JC Harmon HS DEBATE Kansas City
2024 — Kansas City, KS/US
CX Judges Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideInfo:
He/They
North Kansas City HS, Policy (2018-2022)--Immigration, Arms Sales, CJR, Water
William Jewell College, NPDA/NPTE (2022- )
Call me Trent, please
put me on the email chain or speech drop or whatever --trentd434@gmail.com
TL;DR
I'll flow what you say--do with that what you will.
***None of the preferences written below are strong enough to change the outcome of a debate, but adjusting to these preferences will increase your chances of winning, and most likely raise your speaks.***
tech + truth > tech > truth
Being rude/condescending will most likely lead to docked speaks.
I'll listen to almost any argument as long as it's not racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist, transphobic, etc.
speed + clarity > clarity > speed
I am cool with any speed, but you need to be clear. I'll say "clear" twice and then stop flowing until I can understand you. Same is true if you are somehow too fast for me. I'll say "slow" twice and then stop flowing until I can understand you again.
Put analytics in the doc, please. (or at least slow down a little when you get to them) you might get a decision you don't like if i am not able to catch these arguments
Life (probably) has value. Extinction is most likely bad, but I'll hear what you have to say
I'll start at 28/28.5 and go up or down.
Post-round if you want. I don't really care. I should have to defend my decision just as much as you should have to defend your case.
Cool charts
Teams should adapt------------------------------X-Judge should adapt
Policy-------------------------X------K
Tech----------X---------------------Truth
X Counterplans aren't fair---------------------------X----Counterplans are fun
Conditionality good--X-----------------------------Conditionality bad
Reasonability----------------------------X---Competing interpretations
Death good is acceptable---------X---------------------You might just be a bad person
DA
Yes. Da's are good and cool. Not much to say here.
Generic links can be okay as long as you contextualize them.
I have a high threshold for new 1ar arguments and must be able to draw a line.
Evidence comparison matters. It'll make me a lot happier, give you higher speaks, and make my decision cleaner if I don't have to sift through your card doc looking for warrants that you failed to make in the 2nr.
Normal DAs: L > I/L > U > Impact
PTX DAs: U = L > I/L > Impact
CP
Condo debate should be condo is good/bad - not sure there's a "good" number of condo
PICs are generally good.
I'll judge kick if you tell me to.
Read all of the perms but also put them in the speech doc.
Perms aren't advocacies; they are tests of competition, impact out perm theory.
I will listen and vote on all types of CP theory. Just win your arg.
K
I'm probably gonna understand your K--with that said, please don't expect me to know all of the lit of your K--explain it.
You should take the time in CX or a block overview to explain the story of the K. Performance style debate is interesting to me but you will have to explain your framework from the beginning.
Fiating your cap alts is funny and people should do it more.
If you go for pomo/deeper theory, I'll most likely need some explanation.
I default to weigh the aff vs the alt, but I can be easily convinced otherwise "Justify your epistemology and THEN weigh the aff" is my favorite counter-interp.
Reject the aff is not an alt. I'm not interested in voting for a K that has no coherent alternative worldview/path to action.
If you read a K you don't understand I probably won't vote for it
T/Theory
Be topical. Or don't. Just win why your approach is good.
I default to competing interps, unless told otherwise.
I truly believe that conditionality is good.
Trying to sneak in a 5-second ASPEC shell will result in a major speaker point decrease and going for it will warrant new 1AR answers because even if the 2AC drops your theory shell, convincing me to vote on ASPEC will require much more block elaboration that "Interp: spec your actor, ASPEC is a voter for clash and fairness"
Extra-resolutional procedurals are often frivolous and silly and should most likely lose to a predictability/I'm sorry I'll do it next round argument.
Disclosure is infinitely good. Please do it.
Case debate
Teams underestimate the importance of case debate. The neg should put lots on the flow on case.
Impact turns are one of my favorite arguments.
K Affs
The best K-Aff teams beat framework on a) a counter-interp with a strong defense of the resolution under their model or b) a convincing impact turn to neg standards.
I don't think K affs need to link to the topic or defend it--just give me reasons why doing it would be bad
You do you. Do what you like, and tell me why I care about it.
LD
The closer to policy, the better.
PF
The above statement is still true--i really don't want to intervene, but sometimes it feels impossible in this format, soooooooooo *shrugs*
Things not to do
don't. steal. prep.
Don't say anything sexist/racist/homophobic/transphobic-90% of the time auto loss, 100% of the time you will get as low speaks as possible
Don't use problematic language--Trigger warnings and alternate cases should be available in applicable cases.
Don't be rude to your opponents/teammate/me/other judges-Everyone has worked unbelievably hard, so you should treat them like it.
Don't refuse disclosure.
Don't be mean -- being an aggressive debater is amazing -- don't step over the line.
Don't shake my hand. Please.
If you have any questions email me :)