Just do your best and have fun. I don’t handle speed well so if you spread too much, I will mark you down for it. Be nice and focus on content and you will be fine.

I am an experienced college debater who appreciates clarity and clash. I can handle spreading, but I think it's disrespectful and will vote you down because of it. Have a blast!

Hello! I am an attorney in the public sector. I do not have a speech and debate background, but I have done a lot of public speaking (oral argument, motion hearings, administrative hearings, and some trial work) in my work. Other than that, I have two teenage daughters and try to stay physically active.

Feel free to email me with questions: pillings@whitman.edu

Have fun and be nice.

I judge heavily based on flow. Keep it clean.

Ks are great, just explain and apply it well.

I can handle speed but I’m morally opposed to it and will probably vote you down if I think you’re turning the round into a race.

Bonus points if you can somehow incorporate the word “cowabunga” into round.

Other than that I’m a chiller.

Please just ask. I so sorry, but I'm kind of lazy >.<

I will at least say I have a ton of policy experience, so I'm pretty good with whatever.

I care a lot about disasters, fires, floods, and killer bees.

Experience: Competed in 4 years 3A Kansas High School Policy and 4 years Midwest-regional and PKD/NCCFI College Parli. I have a background of coaching LD, Parli, IPDA, the occasional very rare Worlds tournament; but IEs are the real undercurrent of my coaching career. I've coached a Parliamentary National Championship at Phi Rho Pi and PKD, but only rarely have been involved with NPDA-circuit competition. Current ADOD/F at Whitman.

Because metaphors are the cool thing to do these days, I view debate like Professional Wrestling; theatrical spectacle with ambiguous rulesets that are sometimes "broken" to up the entertainment and education factor. National-level rounds are hopefully grandiose back-and-forth engagements where either side, made up of larger-than-life personalities, is winning speech to speech. Please don't have me evaluate a Dusty Finish, I'd like a clear winner, so clash like champions and give your best Impact Calc promo.

TL:DR: Cool with anything, don't advocate for genocide or advocates of genocide. Might be a step behind on my flowing ability ("he's still got it *clapclap clapclapclap*"...hopefully). Again, with the wrestling metaphor; please be kind through the round, but especially before and after. We are a reviving community, and our future is in our hands.

My background is in policy/cross-x. I debated for Michigan State for four years in undergrad and also for four years at Pine Crest in Florida in high school. I competed at the NDT multiple times in college, so I have experience with high-level college debate, but also have experience judging all levels of high-school debate. Other than judging PUDL a few times a year and an occasional lecture, I have not been directly involved in the activity for several years. I will likely have little to no background on the topic itself, so please don't throw a bunch of acronyms at me assuming I will know them.

I will aim to remove my personal views about debate or specific arguments from any of my decision-making. Debate should be about the arguments being made by the debaters, not about what I like or agree/disagree with. That being said, I will share just a bit about my background. Having debated for Michigan State, my experience is mostly in traditional policy arguments and I was mostly a "2A" in college. I am open to critiques and planless affirmatives if the rules of the tournament allow, but I will not fill in the gaps for a debater who fails to adequately explain their arguments.

Presentation matters. I will ultimately judge the debate based on content but how you convey information influences how persuaded I am by your arguments. That being said, I do not have a fixed view of what a good presentation looks like. Every debaters should have their own style, I want you all to be the best versions of yourselves.

Here are some things I will appreciate from debaters:

1) At some point in the debate I expect debaters to pick their heads up from their cards (or tags) and actually explain their arguments. It is more valuable to me to have one or two arguments well explained than 10 arguments tag lined extended. Along with this, I value any well thought out and explained argument. Yes, evidence is helpful, but a well explained analytic can persuade me as well.

2) Please listen and respond to your opponents. The best way to get high speaker points from me (And to win the debate) is to show you took into account what your opponent argued had a response to it. Do not discount an argument simply because you feel it is non-responsive or a card was not read on it. I expect debaters to show respect to their opponents, including by respecting their arguments.

3) Debate is a technical activity. Dropping arguments early in the debate may make it too late to make new argument later. On the flip side, just because your opponent dropped an argument does not mean you win. There are numerous creative ways to cross-apply arguments made elsewhere or to get back into the debate, but generally speaking, if the first time you are responding to an argument is the 2NR/2AR it may be too late.

4) Do not forget to do an impact analysis at the end of the debate. Nuclear war is really bad, but unlikely to take place. The ongoing deaths of thousands does not have the magnitude of major war, but the probability is high. A well developed impact analysis in the final speeches can win you the debate even if you are behind in other areas.