps.. For neg, make it specific to the aff, don't read ones with terrible highlighting and throw them at the wall, expecting it to stick. I WILL sympathize heavily on the perm and any aff disads if the counterplan has blatantly artificial scenarios. For aff, definitely read theory, I have come across countless teams that rely on 4+ advocates with mostly terrible CPs.. that said, you should be specific in your theory arguments and impact them out with a warrant - " X Is a voter" by itself unironically isn't a voter.

6.) DAs - Uniqueness and links are key!! I like DAs with well crafted links that take account of current events. It might be my inner econ major speaking, but I'm a huge sucker for well contextualized and well warranted econ DAs!- This is true for both aff and neg.Links need to be well contextualized to the aff and well explained for me to understand them. If you're reading a generic DA like politics, please at least make an effort to explain why the aff triggers the link. Seriously, DAs like politics are almost solely dependent on the perception/signaling of the plan action. It's mostly on the neg to impact out the link, not the aff's ability to defend their plan. That said, the aff still has to make a substantial yet offensive push against the DA.

7.) Kritiks - I have gone for these the most - meaning I have an okay understanding of Cap K, Afropess, Set Col, Fem IR, with barely any knowledge on high theory Ks.. That said, my background knowledge in Kritiks should mean nothing to you - explain everything! SLOW DOWN! I find it extremely challenging to imagine a scenario where any overview needs to be longer than 30 seconds.. Links need to be contextualized to the aff. It helps if links have external impacts to the aff. If Util is bad, tell me why. If Cap is bad, tell me why. If I shouldn't weigh the aff, tell me why. If you signpost along the way, I'll tend to understand your story better - ex. "I'll do the link debate here," or "I'll do the Framework debate here." If you're a novice, you probably shouldn't read high theory...

Don't over-rely on the Framework debate - if you don't need it, then don't go for it, too many times have organized K debates been lost into the abyss due to investment to framework. On alts - please tell me what it is, or at least how I should evaluate it. I need a picture of what it looks like so I know what I'm voting for. If left to my own devices, I will evaluate the alt as a counterplan and links as DAs.

8.) Framework/T-USFG -If ur going for fairness - I need it to be impacted out - if not any other arg I talked about on my paradigm, I need framework impacts to be impacts .. with warrants and stuff. Typically, I prefer to evaluate on impacts like education and skills rather than fairness in a vacuum - it is honestly pretty arbitrary and tough to adjudicate without heavy reframing from the aff or neg

In my opinion TVAs are massively underrated given how most affs don't answer them correctly.

Both sides should warrant out any DAs or Impact turns to the others framework interp - I find these turns to be very persuasive. That said,if ur argument is FW causes psychic violence and policing - you'll have a tough sell with me bc debate is a voluntary activity and if ur actually experiencing psychic violence I am here to help

The neg should make a push why the aff can access their framework args external to the debate space.

9.) Affs - I've ran mostly big stick affs. You should make a well structured push on why your impacts are important and why they should be weighed in round. The internal link chain in the 1AC should be clearly signposted in the speeches. Most 2ARs don't frame the debate enough through the bigger picture. The 2AR shouldn't tell me why you won an argument, it should tell me why you won your debate. If you are specific and couple them with real life examples, you will find me very persuaded. If you decide to go for a perm, make sure to tell me what the perm does and warrant out what it looks like in the world of the aff.

10.) K Affs - They're good - there needs to be some semblance of of connection to the topic. Additionally, perms are underrated in KvK rounds.

11.) Closing thoughts

If you reached this far - good for you! You show potential and is open to growth - most debaters win 50% of their rounds and lose 50%. If you only learn something when you win, you'd only be learning something half the time! Remember, debate isn't just about W/Ls, it's more about the experience.

I am a lay judge. Please do not spread as that gets confusing for me. Please pronounce your case clearly and loudly so I can understand you.

- 10 sec grace will be given at the end of each speech

- No spreading, will heavily weigh in my judgment

I consider myself a judge who will listen to anything as long as it is warranted. I have voted on just about any argument you can imagine. I am open to both traditional and progressive arguments. Do whatever works for you. Please give me voters. I love seeing clear ways you think I should evaluate the round. If you only read this paragraph, here is the TLDR version. I love direct clash. Voters are incredibly important in the rebuttals. Don't make me do the mental work for you.

I competed for 3 years in policy in high school, 4 years of NPDA, and 2 years of LD in college, and I was a graduate assistant for the WTAMU speech team. I have been coaching in some capacity for the last 8 years, so there's not much you can run that I have not seen.

Policy Debate

Topicality

I enjoy a good T debate. Stock issues are still very important in traditional policy debates, and I want debaters to do it well. Run T if there is a clear violation. Please emphasize voters.

Disadvantages

Please read specific links if you have them. Tell me exactly how the aff plan fits into your scenario. I'm fine with terminal impacts as long as they are warranted.

Counterplans

I like CPs when they are run well. Please have a unique net benefit on the CP. You can read CP theory for the aff or neg. It's a neglected argument, but I like hearing theories on different types of counterplans and their validity.

Kritiks

Just like disadvantages, I think Ks should have specific links. Theory is great, and I enjoy it when it is run well. Make sure you have more than just a reject alt. What does the alt call me to do besides vote for you? Do not run multiple Ks in the same round/speech. A good K is a big enough theoretical and ethical issue that it should be your main advocacy.

Lincoln-Douglas

I coached in a very traditional area, which means I see a lot of traditional debate. Ethical debates are incredibly important, and they've grown on me as I have coached the activity. That said, I am open to more "progressive" styles as long as the arguments are solid. Each side should offer a value and a criterion for their case. However, you choose to structure arguments after that is up to you.

Public Forum

I have less experience with PF than I do with CX and LD, but I enjoy judging it. Unlike traditional policy debate, public forum debate does not require a plan text. The time constraints make policy-style cases difficult. I'm open to hearing that format, but it's not required to win my ballot. I want to see well-reasoned cases and good clash in rounds.

Speed

It's very hard to speak too quickly for me. It is possible to mumble or speak too quietly, especially in a virtual debate. Debate is only good if both sides know what is happening. Please make sure you enunciate clearly. Please don't gasp for air while you read. It's one of the few things I truly hate. If you're doing that, slow down. Make your signposts and taglines very clear, so I know where to flow.

At the end of the day, it is not my job to tell you what you should run. Run arguments that you like and think you will do well running.

I am a parent judge, so please no spreading or talking really fast. Please make sure to pronounce case clearly.

I debated in policy for The Blake School for four years (2009-2013) and then I debated for Rutgers University-Newark in college (2013-2017). I ran mostly policy based arguments in high school and mostly critical arguments in college. I was an assistant coach (policy and public forum) with the Blake School until 2019 and then coached policy and congress at Success Academy from 2019-2023. I currently coach LD and policy at the Delores Taylor Arthur School for Young Men in New Orleans.

Email - hannah.s.stafford@gmail.com - if its and LD round please also add: DTA.lddocs@gmail.com

--

Feel free to run any arguments you want whether it be critical or policy based. The only thing that will never win my ballot is any argument about why racism, sexism, etc. is good. Other than that do you. I really am open to any style or form of argumentation.

I do not have many specific preferences other than I hate long overviews - just make the arguments on the line-by-line.

I am not going to read your evidence unless there is a disagreement over a specific card or if you tell me to read a specific card. I am not going to just sit and do the work for you and read a speech doc.

Note on clash of civ debates - I tend to mostly only judge clash of civ debates - In these debates I find it more persuasive if you engage the aff rather than just read framework. But that being said I have voted on framework in the past.

PF - Please please please read real cards. If its not in the summary I won't evaluate it in the final focus. Do impact calculus it makes a a majority of my decisions. Stop calling for cards if you aren't going to do the evidence comparison. I will increase your speaker points if you do an email chain with your cards prior to your speech. Collapsing is important in the summary and final focus. Yes you can go fast if you are clear. I am open to theory and kritical argumentation - just ensure you are clearly warranting everything.

Please include me on the email chain at jstewartdebate@gmail.com. Feel free to ask questions always.

I competed for Barbe High School, McNeese State University and Western Kentucky University. I competed in IEs in both high school and college. I debated L-D and policy in high school on the local, Louisiana circuit. I also competed nationally in college in IE’s, Parli, NFA L-D policy and some CEDA/NDT. I have judged in Louisiana and around the region for the last 15 years.

TLDR: I was a policymaking type debater. Weighing net-benefits is what I am most familiar with. I try to be as “tab” as possible and will evaluate any argument. It needs to be well warranted, well impacted and well weighed against the rest of arguments in the round. You might need to do slightly more work fleshing out newer forms of argumentation with me, but I will vote on them if I feel like you are winning them.

I am self-professed “lazy” judge. I want to feel like I am doing the least intervening possible at the end of the round. I would love for you to tell me which arguments are important enough for me to vote on, what their comparative impacts are and why you are winning those arguments. I appreciate you telling me how I should sign my ballot.

I am still somewhat old school around paperless debating- it just wasn’t a thing yet when I was competing or judging the first go around. I use e-mailed/flashed evidence mostly for reading internal warrants. I will use this to follow along the speech, however I’m not a fan of reading speech docs/blocks in a vacuum. Signposting and clear organizational structure are important for me and I tend to award higher speaker points for them.

POLICY-

K/Kritikal Aff- I have a pretty good familiarity with critical theory/thought. I am probably less familiar with the intricacies of Kritik debate theory. You would probably be helping yourself out with me to spend a bit more time on setting up your framework and giving really clear impact stories. Explicit arguments about “how we win” or “the role of the ballot” would help me better understand how/why to vote for you on these types of positions. This is especially true if there are situations like perms put on the alternative. I want to know why the alternative alone solves best on its face, in addition to any theoretical objections to the perm. I also appreciate clear pre-fiat/post-fiat analysis. If the impact is post-fiat (“turns case”) and the alternative is pre-fiat (“discourse/radical space/etc”) I want you to tell me how to navigate the multiple levels of your advocacy.

T/Procedurals- I tend to have a slightly lower threshold on procedurals. I do not need an iron clad in-round abuse story necessarily. I will evaluate these more often than many.

LD-

I tend to vote on framework first. That is just how I was taught. But with more progressive styles I will evaluate framework in light of case advantages/disadvantages. As with the Kritik info above, you may need to do a little more hand holding with me around the alternative and/or role of the ballot. I tend to prefer crystallization at the end of the round with clear impact analysis and tend to give higher speaks to those that show good round vision and can ‘boil down’ the round effectively.

PF-

I’m comfortable with the newer trend of giving an explicit framework at the top of case. If you don’t give me one then I’ll default to something like policymaking/comparative advantages. I tend to appreciate probability over magnitude in PF because of the lack of depth of evidence. Things that are intuitive and make sense on their face seem like a more natural fit to this style of debate. I will evaluate anything that is argued in front of me, though. It needs to be well warranted, well extended (including extending the warrants), well impacted and well leveraged against the other argumentation in the round for it to be most persuasive. I like final focus speeches that crystallize the round for me and give me good impact analysis. Feel free to take the ballot out my hands by telling me what arguments are most important, how they function in the round and why you are winning on them.

IE’s-

I tend to think about most IEs in terms of argumentation. This is more obvious for events like Extemp, Impromptu and Original Oratory. But even interp events use a text to craft a narrative with a unique point of view for each competitor. I usually evaluate IE’s on the clarity of your thesis (argument) and then how well you do at expressing/supporting it (advocacy). The more you can distill down an idea into its clearest form and then use multiple rhetorical tools to express it, the better chance you will have of getting higher ranks and higher speaks from me. FYI I’m a big fan of variety as a rhetorical tool (fast and slow rate, loud and soft volume, high and low intonation, etc). These tend to keep me more engaged in the speech/performance and tend to make me trust you more as a speaker/performer.

UPDATED: 2/15/2024- California Round Robin

Quick Tips:

-Please be clear- No exaggeration my eardrums are nonexistent. I'm like half deaf.

-Over explanation> Blips- I understand your arguments, I just haven't judged them enough to make extrapolations for you.

-Send analytics too- Its ethically shady to not. Debates are won by the better debater, no the better trickster. Also, see tip 1.

Paradigm Proper

TL;DR: Check Bolded

GENERAL STUFF:

I wanna keep this relatively simple, so: Hi, I'm J.D. Swift. I am a former competitor and former coach of Holy Cross School, currently an Assistant at The Delores Taylor Arthur School for Young Men (New Orleans, La). I'm too old to use this platform as an ego boost so I won't bother re-putting my qualifications, accolades, etc. I have either judged, coached, or competed (or done all of the above) in nearly every event under the sun, so I'd call myself pretty familiar.

My resting face may not prove it, but I am always approachable. If you have any questions about stuff before or after around, and you spot me, please don't hesitate to have a conversation, its why I still do this activity.

For Everyone:

+ I do not tolerate any forms of: racism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, or ableism. This activity is special because it is the most inclusive activity that I know of. This space actively works to include all members of society and I will not stand for any tarnishing of that. I do not believe that you will be any of those things, but if it happens in round, I will stop the debate, give you a loss with the lowest possible speaks, and have a conversation with your coach.

+ I prefer an email chain, please add me:jdswift1028@gmail.com

+ I prefer to disclose. You won't be able to adjust from round to round if you don't know exactly how you won or lost a round. That being said: if any competitor in the round would prefer me not to disclose, I will not.** I also don't disclose speaks, that's just kinda weird to ask **

+ On Postrounding: I'm absolutely down to answer any and all questions as long as time permits. I take pride in the notes I take alongside the flow to give back to debaters. However, if you begin to challenge my decision, or (yes, this has happened before) you get your coach to challenge me, you can finish postrounding with the empty chair I left behind.

+ I know you care about speaker points. I don't give a whole lot of 30s (you can fact check me on this) so if you get one from me, I will be speaking high praises to others about your stellar performance. 2 rules of thumb for if you have me as a judge: 1. Make the debate accessible, 2. Let your personality shine through. No, I won't clarify on what those things mean. ;)

+ My face is very readable. This is semi-intentional. If I'm confused, you will see it. If I'm impressed, you will see it.

+ If you don't see me writing, specifically if my pen is obviously away from the paper/iPad (usually palm up) and I'm just staring at you, then I'm intentionally ignoring your argument. (I only do this when you are clearly over time, or if you are reading new in the 2)

+ In terms of intangibles such as: Your appearance, dress, how you sit or stand, etc. I do not care at all. A wise man once said: "Do whatever makes you comfortable, I only care about the arguments." -JD Swift, (circa 20XX)

For Novices:

+ I hate information elitism, meaning, if any jargon or terms in my paradigm confuse you-- please, please, please ask me for clarification.

+ Debate is a competitive activity, but it is foremost an educational one. If you see me in the back of the room, please do not feel intimidated, we as coaches and judges are here for y'all as competitors.

For LD & Policy:

+ Run whatever you like, please just explain it well. If you don't trust your ability to provide quality warrants on an argument, do not run it.

+ Please extend full arguments, most importantly the warrants. Not just impacts, Not just card names, but all of it.

+ No amount of signposting is too much. The more organized you are, the better I can give you credit.

+ Speed does NOT impress me. I can hang, but if you're sacrificing clarity for speed, I won't strain myself trying to catch the argument. If you want to go fast, go for it, just make sure you're clearly distinguishing one argument from the next, and that your tags and authors are clear.

+ Please do not reread a card, unless the card is being re-read for a different purpose(re-highlighting, new warrants, etc.). You're killing your own speech time.

+ If an argument or concession is made in cross, and you want credit for it, it has to show up in speech. I'll listen out for it, but if I don't hear it, in speech, it didn't happen.

+ Not a fan of petty theory at all. If there is real, round impeding abuse, I'll vote on it in your favor. If the theory argument is petty, I give RVI's heavy weight.

+ I don't like tricks. This is not a forum for deception.

+ If you're gonna kick the alt on the K, and use it as a disad, please articulate why the disad is a sufficient reason to not pass the plan.

FOR PF

+ Framework is important, otherwise I believe topic areas get too broad for this format. Win your framing and then use that to win your impact calculous. That's the fastest way to my ballot.

+ I have little patience for paraphrasing. If you want credit for evidence, read the card and give context.

+ I hold PF to the same evidence ethics and standards as Policy and LD.

Most importantly: please have fun; If what you are doing is not fun then it's not worth your time.