I competed in Lincoln-Douglas for three years in high school, and Public Forum for one. I've been coaching and judging LD and PF since then.

Lincoln-Douglas Paradigm

Disclosure

I don't want to be on the email chain/speech drop/whatever. Debate is a speaking activity, not an essay writing contest. I will judge what you say, not what's written in your case. The only exception is if there is an in-round dispute over what was actually said in a case/card.

Timing

You are welcome to time yourself but I will be timing you as well. Once my timer starts, it will not stop until the time for a given speech has elapsed. You may do whatever you like with that time, but I will not pause the round for tech issues. Tech issues happen and you need to be prepared for them.

Speed

I prefer a slower debate, I think it allows for a more involved, persuasive and all-around better style of speaking and debating. It is your burden to make sure that your speech is clear and understandable and the faster you want to speak, the more clearly you must speak. If I miss an argument, then you didn't make it.

Flex Prep

No. There is designated CX time for a reason. You can ask for evidence during prep, but not clarification.

LARP - Please don't. Discussion of policy implications is necessary for some topics, but if your case is 15 seconds of "util is truetil" and 5:45 of a hyperspecific plan with a chain of 5 vague links ending in two different extinction impacts, I'm not going to be a fan. Realistically speaking, your links are speculative, your impacts won't happen, and despite debaters telling me that extinction is inevitable for 15+ years, it still hasn't happened. Please debate the topic rather than making up your own (unless you warrant why you can do that, in which case, see pre-fiat kritiks). If there is no action in the resolution, you can't run a plan. If there is no actor, don't a-spec. If you want to debate policy, do policy debate.

Evidence Ethics

I will intervene on evidence ethics if I determine that a card is cut in such a way as to contradict or blatantly misrepresent what an author says, even if not argument is made about this in the round. I have no patience for debaters who lie about evidence. Good evidence is not hard to find, there's no need to make it up and doing so simply makes debate worse for everyone.

Arguments

Role of the Ballot: A role of the ballot argument will only influence how I vote on pre-fiat, not post-fiat argumentation. It is not, therefore, a replacement for a framework, unless your entire case is pre-fiat, in which case see "pre-fiat kritiks". A role of the ballot must have a warrant. "The role of the ballot is fighting oppression" is a statement not an argument. You will need to explain why that is the role of the ballot and why it is preferable to "better debater". Please make the warrant specific to debate. "The role of the ballot is fighting oppression because oppression is bad" doesn't tell me why it is specifically the role of this ballot to fight oppression. I have a low threshold for voting against roles of the ballot with no warrants. I will default to a "better debater" role of the ballot.

Theory: Please reserve theory for genuinely abusive arguments or positions which leave one side no ground. I am willing to vote on RVIs if they are made, but I will not vote on theory unless it is specifically impacted to "Vote against my opponent for this violation". I will always use a reasonability standard. Running theory is asking me as the judge in intervene in the round, and I will only do so if I deem it appropriate.

Pre-fiat Kritiks: I am very slow to pull the trigger on most pre-fiat Ks. I generally consider them attempts to exclude the aff from the round or else shut down discourse by focusing the debate on issues of identity or discourse rather than ideas, especially because most pre-fiat Ks are performative but not performed. Ensure you have a role of the ballot which warrants why my vote will have any impact on the world. I do like alts to be a little more fleshed out than "reject the affirmative", and have a low threshold for voting for no solvency arguments against undeveloped alts.

Post-fiat Kritiks: Run anything you want. I do like alts to be a little more fleshed out than "reject the resolution", and have a low threshold for voting for no solvency arguments against undeveloped alts.

Topicality: Fine. Just make sure you specify what the impact of topicality on the round is.

Politics Disadvantages: Please don't. If you absolutely must, you need to prove A: The resolution will occur now. B: The affirmative must defend a specific implementation of the topic. C:The affirmative must defend a specific actor for the topic. Without those three interps, I will not vote on a politics DA.

Narratives: Fine, as long as you preface with a framework which explains why and how narratives impact the round and tell me how to evaluate it.

Conditionality: I'm permissive but skeptical of conditional argumentation. A conditional argument cannot be kicked if there are turns on it, and I will not vote on contradictory arguments, even if they are conditional. So don't run a cap K and an econ disad. You can't kick out of discourse impacts. Performance is important here.

Word PICs: I don't like word PICs. I'll vote on them if they aren't effectively responded to, but I don't like them. I believe that they drastically decrease clash and cut affirmative ground by taking away unique affirmative offense.

Presumption - I do not presume neg. I'm willing to vote on presumption if the aff or neg gives me arguments for why aff or neg should be presumed, but neither side has presumption inherently. Both aff and neg need offense - in the absence of offense, I revert to possibility of offense.

Pessimistic Ks - Generally not a fan. I find it difficult to understand why they should motivate me to vote for one side over another, even if the argument is true. I have a fairly low threshold to vote on "psychoanalysis is unscientific nonsense" arguments because....well, they're kinda true.

Ideal Theory - If you want to run an argument about "ideal theory" (eg Curry 14) please understand what ideal theory is in the context of philosophy. It has nothing to do with theory in debate terms, nor is it just a philosophy which is idealistic. If you do not specify I will assume that you mean that ideal theory is full-compliance theory.

Disclosure - I will not vote on disclosure arguments.

Framework - Please have an actual warrant for your framework. If your case reads "My standard is util, contention 1" I will evaluate it, but have a very low threshold to vote against it, like any claim without a warrant. I will not evaluate pre-fiat framework warrants; eg, "Util is preferable because it gives equal ground to both sides". Read the philosophy and make an actual argument. See the section on theory - there are no theory-based framework warrants I consider reasonable.

Speaker Points

Since I've gotten some questions about this..

I judge on a 5 point scale, from 25-30.

25 is a terrible round, with massive flaws in speeches, huge amounts of time left unused, blatantly offensive things said or other glaring rhetorical issues.

26 is a bad round. The debater had consistent issues with clarity, time management, or fluency which make understanding or believing the case more difficult.

27.5 is average. Speaker made no large, consistent mistakes, but nevertheless had persistent smaller errors in fluency, clarity or other areas of rhetoric.

28.5 is above average. Speaker made very few mistakes, which largely weren't consistent or repeated. Speaker was compelling, used rhetorical devices well.

30 is perfect. No breaks in fluency, no issues with clarity regardless of speed, very strong use of rhetorical devices and strategies.

Argumentation does not impact how I give speaker points. You could have an innovative, well-developed case with strong evidence that is totally unresponded to, but still get a 26 if your speaking is bad.

While I do not take points off for speed, I do take points off for a lack of fluency or clarity, which speed often creates.

Please please please cut cards with complete, grammatically correct sentences. If I have to try to assemble a bunch of disconnected sentence fragments into a coherent idea, your speaker points will not be good.

Judging style

If there are any aspects of the debate I look to before all others, they would be framework and impact analysis. Not doing one or the other or both makes it much harder for me to vote for you, either because I don't know how to evaluate the impacts in the round or because I don't know how to compare them.

Public Forum Paradigm

Frameworks

I default to an "on balance" metric for evaluating and comparing impacts. I will not consider unwarranted frameworks, especially if they are simply one or two lines asserting the framework without even attempting to justify it.

Topicality

I will evaluate topicality arguments, though only with the impact "ignore the argument", never "drop the team".

Theory

Yes, I understand theory. No, I don't want to hear theory in a PF round. No, I will not vote on a theory argument.

Counterplans

No. Neither the pro nor the con has fiat.

Kritiks

No. Kritiks only function under a truth-testing interpretation of the con burden, I only use comparative worlds in Public Forum.

Burden Interpretations

The pro and the con have an equal and opposite burden of proof. Because of limited time and largely non-technical nature of Public Forum, I consider myself more empowered to intervene against arguments I perceive as unfair or contrary to the rules or spirit of Public Forum debate than I might be while judging LD or Policy.

I'm a current college student and former LD debater who competed nationally and locally in Georgia.

Email: jameshbrock@gmail.com

Handshaking: Even before current viral concerns, I wasn't a fan of hand shaking. If you feel the need for post round physical contact, I will either accept a light fist bump or a full hug of no less than 5 seconds in duration. Alternatively, you can just wait for my decision.

Overview: I am the debate coach at Houston County High School a suburban (closer to rural than urban) school 2 hours south of Atlanta. We don't travel outside of the state much. I am a big advocate of policy debate, but, the vast majority of tournaments we attend no longer offer the event. So, we have switched to PF/LD debate.

I flow. If I am not flowing, there is a problem.

Speed okay. If I am not flowing, there is a problem. The most likely reason I would not be flowing is, that the sound coming out of your mouth is not words. If this happens, I will most likely close my laptop or put down my pen until I can recognize the sounds you are making.

Disclosure Theory: I am a small school coach. My teams are not required to post their cases online. I don't like it when teams lose debates to rules those teams didn't know were "rules". If disclosure is mandated by the tournament's invitation, I will listen. I also, will not attend that tournament. So, just don't run it. Inclusion o/w your fairness arguments.

PF: I judge on an offence/defense paradigm. Logic is good, evidence is better. I'm the guy who will vote on first strike good or dedev. Tech over truth, but I will not give a low point win in PF, and try to stay true to the speaking roots of PF. F/W is the most important part of the debate for me. It is a gateway issue that provides the lens through which to view my decision. I have done a moderate amount of research, but I probably haven't read that article. I may be doing it wrong, but I like logic when judging a PF round. I don't think you have time to develop DAs or Ks, but have no other objection to their existence. Jeff Miller says to answer these questions if judging PF... - do you expect everything in the final focus to also be in the summary? Yes. At least tangentially. The first final focus of the round needs to be able to predict the direction of the the final speech. If it's not in the Summary it gives an unfair advantage to the second speaker. - Do second speaking teams have to respond to the first rebuttal? No, but its a good idea. It makes for a better debate and I will award speaker points will be awarded for doing this. - Do first speaking teams have to extend defense in the first summary? If you want to extend defense in the final focus. - Do you flow/judge off crossfire? Cross is binding, but it needs to be made in the speech to count on the ballot. That being said, at this tournament, damaging crossfire questions have provided major links and changed the momentum of debates. - Do teams have to have more than one contention? No. - does framework have to be read in the constructives? Responsive F/w is allowed but not advisable in rebuttal only.

LD: For me, this is policy light. I understand it, but I try not to be influenced by a lack of policy jargon in the round. IE I will accept an argument that says "The actor could enact both the affirmative action and the negative action." as a permutation without the word perm being used in the round. I tend to view values and value criterion as a framework debate that influences the mechanisms for weighing impacts. I am a little lenient on 1ar line by line debate, but coverage should be sufficient to allow the nr to do their job. I will protect the nr from new 2ar argument to a fault. I will not vote on morally repugnant arguments like "extinction good" or "rocks are more important than people".

tl;dr: Spend a lot of time on F/W. Impact your arguments.

Policy Debate: (Having this in here is a little ridiculous. Its kinda like, "back in my day we had inherency debates. No one talks about inherent barriers anymore...)

Procedural:
I am human, and I have made mistakes judging rounds. But, I reserve the right to dock speaker points for arguing after the round.
I have few problems with speed. If you are unclear, I will say clear or loud once and then put my pen down or close my laptop. I love 1NC's and 2ACs that number their arguments.
I want the debaters to make my decision as easy as possible. My RFD should be very very similar to the first 3 sentences of the 2AR or 2NR.
After a harm is established, I presume it is better to do something rather than nothing. So in a round devoid of offence, I vote affirmative

The K:
As a debater and a younger coach, I did not understand nor enjoy the kritik. As the neg we may have run it as the 7th off case argument, and as the aff we responded to the argument with framework and theory. As I've grown as a coach I've started to understand the educational benefits of high school students reading advanced philosophy. That being said, In order to vote negative on the kritik, I need a very, very clear link, and reason to reject the aff. I dislike one-off-K, and standard Ks masked with a new name. I do, however, enjoy listening to critical affirmatives related to the topic. I am often persuaded by PIK's, and vague alts bad theory.

Don't assume that I have read the literature. I have not.

Non-traditional debate: We are a small and very diverse squad, and I (to some extent) understand that struggle. I have coached a fem rage team, and loved it.

Theory:
I have no particular aversion to theoretical objections. As an observation, I do not vote on them often. I need a clear reason to reject the other team. I will occasionally vote neg on Topicality, but you have to commit. I think cheaty CPs are bad for debate, and enjoy voting on ridiculous CP is ridiculous theory. I still need some good I/L to Education to reject the team.


Parliamentary debate:
I enjoy this format. I will adopt a policy maker F/W unless otherwise instructed.

Introduction

I debated for four years in high school (1 year PF, 3 years LD) for the Lovett School in Atlanta, GA. My preferences are as follows and feel free to ask me about anything specific before the round starts either in person or via email at jamespbronsted@gmail.com.

General Philosophy

Lincoln-Douglas is a philosophical form of debate. You should have a framework in addition to contention-level arguments. If you do not connect your arguments to SOME framework (either yours or your opponent’s), I will have a difficult time evaluating it. I do believe it is the debater’s choice of where to create clash. If you feel that most of the clash will happen on the framework level, debate the framework. If the frameworks are relatively the same, only engage in framework debate if it has a very large impact in the debate and please do show that impact. That said, if the frameworks presented are different, I do enjoy a well-conducted framework debate.

Speaking/Spreading

If you choose to spread, I will do my best to get your arguments down. I cannot promise I will get everything or anything. If you want to make sure that I get your arguments, I recommend that you slow down for tags and citations. If the tags and/or citations are not at about conversational speed and emphasized preferably with a raised speech volume, I will probably not get it. I will yell “clear” or “slow” about once or twice before taking off speaker points.

Framework

I love framework debate when clash is both created and handled properly. If the frameworks presented in the round are more or less the same, I recommend that debaters engage with the framework if their specific framework has some important caveat that leads to some kind of impact. Do not debate frameworks if there is no clash to be had. In addition, framework debate is not regurgitation of your framework. A good framework debate will involve each side presenting reasons why their framework is better and why their opponent’s fails logically or is less preferable. If you want to attack your opponent’s framework, I would rather see you talk about how the framework is logically inconsistent rather than reasons why yours is more “suitable” to the resolution. I will accept the latter type of arguments, but I feel that they are weaker than arguments that fall under the former.

Contentions

Read evidence. Debate evidence. Do not regurgitate evidence. Good evidence debate involves giving reasons why your evidence comes from a better source. Good contention-level debate in general, however, involves the use of turns. Also, every argument should be linked back to some framework argument, typically, but not limited to, a criterion, and then weighed against the claims of your opponent. Winning is not done by merely discussing your position. It is done by proactively showing the ways in which your position is better or more impactful than your opponent’s.

Last Rebuttals

Give some voters. If you don’t tell me how and why you win at the end of the round I will likely not vote for you. Also, be sure that your voters are actually voters. Typically, a voter discusses an argument that you strongly believe that you won (i.e. because it was extended and wasn’t contested), how it connects to your framework (and/or your opponent’s), and how it outweighs other arguments on the flow. If I had to recommend a number of voters that I think is ideal, I would say two, maybe three. You should plan to spend a lot of time on each of your voters because voters are how you win the debate.

RFDs and Evaluation

I will vote for the debater that has the most offense at the end of the round: the debater that, in my opinion, most proactively brings about good impacts or avoids otherwise inevitable bad impacts. Speaker points are awarded based on the mere presentation of the arguments. Effective use of articulation, varying intonation and inflexion, emphasis on key points, and well-placed humor will be rewarded with higher speaker points. I am very willing to award low-point wins if I feel that both debaters were unconvincing with their delivery. In addition, I will award higher speaker points to debaters that are organized when making their points (i.e. signposting, voters).

Background: I debated for four years on the NPDA/NPTE circuit with Rice University (2017-2021). If I had to quantify my debate career, I would say 70% Ks, 20% theory, and 10% straight up. Open to listen to most arguments though, as long as they’re not Joe Rogan and co. She/her/hers.

Key Points:

· I believe debate is fundamentally an educational space with room for whatever else the debaters want it to be about. If you just want to run jokes, also fine.

· Please don’t be rude, malicious, and/or problematic – your speaks will reflect that and I will vote against you on presumption if it’s egregious

· Explain your warrants and please do impact calc. Overviews appreciated.

· Not the best straight up debater – if that’s your thing, please slow down/explain a bit more on the crucial parts than you normally would, especially for any econ scenarios

· I do my best to protect on the flow - please still call Point of Orders if you want, but I prefer max 3

Texts/Interpretations: Please read them slowly and read them twice. Have copies ready for everyone (judges, opponents) ASAP after they’re read.

Theory: Started doing this more in the last year I debated. I default to theory as the apriori question in the round, competing interps > reasonability, and proven > potential abuse unless otherwise argued.

· Please have clearly demarcated interps, violations, standards, and voters.

· Please pick clear impact(s) to sheet that you’re going for

· Please collapse to just one sheet. My sanity will thank you for it.

· MG theory is fine, but if you’re gonna go for it in the PMR, it better be the only thing you're going for

Ks: My favorite kind of argument. Run whatever you want. That being said, since I really like Ks, I also have a higher threshold on what makes a K well-run, so just keep that in mind if you want to run them in front of me.

· K links should be specific to the aff - otherwise I buy “no link” arguments fairly easily

· I look to framework first to evaluate impacts, so winning there (or at least not losing) is good for you in front of me

· All Ks should have an alternative with some explanation of solvency, though you’re not obligated to go for it

CPs: Admittedly not my strong suit, though I’ll still listen to them.

· Condo good/bad/dispo all fine – just define your terms clearly

· All CPs should have competition, net benefits, and solvency

· Please make sure your CP does not link to your other sheets – and if they do, you better win that condo debate lol

DAs: Tix and IR scenarios are the ones I’m most familiar with. I’m not well versed in econ scenarios. Well warranted and specific DA debates are rare nowadays, so if you’re running one, good for you.

· No preference on what type of DA you run, though please be aware of my familiarity/lack thereof

· Overviews on Das especially appreciated if collapsing to them

Perms: I default to perms as tests of competition and not advocacies. Please have a copy for me if it’s long.

· Permutations should have at least two solid net benefits to be leveraged as proper offense against the K

· If the perm text doesn't make sense, I’ll have a much harder time voting for you

I am a traditional judge.

Do not spread.

Civility is essential.

I value clear communication. Sign posts and voters are excellent tools.

I value clash. So listen to your opponent and tell me why they are wrong and your side is better.

Give weight to the most important arguments and tell me why they are the most important.

Write the reason for decision for me.

Put me in email chains or feel free to email me questions: JamieSuzDavenport@Gmail.com

I probably need to do an overhaul of my paradigm; it will likely not happen until I'm out of grad school. Seriously just AMA if it will help you going into the round.

Experience:

MPA-MSES @ IU Dec ’23, hoo hoo hoo Hoosiers. GA since '21. Please note this is an environmental science degree. I have a very low tolerance for climate denial or global warming good and would recommend not going for those args.

BA: IR, Fr, Arabic @ Samford, May ’20, ruff ‘em, CX and novice coaching

HS: LD in GA, ‘16

Misc

A note: I won't read cards unless instructed or seeking clarity (and if this is the case, I will be grumpy). All comments will be typed in the ballot and am open to questions immediately following the round and via email afterward. I do my best not to intervene or let personal biases cloud my judgment. I do have a deep appreciation for friendly competition and will generally be happier while giving out speaks or making decisions if I think the people in the round embodied that spirit. Conversely, am not afraid to have a come-to-Jesus meeting for unnecessary antagonism.

For eTournaments: I'll need a little more time than normal to adjust to your style of speaking/spreading because online anything gets tricky. Try to keep that in mind for your speeches so my ears can adjust. I'll default to having my camera on.

Zoom debate: PLEASE double-check your mic settings so that background noise suppression is not on. Zoom decides that spreading is background noise and it messes with the audio.

Overall:

Do what you want. I'm pretty go-with-the-flow and will try to adapt to what the round is versus making you adapt to me. The main thing to consider with me is my personal debate experience and potential knowledge gaps because of it. I'm not a great judge for high theory because I simply don't get it and it takes more explaining for me to understand and take it seriously (@ Baudrillard, semio-cap, etc.). There's some k lit that I'm not fully versed in but I try to keep current on major issues. Otherwise go nuts but make good choices.

2AR/NR: I more and more find myself telling debaters to tell me a story so I think I should put it in here. Whether you're going for a K, FW, DAs, extinction - whatever - start the speech telling me what your scenario is and why it's preferable to the other team. This is especially true if going for a perm or in a KvK debate, having a nuanced explanation clearly at the top of the speech frames the rest of the lbl and interactions you go for.

This was formerly organized by each event that I judge but that was getting unmanageable and ugly. If you have specific questions about anything event-specific or otherwise, just email or ask before the round starts.

Theory

Topicality/FW - I'll default that fairness is k2 education – if you want a different standard to be my primary metric, just tell me to do the thing. Might need more explanation of how I can apply the standard but that’s mostly for the atypical ones. Err on the side of over-explaining everything. Please please please explain your (counter)interp and what standards I should apply to favor yours - if there are a bunch of standards, which one do I evaluate first? Why? To reiterate: err on the side of over-explaining everything.

Fiat - I'll imagine it's real for policy v policy debates but more than willing to be sus of it, just tell me why.

Condo – dispo is an archaic interp and I think you can get better offense from other brightlines (2, what they did minus 1, etc.). I’ll vote on dispo but it’ll take more for you to win it than you need to do. Generally, think condo gets to its extremes when in the 3-4+ area, but new affs could change that yadda yadda, do what you want.

Other theory – whatever, just make the interp/counter-interp clear and tell me what to do with it.

RVI’s – please strike me or pref me real real low if this is your thing. I just don’t like it. This is one of if not the only hard-line I draw on content. They’re a time suck to play weird chess instead of engaging in the substance of the debate. Also, the majority of the time, horribly explained/extended.

Content

No huge preferences here

Cross-ex - I don’t flow cx unless something spicy grabs my attention and it’s usually obvious when that happens based on my reaction. Bring it up in a speech to remind me. Open cross, flex prep, is fine – I for real check out for flex prep.

Card clipping – you’ll lose. Might report it to tab/your coach if I’m feeling zesty that day.

Silliness

Love a good joke, wordplay, or reference. I currently am trying to incorporate “slay”, “yeehaw”, “gaslight gatekeep girlboss” and more into my regular debate vernacular. Feel free to also use these and I’ll at least laugh, maybe boost speaks, who knows – depends on how much of a silly goofy mood I’m in.

I have competed in Lincoln-Douglas for 4 years and judged for 5 years (various events). I am a pre-law junior at the University of Georgia with a major in English and minor in Philosophy in the hopes of being a lawyer in the Air Force (JAG).

• I enjoy structured, stimulating, and thoughtful debates. As a competitor, I would hope that you care about the reception of your case as much as you care about winning.

• Please do not treat debate as a monolith: have fun and push the boundaries. Any “wild” strategy you want to try is welcome and I encourage you to do so. If you are on your third round of the day and are beginning to feel spent, imagine how a judge might feel. Allow me to enjoy your speech fully and try to stray away from pre-made cases that always seem to miss an integral part of your speech--you.

• Because of the comment above, I expect debaters to bow heavily to the art of speech. Not only do I want you to be clear, coherent, and concise (they aren’t synonymous, trust me), but I want you to be persuasive. If you give a speech and think to yourself, “I wouldn’t vote for a president if they spoke like that”, then I’m going to have a hard time voting for you as well. I don’t expect you to be prepared for presidency while you’re still in high school, but I expect you to portray/feign the same skill they have: confidence. Speak as fast as you want, but if you haven’t practiced enough in order to guarantee that you are still presenting a thoughtful speech, rethink your strategy.

Claim. Link. Warrant. Impacts. Throughout the entirety of your case, I will always look for these. No single facet is more important than the other, so I expect there to be heavy thought put into these categories. Understand that anyone can read an evidence card and that when you don’t apply links and warrants to your claim, you remove your agency in the matter. Own your case. Your opponent as well as myself are capable of reading your cards, you have the power to make them meaningful to your position.

Framework: If your competing in Lincoln-Douglas, I can not stress the importance of framework debate (unless you have explicitly stated otherwise it being a non-issue).

Philosophy: True to the minor that I am studying, I enjoy philosophy. I would love to see some in your cases, but will be

I will start by letting you know I am a parent judge with no debate experience.

I do not enjoy spreading and often can get lost when a debater spreads.

I enjoy a spirited, but respectful cross ex.

As I face the debaters I prefer the Aff on my left and the Neg on my right.

Make sure you clearly outline your case. If you get deep into philosphy or obsure philosophers be prepared to provide clear explanations.

Things that I look for are evenly paced delivery, good enunciation, and proper management of the time you are allotted.

I do not allow for the conversion of prep time to cross ex.

As this article outlines, I come down on the side of not wanting to listen to an auctioneer.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ifyoucanunderstandthisyoumightbeahighschooldebater-1518021742?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1

Background

I have four years experience in the Georgia Circuit doing LD debate, and formerly debated under Starr's Mill High School

Style

I believe the purpose of debate is to spur critical thinking and deep analysis and that debate hones these skills through competition. Because of this, I'm not a fan of spreading. I prefer a round that has relatively little content, but that is very in depth and carefully considered, over a round that juggles a thousand sub contentions that either opponent spends no more than three seconds on. That being said, I can follow spreading in most cases, though expect speaker points to be affected. In the case that I cannot follow what you are saying, I typically do not say clear. If I can't flow what you are saying, it is not going to be considered in my decision. I will also attempt to judge the content of the case independently of the style of presentation, though style can be a round determining factor when the round is very close. I do disclose at the end of the round, if allowed.

Progressivism

I come from a traditional background and specialize in traditional, value centered debate. I think the meat of a debate round ought to be framework clash and that all other issues should typically be secondary to it, unless both opponents happen to have very similar frameworks. That being said, I have experience with and can understand most theory, but I have a very high bar for it's use. Too often, theory is used to distract from and muddle the main point of the round without making significant contributions to the educational value of the round. However, there are situations in which it's use is legitimate and impactful. Therefore, I would recommend you either use theory very well, or you avoid it's use entirely.

Whatever you do, do not use progressive terms and acronyms and expect me to understand or weigh arguments that make use of them without both telling what they stand for and explaining in full what they mean. I may well understand without the explanation, but I don't believe the purpose of debate is to develop an entirely new language for expressing arguments that is divorced from normal speech. So for instance, you are free to try to run a Plan Inclusive Counterplan, but you should probably explain what that is and you should definitely not just say "PIC".

Moral Background

Many judges claim to be "tabula rasa" with respect to moral judgments in round, though this is never the case. I won't make this claim because I believe it is impossible to ever go into rounds without any moral biases. Instead, I will guarantee that I will attempt to emulate the moral biases of the average person to the best of my ability.

Philosophical Background

I am familiar with most of the philosophical arguments often used in Lincoln Douglas, but don't assume I am. Even if I know the philosophy you are arguing makes sense in the context of your case, I won't make that argument for you and will instead judge the round based solely on the philosophy presented in round, however good or bad that presentation may be.

I've competed in all forums of debate and most of the individual events, but I spent an overwhelming majority of my time in Lincoln Douglas. I have degrees in international affairs and economics, and am currently in a master's program for data analytics. I am happy to walk through any questions you have after the round and enjoy giving detailed RFDs to help debaters perfect their arguments.

General preferences: I value both traditional and progressive debate, and tend to enjoy a blend of the two more than just one over the other. I prefer quality over quantity, so don't just throw evidence at me without analysis.I judge solely off of what is said in round during speeches. I suggest you give me voters if you want me to pick out something specific, but major arguments and key points are up to my discretion. I generally vote on impact calculations and am pretty strict when it comes to links to your impacts, so make sure you're clear about those.

Spreading: I want to see a good debate. If you find you're backing your opponent into a corner, don't continue to beat them down by spreading. I don't believe this is a healthy behavior in general and is certainly not conducive to education through debate. For this reason, I discourage all out spreading in LD. LD is about analysis and application of evidence which is hardly done properly speaking at 1000 wpm, but I will be able to understand you.

Cross ex: I don't flow cross ex (or pay attention to it at all), so if you say something that you want me to pay attention to, you need to repeat it in a speech.

Affirmative Burden: I believe the affirmative has the burden of proof. Normally (not always), I will vote neg if the affirmative does not prove the resolution regardless of the negative argument.

Things I shouldn't have to say: If you are rude, mean, or personally attack your opponent in any way, you will lose the round and I will report you to the tournament director and your coach.

I do not favor a particular style. I prefer students to make their case and prove it clearly and strongly. If you stumble and fracture your speech, that will hurt your case. Be professional, not rude. Be strong, not obnoxious.

I make sure that I am well read on the subject matter, but I DO NOT evoke my personal opinion in any manner.

I am judging the round, I am not a referee.  Good Luck!

Educational Background:

Georgia State University (2004-2007) - English Major in Literary Studies; Speech Minor

Augusta University (2010-2011) - Masters in Arts in Teaching

Georgia State University (2015-2016) - Postbaccalaureate work in Philosophy

Revelant Career Experience:

English Teacher/Debate Coach (2011-2015) Grovetown High School

LD Debate Coach (2015-2018) Marist School

English Teacher/Debate Coach (2018-2022) Northview High School

English Teacher/Debate Coach (2022-present) Lassiter High School

Public Forum

Argue well. Don’t be rude. I’ll flow your debate, so make the arguments you need to make.

Policy

I haven't judged a lot of policy debates. I'm more comfortable with a little slower speed since I don't hear a lot of debates on the topic. I'm ok with most any time of argumentation, but I'm less likely to vote on theory arguments than K or Case arguments. Add me to your email chains.

Lincoln Douglas

I appreciate well warranted and strong arguments. Keep those fallacies out of my rounds.

If the negative fails to give me a warranted reason to weigh her value/value criterion above the one offered by the affirmative in the first negative speech, I will adopt the affirmative's FW. Likewise, if the negative offers a warranted reason that goes unaddressed in the AR1, I will adopt the negative FW.

I appreciate when debaters provide voters during the final speeches.

Debaters would probably describe me as leaning "traditional", but I am working to be more comfortable with progressive arguments. However, I'll vote, and have voted, on many types of arguments (Plans, Counterplans, Ks, Aff Ks, and theory if there is legitimate abuse). However, the more progressive the argument and the further away from the topic, the more in depth and slower your explanation needs to be. Don't make any assumptions about what I'm supposed to know.

Debates that don't do any weighing are hard to judge. Be clear about what you think should be on my ballot if you're winning the round.

Speed

If you feel it absolutely necessary to spread, I will do my best to keep up with the caveat that you are responsible for what I miss. I appreciate folks that value delivery. Take that as you will. If you're going to go fast, you can email me your case.

Disclosure

I try to disclose and answer questions if at all possible.

Cross Examination/Crossfire

I'm not a fan of "gotcha" debate. The goal in crossfire shouldn't get your opponent to agree to some tricky idea and then make that the reason that you are winning debates. Crossfire isn't binding. Debaters have the right to clean-up a misstatement made in crossfire/cross ex in their speeches.

Virtual Debate

The expectation is that your cameras remain on for the entirety of the time you are speaking in the debate round. My camera will be on as well. Please add me to the chain.

Axioms

“That which is asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.” — Christopher Hitchens

”There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way to be kind.” — Mr. Rogers

Contact: jonwaters7@gmail.com

Mark Winokur (he/him/his)

For the email chain: mark.s.winokur@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL THOUGHTS

Hey there thank you for reading my paradigm! First off a brief blurb about me for some context -- I competed in LD for Midtown High School for four years from 2014- 2017 and graduated college in 2021. As a debater, I competed mostly on the traditional GA circuit but also attended camp and competed in several national tournaments. After taking a 6 year hiatus (more or less) from the debate community, I have more recently judged at two tournaments this year (Midtown High and Emory Barkley Forum).

Above all, I encourage you to defend the arguments that speak to you and in the style that suits your strengths. I assure you this approach will be the most rewarding to you as a debater, and will make a much stronger impression than appeasing to the arguments and debate styles you think I will like based on my perceived preferences. I am most impressed by debaters who give a glimpse into what fuels their fire- so defend the arguments you would stand behind outside of the round, that you have passion for beyond their instrumental value as a route to the ballot. Put away your Pessimism K if you're thinking about running it merely to evade the 1AC impacts, without having given that perspective serious consideration in your day-to-day life outside of the debate space.

Further, do not underestimate the human element that plays into the art of persuasion! Despite my endeavor to be a "tabula rasa" judge, by virtue of being human not a robot, it is inevitable that the presentation of your arguments- i.e. word choice, concision, organization of ideas, extent of filler words, and even stylistic elements such as eye contact, gestures, and inflections of tone -will exert some influence over my evaluation of the round, even if they do not surface as tangible factors guiding my decision on the flow. The more you enable me to feel the full force of the position you stand for, the more likely I will be to resolve the round in your favor, so use that to your advantage! By the same token, I am much more receptive to developing a cohesive, fleshed-out position to paint a compelling picture of the round, rather than going 6-off guns blazing while hiding behind underdeveloped arguments that lack internal consistency.

And finally, although debate is an inherently competitive activity, please be kind and compassionate toward your opponent. I value debaters who foster a collaborative environment by stimulating meaningful engagement of the topic- not debaters who deliberately confuse their opponent or bait them into conceding a hidden argument that supersedes everything else in the round.

PRESENTATION & PROCEDURAL ISSUES

-Keep your speed to 300 wpm tops. I would strongly advise against 100% spreading (350+ wpm). I would also recommend that your speed be inversely proportionate to the complexity of arguments you are making. Additionally, please do not spread if you cannot articulate clearly. I have a high threshold for clarity and will say clear if I cannot understand what you are saying.

-In any regard, I would prefer for you to email me your case and any other pre-written arguments on an email chain. If you are spreading, this is mandatory, and you must also share what you are reading to your opponent. I will not evaluate any arguments you spread if your opponent does not have access to them (including cards read in rebuttals).

-Sign posting is very important for me. I need to know where to write your arguments on the flow.

-I will let you time yourself on phone, however I can keep time if you would prefer.

-Flex prep is okay with me.

ROLE OF THE BALLOT

-In general, I prefer truth testing as the role of the ballot, but if you run a plan with a stable advocacy, then no need to argue comparative worlds- I will assume as much. Of course, you're always welcome to explicitly defend comparative worlds knowing that I may be relatively quick to pull the trigger on arguments in favor of truth testing, but this is not mandatory by any means.

-If your case does not lend itself to truth testing or comparative worlds (i.e. a K aff that does not defend the resolution) then you will need to explicitly defend a ROB, otherwise I'll just assume truth testing and exclude anything that doesn't link to that. In other words, the only ROBs I am willing to infer are truth testing and comparative worlds- if it's anything else you will need to clearly delineate your ROB so I know how to evaluate your offense.

FRAMEWORK DEBATE

-Love it! Did a lot of this in high school so I feel decently comfortable about this area of debate.

-I will default to epistemic confidence, unless I deem the framework debate to be either extremely close or a wash in which case I will switch to epistemic modesty (but epistemic confidence over modesty).

-I enjoy comparative interaction between frameworks. I'm not a fan of reading generic cards from backfiles or generic "x theory bad" arguments. I like analytic responses that engage with the logical reasoning behind the opponent's syllogism (i.e. exposing fallacies, disproving assumptions or showing that the framework's conclusion does not follow from the premises).

KRITIKS

-This is another area of debate I really enjoy! Especially because Kritiks encourage debaters to challenge their assumptions, a valuable skill which enables us to re-evaluate our perspective in our everyday lives and engage with the world in new ways. However, I do not have a strong background in K philosophy so I recommend that you present your arguments in a way that would resonate with someone who is learning about the subject area for the first time. Don't throw a bunch of buzzwords around and expect I will understand what you are talking about (and even if I do I won't connect the dots for you if you can't clearly articulate the substance of the arguments on your own).

-The ROB in your K does not serve as a replacement for framework. You don't need to explicitly state "my standard is x" in your K but you need to provide some philosophical analysis that speaks to what impacts I should deem as relevant just like any other type of case. Reading a cap K arguing cap bad because it causes poverty without any theoretical backing to justify why that matters is impact justified and does not help me understand why I should reject the logic of capitalism.

-Kritikal affirmatives are fine. Just be clear to articulate the different layers of the case and what offense is pre-fiat/performative vs. post-fiat, whether you defend the resolution etc.

LARP DEBATE IN GENERAL

-I was not great at LARP debate in high school to begin with, and 6 years later I will struggle even more with resolving these types of rounds. Also, I'm generally not a fan of these cases because 1) I find that aggregative util/cost benefit frameworks tend to be poorly justified and 2) advantages/disads tend to be lacking in link threshold analysis. A good advantage or DA should show that we are at the tipping point such that the impact of A is sufficient to trigger B, which would move the needle to the tipping point such that the effect of B would bring about C, and so on throughout the chain leading up to the terminal impact. By contrast, amalgamating evidence to show A causes B, B causes C, C causes D, and D causes [really bad thing] doesn't persuade me that A will lead to [really bad thing]. I will certainly make my best effort to resolve these kinds of rounds without intervention, but will be quick to pull the trigger on arguments that poke holes at either the framework or link threshold analysis especially given my lack of propensity for this style of debate in the first place.

COUNTERPLANS

-Running a CP does not get you out of responding on the line by line against the AC. I find that when many debaters run a counterplan, they will simply respond to the AC by cross-applying their own case and saying that it solves better. While this may be true, it is preferable to make specific solvency takeouts to the aff and engage with their arguments directly to disprove their case.

-If you are arguing against a counterplan, don't just say "perm do both." Please show a clear net benefit to the perm. Demonstrating that the neg isn’t mutually exclusive is not sufficient as there may be a disadvantage to doing both.

DISADVANTAGES

-Stock DAs grounded directly in the topic literature are ok, I'm less of a fan of politics DAs and other types of DAs that are not relevant to the core issues of the resolution (i.e. the aff prevents a bill from being passed through Congress which causes extinction, etc.).

-I prefer impacts with higher probability over magnitude. I do not enjoy hearing DAs with long link chains where the probability of the terminal impact is minuscule.

THEORY

-To vote on theory, I need to be convinced that there is an actual in-round abuse. Theory should not be used as a strategic tool; please reserve theory for arguments that you genuinely cannot engage with on substance.

-I am not great at resolving theory, so if you do find that you are forced to engage in a theory debate, then please present your arguments in the simplest way possible to help me understand how your opponent's strategy is problematic and why it is a voting issue. While I understand the basic structure of a theory shell, if you bombard me with blippy or highly technical arguments then I probably struggle to follow along.

TRICKS DEBATE

-Consider striking me if this is your thing. This is probably the only style of debate I would say to avoid outright - I am not experienced at all in these kinds of arguments so I will be lost if you do this in front of me.