Debated Maine East H.S. 2009 -2012, Coach/Judge 2012 -

Debate is an educational game where everything in debate is debatable i.e. should I prefer tech over truth, do I need a plan text. Be nice to each other, try your best and have fun. Prefer debates were debaters are challenged to think in new ways. Do not be deterred from going for any argument because of what you read here. I’m open to listening to and voting for any argument even debates about what debate should be i.e. k of debate. Just because I stated that I will listen to / vote on / prefer something does not mean that it is an automatic win. If I do not understand something I will not vote on it.

Has been said in many different ways by many different individuals: debating / coaching for a school without many resources and understanding the experiences of similar schools competing against schools who are well resourced, I tend to be sympathetic to arguments based on inequities in policy debate. I will default to a policy maker but am open to other ways of deciding the ballot. I will go off the flow and will try not to intervene, however I might default to my opinions below (which are not concrete).

I will vote for the least complex way to sign the ballot. Explaining your arguments / ideas and keeping the debate organized by road mapping, sign posting, and line by line are key and will help your speaker points. Other things that are key and help to explain / frame the debate are: overviews with impact clac, turns case/da arguments, framing of arguments and the debate, impacting out arguments, and in-depth analysis of arguments. Likewise, overall analysis and framing of evidence / arguments / warrants / qualifications / the round, is key. “Even if” statements will help with speaker points and to frame an argument. Do not assume that I know an argument, author, or specific terms. Analytics, defensive arguments (even without your own evidence) are able to reduce any argument/evidence to zero risk or close to it. If I do not understand a part of the argument or it is not explained/major gaps in your logic I will be less likely to vote on it, even if it is dropped. Explain to me why you should win the round and what this means for both you and your opponent’s arguments. Speed is ok but need to clear. Do not sacrifice clarity for speed. Emailing speeches does not count as prep time as long as it is reasonable and send it all in one doc. Have cites available after the round. I will vote down teams/dock speaker points for rudeness, racist, sexism, unethical, offensive and unacceptable arguments / behavior.

Look at / debate / answer the actual warrants (or lack thereof) in the cards not what the card is tagged as. Comparing evidence / qualifications with explanations as to whose is better helps me to evaluate an argument (even just reading evidence and pointing out its inconsistency is great (will help your speaker points)) and is something that I find is missing in a lot of debates. If their evidence is bad point it out. I will read evidence if call for or if I believe there is an issue with it.

Cross x – Tag Team is fine if both teams are ok with it. Overtaking your partner’s cross-x might result in lower speaker points. Be sure to carry cross-x into the rest of the debate. If you indicted a piece of evidence or proved that an argument does not work, say so in your speech.

Theory – Just like any other argument dropping theory is not an auto-win. If a part of the theory is not explained well enough or the other team points out that it is not explained or missing, I will be less inclined to vote for it. Will vote on all types of theory, but need to explain the theory, in-round abuse (why what they did was bad), voters, fairness, education, impacts and why I should either reject the argument or the other team. Do not just re-read your blocks. The more specific the theory is to the argument / abuse / voters / round, the better.

Topicality – Overviews help. Tend to lean affirmative (Neg has the burden) unless there is a clear: violation / definition, bright line between topical and untopical, impacts for allowing the affirmative and others like it to be topical and in-round / potential (prefer in-round) abuse. Will default to competing interpretations. Explanation on all parts of the flow are key i.e. definition, bright line, topical version of the affirmative, case lists, reasons to reject the team (in-round and potential abuse), standards, ground, limits, voters, fairness, education, and impacts. Reasonability, clash / lit checks, race to bottom, etc. are able to reduce the chance of voting on topically. Will vote on aspec / other spec arguments however, need to show abuse in-round.

Speaker points – My range is 27.8- 28.5, this does not mean that I will not go above a 28.5. The road to better speaker points is in this philosophy i.e. know your arguments, be clear, do line by line, point out inconsistency in arguments and evidence, extend / explain / compare warrants and or qualifications (or lack thereof), road map, sign post, impact clac, frame the debate and the other things that are listed in the various sections.

Plan text / Counterplan text – Should be written down. Check how they are written. Will vote on plan flaws and counterplans that change the plan text with a net benefit.

Affirmative – Two things are key: good overviews with impact clac and in-depth case analysis.

Counterplan – Use overviews. Make sure that there is a clear net benefit and/or solvency deficit.

Disads/advantages – Good overviews with turns case /da along with impact analysis/clac where opponent’s impacts/arguments are considered. Disad links should be clear and specific to the case. All types of turns (link, impact and straight) are also a good idea.

K–Explain. Have a general idea on the basic k, not a k hack, but will vote on them (including k of debate arguments / debates about what debate should be). The k needs to be specifically explained not just in terms of what the idea of the k is, but what is the framework, link (the more specific and clearer the better), impact and alterative (not only what the alterative does but how its solves the k and plan’s impact (i.e. root cause) and what does the world of the alterative looks like). A good overview of the k and framework helps a lot. The affirmative should always question the alterative.

K affirmatives and framework - Will vote on k affirmative and k of debate arguments / debates about what debate should be. Needs to be a clear role of the ballot and clear reason why your version of debate is better. Totally fine with looking at images, listening to music, narratives, stories and other things. Debates are more interesting when: the neg does not just read framework / k but engages with the affirmative and the affirmative k the negative positions through the lens of the affirmative. Framework and disads to framework have to be explained, show how your interpretation of debate solve or root causes the other side’s impacts, impacted out fairness and education, have analysis to show which style of debate is the best and show why the affirmative or argument should be or not be in debate.

Email: tyler.durwood@gmail.com.

TLDR: I'm okay for everything, but don't assume I know your lit.

Important Note: I have done 0 research on this topic. While I will do my best to keep up with everything being said, keep in mind that I will have a tough time understanding any topic specific terms expressed during the debate.

References: Refer to Shaunak Lokre for the best rep of my paradigm.

Quals: Debated 4 years at Barstow HS. As a debater, I mainly read policy arguments and occasionally went for the K. While I am 100% down for everything, you shouldn't assume I know your lit so proceed with caution.

CP: All competition debate really depends on the round. I do think a well researched solvency advocate should be rewarded. AFF ground is also a thing that matters to me so I am willing to just vote on "this CP is abusive".

T: Tech over Truth. Don't be scared to go for this. However, I view these debates similar to condo. In condo debates, the NEG does not need to win that condo is good, just that condo is not bad. In T debates, the AFF does not need to win the topic is better with their AFF. Thus, I hold a higher threshold for the NEG's offense and emphasize defensive claims for writing my ballot. While high quality T ev matters in regard to the predictable limits question, precision by itself is not very persuasive to me. For the AFF, political salience seems like a silly standard to me. Asserting reasonability does not lower the risk of limits offense. It needs to be applied and impacted out in specific sections of the flow. Overlimiting is the best and only standard IMO.

DA: Fiat is immediate. I can buy 0% risk.

Case: I can buy 0% risk. While it's difficult to answer case in the 2NR, if you are going for a CP and K, I still highly recommend you go to this page and at least extend some defense. If you don't go to these pages, set up framing issues for why even if I you don't go to this page why you still win.

K: I'm open to and down for everything but you should assume I know nothing about your literature base. You must explain terms that you utilize because these terms have different contexts, meanings, and significance depending on the literature. Giving tons of examples really helps in high-theory/post-modern debates.

FW: I am 50/50 here. For the NEG, any type of FW is fine (Skills/Dogma/Fairness/Etc). If I vote NEG, usually the TVA is the major component in the decision. For the AFF, I think it's not necessary to have any relation to the topic and you don't need to have a model of debate, but I find it easier to vote AFF when you forward defensive claims to the NEG's limits offense with impact turns and not just impact turns by themselves. Examples of these arguments could be "no impact to fairness", "you have ground", or a unique counter-interpretation (for example, neg defends the topic and the aff criticizes it). If implementing defense to answer FW is not your style, impact calc needs to be the focus of the 2AR.

MISC: I hold an extremely high threshold for new args in the 2ar/2nr. I will naturally judge kick alt/CP unless told not to. I also have a pretty high threshold for a perf-con. For example, "you read FW which forces us to be productive under the topic which contradicts cap" is not a perf-con. Condo = T. Saying "you don't have evidence" is not an answer.

keeping this super short because tabroom is very unsecured and hypervisible rn.

i debated [2019-2024] at Iowa and read critical arguments on both the aff and the neg. i have a background in plan style debating and primarily did that in HS and the start of college so run what your good at.

please put me on chains -- ask me for email before the round.

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

evafarber22@gmail.com

4 years of policy debate at Glenbrook North

Order of coolness:

Super wuper cool--DAs with sick turns case, affs with a framing page used well (utilizing each card on the page), cheaty counterplans, aff specific DAs/CPs, line by line, impact calc on every flow including theory and T, rehighlighting cards the opponent used

Super cool-- generic/topic DAs, extinction affs, normal policy stuff, framework

Cool-- Ks on the neg

Not so cool but will still vote on with plenty of explanation-- affs without a plan, high theory or identity Ks

Not cool--Interrupting speeches or CX excessively, not flowing, no clash

Super wuper not cool--Gabe Burdeen

Stay cool fellas!

Yes, email chain. debateoprf@gmail.com

ME:

Debater--The University of Michigan '91-'95

Head Coach--Oak Park and River Forest HS '15-'20

Assistant Coach--New Trier Township High School '20-

POLICY DEBATE:

Top Level

--Old School Policy.

--Like the K on the Neg. Harder sell on the Aff.

--Quality of Evidence Counts. Massive disparities warrant intervention on my part. You can insert rehighlightings. There should not be a time punishment for the tean NOT reading weak evidence.

--Not great with theory debates.

--I value Research and Strategic Thinking (both in round and prep) as paramount when evaluating procedural impacts.

--Utter disdain for trolly Theory args, Death Good, Wipeout and Spark. Respect the game, win classy.

Advantage vs Disadvantage

More often than not, I tend to gravitate towards the team that wins probability. The more coherent and plausible the internal link chain is, the better.

Zero risk is a thing.

I can and will vote against an argument if cards are poor exclusive of counter evidence being read.

Not a big fan of Pre-Fiat DA's: Spending, Must Pass Legislation, Riders, etc. I will err Aff on theory unless the Neg has some really good evidence as to why not.

I love nuanced defense and case turns. Conversely, I love link and impact turns. Please run lots of them.

Counterplans

Conditionality—

I am largely okay with a fair amount of condo. i.e. 4-5 not a big deal for me. I will become sympathetic to Aff Theory ONLY if the Neg starts kicking straight turned arguments. On the other hand, if you go for Condo Bad and can't answer Strat Skew Inevitable, Idea Testing Good and Hard Debate is Good Debate then don't go for Condo Bad. I have voted Aff on Conditionality Theory, but rarely.

2023-2024 EDIT:

**That said, the Inequality Topic has made me add an addendum to my aforementioned grievance about being on my lawn: running blatantly contradictory arguments about Capitalism, Unions, Growth, etc. are egregious performance contradictions that I will no longer ignore under the auspices of conditionality. Its not that I am changing my tune on condo per se, its that this promotes bad neg strats that are usually a result of high school students not thinking about things they should be before reading the 1NC. Its pretty easy to win in-round abuse when a Neg is defending Unions Good and Bad at the same time. I encourage you to try.

Competition—

1. I have grown weary of vague plan writing. To that end, I tend think that the Neg need only win that the CP is functionally competitive. The Plan is about advocacy and cannot be a moving target.

2. Perm do the CP? Intrinsic Perms? I am flexible to Neg if they have a solvency advocate or the Aff is new. Otherwise, I lean Aff.

Other Stuff—

PIC’s and Agent CP’s are part of our game. I err Neg on theory. Ditto 50 State Fiat.

No object Fiat, please. Or International Fiat on a Domestic Topic.

Otherwise, International Fiat is a gray area for me. The Neg needs a good Interp that excludes abusive versions. Its winnable.

Solvency advocates and New Affs make me lean Neg on theory.

I will judge kick automatically unless given a decent reason why not in the 1AR.

K-Affs

If you lean on K Affs, just do yourself a favor and put me low or strike me. I am not unsympathetic to your argument per se, I just vote on Framework 60-70% of the time and it rarely has anything to do with your Aff.

That said, if you can effectively impact turn Framework, beat back a TVA and Switch Side Debate, you can get my ballot.

Topic relevance is important.

If your goal is to make blanket statements about why certain people are good or bad or should be excluded from valuable discussions then I am not your judge. We are all flawed.

I do not like “debate is bad” arguments. I don't think that being a "small school" is a reason why I should vote for you.

Kritiks vs Policy Affs

Truth be told, I vote Neg on Kritiks vs Policy Affs A LOT.

I am prone to voting Aff on Perms, so be advised College Debaters. I have no take on "philosophical competition" but it does seem like a thing.

I am not up on the Lit AT ALL, so the polysyllabic word stews you so love to concoct are going to make my ears bleed.

I like reading cards after the debate and find myself understanding nuance better when I can. If you don’t then you leave me with only the bad handwriting on my flow to decipher what you said an hour later and that’s not good for anybody.

When I usually vote Neg its because the Aff has not done a sufficient job in engaging with core elements of the K, such as Ontology, Root Cause Claims, etc.

I am not a great evaluator of Framework debates and will usually err for the team that accesses Education Impacts the best.

Topicality

Because it theoretically serves an external function that affects other rounds, I do give the Aff a fair amount of leeway when the arguments start to wander into a gray area. The requirement for Offense on the part of the Affirmative is something on which I place little value. Put another way, the Aff need only prove that they are within the predictable confines of research and present a plan that offers enough ground on which to run generic arguments. The Negative must prove that the Affirmative skews research burdens to a point in which the topic is unlimited to a point beyond 20-30 possible cases and/or renders the heart of the topic moot.

Plan Text in a Vacuum is a silly defense. In very few instances have I found it defensible. If you choose to defend it, you had better be ready to defend the solvency implications.

Limits and Fairness are not in and of themselves an impact. Take it to the next level.

Why I vote Aff a lot:

--Bad/Incoherent link mechanics on DA’s

--Perm do the CP

--CP Solvency Deficits

--Framework/Scholarship is defensible

--T can be won defensively

Why I vote Neg a lot:

--Condo Bad is silly

--Weakness of aff internal links/solvency

--Offense that turns the case

--Sufficiency Framing

--You actually had a strategy

PUBLIC FORUM SUPPLEMENT:

I judge about 1 PF Round for every 50 Policy Rounds so bear with me here.

I have NOT judged the PF national circuit pretty much ever. The good news is that I am not biased against or unwilling to vote on any particular style. Chances are I have heard some version of your meta level of argumentation and know how it interacts with the round. The bad news is if you want to complain about a style of debate in which you are unfamiliar, you had better convince me why with, you know, impacts and stuff. Do not try and cite an unspoken rule about debate in your part of the country.

Because of my background in Policy, I tend to look at things from a cost benefit perspective. Even though the Pro is not advocating a Plan and the Con is not reading Disadvantages, to me the round comes down to whether the Pro has a greater possible benefit than the potential implications it might cause. Both sides should frame the round in terms impact calculus and or feasibility. Impacts need to be tangible.

Evidence quality is very important.

I will vote on what is on the flow (yes, I flow) and keep my personal opinions of arguments in check as much as possible. I may mock you for it, but I won’t vote against you for it. No paraphrasing. Quote the author, date and the exact words. Quals are even better but you don’t have to read them unless pressed. Have the website handy. Research is critical.

Speed? Meh. You cannot possibly go fast enough for me to not be able to follow you. However, that does not mean I want to hear you go fast. You can be quick and very persuasive. You don't need to spread.

Defense is nice but is not enough. You must create offense in order to win. There is no “presumption” on the Con.

While I am not a fan of formal “Kritik” arguments in PF, I do think that Philosophical Debates have a place. Using your Framework as a reason to defend your scholarship is a wise move. Racism and Sexism will not be tolerated. You can attack your opponents scholarship.

I reward debaters who think outside the box.

I do not reward debaters who cry foul when hearing an argument that falls outside traditional parameters of PF Debate. Again, I am not a fan of the Kritik, but if its abusive, tell me why instead of just saying “not fair.”

Statistics are nice, to a point. But I feel that judges/debaters overvalue them. Often the best impacts involve higher values that cannot be quantified. A good example would be something like Structural Violence.

While Truth outweighs, technical concessions on key arguments can and will be evaluated. Dropping offense means the argument gets 100% weight.

The goal of the Con is to disprove the value of the Resolution. If the Pro cannot defend the whole resolution (agent, totality, etc.) then the Con gets some leeway.

I care about substance and not style. It never fails that I give 1-2 low point wins at a tournament. Just because your tie is nice and you sound pretty, doesn’t mean you win. I vote on argument quality and technical debating. The rest is for lay judging.

Relax. Have fun.

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.

-------------------------------------

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.

Experience:

I debated for Iowa City West high for four years and qualified to the TOC with four bids last year. I'm currently a freshman @University of Minnesota but I'm not debating. I'm currently coaching Edina High School, beginning this year.

T/L:

• Put me on the email chain: chiragjain2000@hotmail.com
• Hardcore policy debater, so anything policy is WONDERFUL for me
• Tech over truth -- but if the other team drops something you have to mention it and expand upon the argument and explain it. But small dumb one liner theory arguments are an exception --- the opposing side better explain why the arg was so tiny and useless that a late answer is justified.
• Speak fast but not too fast --- I have to be able to understand nearly all words, and flow them --- if I fall behind on flowing because of a lack of clarity or because you're too fast on analytics/theory/topicality, its on you
• If you're running anything kritikal other than capitalism or security: slow down, cut all jargon, explain everything in a VERY detailed manner that makes intuitive sense, and hope for the best lol

DAs:

• Framing contentions are never the way I expect them to be --- both sides have a lot of internal links and there's a decent chance that you link equally to the Kessler/Connetta/Yudkowsky card. Any arguments about BIAS however make sense to me --- if you isolate a bunch of different biases I have, and then put that with some really good impact defense and a bunch of COMPLEMENTARY jabs at the internal link chain of a DA then you have me pretty well on your side against the DA.
• Cards like Olsen, Cohn, etc about how there's NO risk of big impacts or that things like the aff are ALWAYS deprioritized so this time we just gotta make up for it, then get em outta here
• I love disads, especially agenda politics disads
• Cards have to be highlighted well --- I don't want some trash cards that don't say what they mean --- that's a speaker point reduction
• Pls do turns case analysis

CP

• I also love counterplans. I love process counterplans but if you're aff go for theory lol (I have a high bar for that though, it better be a good 2AR) but not much of a bias either way on the theory question for that. Agent counterplans, consult counterplans, all of that stuff is good with me. Advantage Counterplans + Impact Turn strategy is like the best thing ever.
• Please do a good job explaining why you solve each advantage and actually answer all the solvency deficits
• No judge kick unless you tell me to

T

• To be honest I LOVE topicality but also most teams do a terrible job running it
• I'm gonna flow straight down and hope for the best --- make sure you get everything important at the top of an argument and make it easy to flow for the judge
• Eh T LPR is iffy but ill vote on it any day just debate well
• Your evidence is important hella
• Please show me the model of debate you produce and make good 2NR/2AR framing arguments --- show me what sort of core controversies we lose in one or another model of debate

Ks

• I explained this earlier but…not a fan…
• If you're running neolib/cap or security I'll likely have a higher level of understanding for your argument but…the odds I vote for you in face of a decent aff answer….low :(
• Pretty much other than those I think I think alternatives are often not feasible and the aff in the interim is a good idea (Delgado 9 where u @, read this card, +.1 speaks)

K Affs/FW

• I'm not the right judge for you if you run a K aff
• I voted for it once. It was a sad day. FW hack right here, please debate framework well and do line by line better than the team that runs a k aff --- you can do it! @the neg
• My ballot means nothing more than saying who debated better in the round
• Run good case arguments @the neg
• SSD is so true
• Clash = best impact

Theory:

• I always wanted this in judge paradigms so here we are
• Please give me good framing arguments in terms of your model of debate and what sort of things it includes/what they exclude out that is important
• Condo: Its good lol throw in 8 counterplans idrc, 2As can be efficient
• Process CP Theory: Aff leaning but I have a higher bar for a good 2AR on Process CP theory
• 50 States: Aff leaning
• Agent CPs: Neg leaning but I think you can win perm do cp if you're vague enough
• International Fiat: On this topic its stupid --- aff leaning --- but also I'd love seeing some International counterplans

Speaks:

• The way you present yourselves matters so much --- silence between speeches unless you're talking to the other team or me --- communication between partners is sketchy, I don't wanna know that you're on FB Messenger, quick speech-flashes but if its taking time I want it to be obvious that you aren't stealing prep, dropping flows everywhere and a bunch of messy stuff is going to lose you speaks
• +.1 for reading Delgado 9 when its relevant
• -.1 for sending Google Doc links because online word is a thing
• -.3 for playing music before the round because its obnoxious and disrespectful sometimes
• +.1 for sending a good policy debate meme in every speech doc (+.1 total)
• -.1 for sending a bad policy debate meme (-.1 per bad meme)
• +.3 for an I-Law aff
• If you're still flowing upto 15 seconds after the speech just to get the arguments down that’s fine imo --- if you're still going beyond that is a -.1 for every 10 seconds because you've gotta be cheating
• If I perceive stealing prep, automatic -.5 --- make it clear you're not stealing prep (not verbally lol, in your actions)
• Anything offensive (racist, sexist, offensive to a marginalized group, mean, rude, etc) = Automatic 0s, we stop the round, and you lose

About me:

-I use He/Him pronouns

-I debated for 3 years at La Crosse Central High school in Wisconsin on the Surveillance, China, and Education topics. All three of them were in Policy although I did do a bit of PF my first year.

-I'm have a B.S. from UW-Madison in Econ, Environmental Studies, Mathematics, and Stats and a MA in Economics from the University of Chicago

-Email: jerimiah.koll@gmail.com

-put me on the email chain, it saves time so in the situation I need to look at a card at the end of the round I don't need to steal one of your laptops to get it. (especially if its remote)

General:

Tell me how to vote and why and I'll do it as long as you do a good job explaining. That being said there are some things that require a little more work than others so take note of them below. When you extend cards/args you need to actually explain the thesis of the card and show you understand the arguments you're making, reading another card really doesn't do you any favors, pulling out warrants from your first card does much better.

If your making a fairness arg I like actual examples, hypothetical abuse or potential abuse aren't great arguments to make. That being said I generally prefer the educational value to the debate above fairness.

The more realistic your scenario is the more likely I am to vote for it. Your impacts don't have to be nuclear war causing mass extinction and I'd prefer if they weren't. Instead of nuclear war impacts use real world impacts because nuclear war isn't going to happen, if it does you can tell me "I told you so".

I'm good with speed, just try to be clear, I can't flow stuff I didn't hear. If you drop 10 perms in 30 seconds there's a good chance I miss 8 of them just like the other team. You gotta slow down for tags, perms, and the like. Also make sure you signpost so I know what flow I'm putting stuff on, if you leave it up to me there's a chance it ends up on the wrong flow. In general, going about 10% slower than your top speed is a great way to get amazing speaks and have me actually flow what you're saying. This is especially important for when you're debating online.

I didn't judge at all last year so do with that info what you will

Just because I'm on the email chain doesn't mean I'm gonna comb through your cards looking for warrants, its your job to tell me the warrants from your cards.

Random Preferences:

Topicality: I rarely ran or enjoyed T when I was debating which is a shame because I think T has the potential to be a really interesting debate but it just hasn't in my experience. You'll need to go all in on T in the 2NR to win on it, and it really helps to cite actual abuse that destroys neg ground. I'll be much more sympathetic to a team running T against a clearly untopical plan than if you're just running T as another arg. If you say "we didn't have prep on this aff" and then have case args blocked out anyway its unlikely I'm gonna vote for you. I really don't like super nitpicky T, so substantial T is unlikely to get my vote.

Ks: I really like when I have a clear picture of what the alt is and it makes it much easier for me to vote on Ks when you do that work instead of expecting me to decipher what the alt is. I ran a lot of Cap, Bio-power, Militarism, and Fem Theory and have a fair amount of experience with Enviro and Set Col lit. I have some experience with more obscure/esoteric Ks but if you have to ask if I know the lit, I probably don't. In order to win on the K you have to show me you understand what exactly the K is doing and explain the theory behind it, if you can't you're gonna lose.

Framework: I really like framework debates and its probably the most important flow in the round. If you win the framework flow there's a good chance you win the round because you just told me to prioritize your impacts. You need to show a clear understanding of both frameworks and do a good job explaining why yours is the best/leads to the best outcome to win framework. I generally default to some sort of utilitarianism, not because I'm particularly utilitarian, but its the framework that most teams implicitly use.

"Climate change isn't real/not a threat/not anthropogenic": So this isn't a great arg in the first place so I'm not sure why people like to run it but I've seen far more of it than I care for. Its highly unlikely I vote for this, the other team would have to drop the ball completely for me to say climate change isn't real. If the other team runs this arg, you should use it as an independent voter, so running climate change isn't real is a reason that team should lose.

CX: Open but its still their speech, asking all the questions for your partner will get both of you poor speaks.

Paper 1ACs: if y'all are gonna spend the rest of the round on your laptops you're wasting paper and time as a fun little strat. Don't. If you don't email it out at the end of the 1AC I will drop you.

PF:

I have much less experience with PF than Policy but don't let that stop you from running what you want to. I may have been unlucky but I've noticed a lot of teams in PF adopting speed. I understand the strategic implications of speed and all that but everything I said about speed in Policy applies doubly so in PF, you should speak 10-20% slower than your top speed given how heavy on analytics PF is.

Please keep cross civil, also remember that cross is still a speech so keep the first two (mostly) closed.

Email: pranavk1016@gmail.com (add me to the chain)

Experience: Debated policy at Iowa City West for 4 years as ICW TK. Qualified for the TOC twice and broke at the TOC once.

Short version: I will try to minimize any preconceived notions and solely rely on in-round analysis so run what you are best at. Although I would rather listen to cp + da debates, I am open to well-executed kritik debates. If you are going to win a kritik debate in front of me, assume that I have no knowledge of your theory(because I probably don't) and give concrete examples to prove your point. Finally, clarity & efficiency>>>>>speed.

General:

I prefer arguments based on concrete examples, data, and logic. I can be convinced otherwise in a debate if a team challenges this mindset.

Look up at me during the round. It should be pretty easy to tell whether I am understanding and following your argument.

Evidence comparison is extremely important in deciding debates. In close debates, leaving evidence comparison to me will bring in my subjective judgments so frame your opponents evidence during the speech. If you are going insert a rehighlighting of a card during a speech that you want me to look at you must read it. You cannot just say that the rehighlighted card is in the speech doc and move on. On that note, please highlight your evidence properly. This means full sentences with all of the warrants that you extend in the debate. I will not read past the highlighting if I call for evidence.

Tech>truth in most cases. in most cases, I will stick to my flow and prevent any intervention. For me to evaluate an argument, it must have a claim and a warrant. Additionally, telling me the implication of arguments will tremendously help you.

Mark cards clearly during your speech. If I ask for evidence at the end, make sure to give me the marked version.

I was a 4 year policy debater for Sioux Falls Roosevelt from 2016-20. Had a lot of success both in state and on the national circuit, and always prefered circuit arguments and styles. I went on to earn my B.S.B. in Finance from the University of Minnesota.

Quick things for all formats
- Speed is fine, but if you spread analytics I will only evaluate what is on my flow
- Ask me if you have questions
- No prep for email/flashing
- Include me in the e-mail chain/flash drive exchange (jaxonkroger@gmail.com)
- Tag team CX is acceptable, but partner's shouldn't dominate it
- In your last speech you should probably not go for everything
- Clash matters -- do not run away from your opponent's arguments
- You can be aggressive, but don't be mean

You need to flesh out your arguments, dive deeper and give me the warrants!!!!

PF NOTES AFTER POLICY

POLICY

Theory (+Topicality)

Nobody likes a judge who doesn't evaluate theory. I’ve voted on it and I've ran it. It has to be developed and it has to dive deep into the standards. The claim needs to be legit. I generally default to competing interpretations unless convinced otherwise. Have offense against their interpretation and use the standards to prove substance to your theoretical objection. If you go for theory in any sense of the word, tell me whether it’s a reason to reject the team or argument and provide offense for that. If you close on theory, you should spend at least 4 minutes on it

On conditionality: 1 is fine--2 is fine--3 is fine--4 gives you a claim

Disadvantages

Link story is usually the largest uphill battle, so you should probably have more than one link
Specific links are good links
Disad turns case is important
Risk of uniqueness is a thing
Link turns need uniqueness to be offense

UQ DAs are always easier to win on than generic pltx

CPs

CP's are strategic and should be used often. Ones that are specific to the aff are even better.

Court CPs- need a test case

AFF- must explain how the perm functions (saying Perm:do both and moving on will not be weighed)

Kritiks

Kritiks are litty. I ran Setcol affs and neg strats where we always closed on the K in my junior year. Senior year I ran Puar/Queer theory. I am fairly familiar with other Ks like afropes, neolib, cap, Deleuze. But I may not know your K, and even if I do- always debate as if I don't know the jargon. If I don't understand the K, that's on you...not me. That effect is x10 when you spread. Ive come to the point in my career I believe that unless both sides spread very efficiently then education is lost. We (debaters) use spreading as a competitive tool to get "gotcha moments" that hurts quality education. Cover the entire K, the impacts of it, the alt level, the terms, etc. Flesh that stuff out. If you're neg don't read more than one K, I believe it takes away the significance and impacts of it. If it is an identity K, you probably have to close on it or I will have a hard time voting for you. Aff teams should use kicked Ks to run theory or framework. K vs K rounds can get confusing FAST, thus meaning give me an easy way to vote for your K.

Tech>Truth (unless blatantly racist, homophobic, etc.)

Framework

I hate evaluating these rounds. I usually default to offense/defense and vote for the team that did the best debating. Any shift from this framework usually requires a team who is doing the best debating anyway. That said, framework is a winning strategy, just dive deep into impacts, etc. Do your best to tell me why your framework is best for debate.

STUFF FOR PF

4 year policy debater so I evaluate args more like a policy debater

I can't evaluate what's not on my flow

OFFENSE, OFFENSE, OFFENSE!!!!

Clash matters -- do not run away from your opponent's arguments

I'm a flow judge

If 2nd rebuttal doesn't frontline, then 1st summary doesn't have to extend defense

Tag line extensions aren't enough

Collapse the round and focus on less things in the last 2 speeches

Please give me impact calc (probability, timeframe, magnitude, etc)

Weigh your impact against the opponents' impacts!

Contextualize your arguments to the rounds!

LD

Will evaluate any argument but might not know the lingo or content of your particular argument so please make sure you're explaining your side

Can probs read my sections for CX to get more info on my preferences

Intro

1) Hey I'm Shaunak. Debated @Barstow School '19, @UMich '23. Not active in debate.

2) Background: policy first 2 years then techy critical; toc experience

3) Add me to the email chain and/or contact me: shaunaklokre@gmail.com

Views from the 6

1) Good debating is an art form. Do what you do, well.

2) Despite my debate argument choices, my beliefs have changed considerably since but I strive to be objective

3) I value tech considerably but truth matters for argument quality

4) Slow down and enunciate; speech delivery is underrated

General Tips

1) Be assertive but respectful

2) Tell me what my RFD should say

3) Go for less and prioritize. Be organized. Do comparative analysis.

4) Realize the "big-picture" and execute the tech.

5) Smart risk-taking and/or argument innovation are encouraged.

Specifics

1) T-USFG/FW -- Been on both sides a lot. Convince me of the best model of debate. What does my ballot do? What is the purpose of debate? Pick your offense/defense and frame the debate.

2) DA + CP -- Classic. Good evidence is recommended. In-round debating determines cp validity and won't judge kick unless instructed.

3) T -- Underrated. My topic knowledge is limited so give me more details and examples than you normally would.

4) K -- Interesting. Familiar but Ks are often difficult to execute. Explain your K thesis (theory) clearly and engage with the aff. Debate the alt.

Finale

1) No card doc needed

2) Prefer if your camera was on

3) Good luck and have fun :)

Speechdrop.net is strictly superior to email chains for in-round file sharing, but feel free to contact me via Kalen.pop@gmail.com

I've been involved in policy debate since 2012 and a coach since 2018, currently Head Coach at Iowa City Liberty High School. By day, I'm employed as a sentient Politics DA. (Journalist with a major in political science.)

TLDR: I'll vote on anything you can make me understand. I love DA/CP/Case debates, I'm not a bad judge for the Kritik, but I've been told I'm not a great judge for it either. Speed reading is fine in the abstract, but I do hold debaters to a higher standard of clarity than I think many other judges to. Speed-reading through your analytics will guarantee I miss something.

Detailed Paradigm: everything below this line is background on my opinions, NOT a hard and fast rule about how you should debate in front of me. I do everything in my power to be cool about it, check bias at the door, etc.

Speed Reading: is fine. But don't spread analytics, please. 250 WPM on analytical arguments is really pushing it. I know that some judges can flow that fast, but I am not one of them: my handwriting sucks and is capped at like, normal tagline pace. Otherwise, you're free to go as fast as I can comprehend. I'll yell "CLEAR!" if I can't.

Policy stuff: Yeah of course I'll vote on disads and counterplans and case arguments and topicality. Are there people who don't?

CP theory: Listen, I'll vote on it, but I won't like it. I strongly advise that theory-loving 2As give warranted voters in the speech, and that 1ARs do actual line-by-line rather than pre-written monologues.

Kritiks: are pretty rad, whether they're read as part of a 12-off 1NC or a 1-off, no case strat. I want to be clear, though: I REALLY NEED to understand what you're saying to vote for you with confidence. I find a lot of very talented K debaters just assume that I know what "biopolitical assemblages of ontological Being" or whatever means. I do not.

K affs: are fine. I myself usually stuck to policy stuff when I debated, but I'll hear it out. You should probably have a good reason not to be topical, though. Some people have told me I'm a bad judge for K affs, others have told me I was the most insightful judge at the tournament. (More have told me I was a bad judge for it though, for what it's worth.)

Other debate formats:

PF: PF is traditionally about being persuasive, whereas policy is about being right. If you can do both I'll be impressed and probably give you a 30. Otherwise, I feel like I have a more or less firm grasp on your activity, but I certainly don't have all of its norms memorized.

LD: I have no idea how your activity works and at this point I'm too afraid to ask. Whoever successfully teaches me LD debate will get an automatic 30. Please dumb your Ks down for me, I'm a policy hack.

Congress: Listen, I did one congress round in high school and left it with 0 understanding of how it's supposed to work. If I'm in the back of your room, it means tabroom made a mistake. Because of my background in policy debate, I imagine I'll be biased in favor of better arguments rather than better decorum.

johnnymcilhon14@gmail.com

4 years of policy at Dowling HS and currently debating at the University of Iowa.

Throughout my high school career, I have debated both critical and traditional policy arguments. My college debate experience has mostly been with critical arguments and planless affs, but I still cut and write policy arguments on a regular basis. I try my best to decide the round on the flow, and I am always going to prefer arguments that were developed throughout the round. Kritiks should be contextualized to the affirmative and the topic; k affs should engage the resolution, and kritiks should engage the 1ac. Make sure you have a clear explanation of what arguments you're going for, and don't try to go for everything.

T- Always a viable option, but make sure you explain your impacts and why fairness/education matter.

CPs- I enjoy the strategy of debating CPs, and you shouldn't be afraid to read them in front of me. I'm not usually convinced by most condo debates unless it goes dropped. Although, that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it.

DAs- The squo is always an option.

FW- Policy teams should contextualize their fw args to the K aff they are debating. I'm not very convinced by generic fw blocks that don't explain how this specific affirmative interacts with the topic/fairness/education. You can avoid this by reading specific internal links to your impacts and TVAs.

Beyond that, I don't have many preferences for specific arguments, just have a clear story and decide the round for me.

Don't steal prep.

I am currently a freshman at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, double majoring in Social Work and Political Science. As MMU does not have a debate team I currently not debating. So, I am not super familiar to the topic so you probably have to do some extra explaining to me. However, I am familiar with the current political debates on immigration currently and have a basic understanding of how immigration and ICE functions so I do know some things about the topic.

Background

I was a 4-year debater at CR Wash, debated at Nationals my senior year. I was typically a 2A/1N but I have been double 2s. I was more of policy debater for sure. However, I can be down with Ks if explained well. I am okay with speed- I am a speed debater but you HAVE to slow down on analytics and tags so I know you are moving on to a new argument. Sign posting is appreciated. YOU CANNOT JUST SAY EXTEND X! You MUST extend warrants and compare it to their answers! I would like to be added to the email chain my email is 18mmineart@gmail.com Also please call me by my name, not just “judge.”

General

If you are mean in CX will be docked speaker points. If you are mean to your partner you will lose speaker points. I will call you out during my RFD. Please make the debate fun- not just serious and competitive. While being competitive and serious about debate is good you should be having fun and learning first and foremost.

FW/ T/ Theory

If against a K/ K AFF I will lean more towards FW in general. It is hard for me to vote for K framework. As for T. I like it and I will vote on it. If dropped I will tend to value its impacts more than the impacts of the AFF. Also, if you make every mildly sketch thing a voter- it loses validity for me.

Ks

Again, I am more of a policy debater. I generally enjoy them but struggle with high theory Ks unless you explain it super well to me. I am persuaded by more specific alts- not by just rejecting the AFF- you have to give me more of a reason on the link and impact level of the debate.

DAs

I love DAs. As a more policy-oriented debater I run these a lot. To win on just a DA alone I need a cohesive link story, updated uniqueness, and IMPACT CALC that is comparative to the AFF’s impacts. Politics debates are always fun.

CPs

Again, a huge fan of these. Make sure you have a net benefit and it is legitimately competitive. I particularly like advantage CPs. Perms are just a test of competition. I am not a huge fan of pics or arguments similar to them.

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.

General

Four years of high school policy debate at Dowling Catholic (2015-2019).

I have very little experience with the CJR topic. Do not assume I understand any lingo about it.

Tech>Truth

I try to be as blank slate as possible when judging: my individual thoughts on any given argument or argument type are not important. I have experience with most types of arguments in debate, but I don't really think that's important.

It's important to remember no judge is going to tell you they're a bad judge or predisposed to a certain type of argument.

I like clash and I like debating. I dislike shiftiness.

I'm ok with speed but you need to be clear. I shouldn't have to tell you to speak clearly.

I like creativity and analytical argumentation based in critical thinking.

I heavily dislike telling the judge to read evidence. It is, sometimes, necessary, most commonly when a key piece of evidence's claims are contended differently by the aff and neg. But relying on a judge to read and come to a conclusion is a losing habit; I don't have the familiarity with the topic nor your ev that you do, so my conclusions from reading the ev may be incorrect.

Add me to the email chain: theodorethursby@gmail.com

Feel free to email me with any questions.

Iowa City West '18

Dartmouth '22

email: ethan.trepka@gmail.com

masonlwang32@gmail.com

Predispositions

More flexible, went for policy and K strats tho mostly neolib/case specific Ks. With a critical strategy, make your links specific - I like rewarding good research. I lean a bit aff on theory for extremely generic or questionable counterplans cuz these debates are less fun.

Important Stuff

Dropped arguments are only true to the degree to which they have met their burden of proof. The validity of an argument that was poorly constructed in the first place doesn't increase to 100% after the other team says nothing.

Slow at writing and flowing, slow down on T

Clash is important - a lack of depth on certain points is fine as long as the argument is understood, don't like rearticulation

Some examples of this:

1--When teams don't really listen to or attempt to understand cross-x questions and give and explanation of something else

2--when the neg makes an argument like "no impact to econ decline", the aff says "we're not econ decline", and the negative reads their pre-written extension that has five reasons for why econ decline doesn't cause war, then answers the aff argument.

3--impact calc that isn't comparative. what's the point of giving an overview if it doesn't tell me about the round

K links that are like "the affs neg state action relegitimizes the aff's ability to determine which state actions are bad" isn't persuasive on its own - needs to be coupled with historical context or examples

I won't presume that a counterplan solves a part of the case unless given a solvency argument. (doesn't have to be evidence, can be inferred from the text if it's obvious enough)

Speed and Flowing

I have a low standard for beating dropped arguments that were almost impossible to flow in the first place.

Make our tags clear enough to understand in the time that you say them. I am not your judge if your strategy involves reading 2 paragraph tags and expecting me to read them carefully in order to understand your argument. I flow in lines and not paragraphs

Speaker Points

Content > delivery for points, like creative strategies. Also I think some teams are deterred from reading new/creative arguments because they're afraid they won't be able to be as smooth on them. I liked watching Jeffrey Ding, he was awesome, he basically went like 1 wpm.

don't delay the round

I debated for ICW and got 4 bids + won Dowling + Caucus. Debate is fun to think about or entertaining to watch, so make it one of those two

major speaks boost if you get me out of the round as quickly and easily as possible. no need for overkill, just make it clean. If it's a super easy to understand why you're winning and I don't have to put a lot of effort into thinking about it then major speaks boost.

Every minute of prep not used is +.1 speaks for the team not using it, same w/ speech time

Pronouns: She/her/hers; pronounce my name correctly or not at all. Just "judge" is fine too if you have relevant questions/comments before/after round.

TLDR:

- I will not tolerate any discourteous behavior. Failing to respect your opponents and your partner is a sure way to lose speaker points, or worse.

- Run what you want, but be clear and err towards over-explaining, especially when it comes to niche Ks.

- Add me to the email chain! engiewrong@gmail.com





If time, here's the lengthy judge ramble that can be extremely useful to you if you adapt well:

I debated for four years, primarily as 1A/2N, at Roosevelt High School (SD). I no longer debate policy, as I attend uni in Singapore (Yale-NUS College '23). I have only judged two tournaments on this topic; I have debated and judged on the following topics: surveillance, China engagement, education, & immigration.

You can see the full list of arguments I've ran on the wiki, but if you're reading this 5 minutes before the round, you should know I am not well-versed in most kritiks or extremely technical conditional positions in general. Err on the side of over-explaining these arguments for me!

Speed: If you are clear, go for it. If you aren't, slow down. If I stop flowing for a long period of time, you are probably going too fast for me.

CX: Tag team is fine, but be respectful of the space you take up at all times. This means not dominating your partner or being rude to your opponent. Aggressive is fun, if you want to be! Note that aggressive ≠ mean.

Conditionality: Condo is always a strategy, but if poorly executed or evidently abusive, aff should punish neg - I won't do your work for you.

Case: Debate it. Everyone - debate it. The most ethos-y you can get in front of me is beating someone's case with their own evidence/arguments.

Theory: Please have voters, and try to get off your blocks and line by line your opponents if you want a theory ballot. I have a breadth over depth understanding of theory, so do not speed through your standards at max speed and expect me to flow you.

Topicality: I have not judged on the topic, so try not to assume I know your pet T by heart. In front of me, T is a great strategy and the best debates require you to get off your blocks and engage your opponent. Punish your opponent for dropped arguments! Kicking T can also be a great strategy. Time suck is not a voter. If you're neg reading multiple Ts and cross-applying standards, please read the standards on the first T.

DAs: Bread and butter. I prefer specific links, but generic links contextualized to the debate are just as good. Politics DAs are not the worst ever, nor are they the best ever. Impact calc saves lives (and ballots).

CPs: Fun! If specific to the aff, even better! Needs a net-benefit - internal or external is fine with me.

Ks on the neg: Fun! Must clash with the aff, must tell me how to weigh the affirmative impacts vs. whatever K says - if no one does this, I will default to weighing impacts. Kicking the alt is an uphill battle in front of me. F/W impact turns are fun; I ran security a bunch in hs.

Ks on the aff: This is certainly my weakest area of evaluation, and my bottom line is that K affs should be in the direction of the topic. Also, I'm not a big fan of performative contradictions so don't argue debate bad in front of me. Explain explain explain, please! For the affirmative: smart arguments are good arguments. Both sides need to bring clash to the round, just like in any other round.

Any other questions? Ask me before the round or email me beforehand.

If you've made it this far, note that I'll reward a good joke with +0.1 speaks! We all need a reminder that debate is meant to be a fun educational activity.