I am a policy debater at GBN, class of 2020. I have judged a good amount of novice and JV debates.

My advice: Flow. Tech over truth (this doesn't mean I like dumb arguments). Be respectful and confident. Usually, the team that better understands and explains their argument wins.

I will vote on any argument, but here are my preferences:

DA or case turn plus case or advantage CP is my favorite.

I like creative arguments and focus on internal link stories rather than impact calculus.

I like topic generics and agenda politics. I'm not a fan of agent, elections, or base das.

I also like T debates.

I err against Ks, condo, process CPs (every CP that interacts with or results in the resolution), soft left framing, and aspec.

Ask me any questions. I give a ton of feedback after rounds or through email.

Have fun!

she/her

please add kaitlyndebate@gmail.com to the email chain

water topic:

I have judged very few rounds on the water topic. please be thorough in your explanations of arguments/concepts, especially more technical ones like topicality

top level

I debated at gbn for four years as a 2a/1n

don't call me "judge," kaitlyn is just fine

please be respectful to your opponents - racism/sexism/homophobia/ableism/etc will obviously not be tolerated

the most enjoyable debates to watch are ones in which both teams have a good grasp of the bigger picture, especially in the final rebuttals. tell me what is most important to my decision and win that, otherwise I will have to make decisions on my own that might not always go in your favor. impact calc is essential to any good 2nr/2ar

I will try to have my camera on during online debates, and I prefer that all debaters do as well. if there are outstanding tech issues, exceptions can be made

all of my notes below are lists of my general biases, but I think everything is up for debate in a round. I will attempt to be as open as possible when deciding

disads

I love them, there's not much that can go wrong here. case-specific disads are the best, obviously. turns case, when carded and used well, is very strategic

politics debates can be very fun when done well, and the most important part is often the overall "story" of the disad. make sure your story is present throughout the debate

aff teams should have a "counter-story" of the disad - how does your aff interact with the disad? also, straight turning politics is really fun

counterplans

I have gone for my fair share of "cheaty" counterplans, and thus will probably understand your consult cp. however, the more complex/cheaty your cp gets, the easier it is for an aff team to come up with a good perm that resolves all of the internal links

solvency deficits must have an impact that outweighs the impact to the disad - the more impact calculus, the better

theory

most theory arguments are reasons to reject the argument, not the team - condo is the one exception. Don't be afraid to go for condo, but if there's a way you can win on substance I will be much happier as theory debates are often difficult to resolve

judge kick is an extension of conditionality that is not always justified. debate it

re: theory that's in the 1nc but isn't in the doc/is hidden in some way - it's probably stupid, and the aff probably gets new answers

topicality

I read what most people consider to be untopical policy affs, so I appreciate an aff that is able to stretch the topic in an interesting way. that said, you need to have a good defense of legal precision/predictability to hedge back on the neg's (most likely very persuasive) limits impacts. these debates, if well-researched, can be very fun

legal precision > contextual precision > limits > ground > education

impact turns

they're a fun time. go wild

kritiks

ks I am familiar with - security, set col, neolib (all the basic policy ks). anything else and I will need much more explanation. however, if a neg team is thorough in their explanation of their theory and how it impacts the round, I could see myself voting for them

on the aff - affs that either have an extinction outweighs and framework push or can interact with the k in an interesting way are the most persuasive to me

I generally feel that the aff should be able to weigh the impacts of the plan

perfcon is a viable argument that the aff gets to sever their reps

framing contentions

Not the biggest fan. if you do read one, you need to debate down the disad or I will be very hesitant to do that work for you just because you mentioned the conjunctive fallacy. counterplans are a very good way to obviate the framing contention

k affs

I'm probably not the judge for you. I tend to think t-usfg is true and there is usually a topical version of the aff. however, if you have an impact turn or disad you can read on the neg, that's a much more fun debate

aff teams probably need a good (read: predictable and limiting) counter-interp and a persuasive disad to the neg's model to win

clipping

L & 25 if caught clipping, but the other team should have recorded evidence (as I will not be listening for it) and be willing to stake the round on it. if you get caught clipping, you get an L and 25s. if you stake the round on it and no clipping took place/you have no evidence, you get an L and 25s

gbn '21

she/her

add me to the email chain - 210338@glenbrook225.org

general:

-be nice!!

-yes, tag team cx is ok, but don't take over your partner's cx

-clarity > speed (also please signpost)

-tech > truth, but impact it out. a dropped argument doesn't matter unless you tell me why it matters.

-I will NOT tolerate any racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist, or otherwise harmful rhetoric. debate needs to be a safe environment for everyone.

kritiks:

love em (probably more than the average gbn debater). however, this doesn't mean you get to plow through some obscure postmodern literature with minimal explanation. specific links (more than just generic state links please) and contextualization to the aff will make me happy.

please be able to articulate your framework beyond prewritten blocks - this goes for aff v. k as well.

disads:

specific links, impact calc, and turns case analysis please!

counterplans:

yes, cheaty process cps are fine - I go to gbn, remember?

topicality:

I didn't go to camp, so I don't really have any preconceived notions of what is topical this year. as a result, I'll be paying close attention to how you impact out the t debate.

k affs:

if this is your thing, go for it. tbh, I'd prefer if novices read a plan text or at least some actionable statement, but I'm open to be challenged on that.

Glenbrook North '21

Please put me on the e-mail chain: 210020@glenbrook225.org

Quick Info

- I haven't had much experience with the arms sales topic, so I would appreciate a bit more explanation with your arguments. Don't always assume I know what you're talking about.

- I really, really prefer policy debates over kritikal ones.

- Disclose before round!

Disadvantages

- DA vs case is my favorite type of debate to judge.

- I love "turns the case" and wish that more teams would explicitly use it in their impact calculus.

- I like politics, but the link chain needs to be coherent (e.g. why does ____ backlash over the plan mean that ___ won't pass?).

Topicality

- Not the biggest fan in all honesty, but if the plan is almost certainly abusive and/or you're fairly ahead on that flow coming into the 2NR, I'll live.

- I really appreciate evidence comparison of definitions -- it's really underutilized for some reason.

Counterplans

- I like them, I much rather prefer counterplans that are specific to the plan's mechanism than ones than that probably absorb the plan. I'm okay with the latter, but if you have something closer to the former I would go with the former.

- I think advantage counterplans are underused and I love judging them since they force really good debates over the aff's internal links.

- Please don't just say "perm ______" and move on to the next argument. You should briefly why the perm solves and why it doesn't link to the net benefit. Don't be lazy, now.

Kritiks

- All in all, this probably shouldn't be your A-strat if you have me. I'll get live if you do arguments like neolib, but you're going to lose me if you do high theory.

- The link needs to be as specific to the plan's action or mechanism as possible. Avoid reading generic topic links at all costs, especially in the 1NC.

- I think that the alternative needs to have a concrete and definitive plan for solving the kritik's impact.

- I tend to lean towards the the interpretation of framework in which the affirmative gets to weigh their impacts against the negative's.

K-Affs

- Friends, it's called policy debate. Let's debate policies.

- For real though, I lean negative when it comes to any framework or topicality debate. I

Theory

- Slow down while reading theory.

- Conditionality is generally good. For a frame of reference, my belief is that the neg is allowed about 1-2 conditional advocates. Any more than that, and I start paying a lot more attention to the aff's arguments.

- I don't like it when the 2AC has a bunch of blippy theory arguments that aren't actually substance as much as they are a half-assed attempt to overstretch the block. If you want to outspread the negative, smart analytics are always appreciated.

Tony Miklovis

Call me Tony, not judge. Add me to the chain: tonymikl11[at]gmail.com

Please make email subjects for rounds something like "Tournament Round x - (Aff team) Aff v (Neg team) Neg"

About me:

Glenbrook North '21

Michigan State '25 (Go Green!)

Feel free to talk to me in person or email me if you are interested in debating for MSU!

-I debated for 4 years in high school and am debating in college. 2N/1A. Very involved in college debate, not so much for high school (so explain acronyms!). People tell me that I am very expressive (use that to your advantage) and that I look grumpy. I'm probably just tired, you shouldn't take it personally.

-Minimize unnecessary tech time and don't steal prep (it's really obvious, esp. in person)

-Tech over truth except for death good (this is not the same as war good). Willing to vote on it if literally dropped but the bar is on the floor for a response to this argument. I find this argument morally abhorrent. Frankly, I don't care if this makes me "not tech over truth." People arbitrarily intervene and insert their predispositions all of the time when evaluating arguments - at least I'm transparent about it. Surely, you have something else you could read and if you don't, you should re-evaluate where your preparation priorities lie.

-Besides death good, I'll try to minimize my own biases and adjudicate the round at hand impartially and thoroughly. Willing to vote on ASPEC, floating PIKs, plan flaws, whatever. Execution trumps pre-dispositions. Make complete arguments and answer them in the order presented.

-Feel free to post-round or ask lots of questions (be mindful of the other team!)

-I am literally horrible at responding to messages. Feel free to bump an email if I don't. If I don't respond to an email, that is my own fault and has nothing to do with you.

-For online debate: don't start unless my camera is on

Non-negotiables:

-Ballot goes to the team who did the better debating. The ballot is yours to earn, speaker points are mine to give.

-I'll only adjudicate claims about things that occurred in-round.

-Follow speech times. I'm going to stop flowing after the timer goes off and let my timer beep until you stop because of decision times. (I can't believe I'm saying this)

-Clipping is an auto-loss---accusations should have evidence and stake the debate on it.

-Don't make offensive arguments (racism good, sexism good, etc.)

-You can insert re-highlightings. You have to explain the arg and the implication for me to evaluate it. e.g. "Alt causes - their ev - inserting" is not a complete arg, but "Alt causes - x, y, z, proves the scenario is inevitable - inserting" is a complete argument.

Specifics:

-Not everything requires a card, however, I love the research component of debate and very much appreciate well-formatted and high-quality evidence. I also appreciate evidence comparison, re-highlightings, and the likes.

Counterplans:

-Love them. Big fan of advantage CPs or topic-specific CPs. Don't really care for your uncooperative federalism backfile but you can read it, I guess.

-Competition is generally a good determinant of theoretical legitimacy. If you're defining words in the rez to generate competition and it's not something that obviously competes (e.g. advantage CPs), consider starting the standards debate in the block. I tend to think substance is your best path to victory when answering them.

-Bad for theory (except conditionality) unless particularly egregious (e.g. fiating the fed + states, or fed + international actors). If you have a topic-specific advocate, I’m heavily persuaded by predictability arguments.

Topicality:

-I'm down for pedantic T interpretations if supported by quality evidence---make sure to do lots of evidence comparison if that is the case.

-Don't assume that I know topic dynamics (explain things like side-bias, functional limits, the core Neg strategies, etc.)

-Predictable limits > limits, though I can be persuaded that predictability should be viewed as a floor and not necessarily a ceiling. Much more in the debatability > precision camp than I was in high school, unless the interp ev is completely unqualified / out of context.

Ks:

-Explain, give examples, contextualize links. I don't read critiques often as a strategy, but I'll vote on it if you win the flow and I am moderately familiar with most K args.

-Try not to performatively contradict yourself

-Good-ish for framework K's and K's as DAs. If you fiat the alt and don't win framework, I'm likely inclined to find the perm threatening.

Planless:

-Novices should read plans.

-Fairness or clash are both fine. I don't really like "external" impacts to clash like movement lawyering. I think they are too susceptible to impact turns and requires conceding the premise that debate spills out. Frame it as an even if, if you do decide to make those type of args.

-Neg impact turns (heg good, cap good, etc.) are oftentimes more strategic than framework if you win the link.

-Impact turns are more persuasive as AFF offense than most defensive counter-interpretation strategies.

DAs:

The more case specific (esp w turns case), the better.

Love them. Who doesn't? Topic DA + extensive case defense is one of my favorite 2NRs to give/hear

Make and answer turns case argument

I love when teams make mini-T arguments on the link

Sarosh Nagar

Glenbrook North '20 / Harvard '24

Please put me on the email chain: snagardebate@gmail.com

Top-level note: I was a pretty active debater for most of high school and did attend the TOC, so I am familiar with most debate lingo. However, for your topic-specific terminology, I may not be as familiar, so please do explain any acronyms/key terms well if you use them in the debate.

I will vote on any argument with the exception of arguments such as racism good, sexism good, etc. These args clearly don't have a place within the debate space, but you do you otherwise.

For the novices reading this paradigm: Welcome to debate! You've entered a fantastic, semi-stressful, and enjoyable community of people who share many of your interests. Feel free to ask me any questions before the round if you need assistance, or for any clarifications after the round.

Top Level;

--- Flow - for the novices I'm judging, this is particularly important.

--- Clarity first - This means both in terms of spreading and clearly explaining arguments and their implications. I will not do any work for either side.

--- Line by line is important and please do it in a coherent order so it is easy to flow you all.

--- I don't like reading ev, but I will probably end up doing it - I will only do if it is the card is flagged by a debater or the content of the card is being represented differently for both teams. If there is an insufficient amount of line by line/lack of clash on a flow, reading cards mean you've effectively put the round into my hands, which is not a place you want to be.

--- Zero risk is a thing, but it must be overwhelmingly well-debated.

--- Smart analytics > bad cards/args - if the frontpage headline this morning will take out the DA but you don't have a card, the analytic might be the best way to go if debated well. I would hope to reward out-of-round prior knowledge about the world.

--- I will try to protect the 2NR from 2AR newness, but 2NR should be explicit about this.

--- Tech > truth.

--- tag team is ok, but don't dominate your partner.

Case

Affs seriously go around reading the most illogical, irrational internal links ever (I know I'm guilty of this as well).

Neg teams should exploit these weaknesses to whittle down the case substantially.

Aff teams should attempt to explain this illogical internal links clearly and tell a coherent story; it will make my life easier when I'm thinking about it at the end of the round.

Good case debates = nice speaker points

DAs

I love them. Have a specific link or link contextualization, a logical internal link also helps, and aff specific turns case arguments go a long way towards winning the debate when combined with proper case mitigation.

Politics DAs are a personal favorite as well so don't be afraid to go for them in front of me.

For the aff, the internal links are probably silly and most DAs are non-unique so I advise that you should point out the logical flaws in arguments and make them a central part of the final rebuttals.

Counterplans

My favorite CPs are PICs and intelligent multiplank advantage CPs, but I'm good with almost all types of counterplans being run.

I do generally think fiat should be certain and immediate, but I am open to a different interpretation based on how it is debated.

I'll go either way on judge kick.

I'm a 2N so I might lean a little neg on theory, but a smart aff team can flip me to vote for them easily.

If going for theory as a reason to reject the team, please explain why rejecting the arg won't solve or I'll just reject the arg.

When aff, please impact out your deficits or links to the net-benefit args. I think the 1AR is the best spot to do this.

Topicality

**READ THE NOTE ABOVE

Topicality can go either way. I won't lean aff or neg instinctively.

I feel compelled to think that legal precision outweighs limits, but limits outweigh everything else. However, if you think some other impacts is compelling for you, go for it.

FW/T-USFG

I won't reject all nontraditional affirmatives and will vote aff if they outdebate the neg.

However, I'd appreciate the aff giving me a model of debate and clearly (simplistic explanations are always better) explain DAs to FW. I do not like cheapshot args that the 2AC makes in a blip to mess with the 2N, so if I did vote for you on that args your speaks will not be pretty.

I generally think skills offense is best vs. identity affs and fairness vs. high-theory Baudrillard nonsense but you do you.

also, i'm not super nice to debate bad args. Debate is a valuable, time-intensive, and reflective activity and because hoofd said serious online video games might be bad does not mean I will.

Ks

I will vote for them. Some of these debates can be hyper-nuanced and interesting to listen to.

For a K to get my ballot, please do the following:

--- a well-explained thesis level claim about the 1AC

--- specific link work to the aff

--- explain how the alt and !s interact with all of the 1AC and how the alt solves the link

--- If you kick the alt, explain how FW/other things provide uniqueness for the link

I'd ask you refrain from using a lot of jargon; I might get it and maybe you might, but if the other team can't clearly explain and answer your args the debate will be a lot worse and your speaks will reflect that.

When aff vs. K, the 1AR should have chosen when perm/no link or case outweighs/alt-fails is the route they'll be going, though generally soft-left affs go for the perm (albeit the links on this topic are very good) and hard-right affs should go for case-outweighs/alt-fails.

Speaks

29.5-30 --- Well done. You will be a good jv/varsity debate and should be top 5 speakers.

29-29.5 --- Nice job. You've mastered the skills of novices and need a few more nuanced. Should be top ten speaker.

28.5-29 - Keep going! You've gained a sufficient grasp of fundamental debate skills, but have a little more to work on.

28-28.5 - At least you tried! You need to gain a better grasp of fundamental debate skills as a novice.

27 and lower --- you were offensive, mean, rude, and generally not fun to watch

Jokes about the following people will improve your speak points: anybody from GBN, GBS, OPRF, or other people I would know.

Jokes about me that are good will increase your speaks by +.3. Jokes about me that are bad will just make me like you less. (jk)

"The plan is the ultimate betrayal" - + .3

"It's gg for the negative" - +.2

Not wearing shoes: -.3

Just remember --- have fun, enjoy debate, and if you have any questions feel free to email me.

@novices, congrats on knowing what a paradigm is! The first team to say 'Nick Remish is a voter for deterrence,' either during or before the round, gets an extra 0.1 speaks per person.

Onto the actual paradigm:

Tech > truth, insofar as you as a debater can tell me how I should evaluate arguments. If there's a key question in the debate that's not answered by either side, I have to then answer it myself to resolve the debate, and the only way to do this fairly is by defaulting to truth. Honestly, that's not just me; pretty much every single judge will engage in some truth over tech when debaters can't resolve every argument.

The easiest way for you to lay the debate out for me is to go down the line-by-line. That means you directly engage the other team's arguments in the order they were presented, which requires **FLOWING**. Once you have the hand of that, especially in novice rounds, you should be in control of everything.

One mini-thing:

-Tag team cross-ex is fine. But it does look bad if your partner takes your entire cross-ex.

- thoroughly explain your arguments and don't just reread evidence, say why this happens

-refer back to others arguments

- focus on impact calc and why I should vote for you

Please put me on the e-mail chain: yehjuneseo@gmail.com

- I am not familiar with this year's topic. With that in mind, if you are going for case/topic specific arguments, please don't spread at full speed so I can process what you're saying.

- In-depth analytics/analysis over evidence

- Tech > truth

- Never steal prep

- Disclose before round

- During CX, don't be rude and look at the judge rather than the opposing team

- I prefer policy debates over kritik debates.

- Kritiks: I can follow capitalism/neoliberalism or security, but anything else (especially high theory) will need to be adequately explained.

- Offensive arguments (i.e. death) are always bad

- K-Affs: Please avoid them. I'm not familiar with literature, so explain arguments if you choose to read one.