Last changed on
Wed January 3, 2024 at 6:59 AM EDT
John Huebler (he/him)
Loyola Blakefield High School - LD - 2012-2016
University of Mary Washington - Policy - 2016-2020
Debate email: jhebs999@gmail.com (please add me to the email chain!)
Current 3L at University of Baltimore Law School
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I haven't done much research for the high school and college topics this year, I'm in law school now which has occupied a lot of my time. Having applied my debate experience in professional and further academic settings, I think that good communication, critical thinking, and research skills are invaluable just about anywhere you go. To this end, moving into 2024 I hope to use speaker points more and more to reflect how I think the content of the debate has been presented.
One thing I wanted to be sure to put up top: please be nice to each other.Debate is a communicative, collaborative learning activity and it loses that value when someone feels extremely uncomfortable. I like to promote a friendly atmosphere in the rounds I judge. The good you put out in the world will come back someday!!
Presentation
Speed - I ask that you speak at about 80% of your top speed. Please have a brief pause when in between flows. I am willing to say clear up to 3 times for all debaters. For T, theory, analytics or reading your blocks, please go slow and use inflection.
Organization - At the end of the day, debate is a communicative activity. Numbering, roadmapping, and labeling are good practices and make it easier for me to understand and for your opponents to clash. To this end, I don't think that embedded clash is nearly as easy to follow as standard numbering, embedded clash only works in front of me if you slow down and use plenty of emphasis. If you are one to fly through pre-written blocks or overviews without pauses or emphasis, I would seriously reconsider how you make arguments in front of me. I want to listen to you and make the best decision I can, otherwise you won't be happy with my choice or your speaks.I think an overview should be 30 seconds at most, otherwise you aren't spending enough time on the line by line.
Extensions - Do NOT just say an author name and assume I know what you're talking about. I'm bad with names already and will hardly remember the 36 new ones that I'm supposed to know in these 2 hours! Referring to a number, a tag, and an impact will increase your chances that I will know where you're at and flow your arguments adequately.
Cross-Ex and Speaking for partner - I am fine with open cross ex, but don't hijack or take over your partner's questioning or answering. They are supposed to be the person in charge of this! Generally, I don't like partner's interjecting in the speech, it's not something I feel that I should be flowing. Saying pointers here and there is a-ok, but please don't get to the point of being super duper distracting to your partner! Abuse of this in speeches and cross ex will affect speaks.
Evidence Standards
I appreciate teams that read author qualifications - It's how I debated all four years of college, it is not a hard thing to do . If you are proud of the evidence you researched, reading the author's qualification gives you more authority.
I am disheartened by teams just finding evidence from wherever and throwing it in a doc. I would consider myself a good judge for evaluating evidence indicts and shady evidence practices. I could see myself very likely voting on this if there is a bad example of it.
I should not have to look at the un-underlined portions of your evidence to understand your author's arguments. I personally do not think that the shrink function in verbatim should ever be used for evidence.
Pace of the Round
Prep Time - Most tournaments fall behind schedule. Inefficiencies cut into decision time that affects the quality of my decision and your feedback. Please be efficient, especially in between speeches and prep time.
I will be understanding of tech fails, but not as much negligence. Anything that could have been fixed prior to the round (Dealing with your laptop’s issues, finding your flows, looking for evidence, figuring out how to operate a timer, setting up stands, etc.) will generally frustrate me and may affect your speaks in some of the more egregious cases.
Other Things:
-Please time yourselves - I will generally time too, but it's important for organizing your speech, it ensures that you stay on pace and make all the arguments that you want to.
-Politics DA - Beyond debating case, this was my second favorite thing to research and argue. I actively work in maryland state politics so these types of arguments are really something I can appreciate!
-CPs - I personally think 2 conditional advocacies are goldilocks, but can be persuaded on condo given specific examples of abuse. My tolerance for CPs gets lower with no solvency advocate in the 1NC or if it is a weird and over-complicated uniqueness CP. I really don't like the multi-plank CPs that are all very different ideas, unless there is an author that advocates all of them happening at once. I'd be persuaded by a theory argument, for instance, stating that such a multi-faceted advocacy cannot be predicted since it is not within the literature.
-Ks - I have limited experience running them since high school and relatively small knowledge on most literature bases. I'd need more in depth explanation of your arguments and appreciate using the K against the case to get specific links to the aff or interesting case turns. Definitely don't want to discourage anyone from running one though, I really enjoy overviews that are specific to things happening in the round.
