I have 3 years of experience competing in Public Forum debate in high school. I mainly want to see comparative weighing of arguments and evidence, especially in the final two speeches. I would prefer to see analysis driven debate rather than evidence dumps. Speed isn't really an issue as long as you speak clearly. If you have any questions for me please feel free to ask before the round.

I am an experienced debater and coach. I competed in public forum and Congress all four years in high school winning PF state in Nebraska and competing at NSDA Nationals and TOC, and coaching since I graduated in 2015.

Some things I expect to happen in the round:

• Evidence should not be misrepresented and exact quotes should be given.
• The use of real world examples. I prefer these over hypothetical scenarios without any basis in a real world example or situation.
• The second rebuttal should cover both sides of the flow. Meaning that the second team must defend their own case and respond to the attacks given by the other team. If the second team does not cover both sides and the first team points it out the second speaking team automatically loses on my ballot. To me not defending your case in second rebuttal is dropping your case.
• Clash in the debate. directly clash and link your arguments with/compared to your opponents.
• Sign posting to make my job easier as a judge.
• Please give me voters in summary. don't give a rebuttal 2.0 I need grouping and voters. otherwise I'm left to create them for myself.
• If you are going to claim your opponent dropped something, please be sure they did. Too often teams claim something was dropped by their opponent when it was not.
• Provide reasoning/some comparative analysis why your warranting is better then your opponents don't just re read cards. Or read cards without any explanation for what the card means/why its important.

Some things to know about me as a judge:

• I will call for evidence at the end of the round if I have concerns over its wording, reliability, and or if the other team calls the evidence into question.
• I have no issues with speed or alternative forms/arguments of/in PF Debate like Ks for example.
• Feel free to ask any questions or clarifications about my decision. But please do it in a respectful way.

Enjoy the debate!

The primary item I look for is quality. Quality of the overall speech, how sound the arguments, and how effectively time is used. I am not a fan of speed reading as I feel the impacts are not properly emphasized. The next component I look for is the impact itself. Sources must be credible and unbiased, but then the impacts must be properly emphasized and analyzed.

Nebraska College of Law '24

University of Nebraska-Lincoln '20 (BA in History and Political Science)

4 year debater on NE circuit, this is my 6th year judging

she/her

Some preferences:

I am not a fan of speed.

Don't be rude. Being assertive is one thing, but being a jerk will hurt your speaker points

I don't write down author names, so don't just refer to your "Johnson" card

Signpost after constructive

Pleeeease have your cards/evidence readily available

***Debate needs be a safe and accessible environment, give trigger warnings. Do not commodify/weaponize sensitive subjects for the sake of winning, I will not weigh those arguments in your favor.

Argumentation/weighing:

I am fine with any type of argumentation you want to use

- but just an FYI, I am not super familiar with progressive PF

2nd speaking teams don't have to rebuild in rebuttal, but it probably would be advantageous to do so

I care the most about your warrants, so explain your links as clearly as possible. I hate seeing huge impacts with poor explanations as to why they happen

- so, please! don't ask me to extend your argument from a tagline

I rarely call for cards at the end of the round, flesh them out for me!

If the round is a total wash, I will presume neg

Most importantly: have fun and be respectful!

Background

• Did college NFA LD for 4 years

Miscellaneous

• I like talking to debaters. Feel free to come chat.
• If I make a face at an argument, I'm confused. It's never personal.

Bias

• Note: I'll vote on any of the arguments below if you win the flow but you may have to work harder depending on your choices. Here are some of my biases. 
• I like real-world policy action. My favorite debates affirm or negate a material action/policy to reduce suffering.
• I'll vote on the K but I like alternatives that do something. Any alt that meditates on the nature of human suffering kinda sucks. I'm easily persuaded to disregard it.
• I don't hate philosophy debates but if it's not relevant to the rez, join a book club.
• Don't like pessimism arguments. 
• Won't vote on death good/racism good/etc

Paradigm

• Please FRAME THE ROUND! I really don't want to decide which impact I like more.
• Tech > Truth but my BS detector is pretty good too.
• If you want me to look at your opponent's evidence, call it out in your speech
• No sticky defense. If it's dropped and you wanna go for it, extend the warrants. I'm not going to do it for you
• I can do basic cross-application of arguments (not the same thing as warrant extension). That also means contradictions deck overall offense.
• I like Double binds or "Even if" argumentation
• Warrant debates are the best debates. Evidence is good and necessary but you shouldn't hide behind it.
• Speed is fine but proportional clarity is required. I'll yell clear a few times. If you go fast, you better use up all the time.
• If you want to be super aggressive and condescending, you better not suck fam. Don't yell. Ad hominem = 25 speaks
• Don't make faces or talk during the opponent's speech
• A trigger warning for sensitive arguments is good but opponents can't prevent you from reading an argument
• If you bring outside drama into the round I will listen very very closely so I can gossip in the judge's lounge but I won't vote on an accusation I can't verify. If it's an ethics issue contact the tournament. 

NFA LD 

• K: Not super familiar with most of the literature but walk me through the argument and explain why alt solves the aff. Some kind of material action in the alt is probably recommended. I will vote on a vague alt-bad provided the warrants are good(time skew/allows aff pivot/etc).
• DA: Not much to say here. Win the link. Win the impact. Weigh/Frame. 2 good DAs > 4 bad DAs. 
• AFF: Pretty much an auto-lose on T if you aren't doing a material action through the actor of the rez. Neg just needs to say you are stealing neg ground and robbing everyone of topic education. 
• T: No proven abuse needed

PF 

• No new evidence in summary. New analysis based on evidence that has been read is acceptable
• 2nd Rebuttal is expected to attack and defend. I believe that having all new arguments in rebuttal makes the round clearer, and more educational saving grand cx for final clarifications
• If you wanna read theory in PF, I'll listen but it better be clear and good.
• Don't talk to your partner during their speech

IMPORTANT I talk loud. Im not yelling at you. I have diagnosed hearing loss and I don't hear how loud I am. If it is too loud or you think I am mad at you please ask. I will not be offended. I use a transcribe app to help me hear the speeches. I am not recording you, I am using it to help myself here you better

I am a Hastings High graduate and for those that know Hastings know that we are very traditional in style. For those that do not know, here is what that means for me.

1 - I don't like speed. The speed that was going on when I was debating is nothing like the speed now a days. I do not follow speed very well. If I look at you with a confused or with a blank look and I am not flowing, then you need to slow down. I can't vote for a side that was given so fast I can't even hear it. This is my second job and a hobby of mine, which means I am not going to listen to speed on my downtime to try to keep up with you. Besides, nothing about speed is going to prepare you for your future. In the adult world the content matters not how many words per minute you can speak. Debate is a educational experience. No one gets education with speed.
2 - Do not be so focused on your side and your case that you do not clash with your opponent. Clashes are a good thing.
3 - I am not ok with flex prep time. If you want to ask questions then ask during CX, not prep. The exception to this is if you are asking to see evidence.
4 - Debate prepares you for your future. For many of your futures, you will need to be able to act professional. Decorum is a must. This includes professional vocabulary.
5 - If you are using a computer/desk on top of desk/stand then make sure you are not hiding behind it. I want to see you not just look at the back of the computer/stand/desk
6 - Give me clear concise voters. State voter one, voter two, and so on.
7 - I want to know impacts and big pictures. I like it when you show why these matters, what will happen in the scenarios you are presenting, and why I should care.
8 - I will buy almost any argument as long as it is logical. Keep common sense in mind.
9 - I do not discount any theory just because in the real world it is not 100% achievable. If you can explain your theory well enough and it is logical and considers real-world possibilities, then I will not be opposed to it.

10 - I am not focused on 100% solvency. So, if that is your only voter you might not win.

11 - I do prefer cases with both a criterion and a value instead of single standard. I have not seen a single standard run well so f
12 - Do not argue after the round with me. I will drop your speaker points as it is very rude and offensive to the me as your judge, your opponent, and to any observers. You can ask me questions about the round and why I decided the way I did, but arguing with me over it will not change my decision ever. I will also be reporting any rudeness and arguing with me to your coach. Be mindful of this.

I am and have been the coach at LHS for the last 10 years. I was also the 2021 NSDA's National Coach of the Year.

General Notes-
* I am in tab much more often than I'm behind a round at this point. As such, I may be rusty on some more specific lingo/ trends(read as: don't just label an argument a RVI and expect me to accept it on face, explain why it's important)
* I have a disability that has varying levels of impact depending on the day; when it's flaring up, I might have trouble flowing spreading, or processing information at that speed. If you don't want to exclude me from the round, it'd be helpful to check in with me before the round starts. I'm also super happy to talk about it if you have more specific questions :)

*I will NOT vote on: pro racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, any other bigotry good arguments. Please just be cool people.

*If your case has any material that could be psychologically damaging or harmful, trigger warnings are a necessity. Graphic material includes, but is not limited to descriptions of: violence based on gender identity, sexuality, or race; police brutality; suicide; sexual assault; domestic abuse. Because debate should be safe and accessible to all debaters, TW's should be articulated in order to include everyone. Refusing to provide TW's for graphic cases creates an exclusive and threatening atmosphere and will effect speaker points, but not the decision.

PF-
Arguments- I'm very open to whatever style of argument you want to make in round, so long as you do it well. Don't just dump cards, actually offer in round analysis and engage with your opponent's arguments. If something is important to the round, I expect you to spend time on it. Regardless of the style, I need to see some sort of weighing mechanism in round- that could come from an observation or impact calc (or whatever else) so long as I have some sort of idea what I should be valuing. Absent of that, I'll default to generic util weighing. I prefer cut cards over paraphrasing, but will listen to either.
Speed- I prefer a moderate, not ludicrous, pace. If you want to go absurdly fast, that's fine, but understand I'll miss some details. I think it's really important for speed to be justified by content- so, if you're talking fast enough that you have to reiterate the same underview three times because you're out of content, I'd rather you slow down. At any speed, I really value clarity. It's also good to know that some days I physically won't be able to flow super quickly, so it wouldn't hurt to double check with me about speed before round.
Round Structure- First and foremost, I expect the second rebuttal to address both sides of the flow. So, make sure, in front of me, you're allocating your time in a way such that you're able to address everything important, as dropped arguments are essentially conceded.
I don't expect line by line argumentation in summary and final focus. Instead, the round should be narrowed down to the main points. This is where I expect a lot of weighing and analysis, not just 50 author names back to back.

LD-
Standards/ Framework- I don't have strong feelings any one way about V/Cr vs Single Standard and/or RoB etc. I initially learned LD through a pretty traditional framing, so I tend to track that way myself, but, I'm open to whatever you want to do if you explain in. If you're running some philosophy that's out there or uncommon, it would benefit you to explain it clearly.
Theory- I'm down, but it actually needs to be theory (read as: "Speed is unfair/ exclusionary" isn't an argument I'll evaluate; Interp, violation standard, voter framing is)
Ks- See above, I'll happily hear out a k with structure that actually functions within a round. YOU HAVE TO OFFER A LINK or there's no way for me to evaluate the K
A Priori/ Prima facie/ probably other things- justify why it matters and I'll hear it out.
**As a general interpretation, I view theory/ks/ a priori arguments etc as arguments. They aren't some sort of magical trap card that automatically win you the round. They are arguments that need to be interacted with and extended like anything else. Reading an ableism K in the NC and then leaving it there isn't going to win me over. Your opponent answering an identity K with arguments doesn't make them inherently bad, they're interacting with an argument you put out
Solvency- I don't inherently think solvency is important in LD. This doesn't mean that I won't hear out solvency arguments, but you need to justify why I should care about solvency for it to be a voting issue for me. "The aff doesn't offer any solvency" on its own isn't enough for me to vote on.


CX-
**I really don't judge policy all that often. If I'm behind your round, things were likely pretty desperate from a tab or judge hire perspective. Despite that, I will do my best to adjudicate the round- you'll probably just need to slow down a bit on taglines and important analysis for me.

Judging: I have, thus far, only judged PF rounds. That is my comfort zone.

Speed: I can follow faster presentations, but if I miss a contention because I was taking notes on the previous contention, that's on y'all.

Numbers: I don't require facts, figures, and statistics. However, if one team uses them, cites them, and defends their validity if challenged then they will have an advantage over a team that does not. This being said, if these numbers accidentally reveal that the other team outweighs on magnitude, or probability, that's also on y'all.

Unconventionality: Original (strong) arguments are appreciated and effective. They have to make sense and they have to be supported by evidence. They also have to be relevant.

How I weigh: Beyond simply proving your point, I focus on whether someone's contention has been neutralized/negated/disproven/minimized (or demonstrated to be non-unique). I tend to favor probability over magnitude.

Warrants/Technical Arguments: Linked to unconventionality, if you make an argument that requires technical knowledge, you should try to briefly explain it. Also, if the feasibility/reality of a claim is not readily apparent, the warrant should come with a short explanation as to how it makes sense.

Please give me clear voters starting in summary. Additionally, having many underdeveloped arguments is not better than having a smaller number of well-constructed arguments to me. I can handle some speed, but if it doesn't make it onto my flow or into my memory, it wasn't in the round. Moreover, it's not really in the spirit of public forum to speak faster than the average person could follow.

In PF, I prefer to see responses to the first team's rebuttal in the second team's rebuttal, as I believe a debate should not look like two ships passing in the night. In a similar vein, I think a strong debate team understands how their own arguments can interact with each other. It will go a long way if you can craft an overarching narrative using all your arguments rather than treating them as separate entities.

Finally, be respectful and try to learn from each other!

Experience: I debated for four years at Millard West and went to TOC a couple times.

She/her

Assistant Coach at Lincoln Southwest

Debated for 3 years on NE circuit

I don’t like speed so please slow down

I don't like theory and progressive arguments but I will evaluate it as best as I can

I especially don't like theory in PF :)

As a Black judge please do not have any kumbaya (easy solvency) racism arguments. If you run racism, you need have clear links & warrants

Assume that I am not well versed in the topic so explain everything.

USE MUST TAKE PREP TIME TO READ EVIDENCE!

If you don't have a clear link, you don't get access to your impacts

I prefer if second speaker rebuilds in their rebuttal, but if you have good coverage/ cross analysis/ rebuild in summary you won't be penalized

I am not huge on card dumps and numbers being thrown around; if you want me to buy into your card/argument, I expect you to explain what the number or card means. Tell me why I should be voting for you based on your evidence (you need to do more than cite the name). Please do not misconstrue your evidence

(!!!) IMPACT- some of the best rounds are lost because teams do not impact (weighing is equally as important, make the decision for me). I absolutely hate lazy impacts such as extinction, climate change, & recession (having big numbers doesn't mean you'll win the round). Be creative!

I am here to make sure everyone has a fun, safe and exciting experience with debate. Any hateful or blatantly racist, transphobic/homophobic, sexist, etc arguments will not be weighed in the round.

If you have any questions at all, just ask! I am open to helping anyone with their debate skills and ideas, no matter your success or failure. You can reach out any time, regardless if I have judged you or not :)

Good luck!

I debated for four years at Lincoln East HS and graduated in 2021. I'm pretty removed from debate now, so assume I'm unfamiliar with the topic and any recent norms.

General:

Comparative analysis is the single most important part of any round. Whether you're comparing impacts, warrants, or evidence, please give me reasons why I should prefer you over your opponents—it's the only way to resolve a vast majority of rounds without intervening.

Second rebuttal must frontline arguments they may collapse on, first summary must extend defense, and everything in final focus must be in summary.

I can handle up to 250 words per minute. However, I have trouble flowing blippy speeches, so please use speed for additional warranting, not additional arguments.

I will only call for evidence if I'm explicitly told to in a speech. Similarly, I won't flow off speech docs absent any technical issues.

I do not listen to cross. I will probably be reading articles, browsing the internet, or just shutting my brain off.

If you do not make an attempt to frontline, weigh, or extend your arguments, your speaks will be capped at a 28.

Progressive Arguments:

I have some experience debating and running theory. I generally support disclosure and think paraphrasing is a good practice when done ethically. Debates surrounding different methods of disclosure (i.e. open source vs. full text) are perfectly reasonable, and I'm hesitant to evaluate paraphrasing shells without a specific example of a misconstrued card, assuming evidence ethics is one of your standards. That being said, I would much rather listen to a substance debate if at all possible.

I'm willing to listen to Ks, but I'm not too comfortable evaluating them.

I debated four years of high school while attending Papillion LaVista High School here in Nebraska.

General Notes

- Speed reading is not normally an issue for me, if it becomes an issue I will let you know in round.

- Be respectful and courteous to your competitors and your judge. Debate comes with quite a bit of emotion and tension do your best to limit the aggression and excitement.

- Don’t start speaking until I look like I’m ready to flow, I flow on paper so if I’m still getting my paper ready and you start talking, I’m going to have a hard time flowing the first minute of your speech.

Argumentation/round flow

- Your arguments should be as clear as you can make them. If everyone is running the same foundation for an argument, yours should be different as well as unique.

- In your speech you need to be as precise and clear as you can, your cards should have clear warrants behind them, and your overall impacts should be emphasized throughout the round.

- The second rebuttal does not need to cover both sides, but you should strive to do so.

- Your final focus speech should be almost identical if not a mirror image of your summary, if you drop something in your summary or don’t cover it and then bring it up in final focus, I’m not going to weigh it.

I will keep track of prep time, but you should also be aware of how much time you have. If you ask for evidence your prep time does not start until the evidence is in your hand.

Lastly, if you use evidence at all in the round, be prepared for both your opponent and I to ask to see it. I know the amount of time and work that teams put into preparing and might have a lot of evidence/cards for a specific topic. If I request to view your evidence I do not want to wait for you or your partner to find it, it should be readily (printed or digital does not matter).

I debated Nebraska Circuit Public Forum for four years at Lincoln Southwest High School. I've judged Nebraska Circuit Public Forum for two years.

I'm generally okay with speed. However, if you speak too quickly, then I can't guarantee that I will get everything on my flow.

Elaborate on your cards throughout the round. Simply listing off the author and year of your card won't do much for me, especially in the second half of the round. Also, give me reasons to prefer your cards over your opponent's. Otherwise, the preference is left up to me. Lastly, I will never call for a card at the end of the round.

If you want me to consider your framework it should be properly justified. Simply attaching it to the top of each speech isn't enough.

Second speaker rebuttal is not required to respond to attacks.

New evidence can be brought up in summary as long as its related to an existing argument.

I am more likely to vote for you if you can provide a big picture and tell a consistent, compelling story.

Be civil.

I was in debate all four years in high school, and this is my fourth year as a judge. The best way to win a round is to tell a clear and consistent story that flows through all of your speeches. Although, I'm not a judge that comes into a round with predetermined biases nor predetermined ideas of how a debate should be, so just have a nice, clash-filled debate and I'll be a neutral judge.

mostly tech>truth

be nice

im familiar with progressive debate but I don't want the debate to be centered around it.

ill give you a 30 if you say "wanker" in any speech.

also don't spread

Background: I did debate in PF for four years at Lincoln High School.

Debate how ever you want. I will try to be tabula rasa and evaluate what is in round. To help me make a good decision, I have compiled a list of things you should do in a debate round.

Things I like in a debate round:

1) Weigh arguments.

2) Extend cards, warrants, impact, or whatever you think will make you win the round. That being said, this is how I consider a good extension. Don't assume that I "get" your argument if you bring up a card name related to it. That is not how it works. I expect fully extension of your warrants.

3) Good strategy > extend everything

4) Second speaking team should plan on responding to the first rebuttal in second rebuttal.

5) If something is in final focus, then it must(most of the time) be in the summary.

I have linked great videos that explains the components of debate. Check these out in your free time.

Progressive Arguments:

I am inexperience with this but I am learning. Don't count on me for making the right decision.

Learn how to do a summary in debate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuLuRZuvsJc

Learn how to do Impact Calculus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlR27R_bG0o&feature=youtu.be

The Human Condition and Debate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7sxj1Z-U1E&feature=youtu.be

Debated varsity public forum 3 years in Nebraska; graduated high school 2019. Currently attending university in NYC.

I'm a flexible judge. Generally:

I want comparative weighing of arguments and evidence. I prefer analysis over evidence dumps. Speed is ok; though, speak clearly. Signpost. If you have data and tell me why it matters, all arguments go.

Ask any questions before or after round.

Name: Cameron Wilson
School Affiliation: Millard West/Millard North
Number of Years Judging Public Forum: 6
Number of Years Competing in Public Forum: 4
Number of Years Judging Other Forensic Activities: 0, I’ve judged a few tournaments of LD
Number of Years Competing in Other Forensic Activities: 0
If you are a coach, what events do you coach?
What is your current occupation? Student

Please share your opinions or beliefs about how the following play into a debate round:

Speed of Delivery
I can only type 75 words per minute, so beyond a certain point I won’t be able to flow your speed, although I can hear it. For example if your case is 4.5 pages(12pt font, double spaced) odds are I’ll miss a flowing a little bit of it.

Format of Summary Speeches (line by line? big picture?) Tie up the most important arguments line by line, but other than quickly telling me why unimportant args are unimportant, leave them out.

Role of the Final Focus: Big Picture
Extension of Arguments into later speeches: Definitely don’t bring up an argument in the final focus that you only ever mentioned in your case and say that it should be voted on. Carry them through most of the speeches, and if you had to drop something in summary, tell me why it’s okay (for example, quickly argue that you dropped it because you won it)

Topicality: I’ll treat it on a case by case basis. I like wild arguments that talk about how the resolution’s affirmation/negation has far reaching and unrelated impacts, but tie it back to the resolution. An example of non topicality for me is if the resolution was about gun control and you have a case that is completely about organ harvesting with zero mention of control.

Plans: I have no idea how this would ever come up. If you create a parallel plan to the resolution and say something like “instead of the arguing for the resolution we’re arguing for this plan”, I will allow the other team to just say you are being non-topical.

Kritiks: Not convincing in public forum, not interested in hearing it. Like if your case is a Kritik that says I need to vote for you to send a message to the national speech and debate association to instigate change, I’ll probably just ignore it all.

Flowing/note-taking: I try to flow literally every single point and argument made, but I can only type so fast. Sometimes if I miss something I’ll go up and edit the flow after your speech if I remember what you said. Giving speeches in order that you have flowed is very easy for me to follow and preferred.

Do you value argument over style? Style over argument? Argument and style equally?: I didn’t know argument/style were in opposition to each other. I value argument I suppose, but if your style is vicious meanness or extreme mumbling then I’ll give horrible speaker points and maybe stop flowing.

If a team plans to win the debate on an argument, in your opinion does that argument have to be extended in the rebuttal or summary speeches?: Yes

If a team is second speaking, do you require that the team cover the opponents’ case as well as answers to its opponents’ rebuttal in the rebuttal speech?: No, but in my experience most of the time second speaking team doesn’t cover both it means they’re going to drop a lot of their case and cede many arguments. It is highly highly recommended

Do you vote for arguments that are first raised in the grand crossfire or final focus?: Not unless they’re brought up in a speech. It should be easy to include them in a speech though—just very quickly summarize/remind me of what happened in the crossfire and I’ll put it on my flow.

If you have anything else you'd like to add to better inform students of your expectations and/or experience, please do so here: I will intentionally naively believe a lot of evidence within reasonable grounds, in order to make teams address each others arguments.

please start an email chain: syadavdebate@gmail.com

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I would call myself a fairly flow judge. "tech > truth" unless the evidence that is being read is very misrepresented.

Anything you want me to vote on must be extended in summary. There's no such this as sticky defense. Frontline in 2nd RB. Frontline, if applicable, and extend in summary.

You do not have to extend case in 1st RB.

I prefer the weighing done for me; as in a bunch of warrants, defense and turns will do nothing for me if they are not contextualized. I expect to hear why I should prefer your side with reference to warrants. I could maybe vote on something left off of FF, but I won't extend something from case/rebuttal to summary UNLESS it makes sense in the round (ie opponent brings it up again). Weighing should be comparative, doesn't help if both teams say they have a high probability without comparing to their opponent.

I do not flow cross-ex (but I do listen). if it's a new argument/warranting in CX, it should be in a speech. Be nice

As for mechanics, I am pretty flexible and should be comfortable with speed (unless it will be very fast/spreading) as long as you are clear. A speech doc will be well appreciated if you are speaking fast. I'm open to theory, as long as it is not frivolous (ex: no shoe theory). Ks and shells are both ok. I default to reasonability. Please note I am not an expert with theory, and again speech docs will help me understand more. (especially in online debate)

Have evidence ready, shouldn't take longer than 1-2 min to find it or send it out. Also, I will take it from your prep if you're prepping when your opponent is getting a card. I know online debate means I can't enforce this too well so honor system.

About paraphrasing: It takes away from the education of the debate, I do hate it, and while I won't drop you (on face) for it, I won't like you any better if you give me 40 one-lined "cards" in case or rebuttal. Plus it just takes away from the round when your opponent has to call for 10 cards because you read them too fast. (Anti) Paraphrasing theory will pretty easily win my ballot if done well.

..............................................................................................................................................

Overall, I try my best to make the right decision (but I'm nowhere near perfect). If you have ANY questions feel free to contact me (syadavno1@gmail.com) or ask me before/after the round. Thank you!

Brown '21 | Lincoln East '17 | Email remaining questions to: a.a.zhu24@gmail.com

I will disclose and give oral feedback at the end of the round, just give me time to complete my ballot.

General notes:

- Be nice. I have no patience for people who are jerks. I will drop you, report you for being abusive, tell you in my oral critique, tattle to your coach, and take whatever other means I have available to me to ensure you're never rude in round again. Oh, and your speaks will be as low as they can possibly be.

- Debate how you normally debate. I'm open to everything, as there's a reason you got to where you are. I will never drop a debater or a team because I don't like their style of argument. I believe debate is an educational activity, not only for the students, but for judges as well. That means that we also need to continue to learn and adapt.

PF:

- I do not flow author names, rather, I flow card content. If you want to extend something, tell me what the card says too, don't just "Extend McDonald '18"

- Framework/Observations/Definitions: Don't run them unless it's absolutely necessary. Don't make the debate about the framework/definitions/whatever fluff you have at the beginning, this isn't what PF should be about. I will not vote on a framework just because it is there and is not utilized with your case. If the framework does come into play, however, I will reluctantly consider it. Finally, if both teams propose a framework, give me a good reason to prefer yours over your opponents'.

- Speed doesn't really matter, so long as your opponents and I can both understand you. To this point, if I can't understand what you're saying because of speed, I'll yell "Clear" at you. If I don't understand what you're saying because I don't think it makes sense, I'll look very puzzled at you and not be flowing for an extended period of time.

- I understand that debate is a game, but if you speak second and take prep after your opponents read their case, I reserve the right to deduct your speaks, or in out-rounds, pay less attention to your constructive.

- First rebuttal: don't go back to your own case and re-read what's in it. Feel free to weigh their case against yours, or make new analyses and even sub arguments, but do not simply reread what's already in the case that I heard the first time again. If you're done, end early. Rehashing what I already heard without giving your opponent a chance to respond to it isn't fair or strategic, and this will be reflected in your speaker points.

- I think it's extremely difficult for the second speaking team to win if they don't go back to their own case, but I have seen extremely talented teams pull it off. If the second speaker doesn't do some defense in rebuttal, that leaves the second summary speaker with 10 minutes of speeches to cover in just 2 minutes. If you want to go for this strategy, be my guest, just know that the path to winning on my ballot is paper thin in this scenario, and your summary speaker had better give the best speech of their lives.

- Please do some analysis and impact your cards, don't just throw cards/numbers/stats around. Impact calculus is important. I don't care if you tell me that this program will cost the U.S. $50,000 if you don't tell me what that means in the wider context of things. Will healthcare funding also go down? Will taxpayers have to pay extra? Will we have to cut other government programs? Tell me what is going to happen as a result of the numbers you tell me.

- I prefer big picture summaries. Start trying to narrow down the round into a few main arguments. If you must, fine, I'll try to evaluate "down their flow then down ours", but if you can cut a few arguments out that you deem unimportant, you'll only look better in my eyes.

Last updated: 2/2019