I debated for 4 years at Andover Central High School. I debated at Wichita State University for 4 years. I was an assistant coach at Andover Central for 3 years.

Jodee Hobbs and Chris Loghry have been the biggest debate influences on me. As such, my thoughts on debate are probably derivatives of theirs. Also, Daniel Saunders is my other head, so anything that works in front of him probably works in front of me.

I think debate should be fun. I think debate should be about having fun. If you’re not having fun, I’m not having fun; everyone loses in that world. I have gone for almost every “type” of argument imaginable and would not consider myself partial to any one “style” of debate. I’ll gladly listen to your performance, kritik, DA, conspiracy theory, or whatever. I often get told that I would be at home in the late 90’s and the 00’s. That’s probably not the best way to put it... I somehow have a reputation for being obsessed with “wild arguments” and being a bit of a K hack. I honestly have no clue how I got this reputation. However, if you want to do something of the wall; go for it. I feel that off beat arguments lead to some of the highest quality debates. In my mind the best strategies are those that trap or trick your opponents. As such, I am not much a fan of the “the block read 67 cards, the 1ar read 34” type debates. Debate should not solely be about out spreading your opponent; it should be about out smarting them (This being said, I love strategies that outspread people too. If you want to impact turn somebody, GO FOR IT). I think creativity has all but died in debate (This is a large part of the reason why I hate Cap, Security, Politics, etc.). If you do something original, and I mean original, you’re in good shape. I think that I have a responsibility as an educator to encourage teams to innovate and find their own style/identity in debate. I will heavily reward teams that make clever arguments, think on their feet, and have a good attitude/sense of humor. If y’all want to talk after I give an RFD; I’ll happily give you tips, tricks, and argument ideas. Likewise, if something seemed off in my decision, talk to me about it. I know that I make the wrong decision from time to time; I’m not a robot (or am I?).

Specific Stuff:

Speed: Spreading is an integral part of debate and a necessary skill for all involved. If speed isn’t your thing, it’s cool though (while I think you should be fast, you should also debate how you’re comfortable). If you’re unclear, I will yell “CLEAR” once and if you continue to be unclear I will stop flowing. I must note that there are two spreading styles that I find absolutely unintelligible. First is the “whisper spread,” where kids talk in an extremely soft and high pitched voice. Often times when kids do this I can’t understand a word because they are too quiet. You’ve got to BE LOUD and enunciate. Second is the “clear tags spread.” In this one the tags are really clear but the warrants of the card are unintelligible. If I can’t understand the warrants of a card, it’s functionally the same as not making the argument (I believe an argument consists of a Claim and a Warrant).

CX: CX is one of the most important and underused parts of a debate. Good CX can win a round. I think CX is not a speech (Controversial Right?). I think CX is binding. CX is about making arguments not getting clarifications. With that said, you should ask and answer questions, not just shout at each other.

Disadvantages: DAs are great. Generic DAs are fine, specific links are preferred. Gotta do impact calc. Gotta tell me a story with your DA. AFF: Turns are cool, Add-ons are cool, UQ overwhelms the link is real. Not much to say here.

PTX: This is one of the arguments in debate that I absolutely loathe. It is wholly unimaginative and embodies everything that is wrong with debate. I’ll probably think less of you as a debater if this is a mainstay of your strategy. This does not mean that I won’t vote on politics. Regretfully, I end up voting for a PTX DA more often than not. AFF: All your favorite theory arguments and fiat tricks are live in front of me. If you know what you are doing you can probably make this DA disappear.

Counterplans: CPs need to be competitive. CPs need to have a Net Benefit. Plan Plus Counterplans probably lose to a perm. Consult is probably illegitimate; unless you win it’s not. Multiplank Counterplans could possibly be abusive. I’m a huge fan of tricky PICs. Word PICs are fine. Props if you can PIC out of something not in the Aff… AFF: I live for the perm debate. Complex perms will not only win you debates, they’ll win my respect.

T/FW: Hands down my favorite argument. Predictable Limits, Ground and Deliberation are the only real standards. Everything else is a subsidiary of those three. Quit with this Precision stuff. With that said, I don’t have any thoughts on weather a team needs to be topical. I think K affs and Non-traditional affs either need to win a Counter Interpretation or an Impact Turn to T/FW. T Version is a defensive argument that helps with answering offense predicated off of the Aff being excluded. T version is NOT a CP. PERMING T DOESN’T MAKE SENSE.

Theory: Learn it, Live it, Love it. Don’t fly through your blocks.

Kritiks: This is why you’re here right? I’m familiar with a lot of stuff. I’ve read/ran mostly Anthro, Critical Geopolitics, Coloniality, Levinas, Zizek, Nihilism, OBJ, and Ableism. You should ALWAYS assume that I’m not familiar with what you’re running. I won’t make arguments for you, even if I know the literature base. I like to think that I have a sort of “debate understanding” of a lot of kritikal arguments, where I don’t quite understand the entire body of literature or the overarching theory but I have seen the argument deployed enough to get the general idea of where teams are wanting to go. I think that K debates, particularly at the high school level, are often very non-interactive. K teams like to talk a lot about their theory but not apply it to the Aff. In order to be successful, you must explain how the K deals with the Aff. Examples are encouraged but not always necessary. Some part of the debate needs to make a sort of framework argument that tells me what I prioritize in my decision and/or what my decision means/does. This does not necessarily mean a role of the ballot type claim; most ROBs are nonsensical and extremely vacuous. Likewise, I CANNOT vote for something that I don’t understand. If I don’t get how the Alt functions and/or how the links work; I’m most likely voting Aff.

Other Stuff:

I’m super torn on the “What should debate be” question. I don’t know if you can actually change stuff through debate. I’d love to hear you talk about it though.

Language Ks are my least favorite thing to judge; even more so than PTX. “You said a bad word, you deserve to lose” isn’t the best model for debate. I have no clue why more people aren’t going for PC Bad/Free Speech Good.

I’ll vote on Inherency and/or You don’t solve your Aff.

I think there can be zero risk of a link or impact.

I understand sports metaphors, unlike some of your judges.

I’m super into anything DC Comics.

HUMOR IS ENCOURAGED.

I absolutely HATE it when kids idolize the kid that they are debating. Don’t worship at their feet during the round. Buck up, and beat them down. These people should be your rivals not your idols.

Debate is a fight. You’ve gotta have the EYE OF THE TIGER. If you get offended or ticked off by what people say; you’re probably in the wrong sport.

I am new to the debate world. Enjoy direct and clear deliverance with clarification on points made so I know you understand what you are saying and not just direct quoting. Professionalism is a bonus and confidence is persuasive. I don't have former debate background (my high school didn't even offer it)

I have been judging debate and know what to expect now. Good luck!