Congress: I want to see CLASH, not prewritten speeches. I enjoy some sass, but don’t push it. Racism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. will be an automatic bottom rank in my book.

PF: I am big on the weighing mechanism in round. If you can’t convince me (in anyway) that your side is better overall, that’s automatic L. I don’t care too much for structure, as long as you can convince me your side will cause less harm, i’ll be with you. I look for empathy specifically in pf, if you exclude empathy you’ll be getting an L.

I also listen to crossfire, and will take notes on it.

For all events: i look up sources. do NOT source in anyway that is unethical or you will be dropped by me.

I am currently an assistant PF coach at St. Paul Academy and Summit School.

I'm relatively new to the debate world, so I prefer clear, logical arguments. I like to see arguments extended throughout the debate, with weighing of impacts in final focus.

Speak at a pace you're capable of; if I can't understand it, I can't write it in the flow.

Cross needs to be respectful; talking over your opponent as they are asking or responding to a question is very disrespectful and I expect better than that.

Debate is designed to be a space to engage in thoughtful discussion about real-world topics. This means you should be engaging in your opponents' case, not just reading a canned speech and responses written by your coach or captain.

This is an extracurricular, so it should be fun! Let it be fun, and don't let a bad round ruin your day :)

My pronouns are she/her/hers. My background: high school social studies teacher, competed in PF throughout high school, have spent the past 4 years judging both PF and LD.

Have fun! Take the round seriously, but also realize that you are not actually shaping world policy, so be chill. My main things I want to see in a round:

- be a good person in general: no -isms, don’t be rude to opponents, don’t steal prep or go way over time

- come prepared: have plenty of evidence and produce it quickly (evidence matters lots to me), know your speeches well and be ready for cross. I will call for cards if you tell me to or if they are hotly contested. Summarizing is okay, just be honest with it and have the full card ready right away.

- guide me through the round: narrow down to key voters, strategically collapse as needed, tell me where and why I should vote for you, and please for the love of god weigh. DO NOT say 'extend John Doe '15' without telling me what John Doe '15 says. I don't flow the name of the card, I flow the evidence itself.

-speaking skills: eye contact, pace of speaking (I am okay with spreading, however realize that if I cannot understand you, you will loose speaker points), enunciation, clarity, etc - especially important in constructive, since you should know the speech well enough to give it well. Also, in cross, please don't yell or talk over your opponent. Just be polite.

- I vote off the flow, essentially, so make my flow clear. That being said, a note on cross-fire - I love cross-fire, and as a result I very rarely flow crossfire. Therefore if something important comes up in cross, bring it up in a speech to be sure that it makes it on my flow.

A note on theory: I'm not a huge fan of theory. Unless there is super clear abuse, then I will likely not vote for theory. Also, I will never ever buy disclosure theory. Debate is about the resolution, stick to it.

Let me know if there’s anything I can do to make debate more accessible to you before the round-- trigger/content warnings are appreciated in making debate a more accessible space. If you have any questions before the round, ask away. Looking forward to a great round!