"That's the number one rule of data journalism: come in with an agenda, and bend the rules however you need to, in order to prove your point." - Jon Bois

To preempt questions in-round, here are my perspectives on things while I'm judging.

Speaker Points:

I typically judge speaker points based on two things: public speaking ability and quality of sources used. For public speaking I'm looking for clear articulation, eye contact, etc. It is better to speak clearly and well in a succinct manner than it is to speak poorly but verbosely. I will typically assign speaker points from 25-30, only dipping below 25 if you use rhetoric that is actively bigoted, racist, etc, or abusive to the resolution/definitions. You can score a 30 and lose the round, you can score a 25 and win the round.

Theory:

I am not personally a fan of theory debate. If you run theory in a way that is neither abusive nor inaccessible to the other debater then I will tolerate it, but I am more likely to respond to debates on grounds of framework and resolution.

Spreading:

I have no real problem with spreading, just be wary that it can reduce your effectiveness as a speaker (i.e. potentially fewer speaker points) and harm your ability to signpost clearly.

Signposting

Signposting and roadmaps are the most useful tools at your disposal to communicate to your judge why you won the round. USE THEM. If something is not on my flow, I will not weigh it. If the debate is sufficiently close odds are I will judge on clarity and speaker points.

My Background:

I competed in Lincoln-Douglas debate from 2019-2022, and have some experience judging PF.

Debate should be an enjoyable activity. I want you to have fun and a part of that is actually debating the resolution. I like a good framework debate, but it is not all-encompassing for me. I am looking to see who can actually defend their side of the resolution with clear stats, experts, etc. I'm looking for strong evidence and clearly cited cards. Please don't just reference the card title, give me a warrant for its use. Impact your contentions back to your framework! That is where framework weighs the most for me.

I very much appreciate signposting and roadmaps throughout the debate, as well as voters or world comparisons in final rebuttals. I don't love super-spreading to try to confuse or mislead your opponent. I'm also not a fan of theory debate or Ks. Debate the resolution - that is what everyone is preparing for each tournament. I think it is border-line abusive to other debaters (especially from non-circuit schools or those without access to national travel). I am looking for a clean debate of the resolution.

Be polite to one another.

A note on Speaker Points: This is a speech activity, so I am looking for good inflection, articulation, eye contact, etc. My speaker points aren't necessarily related to how well you argued the case, but how well you spoke overall.

Background: I started coaching debate in Texas in 2001. I have been coaching LD in Minnesota since 2019.