email (yes, include both): lpgarcia19@damien-hs.edu; damiendebate47@gmail.com

LD: policy pls (below should still be applicable)

If you have any questions feel free to ask me before the round starts.

TL;DR Go for what you're most prepared for and can execute the best because that's what really makes debate fun and productive. I'm not very familiar with the topic.

My Beliefs:

Debate is good

Tech > Truth

Clarity above all else

Clipping is bad

My leanings:

Util good

I, as the judge, am a policymaker

Fiat is a good thing

A couple Great cards + explanation always beats 10 pieces of mediocre ev

There's not an excuse to avoid line by line

Topicality

I don't think fairness isn't an intrinsic impact, same as education. It can be an internal link to other things but simply ending your impact calculus with "They KILLED FAIRNESS" won't do it for me. Just treat your extensions and impact work like you would any DA. (I WON'T EVALUATE T AS A DA. TOPICALITY IS A YES OR NO QUESTION. RISK ANALYSIS FOR T IS ABSURD). I also lean heavily towards competing interpretations; the quality of your ev does matter.

Kritiks

If your entire strategy solely centers around the K, I'm not a great judge for you. I can certainly understand your generic Cap and Security K but any high theory requires a whole lot of explanation for me. Just because I might understand what you're saying doesn't mean you can weasel your way around with generic links if it's even somewhat contested. If you're aff I'd down to see an impact turn (obvious exceptions, of course, are: racism good, sexism good, homophobia good, etc.) I really do not want to hear Death Good, please do not do that in front of me.

K-Affs (Includes Framework)

I have written my disdain for K-Affs before. I am not going to just dismiss it; even as I maintain a reluctance to vote on them, I am not one you should just breeze through your blocks and force me to do work for you. I will be the first to admit that I need a lot of explanation as noted above in "Kritiks". Given all this said, framework is an uphill battle for the aff. I am not very sympathetic to generic "fairness bad/your education bad" impact turns; I think policy education is generally a good thing.

Theory

The only theory I feel even remotely comfortable voting aff (TO REJECT THE ARGUMENT) on are utopian fiat bad, object fiat bad, riders DA bad, delay cps bad, and floating piks bad. Condo is generally a good thing and I personally think you're better off not reading that 30 second shell if the neg is running just a single conditional advocacy but I understand time skew. Also, in principle, I judge-kick. I think that as I default to Condo being a good thing, and the status quo always being a logical option, it would be illogical for me to choose a plan of action when doing nothing would be better.

Also, I doubt I'll ever vote for Word Piks. This certainly doesn't excuse excessively disrespectful behavior.

Disads

I like politics a lot and I like engagement and clash at the link level even more so. Turns case analysis (vice versa for the aff) is always a good thing and should be a must have. Straight turns are fun.

Impacts

I love impact turns and my personal favorites are: Heg Good, Warming Good, Cap Good, Dedev, and CWG. It will take a lot for me to evaluate 0 risk of an impact. It can happen but your cards need to be far better.

Updated for UC Berkeley 2024

email-awgray2002@gmail.com

POLICY-

Hi everyone :) A little about me! I debated 3 years policy and 1 year in public forum at CK McClatchy in Sacramento. It's been 4 years since I've debated, so I'm definitely pretty rusty.

Generally, since it's been a while, make sure you impact the debate out and explain the role of the ballot.

Please do send me the speech docs just so I can keep up. Spreading is ok but slow down a little when reading off script. If you'd like any accommodations made let me know through email or in round!

CP/DA- I really dislike it when teams read 10 off with 4 conditional CP's when they don't have clear net benefits and don't have separate solvency from the aff. I love disads but I'm not voting on one because it has 100% probability and if it has more recent evidence.

High theory, really nuanced impact turns- I will evaluate it, but explain it

K-affteams/ performative teams- be careful with your ROJ/ROB and impacts. You’re more likely to get a ballot from me if the k aff/ performance is topic centered/addresses the topic, the debate will be easier for you most likely but I’ll evaluate one that isn’t topical too.

Speaker points & other:I really don't like snarky comments and rudeness during speeches/ CX. I usually give high speaker points so just be respectful and chill. Also, 'm a firm believer in tech over truth. That doesn't mean that truth isn't important! Read whatever you want but remember that it’s your burden to have me understand everything. I'm not a lay judge but I really don't know much beyond the basics of the topic, so just make sure to explain well.

Adding in a section about tech- I'm super sympathetic toward tech issues that happen. We'll work out a solution!

Thanks for letting me judge your round and best of luck :)

***PUBLIC FORUM***

I debated for C.K. McClatchy for 4 years, 3 in policy and 1 in public forum. It's been 4 years since I've debated, with PF being the most recent.

I am a flow judge & please do send me the speech docs just so I can keep up/ I don't have to request cards. If you'd like any accommodations made let me know through email or in round! (email isawgray2002@gmail.com)

Adding in a section about tech- I'm super sympathetic toward tech issues that happen. We'll work out a solution :)

1. CX is binding and I will flow it. Please make sure you'reasking questions in CX and not using the time to just argue offense with no question attached. Speaks will be docked.

2. Speaker points: I really don't like snarky comments and rudeness during speeches/ CX. I'm a point fairy so just be respectful.

3. Debate: My policy background heavily influences my decision making whether I like it or not, so I'm comfortable with spreading, K's, theory, and critical affs. Given this is PF though I will mandate that if you’re doing so you must send a complete speech doc like policy. Your opponents also need to be ok with it.

Here's what I typically evaluate a round on:

Framework: Just don't say that cost benefit analysis is the default framework as your argument.I will dock speaker points for lack of creativity; you need to be able to explain why. It won't lose you the debate, but just explain it beyond that.

Impact Calc: Since it's been a while since I've debated, I think cleanly extended and elaborated impacts will play the largest part in my decision.

Links: I have been in so many rounds where stuff just doesn't link. Please isolate the link and don't drop it

Uniqueness: Make sure to mention how your argument is unique!

Thanks for letting me judge your round and best of luck :)

CPS 2019

email: wguo@college-prep.org Please add me :)

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

General Stuff:

Tell me what to do. Tell me what to care about. Tell me what matters in this debate. Be present in the room both with body language and word choice. Don't yell over each other. Talk confidently. Be smart. Have a game plan. Know what you want to do to make things work in a way you want that is beneficial for yourself.

Stay True to yourself.

NEVER MAKE ME SAY "TWO SHIPS PASSING IN THE NIGHT" it makes me very annoyed and I don't like having to intervene in those rounds but I have to because debate is an activity where there are winners and losers.

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

Specific Stuff Details

Background:

I have debate for College Prep for the past 3 years in varsity policy.

My Experience is more so in the K and K-aff sector, but go for what you like. If you do a good job I will vote for you!

K-Aff / FW:

I do think K-Aff's are probably not topical and do detract from more politically technical clash debates and that FW is probably true in most situations. This is not to say that I default to FW, but I am more than happy to vote on it. That said, I do not think fairness is an impact. At best it is an internal link to external impacts, so please don't just say people leave the game if it isn't procedurally fair.

K:

If you don't know what the theory is, you probably shouldn't be reading it in front of me. I will not do any work for you in terms of filling the blank.

Other Arguments:

If you do them well and use warrants and good line by line and clash. I'll probably vote on them.
----------------------------

I think I am more leaning towards truth over tech, but if you are winning on tech and draw my attention to it and I do see it as such on my flow, I will certainly vote that way. But the key is to make sure it's on my flow.

Dougherty Valley '19, WashU St. Louis '23

Email: qin.andrew123@gmail.com

TL;DR, very straight up debater in highschool mostly went for CP/DA so I am most comfortable judging these rounds and rarely if ever went for K's if you are a K debater probably don't pref me. Also if you have wacky zany pictures of Kavin Kumaravel I'll boost your speaks

General

Judge instruction and clear weighing is how you will win my ballot.

Any defaults that I have can be changed throughout the debate.

I don't believe in 0% risk of an impact (unless an argument is dropped)

Impact calc in the final speeches are not new arguments

I lean towards trix bad not a fan

I find it hard to flow down T/Theory analytics so please try to slow down a little bit or send it in the speech doc

Default to extinction sucks the most.

Affs

Plans are fine, whole res is also fine as well

I mainly went for soft left affs in high school so I think that really in depth framing work and weighing makes it very easy to sign my ballot for the aff.

DA

DA's are epic and a core part of negative offense please read them.

CP

Counterplans are fine and also a core part of neg offense so reading them is fine

I will not judge kick unless instructed to do so

K

I'm not the most well read in kritikal arguments, the most i've ever read is cap so if you are a K team, then probably don't pref me. If you do want to read a K in front of me and go for it, the less work I have to do the easier it will be for you to win.

T

Default to counter interps, drop the debater

I find that T is a very useful tool for the neg to check back Aff abuses

Theory

Default to counter interps, Drop the arg, No RVI

I think that theory should not be read unless there is a egregious error in the round. But here are my general stances on several common theory arguments

- Speed

Generally, I think that speed is good, but there are arguments that can persuade me of the other side.

- Disclosure

Disclosure in general is probably really good for debate events like Policy and LD

For PF, I know it's not necessarily a norm yet so I'm up in the air and will be persuaded by either side who reads this.

- Paraphrasing/Brackets

Don't paraphrase or bracket cards are good it's also lowkey like an evidence ethics violation so like that's a whole other issue.

- Friv

Contrived theory arguments are the worst please don't read these in front of my I'll evaluate them if I have to but I don't want to judge a debate about this.

- PICs bad

I generally tend to think that PIC's are very smart and I encourage people to read them. I think I lean neg for PICs bad but I can be persuaded for the other side as well.

- Condo

Condo is good I tend to find it difficult to vote for condo bad unless it is a major issue.

Hi my name is Sydney Ramenofsky and I have 3 years of debate experience from the Meadows School.

I would like to be flashed all evidence before the debate starts.

I don't mind speed and spreading as long as both your opponent and I can understand you. If I don't hear or don't understand an argument I will not flow it so it will not be considered in my decision. I will say clear if I cannot understand you.

I personally prefer it when you flow but I will not take off speaker points if you don't.

Please time yourselves, you are not children and I am not your mother. 

Be respectful to your opponent in cross ex and ask good questions to make the round more interesting. 

PLEASE make eye contact with your opponent, you are not debating me so don't act like it.

Remember to have fun and do your best, GOOD LUCK!!! 

Pronouns: she/her

Email: julia.sidley.debate@gmail.com (pls put me on the chain)

Read bold if you’re short on time

Tldr: will vote on literally anything, the following are some preferences I have, but if you debate smart enough, you can get around any of them.

2024 update: I haven't judged much this year but I am pretty up to date (polisci student and all, pretty good at acronyms but explain or flash weird ones).

So I am a senior at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and a current NFA LD debater with 5 years of policy experience, 8 years total in debate. So to start this whole thing off. You do you. Y’all should debate how you see most fit in the round. If done well, I will vote on anything.

I enjoy really K debate, but have about 3 years really into them, also mainly participated in policy-oriented rounds. Here are some specifics.

Quick delivery note: speed is good but don't go past your limits, will call clear.

LD: I am primarily a policy debater with some kritikal experience, Check my policy paradigm for more specifics.

Topicality: I love T so much, I go for it all the time and think there are lot of good T args to make. Fairness and education are voters but not if those 5 words are all you say about it. Otherwise do what you want

CP: Counterplans are good, adv cps are pretty great

DA: I enjoy DA debate. I will vote on any disad if argued sufficiently

Framework: I fw a good FW debate

K: I thoroughly enjoy K debate, I enjoy it but may not know everything but will vote on a K. you should be able to articulate your alt.

Theory: Theory is very important and fun. Make sure to keep track of theory, don't be afraid to slow down to get it all clearly. I will vote on it.

High Theory: I may not know all the old dead French guys by name so be careful, but I am familiar with the basics and will easily vote on it if argued properly.

Some important preferences of mine:

SLOW DOWN ON TAGS AND ANALYTICS

I lean slightly more towards tech over truth but do not be unreasonable, truth is still crucial to a debate that fosters critical thinking. I will not drop a team over minutia unless there is absolutely nothing else to judge the debate on.

Also try to avoid "my opponent completely dropped" when they did not, listening best as possible to each other is the easiest way to keep clash alive

I prefer the quality of evidence over quantity. I’d much rather see 1 or 2 great cards and explanations instead of 6 garbage cards.

CX is binding, tag team is chill (4 partner events)

Flash isn’t prep

As Rachel Halbo said best: Please be nice. Be nice to me, be nice to your opponents, be nice to your partner, and coaches be nice to your kids. Being a jerk will dock your speaks. To quote Molly Martin, we are people before we are debaters.

About me: She/Her, I debated for Sonoma Academy 4 years in policy, 1 in parli. I was a 2A/1N for most of my debate career. GGSA 1 is my first tournament judging this topic, and I didn't work at a camp, so keep that in mind during the round (I won't know your acronyms or topic specific jargon)

please let me know if there is anything I can do to make the debate more accessible for you.

ask me as many questions before/after the round as you want.

I want to be on the email chain: clairestep23@gmail.com

At the end of the day I think debate has tremendous value and is not just a game (however you choose to interpret that value is debatable.) I want you to read what you like to read and have fun in the round. Don't waste time adapting to me as a judge if it means sacrificing your performance in the round or fun.

This format is whacky! Be patient with me and I'll be patient with you. Because all of this is over zoom, if you decide to spread, please go 80% your regular speed. Getting good speaks is also about being adaptive!

Etiquette: Please be nice to the other team. I know debate is a competitive activity but that doesn’t mean you can be a jerk. Don’t clip. Don’t steal prep. If flashing takes more than 2 mins it will start coming out of prep. Tag team is okay.

Speaks: I base your speaks on attitude, CX, clarity, how well you know your arguments, and rebuttals. I think that ethos is super important and I like voting for teams that really CONVINCE me they won the round. I would prefer a nuanced explanation in your own words over a bad piece of evidence.

I’m fine with speed but only if it’s clear. BE WARNED! Do NOT attempt to spread if you are unable to do so with clarity! If you see that I’m not flowing and staring blankly at you, you need to be clearer. Any arguments I miss are on you. Especially over zoom, there is a high risk that I will miss some of what you say if you are going max speed.

Tech > truth but truth is easier to win. Even if the argument is morally repugnant I think the other team should answer it. That being said I hold the answers to those arguments to an EXTREMELY low threshold so if you make a sexist/homophobic/racist/transphobic/etc. argument there is a 99.9% chance you are losing the round.

CX: I think CX is underrated and it’s one of the best places to earn speaks. Please don’t speak over each other in CX excessively. If someone is being rude in CX my face will show it. I think CX is binding.

Affirmatives: Please know your affirmative. You should shine in CX of the 1AC. If you don’t know your aff, your speaks will reflect it. I’m down for performance affs/K affs. Do what you do best!

Case: Case! Debate! Matters! I get super excited about a good case debate.

Kritiks: I'm studying literary theory in college, so I will most likely be familiar with your lit, but if you're misinterpreting the lit you will make me sad. During my debate career I was fairly policy oriented so keep that in mind if you decide to read your high theory debate-specific K in front of me though. I believe that debate is a unique space that allows for broader discussion of social issues and justice and I believe that in round/community solvency exists. The perm debate is very important, and you should treat it as such. Grouping all of the perms puts you in a vulnerable spot if the other team calls you on it. You need to be able to articulate what the alt does in order for me to vote for it. The role of the ballot should be one of the most important aspects of the round in these debates. Only read kritiks that you know. Bad K debate is worse than bad policy debate.

CP: I’m a fan of specific DA/CP combos and I will reward you for specific links. I know this is league and it tends to be full of generics and it’s fine if you read those, but I’d rather not have every 2nr be a generic DA/CP combo. I err aff slightly on CP theory. I think that CPs that result in the whole aff incentivize bad debate so if the aff makes the argument you’re going to have to do some work on the theory front (but if you have actually have a solvency advocate for your consult/delay/agent CP this doesn't apply nearly as much). I have an intense appreciation for a good specific politics DA and an intense hatred for bad ones.

Topicality: Debate it well. I think too often T is used as a time suck but I also think these debates are fun to judge when done well so do with that what you will. If the team is genuinely untopical I will definitely lean towards you. Good T debaters don’t rely on blocks and can contextualize the standards/violation to the specific aff/round. That said, I don't really think that fairness is an impact but that shouldn't preclude you from trying to persuade me that it is. Otherwise I am pretty neutral on topicality and will evaluate it based on however the debaters present it.

Framework: pretty much the same as T but I think this is less of a time suck. Really sell me on the standards and why your interpretation of debate is better for the activity and you will win. Coming from a small school I recognize that a lot of the time straight up policy affs are more accessible to teams with limited resources and I think it’s a legit argument against kritikal teams. At the end of the day make sure you're still being respectful though, it gets dicey when read against AFFs focused on identity and in round/community solvency.

Theory: I have a high threshold for theory and will most likely default to reject the argument not the team

A note: I've been out of policy for two years so please take the time to clearly articulate your arguments, as I have little prior topic knowledge.

It is somewhat difficult for me to flow due to hand/wrist problems, so if you speed through your arguments with no inflection or change in speed, I might not catch them. That doesn't mean that you can't spread - just please take a second to pause between analytics or cards. 

tl;dr - Run what you want, don't be rude.

Add me to the chain: frogvillages@gmail.com. I go by Georgie.

General

 I've run planless affs, hard right policy strats, and a range of off on the neg, so most arguments that aren't "racism good" are fine; I prioritize offense.

I give out good speaks and judge based on how well you debated, but am also not willing to reward anyone for toxicity. Be kind to each other. 

If you need a particular accommodation for a disability, sickness, etc., let me know and I will try my best to ensure the debate is more accessible.

Case

Tie case args to the bigger picture - the more specific your arguments are to the aff/how your plan interacts with the neg off-case, the better. Case arguments shouldn't exist independent of your off-case - how you apply them is important. Case turns are under-utilized, as is extending case all the way to the 2nr.

Counterplans

Most CPs are legit unless the aff does a good job of debating why they aren’t. The more specific your ev is to the aff and the higher the quality of your cards, the better the debate will go for you. While I don't require a solvency advocate, having one can only help you, especially if the CP is questionably legitimate.

Disadvantages

I like these debates, but “extinction outweighs” means nothing if you don’t explain why. I appreciate solid impact comparison and framing.

Neg - If the aff is mostly winning the DA debate, having a few "DA turns case" arguments can be very convincing. Links about the plan are great, read them.

Aff - I believe 0% risk of the DA can exist. Internal link chain takeouts are a great and underrated way to decrease the chances I vote on a risk of the DA- as are good analytical reasons why the DA doesn't make sense- and they usually don't. If you have a framing page, don't forget it exists.

Critiques

Engage with each other, please.

If you’re neg, link work is actually important- do it. Interact with the aff as much as you possibly can and please don't rely too heavily on buzz words. Don't assume I understand all of your terms - explain and don't be evasive in CX. In the instance that I don’t understand what your k is (which happens a lot in high theory debates), I’ll probably default aff if they win a risk of their impacts.

If you’re aff, don't get lost - remember that you  have a plan that you can get offense from. Your stuff is probably really cool - defend it. I find myself voting neg in debates where the aff's offense is not directly contextualized to the thesis level of the critique - concession of their theory, for me, lets the neg problematize most parts of the flow for the aff. Don't move  too defensively.

Make framework a thing. I generally believe that the aff gets to weigh their stuff, but that's up to y'all.

Critical Affs

I try to operate strictly on what is said in the round, so how you frame the debate is key. Debates that just complain about how critical affs are "obviously cheating, judge" are not especially persuasive. Framework is a question of competing models of debate - you need disadvantages to your opponent's model and advantages to yours to win.

After being on both sides of the framework debate, I'm  open to different interpretations of what debate/the ballot/my role as the judge is. I'll vote for you if you run framework, and I'll vote for you if you don't - just do it well.

On the neg:  Procedural fairness can be a terminal impact if you have a good reason why. I tend to like TVAs as internal link defense to the aff - especially if you have cards. Yes, the aff's DAs and case arguments mean something - don't drop them. Try to clash with the aff as much as possible, which includes how T interacts with their offense. 0 defense to the aff's theory/offense = harder debate for you.

If you prefer a k aff v k debate, the same thing I said about critiques above applies, but try to establish competition early in the debate or the perm will be very convincing.

Presumption arguments are vastly under-used and persuasive 98% of the time.

On the aff: Feel free to run whatever. If I don’t understand what your aff is, I’d be more willing to vote neg on presumption if they go for it. Have external offense on framework other than "the discussion is important" and a methodology that you can defend. Give me a reason why you need to exist outside of the topic or the resolution. I definitely need a reason why the ballot resolves your offense/what my role as the judge is. The perm is usually a good option in K v K debates. Try to clash with the neg as much as possible, which includes how T/the K interacts with your offense. A few good disads to T/the K are better than 30 oddly named and often unexplained ones.

Topicality

I  find that T debates are unfortunately a lot of block reading - engagement with the other team's arguments has to  be a thing. Make an impact about what you want me to care about - “limits” or “ground” isn’t that big of a deal if you don’t tell me why. Impact comparison is important.

As a warning: Don't expect me to fill in the gaps for you in these debates because I have 0 pre-dispositions on T. Even if an aff "obviously explodes limits, judge," a lack of actual analysis and some decent aff defense probably means that you will still lose. 

Misc about content and theory:

-Slow down. Please don't spread through your theory/analytical blocks as quickly as humanly possible. Theory debates can get techy and can be difficult to resolve when I have no idea what you said in ____ speech.

-More than 3 condo and I'll get annoyed - not enough to vote you down automatically if the aff makes a theory argument, but more sympathetic

-A well-developed 1-5 off strategy is much more effective than your 10 off 1nc shell - your primary strategy should not be predicated on you making sure the 2ac gets like 3 arguments on each flow. I won't reject you for it, but I will be very sympathetic to new 1ar spins/pivots.

-Do I enjoy theory debates? No. All judges have some biases, and this is one of mine: You'll win it if you win it, but I tend to evaluate substance first unless the other team has made some heinous mistake like forgetting to answer condo.

About Me:

Debated LD and Policy at Dougherty Valley. Duke 2023. Coached by Aleisha Readye and Arjun Tambe.

About Debate:

Use overviews (extension + weighing) in rebuttals

Debaters should weigh 'strength of link' between their impacts

I like good case debate on both sides

Debated most arguments, i.e. K, T, Theory, etc., in High school

Overall:
1. Offense-defense, but can be persuaded by reasonability in theory debates. I don't believe in "zero risk" or "terminal defense" and don't vote on presumption.

2. Substantive questions are resolved probabilistically--only theoretical questions (e.g. is the perm severance, does the aff meet the interp) are resolved "yes/no," and will be done so with some unease, forced upon me by the logic of debate.

3. Dropped arguments are "true," but this just means the warrants for them are true. Their implication can still be contested. The exception to this is when an argument and its implication are explicitly conceded by the other team for strategic reasons (like when kicking out of a disad). Then both are "true."

Counterplans:
1. Conditionality bad is an uphill battle. I think it's good, and will be more convinced by the negative's arguments. I also don't think the number of advocacies really matters. Unless it was completely dropped, the winning 2AR on condo in front of me is one that explains why the way the negative's arguments were run together limited the ability of the aff to have offense on any sheet of paper.

2. I think of myself as aff-leaning in a lot of counterplan theory debates, but usually find myself giving the neg the counterplan anyway, generally because the aff fails to make the true arguments of why it was bad.

Disads:
1. I don't think I evaluate these differently than anyone else, really. Perhaps the one exception is that I don't believe that the affirmative needs to "win" uniqueness for a link turn to be offense. If uniqueness really shielded a link turn that much, it would also overwhelm the link. In general, I probably give more weight to the link and less weight to uniqueness.

2. On politics, I will probably ignore "intrinsicness" or "fiat solves the link" arguments, unless badly mishandled (like dropped through two speeches). Note: this doesn't apply to riders or horsetrading or other disads that assume voting aff means voting for something beyond the aff plan. Then it's winnable.

Kritiks:
1. I like kritiks, provided two things are true: 1--there is a link. 2--the thesis of the K indicts the truth of the aff. If the K relies on framework to make the aff irrelevant, I start to like it a lot less (role of the ballot = roll of the eyes). I'm similarly annoyed by aff framework arguments against the K. The K itself answers any argument for why policymaking is all that matters (provided there's a link). I feel negative teams should explain why the affirmative advantages rest upon the assumptions they critique, and that the aff should defend those assumptions.

2. I think I'm less technical than some judges in evaluating K debates. Something another judge might care about, like dropping "fiat is illusory," probably matters less to me (fiat is illusory specifically matters 0%). I also won't be as technical in evaluating theory on the perm as I would be in a counterplan debate (e.g. perm do both isn't severance just because the alt said "rejection" somewhere--the perm still includes the aff). The perm debate for me is really just the link turn debate. Generally, unless the aff impact turns the K, the link debate is everything.

3. If it's a critique of "fiat" and not the aff, read something else. If it's not clear from #1, I'm looking at the link first. Please--link work not framework. K debating is case debating.

Nontraditional affirmatives:

Versus T:

1. I'm *slightly* better for the aff now that aff teams are generally impact-turning the neg's model of debate. I almost always voted neg when they instead went for talking about their aff is important and thought their counter-interp somehow solved anything. Of course, there's now only like 3-4 schools that take me and don't read a plan. So I'm spared the debates where it's done particularly poorly.

2. A lot of things can be impacts to T, but fairness is probably best.

3. It would be nice if people read K affs with plans more, but I guess there's always LD. Honestly debating politics and util isn't that hard--bad disads are easier to criticize than fairness and truth.

Versus the K:
1. If it's a team's generic K against K teams, the aff is in pretty great shape here unless they forget to perm. I've yet to see a K aff that wasn't also a critique of cap, etc. If it's an on-point critique of the aff, then that's a beautiful thing only made beautiful because it's so rare. If the neg concedes everything the aff says and argues their methodology is better and no perms, they can probably predict how that's going to go. If the aff doesn't get a perm, there's no reason the neg would have to have a link.

Topicality versus plan affs:
1. I used to enjoy these debates. It seems like I'm voting on T less often than I used to, but I also feel like I'm seeing T debated well less often. I enjoy it when the 2NC takes T and it's well-developed and it feels like a solid option out of the block. What I enjoy less is when it isn't but the 2NR goes for it as a hail mary and the whole debate occurs in the last two speeches.

2. Teams overestimate the importance of "reasonability." Winning reasonability shifts the burden to the negative--it doesn't mean that any risk of defense on means the T sheet of paper is thrown away. It generally only changes who wins in a debate where the aff's counter-interp solves for most of the neg offense but doesn't have good offense against the neg's interp. The reasonability debate does seem slightly more important on CJR given that the neg's interp often doesn't solve for much. But the aff is still better off developing offense in the 1AR.

LD section:
1. I've been judging LD less, but I still have LD students, so my familarity with the topic will be greater than what is reflected in my judging history.

2. Everything in the policy section applies. This includes the part about substantive arguments being resolved probablistically, my dislike of relying on framework to preclude arguments, and not voting on defense or presumption. If this radically affects your ability to read the arguments you like to read, you know what to do.

3. If I haven't judged you or your debaters in a while, I think I vote on theory less often than I did say three years ago (and I might have already been on that side of the spectrum by LD standards, but I'm not sure). I've still never voted on an RVI so that hasn't changed.

4. The 1AR can skip the part of the speech where they "extend offense" and just start with the actual 1AR.

Add me to the email chain: amandayang555@gmail.com

Cal 23 (not debating)

I debated policy for three years at Dougherty Valley as a 2N, and attended the TOC in LD my senior year. I am most familiar with policy style arguments --however, tech>>truth and good debating will always outweigh my personal argumentative preferences. That being said, keep in mind that I am not particularly well versed in some LD-specific arguments like phil/trix (see below).

TLDR:

- CP/DAs/PICS/Case >> Topicality/T- USFG >> Stock Ks/Theory >> Identity/Pomo/Planless affs >> Skep/Friv Theory/Phil/Tricks, etc

- Clarity>Speed: it doesnt matter if you couldnt get to the last few cards if I understood none of it

- Slow down on analytics, especially in T and Theory debates. This is also pretty important for online debates; if you're comfortable sending analytics that would be very helpful in ensuring I flow everything properly

- I will judge kick if you tell me to

- terminal defense/zero risk of the da... maybe possible

- Just because a blippy argument is dropped does not make it an auto-win: you’re still required to explain the warrants and contextualize the concession

- Debate off your flow and not your blocks :(

K Affs: Not an auto-loss, but I would STRONGLY prefer to hear your backup policy aff, unless you don’t have other options. For me, the problem with K affs is usually that the counterinterp doesn’t actually resolve the limits disad, but tech>truth applies in obvious situations like if a) you successfully impact turn framework b) the neg doesn’t have a good external impact to framework

Framework/T USFG: This was my favorite argument to go for in high school. Depending on what type of K aff you’re hitting, fairness may or may not be better off as its own impact. I used to be most convinced by skills/movements type arguments, in which fairness instead functions as an internal link to education, but I am beginning to think that fairness can be axiomatically true depending on how the argument is articulated.

1 Off Ks against K affs: These can get a little messy for me; but while I would prefer just listening to a TvK debate, I will still do my best to evaluate the round (you may just need to be clearer on your explanations.)

CPs/DAs/Case: Not much to say here: I really like well-researched CPs/PICs, nuanced case debate, topic specific DAs, and politics disads. Go for your cheatiest counterplans! (that being said, aff theory is very viable in these instances as well). I think DAs with generic links are fine so long as you are able to derive logical analytics from a card that might be less specific.

Topicality: T was definitely one of my favorite arguments to go for. Good rebuttal speeches must compare the worlds that each interp justifies. I don’t usually think that semantics/jurisdiction arguments are particularly convincing.

Theory: I’d prefer if these debates happened in instances of legitimate abuse, or if you’re behind on substance and theory is the only viable path to the ballot. Given that, my threshold for what constitutes legitimate abuse has somewhat lowered after doing LD, so I’m fine with evaluating things like condo, pics bad, disclosure, theory against abusive counterplans, spec (in some instances), etc; as long as they are debated well technically.

- Not particularly fond of frivolous theory

Kritiks: Most of my experience has been with more "stock" Ks like security, neolib/cap, set col, etc. In general I 1) feel like I evaluate Ks in more of a policy-esque offense/defense paradigm, and 2) would prefer to not judge 1-off K debates. As a result, I'm also not the biggest fan of Ks that invariably link to every aff (which I find are usually identity and pomo); not necessarily because of the content, but because it’s easy to use them to avoid clash with the 1AC. However, I was also once an edgy Deleuze debater and understand the grind, so if you must read these, a higher degree of contextualization and explanation are needed.

[LD STUFF] Ethical Philosophy/Spikes/Tricks/Skep/Metatheory:

- As a policy debater I have very little experience evaluating these and know basically nothing about them aside from the fact that they exist

Speaks

- default 28.5

- better speaks if you’re funny/generally respectful and chill

- poor speaks for being rude/aggressive because it's honestly just annoying to watch

-0.1 speaks for “LARP,” “time starts now”

+0.2 speaks for attaching niche photos of Kavin Kumaravel

School Affiliations: Dougherty Valley High School

About me: Hi, my name is Roy Zheng, and I'm a parent judge who has judged for almost 6 years for my 2 daughters. One competed in Expository Speech all throughout high school, and the other is actively competing in Policy/LD Debate in high school right now.

Judging/Event Types: Policy, PuFo, LD, Speech Events

Speaker points: You can get good speaker points by being confident and having smart, concise arguments that are well-warranted and explained well. Please make sure you respect your opponents as well!

At the end of the debate, I like to look at arguments again and review which side made the best claims and had the best evidence for comparison. Impact weighing during your rebuttal speeches helps me a lot with my decisions too, so please make sure you don't forget to talk about your impacts! I will evaluate any type of impact, as long as you explain it well.

I take notes/flow the entire debate and listen to cross examination.

Feel free to ask me before the round starts if you have any questions. Please be kind and confident, as debate is supposed to be fun and we're all here to learn :-)