Maine East Regatta
2018 — IL/US
Novice Policy Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideHere's my judging paradigm:
Before I begin, here's a little bit about my background and correlation with debate:
If you need further information on your round or ballot, you may email me at jesus.anaya92@gmail.com
You may send me a picture of the ballot to refresh my memory of the round.
I inherently come to the round with an unbiased mindset otherwise I tend to strongly look at Neg for a neg ballot;
I feel this is were framework is important to me, I would make it an important note that the judge (I) may feel like the USFG within the round throughout the round depending on how you read your AFF or NEG.
Otherwise, I think framing the round to be important here.
This is a National Sport.
Performances, Poetry, K. Affs, K's, Narratives, changing Resolved, Use of Other Resources Within the Round may be questioned until framed within the round.
The transition of paper cases/tubs (traditional debate or latter) to a more modern way of debating (laptops/K,Spreading -I'm okay with Speed) may be debated if you think that's important as part of your voter.
It's always great to use the classroom space as an integrative part of the debate in order to feel like the debate sphere is important to "Occupy" the classroom space and learning why it's important to the debater or judge.
If you feel like it's important to use your computer to check status quo issues, you may. I feel using this to implement impact calculus would potentially further a voter as to make you more of a Realist or status quo relevancy.
Debated LD for 2.5 years in high school.
While I did not debate Policy in high school, I came to know the logistics of it my high school junior year. I have been judging Policy ever since. So, approximately 4.6 years in the RCC and LCC circuit at Chicago's CDL.
I debated Parliamentary Debate in college for 2 years.
Speaker points:
Debate is much more than just eloquent speaking and speeding 20 arguments in 5-8minutes.
Be COHERENT when speaking. While I am generally okay with speed, you must be clear or I'll stop you.
I tend to give higher speaker points when you extemporaneously speak your last speeches. Don't just read cards, use your knowledge and understanding of the arguments made in the rebuttals and constructive. During your R's, if you plan on reading cards, take at least 10 seconds to link them to your wining argument, don't just read them to fill up time.
Using your own words and analysis may get you higher speaker points. Take your time and explain. Depth over Speed/Breadth.
I generally come into a round with a Tabula Rasa mindset so you can see how easily it is for you to get my vote.
Kritiks/Perfomance/Narratives/Critical
I'm generally okay with them. If you go for K, performance, narrative or anything in that nature, you better have established and won the framework debate. If you're running those types of speeches, whether AFF or NEG, please do yourself a favor and know it from beginning to end. Don't lose yourself and find yourself in a situation where you misinterpret or fail to understand the philosophical arguments. Most importantly, If you're presenting any of the above, please shower me with link analysis. Make that your priority.
If you're running Non-Traditional Policy (K, Critical-Aff, Performance; as I'm seeing them come up in rounds) just make it clear to me at the beginning of the round why you're doing it, and then toward the end of the round why I should prefer it over a policy based/or why that in itself is a policy based option- yeah you can run them but let me know why that > Policy)
Counterplans
I'll consider them in the round. Establish why I should prefer your plan over AFF's early in the round. If you're AFF, make it your priority to establish early in the round if NEG's CP is conditional or unconditional. Believe it or not, this would save you in the round, not just time but my vote, if you decide to drop it and NEG decides to go for it.
Topicality
You better present your interpretation coherently, it better not be muddled. If scattered, you're just asking for a disaster. Please tell me how AFF violates T or how they don't meet your interpretation. Walk me through the standards, don't just speed through them. Why is your Interpretation superior? At the end, tell me why I should vote T. All in all, if you're running a T, I better hear the terms: Interpretation, Violations, Standards, Voting Issue. With me, you win T if you have won the interpretation debate.
Theory Arguments
Honestly, I believe any argument can be won with a little bit of theory. Shape the round for me early in the debate with theory and BAM, you won my heart. Tell me how your specific theory argument is a crucial check to the AFF, or the round for that matter.
Structure your theory arguments in a way where I am able to identify which issue I should prioritize as a judge.
Impact Calculus
If you utilize impact calculus from beginning to end, you have already earned yourself great speaks. Better yet, have already earned yourself a winning argument. When evaluating winning arguments, I would prefer that you do so using impact calculus and emphasizing the terms: Magnitude, Timeframe, Probability, etc.
The Round as a Whole
When it comes to summarizing my RFD, I tend to vote on who the better thinking and analyzing team is. Sure, you dropped and argument, but that doesn't assure that the opposing team will win on it or win the round. If you fail to explain to me why I should extend your argument with analysis, I will not vote on it. During the 2AR and 2NR, it's especially important for me to hear the term "voting issue" (or highlight your most thought out arguments with analysis) and highlight why and how you ought to get that specific voter. It makes it easier for me as a judge to centralize my decision. Most importantly, it will let me know as a judge that you have acknowledged your strengths and weaknesses for that round, which is what I want for you to know at the end of the day. Have fun!
Copied and Pasted from Wiki;
Optional as I have seen in some of the rounds:
Use of Technology in the round to use Status Quo/Current Events to implement or evaluate/frame the round or Framework. Debater Framework when using Status Quo implementation.
Voting Issues/Crystallization:
Make sure to further extend your voters in a clear manner so that I may be able to cross-apply any dropped/or extended arguments.
If you feel like you need to stop the round for medical attention, please let me know.
READ THIS: I'm a human, I have emotions, I like to laugh and smile, I do it a lot, If you see me doing it, do not be offended or take it personally, and if you don't like me laughing, tell me :)
-TL;DR, Be BOLD, TAKE RISKS, If it's well thought out, you're unlikely to be punished :)
- Ask me questions, do good debate stuff, be polite :)
-No trigger warnings, if you have them, please tell the other team, if you are worried your aff might have some, ask the other team
-If at any point in the round you feel uncomfortable with the content of the debate or someone's action, tell the other team or person to stop, if that would make it worse, then email me and I'll try to make sure we can have a good educational debate where everyone feels comfortable arguing :)
-I need to be able to justify my decision based on what was said in the round. :)
-I will read cards if you ask politely :)
-I'll vote on pretty much anything B)
-I like people who dress nice :)
-Be nice :D
-If you make a Moana reference, I'll make sure it shows in your speaks :D
-I don't like to time people B)
-stand for cross-x, and face me, or I'll ignore it B)
-He, him :)
AFFs- DO WHAT YOU WANT! I have read every kind of aff, hardline, soft left, and poem. I would like to understand your aff, i understand hearthstone analogies very very well. I evaluate solvency before the impacts unless you give me reason to evaluate as try or die. I like having warrants and multiple ways of solving. I think that affs that read a ton of impacts should lose to solvency takeouts. K affs are more than fine.
DAs- not my favorite argument, you probably shouldn't go for this argument alone unless you're sure it outweighs and turns case. If it's this and consequentialism that's fine against a K aff. I like politics, you just need to do a good job winning a unique link, I'm down to vote on a thumper. ._.
CPs- Process CPs are cheating, Consult CPs are cheating, and plan plus are cheating of course it's up to you to prove that, but that's not hard. I like to see competition, and I like to see solvency. I need perms explained to me, something beyond we can do both, but how would they interact. I'm pretty much down for any other kind of CP that does something else. >.<
Theory- It's so much more convincing when you prove in round abuse. I'm still down to vote for potential abuse and what they justify, but less so. I'm also more likely to reject the arg not the team. B)
T- yeah, why not, just make sure you compare your education and fairness ._.
K- heck yeah <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
email: wesleychen121@gmail.com
I go to uchicago and debated at gbn. My philosophy is that persuasion is the most important aspect of debate, so I must believe in the correctness of your argument to feel comfortable voting for it. Consequently, I value evidence/explanation quality extremely highly and I might be more interventionist than the average judge. Obviously I'll try to divorce myself from pre-existing beliefs (e.g. warming good/bad, econ growth good/bad, etc.) but I will apply logic to your arguments and determine if they are plausible. The reason I say this is because there is a proliferation of arguments that are constructed via stringing together unrelated cards and filling in the blanks with explanation. An example is if you read the politics disad, you must have a card saying that x thing happens for y reason, the plan causes y reason to not happen, and that x thing is good. Otherwise, I will not consider it a logically complete argument and won't evaluate it as a reason to reject the aff. Please debate with arguments rather than tricks.
Preferred 2nrs
1. Disad/turn
2. CP based strat
3. Kritik
4. Topicality
I always prefer arguments that relate to the real world over arguments that depend upon the structure of debate to work.
Theory
Make sure your impacts are tied to differences between conceptions of debate (e.g. time skew isn't persuasive because it arises under any conception). Condo is the only voter but rejecting an argument can result in the ballot (e.g. if the neg only goes for a PIC and the aff wins PICs bad, rejecting the PIC is an aff ballot).
Counterplan
The best answer to the counterplan is a solvency deficit. Besides PICs, I like multi-plank advantage counterplans where any plank can be kicked the most.
Kritik
Kritiks must demonstrate causality. Not persuaded by most procedurals. Not going to evaluate arguments about things debaters/coaches/schools have done out of round because the ballot isn't a corrective for that.
Disad
Most disads are logically incomplete. I'm fine for weird turns but the probability debate becomes important, which includes author qualifications and plausibility.
Topicality
Topicality is a good strategy and necessary for debate to function. You shouldn't be afraid to make topicality the a-strat in front of me. You should frame your impacts/internal links through the lens of predictability.
Please explain why you are reading a TVA vs. a planless aff because I don’t understand how it's a useful argument in that context. Framework is a good strategy and probably the only one that you can go for unless you know how the aff will respond to your position.
Impact Framing
I find the following persuasive:
1. Death is bad
2. Util is the only way to compare impacts (although what’s “good” is debatable)
3. Probabilistic predictions are possible
4. Consequences matter
Speaking
Don’t waste time, but I'm not a self-righteous asshole who hates small-talk. Technical debate comes first but rhetoric decides who's right. Ad-hominems, saying that the other team's args are bad, hyping up your/your partner's speech, etc. are neither arguments nor persuasive. Hiding stuff in other shells makes me want to vote against you. Racism and sexism are auto-drops. If you make a claim that the other team is racist/sexist, I will stop the round, determine if you are correct, and act on that determination.
If you make a reference to Scotty P's blog or Lincoln Garrett's blog I will view you in a better light.
i go to glenbrook south and usually run kritikal arguments, but please do not change your argument style for me.
i enjoy watching policy debates, but you just might have to explain the da/cp to me more in depth.
please flow and be present in the round! if you don't show you care, i won't either.
i think a lot of debates come down to impact work done in the 2ar/2nr - so please do impact analysis in these speeches.
overall, i will pretty much listen to any arguments unless it's problematic+offensive.
please be nice in round! it is important, and it will help your speaks. confidence is key, just please be respectful.
also, feel free to email me with any questions - maddiedm1340@gmail.com. most importantly, try your best and have fun! :)
I'm a fan of pretty much any argument as long as it's smart and impacted out well.
If you're running Ks, make sure to sufficiently explain how my ballot does anything materially in regard to alt solvency and be solid on FW.
I'll dock speaks for:
- sexist, racist, homophobic, etc. arguments/behavior
- not using your full speech time
- stealing prep
- clipping cards
CPs are fun but must be competitive.
T is fine just don't drag it out to the 2NR if it died much earlier, it isn't offensive.
Be assertive, not aggressive in CX.
My email is sreimer@cps.edu, please add me to the email chain. Feel free to reach out with any specific questions.
Recently stopped debating competitively at Michigan State University. I know zero about the high school topic, please explain things (acronyms, policies, etc).
Debated for Glenbrook North
Have always been a 2a.
I am generally fine with everything. Obviously, be nice, don't say death is good, don't clip, don't steal prep, be prepared, etc.
The role of my ballot is to vote for the team that does the better debating on whether a topical plan is better than the status quo or a competitive alternative.
ofc, flow
tech over truth, tech over offense
General
If you have any questions, contact me at hfarnham.debate@gmail.com. If there is an email chain, please add me.
I debate for GBN and this is my third year of debate. I am a policy debater. I will keep track of prep time. Please give a comprehensive roadmap and signpost.
Tech over truth.
If you debate paperless, please bring a viewing computer for your opponent. This is directed towards those in novice division where the majority of teams debate on paper. Don’t assume that everyone else would bring a computer. Also, if you mark a card please mark it (on paper or online). If the debate comes down to warrants in a card, there needs to be an accurate representation of the evidence in order for me to evaluate the round fairly.
Don't post round me. I will do my best to give a comprehensive reason for my decision, and I will answer your questions, but don't ask questions like "but we were winning on this right" or "what would we need to do to win." These questions are just annoying, especially for your opponents.
Speaker Points
0: you clipped cards
25-27: you were unclear, repetitive, unorganized, offensive, and/ or mean.
27-29: you were a good speaker.
29-30: you were one of the best speakers and debaters I have seen in the given division.
Case
Read a plan. If there is no plan, the neg reading fw is persuasive.
If there is a plan:
Aff- extend your case in each speech
Neg- don’t drop case
T
I think that this can be a viable strategy against certain aff’s. If you are going to read a t-violation, please don’t read some ridiculous one (arguments like this will not be persuasive to me). Neg, you need to explain to me how they violate and IMPACT the violation. Without a reason that topicality is good, I will not vote for you. Aff, you need to explain how you meet and/ or how your counter-interpretation is better. Answer all of the negative’s impacts and explain your impacts as well.
If a team is not topical, it does cause impacts. Just because it might not be on the extinction level, does not mean that your impacts are any less. You need to make an argument why I as a judge should evaluate your impacts over their impacts, but please do this because it is vital to avoid judge intervention.
K
Basically, any K isn’t really going to be persuasive to me. This is not to say that I won’t vote for you on the K, just that you must make it very clear what the alt is. Focusing on the ROB debate would be important if you want me to vote for you on the K.
DA
Please have all three aspects of a da: uniqueness, link, and impact. You MUST have an updated uniqueness ev, if the aff is able to postdate and prove that the da is not unique, you will lose. Try and avoid generic links, one that is specific to the aff is going to be far more persuasive. Do not have some crazy long link chain to the impact. If the aff points this out, I will have a very hard time voting for the neg on the da.
CP
Should be textually and functionally competitive. Have a net benefit to the cp. That’s pretty much it.
Theory
I’m ok with pretty much everything on this, just have it make sense. This is good if one of the teams is being really abusive.
Debated for Northwestern 2018-22
Assistant coaching for Dartmouth this year
Please put ninafridman3@gmail.com on the chain.
I am assistant coaching for Dartmouth this year, but also have a full-time non-debate job. I know the basics of the topic but assume I don’t know as much as your other judges who are more involved in topic research.
I flow what I hear you say. If you send out a document with every analytic argument and then blaze through it I will not just read it afterwards to reconstruct what you’ve said.
I care about the quality of your arguments and cards but don't care as much about the content. As a debater, I didn't find long judge philosophies particularly helpful because often what people write in their philosophies doesn't really correspond too much to how they evaluate debates, so I am not going to write down all of my tiny opinions about arguments. The only two maybe caveats are that I will kick the CP for the NEG if no one tells me not to, and I will vote against you if you say death is good (this especially includes suggesting that the death of your opponents would be good).
After the round is over, please send a complied doc of all of the cards you think were relevant in the debate. (Relevant=extended in a final rebuttal). Compiling cards is meant to make it easier/faster for me to render a decision, and is not a 3NR/3AR. Therefore, when you make this document please do not include headers or notes that make arguments (ex: putting a note that says “these cards answer the AFF’s second advantage also” if you read/extended those cards only on advantage 1). I find this to be borderline cheating.
If you ask me for a 30 you get a 25 instead.
Avy Gaytan-Aranda
Solorio Academy HS '19
UIUC '23
Short Version
-Tech over truth
-No judge kick
-quality over quantity of evidence
-default my paradigm as a policymaker but open to all arguments
-clash is key to any good debate
-Neg gets presumption
-email chain: amoravyg@gmail.com
Long Version
Short background about me: I debated for Solorio academy(Chicago) for four years. I debated in both the UDL and national circuit. I ran mostly policy through the first half of my career, however my junior and senior year my partner and I became more flex. With that being said, I have debated the most sketchy counterplans all the way to postmodern Ks. I am not familiar with the new topic, my knowledge solely comes from judging so you must provide substance in your debates rather than just jargon.
Affs- K affs: Although I always liked and read Ks, I find it really hard to read K Affs. Not about understating, rather how they are used. Hence, when you read a K AFF do not just stand up and explain what is that you are criticizing but also explain the utility of the aff itself. Make sure to implicitly describe the need to not use a plan, and the need to have the discussions that are being had, because otherwise i will likely lean neg on framework. I genuinely don't have a preference for any form of affirmation of the resolution, you can do any form of performance in front of me.
-By any means feel free to run any aff that you want in front of me.
Ks- I want to hear a good explanation of it, defended well, also explain why it matters more than any other arguments in the round. How the alt solves better ..how the K fw suits best for the round...how it outweighs the aff..how it is a issue in the world of the debate round and the real world, etc. Neg, in order to have weight of the K trough the round, articulate a link, wait, articulate MULTIPLE links on the K, without a link you can't win K. Go beyond the techy sutff and K jargin and go further on, expand on the literature authors and their ideas, and connect them to the debate round, to engage not only with the people in the round, but to orient yourself as debater. In other words have a cohesive understanding of the K. Preference wise, even though I have been policy most of my debate career (so far), I do read K literature on my spare time, so with that being said, I am knowledgeable with Stuff like Wilderson, Sexton, Baudrillard, Agamben. The evidence of the kritik should be pretty extensive and well Also, I encourage to defends a solid solvency mechanism aka a strong alt, otherwise, I view myself judging a non-unique disad. Having a solid alternative is literally the most compelling thing when leveraging a framework and the impacts of a link because it makes it easy for me as a judge to prefer it over any fiated plan. With that being said I don't like voting for kritiks with weak alternatives, because I view it as a burden of the neg to prove how the alt overcomes the link story and the premise highlighted in the kritik, well at least explain how they substantially change the sqou described in the world of the K. Overviews are nice when making the extension of the K in the later speeches of the debate, however be aware of how long it's going to be, should be no more than 45 seconds.
- If you go one off K, do your thing, but a major thing! Learn how to split the block please.
- Any death drive, death good stuff is probably not good in front of me (not with that, nor I like that).
- I probably wont vote for you regardless of how well you defend if you read the following: Time Cube, death good, shreck.
Theory, theory is awesome, theory is the most amazing thing in debate. In my opinion theory debate is underrated and underused in modern debate. However if you are reading theory make it interesting. That being that I love theory on CP debates.
Regarding T, CPs, DAs, etc make sure no nonsense argument to waste time. By that I refer to, run an argument you are comfortable with and don't run random arguments just to catch the other team off guard ,be very strategic.....
- I am very sympathetic towards condo, because I believe in teams reading plus 6 off just to catch other teams not responding to args. However going for condo just because it was dropped is not enough to win my ballot, there has to be substance regarding as to why condo matters specifically in the context of the round and why it matter overall.
Be strategic...
For example....Don't run Baudrillard and a heg DA with a war impact, c'mon, it's pretty self explanatory why not.
CPs- Big fan of consults CPs, Not voting for a counter plan without a net benefit...Also, a MUST when reading a CP, don't just prove how phenomenal a CP is independently, but prove to why the CP is specifically competitive with the Solvency of the Plan. Consider not getting too caught up in the explanation of how the CP works, but rather include comparative analysis to the 1ac, and distinction to the net benefit. Also, yes counterplans could get messy and stuff but overviews are helpful in later speeches in the debate if you want to make the CP a possible 2NR strategy. For AFF teams, theory is phenomenal against counterplans in front of me, I tend to believe that just like the 1ac, the counterplan should be questioned and attacked as much as possible the 1ac. That being by either perms, CP specific DAs, theory, etc.
Multi-plank counterplans are really tricky and fun, however, they could get sketchy, I don't think plank kicking is a thing, you either defend the full counterplan or none of it.
- Functionally competitive CP's are better in my opinion; easier to defend and to debate thoroughly.
Theory on CP's such as agent, delay, or int. fiat probably have some truth value considering how abusive CP's could get, however I don't think that 5-20 second extensions are enough for me to vote for any of the theory arguments on CPs
DAs- Even if I believe your DA is bad/ or non uq, I will still give your 100% risk until proven otherwise.
-Not a fan of the courts DAs, because most of them a false and exaggerated. If you read these, please give me a good link story that is coherent to the aff, thus multiple links make it strong for not only picking fewer in the debate, but using them as case turns if mishandled by the affirmative. Impact analysis along with a strong internal link story will probably be the most important when trying to get my vote because it is up to the aff or neg to either prove why such impacts matter more or less than the others.
-Politics are nice.
T- if you are going for T in the 2NR, you better go for it all 5 minutes, I expect some serious analysis on T if you end up going for it in the 2NR. Definitely a winnable argument considering it is the negatives job to prove that the aff doesn't work/ is not topical to begin with.
- consider having a debate past the interpretation and the "they say-we say" stuff, but prove your voters as being true.
- By default I think reasonability is good, so it's your job to convince me otherwise.
- Set the bar as to why T is an independent reason to not evaluate anything but the argument in the round.
Framework- Awesome!!When reading/going for framework, please have a solid interpretation. Having a vague interpretation makes it hard for me as the judge to validate arguments you claim to solve for. Moreover, when going to framework please engage into a line by line, nonetheless I won't feel convinced that your idea of what debate should be is true or convincing. Why is voting the other team bad for debate? what are the impacts of not having your framework? what makes your framework best for the debate? Please answer these questions when articulating the argument in your speech. Additionally, I don't really buy the "screw debate", "f debate" "debate is bad" framings of debates and rounds. However I do like when frameworks present a challenging paradigm for the round such as "Debate should be a sight of x or y" or "engaging in this form of debate is key because..."
- I also think fairness is not an impact; coming from a small school, it is pretty evident that there is things outside the round that make debate pretty unfair.
Moreover, I find that now days framework debates are very reciprocal..either "aff should defend a hypothetical USFG plan", or "we should test the aff's orientation before anything". Those debates can get boring, try to expand and have creative interpretations, to have clashful and more concise debates. Which overall are way better than having broad big impact debates.
-impact wise...explain how procedural impacts outweigh pre-fiated impacts
Moreover, clash is always the key to a good debate round, thus making it not just educational to you as a debater but to me as a judge too.
In round stuff/Random
- PICs are fine with me but don't be abusive.
-Jokes are nice
-Never make fun of opponent
-Never card clip (although there is some leeway for novices)
-If I suspect any stealing of prep during flashing or w.e, I will be Conor Cameron with time through the rest of the round.
- Remember that debate is not a reading game, it's a thinking game. Thus, warrants win you debates not cards.
-AFF: always disclose affirmative case before the round if asked by the negative team.
Updated for UMich 2018
TL;DR-- "usfgshould@gmail.com"- Anthony Valiaveedu - Jon Voss
Actual email is bagman91999@gmail.com
Longer version:
My philosophy is no different than that of any other very, very policy judge. Don't read a K and you can do what you want.
I have almost no experience with the immigration topic so super specific topic intricacies are going to need to be explained to me.
Some more specific thoughts
Topicality: I like limits. Aff proliferation is kinda bad so if your interp can solve prolif decently, I'll probably like it. Clearly articulate standards and impacts and I'll vote for it.
Critiques: I have no experience with reading or researching K's and because of that I really don't like them. It'll be hard to win a K in front of me.
Counterplans: Read anything. Counterplan debates are the best.
Disads: Nothing like a good DA and case debate. I miss those especially after the EduTrashtion topic.
Framework/K Affs: See the fake email address above.
Theory: Very under utilized part of debate for anything other than a time skew. I went for condo bad a few too many times when I shouldn't have but that's because the theory debate is fun. If you extend theory, go slow please. It sucks to flow.
Last Updated: November, 2023. Please put me on the chain: nathanglancy124@gmail.com
***Background***
Debated at:
Niles West High School (2014-2018)
Trinity University (2018-2020)
Michigan State University (2020-2023)
Coached for:
Winston Churchill (2018-19)
Niles West High School (2020-2023)
Niles North HS (2023-now)
University of Wyoming (2023-now)
I debated for 9 years, all the way from Oceans to Personhood. I've been a 2n for longer than I've been a 2a, but at heart I am a 2a. I currently coach at Niles North High School in northwest Chicagoland and do remote coaching for the University of Wyoming. I went for policy-style arguments throughout my debate career and relied on debate to help realize/finance my college education. Debate's done a lot for me and I'd like to think I'm doing what I can for debate. If you already know me, say hi!! If you don't know me yet, don't mind the fact that I have a grumpy resting face! I'm not shy and would love to show you pictures of my dog.
***TL;DR***
I really want to ensure you all have a satisfying judging experience. I think this means it is my role as a judge to try my best to render a decision based on the arguments made in the debate. I care about debate's existence and success. I hope that is reflected in my feedback and my efforts as a judge.
High school debaters will do well in front of me if they keep the round organized and moving, show their motivation to improve/learn/win, and maintain a positive approach to the round despite the competitive nature of debate. They'll do even better if this is coupled with good, SPECIFIC arguments :)
College Debaters should consider me capable of judging whatever you need me to. I don't have any large predispositions and therefore I would consider myself quite impressionable if faced with good judge instruction and application of arguments at the end of the debate.
I have comparatively lower amounts of college topic knowledge - fair word of warning for acronyms
*Non-argument Things*
CLIPPING: I am soooooo done with people getting away with murder clipping everywhere. In that light, I will now start dropping non-novice teams that meet my minimum standard for clipping. Triggering any one of these conditions will result in an immediate loss after the speech, with minimum speaks to the individual who does it...
1. Speaker skips a paragraph of a card in a speech
2. Speaker skips a sentence that is 10 or more words in a speech
3. Speakers skips 3-5 words 5 times within a speech
4. Speaker systematically skips 1-2 words throughout a speech
Speaks: I will reward speaks mostly on the following criteria...
1. How did you impact your team's ability to win?
2. How did you impact my judging? Did something impress me?
3. Mastery of Material - "knowing what's going on" at the highest level
4. Mastery of Tech/Organization - did you cause/fix any unnecessary/avoidable decision time hurdles?
Clarity: I'm starting to care way way more about the clarity of argument communicated earlier for how I assess risk later in the debate. I really feel like rewarding good packaging of arguments, labeling, and organization that guides the judge through what you're saying AND why that matters. I will try and highly prioritize this analysis over reading every card and seeing who did the better research project. However, instructing me to read a portion of a card obviously constitutes a form of argument that I will take into account.
Conduct: The more we have good vibes in the round, the better the experience will be for everyone. Feel free to have competitive spirit, but don't let that turn you into an unlikeable person!! That's not a winning recipe. Also I am a fan of corny humor, often to a fault. I have given one 30 in my lifetime, and it was to someone who's joke made me uncontrollably laugh during the 2ar (they lost). Don't reach for a bad joke though that's never funny.
Online Debate: Before EVERY speech and EVERY CX, please confirm that everyone is here AND that the sound is clear! Feel free to do camera on or off, I understand everyone has their reasons. Please be understanding of the different complications of online debate and let's do everything we can to keep online accessible and effective. Oh and I HATE prep stealing and doing it while online doesn't excuse it.
***Argument Things***
Case:
I should understand a consistent explanation of the 1ac and its advantages throughout the debate. Changing this narrative or being dodgy/vague is easily subject to punishment by a good neg team. AFF teams should punish teams that are light on case using clear 2ac articulations of dropped arguments instead of being equally as vague. 2NRs on case should focus on identifying what AFF impacts your case defense is responding to.
I am starting to get really tired of bad highlighting here and teams that point this out can mitigate offense here.
DAs:
They're cool, but oh my gosh do teams double, triple, quadruple turn themselves with these so often! I don't care about spamming DAs, but I wish more AFF teams would exploit contradictions in "neg flex". Neg teams can best win their DAs by getting impact framing out early and being clear about 1ar concessions to establish a high risk of your offense.
I am starting to get really tired of bad highlighting here and teams that point this out can mitigate offense here.
T:
I think explaining your vision of the topic is one of the most underrated and underutilized ways to win a T debate. Please just explain to me why in your squad room you decided that T made sense? What's the "core thing" that the AFF did that is the controversy being debated?
Things that help a lot: TVA, case-list of good AFFs under your interpretation, case-list of bad AFFs under their interpretation, definition comparison, explanation of neg ground under your interpretation AND the other teams'.
Theory:
I HATE bad theory arguments and don't want to vote on them, but I hate teams that don't flow slightly more so I will vote on that stuff (and if I miss one line ASPEC that's on you, debate's a communication activity!). Bad theory debating is a one way ticket to low speaks, but good theory debating can drastically alter how rounds go down.
I'm pretty good for theory all things considered. I went for states CP theory a lot on the education topic and am a 2a at heart, but as someone who was a 2n I understand the deep, deep love we share for condo. I feel like the best theory debaters are FLOWABLE while doing their theory debating, SPECIFIC in their impact articulation beyond just talking about clashing and doing some fair education, and INSTRUCTIVE to the judge on questions of impact comparison and justifying new arguments.
CPs:
CPs are defense and should be explained in the context of what it is defending against (the 1ac's mandate, evidence, and how the advantages are explained). This is how I often think about deficits and how a CP implicates my ballot. Re-cutting the 1ac/AFF evidence is usually the gold standard for proving a CP sufficiently solves. I feel like fore-fronting how you explain a CP early and not deviating from that is the best way to ensure you don't bring in new explanations so I don't let the AFF get new answers. I lowkey hate process CPs but sometimes it must be done.
Ks:
I'm better for the K than you think, but likely need more judge instruction about how to apply X argument. Better for evidence-heavy OR depth-focused debate. Any amount of generic evidence is best addressed through specific analysis.
"Exceeds expectations"/I've gone for: Cap, Security, Biopolitics/Agamben
"Meeting expectations"/I feel fine judging: Set Col, Anti-blackness (Nihilism, Pessimism, to name a few), Orientalism/Colonialism, Imperialism, Queer pessimism, Trans pessimism, Ableism
"Needs improvement"/err towards over-explaining: Psychoanalysis, Bataille, Heideggerian stuff, Baudrillard, Deleuze
I have not judged a KvK debate yet.
Framework:
I almost exclusively went for t-usfg/framework in HS and college, but that doesn't make me care about dropping a policy team. Impact articulation matters for me but far too often I find teams blending concepts such as fairness and clash in incoherent ways. I don't care about the label, but rather the underling explanation and how it is being applied in the debate. If you have any other questions look at Josh Harrington's philosophy on K AFFs, that'll reflect roughly how I feel.
Nate's sliding scales about debate:
Tech/Truth----------------------------X-Facts are Facts & Dropped args are as true as the warrants conceded
Condo-------X----------------------Respect the Aff Peasant (have and will vote on it, clear args in the 1ar key)
Process CP/Normal Means Competition----------------------------X- 100 plank case-specific advantage CP
Super Big CP-----------------X------------Deep Case Debating
Simply saying "Sufficiency Framing"-----------------------------X-Explain why CP solves sufficiently
Zero Risk Framing----------X-------------------Any Risk Framing
Perm Double Bind--------------X---------------Haha Silly Policy Hacks
Deb8=Karl Rove----------------------------X-That was one dude
Salad K----------------------------X-Single K Thesis
Economic Growth----------------------------X-( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
***Miscellaneous***
Email chain is always preferable to anything else barring tech issues
I don't like cards in the body of the email... but nobody seems to care... oh well...
I am fine with open cx. All people should be.
The Prep Rule: I will increase speaks from what I would have given by .1 for every minute of prep not used - speaks can be earned by specifically telling me the balance of prep your team had remaining before their last rebuttal. Capped at .5 boosted speaks.
Massive pet peeve: if you call a CP a "see-pee" I will think about it so much that it might disrupt my flowing and you might instantly lose (I am being sarcastic).
here's a photo collage about debate that I made in high school:
Email: dylan.goldberg2@gmail.com
Put me on the email chain.
I debated for four years at Glenbrook South, where my partner and I almost exclusively ran policy centric arguments. While I always vote off the flow, that policy focus is certainly going to influence how I decide debates.
Counterplan and disad debates are the area I feel most comfortable, given that I have the most experience in those areas. For disads, the links is the most important part of the debate, and generally the hardest to win. I'll vote on contrived politics disads, though it's going to be harder to convince me of something that's absurd than a more well thought out topic relevant disad.
Critical debate is an area I feel a lot less comfortable in, though if that's what your good at, just know to explain concepts a little bit more. I'll listen to anything, though if you run a critique I don't understand it will be a lot more difficult for me to decide in favor of it. If you're aff against a K, I generally find impact turns to be more persuasive than link defense, though as always keep that within reason (I will never evaluate racism good).
T vs. Policy aff's: I was never the best T debater, though that doesn't mean I won't evaluate the argument. I find reasonability to be fairly persuasive, though if there's enough limits offense
T vs. Planless aff's: Coming from a policy background, I generally find argument refinement or fairness to be persuasive, but that doesn't mean I won't vote off the flow. If you can't defend why fairness should be a prior question, don't expect my policy bias to change how I vote.
Be nice, be respectful, and have fun. Debate's an amazing activity, enjoy it.
Lexington Update 2021:
Everything below on form/content/argument familiarity is still true. I haven't had the opportunity to judge many debates on this topic, so please do a good job of explaining any topic-specific acronyms/arguments.
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About me:
I debated for the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools from 2014-2018. For what it's worth, my senior year, I cleared at every major national tournament I attended and earned 7 bids to the TOC.
I would like to be on the email chain: michaelhellie@gmail.com
Top Level:
Debate is fundamentally a communicative activity. If, by the end of the debate, you have convinced me to vote on an argument, I will certainly do so, regardless of how I personally feel about the argument.
I don't believe that it is my prerogative as a judge to determine or influence the content of the debate. As such, I will do my best to fairly evaluate any and all arguments based solely on the flow of that particular round.
That said, please don't say anything offensive.
Thoughts on form:
The strongest final rebuttals will begin by writing my ballot and instructing me how to resolve the central question of the debate.
While I would certainly say that I am a tech over truth judge, it will be far easier for you to win my ballot with strong meta-level framing of the round than by assuming that I'll know that the block's concession of 2AC #12 is game over.
Thoughts on content:
I'll mostly discuss my thoughts on the Kritik because that's what I think most people are interested in:
If you believe in characterizing debaters by their argument preference, I would fall decidedly in the "k debater" camp. I spent my last two summers in the Michigan 7-week k lab and have not read a "policy aff" since my novice year.
However, this does not mean that I am any more likely to vote for kritiks or kritik affs. If anything, I will probably have a higher standard for these arguments to be executed properly.
flow and be nice
General
Contact Information:
I was a 2A @ New Trier for four years (Class of 2019).
Also a Northwestern grad (go Cats!), didn't debate and studied computer science.
I don't know much about the topic -- don't assume I know the in-and-outs of some topic-specific acronym, disadvantage, etc.
If you don't read a plan (or view debate as anything other than a competitive activity where the positive/negative consequences of the affirmative are the focus of your debating) I am not the best judge.
My philosophy is probably a linear combination of: Jack Altman's and Roland Kim's.
I debated for New Trier in high school ('19) and am now debating at Dartmouth ('23).
Email: kadinhannah [at] gmail [dot] com
she/her
Last updated: July 2020
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If you do line-by-line and read well-researched strategies, I will be happy. I don't arbitrarily intervene into questions of evidence quality, but your evidence should be good.
In high school, I read arguments across the board; now, I tend to read critical arguments on the negative more often than not. This just means I feel comfortable judging lots of different types of debates.
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I genuinely do not care what you read. However, I'm predisposed to think that framing contentions for soft left affirmatives should not be about the conjunction fallacy and utilitarianism (do you even know what that is?) being bad, that most process counterplans are not competitive, and that kritiks can get links not solely based on the plan. These predispositions can easily be overcome by good debating.
You can defend a traditional policy interpretation of the resolution or not. I don't really care. Certainly I find some arguments more persuasive than others. Negative impact arguments about clash make much more sense to me than content-based arguments about the 1AC's educational value. Creative affirmative counter/interpretations of the resolution get a lot of mileage. That being said, I will reiterate that I don't really care what arguments you make. It's up to you to win!
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If your presence and/or arguments make the debate unsafe for another debater in the round, I will stop the debate and you will lose. There is obviously a distinction between that and using suspect language, speaking over someone, being mean rather than aggressive, etc. It's a fine line and I get to determine when you cross it.
katie kenner
senior at glenbrook south high school
top level:
I like debates that are nuanced, specific, and technical. With the exception of arguments that are offensive and derogatory, I'm open to listening to whatever you have to say. Be nice to each other and have fun!
things I like/think are interesting:
- specific k's
- kindness
- heg good/bad
- limits !!!
- court affs
- theory
things I dislike:
- arbitrary theory arguments (no neg fiat, 2nc cps bad)
- process cps
- da's with weak/arbitrary internal links
- debate bad & death good arguments
Glenbrook North '18
University of Michigan '22
Put me on the chain
jackkuss11@gmail.com
1. You should probably read a plan
2. Process CPs are ok
3. I think the majority of non-old person Kritiks (ks that arents like neolib, security, Agamben or something) are poor arguments, however, if you do the better debating, you win
4. Condo may actually be bad, but don't be afraid to push the limit
5. If you make a joke about Jonah Jacobs, you will get +.1 speaker points
6. Condo > T (sort of)
7. Counterplan do the plan is acceptable if presumption goes neg
8. I'm cool with 10 off
9. I will not kick a counterplan for you, you must say judge kick
10. Do what you want and I’ll listen, I’m always down for some good memeing
Kevin Le -- Lay Judge
OTHER STUFF: TSMDebateKL@gmail.com --> ALWAYS include me on the email chain
Note: I have not debated nor researched the current high-school topic, keep this in mind when you're explaining and contextualizing your arguments. I have not judged since I last debated, please slow down. I will not catch everything and then it's on y'all. I am ESPECIALLY unfamiliar with the virtual debate so please be patient with me.
-- I HATE it when teams don't flash analytics. Debate isn't about outspreading the opponent and hoping that they drop something. You should be able to out-debate them even when they have all your arguments and it also helps me out to flow when you're going 100000000 mph during your speech.
-- Tag team is fine as long as you don’t start taking over cross-ex.
-- If you're referring to me, please call me Kevin.
-- I do not count flashing time (or general tech screw-ups) as prep time and quite frankly I am not a fascist about this kind of thing as some other judges, just don’t abuse my leniency on this.
-- If you are running more than 5 off-case positions, you need to rethink your strategy. Run it at your discretion, but know that I will be more likely to evaluate in-round abuse (on theory debates) as legitimate and a reason as you why your model of debate is bad.
-- You should speak more slowly. You will debate better. I will understand your argument better. Judges who understand your argument with more clarity than your opponent's argument are likely to side with you. If you are going too fast or are unclear, I will let you know. Ignore such warnings at your peril, as with Kritiks, I am singularly unafraid to admit I didn’t get an answer and therefore will not vote on it. I'm average at flowing but may miss tricks/theory if you don't make them especially clear. If I can't understand your argument -- either due to your lack of clarity or your argument's lack of coherence, I will not vote for it. The latter is often the downfall of most negative Kritiks. I'm a 4/10 for speed and maybe even a 5 if I'm fully awake.
-- I will read evidence if it is challenged by a team. Otherwise, if you say a piece of evidence says X and the other team doesn’t say anything, I probably won’t call for it and assume it says X. However, in the unfortunate (but fairly frequent) occurrence where both teams just read cards, I will call for cards and use my arbitrary and capricious analytical skills to piece together what I, in my semi-conscious (and probably apathetic) state, perceive is going on. -- I generally will vote on anything that is set forth on the round.
-- I will not hesitate to vote against teams and award zero points for socially unacceptable behavior i.e. evidence fabrication, threats of violence, racist or sexist slurs, etc.
-- You can't clip cards. This is non-negotiable. If I catch it, I'll happily ring you up and spend the next hour of my life doing anything else. If you're accusing a team of it, you need to be able to present me with a quality recording to review. The burden of proof lies with the accusing team, "beyond a reasonable doubt" is my standard for conviction.
TOPICALITY: Enjoy. I believe it is the NEG's burden to establish the plan is not topical. Case lists and arguments on what various interpretations would allow/not allow are very important. I have found that the limits/predictability/ground debate has been more persuasive to me, although I will consider other standards debates.
DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES: Mostly fine with most DAs, but not a big fan of politics DAs.
COUNTERPLANS: Okay. Case-specific CP's are preferable that integrate well (i.e. do not flatly contradict) with other NEG positions. The AFF has the burden of telling me how a permutation proves the CP is non-competitive.
KRITIKS: Not a fan, but I have voted on them numerous times. I will never be better than below mediocre (3/10) at evaluating these arguments because I don’t read philosophy for entertainment. To win, the negative must establish a clear story about 1) what the K is; 2) how it links; 3) what the impact is at either the policy level, or: 4) pre-fiat (to the extent it exists) outweighs policy arguments or other AFF impacts. Don’t just assume I will vote to reject their evil discourse, advocacy, lack of ontology, support of biopolitics, etc. Without an explanation, I will assume a K is a very bad non-unique DA. As such it will probably receive very little weight if challenged by the AFF. You must be able to distill long boring philosophical cards read at hyper speed to an explanation that I can comprehend. I have no fear of saying I don’t understand what the hell you are saying and I will not vote for issues I don’t understand. I don’t have to impress anyone with my intelligence or lack of. If you make me read said cards with no explanation, I will guarantee that I will not understand the five-syllable (often foreign) philosophical words in the card and you will go down in flames. I do appreciate, if not require specific analysis on the link and impact to either the AFF. If you can make specific applications (in contrast to vote negative b/c the state is bad), I will be much more likely to vote for you.
PERFORMANCE-BASED ARGUMENTS AND KRITIK AFFIRMATIVES: No topical plan that starts with "The United States federal government should..." No win. This is non-negotiable. If your AFF does not contain a topical plan and the negative raises even a minimal framework objection, I will vote negative. Especially on a topic where the AFF can critique some vestige of US [INSERT TOPIC HERE] policy and then read a plan to increase/ban that thing, it is a LOW requirement that the affirmative finds a topical way to make its desired argument.
robbielevin515@gmail.com
Debated for Niles North and Indiana University.
Put me on the email chain, liamjlorenz@gmail.com
I am open to any arguments, as long as they are explained and extended well. I'm not one of those people that "won't vote on death/extinction good" or "will never pull the trigger on ASPEC". I approach the debate from an unbiased mindset. If you out-debate the other team, and I have you winning on a technical level on my flow, I will vote for you.
That being said, I do have some small inherent preferences as a debater, which I feel make for better debates - displayed here in a chart copied from Jeff Buntin. However, these are merely preferences - if your style of debate does not align with the opinions in this chart, that does not mean I won’t vote for you. I will likely understand all of the arguments in debate, and pay close attention to technicality.
Policy-----------O--------------------------------K
Tech-------------O--------------------------------Truth
Conditionality good---------------O---------------Conditionality bad
States CP good---------------------O------------States CP bad
Limits---------------------O------------------------Aff ground
You should flow all arguments, and doing explicit line-by-line will help everyone in the debate, including your chances of winning and getting high speaker points. Stray away from under-developed embedded clash/unnecessarily long “overviews"; the more flowable you are, the better your chances of winning are.
Hello! My name is Maja (pronounced like Maya) Markovic, I am a debater at Glenbrook South Highschool and am currently a senior.
I am not a fan at all of K's (especially at the novice level). DO NOT read one if you are not well versed, I typically vote down teams that run K's but OBVIOUSLY if you debate the K correctly I will vote you up.
Spreading: Y'all are novices and I do not expect you to be amazing speakers. Speak at a pace you are comfortable at and at a pace where I can understand you. It helps no one out when you are stumbling and I can not flow the debate. Take into consideration that I am the judge and I am the one who must understand (and the other team). If you go too fast to the point where I can not understand you (ie. stuttering, mumbling, talking softly, not being clear in tags vs evidence) I will drop my pen and stop flowing.
Please be kind to one another and enjoy the debate.
I believe a debate is an educational opportunity and therefore should be taken seriously. Come into your round prepared and ready to give it your best. I ask for you to be respectful to one another, including your partners. I can be persuaded to vote on any argument as long as you are organized and consistent. I don't mind your speed as long as you are very clear on your tags and important details you want me to consider most important.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me before the round.
Please use the following email for chains: EGMORENO1@CPS.EDU
disclaimer: i am not familiar with the topic this year (2021-22) so keep that in mind, hope you read my paradigm lol
add me to the email chain: jn14@illinois.edu
theory- if a team is running a bunch of conditional arguments you should probably read theory...
k- run it if you can explain it! if you barely know what youre talking about i will be able to tell. fw debate is important here
T- If your going for t explain why it's a voter thoroughly, dont spend 30 seconds on it in your rebuttle if you arent going for it. I'll vote on reasonability and fairness, but you have to impact it out.
DA's- Explain the link debate, if it's a weak link explain to me why I should evaluate it. The DA is a story, so don't mix up the order or it won't make sense for you or me.
cp- explain why or why not it's competitive, ext perms, explain net benefit, if you go for theory then explain it (same as topicality), explain why cp is better than case
case- dont drop it (goes for both sides), know your cards, if you ext from the 1ac/2ac dont just say ext my lskgfg author explain what the card is and why I should care about it, call out conceded arguments. I don't like when novice drops solvency on neg or aff, clash!!
overall, run what you feel you know best.
tag team is fine if other team is ok with it.
Don't be afraid to be funny
Add me to the email chain: bpuchowitz@gmail.com
Debated at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School from 2015-2019
Lasted updated: Glenbrooks 2019
Glenbrooks 2023 update - it's really sad that debaters don't shake hands anymore.
TL;DR:
I'm not familiar with the arms control topic, but don't let that change the way you debate in front of me. Really, all this means for you is that you should be a bit more explanatory in T debates and not leave me to my own devices, as I don't have a good grasp on what the ideal way to read the res is.
I'm comfortable with almost any type of argumentation. I've read big stick heg good affs and soft-left domestic violence affs, as well as k affs including Derrida, Spanos, Anarchy, and Buddhism!
I prefer depth over breadth; my speaks will reflect that.
Regarding Tech v. Truth... This is a silly dichotomy to me, mainly because what's 'true' is almost never a given. To me, this question seems to be one that, at its core, is about how judges evaluate dropped arguments. There is no universal metric I employ to determine the answer to this question. Obviously, dropped arguments are assumed to be true. But what constitutes an argument? An argument requires a claim and a warrant (i'm sure you haven't heard that one before), but it is a debate to be had as to what constitutes those. If the block says "severance perms are a voter" (assuming this is all they say on the matter) and the 1AR drops it, it should be easy to persuade me that there wasn't sufficient explanation as to constitute a warrant. For the argument to be complete (especially if it's something you want me to vote on), it requires me understanding why a claim is true; otherwise it's almost meaningless.
Thoughts On Argument Types:
FW: There are two different ways to go about reading framework. The critical difference between the two is whether or not you make the claim the arguments we read in debate shape our beliefs. If you make that argument, you need to defend the educational merits deriving from the substance of debates centered around the state, not just the form. It's unconvincing to me to claim that debate shapes subjectivity while simultaneously making the claim that the form of debate the affirmative endorses somehow doesn't result in anything beneficial you can take from the round. Even if you're making the claim that clash is necessary to make us better arguers, the affirmative is still typically making claims about the benefits of holding the beliefs they endorse alone, which I see as somewhat isolated from the skills derived from deliberation alone. Thus, this way to read framework requires you to win that the type of pedagogy they endorse is bad, or at least not as beneficial as the pedagogy associated with policy-centered analysis. The other way of reading framework, which is to say that the arguments we read in debate have no effect on our political beliefs, doesn't require you defending the state on the level of substance. Instead, using clash as the key internal link, you can claim that all debate does is teach us a better argumentative form. The fact that teams read several different contradictory arguments helps support the narrative that the only way debate truly influences our beliefs is at the margins, ie over the hundred debates you have, you end up debating (for and against) arguments that are on the side of truth more often than arguments that are not. Without clash, there's no good means to determine what args (besides extremes) are truer than others. If the ideology you endorse isn't subjected to rigorous and meaningful criticism, how are you supposed to determine whether or not it's right? It might come off like I'm good for the negative in these debates, but all I mean to do is point out what I think to be to irreconcilable ways of thinking about framework. I love seeing new and innovative strategies and ways of thinking about framework and debate by the aff.
Counterplans: The phrase "all we need is a risk of offense" still requires you - obviously - winning a risk of offense. To me, there isn't always one. If a team read a DA that was cut from this judging philosophy and tagged it as something else, even if they had a counterplan that I felt confident solved the entirety of the case - I clearly wouldn't give the DA any weight. Of course, this example is a bit extreme, but this becomes more important the worse evidence quality gets.
Topicality: The most important thing to do in T debates is impact calculus contextualized to the interpretations endorsed. You should treat this impact debate like you would any other. It's not enough to say overlimiting the topic is bad, but why is the fashion in which the affs interpretation overlimits the topic worse than their accusation of your interpretation being somewhat arbitrary?
Reasonability is not and should not be read as an argument merely about unpredictability. I see many teams read reasonability as "their interp is arbitrary and thus you should prefer ours" without anymore analysis. I think judges still understand the argument teams are trying to make, but if that's the extent of your explanation it won't be sufficient for me. Reasonability is about the burden of the affirmative. All the aff should have to do (according to the arg) is provide a reasonable reading of the resolution. It shouldn't be the aff's burden to read the resolution in the way that's best for the negative. If teams are voted against for reading a res that's reasonably within the parameters of the res, the negative is given the incentive to find a more and more limiting interp.
Various Thoughts About Debate:
Clash is the most valuable aspect of debate. The ability for two sides to forward arguments, to which the other side will say "no" to is something that only debate allows. What makes debate great, however, is that a debaters burden falls not just on a reassertion of "yes", but saying "no" to the other teams objections.
Evidence quality is important. In good [close] debates, which contain many moving pieces, and in which both sides are technically proficient and make logical arguments, evidence quality often does (and should) put a team ahead. Quality alone can only do so much. If a team severely misrepresents the evidence they're reading, it's the other teams burden to point it out. It's also important to realize what constitutes 'good evidence'. There's a reason why evidence quality is valued so highly. Peer reviewed journals (assuming their highly relevant to a question in a debate), for example, offer claims backed by a high depth of warrants and analysis that makes it difficult (but not impossible) to rely on logic or rhetoric alone to diminish them. Reciprocity is paramount but does not mean "if they have a card, you should have card." More likely than not, if a [competent] team doesn't have evidence to answer a DA, it's probably contrived and not a controversy within literature. In fact, I think that the card:analytic ratio against most arguments (specifically the contrived politics disads of the Trump era) is far too tilted towards reading evidence. Logic surrenders to nobody.
I feel like it's important to protect the 2NR against new 2AR arguments, particularly in topicality and theory debates.
Theory is underutilized in debate today. Any good 1AR has at the very least one theory arg extended.
If you can't defend that bad things are bad, you deserve to lose. This ideology extends as far as comprehension allows. It shouldn't be too hard to convince me extremely unethical positions are wrong/bad. It's not like I want to vote for them.
I am familiar with most primary critical theorists and read philosophy for fun.
I am an economics major and thus enjoy debates centering around economics.
Arguments that hold a special place in my heart:
- Integral Fast Reactors
- Buddhism
- Capitalism K (against critical affirmatives)
Northside College Prep '19 (debated surveillance through immigration, 2N)
Northwestern '23 (debated 2019-20 space topic, 2A)
Assistant coach @ Edgemont, 2019-20
Yes email chain --- wasim.i.rahaman@gmail.com
Compile and send a doc of cards referenced in your side's final rebuttal as soon as possible after the 2NR/2AR
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Novice: don't worry too much about anything below. Do your best and have fun.
AFF should read a plan. NEG should prove implementation of plan is a bad idea.
Tech > truth
Evidence quality > evidence quantity.
Util is true. Risk = magnitude x probability.
Will judge-kick a conditional CP unless told not to. 2AR is too late for the AFF to object for the first time.
Not a fan of theory cheap shots. "Reject the argument, not the team" is a sufficient response to theory that only applies to a CP being kicked.
Not a fan of CPs that compete for stupid reasons (e.g., "should," "resolved," etc.).
Only one debater gives each speech. I won't evaluate anything outside of the round or flow anything said after your speech time is up. You cannot argue for your speaks. Don't threaten people. My identity will not be a factor in my decision.
I don't think it's legitimate to read cards about debate written by people associated with debate (debaters/coaches), though the other team would obviously have to point this out. (Cards from debate alums about things outside of debate are obviously fine.) For that matter, even if they were legitimate, I can't imagine why reading a debater's/coach's card about debate would result in a stronger argument than if you just made the argument analytically.
If you care, I debated primarily on the national circuit and went to the TOC in high school.
Online debate note: If my camera is off, assume I'm AFK until I confirm that I'm present.
Pet peeves:
---Reading "war good" is no longer funny or original. Treat it like any other argument---read it if and only if you think it is the most likely path to victory. I'll vote for it if answered poorly, but I'll be annoyed if it's evident that your strategy is a joke (e.g., vs a new AFF = understandable, vs a core topic DA/AFF = infuriating).
---There is no such thing as asking questions "before cross-ex." Asking what cards someone read is CX.
---If you are just making things up about economics, I will probably know.
Jackie Reis
Niles West High School 2017
Loyola University Chicago 2021
You do you. Run what you like, and run it well. Articulate a link story, impact out your arguments, go line by line, explain how your alt functions, etc. I will vote on anything if you execute/frame the ballot well enough for me in the 2nr/2ar.
Framework tidbit
T version and fairness args are very persuasive for the neg when you answer the following questions:
Why is fairness so important in debate?
What is the aff doing that should lose them the debate?
Please for the love of all that is held dear in this world, do not go up there and tell me they should lose simply because they don't read a plan text. Similarly, don't answer those arguments with shallow "state bad" or "framework is exclusionary". Impact your arguments out, and paint me a picture of what their model of debate does to stunt this community.
Disclaimer: IF you are going to read trolly arguments, know what you are doing, and convince me your argument is legit.
Quick note on Da/Cps
-Cp must have a substantive net benefit
-Da needs to be contextualizing the link and impact stories to the aff
Speaks
Sometimes I wish I were a point fairy.
CX is super important. I love common sense, witty cx. This is the time in which your argument will most come into its own and if you do it well, everything will begin to tie together nicely.
Be clear. Your speaks will reflect how well cx went for you, as well as how well you articulated your arguments.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask before the round!
I literally copied and pasted Nathan Glancy's paradigm. However, some things have changed because I'm a biased 2A.
Niles West HS (2014-18)
Last Updated: Feb 2, 2018
put me on the chain: salehitezanginasim@gmail.com
Top level:
I'm a policy-leaning debater who will evaluate arguments equivalent to the analysis presented in the debate. To me, the best debates are respectful, fun, and intense at the same time. I promise that if you show effort in your debate, I'll reflect that in my decision's depth.
You can go for any argument in front of me. However, you need to explain and extend warrants. That being said, I'm down to wreak havoc.
flowing/tech/truth:
I really think that a solid flow is the key to winning debates. Given that, I err on the side of tech. But what is tech? I think that this is arbitrary, but I hold tech to a coherent warrant that I can remember on my flow. This means that failing to make a full argument, whether it is from your speaking or your blocks, will get you nowhere.
specific arguments:
neg theory:
I'm a 2A, so this isn't a thing.
aff theory:
Yeah, it's generally true.
T vs policy:
Meh. Sure.
T vs K aff
most neg teams seriously fail to nswer 2ac offense. However, that offense needs clear articulation that I can understand (see tech vs truth) in order to consider it "not responded to". I'm no K genius, but I can comprehend most arguments.
aff teams will most likely win in front of me by providing strong defense to the neg's impact claims, because honestly most aff teams just extend a ton of offense but no defense.
K vs T aff
I will reward a 2nr that eliminates buzzwords and just uses a K to describe a demonstrable argument. I am pretty down for the neg weighing the K, but I have little mercy for voting on links that cannot be differentiated from the status quo.
K vs K aff
If at some point this debate ends up with me in the back, I encourage chaos. I have no idea how to judge a debate like that so please entertain me.
DA
ev> spin > bad ev. that is, until the ev becomes necessary to compare spin from each team and one ev is just... true. I will maintain a reasonable threshold for this
CP
I won't kick it unless you tell me to. If the 2ar says nah, then nah.
impact turns
No, but I guess it's fine.
want more speaks? do these!
- make jokes! I literally laugh at almost everything but don't try too hard.
- puns, especially bad puns
- make jokes about Nathan Glancy
- take risks (and not lose)
Also, don't:
- say/do reprehensible things
- expect a card to win you a round if you read two sentences of it
- attack the identity of someone else
Soundjata Sharod
Email: soundjatasharod@gmail.com
I competed in the National Circuit and sometimes in the Chicago Urban Debate League for 4 years at UC Laboratory Schools.
For my sophomore, junior, and senior years, I utilized mostly Kirtikal arguments like Afropessimism, Neolib Ks, Pan K, and Baudrillard Ks. However, im incredibly receptive to all argument types. I appreciate passion and creativity in whatever type of arguing is going on. I have a special place in my heart for performance debate.
My mother is African, and my father is African American. I personally identify as black, but these days I’m not sure. I don't care what pronouns you refer to me by, but I identify as a man.
The Rundown
1. Truth v.s. Tech
Leading towards tech. I don’t automatically presume that dropped arguments are 100% true, but I’m still a lot more likely to vote for dropped arguments. I do take technical leads very seriously. Dropped arguments are an easy way to decide debates, and I’m generally looking for an easy way to resolve debates.
If you kinda drop an argument and if you can make cross-application in speech, I’ll cut you some slack. Emphasis on some.
2. Is debate a game?
Its a slippery slope arguing that debate is just a game, because my ultimate goal in these types of debates is to decide what it should be. Because a lot of Krtikal affs are positioned to frame debate as some sort of revolutionary space or radical potentiality, it hard to win that a mere intellectual game only about policy is important in this world.
Please win a TVA.
- Winning a TVA for me pretty much is an automatic win for framework. But now in days, its hard to do it. Most of them strip the aff of their theory and education, which tends to be what the aff’s interp is about. If your going for the TVA, then you have to really sell your version of education and have compelling disads on the affs theory.
- You may have to win that debate should keep existing. Now in days, teams shrug at the possibility that their theory is activity destroying and world shattering, because that tends to be the goal.
3. Policy specific topicality
I love topicality. It’s definitely a voting issue. At the most, there should be 3 violations. If you spread through the block, put the analytics in the doc!
4. Ks
Framework and impact framing is the most important argument in this debate. That being said, I expect to hear a role of the judge or role of the debate argument in the negative block. Line by line refutation of the affs standards is also expected.
I wish i didnt have to say this but links need to be specific to the aff— decently specific. It has to be contextualized to a specific mechanism of the aff. Debates about risks of links are quite weird to me especially when we are talking about broad socio-political problems that are in some way already happening. You cant kinda be capitalist, antiblack, or facist. It’s either they are that thing you say or or they’re not.
Alternatives can be optional, but not having them in the 2nr makes it a lot harder for me to hang my ballot on something. Be clear upfront on the alternative. I’f your not, then i will pull the trigger and vote on a permutation even if the disads are extends.
Floating pics are bad.
5. Case turns/ Disads/ Counterplans
I need a coherent story. Overviews with impact analysis are important. Perms are a thing that I’m fine with. Perm theory— not so much.
Aff:
Explain your aff to me. Tell me why whatever you do is good and what exactly you solve. Explain your impact to me, what does the Plan solve for and why would the SQUO be bad. When I determine who will win I look at the impact and how you solve. I look at what the plan does and normally look at the link debate to see what the negative effects of the aff could be. Use this round to tell me a story about your aff. Please don't drop T.
Neg:
DON'T DROP CASE. If you want to read 5 off by all means go ahead but make sure you get to case.
DA:
They can be a good way to win the round if you explain it well. I want a clear link and impact.
CP:
Explain your net ben and your DA, I shouldn't have to think about it very hard. Explain your perm to me, why does the perm solve or why can the perm not function.
T and Theory:
T: a great tool. utilize it. If the aff is really untopical call them out and explain why it is unfair. If you tell me that their not topical and why that's bad for the neg and can convince me theyre unfair I'll vote for you.
Theory: tell me specifically how the perm works and talk about. I will probably not use this as a big tool for my decision but it might help you if both teams are at an equal level. I will probably not vote on condo unless there are 3 or more worlds, in which case you need to tell me that.
K:
If you're reading a K explain it to me. Tell me a story about why your K o/w and is more important. Explain buzzwords to me, pretend you're talking to a 6-year-old and explain those words to me before you start using fancy jargon. If you want to read the Death K go ahead but explain why death is good (i'm not opposed to this and will listen to it). Identity K's are my thing that being said I won't vote for you if you don't explain it to me and tell me why your K o/w case and why you solve for case as well (if you're making that arg). Please do not forget framing. BOTH the aff and neg need a Role of the Ballot. Explain the alt to me in depth, i've seen many teams just rereading the tag of the alt card not knowing what the alt is, that will hurt you. Do not drop theory, it is very important.
To get high speaks:
1. Be clear on your cards. If, despite my training, I would not be able to comprehend your cards without seeing the speech doc, you lose a point or two on the spot, and if you're egregious even after I say "clearer" i likely wont evaluate the card. Being especially clear on cards will be rewarded.
2. Argue and extend warrants, not tags. This applies even to your opponent's arguments. Figure out the warrant to their argument by reading the card for it, then answer them on that level instead of just denying the tag of their argument. Almost all of your arguments should be comparisons of the warrants, quals, and assumptions of your evidence against theirs. It's not good if you're taking little to no prep to read your opponent's evidence, and I can see it. If you mishandle the processing of the debate because you weren't anticipating and dealing with the substance of the arguments, you lose another point or two.
3. Make historical analogies and predictions. I expect you to color your arguments as the debate goes on with relevant examples from history that support your conclusions and to outline some specific, plausible impact scenarios for your arguments. The real stuff we deal with in debate are ideas, not mere tags and cards. Coloring and animating your ideas will be rewarded with at least a half point, and more importantly with deference during my evaluation of the flows. That being said don't give inaccurate facts just for the sake of having a historical example.
4. Thoroughly refute. Be proactive about keeping the 1nc-case and 2ac-offcase orders of arguments, and reference those even if your opponent is wavering on that order. If the debate itself is becoming unwieldy, with too much going on to address everything, then it's time to do some argument selection and simplify the debate. Embedded clash usually works for me since it's actually processing the debate at a high level.
5. A good netflix recommendation can get you +.5 points
Overall debating comments:
If you are unclear and too fast I will stop flowing (I won't be on the email chain so be very careful)
If you are rude to the other team/your partner/judge you will not get above a 27.5 no matter how good of a debater you are. Be nice to each other, you're not enemies. you're here because a computer matched you up. Make friends and please don't yell at each other during the round (ie in CX) but also please don't be really quite either.
Don't take my immediate reaction as an indicator for if you're right or not. Most of the time I'm probably reacting to a notification on my laptop or at my spelling skills (or lack thereof)
Please dont ask me to keep your prep/speech time (I might keep prep but most probably not speech time) or if you can run an argument or if you should run _____ argument
If you want more info ask me before the round I might have forgotten some stuff.
Please dont call me judge. My name is Bajeel (Ba-jeel). Also please dont shake my hand or give me hug
Good Luck I hope you all do well
Carlos Urquizo
UIUC'23
Solorio Academy HS'19
About Me: I debated for four years on the national circuit and in the Chicago Debate League. I used to be pure policy but I integrated the K into my negative strategies later in high school. I am open to most types of arguments and will vote for a variety of arguments. I will vote for critical arguments just as much as policy stuff.
T: Don't go for it.
Disadvantages: Disadvantages are good but I like to see a link specific to the aff if its possible. The internal link debate will matter a lot to me, if I dont understand the DA, then it doesnt matter if the 1AC links or if the impact to the DA outweighs.
Counterplans: I think most counterplans are legit, but they always need a net benefit and internal net benefits are not enough for me. I need you to win the net benefit for me to vote on the counterplan. Prove to me why the CP is clearly a reason to reject the Plan. Textual competition is not persuasive to me.
K: do good analysis and tell me what the K is, I also need specific links to the affs. This generally much easier for things like the cap K. Root cause debates are not good. Framework matters and I will not vote for the aff if you dont read it. Fairness is not an impact, but use things like that as an argument to support the impact. For the aff, tell me why the negatives kritik is bad for you and bad for debate and what that does for debate overall and why its bad for future debates not just what is happening in your round. there needs to be an intepretation from both sides - I think this debate requires proper clash or else i think it just proves the affirmatives claims. I also need to hear reasons why debate is good.
K AFFs: I like K affs, I dont like hearing arguments like the state is good but rather tell me reasons why the state is redeemable if this debate does happen to occur. I think its valuable to prove why your respective model of debate is best. For the AFF, i think its extremely important for you to be ready for things outside of framework or T. For the negative, read Topical versions of the affirmative. The best way to debate K affs is to beat the substance of the argument, and i would suggest not to go for framework because the aff will have way more offense on that debate. The K aff will usually not be bad for debate in my opinion.
Misc: I try to be a nice judge and I'll be extremely respectful to both teams. My goal during the rounds is to make sure everything goes right, while making it as fun as possible; furthermore, my goal at the end of the round is to give as much feedback and constructive criticism as I can.
university of chicago '22
new trier '18
put me on the email chain - natalie.c.ye@gmail.com
general things:
-I don't debate in college, and I have not done much research on the topic, so don't expect me to automatically understand all of the jargon, but I am familiar with some of the arguments through general study of IR topics in hs/college
-be respectful, especially to your partner
-argument = claim + warrant + implications
-tech>truth
-if you don't explain your evidence, I won't evaluate it
da:
-love them!!
-specific links are very important
-impact calculus is good, but so are coherent internal link chains
cp:
-not a big fan of process/consult/delay cps
-pics are great when they're specific to the aff
-condo is usually good
k:
-the neg team should defend an alt--I'm not a big fan of neg teams having shifty, incoherent alts, and if I don't understand what the alt specifically does, I will not vote for it
-aff-specific ks or adapting the k to specifically address the aff are always better than the generic "neolib/cap bad" ks
-I don't really understand pomo/high theory ks, but that doesn't mean I won't vote for them if you thoroughly explain any terms/buzzwords
-I'm not the biggest fan of large overviews, and I would much prefer you to answer arguments on the flow rather than saying, "that was in the overview"
t:
-I default to competing interps
-the aff team should defend resolutional action
-planless affs will most likely face an uphill battle for me regarding t/fw --but I will vote for you if you provide a compelling reason for me otherwise
-impact calculus here is also just as important as it is on a da
case:
-attacking internal links > impact defense card dump
GBN '18
Northwestern University '22 (do not debate here)
email: matthewzhang48@gmail.com
- no real preference between policy vs k arguments but k teams have a slightly higher bar to meet in terms of explaining their arguments given my policy background. with that being said, run what you want and i promise i will do my best to follow
- slow down on theory/t arguments
- tech over truth to an extent. truer arguments are inherently easier to win so keep that in mind throughout the round when making strategic decisions. also, a dropped argument is not a true argument until you sufficiently explain the impact of the dropped argument in the context of the flow/round. however, i will not let my personal thoughts about the world wholly influence my decision-making unless you run something dumb and objectively morally corrupt like death good or racism good
- perm do both, perm do the plan and non-mutually exclusive parts of alt, etc. are not persuasive arguments unless you explain exactly how those perms are implemented by both the usfg and the cp/k actor during the 2ac
- cp theory arguments should not be in the 2ac unless some really egregious in-round violation happened - odds are there are much more persuasive arguments you can make that actually engage with the substance of the cp
- i evaluate rounds very similarly to how kevin mcccaffery's paradigm describes his approach (specifically the stuff under the first two sub-headings) so i'd look there if you want more detail
- admittedly not the best at flowing so if you think of yourself as a fast spreader then you should probably slow down a little bit
- please be nice to each other and try to have fun !!