LD: Convince me that your value is the better choice presented for the current debate topic. I value clear, persuasive delivery of organized and logical arguments presented in a respectful, professional manner.

PF: Convince me that your arguments on the current topic are stronger/more desirable than the opposing arguments. Present and support your arguments in a clear and organized manner and explain why/how they outweigh those of your opponents through direct clash. I value clear, persuasive delivery above speed and expect all debaters to be respectful and professional at all times.

Email: katherineastenner@gmail.com

**Please include me in the email chain, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding my comments**

Hey y’all!

My name is Katy, and I go by any pronouns. I debated Lincoln- Douglas all four years of highschool and am currently the assistant coach for Clover Hill High School. My senior year, I was first in the state of Virginia for VCFL and third in the state for VHSL. I also went to out-rounds at CFL Grand Nationals and NSDA Nationals. As far as judging goes, I’m really only familiar with Lincoln-Douglas, so I will put my preferences for that. If you are PF or Policy, there may be something you can use in there, but feel free to ask any questions before the round starts.

I was a traditional debater and am a traditional judge. I don’t mind counterplans, but I dislike a lot of “progressive tricks” because I feel like they undermine the educational value of debate. For that reason, you’re better off sticking to a more traditional style with me. I won’t automatically vote you down if you run progressive arguments, but you won’t exactly endear yourself to me by doing so. Also, if you do decide to run theory, please explain your arguments. Don’t just throw out terms and expect me to know them. Above all, DO NOT SPREAD! I’m fine with speed, but spreading is a major pet peeve of mine, so just... don’t.

Disclosure Theory: I personally am not a fan of disclosure theory, but I will not automatically drop it or you unless you are running it unethically. For example, if your opponent is not spreading, running a traditional case, and is not even from a school that is on the wiki, do not run disclosure theory. If you want disclosure because it makes debate more fair, then weaponizing it against traditional schools with less resources negates that. If you want disclosure to make the discussion more educational, then spending half your speech debating disclosure does not achieve that. Run it at your own risk, but you have an uphill battle getting me to vote for it.

Regardless of whether you are traditional or progressive, I love to see good weighing and impact calculus in round. Explicitly state why your arguments matter and how they flow into framework; don’t just assume I know what you’re going for. The easier you make the weighing for me in the round, the better off you are when it comes time for me to cast my ballot.

BIGGEST PET PEEVE: My biggest pet peeve for debate is when people link climate change, nuclear war, or terrorism to topics that really have nothing to do with them. If the impact is topical, by all means run it, but do not jump through 15 links in order to get an extinction level impact just for the sake of winning on magnitude. The burden of proof is high for me with these three impacts because I'm tired of seeing them run for every topic regardless of whether it makes sense.

I am a big proponent of diversity in debate, which means being conscious of what arguments you run and how you interact with other debaters. If you run any type of discriminatory argument , like “racism/ sexism/ ableism good”, I will drop you. If you intentionally mis-gender your opponent or use a slur against a community you are not a part of, I will drop you and tank your speaks. Please use trigger warnings at the start of the round if you are running a sensitive argument and leave unnecessary inflammatory/ graphic cards out of your speeches.

Finally, be conscious of what arguments you are running and how they impact the communities affected by them. If you are not black, I don’t think you should be running radical black authors, like Afropessimism/ Black Nationalism. Same goes for male debaters running radical feminist kritiks. It will be very obvious whether you are running these arguments because you care about them versus if you are running them because you think they will be hard for your opponent to refute. What you say matters in and outside of round, so please be considerate and kind!

TL;DR: I’m a traditional LD judge who dislikes spreading and disclosure theory. Please impact your arguments and be considerate of your opponents. Also, do not run an extinction level impact with a sketchy link just to win on magnitude.

Congratulations on making it to Nationals.
I realize that competitors have been working on this topic all year, but I am hearing it for the first time. Please keep that in mind as you run through your debate round. I have a thorough paradigm in the NSDA guidebook and recommend looking at it.
That being said, I find spreading very difficult and I will not be able to follow and flow. If I cannot flow it, the argument might not be considered in the ballot.