Jane Boyd

School: Grapevine HS - Interim Director of Debate and Speech

Email: janegboyd79@gmail.com (for case/evidence sharing)

School affiliation/s – Grapevine HS

Years Judging/Coaching - 39

Years of Experience Judging any Speech/Debate Event 39

Order of Paradigms PFD, LD, World Schools, Policy (scroll down)

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Public Forum Debate

I am more of a traditionalist on PFD. I don't like fast PFD. The time constraints just don't allow it. No plans or counter plans. Disadvantages can be run but more traditionally and not calling it a disadvantage.

Basic principles of debate - claim, warrant, and IMPACT must be clearly explained. Direct clash and clear signposting are essential. WEIGH or compare impacts. Tell me ;your "story" and why I should vote for your side of the resolution.

I have experience with every type of debate so words like link cross-apply, drop -- are ok with me.

The summary and final focus should be used to start narrowing the debate to the most important issues with a direct comparison of impacts and worldview

I flow - IF you share cases put me on the email chain but I won't look at it until the end and ONLY if evidence or arguments are challenged. Speak with the assumption that I am flowing not reading.

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Lincoln Douglas Debate

A good debate is a good debate. Keep in mind that trying to be cutting-edge does NOT make for good debate by itself. While I appreciate innovation - I hate tricks for the sake of tricks and theory used as a strategy. I prefer topic-based arguments. Keep that in mind.

Framework/Values/Criteria/Standards/Burdens

Standards, criteria, framework, and/or burdens serve as the same thing - these are mechanisms for how determining who wins the debate. If a value is used it needs to be defended throughout the case and not simply an afterthought. The framework of the debate should not be longer than the rest of the case. Unless it is necessary to make the framework clear, cut to the chase and tell me what is acceptable and not acceptable, but don't spend 2 1/2 minutes on something that should take just a few sentences to make clear. I want to hear substantive debate on the topic, not excessive framework or theory. Note the word excessive. I am not stupid and usually get it much quicker than you think. In the debate resolve the issue of standard and link it to the substantive issues of the round then move on.

Evidence and Basic Argumentation:

The evidence adds credibility to the arguments of the case however I don't want to just hear you cite sources without argumentation and analysis of how it applies to the clash in the debate. I don't like arguments that are meant to confuse and say absolutely nothing of substantive value. I am fine with philosophy but expect that you can explain and understand the philosophies that you are applying to your case or arguments. A Kritik is nothing new in LD. Traditional LD by nature is perfect, but I recognize the change that has occurred. I accept plans, DAs, counter plans, and theory (when there is a violation - not as the standard strategy.) Theory, plans, and counter plans must be run correctly - so make sure you know how to do it before you run it in front of me.

Flow and Voters:

I think that the AR has a very difficult job and can often save time by grouping and cross-applying arguments, please make sure you are clearly showing me the flow where you are applying your arguments. I won't cross-apply an argument to the flow if you don't tell me to. I try not to intervene in the debate and only judge based on what you are telling me and where you are telling me to apply it. Please give voters; however, don't give 5 or 6. You should be able to narrow the debate down to critical areas. If an argument is dropped, then make sure to explain the importance or relevance of that argument don't just give me the "it was dropped so I win the argument." I may not buy that it is an important argument; you have to tell me why it is important in this debate.

Presentation:

I can flow very well. Slow the heck down, especially in the virtual world. The virtual world is echoing and glitchy. Unless words are clear I won't flow the debate. Speed for the sake of speed is not a good idea.

Kritik:

I have been around long enough to have seen the genesis of Kritik's arguments. I have seen them go from bad to worse, and then good in the policy. I think that K's arguments are in a worse state in LD now. Kritik is absolutely acceptable IF it applies to the resolution and specifically the case being run in the round. I have the same expectation here as in policy the "K" MUST have a specific link. "K" arguments MUST link directly to what is happening in THIS round with THIS resolution. I am NOT a fan of a generic Kritik that questions if we exist or not and has nothing to do with the resolution or debate at hand. Kritik must give an alternative other than "think about it." Most LD is asking me to take any action with a plan or an objective - a K needs to do the same thing. That being said, I will listen to the arguments but I have a very high threshold for the bearer to meet before I will vote on a "K" in LD.

Theory:

I have a very high threshold of acceptance of theory in LD. There must be a clear abuse story. Also, coming from a policy background - it is essential to run the argument correctly. For example having a violation, interpretation, standards, and voting issues on a Topicality violation is important. Also, know the difference between topicality and extra-tropical. or knowing what non-unique really means is important. Theory for the sake of a time suck is silly and won't lead me to vote on it at the end. I want to hear substantive debate on the topic, not just a generic framework or theory. RVI's: Not a fan. Congratulations you are topical or met a minimum of your burden I guess? It's not a reason for me to vote though unless you have a compelling reason.

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WORLD SCHOOL DEBATE

I have experience and success coaching American Style Debates. Worlds Schools Debate quickly has become my favorite. I have coached teams to elimination rounds at local, state, and NSDA National tournament every year that I coached WSD. I judge WSD regularly and often.

The main thing to know is I follow the norms of WSD (that you all have access). I don't want WSD Americanized.

How would you describe WS Debate to someone else?

WSD is a classic debate. The type when folks think about the debate. Much more based on logic and classic arguments with some evidence but not evidence-heavy. It is NOT an American-style debate.

What process, if any, do you utilize to take notes in the debate?

I flow each speech.

When evaluating the round, assuming both principle and practical arguments are advanced through the 3rd and Reply speeches, do you prefer one over the other? Explain.

I look at both. Does the principle have merit and the practical is the tangible explanation? I don’t think that the practical idea has to solve but is it a good idea?

The WS Debate format requires the judge to consider both Content and Style as 40% of each of the speaker’s overall scores, while Strategy is 20%. How do you evaluate a speaker’s strategy?

Strategy is argument selection in speeches 2, 3, and 4. In 1st speech, it is how the case is set up and does it give a good foundation for other speeches to build.

WS Debate is supposed to be delivered at a conversational pace. What category would you deduct points in if the speaker was going too fast?

The style mostly, but if it is really fast then maybe strategy as well.

WS Debate does not require evidence/cards to be read in the round. How do you evaluate competing claims if there is no evidence to read?

The argument that makes the most sense, is extended throughout the debate, and does it have the basics of claim, warrant, and impact?

How do you resolve model quibbles?

Models are simply an example of how the resolution would work. Which model is best explained, extended, and directly compared? If those are even, which one makes the most intuitive sense to me?

How do you evaluate models vs. countermodels?

Models and countermodels are simply examples of how the resolution would work. Which model is best explained, extended, and directly compared? If those are even, which one makes the most intuitive sense to me?

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Policy Debate:

A good Debate is a good debate. I flow from the speech not from the document. I do want to be on the email chain though. I prefer good substantive debate on the issues. While Ks are okay if you are going to read them, make sure they are understandable from the beginning. Theory - the same. If you think you might go for it in the end, make sure they are understandable from the beginning.

Be aware, that on virtual, sometimes hard to understand rapid and unclear speech (it is magnified on virtual). Make necessary adjustments.

Links should be specific and not generic. This is everything from K to DA.

The final speech needs to tell the story and compare worlds. Yes, line by line is important but treat me like a policymaker - tell me why your policy or no policy would be best.

A. General: I find it difficult to vote for an argument that doesn't have proper explanation or analysis. If you only make a claim, I am not likely to do work for you to actually win that claim. You can run any argument, as long as it is not offensive or harmful. I am fine with speed, but I'll yell "clear" if I am unable to understand. Don't read blocks like cards. Tell me what to vote on and why.

B. Read whatever you want. I'll vote on anything.

1. Theory: I evaluate theory as a reason to reject the team, unless told otherwise.

2. Disadvantages: I evaluate on an offense-defense framework. This means that offensive arguments are more strategic, and that impact calculus is important. You can still win with defense though. Links should be contextualized if not specific.

3. Counterplans: It is good to put theory, but to not just stop there. You should actually answer the permutation because I am less likely to buy perm theory arguments. That doesn't mean I won't vote on them, that just means you'll have to do more work on them.

4. Kritiks: I'm cool with the K. I haven't read every K, and if I have it might not be as in depth. You can read your kritik, but there should be clear explanation so I know what I'm voting off of and why. Jargon won't get you very far, if your opponent is confused just assume that I am, too - just to be safe. If you only do jargon and bad explanation I'll give you bad speaks and you're more likely to lose. Your links should be contextualized if not specific.

Jack Griffiths

Assistant Coach and Alumni Service Corps at Jesuit Dallas

jack9riff at gmail dot com

Updated Before TFA State

About Me:
- Debated at Jesuit from 2015-2019 (2A)
- Have experience with all sorts of arguments, from mostly big-stick arguments my first few years to mostly K-oriented strategies my senior year
- Judged, coached, and cut cards part-time for Jesuit during the pandemic years
- Have been serving as assistant coach during my ASC year at Jesuit (2023-2024) and judging at local, regional, and national tournaments (about 40 rounds total so far this year)

**I have made some updates throughout the paradigm to give a better sense of how I have decided these different kinds of debates during this season.

I believe that my responsibility as a judge is to adapt to the debaters' arguments rather than the other way around. There are arguments I'm more familiar with than others, but as long as your explanations are well-warranted and digestible, you should feel free running what you want to run (with the exception of arguments that are discriminatory or advocate for self-harm).

For me, doing proper clash and line-by-line is absolutely essential. Debates become the most enjoyable when they feature lots of organized back-and-forth and detailed comparisons between arguments. The most crucial elements of line by line include keeping an accurate flow, proper signposting (“2AC 1—they say x, we say y”), and using your own voice to initiate comparisons (rather than simply reading walls of cards). To elaborate more on that last item, I find myself more persuaded by debaters who acknowledge the areas where they’re behind and explain why they still win (i.e. “even if they win x, we still win because y”) than by debaters who assert that they’re winning on absolutely every level (which is almost never true).

Note: to incentivize clash, if you show me your flows after the debate, and I believe that your flows truly served as the basis of your argumentation during your speeches, I will give you +0.2 speaker points.

Because of everything stated above, I find myself disappointed by debates in which teams either don’t directly clash or in which teams intentionally avoid the need to clash by throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. This isn’t to say that you can’t initiate a high volume of arguments in front of me, but if it comes at the expense of direct engagement with the other team’s arguments, I’m less likely to enjoy the round.

Things that increase speaker points: active flowing, direct clashing, strategic use of CX, effective use of framing moments in the final rebuttals

Things that limit speaker points: not flowing (and struggling to do effective line-by-line as a result), being overly aggressive/snarky, over-reliance on tag-team CX

Theory

Although I've generally unlikely to reject the team, I have pulled the trigger in the past. More often, theory is best used to give yourself more leeway when answering a sketchy argument. Conditionality is generally good but can become less good with multiple conditional contradictory worlds, an absence of solvency advocates, an abundance of conditional CP planks, etc. SPEC arguments are usually uncompelling to me. News affs are good—I wouldn’t burn 10 seconds in the 1NC by reading your shell.

Be sure to slow down a bit when reading all your compressed analytics. Finding in-round examples of abuse isn't intrinsically necessary but does help you out quite a bit.

Topicality

Topic-specific thoughts: While many debaters have asserted that tax-and-transfer is intrinsically the core of the topic, I'm not quite as convinced, as it often seems like affs with taxes sideline discussions of the 3 areas in favor of whole advantages predicated off of whatever taxes they choose to defend. I also am likely to be more skeptical of tax-and-transfer affs that don't have a solvency advocate that advocates for both the tax AND the transfer as a complete package. I can definitely still vote for such affs, but I’m open to listen to teams that can speak to the trends I've been witnessing, and teams that are in favor of tax-and-transfer as their view of the topic should have a more warranted explanation for why that view is good.

General thoughts:When deciding these rounds, I first decide whether to evaluate the debate through competing interpretations or reasonability (based on which framework I have been persuaded is best based on the debating) before looking deeper into the flow. I default to competing interpretations if not given an alternative (which generally means I end up deciding the debate based on the comparative risks of the two team's standards). I personally find reasonability at its most compelling/least arbitrary when contextualized to a counter-interpretation (i.e. as long as our counter-interpretation is reasonable enough, you should vote affirmative) rather than when presented in an aff-specific way (i.e. we’re a camp aff so we’re topical). If after the debate I decide to evaluate the round through the lens of reasonability, that usually means I should vote aff unless their interp is evidently bad for debate.

I think debaters tend to spend too much time reading cards in these debates that could instead be spent on giving concrete examples for their standards to help me visualize the limits explosion, loss in ground, etc. Teams also should be doing a better job at explaining the terminal impact to these standards (i.e. what does "precision" actually mean and how much does it matter?). Not articulating your impacts will force me to intervene more than I'm usually comfortable with.

K Aff vs T/Framework

I’ve judged a few of these, and my decisions in them have generally come down to which side gives me a better sense of what their model of debate produces relative to the other team’s. Negative teams are most compelling when they articulate how iterative debates with a resolutional focus produce research skills, engagement through clashing perspectives, and topic-specific knowledge. Affirmative teams are persuasive when they successfully point out limitations of the negative’s model of debate and/or when they argue that the values the negative espouses will be used for detrimental ends absent the affirmative’s method. “Procedural fairness” could be an impact but most teams that have centralized their strategy around it have sounded too tautological to me, so if going for it is your preference then make sure to articulate why fairness is important beyond just saying “debate is a game so fairness must be important.” A K Aff should still have some connection to the resolution/topic area as well as a clearly-signposted advocacy statement. Affirmatives also need to have robust answers to TVAs and switch side debate.

K vs. K

Although I’ve never judged this form of debate, I had a few rounds like these as a debater from the negative side. I think it’s an open discussion whether the affirmative should be able to have a permutation in these debates—the more vague the affirmative’s method is, the more likely I am to defer negative.

Policy Aff vs K

I have three asks for affirmative teams. First, leverage the 1AC, whether in the form of “case outweighs” argument, a disad to the alt, or as an example of why whatever thing the negative criticizes can be good. Second, choose a strategy that synergizes well with the type of affirmative you’re reading. If your 1AC is 8 minutes of heg good, impact turn. If you’re a soft-left aff, link turn by explaining how the solvency of the aff can challenge structures of oppression. Third, prioritize offensive arguments. I’ve seen too many debates where the 2AR spends almost all their time going for the “perm double bind” and overly defensive strategies. Instead, center the debate about why your method is good and makes things better and why the alternative makes things worse.

Negatives should be able to explain their kritiks without heavily reliance on jargon, especially when reading high theory (given my relative unfamiliarity with it). I like it when negatives present detailed link narratives that are specific to the aff, explain how the alternative addresses the proximate causes of the affirmative impacts, and leverage on-case arguments to supplement the kritiks. I like it less when negatives rely on “tricks” (e.g. framework landmines, ontology without impacting it out) or enthymemes (i.e. establishing only part of an argument/dropping a buzzword while expecting me to fill in the blanks for you simply because prevalent K teams make the same argument).

A note on framework: I am personally uncomfortable voting on overly-exclusionary framework interpretations (e.g. "no Ks allowed" or "aff doesn't get to weigh the plan) unless one team is dropping the ball, and so I'm more compelled by nuanced interpretations that leave some room for the other side (e.g. "the aff can weigh their plan but we should still be able to problematize their assumptions"). For similar reasons, I'm not the biggest fan of pure fiat Ks (but if you win them then you do you, I suppose).

Counterplan Debates

I've progressively grown more and more frustrated by the proliferation of random, old process CPs that steal the aff this year. Not to say you can't read them, but I'll be more sympathetic to smart aff permutation arguments, and you should make sure your theory defenses are sufficient.

Counterplans should have solvency advocates—and if you manage to find a hyper-specific solvency advocate related to the aff, that can make me more open to counterplans that I might otherwise deem sketchy (process, conditions, etc.). Topic/aff-specific PICs are valuable because they reward targeted research, but word/language-related PICs are likely less legitimate unless you have a very compelling reason why they make sense in a given debate. I’m ambivalent about multiplank counterplans, but if you claim planks are independently conditional and/or you lack a unified solvency advocate for all the planks, I’m more likely to side with the aff. I won’t judge kick unless you tell me in the 2NR.

Disadvantage Debates

Disad debates are fun as long as they’re presented with qualified evidence that can reduce the need for too much “spin.” Controlling uniqueness is important. Turns case is most valuable when contextualized specifically to the aff scenarios and when it isn’t reliant on the negative winning full risk of their terminal impact. Risk can be reduced to zero with smart defensive arguments and if the quality of the disad is just that bad, but generally you’ll be in a better spot if you find a source of offense (which can be even something as simple as “case outweighs”).

Case

Although case answers are (sadly) generally underutilized by the negative, they have influenced quite a few of my recent decisions, so negative teams should feel compelled to make case debating a more crucial part of their strategy in front of me. Internal link and solvency takeouts (both evidenced and analytical) are much more persuasive to me than reading generic impact defense.

Sophia Hurst

Greenhill '20

University of Pennsylvania '24

Email chain: sophiarose2002@gmail.com

I debated all throughout high school and don't have particularly strong ideological orientations towards debate.

Some general thoughts:

Tech > truth

K affs: I tend to believe that teams should read plans that defend hypothetical USfg action. That being said, I prefer impact turns to contrived W/M and counter-interp debates.

T-USFG: I believe that there is an intrinsic value to fairness.

Ks: I'm much more well-versed in structural criticisms than high-theory. I do not like K debates that devolve to whether or not the aff should get the plan - I generally think teams get to weigh the aff. Links must be contextualized not only to the topic, but the specific form of action the plan takes.

T: Keep in mind I know almost nothing about the topic.

Case: I love a 2NR that spends a lot of time on case.

CPs: I like all counterplans, maybe with the exception of word PIKs. Process counterplans can be good - I would prefer competition based on something more than certainty and immediacy. Then again, my preferences aren't too strong here.

Theory: Surprisingly, I have no strong opinions about this. I think it's pretty standard to read multiple condo and generally think that's okay, but can be persuaded otherwise. Most other arguments aren't reasons to reject the team. But in this area, my tech > truth preference is extremely amplified.

Feel free to email me with questions about decisions or my paradigm!

Updated for 2018-2019 Season

Hi, my name is Ethan Jackson. I have debated at Jesuit College Prep for 3 years as a 2A/1N. I am currently a senior and a 2N/1A; I have debated 18 rounds on this topic, so it is very likely I know what you're talking about a good amount of the time. However, explaining things is still key to winning debates.

Add me on the email chain at 19166@jcpstudents.org

General Notes/Comments

Truth vs. Tech - I think that tech > truth in most instances, but view this distinction more as an impetus to base your arguments in logic and current events rather than to try to get away with something sketchy.

Read any aff you want - big impacts, structural violence, K affs, advocacy statements, no plan text or advocacy statements are all fine - be able to defend them though, because I can be persuaded by impacted T or framework arguments.

Speaker points - I'm not going to claim to start my scale anywhere specific, but if you want good speaks, you should do the following to get good speaks: be kind to me and the other team, ask good cx questions, make strategic decisions/talk to your partner, be clear if you're going to be spreading, make me laugh, or indicate in your speeches that you understand my paradigm.

Be nice and have fun - that's pretty important - one of the reasons I love debate is because of the positive interactions I have with fellow debaters, coaches, and judges. Let's keep it that way. Please don't be discriminatory in your language OR arguments. Advocating for the death of people, whether worldwide or of specific groups, is a no-no. It pretty much goes without saying that there are some certain toxic arguments that aren't acceptable in debate.

T/Theory

T is good, T curriculum is useless - it's the end of the year, so I will be more willing to vote on reasonability. With that said, I will still default to competing interpretations unless reasonability is a debate that is had. You should read a case-list and distinguish your impacts in the block, especially if you want me to vote on it. T is most persuasive in the 2nr if it is 4-5 minutes.

Theory is lit, but I think that the aff typically under-utilizes it. If the neg has a sketchy CP or K alt, they should be called out on it and the aff needs to distinguish why the neg's use of the CP is bad for debate. I don't really have a bias in these debates because I honestly think that these are debates to be had. I will vote on most theory arguments if they are debated well, and I won't vote on these arguments if the neg is sufficiently able to defend that they aren't dirty cheaters. Things I will be looking for on the aff for theory (and the neg should neutralize these aspects) include: a reason why the specific neg argument is an example of the theory violation, an interpretation, and impacted out warrants as to why this argument is unjustifiable/makes it extremely difficult for the aff to debate. Also, saying that there's an aff bias on this topic isn't an argument, but making a well-warranted claim for why your CP or K is core neg ground that is key to check the aff is.

CP

CP's are good, and they're even better with a net benefit. I think that lots of good CPs can be creative and aff-specific, and these CP debates are enjoyable to watch, especially PICs. However, if the neg wants to go for a sketchy CP, they need to be prepared for the theory debate. If you want me to vote on your CP, you need a net benefit, a warranted answer to the permutation, and the ability to capture aff offense. It would also be better for you if you had a quality solvency advocate. Against CPs that don't compete or have no net benefit, I will be persuaded easily by the permutation unless you can give a really good reason why the world of the perm would be especially bad.

DA

DA's are also good. I will vote on unique DA's that can articulate a specific link, internal link chain, and an impact that outweighs and/or turns the case. Don't be afraid to go all in on the DA in the 2nr without a CP because you can win that the DA neutralizes all of their offense by itself. If you are spinning the link as a generic link to education reform, it makes it more difficult for me to vote for you if it comes down to evidence, but even if you don't have the evidence to specifically link to the aff, you should be making and going for analytic link arguments, which ARE persuasive.

Aff - if you are going to win a link turn, you should be winning reasons why the link turn outweighs a risk of the link. Similar with impact turns - you should win that the turn outweighs their impact, including reading impact defense vs. their terminal impact. Straight turns are fun debates, and you should take advantage of this in the 2ac especially if they read 7+ off. However, you should keep in mind the amount of damage the neg block can do to your offense. If you are going for a straight turn in the 2ar don't be afraid to go all in.

There is such thing as winning no risk of the DA - don't be afraid to weigh complete defense vs. the DA. This year, winning no risk is a particularly persuasive vs. less specific DAs like politics and federalism. That being said, the neg should still read federalism and politics, but should be wary about the gaps in the internal link chains.

Ks

Read your K, any K. I genuinely enjoy the structure of a K debate, and 1 off debates are fine too. However, given that I am still only a 3rd year debater, you should be able to explain your argument to me so I don't have issues with voting neg. Links should be tailored to the aff as well as the status quo, and there should be multiple links to the aff articulated in the block. I view these debates like a combination of a DA + CP except for in content, so you should read your link/impact turns, permutations, and solvency deficits/offense to the alt. Framework should lay out how I as a judge should view the debate, for both teams. For the aff I need something more specific than "we get to weigh our impacts" or you'd better have a good strategic reason why that's how I should view the debate.

Multiple unconditional Ks are probably bad, but the aff needs to contest this strategy with warrants.

I was a High School debater, with experience in 1 year of policy debate and 2 years of PF.

For PF

- Speed is for policy, but if you can make a clear case while talking fast I don't mind.

- There is no need to be overly aggressive in round.

- I prefer each team have a framework, and argue framework as well in round.

For Policy

- I do have some experience in policy, but treat me like a judge who doesn't know anything about policy.

- Speed is good as long as you are understandable. If I'm not writing down what you say I can't understand you. Slow down.

- I am not a fan of K's but if you think that its a strong argument and you want to argue k go for it.

- There's no point in running 9 off if you can barely get through them. I prefer having a smaller number of strong off case arguments that you can build on.

Affiliation - Dallas Jesuit '19

2A/1N

-Email chains > flash drives - add me - Limkogan@gmail.com

Update Thing

I hate incomplete off case shells. E.g. If your kritik doesn't have a framework argument or a reason to prefer it, it's a non-unique DA. If your DA doesn't have an internal link, uniqueness, link, or impact, it's not a complete argument. Highlighting an argument in a card without a warrant makes it an incomplete argument. A CP without a net benefit is usually not a complete argument unless there's a justification - i.e. delay, consult, etc. In case there is something like this, say something like "this doesn't have ..., we'll answer when they make a complete argument" and move on. At that point, the neg must/should fully explain every part of the argument or else it gets pretty abusive.

General Topics

-If you have questions ask

-I'll prob be keeping track of prep

-Line by line = fun. 6 minutes of an overview and saying "onto the line by line" isn't. I will prob stop flowing an overview after 2 minutes and you will see me doing something else

-Tech>truth unless an arg is dumb

-Turns = good unless morally offensive

-Clipping/cheating = Bad. Don't.

-I'm pretty expressive

-Spin is usually good until someone points out it's not warranted

-Warrants = good. I won't vote for stuff I don't understand/think there's enough explanation even if I have background information (k debates)

-Passionate = fine. Mean = no

-Clarity > Speed. Efficiency = good. I'll say clear until I think you're ignoring me

-Talking to your partner = prep

-Taking out analytics = prep

-Emailing isn't prep unless it gets ridiculous

-If you're reading straight blocks don't expect above a 28.3 w/o line by line

Theory

-Fine

-Generally neg sided on condo except 7 contradictory, conditional worlds or something abusive. Everything else is viable

-Dropped theory usually = ballot

-If an arg doesn't link I'm not gonna vote on it even if it's unanswered

Topicality

-Yes

-Treat it like a DA

-T.VA's and case lists are really cool

-Ev comparison on interpretations is kinda important

-Reasonability - Make it a substance crowdout and a reason why the counter-interpretation is good enough even if it's not as good as the interp

-Limits can be a standalone but should prob just be an internal link

Case

-It's important

-Case in the block for some time is kinda hard to answer in the 1AR and makes life hell

-Do Ross Extensions b/c they sound cool - https://vimeo.com/5464508

-Circumvention = good

-I have a lower threshold for presumption but it should be an emergency scenario

DA

-Dropped DA's are usually true DA's unless they were incomplete in the 1nc

-Incomplete DA's are not worth taking full time to answer in the 2AC(they don't have X, this isn't a complete arg - we get new answers when they make a complete one)

-Defense doesn't usually take out 100% risk of DA

-Specific links are good - generics not so much but tech and spin is good

-Turns case/DA and solves case/DA is really good

-Impact calc isn't time frame is now, probability 100%, and magnitude is extinction - it's comparitive

-Cross applying stuff usually saves time and is cool

-Convoluted internal link chains are not my favorite and probably not true but go ahead

CP

-They're cool

-They usually access a lot of the case

-Sufficiency framing is kinda good except when it is morally bad from the aff

-Should always have a net benefit

-Process CP's are very abusive

-PICs are generally fine when they have a solvency advocate but are kinda abusive

-Block CP's are kinda abusive but you do you

-I'm not gonna judge kick unless you tell me to but even then I'm aff bias esp on perms

K Affs

-I get it's strategic but don't read overviews

-Framework makes the game work

-K v. K debates are fine but clash please for the love of all that is good

-Debate is a game that has pedagogical benefits/disadvantages that can be about

-You need an offensive reason you don't defend the res

-Not reading T-USFG and instead going for T-(the topic) is a good strat most of the time

-Being shifty on permutation debates probably prove loss of ground

-T.VA's are really good and any solvency deficits prove debatability

-The resolution is a stasis point which everyone should probably follow

-Reasonability/we meet generally isn't the A strat

*Special Note for K's of the debate space - I get that it's strategic but I'm prob not your judge. Debate is a voluntary activity that you are willingly go into. If your only reason why the debate space is key is the ballot is an endorsement, that's definitely not enough. The only time I've seen it go well is with North Broward increase participation. I honestly don't see why a book club or creating another debate space like communities of care external to debate doesn't solve all your offensive. Also these usually don't have a tie to the topic and topic education usually outweighs any education in my opinion but that's debatable. I also just don't see why the debate space is uniquely good or is necessary for change.

K

-You'll have to explain well. I don't connect the dots/do fill in the blanks (that means having a terminal impact and/or extending an impact is important)

-Empirics and examples are really good to have in a K debate

-Somehow everything becomes a link without evidence and that's probably not ok

-Alt explanation is really good - think reddit.com/r/ELI5

-I think you kinda need an alt b/c a question of method v. method to solve. I understand the strategic use of if link, vote neg, but it's real abusive especially if the impact is inevitable. I can be persuaded otherwise though.

-Links of omission aren't persuasive

-Re-characterizing the aff is a good idea

-Pointing to specific lines/advantages/instances is really good and serves as evidence

-FIAT isn't real is dumb unless it's impacted

-Specific links are really cool

Josh Leffler

Greenhill '20, Yale '25

Please put me on the email chain (and feel free to email me if you have any questions): jsl.joshleffler@gmail.com

Updated February 2022. I've judged relatively few rounds on the water topic, so please over-explain arguments and don't assume I'm familiar with community consensus.

Top-Level

Tech over truth, except for discriminatory or factually inaccurate arguments.

The two things that matter most to me (and affect my speaker points the most) are good organization and clear judge instruction.

I have much more experience with and am a better judge for policy args than critical args, but I will certainly evaluate and vote for either.

I generally won't read evidence unless I'm instructed to or I'm unable to resolve a question solely based on the debating.

I'm not a big fan of strategies that rely on your opponent missing a blippy argument to win (but like I said, tech over truth).

Online debate note: if you see me constantly looking to the side during your speech, don't worry - I am paying attention! I have a second screen off to the side on which I will be flowing.

Above all else, please be kind and respectful to everyone else in the room.

K Affs and Framework

I’m not great for K affs, though my voting record in these debates is somewhat split. I tend to be more convinced by affs that impact turn framework than those that try to counter-define specific words, etc.

If you’re neg and going for framework, I don’t tend to think of fairness as a terminal impact (which is not to say it can’t be one with some explanation, but in general I think clash-based impacts are a lot more persuasive). I think a well-constructed TVA can go a really long way in these debates.

Policy Affs

I agree with what everyone else says about framing contentions: they should be as specific to the 1AC as possible and are not a substitute for debating the substance of the disads.

I am almost always more persuaded by internal link defense than impact defense.

Topicality

Good T debating is good internal link debating. "Precision/education/predictability/etc. outweighs!" means very little without a robust explanation of why the other team's interpretation is highly imprecise/uneducational/unpredictable/etc.

Like I said above, I haven't judged a lot of debates on the water topic, so I don't really know what the community consensus is or have any preconceived notions about various interps.

Kritiks

In general, you shouldn’t assume that I am familiar with your argument. I need to be able to understand an argument before I can explain to the other team why they lost.

In these debates, I usually end up most confused by the alt, so if you're neg, you should probably do more explanation of the alt than you think is necessary. If you're not going for the alt, you still need to clearly explain what it means to vote neg.

Counterplans and Theory

Having been both a 2A and a 2N, I don't have a lot of strong biases about theory.

Conditionality is probably good, but kicking planks from counterplans that have tons of planks probably isn't. Condo is probably the only reason to reject the team.

I won't judge-kick by default.

Having a specific solvency advocate makes most counterplans legitimate, but not having a solvency advocate doesn't automatically make a counterplan illegitimate.

Disadvantages

Impact calculus (even the simple magnitude/probability/timeframe stuff) plays a role in my decision more often that you might think.

I’m a bit of a politics nerd and I love politics debates. Savvy analysis or explanation of political dynamics will likely impress me.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me (jsl.joshleffler@gmail.com)!

Hello, I'm Jack Madden and I am currently a senior at the University of Oklahoma. I am currently getting my masters in cybersecurity, but I did my undergrad in economics with a focus on trade. I am no longer currently debating, but I debated for 4 years at Jesuit Dallas. My speaker position in high school 2n/1a, but I also spent time as a 2a/1n (if that helps shed some light on some of my argument preferences). In general, apart from arguments like racism/sexism/etc good, I will evaluate everything if it is argued well, but below are some of my predispositions and biases. (and if you are pressed on time, read just the general information and the short version at the bottom).

General Information

- Read what you are most comfortable with-excluding things like -isms good, I will listen to basically anything and while some arguments frustrate me more than others, I still think that people should read what they are most comfortable with running in debate.

- I will keep time for both sides and I don't count flashing/emailing as prep

--CX is open, but try and let the person whose CX it is speak

-- Prompting is allowed, but try and keep it at a minimum

--Please please please flow and base your arguments off of the flow...It makes the debate much more organized and easier to follow. In fact, if you show me your flows after the debate and I can observe that you did a good job with utilizing them to give your speeches and basing your speeches off of the clash in the debate (not the speech docs), I will add an additional .5 speaker points to your total.

--I generally default to tech over truth, but that doesn't excuse running "throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks" strategies (i.e. the generic 9-off strategies, affs with 20 impacts and shoddy internal links). I will say, however, that I am probably more truth level than most people and will prioritize 5 smart arguments over 25 nonsensical argument.

--Clarity > speed

--Evidence quality is very important--so important that it can be a deciding factor between two relatively evenly matched teams. This means that one well-warranted card can easily defeat several under qualified/out of date/poorly highlighted cards. However, in most cases, you need to initiate the comparisons yourself -- that way it'll be clearer precisely which pieces of evidence I need to take a closer look at after the debate, as I don't enjoy intervening too much.

--Don't resort to offensive language or hostility towards your opponents or others. There is a line between being persuasive and being malignant. I understand that people get passionate, but I also think that debate is a game (that has a few educational benefits) and you should maintain a certain level of decorum. I will drop you a lot of speaks if you are abusive, since I think that's far more important than whatever you are arguing about. The caveat to this is that I am a big believer in matching energy. This means that if someone is being rude or abusive to you first, I think that it is more than fair to be a bit rude back (they probably have it coming)

--Call me whatever you want to, but I would prefer you don't call me judge because it makes me feel like I am an authority figure, which I definitely am not.

--I prefer email chains (flash drives and pocketbox take too long to execute/set up); my email is jmadden1242@gmail.com

-- Be yourself and we will all be great

-- I feel kind of weird about abuse language. Terms like gaslighting, abusive relationship, etc have very specific meanings and I feel like some teams (mainly K ones) throw them around a lot and I will admit, I am not the biggest fan of that/would prefer if you avoid using those terms while I am in the room. I think that given that you will not know where everyone in the room is coming from, it is better to be safe than sorry and avoid mentioning those terms (this also extends to graphic terms describing things like sexual assault, etc).

-- Also, if you are funny (like actually funny), make some jokes (if you can make me laugh, I will give you +.5 speaks)

-- Finally, for online debates, it is probably a good idea to have your camera on while you are giving a speech, but it is honestly your call (unless the tournament has specific rules)

Theory

I'd probably be hard pressed to reject the team unless the argument goes completely conceded or if the other team reads something that is extremely abusive, but I will evaluate it on a case by case basis. Slowing down and doing comparison rather than perpetually reading your blocks is key.

Debates I'm willing to hear: multiple conditional (contradictory) worlds, PICs bad, process CPs bad, Consult CPs bad, Conditions CPs bad, 50 states, solvency advocate theory (for both affs and CPs)

Please don't run in front of me: new affs bad, whole rez, disclosure/wiki theory, uncondo bad, no aff/neg fiat. I'll really only vote on these arguments if they're never answered, but even so you will not make me happy, which will definitely impact your speaker points. All the other team in my mind needs to do is say "that's silly."

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT STEALING EVIDENCE: If a team copies and pastes evidence cut by another school that was acquired in a previous debate round into their own speech docs in a later debate, your speaks will be heavily cut, and it constitutes a theory argument that the other team can win on if you stole their cards (unless the other team says it's ok). To be clear, I'm not saying you can't re-cut articles that other teams read because you think the articles could be useful, or read cards that were cut and open-sourced during summer camps by other people, but there's a difference between that and straight up copying and pasting other teams' evidence into your speech docs.

DAs

I love DAs and try and reward good policy debates, since that is what I enjoy the most. However, I find politics DAs that are a mismatch of out of context paragraphs from random articles that never actually mention the aff outside of the tags to be extremely frustrating and if you chose to read one, know that I will probably give the other side leeway with their answers. So, to basically make my thoughts clear, I love DAs, feel like I am typically well versed with what they are talking about and they are what I typically go for used to go for before politics became nonsense, but I also think that you should read a specific link (or at the very least make good link contextualization) and do good impact calculus. (and if you are good at DAs, go for them because you will be rewarded).

Ks

I will listen to them, will vote for them, find them fun to watch for the most part and even probably agree with a lot of them on a thesis level. However, I feel like most K teams have a couple of issues. First, I feel like they rely on big words that don't actually mean anything just to sound smart. I totally understand that complex issues require a complex vocabulary, but please, for the love of god, DO NOT JUST THROW OUT A BUNCH OF BIG WORDS THAT YOU NEVER EXPLAIN. I am a big believer in the idea that the best and smartest arguments are those that can be explained to anyone, so while I don't think that you need to provide a list of definitions, I do think that you shouldn't just use a bunch of obfuscating language to spook the other team. I think that their second issue is that they are increasing looking for academic niches that only one person writes about so that they have something that no one else has heard of. This issue is more of just an observation and won't really affect my vote, but I just thought I should note that. Third, I think that too many K teams rely on generic links basically amount to aff is bad. I think that if you are going for a K in front of me, you should try and read a specific link and if you don't have one, you should try your best to contextualize the link to the aff. Fourth, I think that a lot of K teams have issues with the alt level as well. I need you to explain the alt to me besides just the tag line because I am not an aff links= aff loses guy and I need a competing option to vote for. Finally, I don't think that it is a link just because someone gave you an answer to an extremely vague CX question (think "What is death?" or "What is structural violence?").

I also think that I should note a couple of things. First, very few things in debate get me more frustrated and less likely to vote for you than if you read "death good", read suicide as your alt or endorse school shootings or anything of the like. I find these arguments to be extremely toxic for the debate community, to be mocking the suffering of others for the ballot and that people who read them think that they are a lot smarter and more edgy than they actually are. If you do decide to read one of these in front of me, I will evaluate it, but I will probably not be giving super high speaker points. Next, while I do think that debate is a valid form of expression and narratives about personal experience are good and cool, I do not think that teams reading things like D & G or Baudrillard should be saying that it is violent for your K to be excluded. Third, I'm not the biggest fan of ontology focused debates. I think that a smart way to beat this is just have some counter-examples, so if you do that, you will be rewarded. Fourth, I really hate the giant overviews. To me, they just show that you have a fancy overview you prepped out, not that you are actually engaging with the debate. This has two implications. First, I will try my best to flow these, but I know I will probably drop one of the 17 links you hide up there and if I do, I guess that's a bummer. I am going to give the other team some leeway when answering stuff here though, since they are honestly just a lot. Second, if you read this and still decide to read your 4 minute overview, more power to you, but know that I will probably give you a 28.5 at max (and will honestly probably give you less). I just want to be the change I want to see in the community by discouraging these things, because they are honestly miserable for everyone in the room to listen too (and if you ask me to get a separate sheet to flow your overview, I will, but I am giving you a 28). Finally, if you skipped the rest of this and just want to know what Ks that I really like, here is a mostly complete list: Berlant, discourse-based Ks, Cap, fun post-modernism, not Bifo, really wild stuff like Posadism or the dolphin K, etc.

CPs

Also something that I really like, to the point where they are probably my second favorite part of being negative. I really like the specific counterplans that have unified solvency advocates. I am not as big of a fan of the multi-plank disjointed CPs, but I still think that if they are well explained, then they are fine. I think one thing that the aff does not utilize as much as they should is solvency specific deficits to the CPs. I do think that there are some dumb CPs that should not be read (think consult Jesus, Ashtar) and while I will laugh when you read these, I will also probably not evaluate them.

T

Topicality is about competing interpretations for me, unless you tell me otherwise. There should be a specific explanation in the 1NC of what word or phrase the affirmative violates. Negatives should explain what allowing the affirmative in the topic would allow— ie what other affirmatives would be allowed and what specific ground or arguments you have lost out on. Affirmatives should, in addition to making counter-interpretations, explain why those counter-interpretations are good for the topic and/or better than the Negatives. Case lists are underutilized in these debates – both about what they exclude and realistically justify on both sides of the topic. Topical version of the aff is an important but not a must have – especially if you are partially trying to say that they are SOOOO bad I shouldn’t want them to be a part of the topic. I believe that limits and fairness are really the only impacts, but I will vote on education. Finally, please, for the love of God, EXPLAIN WHY YOUR IMPACTS MATTER. Do not just say, they dropped it, explain why it matters.

Other stuff:

More seriously, I get that debate causes anxiety for some people and if it gets to be too much, I'm chill with you stopping your speech and taking a breather. Your personal mental health is far more important than this game and I will not dock you speaker points for this/run the clock while you are doing this.

I am skeptical of the idea of debate being a place of revolutionary change where people's subjectivities and stuff are morphed. Rather, like I said above, I think that debate is a game which is good at teaching some very high level concepts, but can actually be rather bad at teaching you details about topics (ie: I think that 95% of things said about economics are not only wrong, but like aggressively wrong to the point where they might count as misinformation [looking at you cap K and big econ advantages]). I WILL still listen to this arguments and will evaluate them, this is just how I view the real world.

Speaker Point Scale

I start at 28.5 and will adjust accordingly depending on how I feel you did ; more than decent gets more points. You can gain more points by having proper line by line, clash, good evidence with warrants, good impact comparison. You can lose points by not doing those aforementioned things AND if you are snarky, condescending, etc.

Short Version:

I love clash, line by line and good evidence that has warrants. I honestly prefer DAs and CPs to Ks, but will listen to almost everything. Rule #1 is to have a good time because at the end of the day, debate is a game where you learn useful information, but are not changing the world. Just enjoy your rounds, be yourself, read what you are best at, try your best and don't be a jerk and everyone will be great.

Coppell 20

Emory 24

Email Chain: shreyasr711@gmail.com

I really do not think extensively about debate outside of actively debating and researching the college nukes topic to have strong opinions about certain argument styles. In high school, I was a 2A that exclusively read a critical affirmative. In college, I was a 2N whose 2NRs are almost always policy positions or framework. The only "arguments" I will not adjudicate are those that put other debaters on trial or forward ad hominem attacks.

I have much respect for debaters who have a strong grasp of their arguments, make bold yet strategic decisions in-round, and work hard to research and innovate. Though I value and reward topic-specific positions, I nevertheless understand the utility of debate's "greatest" hits like Con Con and the Fiat K.

TL;DR

Specific>Generic, Tech>Truth, Make me interested in the debate

Please put me on the email chain at >rothsteine123@gmail.com<

Do what you want to do, I would rather watch a good debate than a bad one due to my preferences.

I am a non-debating college Senior who did policy debate for 4 years as primarily a 2A for Greenhill.

Thinks I won't listen to:

Racism Good/Suffering Good

Pref Arguments

Arguments about things outside the debate round

General:

I don't know much about the current high school topic, you need to explain your acronyms and terms.

I don't think I went for a K in any of my rounds. You are much better off going for a K like Security or Neolib, rather than others.

I lean neg in all theory questions except for conditions, consult, and delay.

I will vote on "Bad arguments", it's your job to prove they are bad and then disprove the argument.

I like CP+DA debates, I went for politics a lot.

For FW debates, fairness makes sense to me but do what you are comfortable with.

About

• Director @ Coppell
• Assistant Director @ Mean Green Comet
• Debated NDT/CEDA at North Texas
• Please add me to the email chain and/or doc: sykes.tx @ gmail.com

Basics

• This document offers insight to the process I use to make decisions unless directed to do otherwise.
• Clarity is important. I'm also working to adjust my speaker points to keep up with inflation.
• I won't claim to be perfect in this area, but I believe debate has strong potential to build community. Please play nicely with others.
• I view all debate as comparison of competing frameworks. I considered myself a flex debater, and I’m willing to evaluate all arguments.
• I will attempt to minimize intervention in the evaluation of a) the selection of framework and b) the fulfillment of the framework's demands.

Theory/Topicality

• I believe the topic can provide debatable ground, but I don't think that should necessarily be exclusive of other arguments and approaches.
• On questions of framework, USFG, etc. I strongly recommend grounding arguments in academic literature whenever possible. I am particularly interested in how debate shapes agents of change.
• Consistent with my view of competing frameworks, for example, there is no difference in my mind between "competing interpretations" and "abuse." Abuse is a standard for evaluating competing interpretations.

Defaults/Disads

• If the framework for evaluating the debate involves a disad, be aware that I generally determine the direction of uniqueness before the link, and these arguments together speak to the propensity for risk.
• If forced by lack of comparison to default on framework, I will consider time frame, probability, and magnitude of your impacts as part of cost benefit analysis of endorsing the affirmative advocacy.

Counterplans/Counter-advocacy

• I don't believe I have strong predispositions related to counterplan types or theory.

Kritiking

• The division in the community between "kritik people" and "policy people" frustrates me. We should constantly seek more effective arguments. Questions of an academic nature vary from method to application.
• A working definition of "fiat" is "the ability to imagine, for the purposes of debate, the closest possible world to that of the advocacy."

Rebuttals/How to win

• You should either win in your framework and show how it's preferable, or simply win in theirs. This applies to theory debates and impact comparison as much as anything else.
• I find that many debates I judge are heavily influenced by the quality, persuasiveness, and effectiveness of warranted explanation and comparison.

Lincoln Douglas, specifically

• While my background in policy debate leads me to a more progressive perspective toward LD, I have evaluated many traditional debates as well. You do you.
• I am open to theoretical standards in LD that are different than those in CX, but understand that my experience here affects my perception of some issues. For example, I may have a predisposition against RVIs because there are vastly different standards for these arguments across events. I'll do my best to adapt with an open mind.

Public Forum, specifically

• PF should transition to reasonable & common expectations for disclosure, evidence use, and speech doc exchange.
• Email chains and/or speech docs should be used to share evidence before speeches.
• Evidence should be presented in the form of direct quotes and accompanied by a complete citation. If you must paraphrase, direct quotations (fully cited with formatting that reflects paraphrased portions) should be included in the speech doc. If I feel you've abused this expectation (e.g., pasting and underlining an entire article/book/study), I won't be pleased.
• Time spent re-cutting evidence, tracking down URLs, or otherwise conforming to these conventions should be considered prep time.
• Regardless of the way the resolution is written, I think teams should make arguments based on how the status quo affects probability. Uniqueness and inevitability claims, therefore, would greatly benefit the analysis of risk in most of the PF rounds I evaluate.

Congress, specifically

• I have a surprising amount of congress experience, including placing at nats in HS and coaching a TOC champion. That said, I'm not sure I can say a lot here that doesn't likely seem intuitive to most.
• Remain active in the chamber. Move things along. Stay engaged.
• All speech & debate should be rigorous. I'm interested in quality of research and depth of content. If you're one of those kids who makes fun of prep that happened before the round, I'm curious why you're here.
• PO - be efficient, kind, firm, and cover any unfortunate mistakes well. Be aware, though, that mistakes with respect to precedence or procedure can be devastating. Also, speak. I loved to PO, but it's hard for me to imagine winning a big tournament without ever giving a speech.

**If you pref Reid Zlotky (https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?search_first=&search_last=zlotky) you should probably strike me. Substantive roasts of his paradigm will earn up to +.5 speaks.

Ryan Zlotky

Senior at Greenhill School

Northwestern '23

put me on the chain: ryanzlotky@gmail.com

Top Level

I try to judge debates with the least amount of intervention possible but I will vote for arguments that are incoherent or not explained within the debate. This means that generally tech>truth but only when the tech includes coherent warrants.

T vs teams that agree to be topical

I usually default to competing interpretations but will vote on reasonability if there is enough time spent on it and the Neg interpretation is clearly arbitrary. I may be a Greenhill 2A now but I am a 2N at heart and T was my favorite 2NR.

Framework vs teams that don't

Fairness is an impact but it needs to be explained correctly throughout the debate. Asserting "fairness is an intrinsic good" with no explanation will not win you these debates. That being said, if explained correctly, it will be very hard for the Negative to lose these debates in front of me. For the Aff to win they would probably need to win a DA to framework that is specific to the Aff and substantial defense. If I do not understand how the Affirmative can resolve any of their offense I will vote Negative on presumption.

CPs

Cps that compete off the mandate of the plan and have a net benefit are definitely good. Cps that compete off of immediacy are probably not ok but can be won if there is a card specific to the Aff. Advantage Cps are underutilized and multi-plank advantage Cps are definitely ok. 2NC CP amendments are justified only if the solvency deficit or add on was new in the 2AC/not based off of 1AC cards OR if it is clear there was a small mistake made in the CP text but the intention was clear.

Ks

I need to understand the K to vote for it. If the K has specific links and the alternative is well explained then they can be a great strategy, but if you plan on going for K tricks and generic state links I am not the judge for you

For Novices:

If you run a K that it is clear you do not understand I will not vote for you.