Tab but lean policy maker - who's got the best plan to put forth / best to implement in squo (BUT IM STILL OPEN FOR ALL ARGUMENTS)

I do have a HIGH threshold for Ks, CPs however

Need you to tell me WHY I need to vote for you; give me impact calc or some easy mechanism to weigh the round

Want good clash in round, otherwise I'll tend to vote for the person who said the most impactful thing last

Speed is fine but need clear tags, I'm not going to do the work to follow along

Consider myself a tab judge, but lean more towards policy making style.

Fine with all arguments presented, but find that Kritiks/CPs can be easily lost in the round if you don't do enough work explaining/proving your case. As a result I have a high threshold for these (Ks and CPs)

Please slow down on tags/authors/dates

Fine with speed, but be careful that it doesn't hinder communication. If I miss a tag because you're going too fast it won't make it to my flow.

**For LD Debate, would appreciate slower speed (don't want to miss criterion/values/etc)**

Impact Calc/Framework goes a long way; if you're not telling me how to vote I will end up choosing based on my preferences of the round.

If you have anymore questions, please do not hesitate to ask in round before beginning.

Affiliation - North Crowley High School

-I debated at North Crowley High School for three years, where I graduated in 2014. I debated LD my Sophomore year, followed by CX (from lay UIL to TFA and NFL). I currently work as a long-term substitute / student teacher at NCHS as well as assisting coaching the debate team.

In short

-I typically like to see a good impact calculus in the round. I usually vote for the team that would solve for the most impacts, unless I’m given a really good theory argument. Honestly though, I’ll vote on whatever framework is best presented to me in the round, so long as I see some good debate on that topic / if someone drops said framework.

Theory

-I love theory debate. In policy, I frequently ran not only T but other theory arguments. Debate theory well, and you will have impressed me.

Policy

-This is my bread and butter. If you can present pragmatic solutions and solvency, I am far more likely to vote for you.

Kritik

-Don’t just run Ks for the sake of running a K. I prefer topical Ks, not recycled generic Ks like Cap unless you’ve provided me some really good links.

Speed/Speaks

-I’m fine with speed. Slow down for tags and analytics. I rarely give 30 speaks, but 28 is common from me. I will give a 30 if you are able to spread with a lot of clarity, answer CX questions with confidence/in stride, and provide good analytic arguments and/or analysis of the round. Your speaker points will lower if you are visibly condescending to your opponents. I was a pretty argumentative/combative/rude student as a debater and I would like to do my part not to encourage a toxic debate community, because I saw the harms it can cause.

Ethics

-I may drop you for misrepresenting evidence (powertagging, shifting words around) if the opponent can prove it. My biggest debate pet peeve is the sheer amount of evidence out there that is cut in such a way it misrepresents the argument the original author was making.

Email me at t.davies951@gmail.com if you have more questions

Quick summary (TLDR): I am open to any framework you want to sell me, but be sure you explain to me why I should choose it. Otherwise, I default to stock issues. I am open to all styles of offense, but include specific case links as well as clear impacts/relevance. All things being equal, I will weigh arguments based on clarity and development. Give me reasons why your argumentation should be important to me as the judge.

Coaching history: CX, LD, Speech, Interp (Aubrey HS, 2011-present)

CX philosophy: I am a fairly conservative judge who is open to arguments unfamiliar to me. The debate belongs to you, and you should tell me which lens I should use to frame the round and evaluate argumentation. I prefer a resolution-based debate that hits checkpoints in structure, but I will listen to any debate that contains clear direction and warrants. Please do not rely on me to make assumptions for you or fill-in warrants you have not provided. I will weigh the round based on the evidence and analysis given to me.

I will vote on arguments you tell me are important. I default to reasonability over competing interpretations, but I am flexible on this. Extend arguments throughout the debate, and please engage the opposing side. Please be clear about conditionality of arguments, and, likewise, please be clear if you disagree with conditionality (not just conditionality bad). I am aware of most literature but by no means deep on it. However, I am a rational individual willing to listen to your application of any literature to the round.

LD philosophy: Framework is necessary for me, but I also see it as a launching point for good debate at the contention level. I will listen to a policy-oriented debate on both sides, but I expect both sides to engage each other regardless of the orientation of arguments. Again, I have a rudimentary knowledge base of literature, so be clear about the application of your lit to your arguments and to the round itself. My vote will usually revolve around impacts which have been carried throughout the round.

Speaker Points: I start on 27.5 and move on a sliding scale based on clarity, style, your ability to engage discussion, your ability to maintain composure, and your overall strategy. I will usually keep up with your speed, and I a would prefer to be included on the email chain if all parties agree to do so (ejackson@aubreyisd.net).

I debated at Princeton, TX and I'm a CXer by trade, though I've been judging often for the last five years since I've graduated so I know my way around all the other formats. I am a "games" judge so I accept anything and everything so long as I've been given proper reasoning. If nothing fancy goes on I default to a policymaker position. "Conservative" and "Progressive" styles are equally valid in my book.

My three top level principles:

• Framework is King: I cannot evaluate something like American Hegemony vs Human Rights without being given a philosophical underpinning on what's a higher concern. Framework is not an end unto itself, but to be used as a tool for establishing priority of impacts. I highly recommend both sides run something on this.
• Competition over Truth: As a judge, I want to intervene with my own knowledge and logic as minimally as possible because that's your job as the debater. As long as you get the technical performance down 80% I can be flexible on the remaining part.
• Evidence Quality over Quantity: I'm less interested in the number of cards read and more in the reasoning of how they come up with the conclusion in the tagline. I'll only intervene here when there is disagreement on what's written. I understand there are cases when a good argument for the situation cannot be prepared in a card so I accept analytics within reasonability. On areas of significant clash I give it to the side that delves deeper into the warrants. When the competing claims slide over each other, I may end up evaluating it as a wash.

One more request: when you invoke innovation, please elaborate what you mean by that. It's the biggest, most annoying buzzword in all of speech and debate.

Onto the line by line:

Speed - I can accept it as long as it's intelligible. If you get to the point where you're wheezing substantially I'll tell you to clear up. Slow down on taglines and authors. If you spread on analysis and they aren't written down on the file, then I can't guarantee I'll have them down on the flow.

Topicality - I take a layman interpretation on what ought to be topical so my threshold is rather high. That said, the affirmative must still have a good technical performance in their answer.

Theory - It's okay with me, though I think it's of a lower priority than material issues and mostly evaluate it as a tiebreaker.

Turns - Link turns, impact turns, and case turns are all very powerful, but please substantiate what's going on materially. There's nothing more confusing than when both sides claim they subsume the other.

Counterplans - The viability of a CP lies in the net benefit that's established. Mutually exclusive plans are the clearest for clash and competition. I accept PICs but there better be a good reason that the aff can't perm. Unless otherwise specified or kicked, I view CPs as part of the negative's world advocacy that can be held against them. Running multiple CPs or CP and K may obfuscate the neg's advocacy, but it's up to the aff to point that out.

Case - If offense is lacking or well defended I often let the affirmative access the try or die argument. I'm not strict on case architecture on either side, but stock issues will always be fundamental and we can't forget that.

Disadvantages - On economic related impacts, the way to break beyond surface level claims is to actually tangle with competing economic theories. Is the Keynesian, Neoclassical, or the Marxist school most accurate on the scenario regarding recessions? I don't know, you tell me. On politics, I think you're obligated to read political capital theory or else it's easy to defuse with thumpers, but I don't accept that you can fiat out of it. Generally I value strong and specific links when it comes to the impact calc.

Kritiks - I can follow along with the theory, though if you start using buzzwords and jargon you'd better be able to elaborate on that. If you run a K you should understand it well on a conceptual level. Like disads, specific links and contextualization to the aff are very important. On the aff side, I'm willing to follow along with K's bad theory, counter-kritiks, and really all bets are off here.

Send the email chain to yashkhaleque2@gmail.com, I'm also available for questions and case advice.

Howard Ritz

I have been Judge, Debate Coach for 26 twenty six years now in Texas circuits both UIL, TFA, and NSDA. I did not debate in college but have taught, coached, judged Debate for Rio Vista HS, Burleson High School, Wichita Falls HS, Northwest HS, and Now Mansfield Legacy High School, all in the DFW area of Texas. Have judged outside the area at Harvard U. , Berkley U, and Stanford, as well as colleges in Texas. Taught Policy and LD debate at Cameron University Summer Debate work shop for several years.

My Policy Debate Paradigms fall in the Traditional Debate category. I look for quality of arguments over quantity. Although I classify myself as a Stock Issue judge, I am open to some Negative Kritiks and conterplans but Kritiks and counterplans must be directly linked to the Aff Case. I am not a fan of theory based affirmatives or alternate worlds and really hate performance debate. Spreading will cost you speaker points if not the round if I can not understand your case. No Open CX for me. No Prompting of Partners written or verbal. Make arguments clear. Evidence and cards should be followed by analytics but analytics without evidence is of little value in my book. Show me that you understand what you are reading and not just reading cards.

I have simple paradigms, try not to spread, do not use a lot of speech holders, try not to stutter, speak clearly, do not use hateful or derogatory language and ideas to justify your side. Good clash is appreciated and helps my decision.

About Me:

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Policy in HS 4 years; Melissa High School. Broke @ TFA State and broke @ bid tourneys(UT Austin;UH Houston)

Former coaches: Brenden Dimmig and Kyle Brenner <3

Paradigm Thesis: TAB

Refer to me as "Alex" instead of "judge", sweeet

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

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TL;DR

Tab.

Speed is fine. Don't be crazy tho

Performance/methods cool.

I don't have "high thresholds" for anything (T;disad links;alts;theory)

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General:

My paradigm should not restrict the debaters from choosing one thing over the other. Use this as a guide, not as the rules. Everything is up for debate! Do what you're comfortable with.

Thesis: I will listen to whatever you read in front of me (unless otherwise derogatory) and will try my best to evaluate each position fairly -- I do consider myself tab. I feel a lot of times judges say this but just want to look cool/not get striked or whatever and end up screwing teams over. I want to stray as far away from that and will live up to my paradigm! Do whatever you're comfortable with and just be cognitive of me following along with your arguments. Have fun! :)

- Tell me how/where/why to vote

- Truth over tech WITH warrants to uphold your truth claim(s)

- The winning framework, impacts or theoretical, has priority. Default policymaker if no framework is given

- Impact scenarios are pretty, especially in the 2nr, but internal links are more important

- Split the neg block correctly and please collapse the debate down to 1, maybe 2, positions

- ^^^that includes disad standards on topicality in the 2nr

- I'd rather you not read new in the 2nc

- Give trigger warnings/ disclosure is educational and will help you

Stylistic Things:

Speed: I'm fine with it! omg please slow down on overviews/underviews (especially for the method)

Speaker Points: For specific tournaments, I will adjust my speaker point range for sure — ask me if you have any specs. for speaks

Card clipping: Noopppppeeee. Not cool. Don't cheat

Etiquette: I will absolutely not tolerate any racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, xenophobic, derogatory, etc. commentary in the round. Just be kind pls. Let her talk

Appearance: I could care less about how you dress or look. Misogynistic and gendered norms are really ugly. Also, I don't care if you sit down during cross-ex. Just make sure I can hear/see you. Whatever makes you comfortable

Last couple of things: I flow on paper and sometimes on my computer. Every contention/advantage will be its own sheet and every off will be its own sheet. I will flow everything you say unless I have no idea what you're saying. I don't necessarily count flashing as prep unless it becomes excessive, duhhh

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Policy/CX Debate:

Topicality:

- The standards are disadvantages. Please provide a case list as to what you loose/why that's important

- I love contextualization and/or grammar arguments. Term of art pls. Saying, "look at the plan through a vacuum" doesn't really do anything for me - do that full analysis

- Competing interps or reasonability? Tell me which one to prefer. If there is no telling here, I will most likely default to competing interps

- Reasonability is the test of the AFF's counter-interpretation, not the AFF

Framework:

- I treat framework in similar regards to topicality. Explain how/why this sets a precedent

- A topical version of the aff is probably your best way to win here

Theory:

- I think I could vote on any type of theory given its correctly debated/ ask me otherwise

Disadvantages:

- I don't need a case-specific link on the disad in order to vote on it, that is if the aff doesn't do a good job analyzing this. A good disad has a line in the link evidence that exclusively mentions the aff- obviously

- An awesome 2ac has smart analytical arguments more than cards answering each level of the disad

- Tell me why the disad outweighs/turns case

- If you are losing uniqueness, it's going to be really hard for you to win the disad debate unless it's a linear disad. You have to win the link in order to win the disad

- Straight turning needs both a non-unique and link turn. If you do this, make sure the impact framework on the disad doesn't contradict the aff framework you're going to go for in the 2ar

Counterplans:

- External and internal net benefits are super-duper important. Don't contradict your case arguments with the counterplan

- Both aff and neg explain to me how the counterplan can/cannot solve 100% of the aff- with impacts to those arguments

- Perm debate is super important, obviously. Make disads to the perm(s) with impacts and make net benefits for the perm(s) too

Kritiks & Performance:

- Line by line is great. The overview can get messy when you try to cross apply/answer arguments here. Just be strategic here

- Make sure, of course, you are solving the linear disad and winning the root cause debate

- As you've heard a thousand times I'm sure, don't assume that I know your author. Give me that accessible explanation y'know?

- If you want to make framework the contesting issue here then so be it

- I think the method debate starts at the level of the alternative and goes up from there. Reject alts are fine but more substantive alts will probably get you farther

Case debate:

- If you're going for the disad, you should probably have some defense here

- Please utilize the comparative analysis on their evidence/ taking down their internal links here would be strategic

- Impact turning the aff- teams are like "Omg, who is she? We don't know her". Please utilize this more and make sure to impact it out and don't contradict yourself of course

- Reading your generic circumvention/block arguments here get really boring- having case-specific arguments are dope and will help your speaks for sure

Aff Performance/K Affirmatives:

- I'm good with this. Not super experienced with it tho. Just make sure to tell me what my ballot does (explain the method)

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LD Debate

I did policy in HS so just keep that in mind. I view this as an important weighing of offense/defense in conjunction with framework of course. I think the information from the policy section will serve the same purpose for you here

Framework:

- Tell me to vote and/or view the round in a specific framework, that's fine. Explain to me why your lens is better/more important/ solves better or whatever you defend

- Internal link turning your opponents framework is super cool. Here make sure you are explaining why your criterion/standard better resolves your opponets value in some better way

Value/Criterion:

- I don't have any predispositions about what values are better/tangental or of that sorts to the resolution

- Just do a good job building link chains to whatever framing you want to go for

Observations:

- Yah they're fine

Contention:

- I view and treat these as advantages to the case like in policy debate. Just make sure it links back into your framework clearly

Plans & Performance

- All dope. Give me solvency on plans of course

CP's/Disad's/Kritik's:

- Great. These most likely need to be tangent with the aff- like their plan or their method

- Refer to the policy section

Case debate/Contentions:

- I'll view these as advantages in policy debate but of course tangent to LD

- Attacking your opponent's evidence is sweet - internal link chains for their value too

(PF + I.E events + additional):
Ask for further questions! peace out

CX:

I consider myself a tab judge, but you need to give me good FW to tell me how to weigh the round. If there's no framing I'll default to policymaker.

Argument preferences - I will listen to any arguments but I do have a high threshold on topicality. It's going to take more for me to vote on a topicality (blatantly untopical, in round abuse) and I have only decided one ballot on just T. I'm fine with you running Ks but it should be clear, have a legitimate alt, and you should explain what you mean. Don't expect me to know all the buzzwords. DAs are good, CPs are fine but should be mutually exclusive and not be topical. New in the 2NC is fine with me if it's case arguments. If you want to run new off in the 2 go for it, but give me some theory on why it’s okay. I struggle more with weighing critical affs, but if you run it well and can defend the legitimacy of running it, go for it. Impact out the arguments you're going for through the end of the round. Don't just pull across cards and say you've won because you've pulled them. Tell me the warrants and why the warrants of your cards are important to the round. Affs need to show clear solvency.

LD: I prefer quality of arguments over quantity of arguments. This means it's fine if you choose to use speed to get through your case, but when it comes down to I'm more interested in hearing and understanding the substance of the argument. I am more comfortable with the traditional value/criterion/contention format for LD cases because I think it's a clean format for best supporting your argument, but I'm open to other case formats and will listen to what you choose to present.

General:

Speed - Going fast is okay as long as you are clear. I won't give you verbal signals if I can't understand you; you should make sure the speed you use is clear and understandable. I believe speed should not be a barrier other teams have to overcome. I prefer quality of well run arguments over quantity of arguments so it's better to take a little more time with an argument than to word vomit and get a lot on the flow. Slow down for authors and dates if you're using them to pull cards across the flow, but I would prefer you to pull cards across by warrants, as mentioned above.

In high school I did 3 years CX, 3 years interp, 1 year extemp, and 1 year congress. I started judging my first year of undergrad and this is my 6th year judging/contract coaching

I believe debate should be educational and in order for that to be true competitors must understand the cards they are reading and the arguments they are making.

Flashing/emailing isn't prep, so don't prep while your partner is sharing evidence. If it starts to be a problem or it's taking too long we'll talk about running more prep time.

Accessibility - I understand standing for a speech or cross can be a barrier to some people. I think debate should be as accessible as possible so I don't care if you sit or stand while speaking. If you can't stand or just don't want to stand I don't mind. No questions, just do what is best for you.

If you choose to run arguments that are potentially triggering you need to provide a TW before the argument, preferably at the start of the round. This is especially true for narratives that include explicit details that could be triggering.

If there's anything else you need for the round to be more accessible let me know before the round starts and we can see what we can do.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask me in round!

rebekaheurban@gmail.com