Glenn Ames

Experience

- Two years of judigng mainly novice and JV lincoln dougalas, public forum, and parliamentary debate.

Philosophy

I want clear and well-supported arguments presented in a logical and intelligent manner. Clear communication is preferred, and no speed is acceptable.

Disadvantages and Counterplans are good, I think they're smart and produce easier cost benefit analysis.

I do not have clear on how kritiks and heavy thoery argumetns work, but I will try to understand what you are talking about. Though, in the speeches, I'd like a clear explanation of the argument, and everything that it entails. Though run these at your own risk.

Being offensive will oblige me to force an auto-loss on you, so please, be civil in your debates.

I prefer ontime roadmaps and please time yourselves. 

The best thing for me is to have you write my ballot.

I debated four years of policy in high school in Ohio in the mid-1980s and went to summer debate institutes at American and Michigan.  In college at the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was president of the Penn Debate Council where I debated two-and-a-half years of NDT, qualifying for the National Debate Tournament in 1989, a semester of CEDA (like a two-person LD), and a year of parliamentary in the American Parliamentary Debate Association circuit.

Since 2002, I've been a professor of law at UCLA, where I primarily teach courses in Tax, Business law, and Sports Law.  I've also been a coach and judge for New Roads School's debate team for the past three years and I've primarily judged rounds at both the local league level and national circuit level in Parliamentary, Public Forum, and LD, with the occasional speech round thrown in where needed.

I'm an old fashioned flow-based judge, but I do think the affirmative has a prima facie burden to prove its case/the resolution and both sides have a prima facie burden with respect to their arguments.  Just because you say something that is dropped by the other side doesn't mean it necessarily wins you the round if it's logically incoherent or patently false.  I prefer if you weigh the arguments for me and explain how I should vote.  If you leave it to me to do so, you may not like how it turns out.  Speed is OK, but if you see me stop flowing, it's probably a sign that either I can no longer understand you or you are saying in 100 words what I already got from the first couple and your speed is obviously unnecessary to make your point.

Background: Coached high school debate for four years, middle school debate for two years and I'm currently in my first year of college coaching.High School Competitive Experience:  Mainly in congress, impromptu, parli and duo.  Qualified to states in cong, duo, opp and TOC bid in congress.  College Competitive Experience: Parli, IPDA, Extemp, Impromptu, ADS/STE.  NPTE Qualifier, Parli 2nd seed and Semifinalist at state , 8th best Parli spkr and semifinalist at Nationals, awarded best college parli team in the country as voted on by competitors. State champ in imp/ext, finalist ads. National Finalist imp, semifinalist ads and ext.

Delvery: A. Speed       I have a fine motor skill issue that prevents me from flowing super fast. I will listen to some speed, but not full spreading. I can handle more speed than lay, but less than avg flow judge. If I call speed 3x and you don't slow down you lose the round.       B. Speaker Points. Rounds should be fun. If you make me laugh, I'll give you 30 spks no questions asked. I like puns, messed up jokes, Childish Gambino, Hamiltion and silly analogies. You won't win just for being funny, but you'll up your spks for sure.

Types of Arguments I will and won't listen to. Debate is a game so run what you want, but here is a tip sheet if you have me.

Counterplans: Make sure they aren't permable, that they are non topical and that they don't bite into your own disadvantage

Conditionality: Kick whatever you want as long as their isn't offense on them. I'll listen to condo theory

Kritik's: Will listen to them if the structure is very organized. I want to be told the role of the ballot, the framework, the link,, the impact, the alt etc... I've only voted on one k ever.

Topicality: If you're being  abused by the aff run it. I'm also okay with seeing it as time strategy. Show the articulated abuse. 

Reverse Voting Issues: They usually arent very persuasive but I will buy them more than the average flow judge.

Spreading Theory: If you're calling speed, clear and the team refuses to slow down I will probably vote for this if you do an okay job running it.

No New Points in Rebuttal Theory: I'm a fan, but you have to earn it.

Trichotomy: Bleh, you better make some really compelling arguments.

Perm: Show why both plan and cp can be done. I won't allow everything to  be permed just because it's a "test of competition"

No Neg Fiat: I'll laugh, but hey, if you can do it, good for you.

Overall: Be organized, use subpoints, number your responses, explain your impacts. I will listen to complex arguments but please explain them clearly.  Hard for me to vote for you if you don't give me voters. HAVE FUN.

I have judged Varsity Policy, Parli and LD debate rounds and IE rounds for 10 years at both the high school and college tournament level. I competed at San Francisco State University in debate and IEs and went to Nationals twice, and I also competed at North Hollywood High School.

Make it a clean debate. Keep the thinking as linear as possible.

Counterplans should be well thought out – and original. (Plan-Inclusive Counterplans are seriously problematic.)

Speed is not an issue with me as usually I can flow when someone spreads.

I do like theory arguments but not arguments that are way, way out there and have no basis in fact or applicability.

Going offcase with non-traditional arguments is fine as long as such arguments are explained.

Above all, have fun.

Hello y'all!

It's everyone's favorite time, to read the philosophy of the judge so they can bs their way to winning rounds.

Background:

My background is pretty baller. I did speech for 4 years of high school and was ranked in the state. I did debate for 2 years, mid lay level LD and parli. After I graduated, I started coaching at Chaminade College Prep. To my dismay, they were mostly a policy school. I cried for weeks about this.

I've been the assist head coach there for 2 and half years and now the head coach for the past year. Surprisingly, no one has died. I've now judged rounds of all debate events in California, at almost all levels, except Varsity Policy, because I'm not too masochistic.

Here are some general things, then you can look at event specific things below:

I try my best to not put my beliefs onto the flow. I don't mind any critical arguments, just realize most of you run them wrong/weak links. Don't do that. Be clear and articulate, explain to me how it impacts the round. Don't just say "Dumb judge, I win because of (fancy jargon word)" Explain why you win. If you're going to cross apply, explain how it cross applies. "Cross apply this to all of my contentions because in reality, I have no answers, but want to seem like I didn't drop everything on the flow"

Don't run K's with no clear link. If I feel you've run this K against every aff you've hit, not matter the topic, I won't be happy. Make the link very clear. This comes off as lazy to me.

Speed: I'm alright with speed. Usually by the rebuttal level, I'm fine. I'd say in policy try to go 70% your fastest. LD you can go 80% your fastest. I have yet to have an issue with speed in PF and parli, so don't worry. You'll want to go slower with me, mostly because I tend not to give any indication if I can't understand what you're saying because I'm trying so hard to understand what you're saying.

Also, when spreading, there is this thing called enunciating. Do that. I like that.

And in spreading, I know that tends to turn into yelling, try not to do that. As a speech a coach, I feel horrible for your vocal cords that your abusing and misusing. Also, no one likes to be yelled at for an hour.

There's no reason to be rude. I will tank your speaks if you're a jerk. Be passionate by all means, but making your opponent cry, or just being a "meanie face" will not make me like you. I will still give you the win in the round, if you won the round, but you can say bye bye speaker award, because your speaks are destroyed. Moral of this story: Win, but let your arguments win, being a jerk doesn't gain you ground on your arguments and it hurts your speaks for me. Being a meanie poo (I'm avoiding curse words, for if some reason my school I work at finds this) isn't educational and won't help you in the real world.

I generally enjoy rounds where the topic and cases are engaged. I'm more of a straight policy/LD person. However, trust me when I say, I'm totally fine with any arguments you want to run, just please make it follow a clear train of logic.

I'm cool with flex prep, if everyone agrees. In the prepared debate events, especially LD and policy, if your opponent is misrepresenting evidence, and you call that out, I love that.

LD:

Yo, LD, I like that event.Since it's LD, I'm a big fan of the values debate. Otherwise just go into policy.

Policy:

If I'm judging a policy round, I'm already crying inside. Don't make those tears turn into a full out sob. Meaning, clearly explain everything, go slow on your tag lines. I won't time "flash" time towards prep, but don't go super slow.

Parli:

I love parli. As a judge, I realize that you've only had 20 minutes of prep. For this reason, unless you cite where you are getting your information, I'll probably assume you're lying.

I'm definitely fine with any critical arguments you want to run. However, I'm not a huge fan of parli in which the topic is ignored entirely. If it's a poorly written topic, call that out, but don't refuse to debate it because you think it's poorly written. If we're getting a resolution on if we need to send aid to the Sahel region, I don't want the aff to come in an talk about how we need to stop oppression in America or an entirely different case for a resolution (unless there is a very clear link to the resolution) Again, if you feel the topic is horribly skewed, explain that in round, but I don't like when the aff comes in with a new topic, It just comes off as lazy and not willing to engage the debate and topic.

Public Forum:

I've never had any issues with speed or anything in Public Forum. Basically, if you're in Public Forum, do you boo. PF you understand me and I love you for that public forum.

Also, because I'm fat, I'm receptive to receiving donuts, cheesecake and fettuccine Alfredo. It won't give you the win, but I'll give me something to cry into during the policy rounds.