Arguments should be clear, concise and with credible evidence; the what and why of your argument is more important than how you state it, yet if you talk too fast than I may miss your point ... Rebuttals should actually be that -- a rebuttal -- and not just pre-rehearsed speech. ...Questioning in Congress should help move the arguments forward.

WI have debated 4 years of HS and on my third in college at Gonzaga. I love the 'sport,' and what it does to the community. I give praise to everyone who debates, because it takes a lot of strength to get up there and speak your opinions. I’m a 2n/1a

Updated -- Summer ‘23

Chain? Yes. dawsonnick02 AT gmail DOT com

Please refrain from suicide reps, thanks. If you have questions, ask.

Top level notes is that I was generally a k debater in HS, that being said I am more versed in some areas than others. In college I’ve been a flex team reading both K and policy affs. I think that both some of my favorite arguments and debates are one off k's or one off strats that give args the most amount of clash, shifting the debate in the most fair way(being a small school sucks sometimes). That being said, I try to be a mainly tabu la rasa judge.

The 10 analytics you spread in 2 seconds on theory or otherwise shotgun out is super hard to flow, disperse analytics or actually communicate your argument and we'll be all good. In every other instance speed is not that much of a conern. Please signpost and either say 'and' or 'next' between cards. Strictly flowing off the doc leads to worse debates.

What you probably shouldn't run:

Double win/loss / other rule breaking

Defending suicide alternatives/advocacies(ligotti, schope, others like these are ok) at least give trigger warnings

If you have concerns just don't read the arg.

Theory

T and condo are always voters, and almost never reverse voters. If you drop it you'll lose. Almost every other interpretation is solved by rejecting the argument.

K's

I have a pretty good knowledge on most k lit. That being said, if you have specific questions, you can ask me before round. I'm down to hear whatever you got. Creative K's are epic.

For the Aff specifically. I will judge the aff how to tell me to judge it, and will vote on anything(unless earlier referenced).

We went for a sick werewolves k aff at the NDT in 2023.

Etc.

Rehighlighting need to be read unless it's a single word or similar.

Anything other than policy debate

I'm a blank slate judge that tries to leave all prior knowledge of the topic outside of the room.

I prefer it if debaters spentway more time on comparing the (framework/resolutional analysis/etc) to the other teams. This is, in my opinion the most important part of debate that can shield in or out different teams' offense.

Impact calculus in the later speeches isnecessary to define the most important parts of the round, and if you win it, it should mostly define what my ballot should be solving for.

any other questions feel free to ask me before the round.

I am a volunteer and this is my second time judging an event. Being rude to your partner or your opponent is not okay. Please keep your delivery relatively slow and clear. I do not like spreading. I like arguments that are organized, cohesive, and provide rational support. I appreciate clear analysis of why you should win in the final focus. Have fun! Be proud of yourself! What you are doing is amazing!!!

Signpost, articulate your taglines, and everything will work out. Clash is good, T, Ks, etc. are fine as long as you don't drop the rest of the round. I place more emphasis on framework than contention level, unless you give me a good reason not to.

On flowing: unless you specify that you really, desperately want me to flow by cards, and give impacts that aren't 'oh, but they dropped it', I flow by contention tagline, and impact.

GLHF!! We all just here to debate and have fun :)

I'm currently a varsity college debater who is judging rounds with extra time. However, I know very well how PF, LD, and congress works. Nothing is new to me and I will try to give longer critiques at the end of rounds. As for specifics on the round format and other styles, speed is okay as I live around it and have to deal with it myself all the time, however, if you speak too fast (which is possible) I will put my pen in the air and will not flow. if your argument doesn't show up on my flow, it never happened in the debate, unless your opponent brought it up, which will work out against you either way. Impacts are crucial. Although I will flow around, that is my second option to resort to if the impact game is close, or tied. Tell me why you're right, weigh the outcomes, and show me what you think.

As for everything else in the debate, Crossfire is meant to solve something, not argue it. If you give very large and unrelated answers in crossfire, your speaker points will tank. (speaking of which, the way I grade speaker points is starting at 30, [the max] and will tally your mistakes and take off one point each per tally)

other than that, argue well, make sure you use your arguments well, weigh the impacts, and ill vote for you.

As a debate judge, I value a few things:

-Signposting: Please tell me where you are at in the flow to assist in my ability to accurately judge the round. This will also be extra powerful in points of clash -- show me where your cases are in direct contention with one another and why your side should be preferred.

-Cards/Evidence: I get that evidence matters in a debate round. I honestly don't place a lot of value in a lot of a round being focused on when an article was published or when a study was conducted ... like I get that it matters and can be important to a round, but I much so value your wholistic arguments and ideas in your case over niche disputes on sources.

-Impacts: By making your impacts clear and concise, I am better able to understand the most important/essential elements of your argument.

-Voters: By the end of the round, you should be able to tell me why you won the round.

At the end of the day, I am not a very picky judge! I want to see you do what you do best.