Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament
2020 — Online, FL/US
Public Forum Debate Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideEx-PF debater (out rounds at Nats 2017), now work at a think tank in DC.
For prelim rounds: Please get to the virtual room as soon as possible. Pre-flowing and prepping are understandable but please don't intentionally wait until the last minute possible to join.
1. I would really prefer you not to spread. Especially in Public Forum. Getting four contentions into your speech that I have half-written on my flow is a lot worse than one very clear, well-explained contention.
2. That being said, I am a flow judge. So I will vote on how well you weigh, collapse, defend, etc. which also means that both teams need to be doing these things in rebuttal, summary, and FF
3. First summary only needs to extend defense on arguments that were frontlined in second rebuttal. Second rebuttal should answer all offense on the flow.
4. SIGNPOST. Please do. It really makes my life so much easier, and it also makes your speeches A LOT clearer. If an opponent drops an argument, signpost for me and then just say to extend it on the flow. You don't need to re-explain the whole argument for me if your opponent did nothing to contend it.
5. Be ready BEFORE THE ROUND to share evidence with your opponents. That means the full article, PDF, in addition to the cut card is what you should be ready to share as well as where in there you found it. Read evidence at your own risk. If something your opponent reads sounds questionable, CALL FOR IT! I'm probably not going to call for evidence unless I literally can't believe someone wrote whatever they said. If you are going to call out your opponents' evidence for their source or because they misquoted, do so in an educated manner (i.e. not just because you think it's "bad"). At that point, I will probably look at the evidence at the end of the round.
6. Do NOT flow through ink, drop opponents' arguments in rebuttal (unless that's an intentional, strategic move), try and provide offense in the first rebuttal, bring up a new argument in FF/bring up new evidence in FF. It's not that I'm going to automatically drop you if this stuff happens, but none of these things help move the debate forward for you or for me. With younger debaters, I understand it a lot more if this stuff happens during the round.
7. I do not flow CX. CX is a time for each person/team to set up defense or offense in future speeches. So, if something important comes up, I would assume it would be mentioned in later speeches (i.e. it should be mentioned in later speeches). More for you than for me, I would stay away from using CX time for your opponent just to explain an argument from their case.
8. I abide by the whole "if it's in FF, it needs to be in summary" broadly. So, don't bring up a contention in FF that your opponent didn't bring up in summary. But, the speeches shouldn't be identical, you should provide some sort of new analysis or weighing within the contentions that your opponent brought up in summary as long as it's not new evidence.
9. In LD, if you run theory or Ks, I am not familiar with these arguments from my time debating or the years I have judged so far. So, you will need to really EXPLAIN these for me and break down why they are essential to the round we are in. Based on that then, run them at your own risk. In PF, don't run theory or Ks.
10. Will always disclose at the end of rounds unless I am specifically instructed not to. Feel free to ask any questions for clarity or for advice.
11. Be respectful, please. I understand the nature of competition pits one side against the other. Respectful doesn't mean you should let your opponents walk all over you, but it does mean there needs to be thoughtfulness in what you do. This typically becomes most important during CX. A general example is, it's okay to cut someone off if they've answered your question and are just explaining their case to me (unless that was the question you asked) because there's strategy to making sure CX doesn't become a soap box for your opponent just to have a second case reading. BUT do not cut your opponent off if you asked them a question, and they are providing analysis to their answer. YOU asked the question, and for the most part YOU need to be okay with them giving a complete answer.
I am a Novice PFJudge, I have judged only
Local circuits.
Please go slow and explain your arguments well, so I can flow the round. Please avoid compound complex sentences, speak louder and clear. Don’t overwhelm me with evidence , rather choose best evidence to support your claims, give a good overview for the voters at the end of the round . I judge on quality of arguments.
I will do my best to be neutral and fair.
Tech judge. Please do not do off time road maps unless if you say where you are going to start and end on the flow. Please keep it below 5-10 seconds.
Hi! My name is Raif, I debated PF from 2016-2020 at local, state, and nat circ tourneys in the northeast. I coached TOC qualifying and judged extensively from 2020-2022. Once we are in the round, I will provide my email for a email evidence chain or a google doc whichever u prefer. On any other event than PF you can treat me like a well meaning lay judge.
PF:
General Stuff:
-I live for the line by line debate, a rebuttal that clearly signposts what part of a contention that the second speaker will be responding to and then applying responses that are actually responsive and not just topshelf is awesome, and same thing goes for summaries/final foci. "Big picture/voters style debate" is tolerable, but nothing beats a good line by line round.
-All Offense(Contentions, Turns, or Disads) has to be properly FRONTLINED(Improperly frontlining is when you just straight up extend through ink pretending that explaining your link story actually responds to your opponent's response when it clearly doesn't or drop any response on any argument you collapse on), EXTENDED(An extension that isn't sufficient is one that extends a link, but then drops the impact, or just only extends an impact without a link, please do both), and probably WEIGHED in BOTH SUMMARY AND FINAL FOCUS IN ORDER TO BE EVALUATED. In non-debate jargon: Explain the arguments you want me to vote for you off of, answer your opponent's responses, and explain why your arguments are more important than your opponents in both summary and final focus.
-WEIGH YOUR ARGUMENTS. "Weighing" by saying "we outweigh on probability and magnitude" with no further explanation is not weighing. You genuinely have to compare your impacts or links and explicitly explain why I prefer one link or impact over the other. Weighing will boost your speaks, but weighing by just using buzzwords with no additional analysis will make me physically cringe. Don't take advantage of Probability/Strength of Link Weighing to read new link or impact defense that wasn't in the round already. If you start weighing in rebuttal, +.5 speaks for you and an imaginary cookie! The only time I will accept new weighing in either final foci is if there has literally been no weighing in the past speeches by either side(if u reach this scenario, your speaks won't be as high compared to if yall started weighing earlier).
-Turns read in the first rebuttal have to be responded to in the second rebuttal, or I consider it as a clean line of offense for the first speaking team(hey first speaking team you should probably blow that up!). The second rebuttal probably should also frontline defensive responses for strategic purposes, but that is not mandatory.
-UPDATE: 3-minute summaries require defense to be extended in first summary.Because of 1st Summary not being able to definitively know what the second speaking team is collapsing on in summary and final focus, 1st Final Focus CAN extend defensive responses from rebuttal to Final Focus ONLY IF the response was dropped(uncontested). That being said, I would much rather prefer if you could also extend the responses you want to collapse on in FF be in summary too. Please don't say a certain response was dropped when it wasn't. If a link turn is read by a team in rebuttal, and then is not read in summary, but is dropped by the opposing team in their summary, I am willing to evaluate the turn as terminal defense in final focus if the team who read it in rebuttal decides to extend the response in their final focus.
-If there is no offense at the end of the round I will presume the status quo(default con), but before that I will try to find some trivial piece of offense on on the flow that may seem insignificant to the debate if it comes to that(please do not let it come to that).
-Signpost: If I can't tell where you are on the flow, then I cant flow what you say, and that sucks for everyone!
-Warranted analytic>Carded response with no warrant most of the time
-Tech>Truth
Lay-------------Flay---------X---Tech
-Defesne is sticky, even if a response isnt extended in summary and final, if said response was read onto one of the arguments that would be collapsed on in the latter half of the round, I would be more hesitant to vote off of that argument compared to other arguments collapsed in the latter half of the round that have less ink on them or no ink that hasnt been frontlined.
-For concessions in crossfire to be evaluated, CONCESSIONS HAVE TO BE BROUGHT UP IN THE NEXT SPEECH.
Speed:(<275 Words Per Minute)
-Please don't spread, you can honestly just work on your word economy!
-I’ve been less involved recently, and if it’s online please speak at a normal pace.
-Def pref 180-200wpm the most but above that is bearable untill 275wpm.
-If you can speak CLEARLY AND QUICKLY, you should be fine!
-If you go fast, and I yell clear more than twice, your speaks are getting docked(there is literally no educational or tangible real-world benefits made from spreading so quickly that neither I nor your opponents can comprehend your arguments).
-Quality of responses>Quantity of response
I trust you to count your own prep time, please do not abuse that.
Theory/Ks/Other Progressive Args:
-As someone who debated mainly in the Northeast, I don't know how to evaluate progressive arguments because I have never really debated them nor have I been exposed to them much. I am open to hearing them and don't plan on hacking against them, but I would much rather not have to judge fast progressive rounds if I do not have to.
-2 exceptions tho:
A) Impacting to structural violence if it is warranted, frontlined, and continuously extended in a logical and intuitive manner.
B) If your opponents are genuinely being abusive in the round, at that point you don't need to read a shell, just straight up say they are being abusive and warrant it quickly(i.e. "they read a new and unrelated contention in second rebuttal that does not interact with our case, that's abusive bc of timeskew.")
Evidence:
-I try to avoid calling for evidence as much as possible.
-Paraphrasing is okay so long as it is within the context of the actual evidence
-After two minutes(Im sympathetic to those w slow laptops bc I had one when I used to debate), if you can't get your evidence, I'm just not evaluating it, and we are moving on with the round. If want to use your team's prep time to still get the evidence after the two minutes, you can do that too if it is so important.
-Your speaks are getting DOCKED if you're misrepresenting evidence and I will drop the evidence/or even the argument entirely from the round based on how severe the misconstrual is.
-Unless the opposing team tells me miscut evidence means I should drop the debater and why, the team that miscut the evidence WILL NOT have an auto-drop.
These are the scenarios I call for evidence:
A) A debater tells me to in the round
B) It sounds hella sketch/too good to be true
C) It is important for my decision
-Evidence weighing or whatever is generally really cringe, but there are exceptions like in this vid(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siA9SmHyO7M&t=2610s) at 42:15.
Good luck, don't be mean, and have fun!
Background
I’ve been a debate coach since 2011, first at the middle school level, then managing debate operations as an assistant principal, and since 2020doing what I love as the proud coach of Everglades HS forensics from Miramar, FL. I have a B.A. in English / B.S. in Biology and a Masters in Ed. Leadership. I’ve judged everything from locals to NSDA Nationals. Four time NSDA national finalist coach. NSDA Speech school of excellence 2023. Follow us on IG @evergaldesdebate
Rule #1 – Play Nice.
If cross gets ugly and rude, I will destroy your speaker points. Debate is about building community and showing others that we don’t have to be as vile and divisive as those holding political office. Seriously, you all are the future. Make it awesome.
Argumentation & Evidence
I will be flowing your arguments and I do not want to be part of an email chain. I will judge off your flow. Having said that, please sign-post and don’t spread. I’m fine with rapid talking, but honestly, it is all about quality of argumentation over quantity.
Having solid warrants is great; but warrants without extension or analytical impact is fail. Just because you can rattle off stat after stat doesn’t show me you are an excellent debater and should win a round.
While it is very doubtful that I will be calling for cards, make sure you have exchanged cards with your opponents prior to the round so we don’t need to waste time with that in session. If you are unable to provide a requested card within 15 seconds, speaker points will drop and I will strike that piece of evidence from your argument.
Lincoln Douglas
I've seen a trend recently where competitors try to spread five or six contentions. If you elect to do this, be prepared for me to either a) review written case (time permitting before decision deadline) or b) not penalize your opponent for "dropping" Cs. Again, quality over quantity for me as a judge.
I am comfortable with counter-plans in most cases; however, I don't coach kritik's or "Ks" specifically; although I do my best to read the literature contained in topical case briefs. While I would never outright fail a position for running a "K", you will more than likely need to be super-awesome to win as I prefer traditional LD rounds. If you plan to run straight theory, please strike me.
World Schools Debate (WSD)
I'm thrilled to see WSD being brought to more and more tournaments. Having said that, many don't have a clear understanding of the format. Please make sure you have reviewed the NSDA guidelines, FFL Rules (if Florida), and / or tournament specific rule-set for the event.
As a judge, great cases for me will begin with defining and contextualizing the motion from the prop / opp's position. Furthermore, if the motion does not specifically give us what "this house" represents, define / clarify it for me. Make sure you introduce a clear, believable framework,before beginning the body of your case. As the case moves forward, all substansives, observations, and evaluations should be presented with specific, concrete examples. I don't by hyperbolic, generic, or slopply linked pieces of evidence. Having said that, do not turn WSD into a PF round, I'm really not interested in seeing how many cards you can (prepared motion) throw into your case.
As the round moves on, both sides have a duty to settle the framework debate, by either furthering clash over framework or moving on and accepting your opponent's framework. Don't weight til the reply speech to attempt to resolve framework issues or I will ignore your response and pref the team that provided a clear framework weighing mechanism earlier in the round.
Having listened to all three speakers, your content score will be reflective of how well your team not only presented your case, but how you chose to respond to your opponent's position. Again, I prefer specifics with well-thought out analytics, then simple summary of an opponent's substansive and then telling me (with non-specific or simply summarized evidence) how they fail to meet the metric of your framework. Dig deeper then that.
To earn maximun style points from me as a judge, speakers should be engaging and passionate about their assigned position. The speaking delivery style of this event is much closer to OO and Congress then it is to more traditional debate formats. Inclusion of rhetorical devices, proper speaking tone / inflection, and stage presence will have a huge impact on my ballot. Also, if you spend your time with your head in your case and not engaging with the round, you'll bore me and your speaks will suffer.
For strategy points, make sure to make use of PoIs outside of protected time. This should be spread around the team and not just be one person. Furthermore, how you respond to PoIs to further develop clash within the debate and use as a opportunity shift course mid-speech is total win.
Judging
I give significant weight to how debaters handle cross, summary, and final focus (PF) or rebuttal in LD. I’m sure you all have meticulously prepared constructives / cases and rebuttals. However, I want to see what you can do when presented with your opponent’s case that is unique and entertaining.
Please make sure to weigh your arguments; but do so with thorough explanation. Please don’t tell me “aff outweighs on magnitude of impact” and leave it at that.
Also, if you've read this far, congrats! You get to hear my judging pet-peve - climate / nuclear war / extinction arguments. They feel like such an easy out. I'll certainly consider them, but I'm thinking we can be more original than that.
I will disclose results at the end of the round as per tournament directions on disclosure. Feedback will be on ballot, and if I have time and you'd like oral feedback (if disclosure is allowed) I will give oral FB.
Bonus Points
If you can slide in a reference to any of the following, I’ll give your speaker points a little bump:
- Rick and Morty - Must be a Season 7 Reference ... or something involving Mr. Nimbus.
- Bad / Silly / Campy Horror Movies
- Why Dune was seriously phenomenal and your expectations or thoughts on Part II (Either movie, or better yet, the novel)
I like to be entertained. This is my weekend I’m giving up so you all can participate in a great tournament. Make me laugh and keep me engaged when you speak and the world will be an almost beautiful place.
I am a parent judge, so I should be considered lay. I have a daughter in PF and I am a lawyer, so speech coherence and style is probably going to matter more to me that someone who is more technical. I cannot understand spreading so please put quality over quantity. Please be respectful of everybody, rudeness makes the round much harder to watch and judge! Please weigh and warrant clearly and extend anything you want me to evaluate. I will take notes, but still try to make sure the most important things are identified or I might not vote on it.
Additionally, please include me on all email chains if you make them. My personal email is jennifergaltmanpa@gmail.com, please feel free to reach out with any questions.
Updated for TOC.
experience debating national circuit policy and public forum.
arguments are not arguments without warrants.
if all debaters in the round express a reasonable preference they would like me to adopt prior to judging the debate, let me know and I will adopt it; judge adaptation can go both ways.
speaker points are entirely subjective and arbitrary, and are likely mostly based on what side of the bed I woke up on (anybody who says otherwise is likely kidding themselves, or taking their jobs a little too seriously).
flowing:
Debate is a communicative activity and if you cannot adequately communicate to me why you win a round i'm not going to mine through the flow to justify voting for you. you have to win the round, not rely on me to win it for you in my RFD.
in terms of rate of delivery (spreading), I will yell "clear" once if I do not understand you. If you do not become clear after that, I stop flowing your speech (if I don't flow your speech this typically means you lose).
progressive argumentation:
the only rule I have for debate is speech times, and that's just because I don't want to be here longer than I have to.
i'd characterize myself as a progressive judge. I was pretty deep into postmodern Ks when I debated and have grown to become highly appreciative of good theory debates. Doesn't matter how big your school is or how much resources your program has, you should be prepared to defend the rules if you want to enforce them in round. If you think a rule is good and is something we should stick to, you should be prepared to defend it. You should also be prepared to defend your representations and ideology that underlies your arguments.
literate enough about most K-literature to know when you are bastardizing your evidence, but non-interventionist enough to not care. also can we please read links with our Ks from here on out?
i find the insularity with regards to particular jargon in theory debates to be pretty exhausting, just because a team does not say the magic words "counter-interpretation" does not mean they do not have one. I judge the arguments by how they are argued, not how they are labeled.
evidence:
put simply: i don't care.
I judge based on the what I hear. This means: I won't call for evidence, I don't care if your evidence is in "card" form, I don't want to be on the email chain, and generally care more about what your argument is than what your evidence says. Debate (especially PF) is about communication, and if your communicative strategy is dependent on me flowing your speech doc, strike me.
I don't care about evidence ethics, but am willing to begrudgingly vote on a well-explained argument as to why I should care.
miscellaneous:
no i would not like to be on the email chain
no i do not care where you sit.
no i do not care if you stand or sit to speak.
If you are clearly just reading pre-written blocks the whole debate, your speaker-point ceiling is a 27.
postround me, idc. i like it when the coaches join in on the fun too.
Former policy debater at George Mason University, and current graduate student at UNC Chapel Hill. I did policy debate at the college level for over 1 year, and have been judging policy, LD, PF, and big questions debate for 4 years.
My educational background: B.A. in Government and International Politics. Dual Masters in City and Regional Planning (specialization: Housing) and Public Health (specialization: health equity) currently ongoing.
Email: japril@email.unc.edu. If you have questions about my decision that weren't answered during RFD, feel free to email me and I will hopefully be able to answer. I'll keep my flows and notes for up to two weeks after the tournament concludes, so then would be the best time to email me.
I'd like to be included on the email chain please and thanks! The japril@email.unc.edu email will be best for me, but if this doesn't work you can use jordanapril72@gmail.com.
My number one thing is that you should be respectful. No insults, slurs, or disrespecting the other team members. I also will not be pleased if the evidence you read is openly harmful (i.e. homophobic/racist/sexist/transphobic arguments, etc.).
I don't do the whole shaking hands thing. This is not a way to disrespect you - this is a very much "it's not you, it's me" thing. (This was written before COVID, RIP)
Open cross-ex is fine. If this is a virtual tournament though, use more discretion. I have a low tolerance for talking over each other.
Spreading is fine. I should be able to keep up with faster speeches just fine. However if it is during a virtual tournament, I may request slower speeches simply due to issues of audio quality/video buffering/etc.
I expect you and your partner to keep track of your prep time and speech times, and to keep the other team in check.
If you identify as a man and you have a female-identifying partner, you better have a good reason for cutting her off/interrupting her/talking over her during her speeches. If not, I will be very tempted to factor this into your speaker points, and definitely will if it becomes a recurring issue.
I am 100% fine with explaining my RFD and how I felt the debate went down. However after this, if you still don't agree with/like my decision, feel free to post-round me. But it won't change my decision, nor the fact that your arguments were wrong/outweighed/not clear enough. In your final speeches, the burden of proof is on you to make it clear just how your arguments resolve/outweigh/whatever. Don't make me have to do the work for you.
If u like music that isn't sung in English, pls let me know! I love hearing new music (I listen mostly to Russian indie/pop, French pop, Scandinavian metal, Arab indie, etc.)!!!!
Policy:
- If you drop an arg, I will definitely vote on that.
- Cross-ex is binding
- Genuinely extend your arguments, especially ones you intend to win on. Extend these arguments fully throughout the round - I won't vote on it if improperly extended or dropped in the last speeches.
- I am generally inexperienced in theory or topicality arguments and the like. So it's gotta be demonstrated to be pretty egregious or conceded entirely for it to matter much to me. It's not wise having solely an intricate theory vs. condo vs. whatever 2NR and 2AR with me as your judge. If that happens, you may not like my decision.
- You need to extend the warrants of your argument, not just the tags and author. I don't flow author, so I won't mark it as extended if you only mention the author name. And don't just say "cross-apply this author" to another argument - I will not know why it matters without you explaining how this card also answers whatever argument it's being applied to.
- Slow down when you read tags
- I'm a huge fan of analytics - feel free to use them. These can sometimes be far more effective than reading cards.
On Ks - I'm not a K debater so these are not my strong suit. If it is something beyond a more basic and familiar K, just make sure you explain how it links and its significance. I have no problem voting for a K if I can understand it. If it's high theory, be sure to explain it in full beyond the jargon from the specialty.
- Don't be cocky when reading a K. Don't think you're going to automatically win because you're reading a K that you're capable of reading blocks for. Don't just be one of those teams hoping that the big words and confusion will result in a win for you - that's a harmful means of debate. That will not bode well for you.
On DAs - Make sure you have clear impact calculus, and extend the essential arguments during the round. Use overviews! Don't merely rely on overviews to extend though, you still need to genuinely engage with any evidence read against it.
LD
- I'm okay with cards being read in round (with discretion of course)
- I'm more pro-traditional LD (focusing on morality) than I am the progressive/policy-oriented LD. I won't vote you down instantly because you decide to have big-stick impacts like nuclear war or read DAs or Ks on the negative, but use discretion. If one debater is using a traditional LD framework versus the extinction framing, it can be in the territory of abusive. So tl;dr: not the biggest fan but I won't penalize you for it unless there's a reason to.
- I can follow philosophical theory (such as Kant), but if you are referencing that basis, at least explain it throughout the round. What is the significance of this theory and concept?
- The personal views of the other debater don't really matter to me. So don't attack them on things like, say, them being okay with taxes. This is a waste of time, and I won't vote on any of the personal views of the debater unless they are openly racist, sexist, etc.
- I don't know fully all the rules of LD (i.e. what is considered a violation, is this stealing affirmative ground, etc.). If I'm your judge, then these are not your best strategies unless the opponent is being blatantly abusive in round.
PF
- Be clear, go in a logical order for line-by-line
- Please weigh! Make the decision easy for me and make sense! Don't make me have to do any of the work for you.
- If it's in your final focus, it should be in your summary. I won't evaluate any new arguments that appear in the final focus if they weren't found elsewhere in earlier speeches.
- Don't go for everything in the final focus and summary speeches. What are the best arguments you have, the arguments with the least offense, the arguments you feel most confident about? Go for those, prioritize those, and drop some of the other stuff that you feel less confident on. Concede non-uniqueness or other nullifying arguments from the con if you need to (like yeah we are solving miscalculation in the status quo or somethingggg).
- If you're extending a contention, extend all the key aspects of that contention. If for example you drop a link or you drop an impact, that makes it harder for me to evaluate and harder for you to win the round. You need all pieces of the pie to get there or else it'll taste like you forgot to add the sugar (bad metaphor - just roll with it).
- I weigh crossfire a little low on the hierarchy of important things coming from you or your partner's/opponent's mouths. If you think it's a big deal or the opponent concedes something big in crossfire or something, be sure to not only point it out in speeches but to explain why it matters.
- Don't be rude. I'll very much dock your speaks.
Big Questions
- If you even THINK about asking me about the time I've judged Big Questions, I will give you a maximum amount of 20 for your speaks.
Short Version
Debated 4 years for King High School and had some decent success. If you care I qualled to TOC my senior year. I vote off the flow. Second rebuttal doesn’t have to respond to first other than offense and weighing and defense is sticky. You can ask any questions before the round.
Tech>Truth
Long Version
Extensions
- Don’t just extend cards, explain them
- Signpost otherwise I’m gonna get lost
- Obviously don’t extend through ink
Weighing
- I believe that even if you have a tiny piece of offense, if you weigh it correctly you can win
- Conceding weighing is really bad so don’t do it
- No new weighing in 2nd FF
- Metaweighing is cool
Evidence
- Even though Jasper sat against me in the bid round, I agree with him that reading evidence promotes intervention
- I will only call for it if I literally cannot make a decision without it or like it’s very highly contested in the round, but chances are I’ll just find somewhere else to vote
Speed
- You can go as pretty fast with me but probably not a good idea to spread (especially if its online)
- Be clear
Presumption
- I will automatically presume neg
- I am open to hearing args for presuming first aff
Progressive Argumentation
- So, I didn’t do too much of this when I competed, but I have a fair understanding about how it works
- If you read theory, it doesn’t have to be a shell since its PF
- You don’t automatically get an rvi but you can argue for one
- I’m not going to stop you from reading friv theory or tricks but err on the side of caution
- If you read theory against novices and they somehow win, that would be super funny, and your speaker points will be pretty low
- I don’t know much about Ks, but I have an ok idea about what they are and will do my best to evaluate them
For Higher Speaks
- TKO rule is in play
- World Star is also in play
- If you make me laugh
- If you can do some dope pen tricks, make sure to flex
- I don’t think debate should require formal clothes so if you wear something funny, I’ll boost speaks
- Give a speech without using your flow
Obvious Stuff Not To Do
- Don’t be racist or sexist or anything like that
- Drop your pen 100x because your bad at pen tricks
- Make random facial expressions during their speech or your partner’s cross unless something genuinely confusing, funny, weird etc. happens.
Other Stuff
- I don’t like how formal debate is so feel free to basically do whatever and where whatever you want in round such as eat (better share) or take off your shoes or whatever, as long as it is not obviously trying to distract your opponents
- Don’t shake my hand or call me judge
- Preflow before round
- You can take grand cross as prep if you want but if you can do something funny during cross, I would prefer to hear/see it
- Also cross is binding and if you say something and change it later, I will probably drop you
- I encourage postrounding
I'm a parent judge, so please speak slowly and clearly. I don't know too much debate jargon, so I probably won't understand it if you refer to it in speech. Please try to be engaging during crossfire.
I like it when teams clearly articulate and present their arguments. The last few speeches are really important for me and are what I vote off of.
Please time yourselves.
During prelims, I probably won't disclose unless it is required.
Good luck!
PF: Most of my debate background is in policy. High school and college. PF debate should adhere to evidence standards. Full source citations and quotes in context. Challenges for full PDFs should be limited to serious questions regarding the source or quotes without sufficient context.
I am open to all types of argumentation provided work is devoted to development in round.
CD: I expect the same quality of evidence as any debate event. Arguments should be adequately supported with quality topic literature. As debate progresses on individual bills/resolutions, I expect participants to adapt to the evolving content. Developing arguments in nuanced and novel ways or refuting the opposition with sound analysis is necessary late in the debate.
I strongly believe in narrowing the debate in the summary speeches. I really want you to determine where you are winning the debate and explain that firmly to me. In short: I want you to go for something. I really like big impacts, but its's important to me that you flush out your impacts with strong internal links. Don't just tell me A leads to C without giving me the process of how you got there. Also don't assume i know every minute detail in your case. Explain and extend and make sure that you EMPHASIZE what you really want me to hear. Slow down and be clear. Give me voters (in summary and final focus).
Speed is fine as long as you are clear. I work very hard to flow the debate in as much detail as possible. However, if I can't understand you I can't flow you.
Hello, My name is Chuck Baugh. I am a first year parent judge with no formal debate experience. I am CEO of an industrial biotech company with a strong science background. Please speak clearly!
"historically incompetent" - aaron tian
2024 Update
im super old at this point. i like fast substance rounds with smart collapse strategies and unique implications. i do not appreciate the current K debate meta (almost always cut poorly) and i am not very compelled by discourse links in lieu of a real alt/method. i am also staunchly anti arguments about debaters as individuals/out of round actions and WILL probably intervene on them on principle.
im super lazy, i will not intervene if i can help it. if it takes me >2min to vote im probably intervening.
every round is decided by determining what the highest layer of offense is -> who links into that best
i don't think PF debaters execute theory or K debate well, so i think i would prefer you talk about the topic but i'm fine with/can evaluate whatever
yes i want on the chain if it’s varsity at a TOC bid tournament, email dylan.beach01@gmail.com
full paradigm: i am the beach
I am a second-year PhD student in the department of political science at the University of Florida. My research primarily focuses on immigration, citizenship, and national identity issues. I served as a judge a for the past 3 years for the Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament. I competed in public debates here at UF and in model UN high school.
I do not believe speed speaking or reading are effective forms of debate. I appreciate the usage of reliable sources. I expect debaters to introduce themselves at the start of the debate and to include their gender pronouns (she/her, they/them, he/him, etc)
I will be listening to the speakers carefully and looking for flow, consistency, evidence and sources of evidence. Will be noting down all the key points and assess based on content presented and will go by the data for final out come. I have judged in Berkley and other tournaments around Bay area before.
Starting with a bit of background on me, I competed for 4 years in speech and debate with South Plantation High School (public forum the first two years, and extemporaneous speaking the second two) with decent success and served as a mentor for my team in multiple events throughout my time in HS. I've judged public forum at some novice level tournaments during my junior and senior years, so this isn't my first trip to the rodeo.
-In general, I view the place of the judge to be judge the round based off of what was said in the round, so don't assume I will take something that isn't mentioned into consideration. If you want me to use some bit of info in making my decision, mention it!
-Don't spread! You can talk *fast* but do so clearly
-I'm more than willing to listen to any argument you are willing to make, as long as it's done fairly. I love to see creativity in argument and believe that such types of thinking are fundamental to society, so if you want to run something a bit out there, I will hear you out. However, if it's clear that you are primarily using these types of arguments to confuse your opponent, I will automatically drop speaker points.
-I won't flow crossfire, and won't use it as a large part of my decision UNLESS a concession is made or the round is incredibly close (I would really prefer not to make a decision off of crossfire though). I will be paying attention to what is said, but if there's something you think was said that is important to your team winning the round, I would mention it in a subsequent speech.
-If your opponents don't attack a point of yours, make sure you extend that in either summary or final focus (if not both) if you want me to consider it.
- Weigh!!! As a former debater, I know how hard this can be to do well. Always remember that what makes sense to you and what you see as obvious may not be how others (including your judge) see things! Use your summary and especially your final focus to really paint me a clear picture of why you won the round.
-Card dumping happens way too much in this event. I would rather see a team use a few cards that elaborate on really well than use over a dozen that they throw into the round haphazardly.
-Be polite to each other and have fun! I appreciate humor in round and if done well it will help your speaker points.
If you all have any specific questions this didn't cover or want any other additional information about my judging I encourage you to ask me before the round! Also, I *will* disclose, tournament rules permitting, and if you all request I can/will email you pictures of my flow after the tournament has ended. Good luck and enjoy the round :)
anthonyrbrown85@gmail.com for the chain
*Please show up to the round pre-flowed and ready to go. If you get to the room before me or are second flight, flip and get the email chain started so we don't delay the rounds.*
Background
Currently the head coach at Southlake Carroll. The majority of my experience is in Public Forum but I’ve spent time either competing or judging every event.
General
You would probably classify me as a flay judge. The easiest way to win my ballot is through comparative weighing. Explain why your links are clearer and stronger and how your impacts are more important than those of your opponents.
Speed is fine but if I miss something that is crucial to your case because you can’t speak fast and clearly at the same time then that’ll be your fault. If you really want to avoid this issue then I would send a speech doc if you plan on going more than 225 wpm.
I do not flow cross so if anything important was said mention it in a speech.
I would classify myself as tech over truth but let’s not get too crazy.
Speaking
Typical speaks are between 27-30. I don’t give many 30s but it’s not impossible to get a 30 from me.
I would much rather you sacrifice your speed for clarity. If you can’t get to everything that you need to say then it would probably be best to prioritize your impacts and do a great job weighing.
Any comments that are intended (or unintended in certain circumstances) to be discriminatory in any form will immediately result in the lowest possible speaker points.
PF Specific
I’m probably not evaluating your K or theory argument at a non-bid tournament. If you’re feeling brave then you can go for it but unless the literature is solid and it is very well run, I’m going to feel like you’re trying to strat out of the debate by utilizing a style that is not yet a norm and your opponents likely did not plan for. If we're at a bid tournament or state, go for it.
Don’t just extend card names and dates without at least briefly reminding me what that card said. Occasionally I write down the content of the card but not the author so if you just extend an author it won’t do you any good.
I have a super high threshold for IVIs. If there's some sort of debate based abuse run a proper shell.
LD Specific (This is not my primary event so I would make sure I check this)
Cheatsheet (1 is most comfortable, 5 is lowest)
Policy: 1
Theory: 2
Topical Ks: 2
Phil: 4
Non-Topical Ks: 4
Tricks: 5
I’ll understand your LARP arguments. I’ll be able to follow your spreading. I can evaluate most K’s but am most comfortable with topical K’s. I will understand your theory arguments but typically don't go for RVIs. I would over-explain if you don’t fall into those categories and adjust if possible.
I believe that public forum was designed to have a "john or sally doe" off the street come in and be a judge. That means that speaking clearly is absolutely essential. If I cannot understand you, I cannot weigh what you say. I also believe that clarity is important. Finally, I am a firm believer in decorum, that is, showing respect to your opponent. In this age of political polarization and uncompromising politics, I believe listening to your opponent and showing a willingness to give credence to your opponents arguments is one of the best lessons of public forum debate.
Hi! I competed in PF for 4 years at Seven Lakes HS on the TX and national circuits. I am now a freshman at Georgetown.
I'm a pretty standard flow judge (tech > truth ofc), but here are some things u should know, in no particular order:
1. WARRANTED link extensions are extremely important if u want my ballot.
2. the earlier u weigh, the better (preferably before final focus). I will not evaluate 2ff weighing unless there is zero weighing done in the round. Also pls do good weighing - don't just use buzzwords like scope and magnitude and also meta weigh when necessary.
3. for presumption: If I have to presume without warrants telling me which way to presume I’ll just presume neg.
4. second rebuttal has to frontline all turns/disads AND all defense on the argument ur collapsing on.
5. im not at all familiar with progressive arguments so i will be absolutely horrible at evaluating them; run them at ur own risk. No theory unless there is real abuse.
6. speed is fine ig but id prefer u to go slower bc a) we're online, b) i havent judged/debated since march, and c) im not familiar with the topic so my brain will work slower lmao.
7. paraphrasing is fine.
8. wont call for evidence unless it's disputed or u tell me to call for it. if ur evidence is garbage i will dock speaks.
9. don't like offensive overviews and disads in second rebuttal.
10. sticky defense is fake.
11. if everyone agrees, im down to turn gcx into 3 mins of prep.
12. if you're unnecessarily rude, i will nuke ur speaks. if u run something offensive, i will nuke ur speaks and down u.
If u have any questions just fb message me!
Add me on the email chain: nilu6060@gmail.com. Please send constructives at a minimum
Short Version
American Heritage School ‘19
Georgia Tech ‘22
Any offense in final focus needs to be in summary. First summary only needs to extend defense on arguments that were frontlined in second rebuttal. Second rebuttal should answer all offense on the flow.
Tech > truth
Long Version
Presumption:
- If you want me to vote on presumption, please tell me, or else I'll probably try to find some very minimal offense on the flow that you may consider nonexistent.
- I will default neg on presumption, but you can make an argument suggesting otherwise.
Extensions:
- The warrant and impact of an offensive argument must be extended in summary and final focus in order for me to evaluate it.
- Your extensions can be very quick for parts of the debate that are clearly conceded.
Weighing:
- Good weighing will usually win you my ballot and give you a speaker point boost, but please avoid:
1. Weighing that is not comparative
2. Weighing instead of adequately answering the defense on your arguments
3. Strength of link weighing - this is just another word for probability and sometimes probability weighing is just defense that should've been read in rebuttal
4. New weighing in second final focus that isn't responding to new weighing analysis from the first ff.
Evidence:
- I will read any evidence that is contested or key to my decision at the end of the round.
- I won't drop a team on miscut evidence unless theory is read. I will drop speaks and probably drop the argument unless there's a very good reason not to.
Speed:
- Go as fast as you want but I'd prefer it if you didn't spread.
- Don't sacrifice clarity for speed. If I can't understand it, it isn't on the flow.
Progressive Argumentation:
- I have a good understanding of theory and have voted on less conventional shells albeit my threshold for a response and your speaks could go down. Please read theory as soon as the violation occurs.
- I wouldn't trust myself to correctly evaluate a K. Most of the time I find myself thinking they don't really do anything. Read at your own risk and I will try my best to properly evaluate.
- If there are multiple layers of prog. (ie theory vs K vs random IVI) do some sort of weighing between them.
- I don't evaluate 30 speaks theory. I tend to believe disclosure is good, but won't intervene.
Other things:
- I think speaks are arbitrary, but humor helps, especially sarcasm.
- Paradigm issues not mentioned here are up for debate within the round
- Reading cards > paraphrasing, but paraphrasing is fine
- Postrounding is fine
- Preflow before the round start time
- I will not vote on explicitly oppressive arguments.
Hi! I am a lay judge.
- You don't have to talk overly slow, but please don't spread.
- Thorough explanations will serve you better than cramming in a million cards.
- Weighing and quantifications are good!
- I will take notes but don't know how to flow.
- It will greatly help me if you email me what you are reading so I can follow along. (churiwal.pawan@gmail.com)
I'm looking forward to a great debate and have fun!
pronouns: she/her/hers
email: madelyncook23@gmail.com & lakevilledocs@googlegroups.com (please add both to the email chain) -- if both teams are there before I am, feel free to start the email chain without me so we can get started when I get there
PLEASE title the email chain in a way that includes the round, flight (if applicable), both team codes, sides, and speaking order
Experience:
- PF Coach for Lakeville South & Lakeville North in Minnesota, 2019-Present
- Speech Coach for Lakeville South in Minnesota, 2022-Present
- Instructor for Potomac Debate Academy, 2021-Present
- University of Minnesota NPDA, 2019-2022
- Lakeville South High School (PF with a bit of speech and Congress), 2015-2019
I will generally vote for anything if there is a warrant, an impact, and solid comparative weighing, and as long as your evidence isn't horribly cut/fake. Every argument you want on my ballot needs to be in summary and final focus, and I will walk you through exactly how I made my decision after the round is over. I’ve noticed that while I can/will keep up with speed and evaluate technical debates, my favorite rounds are usually those that slow down a bit and go into detail about a couple of important issues. Well warranted arguments with clear impact scenarios extended using a strategic collapse are a lot better than blippy extensions. The best rounds in my opinion are the ones where summary extends one case argument with comparative weighing and whatever defense/offense on the opponent’s case is necessary.
General:
- I am generally happy to judge the debate you want to have.
- The only time you need a content warning is when the content in your case is objectively triggering and graphic. I think the way PF is moving toward requiring opt-out forms for things like “mentions of the war on drugs” or "feminism" is super unnecessary and trivializes the other issues that actually do require content warnings while silencing voices that are trying to discuss important issues.
- I will drop you with a 20 (or lowest speaks allowed by the tournament) for bigotry or being blatantly rude to your opponents. There’s no excuse for this. This applies to you no matter how “good at technical debate” you are.
- Speed is probably okay as long as you explain your arguments instead of just rattling off claims. For online rounds, slow down more than you would in person. Please do not sacrifice clarity for speed. Sending a doc is not an excuse to go fast beyond comprehension - I do not look at speech docs until after the round and only if absolutely necessary to check
- Silliness and cowardice are voting issues.
Evidence Issues:
- Evidence ethics in PF are atrocious. Cut cards are the only way to present evidence in my opinion. At the very least, read direct quotes.
- Evidence exchanges take way too long. Send full speech docs in the email chain before the speech begins. I want everyone sending everything in this email chain so that everyone can check the quality of evidence, and so that you don’t waste time requesting individual cards.
- Evidence should be sent in the form of a Word Doc/PDF/uneditable document with all the evidence you read in the debate.
- The only evidence that counts in the round is evidence you cite in your speech using the author’s last name and date. You cannot read an analytic in a speech then provide evidence for it later.
- Evidence comparison is super underutilized - I'd love to hear more of it.
- My threshold for voting on arguments that rely on paraphrased/power-tagged evidence is very high. I will always prefer to vote for teams with well cut, quality evidence.
- I don't know what this "sending rhetoric without the cards" nonsense is - the only reason you need to exchange evidence is to check the evidence. Your "rhetoric" should be exactly what's in the evidence anyway, but if it's not, I have no idea what the point is of sending the paraphrased "rhetoric" without the cards. Just send full docs with cut cards.
- You have to take prep time to "compile the doc" lol you don't just get to take a bunch of extra prep time to put together the rebuttal doc you're going to send.
Speech Preferences:
- Frontline in second rebuttal. Dropped arguments in second rebuttal are conceded in the round. You should cover everything on the argument(s) you plan on going for, including defense.
- Defense isn't sticky. Anything you want to matter in the round needs to be in summary and final focus.
- Collapse in summary. It is not a strategy to go for tons of blippy arguments hoping something will stick just to blow up one or two of those things in final focus. The purpose of the summary is to pick out the most important issues, and you must collapse to do that well.
- Weigh as soon as possible. Comparative weighing is essential for preventing judge intervention, and meta-weighing is cool too. I want to vote for teams that write my ballot for me in final focus, so try to do that the best you can.
- Speech organization is key. I literally want you to say what argument I should vote on and why.
- The way I give speaker points fluctuates depending on the division and the difficulty of the tournament, but I average about a 28 and rarely go below a 27 or above a 29. If you get a 30, it means you debated probably the best I saw that tournament if not for the past couple tournaments. I give speaker points based on strategic decisions rather than presentation.
- I generally enjoy and will vote on extinction impacts, but I'm not going to vote on an argument that doesn't have an internal link just because the impact is scary - I'm very much not a fan of war scenarios read by teams that are unable to defend a specific scenario/actor/conflict spiral.
Theory:
I’ve judged a lot of terrible theory debates, and I do not want to judge more theory debates. I generally find theory debates very boring. But if you decide to ignore that and do it anyway, please at least read this:
- Frivolous theory is bad. I generally believe that the only theory debates worth having are disclosure and paraphrasing, and even then, I really do not want to listen to a debate about what specific type of disclosure is best.
- I probably should tell you that I believe disclosure is good and paraphrasing is bad, but I will listen to answers to these shells and evaluate the round to the best of my ability. My threshold for paraphrasing good is VERY high.
- Even if you don’t know the "technical" way to answer theory, do your best to respond. I don't really care if you use theory jargon - just do your best.
- "Theory is bad" or "theory doesn't belong in PF" are not arguments I'm very sympathetic to.
- I will say that despite all the above preferences/thoughts on theory, I really dislike when teams read theory as an easy path to ballot to basically "gotcha" teams that have probably never heard of disclosure or had a theory debate before. I honestly think it's the laziest strategy to use in those rounds, and your speaker points will reflect that. I have given and will continue to give low point wins for this if it is obvious to me that this is what you're trying to do.
Kritiks:
I have a high threshold for critical arguments in PF because I just don’t think the speech times are long enough for them to be good, but there are a few things that will make me feel better about voting on these arguments.
- I often find myself feeling a little out of my depth in K rounds, partly because I am not super well versed on most K lit but also because many teams seem to assume judges understand a lot more about their argument than they actually do. The issue I run into with many of these debates is when debaters extend tags rather than warrants which leaves the round feeling messy and difficult to evaluate. If you want to read a kritik in front of me, go ahead, but I'd do it at your own risk. If you do, definitely err on the side of over-explaining your arguments. I like to fully understand what the world of the kritik looks like before I vote for it.
- Any argument is going to be more compelling if you write it yourself. Probably don't just take something from the policy wiki without recutting any of the evidence or actually taking the time to fully understand the arguments.
- I think theory is the most boring way to answer a kritik. I'll always prefer for teams to engage with the kritik on some level.
- I will listen to anything, but I have a much better understanding and ability to evaluate a round that is topical.
Pet Peeves:
- Paraphrasing.
- I hate long evidence exchanges. I already ranted about this at the top of my paradigm because it is by far my biggest pet peeve, but here’s another reminder that it should not take you more than 30 seconds to send a piece of evidence. There’s also no reason to not just send full speech docs to prevent these evidence exchanges, so just do that.
- I don’t flow anything over time, and I’ll be annoyed and potentially drop speaker points if your speeches go more than 5 or so seconds over.
- Pre-flow before you get to the room. The round start time is the time the round starts – if you don’t have your pre-flow done by then, I do not care, and the debate will proceed without it.
- The phrase "small schools" is maybe my least favorite phrase commonly used in debate. I have judged so many debates where teams get stuck arguing about whether they're a small school, and it never has a point.
- The sentence "we'll weigh if time allows" - no you won't. You will weigh if you save yourself time to do it, because if you don't, you will probably lose.
- If you're going to ask clarification questions about the arguments made in speech, you need to either use cross or prep time for that.
Congress:
I competed in Congress a few times in high school, and I've judged/coached it a little since then. I dislike judging it because no one is really using it for its fullest potential, and almost every Congress round I've ever seen is just a bunch of constructive speeches in a row. But here are a few things that will make me happy in a Congress round:
- I'll rank you higher if you add something to the debate. I love rebuttal speeches, crystallization speeches, etc. You will not rank well if you are the fourth/fifth/sixth etc. speaker on a bill and still reading new substantive arguments without contextualizing anything else that has already happened. It's obviously fine to read new evidence/data, but that should only happen if it's for the purpose of refuting something that's been said by another speaker or answering an attack the opposition made against your side.
- I care much more about the content and strategy of your speeches than I do about your delivery.
- If you don't have a way to advance the debate beyond a new constructive speech that doesn't synthesize anything, I'd rather just move on to a new bill. It is much less important to me that you speak on every bill than it is that when you do speak you alter the debate on that bill.
If you have additional questions, ask before or after the round or you can email me at madelyncook23@gmail.com.
Speak slow and clear. Be respectful to your opponents.
Thanks
CONGRESS PARADIGM IS BELOW THIS PF Paradigm
PF:
ALMOST EVERY ROUND I HAVE JUDGED IN THE LAST 8 YEARS WOULD HAVE BENEFITTED FROM 50% FEWER ARGUMENTS, AND 100% MORE ANALYSIS OF THOSE 50% FEWER ARGUMENTS. A Narrative, a Story carries so much more persuasively through a round than the summary speaker saying "we are going for Contention 2".
I am NOT a fan of speed, nor speed/spread. Please don't make me think I'm in a Policy Round!
I don't need "Off-time roadmaps", I just want to know where you are starting.
Claim/warrant/evidence/impact is NOT a debate cliche; It is an Argumentative necessity! A label and a blip card is not a developed argument!
Unless NUCLEAR WINTER OR NUCLEAR EXTINCTION HAS ALREADY OCCURED, DON'T BOTHER TO IMPACT OUT TO IT.
SAVE K'S FOR POLICY ROUNDS; RUN THEORY AT YOUR OWN RISK- I start from ma place that it is fake and abusive in PF and you are just trying for a cheap win against an unprepared team. I come to judge debates about the topic of the moment.
YOU MIGHT be able to convince me of your sincerity if you can show me that you run it in every round and are President of the local "Advocacy for that Cause" Club.
Don't just tell me that you win an argument, show me WHY you win it and what significance that has in the round.
Please NARROW the debate and WEIGH arguments in Summary and Final Focus. If you want the argument in Final Focus, be sure it was in the summary.
There is a difference between "passionate advocacy" and anger. Audio tape some of your rounds and decide if you are doing one or the other when someone says you are "aggressive".
NSDA evidence rules require authors' last name and THE DATE (minimum) so you must AT LEAST do that if you want me to accept the evidence as "legally presented". If one team notes that the other has not supplied dates, it will then become an actual issue in the round. Speaker points are at stake.
In close rounds I want to be persuaded and I may just LISTEN to both Final Focus speeches, checking off things that are extended on my flow.
I am NOT impressed by smugness, smiling sympathetically at the "stupidity" of your opponent's argument, vigorous head shaking in support of your partner's argument or opposition to your opponents'. Speaker points are DEFINITELY in play here!
CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE:
1: The first thing I am looking for in every speech is ORGANIZATION AND CLARITY. 2. The second thing I am looking for is CLASH; references to other speakers & their arguments
3. The third thing I am looking for is ADVOCACY, supported by EVIDENCE
IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS A SPEAKING EVENT, NOT A READING EVENT! I WILL NOT GIVE EVEN A "BRILLIANT" SPEECH A "6" IF IT IS READ OFF A PREPARED SHEET/TUCKED INTO THE PAD OR WRITTEN ON THE PAD ITSELF; AND, FOR CERTAIN IF IT IS READ OFF OF A COMPUTER OR TABLET.
I value a good story and humor, but Clarity and Clash are most important.
Questioning and answering factors into overall placement in the Session.
Yes, I will evaluate and include the PO, but it is NOT an automatic advancement to the next level; that has gotten a bit silly.
tl:dr: flay
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pls email me cases with ur cards, this makes life easy for all of us: sylviaelizabethduarte@gmail.com. if you have any questions about my paradigm, message me on fb
i debated on the pf nat'l circuit in high school and am now a college sophomore.
quick bio:
i would say i'm tech>truth but that is a lie. i like args within the realm of topical possibility. not necessarily probability since most debate args do not work irl anyway lmao. more like, i give less credence to args like nuke war or existentialism and will be looking for any excuse of a response to turn it down (obvs this depends on the topic like yk what i mean). obvs if there is no ink on ur arg or your frontlines are fire and ur debating is of a high caliber, that is different. but idk if ur that guy + why risk it?
i give more credence to your args 1) the earlier they are introduced in round, 2) the more warranted they are, 3) the more likely/severe/quickly/generally more important your link chain or impacts are vs your opponents'.
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best ways to win my ballot (in order of importance):
- effective, consistent, *extended*, good ol warranting. absent good weighing/impact calc, i will likely prefer one well-warranted arg over multiple unwarranted args (yes it will be strategic to collapse in front of me). **this will be to your benefit if you want to go progressive and run something funky like theory and can articulate amazing reasons why it's good to do so.**
- complete claim-warrant-impact (frontlined when necessary) extensions in the second half for args you want me to vote for. anything i vote off of in your final focus must be in the summary btw
- GOOD weighing. weighing is inherently comparative. ik you think your arg is important, but why is it more important than your opponents'? why does this mean you win the round?
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things i dislike but am forced to ignore because i don't want to intervene but also will still rly negatively bias my decision to vote for you because i am human:
- speaking at a million words per min. a wise man once said, "why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?" and you're on a computer and wifi can cut out and your super-speed-speaking legit won't matter.
- doing the above but thinking you're in the clear because you sent a speech doc with your tags afterwords. NO pls stop
- heavyyy paraphrasing of your ev. i don't expect you to read card-text in all of your speeches (though that would be nice in constructive... sigh). but like... rly not a fan of debaters taking a quote from their evidence and putting their "spin" on what it says/arguing in the "spirit of the ev"/doing the most with the ev because "it technicallyyy says that"/anything that bastardizes the integrity of your representation of evidence.
- do not take that to mean that i dislike analytics. on the contrary, i reward thoughtful, well-warranted analytics. but i punish analytics passed off as evidence.
- defending any potential social prejudice that comes up in your args, attitude, treatment of opponents, etc. i don't just dislike this, i will tank your speaks and speak to your coach if necessary.
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i am familiar with theory. lmk if you're unsure if you should run something in front of me. i will not BS you, if i cannot evaluate an arg / don't think it's likely i'd vote for it, i will 100% lyk.
good rule of thumb is that you can run theory if you can effectively explain (i.e. warrant) your arg's necessity in the space, my role as a judge, your arg's role in education/accessibility/etc, and more. if your theory warranting is not up to par with substance warranting, you should probably stick to substance in front of me.
I am a parent judge from Nova High School. I judged PF, HI, DI and OO for four years (between 2010 and 2014) and began judging again last year. My judging method for Public Forum is simple and based upon how convincing and supported the arguments are and how appropriate the responses are to those arguments. Participants should not presume that I have any knowledge, other than common knowledge, of the topics or of the supportive evidence used to further their arguments. I appreciate clear, articulated speech at a normal speed; if I cannot understand what the debater is saying, I cannot judge what argument is being made. I further expect debaters to be courteous and well-mannered; to not create any disruption when the other side is speaking; and to not speak over each other during crossfires. Participants should feel free to ask any questions of me prior to beginning, and again afterwards, but not during the event.
I am a parent judge, and this is my first time judging.
Pet Peeve: Poorly extended arguments. Please extend your arguments well. There is a sweet spot between brevity and depth that you should try to hit, but don't extend your case in 5 seconds please. This is a hill I will die on, and so will my ballot.
Feel free to email for questions, feedback, or flows: zdyar07@gmail.com .Please add Greenwavedebate@delbarton.org to the email chain
TLDR: I'm a typical flow judge. I value quality of argumentation over quantity. Please collapse, extend warrants and impacts, frontline, and weigh your arguments. I'm fairly tech (see my notes at the bottom and make your own assessment).
Background: Was a mediocre PF debater for 4 years in Minnesota at both traditional and nat circuit tournaments. Coached and judged since 2020. I'm also an Econ/Poli Sci major so I have a pretty solid BS meter.
Basic Judging Philosophy I vote off of what is warranted, I prefer what is weighed. Give me reasons to prefer your warranting over their warrants and do weighing that COMPARES your impact to their impact by telling me why yours is more important and WHY. Don't just say a buzzwords like "scope" or "de-link" and move on.
After the round: I will give you an oral RFD if possible once I submit my ballot, and feel free to question/post-round me because it makes me a better judge. I will also call for cards (see evidence section).
Speed
- I can handle around 250 words per minute BUT only if you SLOW DOWN ON TAGLINES. Send a speech doc if you are above 225 wpm or have bad clarity.
- Reading fast is not an excuse to be blippy. Speed should allow you to have better warranting and more depth, not less. Speed + 6 contention cases are not the move
- Just because you CAN read fast with me, doesn't mean you SHOULD. Read at whatever pace you debate best at, don't try and rush just because I'm techy.
Evidence
- You may paraphrase, BUT I expect you to send a cut card with a citation. DO NOT send me a full PDF and tell me what to control+F. I doc speaks for bad behavior in this department.
- After the round I will call for some key cards from case/rebuttal, even if they weren't relevant to my decision. This is my way of checking power tagging/bad cuts. If a card sounds too good to be true, I will call it. Even if the card isn't relevant to the round, I will drop your speaks if it is miscut.
Rebuttal
- Number your responses so it's easy for me to flow.
- Collapse in 2nd rebuttal (it's strategic in winning my ballot). you MUST frontline offense in 2nd rebuttal, and I strongly strongly strongly prefer you frontline every arg you are going for fully.
- Disads are fine in rebuttal. If a DA is read in second rebuttal, I'm more lenient on frontlines/responses in 1st summary. Try and link-in if you read a DA.
Summary & Final Focus
- I have a VERY high threshold for case extensions (lots of warrants plz). Don't underextend or you will probably lose.
- I prefer defense to be in summary (defense isn't sticky). I will maybe evaluate defense that is extended from 1st rebuttal to 1st Final Focus ONLY IF it is cold dropped, but there is a low chance I will evaluate 2nd rebuttal to Final Focus defense. I will never evaluate defense that isn't extended in Final Focus. Your best chance of winning defense is to extend it in both summary and final focus.
- Offense needs to be in both summary and FF.
- If you don't collapse, frontline, and weigh in summary, you probably won't win my ballot.
Theory
- I will vote on theory, but I prefer it to be read in the first speech possible (i.e., don't read a shell in 2nd rebuttal if it can be read in 2nd constructive). Disclosure, paraphrasing, content warning, misgendering theory, etc. are all fair game.
- Very pro-content warning shells, but ONLY when they aren't friv (i.e., I think reading one on a poverty impact is too much, but reading like a gendered violence content warning shell is definitely not friv). However, I'm non-interventionist so I'll vote on anything. I do believe that content warnings aren't a race to the bottom and that there is some reasonable threshold for me to buy them, but also this is one of the places I kind of default to a reasonability stance-- I think there is some gray area I want people to hash out in rounds though.
- If you use theory to exclude your opponents and you have structural advantages in the debate community I will you drop the shell faster than you can read your interp. But, if it's two rich private schools bashing each other over the head with theory, go ahead.
- Don't extend your shell in rebuttal (you shouldn't extend case in rebuttal either).
Ks
- I've voted on Ks several times before, but I'm not well-versed in the lit so slow down on tags and key warrants.
- You need to at least have minimalist extensions of the link, impacts, and all other important parts of your arg (framing/ROB) in summary AND Final. Don't try and read the whole thing verbatim.
Progressive weighing
- Progressive weighing is cool-- I like well-warranted metaweighing (though I've seen it done well only a handful of times), link weighing, and SV/Extinction framing.
- Saying the words "strength/clarity of link/impact" is not weighing :(
Assorted things
- If both teams want to skip cross/grand cross and use it as flex prep, I'm cool with that. Negotiate that yourselves though.
- Read content warnings on graphic args, though I'm more open to no content warnings non-graphic but potentially triggering args like human trafficking (will evaluate CW theory though). Google forms are ideal, but give adequate time for opt-out no matter how you do it.
Speaks
-Speaks are inherently biased towards privileged groups-- I will try and evaluate speaks strictly based on the quality of args given in your speech.
-There are 4 ways your speaks get dropped: 1) Arriving late to round, 2) Being slow to produce evidence or calling for excessive amounts of cards, 3) Stealing prep time, 4) Saying or doing anything that is excessively rude or problematic.
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How tech am I? Here are some arguments and how I'd evaluate them.
- Climate change fake/good: While obviously untrue, I would vote on it as turn/defense. However, my threshold for frontlines would be low, so it likely isn't a super strategic choice.
- Election Args/[politician] bad: Would 100% vote on it-- run whatever so long as it isn't offensive
- Racism/sexism/homophobia good: Nope.
- Economic Growth Bad (DeDev): Would 100% vote on this.
- Tricks: Nope.
- Impacts to animal/plants: I would love the chance to vote on this with a framework.
Who am I?
I'm a senior economics major at the University of Florida with a minor in Russian. I participated in debate in high school (mostly Lincoln Douglas, but I helped write PF constructives), and served as president of the club my senior year. I've judged two debate tournaments in the past, one of them the Florida Blue Key tournament at UF last year. I have only ever judged PF debates.
How do I judge?
I am not a super technical judge--I think the best debates are relatively straightforward and not too difficult for an outsider to the topic to understand. It should be well supported by facts. Signposting is not a necessity, but I definitely prefer it, as it helps keep the flow more organized. I am pickiest as a judge when it comes to rebuttals or generally trying to disprove the opposition's argument; I think that is the true heart of debate, and shows how well you know your topic, how comfortable you are with debating in general, and whether or not you can keep things civil (it is the hardest time to keep your head, I have noticed). If you're arguing you outweigh on something, you do not have to harp on it forever, but make it very clear why you outweigh. If I think it's too weak, or there was something obvious you didn't respond to, it's not going in your favor, and will go against it if the other team picks up on it. To expound more on that--if something is obvious, like a poor response or a not-thorough-enough outweigh, make sure you say it, or I'll worry you didn't catch it. If you're excessively rude, I will most likely vote for the other team, because civility is a hallmark of a good debate that truly cannot be overstated. To make it very simple: Make solid, clear points, thoroughly defend your argument, and BE CIVIL.
PF:
TLDR:
Weigh
Please do not give me a line-by-line in Final Focus. If possible, I don't want it in summary. Write my RFD for me in summary and FF.
Signpost.
Please collapse. Good extensions and weighing requires this.
If you don't read warrant names in summary and FF, you probably will not win the round. The team that makes the best and most strategic extensions almost always wins, and dropping warrants irretrievably weakens your offense.
Don't extend offense that your opponent kicked unless you're extending a turn on it.
Cross-applications and grouped responses in rebuttal, when used sparingly and handily, can be useful.
I don't need a roadmap for expected strategies (ex. no need for "it's gonna be their case, then my case")
You are free to collapse grand cross if you'd like.
If it takes longer than one minute to find a (singular) card that is called for, prep starts.
#
(heavily drawing from the brilliant Mollie Clark throughout)
The Rebuttal
For both teams, I like to see layered responses and very clear road-mapping, when necessary, and sign-posting. The refutations should cover both the entire contention and also examine specific warrants and impacts, with weighing at these levels when possible. Frontlining defense seems to be the new standard, and I think that that's a good strategy. Extend framework if you want me to use it in order to weigh in the summary and final focus. I love a good overview. I loathe a bad overview.
Extensions
It’s important to note that to get an argument through to the final focus the team must extend the claim, warrant, and impact. If a single piece is missing, then it significantly weakens the point’s weight in the round. If an argument is dropped at any time, it will not be extended and you’d be better off spending your time elsewhere. WARRANT AND IMPACT EXTENSIONS ARE WHAT MOST LIKELY WILL WIN YOU THE ROUND. Extensions are the backbones of debate, a high-level debater should be able to allocate time and extend their offense and defense effectively. You will not have time to extend everything, and attempting to do so shows a major deficit in your ability to discern the central and successful arguments in the debate. Part of the challenge of this activity is making smart decisions about what to extend and what to drop on the the fly.
Speed and Speaking
I tend not to penalize speed with speaker points. I do penalize for incomprehensibility. Make sure you enunciate and are clear so that your opponent can understand you. Efficiency, eloquence, extensions, and strategy in later speeches will define your speaks. Basically, go as fast as you want so long as you're clear. Lack of clarity welcomes penalty.
I like to see strong engagement of the issues in CX and appreciate a deeper analysis than simple clarifying questions. Issues in CX will not be weighed in the round unless brought up in a following speech. CX is not binding, but speakers may use concessions in CX as offense in subsequent speeches. I say CX is not binding to encourage an earnest conversation in CX, rather than constantly defensive, abrasive, or self-conscious exchanges. I will, however, nonetheless take a good response to offense brought in from cross by the opposing speakers seriously if they contextualize that concession and produce sound analysis that supports them.
Organization through all speeches is essential, and is especially paramount in summary. Make sure I know exactly where you are so that I can help you get as much ink on the flow as possible.
I tend to give high speaks in general. 28.3-28.5 is a pretty common/average score from me at tournaments that utilize one tenth decimals. I find myself usually giving 28.8-29.1 in strong circuit rounds, though I did come across an array of really remarkable speakers at Yale, Bronx, and Blue Key who scored higher. I will, however, strictly adhere to a points rubric offered by any tournament when provided. This may elevate or deflate my speaker points to an extent. At tournaments that utilized a tradition scale with .5 increments (i.e. Glenbrooks), strong circuit debaters tended to score at 28.5-29.5, with generically good speakers at around 28 and average speakers at 27.
The extra stuff: I studied English @ Columbia, where I spent a lot of reading/writing about poetry and other things, critical theory, and the history of esotericism. I competed in many circuit PF tournaments in high school and judged many in college. I now write about curation, museology, and the poetics of the museum as a Henry Evans Fellow "at" the British Museum, and work in the Capital Markets group at a corporate law firm in New York. This is to say that I may not be extraordinarily studied in the things most directly related to what we're doing in round. But! I have consciousness and subjectivity and am, therefore, more than qualified to be in round. Be thorough in your analysis and don't make assumptions. I'm excited to learn with you + I'm excited to watch you have fun. I want to take every measure to resist elitism/inaccessibility in debate, so let's mitigate it! Please be courteous to your opponents, especially when it seems evident that there is an imbalance in resources/access in and out of round. A normal circuit round is accessible to me, but it may not be for your opponents. Please accommodate + make the round as accessible for your opponents as possible. If it is clear that you are being accommodating and kind, your speaker points will benefit!
LD:
I have a mostly basic knowledge of how this form works, yet I've nonetheless found myself in the position of having to judge 20+ rounds of it. Essentially, my decisions will be better when debaters read their tags somewhat slowly, try to explain things as early and coherently as possible, and order/analyze my decision for me. If you make assumptions about what you think I already know, my decision will likely be worse. Also, shouldn't really need to say this, but you need to impact your arguments and signpost clearly on the flow -- no shockers here. I really like the kinds of conversations that tend to emerge specifically from LD rounds, but you may have to be generous and accommodating about some of the more idiosyncratic qualities of the style.
Specifics:
Speed: If speed is important to your style or strategy, roll with what is necessary for you, but I'd prefer you give me about a 3/10 if you put your speed potential on a spectrum, if that makes sense. Most importantly, I'd really like you to slow down on the following: tag lines, spikes, blips, theory interps, and advocacy texts. Note: I don't want to have to yell clear...like ever, but I might throw it in the chat if I need to (I also might not and then miss a lot on the flow). In general, I'm probably a judge that you need to send a case doc to.
Theory: Honestly, I've always been okay with theory. If it's ridiculous, I'm obviously not going to vote for it. Just be smart.
Framework: Framework debate is critical, usually. If it's important, spend time on this. This debate should also heavily determine how I evaluate the round. Make this clear for me.
Ks: These can end up being pretty neat, but like I said before, don't assume I know anything. Lean toward overexplanation. You are going to have to do substantial work situating the K into the discourse posited by the topic, and superseding your opponent's arguments with the K. I suppose saying something like this would also imply that I think topicality is a somewhat important arena to address if you are a K debater.
But don't get the wrong idea: I am amenable to K debate; probably more than most other judges! I just really want to understand what's being said, which I do think that I have the capacity to do (see above about my study of critical theory).
A note: Be ethical in your practice of K debate. It is going to be hard for me to vote for you if it seems glaring that you are employing K debate as an opportunistic strategy to win rounds. For example, there is no reason for a white debater to be running an afropessimism K.
Value and criterion: What even are these? Why are these? These are probably vestigial to LD, yeah?? Or if they aren't, convince me otherwise?
You will want to pref me if you are reading: Max Weber, Jack Halberstam, Judith Butler, Saidiya Hartman, Fred Moten, Hortense Spillers, Frank Wilderson, or Sylvia Winter.
If I didn't cover something in this paradigm, just ask me in round. I want to be as transparent as possible.
Speaks:
This isn't the important part. Generally, when not given a speaks matrix by the tournament that dictates how I give these, I'm gonna treat every round like it's a bubble round + give speaks based on who should break and who shouldn't. 29-29.5 is a good typical breaking score.
Please be respectful. Respect lends itself to better speaks.
Another note: If you are unhappy with my decision, know that I, unfailingly, vote for whichever debater was most persuasive. Even if you are totally convinced that you have made transcendent, pristine argumentation, clearly some disconnect or error occurred in round that prevent me from, well, achieving transcendence alongside you. This means it is absolutely essential, even if you are the smartest high school debater in the world, to communicate clearly to me. I can't vote on what I don't understand, and it isn't my fault as a judge for being unable to comprehend 20 arguments/minute or some extraordinarily clunky analytic on techno-capitalism etc.
I want to be included on all email chains de2365@columbia.edu
lay judge
Hi!
My name is Matt Felicetti, I am a Sophomore studying Sports Management at the University of Florida. My experience in speech and debate is mostly from High School, where I participated extensively in Model UN and Debate Club. I participated in many regional and national competitions and even got a chance to chair a few committees. While at UF, I have taken multiple public speaking courses. I am looking forward to a fun and competitive weekend.
As for advice, I think it is pretty simple. Be clear and concise. Do not speak too fast or you will likely compromise clarity. Be respectful of each other and have fun.
Email: Matthewfelicetti22@Gmail.com
I am a former high school debater, UF graduate, and current Assistant Coach for West Broward High. In high school, I competed mostly in PF, but also did Info and Congress. Experienced in judging local, national, and state tournaments. For any questions, feel free to ask before the round starts or email me at nataliefernandez1@yahoo.com
General:
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Not a fan of spreading, theory, K’s, etcetera. I judge a round based on strong evidence and the way you can execute the argument and oppose your opponent's case.
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Do not assume I am up to date with a topic, define any important terms or information that you believe will be important in a round that your judge and opponent need to know.
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Debate is a place for learning to foster and grow, no racism, misogyny, or ethnocentric views will award you any points towards winning the debate and will cost you the round.
Framework:
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I like clear-cut debate with an easy to understand framework that tells me how to analyze the round.
Speaks:
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There is no clear formula for how this happens. I evaluate based off of how you make arguments, your speaking style, and your effort in round.
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Belittling your opponent or trying to criticize anything aside from the information being debated in a round will not award you speaker points. I will stop listening to you. Professionalism and respect are two qualities that will take you further in life than arrogance and harshness. Choose kindness
I am a parent judge and I’m new to judging PF this fall.
As an English Major, your clarity and cohesiveness are very important to me. I want to hear a quality argument and not at warp speed! If you go so fast that I cannot follow, it will hurt your case since I’ll lose track of your argument. Keep a good speaking pace.
Since I am new to this, signposting is helpful. Tell me where you’re going, then I can easily follow. State your impacts for me. Adding the magnitude and probability will catch my attention. Give me a reason to award you points!
I’m not a fan of spreading. Put your time into presenting a solid case with strong evidence to support your claims and oppose your opponent’s case.
I will not flow crossfire, I will listen. If you want me to consider something that comes up during crossfire, be sure to bring it up in your speeches.
I feel strongly that respect be shown at all times. Any signs of disrespect, racism, sexism, or anything derogatory will only benefit your opponents. Remember that debate should be done in a professional manner.
I see debate as a fun game of strategy. Make sure I see your crucial moves along the way.
Please contact me any time, including before or after our round, with any questions or comments: aricf@staff.harker.org.
Above all else: Treat the round as an educational experience, and your fellow participants as you would like to be treated. This means being reasonably kind in general, but also ethical within the debate. I may intervene, even when not asked to by the opposing team, if a competitor:
○ fabricates evidence, including disingenuous paraphrasing, or
○ employs hateful language, or
○ is disrespectful vis-à-vis trigger warnings for unexpected arguments (either neglecting to give one or, more rare, asks that a potentially-triggering argument is avoided as an act of strategy rather than legitimate self-care).
Background
○ PF and LD in high school (2011–2014), both events on the national as well as local circuits
○ Coached PF at the Champion Briefs Institute (now part of ISD)
○ Now an Assistant PF Coach at The Harker School.
The upshot: I have been in a lot of debate rounds, so I am comfortable with debate-specific jargon and can flow at most speeds (I will call "clear" if needed). Please know, though, that clarity can be a factor in speaker points.
Sign-posting is especially appreciated, as I keep a detailed flow and base my decision on it.
Winning My Ballot
My preference is to do as little work as possible, so tell me what to do: clear weighing of well-linked impacts within a well-established framework will go a long way. Try to anticipate the places in the debate where I have to make a non-obvious decision; if you give me reasonable instructions on how to make that decision, and the other team does not, you are ahead. I am open to almost anything that is sufficiently justified within the round, though the farther you stray from the resolution, the more you are inviting me as a judge to insert my own subjective views on reasonableness.
Things I wish I saw more of in PF:
○ Contextualize your impacts against the alternative(s). If you have a link to a small percentage decrease in the chance of, say, a famine, your impact is not that voting for you saves 100% of the death toll of said famine.
○ Be selective. For example, it's often not a great use of time to read turns and mitigation on the same argument. If the turn is strong, mitigation only hurts you, and if it's weak, why read it?
○ Be comparative. If you read a card that says something is true, and your opponent reads a card that says it is false, you need to give me reasons to prefer your argument to theirs. Do not just repeat your argument and insist that it is true without engaging in the clash.
Let's have fun!
I am a parent judge. I like to try to understand the points being made, so please speak normally (not fast).
I'm a parent judge for Acton Boxborough.
Please talk slow. It is hard to make a decision if I don't know your arguments.
I listen to crossfire in order to scope the strength of your arguments.
Evaluate me as a lay judge.
Background:
I did Public Forum for 3 years at Vista Ridge High School, and a few Policy tournaments but I doubt it really counts. I debated on the national and local circuit, qualifying for TFA State my Junior and Senior years of High School. I am currently a Sophomore at St. Edward's University in Austin.
General:
I am not tolerant of any sexism, racism, or anything of derogatory nature and my ballot will reflect that.
WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH. AND SIGNPOST. I am more tabula rasa than not.
Also, keep track of prep yourself I am too lazy to do it.
I generally listen to cross-fire but I don't decide the round on it.
Please be kind to one another and do not talk over each other. Debate is a game of intellect, not to shout over each other as if you were in a bar fight. (this will also get your speaks docked)
If you have a good joke that is tasteful and in context, go for it.
Speed:
I think that you can go at a fast pace as long as I can understand you, and I will just say clear if I can't but this does not mean spreading. Please do not spread, there's no point and it does not make you win more round in the long run. All in all, just be clear. I am not a judge that overestimates their ability to comprehend speed, I would rather everyone be in understanding of what is happening rather than going at warp speed.
LD - If you flash me everything you read, you go as fast as you want. If there are off-screen analytics being made I would slow down a bit.
Types of Arguments:
Keep in mind I did PF, not LD or CX. Run theory at your own risk. I did PF when they were running disclosure, I will listen to it but your voters or RVI's have to be pretty compelling for me to give you a round win, but it can be done. Other theory arguments like T's or K's are usually not done correctly and just make things messy. Also, running these arguments because the opponent doesn't know what theory is, is exclusionary and not cool.
I also do not like weird squirrely arguments to throw the opponents off, it just isn't needed but if its clever and in your constructive than more power to you.
The Split:
I think the second rebuttal should always frontline/address the first rebuttal. That is all.
Summary:
Defense is NOT sticky.
Given that you have a 3-minute summary, there better be some good condensing in there.
If you're giving first summary, you don't have to extend the defense from rebuttal, but you should put defense on any giant turns or disads from the second rebuttal. I like clear voting issues in summary and final focus. I also like it when teams collapse well in these speeches. If something important isn't in the summary, I'm not voting on it in final focus.
Evidence:
Truthful paraphrasing > miscut cards.
I can't believe I have to say this, but please represent evidence honestly. I'm not going to punish you for paraphrasing but I do expect you to stay true to what the evidence is saying if you choose to do so. I will punish you for misrepresenting evidence or knowingly reading authors that are fraudulent or very clearly unreliable.
Please don't do "debater math" or over-extrapolate the results and numbers in studies. It's often unethical and usually just not educational and inaccurate. Wrong. Bad. Pls don't.
You should know where your evidence is. I won't start immediately running your prep when opponents want you to find some evidence because I think that's silly, but if you start taking more than a minute or so I will.
Bracketing in your card is bad. The one exception, I guess, would be clarifying a qual or something. For example, if your card says "Amar continues" and you add "[Yale Law professor Akhil Reed] Amar continues" that isn't a huge deal, but it's probably easier to just note it somewhere else before/after the card.
Card dumps ≠ warrants, pls explain your arguments.
Speaker Points:
If you speak clearly and your in-round strategy is good, don't worry about speaker points. I generally don't give below 28 but it takes a good amount to get a 30.
I am a new judge, I did do PF/Congress in high school for a few years with some success. I am now in my second year of college here at UF majoring in finance.
I am big on presentation skills and clarity please go slow and explain your arguments well, so I can flow the round. Speak loud and clear. Don’t overwhelm me with evidence, that being said I am a numbers guy and want to see that you have done your research.
please please PLEASE stop calling for so much evidence what kind of norm is this
**current thoughts on debate: i think the longer judges take to come to a decision the more incorrect their ballot is**
email: gantlasr@gmail.com
4 years PF @ canyon crest/carmel valley, also championed the prestigious and well-run del norte pf round robin w/ syon iain & maanas
all events:
if you're going to spread, i need the speech doc
no slurring pls and slow down for numerical stats
please no Ks
messy round = long wait for rfd, see above
explain any topic-specific terms clearly
PF specific:
-you're best served debating the way that you normally debate as i can understand pretty much everything within the realm of PF and can adapt to most styles
-that being said, a few things you should know (most important --> least):
i require everything to be frontlined in 2nd rebuttal to access case offense, not just turns - be strategic
dropped defense can go from rebuttal to ff
ideally, no theory/K/etc. i think these types of arguments aren't relevant in most PF rounds -- i have a low threshold for responses
ill probably call for cards but if there's anything you want to make sure i read, tell me to in your speech -- i only read highlights unless you tell me to read unhighlighted parts
misc:
preflow in your own time, show up to round & set up table tote ASAP, flip beforehand etc - please don't keep the tournament waiting
For speaks: if it's a really good round, expect 30s. otherwise, I tend to give out pretty average speaks. Default 25 if you're syon mansur or Yash gupta
if you have further questions, ask before round
Hey, my name is Sam! I debated on the GA circuit for 3 years and nationally for 2 (2014-2017), breaking even my senior year at ToC and Nationals. Since then, I have judged and coached for several programs. Weigh your arguments and their terminal impacts against your opponent's arguments and impacts in summary/final focus. Second-half cohesion is important, make sure the summary and final focus work well together. I will not vote off of anything that fails to be extended from speech-to-speech. I can follow most speeds you're used to, but please do your best to speak clearly. Be polite to each other and enjoy the learning experience: D.B.A.A!
Hey, what's up!
I'm CJ Gilchrest, I debated in Public Forum to some degree of success throughout Highschool, so I know what is going on.
To me debate is a game, and I am voting for the team that best wins the game within the round. That means that generally I will be voting off of tech over truth, and will be trying my absolute most to intervene in the round as little as possible. I'm willing to vote on anything, including any kind of progressive arguments, as long as you win them I will consider them. Beyond this generic way of viewing the round I do have some specific details that will at the very least help you out with speaks.
- I absolutely DO consider first and second crossfires to be parts of the round. I don't "flow" them necessarily, but I will be paying attention, and I think what questions you choose to ask and how you respond to questions is a core part of how you are doing in the game of debate, so I will be paying attention and will be basing my decision in part on first and second cross. I will probably sorta pay attention to grand cross, but it is so late in the round and so hard to communicate effectively in that I can't imagine it mattering in a round too much.
- While I am willing to evaluate progressive arguments, I will NOT evaluate them if I feel that your opponents simply don't know how to handle them and you are only using them because you know your opponent can't. I am willing to drop on face for attempting progressive arguments against teams that clearly aren't ready for them, so think about whether or not it is worth it.
- I (probably) won't call for cards unless you tell me to, so if you think there is something wrong that I need to see, you have to tell me to look at it. It will be very very hard to still win the round if I find some kind of egregious unethical use in your evidence, so if you have that one card that you know is sus but you usually run anyway, maybe think twice about it.
Beyond that, just ask me any specific questions before the round starts and I'd be happy to answer them, and most importantly, just have fun with it. As long as everybody is being respectful to each other, its just debate, so please try to calm down and have fun with it. Also feel free to ask me anything after the round, about your specific round, debate in general, or even stuff like applying to schools or UF. If you want to ask me any questions after the round is over, feel free to email me at itsacusterthing@gmail.com.
Good luck and have fun! :D
Previous coach, tab director (be on time!), and judge of long ago. Never debated. I can flow arguments made at slightly above conversational pace and appreciate when winning arguments are made clear enough that I don't have to think too hard.
- Don't time torch the round - there are guidelines in the Live Doc about prep time deduction if your evidence takes an excessive amount of time to find. You should be able to find your cards within ten to fifteen seconds in our digital age. Use hyperlinks to your advantage!
- There are also specifications about no prep during evidence finding since, if it's as fast as it should be, that time isn't deducted from prep.
Theory: Debate is a game that should be equitable, educational, and played respectfully. I'll listen to arguments that impact to the shortfalls of the debate space in any of those domains.
Hi, I'm Casey (she/her/hers)! I’m currently a student at the University of Florida. I thoroughly enjoyed debate in high school and was an active participant. I competed in Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum throughout my four years in high school. I was a traditional debater, so I prefer traditional-level debate.
Email: caseyglymph@ufl.edu
Conflicts: West Broward HS (Pembroke Pines, FL); Accokeek Academy; DCUDL
Personal Notes
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Respect your opponents at all times. Regardless of their race, gender, or skill level, show them the same level of respect you wish to receive from any one. Any form of disrespect will be noted on the ballot.
- Going along with TWs, if you are running a controversial or sensitive topic as an argument, please be respectful. That being said, I don’t like blatantly, offensive arguments at all, especially if they only exist in the world you have created in the round.
- Please keep track of your own timing and hold your opponents accountable for timing as well.
*Notes specific for virtual debate tournaments*
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Please keep evidence exchanging brief. I know there are unique challenges with debating online, but please try to minimize time spent sharing evidence. Stopping the flow of the round messes everyone up. A few suggestions would be; to start an email chain before round or share a google doc with everyone and copy and paste cards there.
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If possible, please keep your cameras on. If there are wifi/connection challenges that is completely understandable. I just like putting a name to a face :)
Summary of my judging style
I am ok with progressive debate, but I am not a pro at it so please take this into account (Ks, theory, etc.). I'm chill with counterplans.
Summaries should focus on FW, warrants, and why you’ve won. Final focus should weigh impacts, don’t try to revive arguments that weren't even touched/mentioned in the summary.
Other notes
Speed: It is your burden to make sure your speeches are clear and understandable. The faster you want to speak, the more clearly you must speak. I do prefer slow-medium pace speed, but I can handle faster speed.
Speaker Points: Speaker points decrease based upon professionalism in the round. If the round is well debated, regardless of who wins, speaker points will reflect. I’m not in the business of screwing people over through speaker points, trust me I know the pain.
Please ask any questions you may have pre-round. Hope you have a great tournament!
If you're running an email chain, please add me: Andrewgollner@gmail.com
he/him
About me: I debated one year of PF and three years of policy at Sequoyah High, and I debated three year of college policy at the University of Georgia. I was a 2N that generally runs policy offcase positions but, especially earlier in my debate career, I ran many critical positions. I'll try to be expressive during the round so that you can discern how I am receiving your arguments.
Judge Preferences: On a personal level, please be kind to your opponents. I dislike it when a team is unnecessarily rude or unsportsmanlike. I am completely willing to discuss my decision about a round in between rounds, so please ask me if you want me to clarify my decision or would like advice. You can email me any questions you have.
FOR PF/LD:
I am primarily a policy judge. This means
- I am more comfortable with a faster pace. While I don't like the idea of spreading in PF and LD I can handle a faster pace.
2. I am decently technical. If an argument is dropped point it out, make sure I can draw a clean line through your speeches.
3. I am less used to theory backgrounds in your form of debate, slow down and explain these.
4. Ask me any specific questions you have.
FOR POLICY:
I recognize that my role is to serve as a neutral arbiter without predispositions towards certain arguments, but as this goal is elusive the following are my gut reactions to positions. I strive to ensure that any position (within reason, obviously not obscene or offensive) is a possible path to victory in front of myself.
CP: I love a well written CP which is tailored to your opponent's solvency advocate and that can be clearly explained and is substantiated by credible evidence. If your CP is supported by 1AC solvency evidence, I will be very impressed. Generic CPs are fine, I've read a ton of them, but the more you can at least explain your CP in the context of the affirmative's advantages the more likely you are to solve for their impact scenarios.
DA: Make sure to give a quick overview of the story during the neg block to clarify the intricacies of your position. If, instead of vaguely tagline making a turns case arg like "climate turns econ, resource shortages", you either read and later extend a piece of evidence or spend 10 to 15 seconds analytically creating a story of how climate change exasperates resource shortages and causes mass migrations which strain nation's financial systems, then I will lend far more risk to the disadvantage turning the case. Obviously the same goes for Aff turns the DA. I will also weigh smart analytical arguments on the disad if the negative fails to contest it properly. I'm also very persuaded when teams contest the warrants of their opponents evidence or point out flaws within their opponents evidence, whether it's a hidden contradiction or an unqualified author.
T: I've rarely gone for topicality but I have become increasingly cognizant of incidents in which I likely should have. My gut reaction is that competing interpretations can be a race to the bottom, but I have personally seen many affirmatives which stray far enough from the topic to warrant a debate centered over the resolution in that instance.
K: I used to run Ks pretty frequently in high school but I run them far less frequently now. I'm likely not deep in your literature base so be sure to explain your position and your link story clearly.
FW: My gut feeling is that debate is a game and that it should be fair, but I have seen many rounds where the affirmative team has done an excellent job of comparing the pedagogy of both models and won that their model is key for X type of education or accessibility there of. However, I am persuaded that a TVA only needs to provide reasonable inroads to the affirmatives research without necessarily having to actually solve for all of the affirmative. I do find the response that negs would only read DAs and ignore/"outweigh" the case to be effective - try to add some nuance to this question of why negs would or wouldn't still need to grapple with the case.
Non-traditional Aff: I've always run affs with USFG plan texts, but that doesn't mean that these positions are non-starters. I will be much more receptive to your affirmative if it is intricately tied to the topic area, even if it does refuse to engage the resolution itself for whichever reasons you provide.
Theory: I generally think 2 condo is good, more than that and things start to get a bit iffy.
Most importantly, please be kind to your opponents and have a good time.
I debated for four years in Public Forum at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Massachusetts.
General Stuff:
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I am fine with most speeds. However, I definitely prefer the round to go at a moderate pace and I will not tolerate spreading.
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I like to think that I am tech>truth. That said, there is an inherent tradeoff with my threshold for responses on ridiculous arguments.
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You do not need defense in the first summary unless the second rebuttal frontlines.
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I do not think progressive arguments (Theory, K, Breaking Speech Times/Meta, etc.) belong in PF so I will not judge those types of rounds. On the other hand, if there is some outrageous violation, warrant the issues in a speech and I will probably give some credence to it if it is true. Just don't read like a full-blown shell on me.
- I default Neg but am willing to hear warranted arguments about why I should presume the first speaking team.
Things I Like:
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Although I do not require it, I love it when teams frontline efficiently in the second rebuttal. I think it is strategic to do so and it makes for a better debate.
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I will always prefer smart analytics over unwarranted cards. If you read some nuke war scenario and your opponents question why war has never occurred it is not enough for you to just drop evidence and say it post dates. Interact with the warrants and show me why your side is stronger.
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Weighing is super important for my ballot. If you do not show me why your arguments matter more than your opponents I will not know how to vote and I might make some heinous decisions.
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I also love teams who use impact clarity well! Use it correctly, I often see this "weighing" mechanism done poorly.
- Please time each other. Keep each other accountable, don't rely on me for that.
Things I Do Not Like:
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I do not like second rebuttal offensive overviews or new contentions. I will evaluate the arguments but I will have a super low threshold for responses and your speaks will likely reflect this.
- A lot of teams think that if they frontline case then that just counts as an extension of it. I do not believe this is true. I prefer that there are explicit extensions made and I will not flow through arguments without good extensions.
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If you are blatantly racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. to either your opponents or within your argumentation, I will hand you an L and tank your speaks.
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Please be civil in crossfire (to a reasonable degree). Trust that I can recognize if someone is being abusive but also stand your ground when you feel it's appropriate.
If you have any questions please ask me before the round starts.
Hello, Greetings !!!
I am a parent judge and have some experience judging public forum debate format. I am aware of incredible time & effort debaters put in for preparation and how much they value and look for judge's feedback. I would like to be fair in judging and would suggest following,
1. Speak Clear,loud, confident and concise.
2. Speed - Like medium so that i can flow. No spreading.
3. Please do not bring up new arguments in Summary and Final Focus. Extend your arguments and collapse in Summary and FF.
4. Do not personally attack or use offensive language towards your opponent. I expect this to be a sportive and enjoyable experience.
5. Stick to the time limits.
6. I expect clear evidence and warranting when supporting arguments.
7. Voters - If you want me to vote for you, please make it clear what arguments you are winning on.
Good Luck debating !!!
I competed in LD on the circuit, but that was around 20 years ago, so don't expect me to know how everything works nowadays. I am a trial attorney, so I will understand your arguments. Consider me a flay judge. You have to weigh to win my ballot.
Ardrey Kell '20 | UNC Chapel Hill '24
Email: goskonda24a@ad.unc.edu
Contact me if you have any questions with the email above
***Note for online rounds: Online debates are really weird and the possibility of someone's internet cutting out or their audio lagging is really high. In order to keep the round going smoothly, I strongly suggest that you send over speech docs for each speech and disclose your cases either on the wiki or putting it on the email chain. That way even if there is a technical issue during a speech we don't have to backtrack.
General
I was the captain of the Ardrey Kell High School Public Forum team. I competed in PF for 4 years and had some decent success on circuit.
Speed wasn't an issue as a debater but judging is a whole different story, so slow down just a little bit, especially if it's a new topic. I'm fine with spreading as long as you provide speech docs (otherwise I won't flow).
Provide warrants for everything you read. Explain why something happens, instead of just claiming that it happens.
Signpost signpost signpost!
Flow stuff
-Debate is a game. I am tech>truth and will flow any argument, as long as you articulate them well and your link chains actually make sense.
-I like framework debates, but in order to win off of framework you need to extend it in every speech of the round. If no framework is given, I default cost-benefit.
-No new offensive overviews in second rebuttal. Second Rebuttal should frontline turns (you can kick out of them strategically, but don't bs). Weighing in rebuttal is lit.
-If an argument is conceded, it becomes 100% true.
-Summary and final focus have to be consistent. You can re-explain the warrants/links already extended in summary, but there should be no new warrants/impacts that are key to the round in FF. 1st FF can do a little bit extra weighing and new backlines to responses made in 2nd summary given that the first speaking team has a disadvantage in the round but no new link extensions that weren't in summary.
-My favorite protein is weigh protein (if you don't understand you're either gonna lose the round or you spend time prepping for debate so much that you don't have time to go to the gym)
-If you don't extend a link in summary, it's game over for you. Link extensions should have uniqueness, link, internal link, and impact. Weighing should also be extended in every speech. You can't link in with weighing if you're not winning your link.
-Extending something doesn't mean saying "extend the Smith evidence that goes conceded". Extend what the evidence says as well as the warranting/implication
-Summary doesnt have to extend conceded defense unless it's turns or TD. Turns without warranting and implications aren't turns at all so I'm not gonna evaluate them if you don't flush them out.
-2nd FF can't have any new link ins or weighing. Extend it from summary
At the end of the day, I will vote off of the most important argument in the round. If it is well-articulated and weighed, chances are you probably won it.
Progressive Argumentation
I'm going to be honest here. I understand and support the fact that progressive argumentation is key for checking back abuse of norms and create inclusivity in the debate sphere. However, I ran substance for most of my career and I am not an expert at progressive argumentation. That being said, I will evaluate theory and some basic level Ks if they are really really well explained. My threshold for evaluating progressive args is high so the simpler your arguments are, the better. I'd still much rather judge a normal substance debate, but if there is a violation that you absolutely have the need to call out, then go for it. Don't run frivolous arguments.
-CIs>reasonability
-I slightly lean to no RVIs but I'm pretty taboo about it
-No K-affs, Plans/CPs, tricks, etc (I have no idea what these are)
Miscellaneous
-I'm not going to call for cards after round unless you make an effort to indict one and I am told to call for it.
-I will be flowing the entire round except for crossfire, so if something important in cross pops up, I'm not going to consider it unless it's mentioned in speech.
-If you are racist, xenophobic, sexist, classist, homophobic, ableist, or show any other kind of discrimination you will be dropped automatically with the lowest speaks possible.
-You can paraphrase your cards as long as the content is what it actually says. If you do get caught lying about your cards, you will get an L with really low speaks
-Any Weeknd or Drake reference = 30 speaks
At the end of the day, whether you're on the bid round or you're riding the bubble, make sure you have fun. I get bored very easily debating or judging so make the round entertaining and light hearted. If you're funny, I'll bump your speaks and will like you but don't force it or come off as rude.
If you have any questions that I may not have answered in this paradigm, you can contact me using the info I put at the top.
Good luck!
I typically can't hear/follow full speed spreading. If I can't hear you I will yell clear.
I will listen to any arguments I understand. If you are running progressive arguments I expect clear explanations for every part of the case. You can read tricky arguments but if I can't hear them I will not vote on them.
Traditional approach is probably best.
I value tech over truth, once again as long as the argument is explained to me.
During rebuttals I expect clear, heavy impact work. Explain how your arguments interact with theirs and tell me why to vote for you.
I'm a college student with a background in public policy and public speaking. However, I have never competed in speech & debate before, though I have attended competitions on my college campus. I'm going to judge truth over technique, going off my prior knowledge on policy issues, and I am not a flow judge.
I am a parent judge and I have judged on national circuit for four years.
General Preferences
Please keep track of speech and prep time yourself and for your opponents.
Please do NOT spread. Keeping the word count less than 180 words per minute would be great.
I like arguments that are logical and explained clearly. Roadmaps are helpful as well.
Be civil and respond logically. Don't be over-aggressive.
Lay Judge
* Speak slowly and clearly. Keep things simple and logical. Don't use debate jargon.
* When you read evidence, please say reasons behind it also (don't just say we have _ card and move on).
* I prefer reason over evidence. I like when teams remind me of their final case arguments but don't spend a whole minute on it - just say it in one or two sentences.
* If you collapse, please say clearly that you are collapsing.
* I don't believe improbable arguments like nuclear war and extinction. A piece of advice is to run smaller impacts for me to believe and vote for it.
* Please be respectful to each other
Thx and have fun.
Hello,
Please see my responses inline.
>> ..The paradigm should include your background of judging experience..
I am a parent judge and I am used to judging Public Forum only.
>>.. any specifics you look for when deciding who wins a debate round...
1. I try to take notes as much as I can on the content, facts, rebuttal and reasoning. However, if the speaker presents too fast, then I may not be able to comprehend. So, try to pace it at a medium to fast speed.
2. Unfortunately, I may not have read as much on the topic as the participants, hence I may not be able to understand complex contentions
3. I typically judge on how clear and effective the speaker is and the facts that are presented to prove their content
4. I like when facts are juxtaposed compared to the opponent, not only numbers but reasoning as well
5. I like to hear cross examination to see how you question the argument in an effective way
6. Please avoid jargons if possible
Thanks,
Samrat
Thanks for checking out my paradigm! I apologize in advance for how long it is and for not providing a TLDR.
I am a 24 year-old college graduate who has debated public forum in high school for about 3 years, and have judged (specifically only blue key, and public forum up until varsity semi's) for the last 4 years. My background is in the field of medicine.
Here below are 5 key points to make note of for when I serve as your judge.
Respectfully,
1. In my eyes, to debate means to critically synthesize and evaluate information with specific relevance to the status quo. The more that you help me, the more that I can help you.
- Therefore, impact analysis and ,specifically, impact manifestation in the final focus are crucial to winning my vote.
- Clearly outline and organize your flow. This gives you the best chance that I make note of your arguments and weigh them appropriately.
- Give me clearly defined and weighed voting issues. SIGNPOST, and give me brief off-time road maps (when appropriate) that can help me organize my flow. Summarization exhibits your ability to read, but analysis lets me know that you understand what you are reading.
2. I have not read ANY formal evidence or argumentation prior to my first round of judging on this specific topic.
- Therefore, try to clearly organize and formulate a framework, or a standard upon which I can more accurately judge your contention(s).
- If neither team agree upon an appropriate framework, I will be forced to moderate the debate according to my own personal background knowledge. This can lead to transparency issues/favoritism issues if/when I disclose on the round.
3. I do not have experience in LD or Policy
- Therefore, I know VERY little about progressive argumentation, "Kritik framework", and theory argumentation, etc. If you believe that any of the aforementioned topics apply to you and are crucial to your victory in the round, please strike me.
- If possible, PLEASE do not spread. I understand that spreading is an acceptable strategy and I will make an honest attempt to keep up, but will most likely fail.
4. Evidence clashes are bound to happen.
- I will usually call for the evidence at the end of the round if it is centered around one of my key voting issues. I will only evaluate the card based on what is said in round, but may give you advice on the analysis of the information if you want me to post-round.
- I will often disregard the quality of the source of evidence if you use rational logic in creating a warrant that supports a presumed "faulty card"
5. I will judge as if the debate round is in a vacuum, and will make an honest effort to not evaluate arguments based on personal bias/worldview.
- Therefore, in terms of the nuance between Tech vs Truth, I am 70:30 in favor of Tech. Using novel argumentation displays your critical thinking prowess; but, if you cannot reasonably defend each of your links and give me beyond reasonable doubt that your impacts will manifest, I have little reason to support your claims.
- As a common rule of thumb, the stronger the claim that you make, the stronger the evidence/warrants/links needed to support it.
IMPORTANT: Any form of the following (but not limited to) prejudices between competitors will result in an automatic loss from me. No exceptions. Demonstrating basic humanism and empathy is far more important than winning any debate round.
· Racism.
· Sexism.
· Ageism.
· Classism.
· Homophobia.
· Religious prejudice.
· Xenophobia.
- On my honor, I will not base any part of my decision on these prejudices. Moreover, where you go to school, how well you have performed in the past, or whether I have previously judged you or not are irrelevant to me. Leave out all the rest—what happens in round is the only thing that matters to me.
Speaker points:
I generally give very high speaks (will treat every round as a bubble round). However, my leniency is often a soft function of your membership as Varsity or Novice—I hold varsity to a higher standard.
Takeaway: Do not worry about speaks. As long as you do not violate my rule on prejudice and are not blatantly laughing at your opponents (regardless of how ridiculous their arguments may seem to you), you will receive a minimum of 28. Disagreement is perfectly valid and encouraged—humiliation is not; how you carry yourself while others speak speaks volumes of your character. Though this will not affect the outcome of the debate, it will affect your speaker points, and my view of you as a person (for what it is worth).
Final notes:
Relax. Take a deep breath, and love yourselves.
You guys are already so incredibly awesome for choosing to wake up on a weekend and chase your interests. You guys have struggled and have shown courage and resilience just by being here. Know that regardless of the outcome that I decide upon in the debate round, I have the utmost respect for each and every one of you. I recognize that I am not you and do not understand how much you have been through to get this far, but I hope that I can perform up to your standard with my transient privilege as your judge.
***Please have fun, be respectful, and treat your fellow competitors as if they were from your own school. Your victory here will be but an imprinted numerical code entered into tabroom accompanied with a possible wooden stick (trophy) at the end; but your class, humanity, and humility will serve as your legacy and will define the remainder of your life. One is objectively more valuable to me than the other.
If you have made it this far, Thanks for reading!
I did debate pretty competitively in high school (c/o 2020) but would call myself mostly a flay and traditional judge by now. My preferences that I really want competitors to meet are as follows:
- PLEASE speak at a conversational pace and condense your arguments. I will miss a lot of things if you spread or are too complicated.
- Try to balance truth and tech - Looking back, a lot of my arguments were pretty unbelievable
- No new arguments in FF and no extending to FF if arguments are not in summary
- Boost +0.2 speaks if you l give me a piece of paper and borrow a black/blue and red pen (I’ll give the boost to everyone that offers it)
- Don’t mind paraphrasing, but have your evidence ready if your opponents ask for it
- No theory or K’s
Essentially, treat me as a parent judge that will evaluate your arguments with a bit more rigor as a past debater. Don’t forget to have fun too :)
Email for email chains: ryleyhartwig@gmail.com
I competed in public forum at American Heritage in high school (2014-2016) and policy at FSU (2016-2018). Any questions you have specifically about my paradigm can be asked before the round.
Paradigm
- Do anything you want to do in terms of argumentation. It is not my job as a judge in a debate community to exclude certain forms of argumentation. I probably have not read your specific K lit if you go that route, make sure you explain it. If your theory is frivolous its a lot less likely to win, but go for it if you are confident in winning it. If you are reading a "role of the ballot" and it is different in every speech, I probably will not evaluate it. If you are reading a "role of the ballot", you should be able to recite it from memory without changing the phrases multiple times in the debate. Do not read a "role of the ballot" if you do not plan on keeping it consistent, it will result in worse speaker points.IF you're reading a K or other critical argument, explain your authors warranting, don't just assert an extension without explaining and characterizing your authors warranting to the specific debate.
- If neither team has any risk of offense at the end of the debate, I will default neg on presumption. I ALWAYS prefer to vote off a risk of offense over presumption, your probability analysis could win you the round. Provide a contextualization for your impact, and attempt to maintain a narrative throughout the later half of the debate. You will be a lot more convincing.
- Generally have been tech over truth. In PF there are significant time constraints to explain intricate link chains to arguments that may maintain more "tech" than "truth" in their nature--try to stray away from these. My threshold for responses to arguments that are more "tech" than "truth" is pretty low. If there is a large difference in strategy that allows for one of the "tech" over "truth" arguments to win on the flow, that is where I will vote. (eg. Team A reads a nuclear war scenario, Team B only responds with vague variants of "MAD", as long as Team A responds and extends warrants, this is still a tech over truth win)
- Sound logic is better than crappy cards. I think the main determinant of good quality evidence is not where it comes from, but the warranting the author uses to justify either their research or logic-based conclusions. The "why" in evidence is more important than where it is from unless a debater can prove that where the source is from be grounds for the warranting to be undermined.
- Cx is binding.
- If you disagree with my RFD, feel free to postround respectfully, I will be glad to answer any questions or give my thought process when deciding as long as the discussion remains civil.4
Experience:
This is my third year judging Public Forum. However, I am a parent judge, not a professional judge. I take my role seriously and have done everything I can to prepare myself and ensure you and I both have successful rounds.
Preferences:
1. Please do not spread. I am a flow judge. Help walk me through it; use signposting and make sure I hear your arguments, evidence and rebuttals.
2. During rebuttal/final focus be specific with why you think you won and your opponent(s) lost.
3. Maintain good sportsmanship and be professional.
Good luck and I look forward to the upcoming rounds!
In sum, first-year out who will vote off the flow. Please weigh.
I debated for four years for Horace Mann (class of 2019) and attended TOC in my upperclassman years.
While I will act as a tech judge, I also value some truth in arguments—the more far-fetched your argument seems, the more likely I am to buy simple, logical responses. However, I do vote off the flow as much as possible, so in the second half of the round, please fully extend all arguments you expect me to include when deciding.
Please weigh—otherwise, you'll be unhappy with my decision. Please also interact with your opponents' weighing if they provide any.
Technical things: I discourage but can handle speed, prefer fleshed out logic over blippy card dumps, don't require defense in first summary unless second rebuttal has frontlined (which is also optional), and have minimal to nonexistent experience with all types of progressive arguments (but am open to voting off substantive theory shells for actual in-round abuse).
I have no knowledge about the current topics as I do not coach; please do not assume I know anything about stock arguments or topic-related acronyms.
Small things: Set up before me and do the flip if you are able; no need for handshakes; I think speaker points are very arbitrary and try to inflate them a little (shh).
Last of all, please let me do if there is anything I can do to make your life easier—debate is about learning and having fun fun at the same time, and I believe everyone in the round should work towards making that happen.
For further reference, please check out this paradigm written by my teammates Sajan Mehrotra and Ethan Kim: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fw2VpOyJbxFPYGz2jseTGfbbZiUgIRQJqh5LvCgbahw/edit?usp=sharing
Parent judge here. Lay judge.
Speak slowly and clearly--I would prefer good presentation as well. Just be persuasive.
Signpost--It makes it easier to follow.
Logical arguments--these make a lot more sense than a big card dump, and I'm more likely to understand it.
Weigh--makes it clear to me who's winning
Don't be rude or offensive.
Hi there! I did PF for 4 years. Below are some general guidelines for how you can win my ballot :)
A few things to take note of:
- My wifi tends to lag so PLEASE speak SLOWER. If you go too fast I might not catch stuff and I refuse to call for a speech doc unless if you cut out even when you're going at an understandable pace. It's your job to communicate your arguments to me, not mine to read your arguments off a doc :)
- Please don't take hours to find your evidence. I understand that sometimes your internet connection might slow down your evidence finding process but if you're taking way too long I'm not going to be happy. Keep your evidence organized!!
- Please preflow before rounds... if you ask to preflow once you get to the room I'm probably going to dock your speaker points. You have ample time to do so before rounds now that you don't have to physically walk to your room.
Ok now on to how you can win my ballot...
Things I like:
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Weighing!!! Please weigh!!! If you don’t weigh, I’ll have to do my own weighing which you probably don’t want.
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Warrants. Explain and flesh out your arguments. Don’t just read a blippy turn without any explanation and expect me to evaluate it at the end of round.
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Collapsing. Going for an argument or two in the second half will help make your life and my life much easier. Quality over quantity.
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Frontlining. Since summaries are 3 minutes now, first summary MUST frontline turns or any offense at the very least (second rebuttal should at least do the same).
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Decorum. Debate is a high school extracurricular activity. Please be nice to your opponents before, during, and after round (although I understand cross can get a bit heated sometimes, just try to be nice). Save any rude comments for the bus or hotel or whatever.
*** If you’re extending a card, please don’t just say the card name. I tend to miss card names so tell me the argument you’re extending!!!!!!!!
Things I don’t like:
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Spreading. I can usually keep up with speed, just not spreading!
- New in the 2. Please don't make new arguments in final focus. You're just wasting your time. I'm not even going to flow it.
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Bigoted arguments. I will drop you immediately and tank your speaks
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Theory: No, just no. Please don't. If you run theory, I’m not even going to flow it and I definitely will NOT be evaluating it.
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K’s: I’ll try my best to evaluate them. I’m not super familiar with them so if you do run a K, please flesh out your explanations and tell me why I should evaluate it over other arguments in the round. If you run one, you should be collapsing on it or else I will drop you for using it as a cheap way to win.
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Postrounding. PLEASE DON'T DO THIS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. Once I make a decision, I stand by it. Asking questions is FINE, but trying to change my mind is not.
- Miscut evidence. Most likely I won't call for evidence unless if you tell me to or if you go for it and it sounds really sketchy. And yes, hate to break it to you, but I will drop you for miscut evidence (even if you win the debate) :) sorry not sorry! Strike me if this bothers you!
4 years of PF, UVA '23
Winning my ballot starts with weighing, in fact, weighing is so important I'd prefer if you did it at the begiNning of every speech after first rebuttal. Be cOmparative, I need a reason why I should look to your arguments firsT. Please collapse, don't go for more than one case arg in the second half, its unnecessaRy. I'm a lazy judge the easIest plaCe to vote is where I'll sign my ballot. I'm not going to do more worK than I need to. I will not vote off of one sentence offense, everything needS to be explained clearly, warranted, and weighed for me to evaluate it(turns especially). I try not to presume but if I do, I will presume whoever lost the coin flip.
I will evaluate progressive arguments.
If you are going to give a content warning please do it correctly - this means anonymized content warnings with ample time to respond.
I'm very generous with speaks, speaking style doesn't affect how I evaluate the round and I don't think I'm in a place to objectively evaluate the way you speak. With that being said I will not tolerate rudeness or ANY bm in round. I can handle a decent amount of speed but do not let speed trade off with quality.
Online debate I will be muted the entire round just assume I'm ready before every speech and time yourselves and your own prep. I will disclose if the tournament allows.
Questions: chashuang1@gmail.com
Elkins '19 |TAMU'22| Rice '24
TLDR: Tech>Truth. My debate philosophy is that of the classic flow judge that I vote for the debater with the least mitigated link chain to the best-weighed impact.
Substance/LARP/Theory/K- 1|Heavy fwk- 2 |tricks etc...- 4
PF
1.I look heavily towards the terminal impacts at the end of the round so weighing/crystallization will ultimately be beneficial for you. Just saying, "we outweigh on scope, magnitude, etc..." does not qualify as proper weighing. Give me the actual reasons/stats as to "how and why" you outweigh on all those fronts.
2. If you guys arrive at the same terminal impact ie; poverty, climate change, war, etc... the first place I look at is the strength of link on both sides.
3.FWK- I default to cost-benefit analysis unless any other fwk is given in round. If any other framework is given in the round, I will hold you to a higher standard in defending that framework. Overviews are fine with me but must come in the first rebuttal (no offensive overviews in the 2nd rebuttal).
4. If you are the 2nd speaking team, you must frontline all offense stemming from the first team's rebuttal. It is preferable if you frontline a good majority of the defense. Any dropped offense in 2nd rebuttal is conceded to me; all you can do after that is weigh against it.
5.Anything said in final focus must have been alluded to in the summary.You guys literally have an extra minute of prep and time for your summary so there should be no excuses in not extending terminal defense and turns AND do some solid weighing. That being said... PLEASE EXTEND YOUR Turns/Terminal Def etc... through both Summary and Final Focus.
6. I know paraphrasing abuse has become more relevant these days so I will typically not have much leniency if I call for evidence and your paraphrasing completely misrepresents the evidence. That being said, it would be a safer bet not to paraphrase. Also, when I call for evidence, I will need to look at the entire article.
7. Speed is fine, just slow down on warrants, authors, and anything extremely important, ie; weighing/stats. But make sure there is clarity and organization (line by line) in all speeches.
8.Speaks: 28-30 usually. If you strategize really well and weigh/crystallize well, I'll give you a 29.5, even if you catch an L.
LD
DA's/Advantages
A lot of advantages/DAs are super contrived, and it’s easy to convince me that impacts short of extinction should matter more. I do find existential risk literature interesting, but I dislike the lazy strategy of reading a card that passingly references nuke war/terrorism/warming and tagging it as "extinction." If accessing extinction specifically, as opposed to just a big non-existential impact, is important to your impact-framing arguments, then you should justify that last internal link.
CP
Make sure you specify the status of your Counter Plan in the constructive. If you do not have a properly warranted solvency advocate in the constructive, the chances that I will vote on the counter plan are slim to none. Make sure you establish a strong link chain and ensure that the plan itself is competitive.
Theory/T
Unless it's Disclosure theory, I WILL NOT evaluate any out-of-round abuse. If you want theory to be the highest layer of offense in the debate, make sure you explicitly state it. The only exceptions are theory shells which involve actual real-world norm-setting, that isn't ridiculous (like shoes and clothes theory). For Theory/T, I default to competing interps and Drop the Argument.
Kritiks
I can always appreciate a well-written Kritik, however, do not make an attempt to commodify for the sake of picking up a ballot. Vague alternatives are bad, and any ambiguity will not work in favor of the K. Minimum standard of clarity: don't phrase your alternative as an infinitive.None of this "the alt is: to reject, to challenge, to deconstruct, etc" business. It needs a clearly specified actor.
+1 speaker pt for a Starbucks frappuccino mocha/vanilla iced coffee
I will not vote on any arguments that are racist, ableist, sexist, or homophobic.
If you have any questions, email me at ppj1002@gmail.com
- also for the email chain if need be^
Hello Debaters,
I've been judging debate for last 3 years. I enjoy good factual debates, professional courtesies and sportsmanship. I love to see teams challenge each other on facts and evidences rather than just through sound. Tell me how and why should I vote a particular way.
Add me on the your Google Doc or Cards: cmu2010@gmail.com
For urgent issues, you can SMS me at +1 408 391 9027
I am a lay judge.
about to restructure paradigm. sry its messy.
Cami (she/her). I debated PF for three years. Currently a second year at the University of Chicago. Paradigm copied from Alexis Huang shoutout to her!!
- My wifi tends to lag so PLEASE speak SLOWER. If you go too fast I might not catch stuff.
- Please don't take hours to find your evidence. I understand that sometimes your internet connection might slow down your evidence finding process but if you're taking way too long I'm not going to be happy. Keep your evidence organized!! I will probably call for cards, especially in close rounds.
Ok now on to how you can win my ballot...
Things I like:
-
Weighing!!! Please weigh!!! If you don’t weigh, I’ll have to do my own weighing which you probably don’t want.
-
Warrants. Explain and flesh out your arguments. Don’t just read a blippy turn without any explanation and expect me to evaluate it at the end of round. Extend your case warrants and links in every speech (first rebuttal exception but try to cross apply/weigh since it works out in your favor) or I will not vote for your argument. While less important for me, if you have a large claim, specifically one that implies a trend, card it!!!!
-
Collapsing. Going for an argument or two in the second half will help make your life and my life much easier. Quality over quantity. Be clear about what you're collapsing on
-
Frontlining. Since summaries are 3 minutes now, first summary MUST frontline turns or any offense at the very least (second rebuttal should at least do the same).
-
Decorum. Debate is a high school extracurricular activity. Please be nice to your opponents before, during, and after round. They are a fellow human; I take your composure very seriously. Save any rude comments for the bus or hotel or whatever. I will have no compunctions over tanking your speaks if you are being petty or rude.
*** If you’re extending a card, please don’t just say the card name. I tend to miss card names so tell me the argument you’re extending!!!!!!!!
Things I don’t like:
-
Spreading. I can usually keep up with speed, just not spreading!
- New in the 2. Please don't make new arguments in final focus. You're just wasting your time. I'm not even going to flow it.
-
Bigoted arguments. I will drop you immediately and tank your speaks
-
Theory:if everyone in the room (including me) knows whats going on at a normal speed (or doc if its imperative) no need to run a shell i've never ran theory so just explain everything
-
K’s: I’ll try my best to evaluate them. I’m not super familiar with them so if you do run a K, please flesh out your explanations and tell me why I should evaluate it over other arguments in the round. If you run one, you should be collapsing on it or else I will drop you for using it as a cheap way to win.
-
Postrounding. PLEASE DON'T DO THIS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. Once I make a decision, I stand by it. Asking questions is FINE, but trying to change my mind is not.
- Miscut evidence. Most likely I won't call for evidence unless if you tell me to or if you go for it and it sounds really sketchy. And yes, hate to break it to you, but I will drop you for miscut evidence (even if you win the debate) :) sorry not sorry! Strike me if this bothers you!
- Do not micromanage the other team. I trust everyone to keep their own time, and the team keeping their own prep knows their time better than the opposition. It is very condescending and will make me not like you and tank your speaks.
A FEW OTHER COMMENTS:
1. I'm not currently coaching hence I don't even know the resolution. Don't assume I know stock arguments because I don't, so explain your logic well.
2. Any concessions must be extended in the speech directly after whatever crossfire said concession occurs.
3. I strongly prefer for second rebuttal to frontline, but won't consider anything not covered dropped. Also second speaking team start collapsing in second rebuttal
4. No offensive overviews (new contention pretty much) in second rebuttal, but weighing overviews are really really cool. I will default to a framework/overview (give me warranting though) if its not responded to, and consider it very strongly when making me decision.
5. Debate should be fun. I enjoy puns or any references to astrology or Mitski.
6. Any questions or concerns feel to contact me at camijaramillo@uchicago.edu
7. Read content warnings.
8. flex prep is OK
9. if ur running us hegemony. warrant why its good. same w china bad
10. if ur running extinction or any high magnitude low probability arg-- and the opposing team isn't also running the same type of arg-- spend more time on impact evidence than usual. i evaluate prob and strength of link higher typically, so do more work to gain your ground in this type of arg. some framing early in the ground would be advised. i'm not opposed to these arguments, you'll just need to do a bit more work to gain my ballot
I am new to judging debate, but I am well aware of quality arguments. I look for depth of analysis, direct clash of arguments, evidence without it driving the debate, and the human element of persuasion. Please do not spread/speak too fast to ensure I hear and evaluate all arguments by both teams.
lay/student judge
I am excited to be judging PF event. Though i haven't judged many events in USA i participated in many while in school-ing in India.
This is my first time judging, I judge for the Quarry Lane School. Please be respectful to your opponents during crossfire and please talk clearly and not too fast. I might take light notes but if anything is crucial please emphasize during speeches. Most importantly, have fun!
I have been judging since 2018 in tournaments from the rookie to varsity levels. I have been a lawyer in the past and like to view both viewpoints with good supporting evidence. Support for your contentions have to hold solid ground.
I also love clarity over ambiguity. I do not prefer spreading/speaking fast.
Email- JKaminskii34@gmail.com
TLDR (updated 11/4/22)
- Speed is fine, you won't go too fast
- Win the flow=win the round
- Presumption =neg
- Theory is cool, run it well (Interp, violation, standards and voters. RVI's have higher burden)
- K debate is even better
- Defense needs to be extended
- I default to magnitude/strength of link weighing
- You can run any and all args you want, but they cannot be problematic/discriminatory/ attack your opponents. This will be an auto 20 speaks and L.
My debate experience:
Current assistant PF coach at Trinity Prep
3 Years of NFA-LD Debate
4 Years of Public Forum debate
Paradigm-
It should be pretty easy to win my ballot. In my opinion, debate is a game, and you should play to win. Here are the specific things most debaters would want to know.
PF
- I am cool with speed, so long as you don't use it to push your opponents out of a round. I will call clear if you become hard to understand, so keep that in mind.
- I will evaluate all types of arguments equally unless told otherwise.
- I am willing to listen to things like K's and theory arguments, so long as they are impacted out in the round.
- I really enjoy framework debates as well. I think these can be particularly beneficial for limiting the ground your opponents have in the round.
- I am tech over truth, which means so long as it is on my flow, I will evaluate the argument regardless of my own feelings on it. I will also not flow arguments through ink on the flow, so be sure to engage with your opponents answers in order to win the link level of your argument.
- Summary and FF should be somewhat consistent in terms of the direction they are going. Inconsistencies between these speeches will be harmful, especially when it comes to evaluating the strengths of your links and impacts
- On that same note, I want to see some sort of collapse in the second half of the debate- going for everything is typically a bad strategy, and I want to reward smart strategic choices that you make.
- I default to a net benefits impact calc, unless given a competing way to view the round. I am cool viewing the round through any lens that you give me, so long as you explain why its the best way for me to evaluate the round. If absent, I have to intervene with my own, which is something I hate to do.
- If you want me to call for cards, you need to ask me to do so. In that same regard, I wont intervene unless you leave me no other option.
- I dont flow CX, so if you want me to hold something that was said as binding, you need to bring it up in all of the subsequent speeches.
-Speaker points, in my opinion, are less about your speaking performance and more about your ability to present and explain compelling arguments, interact with the opposition, and provide meaningful analysis as to why you are necessarily more important. Content above style
-On a more personal note, I want the rounds that I judge to be educational and allow debaters to articulate arguments about real world issues, all of which deserve respect regardless of your own personal opinions. I have seen my partners and teammates experience sexism, racism, and other types of discrimination, and I have absolutely zero tolerance for it when I am judging.
-If you have any other questions about my paradigm, please feel free to ask me. I also will give feedback after rounds, you just have to find me and ask.
LD
- All of the above applies here as well. There are a few extra points that may be helpful.
- I will always evaluate framing first, so long as there are competing positions. If values are the same, just collapse and move on. These can be either traditional or more progressive/kritical frameworks.
- For the NR/2AR, don't go for everything- there simply is not enough time and debates are not lost by making strategic decisions to go for one or two arguments instead of extending the entire case.
- I dont need voter issues- just go top down the AC and NC and win your offense/extend defense.
- Impact calc is necessary- PLEASE weigh your impacts. I default to a net benefits impact calc, unless given a competing way to view the round.
i am a parent judge. please add me to the email chain and before speeches, email both your case and rebuttal documents so that I can better read/follow along and understand everything in online debate: teresahu08@gmail.com.
please speak clearly, and be respectful during crossfire.
good luck!
I am a parent judge so please...
- DO NOT spread/speak really fast
-clearly make arguments. If the argument is really confusing or has a lot of links, you are already at a disadvantage.
-Do not run theory of Ks or anything of the sort because I really do not know how to evaluate them and I do not want to unfairly make a choice. I have nothing against them. I just do not want to judge a k or theory unfairly since I'm a parent judge with no experience in them.
-Do not assume I will make the connections fo you, try to make all the necessary connections or points that you will think win you the round (includes but not limited to extending links/warrants, impacts/impact calc, weighing)
I am a parent judge from Hunter College High School. I have been judging for a few years now. Please speak slowly and clearly, no jargon. You should concentrate on the 1-2 most relevant arguments at the end of the round and point out to me why I should vote on those. If you want to win off of an argument, please highlight it in the summary and reiterate it in the final focus speeches. Please be civil to your competitors.
I did PF for three years on the circuit with Timber Creek High School. I'm a flow judge. I'm okay with you talking relatively fast as long as you're speaking clearly. Please don't spread.
Here are a few things I give a lot of importance to in round:
Legitimacy of your cards: I'm not going to vote off of any card that isn't saying what you claim it to be saying
Weighing: I need to hear weighing of impacts in the round because if a round is left where both teams still have offense, I'm forced to make that decision on my own
I don't flow crossfire so if something important is said in crossfire please bring it up again in the speeches. Otherwise, just be kind and professional.
***ALL cards read during ANY speech need to be sent in the email chain PRIOR to the speech. If you are not comfortable adapting to this standard, please strike me
North Broward '20 Wake Forest '24
Quartered @ TOC and have minimal college policy experience
Head Public Forum Coach @ Quarry Lane
Email: katzto20@wfu.edu
tech>truth
I would prefer both teams talk about the topic. I have given up on judging bad PF theory / K debates.
debate is a game and the team that plays the best will win.
I did PF, LD, and Congress for 4 years at Liberty North High School in Liberty, Missouri. I graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2021 and competed in NFA-LD (one person policy), impromptu, and extemp. I was also a Debate Coach at Ridge High School during while at WKU.
Add me on the email chain - isaackeller7@gmail.com.
If you use speechdrop.net, send me the code.
Also, please disclose aff and neg on the WIKI.
I will vote on the flow every round. It's your job to execute the line by line just as it is my job to evaluate it fairly. The paradigm below should tell you just about everything you need to know, but feel free to ask me anything before the round.
Overview:
College LD has converted me into a tech over truth debater. I'll evaluate just about any argument that isn't blatantly offensive (sexist, racist, etc.). That includes impact turns. However, if it is a little harder to believe, or a little more out there, then there's a higher threshold on supporting warrants and evidence. I give a lot of weight to conceded arguments, even if they suck. If it's a back and forth wash, I'll prioritize the debater with deeper analysis and higher quality arguments - just win truth and tech to be safe.
Good debate requires extensive research, preparation, organization, and good communication skills. I appreciate successful in-round execution and strategy. I will reward newer and better quality evidence, organized citations, and clear speakers with high speaks and a tie-breaker. Evidence should always include the date published, author, author quals, and source - you should treat evidence in debate like you would a research paper. However, all you need to do is say the author last name and year in round.
Extend warrants and give a detailed explanation/analysis of the argument. Extending through ink is pretty much only good if the argument extended is conceded; however, I'll give more credence/vote on it if you spend some time on it.
I'm very unlikely to vote on defense. You need offense in the round to be a winner.
Speed: You can go as fast as you want, but don't sacrifice clarity for speed. I'll clear you as many times as needed until I can understand you. If I need to do it more than 3 times in a speech, I'lll be annoyed, and your speaks may be in danger. I'll reward proper enunciation, slowing on tags, and slowing on author/publication.
If you aren't spreading, I'll likely flow on my computer. If you are, I'll flow on paper. Never worry about me not looking up, it's just because I'm focused on the flow. I'll pay attention to CX, but you need to keep all arguments that you want me to flow and evaluate within speeches as well. Perceptional dominance in CX will only get you so far. However, I am paying attention and won't tolerate flip flopping as CX is binding.
RFD: Debate is an educational activity. I will give an RFD after the round and welcome any questions you may have to try and clear up confusion or defend my decision.
To be straight with you, you're in charge of whether you receive my ballot or not. I really don't want to intervene, that's more work for me, I prefer to judge a debate where I can be as hands off as possible. Weigh arguments and use ballot directing language - you can do this with an overview in the last speech that tells me how you win or with voters, I really don't care. Don't leave me with a ton of different unresolved impacts on each side where I have to decide whether I want extinction from nuclear war or extinction from pandemics. I'll always default to the team that maps a clear route to the ballot over the team with a shotgun strat.
Please debate the topic. It's both a question of fairness and a question of education. I have voted for performative arguments that ignore the topic before but will give a lot of leeway to framework. Critical arguments are fine as long as they clearly have something to do with the resolution and are explained well.
Speaks are determined by efficiency, smart choices, and persuasive/clean delivery.
Policy:
Read the overview above for general questions about my paradigm.
Knowledge: I never did policy in HS and rarely judge/coach it now. My flaw as a judge is my lack of knowledge on particular strategies and details within the event (what speech to stop reading cards, what a nicely executed block looks like, dividing the flow in speeches, etc.). I've got a decent understanding of the event from following the NDT/CEDA in college. In terms of argumentation, college LD isn't much different.
Pref: I prefer judging traditional policy debate. Specifically, CP/DA/Case debate. Big fan of policy affs and neg positions with big impacts. It's not that I'll drop you if you run critical arguments or theory, I just rarely go for those positions in college and thus have a worse understanding of how to evaluate those positions compared to traditional policy. I also just enjoy judging/watching policy oriented debates more.
Kritk Aff: Please in some way adhere to the resolution. There are some persuasive fairness and education arguments I can vote on if you don't.
Case: I love well researched, in-depth rounds, and that requires deep case debate. Specifically, less debaters are focusing on method/solvency spec take outs, which is a bummer because that's where a lot of education/research comes to play. Offense on case is strategic, especially with strats lacking a CP.
Kritik: If you choose to go the K route, I'll evaluate it to the best of my ability. I'm comfortable/familiar with Set Col and Cap, anything else will require you to explain it super well to get my ballot. This means devoting enough time to overviews and framing claims than you would otherwise. There are a lot of reasons that I think K debaters have the burden of explaining the K well - just know that I expect to be able to understand the position by the end of the debate. I can't vote for something if I don't know what it does/what I am endorsing.
DA: I understand, as any policy judge should. Love myself a Tix DA (agenda and elections) - pretty much all I go for in college. I appreciate topic DAs, econ DAs, and fism. Please collapse, whether that be Case/DA or Case/DA/CP. The DA should blow up in the 2N - I want a thorough line by line with an overview, extensions, and impact calc. If aff only puts defense on the DA, and it serves as a net-benefit to a CP or there's risk of offense on case, probably not good for the aff.
CP: It only needs to sufficiently solve the affs offense with a net-benefit to get my vote. I'm a big fan of states and clever, well researched, adv counterplans. The counterplan should have a similar evidence burden as the aff; it needs to at least say the method proposed through the counterplan solves. Aff should always perm, but I do debate, so I understand that the CP is competitive if it has a net-benefit (states with agenda tix, conceded perm on states means nothing without terminal D or offense on agenda). Make sure you explain the perm well if you go for it. As for consult CPs and other non-competitive CPs, - they are trash and I am easily persuaded by the perm.
AR Theory: I prefer to avoid AR theory, but tbh, I become sympathetic to the aff if neg reads more than 2 CPs. However, this changes if the aff has an illogical amount of advantages. I'll vote on condo/pics bad if it's all aff goes for in the 2A, but it's definitely an uphill battle for you if it isn't conceded and neg reads less than 3 CPs.
Imp turns: Talked about this in the overview above. I'll vote on it. Pref not seeing back files though.
T: I default to competing interps but will let you debate out standards and education/fairness. Go all in, otherwise I probably won't vote on it unless aff really messed up. Procedurals are strategic - you'll never be punished for reading one without going for it. Won't listen to RVIs.
Theory: Positions like vagueness, minor repair, etc. are not reasons for me to drop the debater. I don't want to see weird blipy theoretical arguments and am 99% sure I won't vote on them.
Congress:
Although not directly applicable, you can read the overview above for general questions about my paradigm. To a degree, I will evaluate your speech with some of the perceptions/preferences I have listed in the overview.
Knowledge: I did congress all 4 years of HS and have coached/judged it for the last 3 years. Just like any other form of debate, I think congress judges should reward students that have clearly worked hard and have thoroughly researched the legislation. That being said, beyond outstanding communication skills and argumentation, I look for unique, well researched points when evaluating the content within a congress speech. Congress can become repetitive very quickly, so it's important to avoid stock debate if you're not giving the authorship or the first couple of aff/neg speeches.
PO: Go for it if you think you can do it well. I'll reward the PO if they do a good job and keep the room running effectively. I can assure you I will not forget to rank the PO.
Delivery: Congress is more performative than the other debate events. It should include the following:
A clean/funny/entertaining/relevant attention getting device
A speech outline/road map (pass/fail this for reason 1, 2 and 3)
References to sections or purposes of the bill
Data/evidence to support your arguments/claims
Transitions in-between points
A conclusion that is linked to your introduction
Time: Congress functions a lot like extemp in the field of time. You should not go over or under and should aim to end your speech at 2:55-3:05.
Evidence/Data: I pay a lot of attention to evidence/data when deciding how to rank speakers. You should list the author/organization, qualifications, and publication date when referring/paraphrasing evidence. I will reward the use of academic papers, more recent publications, and high quality evidence (where it can be directly quoted not paraphrased). Empirical/quantitate evidence with stats, polling, etc. has a stronger backing than qualitative evidence. Just like any other debate, I would like to hear good explanations from both the evidence and the debater. Don't get caught up in 3 mins of reading someone else's work.
Debate/Questioning: Okay, this is how you achieve my 1st ranking. Ask incredible, gotchya questions in questioning or strategic preemptive questions for your speech. This is some of the only debate in the event, so you really need to exploit it to impress judges who usually judge PF/LD/CX. While I will obviously evaluate your speech, I will also evaluate the questions you ask and the answers you give when deciding your score. Furthermore, if you're not giving the first speech, you need to make refs to previous speakers to get my 1. This is congressional debate, you are not suppose to read off a pre-written flow pad - there needs to be analysis generated in the round that you present as well.
Authorship: If you give the authorship, you are giving up the ability to refute in speech. It is your job to prempt arguments from the negative and address those arguments within your speech. You should also describe the problem the bill addresses and why your bill is uniquely important.
Please don't role play. It won't effect my voting, but it quickly turns congressional debate into mock government, and I think the time in your speech can be better spent.
Hi everyone! I am a public forum judge and have judged tournaments for the past year.
I'm a lay judge. Please don't spread because it will most likely turn out that I won't be able to understand you. If you speak quickly and I can't understand it, then I won't be able to use any of the information you're giving me.
Please extend through rebuttal, summary, and final, and most importantly, weigh.
In regard to cross, I like to see time being used productively. I don't like to see a lot of arguing back-and-forth about small details, especially if it is taking up a lot of time. Please be respectful of each other. Your speaks will be lowered if I see a condescending or disrespectful attitude towards your opponent.
Good luck and have fun!
Hello!
I am a lay judge and would just like to see a CLEAR and CLEAN debate.
CLEAR:
- Don't speak fast and don't be too aggressive
- Explain your arguments well and don't expect me to know everything you know about the topic
- Have an order to your speeches, don't jump back and forth between different parts of the debate and expect me to easily follow along
- Don't use technical debate terms. Keep everything simple.
CLEAN:
- Be respectful to your opponents
- Don't bring up new arguments late in the round
- Make sure to interact with your opponent's arguments instead of just listing off random ideas
At the end of the day, debate is an educational activity so have fun and be respectful.
Please speak clearly and do not go too fast. I am a parent judge, but I do understand content well as long as it is explained well in all of your speeches.
Please specify your contentions and impacts very clearly in your constructives and make sure to explain the entire argument that you are going for in summary/final focus.
Please do not go for all of your arguments in later speeches. Also, do not make claims without giving a reason as to why it may be true.
Do not make any responses to your opponents’ case if it is not explained properly.
Do not misconstrue your evidence or your speaker points will be deducted.
Have a good round!
He/him
email: rahikotadia@gmail.com
I competed for Quarry Lane for two years and I debated for Dougherty Valley for 2 years, all of it in PF. I've gone to major tournaments like Berkeley, Stanford, Golden Desert, etc, and qualified to TOC.
For LD
I did not debate CPs/theory/K's/other similar argumentation and I have little experience with them, but I can vote on it if you explain it well enough.
Go slower than usual because of online. Slow down to emphasize analytics. I can keep up with moderate speed, but keep in mind that all I have done is PF. I have no topic knowledge.
Please put theory into formal shells, NOT paragraph form.
I'm fine with 1 condo. I can be persuaded against it if there are more.
I probably won't vote for trix or Phil.
I don't presume. I flip a coin.
Make speech docs during prep time.
Email or flash cases.
Card clipping and violation of evidence ethics is an automatic loss.
For PF
Tech > Truth
I don't intervene but debater math makes me want to.
Please have a content warning for any sensitive arguments and have a way for debaters in the round to anonymously ask you not to read them if necessary (phone number, google form, etc).
Speed
You can talk as fast as you want as long as you are clear. I will say clear if I don't understand you. You can also send me a speech doc at rahikotadia@gmail.com. Share the speech doc if you have any concern that I will not understand you.
Evidence Ethics
Say the card author and date whenever you want to extend it. Have the cut card if anyone calls for it. If it takes more than 3 min to find a card, I will drop speaks.
Do not paraphrase cards to say whatever you want them to. If nobody tells me to call for a card, I have no reason to.
Arguments
I will buy any argument as long as it is warranted.
Defense is sticky so defense that is not responded to in the next speech flows through.
Turns need to be implicated when they are read. If you card dump a bunch of blippy responses in Rebuttal, I'm more inclined to not vote for you if the warrants are not explained.
Please collapse in later speeches. Please sign post in all speeches.
Any argument being extended into Final Focus needs to be in Summary or else I won't vote for it. I also need to hear weighing in Summary and Final Focus to know who to vote for. Do not make new responses to defense that was not responded to in second Rebuttal. Do not make new arguments in second Final Focus.
If you make a racist/homophobic/sexist/ableist/etc comment, I will drop you and lower speaks.
I will give high speaks unless you give me a reason not to. I will give even higher speaks if you're funny.
Feel free to email me any questions at rahikotadia@gmail.com or ask me before the round.
I am a parent judge. I value truth over tech. Please go slow and be engaging. Never judged ld before.
I was WY state champ for LD in 2020; I do policy at the University of Wyoming now (go pokes!) under instruction of Lawrence Zhou, Matt Liu and Brent Lamb. I also help coach LD voluntarily at Rock Springs High School (WY)
If there's a chain, please add me: knickknackmack@gmail.com
I use they/them pronouns
Last updated for the Bobcat Invitational
~~~
Summary for prefs (CX and LD)
Approach the debate however you like, just make sure you focus around the topic; I'll totally vote for K affs if they provide specific warrants to the topic's wording/content/epistemology and why it's harmful, and do this throughout the round.
I'm not apt to vote for tricks or arguments that are contingent on your opponent missing them.
I'll, of course, vote on any argument if it's not responded to well regardless of paradigm. That said, my paradigm does lower the threshold your opponent needs to meet for them to win/not lose on that particular arg.
For LD: I generally think Nebel T is true, but as always tech > truth. I do lean towards reasonability (if the aff is actually reasonable) but an undercovered T is an undercovered T, y'all.
Notes for all debates
1.) I'll vote by evaluating what the winning framework was (if this was a point of contention; if it wasn't I'll probably assume standard util) and then taking the most straightforward route to the ballot through that framework.
2.) Tech > truth, but very obviously untrue arguments have a much lower threshold to overcome, especially if they're analytics
3.) You don't need to ask me if I'm ready, I'll tell you if I'm not
4.) This should go without saying, but I'll vote you down for making the debate space unsafe. Slurs, intentionally misgendering someone after being corrected, mocking someone in a way that undermines their identity or personhood, those are all no bueno.
~~~~~
Policy paradigm
Pre-paradigm note: Don't assume I know the topic very well. I do college policy and help a bit with high school LD -- I know a workable amount of argumentation, not nearly as much content.
Counterplans
Condo in policy is way more justifiable than it is in LD. I'll usually side neg with conditionality in the average debate (5 off with two counterplans will 9/10 times be fine). Judge kick is also fine. Of course, I'll still vote on condo bad if there's evidence of significant time skew on CPs that get kicked in the block, or if aff doesn't do a sufficient job at proving no abuse. I'm a 2A so I'm sympathetic to it, y'all
CPs must have a net benefit and be competitive (duh). Lots of CPs (agent and process specifically) don't do one of those very well. You don't need to read (and I'd prefer you not read) "Agent CPs bad" or "Process CPs bad" theory, just defend your mechanism via solvency deficits and use perms to test competition.
Impacts
Advantages/disads with nuclear war impacts that have an arbitrary mention of "extinction" in the tags but no mention of it in the internals are likely to work against you. Often people forget that their card does not, in fact, frame nuclear war as existential, in which case they lose impact calc
On the CJR topic in particular I will probably find myself leaning towards probability more than magnitude; I think the link story on either side is particularly tenuous when trying to connect the aff's domestic CJR action to extinction.
K affs
As always, it is the negative's job to prove the aff wrong. The aff needs to offer some point of predictable stasis so the neg can be prepared to prove the aff wrong. I will vote aff on kritikal affirmatives that a) are related enough to the topic to allow for enough neg prep, and b) are debated better than the negative on a technical level. A is a prerequisite to B; if you debate net better on a technical level but still don't prove sufficient points of clash I probably won't vote for you.
Ks
I really like Ks, however, I tend to find many difficult to vote for. Please tell me what the alternative does without obfuscating the discussion until the 2NR. This includes both the action and the actor
I find the "serial policy failure" argument powerful in the CJR topic because I think it is particularly true in this context. The aff should be aware of this and allocate time accordingly.
I would prefer K debates stay away from broad, overarching claims and narrow in on the nitty-gritty in terms of how the aff links, why this matters, and how the alt solves this specific problem. Example, one saying "Their epistemology legitimizes oppression and we solve by rejecting the state" versus "Their Smith 20 card talks about reform being good. This is a link -- reform is a tool of cruel optimism by the state, used as a smokescreen to hide its illegitimacy -- that's our Nguyen 20 card. This means as long as there is narrative around reform, the state can stay in power. The alt solves by disintegrating that narrative because the alt rejects reform in favor of abolition." Specificity is key in K debates, especially when they're often so broad that nobody knows what's going on.
~~~
Trad LD (if you're competing at the Bobcat Invitational, this is probably you)
I'm gonna keep it real with y'all, framework is not helpful in, like, 99/100 debates (that being said, it probably will be a bit more helpful with the LAWS topic.) Still, if both of you run util, please don't spend a minute on it in the 1AR. It is a) painful, but also b) doesn't help you get phat dubs. The only time I really see value clash as having any sort of... value (heheh) is when someone runs deontology and the other runs consequentialism.
One thing I've learned from college policy that can help with trad LD: you don't need to go for every one of your contentions in the 2AR. Let me repeat, for emphasis: you don't need to go for every one of your contentions in the 2AR. You can collapse down to a single one and just be like "This is incredibly important and makes the rest of the debate moot," and then explain why that contention matters so much. I will absolutely adore this and give you v high speaks.
~~~
Circuit LD Paradigm
ctrl+F Policy paradigm for policy stuff.
K Affs
The aff should be related in some way or another to the topic. Shifting the debate to something entirely inapplicable to the resolution is very likely to lose to T-FW.
If the K has an application to the topic that they explain well and with warranting (e.g. saying "Predictive policing and this specific rhetoric around it are used in these specific ways to uphold the state which is bad for these specific warrants" instead of "The neg supports the state"), I'll be more apt to dismiss neg FW args.
Phil
I am completely fine with philosophically based arguments, but if they are something I'm not familiar with (below), you will need to explain them knowing I don't have as much background on them.
Phil that's often used in LD that I'm familiar with (in order of most to least): Mill's util, Rawlsian justice, Kant's deontology, Baudrillard/simulation theory, a very small bit of Nietzsche, everything else
Tricks
I don't particularly like tricks, or any argument that is dependent on your opponent missing or misunderstanding it for you to win. I'll vote on them if you win them and they're warranted but I'm not a fan and would prefer you make other arguments.
Some tricks are so sneaky that they lose the opponent but also the judge. If you blow up a trick in your last speech, but it's not on my flow, I'm going to assume it's a new argument.
Counterplans
I love counterplans. In LD, I lean towards condo bad but can be convinced otherwise depending on how the aff handles the argument. If aff doesn't breathe a word about conditionality until the 2AR I, of course, won't vote on condo bad.
I reflect Jacob Nails' paradigm in that "perm do the counterplan" is almost always a better option than "process (or whatever) CPs bad." Any type of CP that has its competition resting on a single Merriam-Webster definition of "Resolved" is pretty shaky and will more often lose to tests of competition than to theoretical arguments.
Agent CPs need to clearly demonstrate a net benefit to the aff. Most of them don't do this unless they have an explicit solvency advocate with carded evidence on why "courts are key" or whatever the CP is.
Topicality
No preference. If you're neg and you legitimately think the aff is untopical, you're probably not the only one. If you're neg and you're running it to waste time on a very topical plan, the aff saying "we meet" is sufficient.
Inclusivity
It's good. If your opponent is trad please make it educational for them. As someone who was against progressive LD for a while because of opponents that were condescending and wouldn't explain what anything meant, I can tell you for sure that your behavior matters. More people and interactions with different styles of debate is net good for education and the inclusivity of small circuits.
~~~~~
Public Forum
PF is the debate I've admittedly done the least of. I do adore judge instruction, so if you tell me what to vote for and why, your chances of winning and/or achieving high speaks are pretty good.
Tech > truth, but the more untrue an argument is, the less your opponent will have to say about it to beat it.
Progressive arguments are totally fine as long as you keep them accessible to the opponent (explain them, answer questions about them straightforwardly, etc.)
You can read the rest of my paradigm to get a feel for me as a judge but it's not very PF-specific. I'm not very picky. Just have fun and don't be a dingus.
Hey, this is Srikar Satish from A&M Consolidated. This judge is my mom. To win her ballot speak slowly, make your arguments clear, and tell a story. Pretend like you are in a courtroom and you will probably do very well. She cares a lot about warrants and impacts analysis/weighing. She will know if you airdrop stuff into FF that wasn't in summary.
Look for substance/content and clarity in the overall dialogue.
I am an experienced flow judge, but please do not spread; as long as you give me any type of roadmap prior to your speaking time the round will go smoothly. Please have cards prepared, I will ask for proof if I find any questionable.
Debaters are responsible for keeping time, I will only enforce it if necessary.
In terms of arguments, I am not picky, as long as you argue them clearly and effectively.
Good Luck :)
I debated Public Forum with Miami Beach Senior High School for four years. I will flow the round. Please extend your arguments if you wish for me to weigh them. I'd prefer that you do not spread, as it's important to me that I understand and can evaluate both cases and responses. If evidence is called into question, I will ask for it.
Eric Lanning
I've been involved in policy debate for 15+ years as a debater and coach on the national circuit, including at the highest levels at the Tournament of Champions and National Debate Tournament.
I do my best to evaluate arguments based off what's said in the debate, but like anyone else I bring some preconceived notions about the activity and world that create "default" positions. I'll do my best to detail these below. I am very expressive and communicative and often provide "instant" feedback in the form of non-verbal expressions.
In general you should feel free to make whatever arguments you'd like! Debate is for the debaters and I will do my best to adapt to you.
I think the best debates are between two well researched opponents, and that predictable limits on the topic are important for in depth debate. I don't think that means the affirmative must necessarily defend "implementation by the federal government". I often find framework debates stale and difficult to resolve.
I am often quite skeptical of negative strategies that focus on multiple conditional counterplans or process counterplans that are not textually and functionally competitive . I wish more affirmatives would object to the proliferation of 2-3 conditional advocacies and strongly believe that "rejecting the team, not the argument" is the appropriate remedy.
Impact framing is essential for all arguments, regardless of content/form. I almost always vote for the team who better frames "what is important" and explains how it interacts with other arguments. The magic words are "even if..." and "they say ... but". Winning 2NRs and 2ARs use these phrases to 'frame' the big picture of the debate.
While I will often ask to see a card document - I tend to default to the explanation/spin of debaters in the round. IE its very important for you to explain and compare evidence!
I am a lay judge ( I know - bummer) but I have judge PF before so I will give you as much information to assist you in the round I am judging. I am a lawyer so I appreciate a good debate. I vote for organization (I need to be able to follow the argument), how well you can support your contentions, and attack the other sides argument. I expect you to argue your case and back it with evidence. I rarely ask for evidence so I expect you to point out the weakness/flaws in your opponent's argument. I want to hear you argue your case, not strategies, technicalities or theories. I know time is limited and in PF teams like to speak fast; however it will not do you any good if I cannot follow or understand your argument. You can speak fast but not as fast as you would with a technical judge. Most of the rounds I have judged were won or lost on cross - so use your time wisely. I expect teams to act professionally and respect their opponents. Good Luck!
Think of me as your everyday person judging your debate. That's what PF is for, right?
I have not been involved in competitive debate for long, but I do have a great deal of experience with argumentation and logic. So, I will be evaluating your arguments for their logical conclusions and based on the evidence you provide and whether or not you are able to attack your opponents arguments with the same quality of argumentation as you present your own.
I don't particularly like spreading. If I cannot understand what you are saying, then I cannot evaluate the points you are making, or hold your opponent responsible for responding to them.
I very much appreciate sign posting, as I also think it helps you stay organized in your thinking. I want to hear specific, direct contentions and clashes. If you start to ramble, adding extraneous information, you will lose me.
Second year as parent-judge, still fairly new.
I have no debate experience myself. As a PhD statistician, I value sound evidence and logic. It is not possible to fact-check during the debate but the evidence cited must be plausible and from reputable sources. Please try to find flaws in your opponents' arguments and don't just tell me how I should vote. Also while English is not my first language I have no problem following most people. On the other hand, speaking very fast does not make it more convincing.
Speaker Point: 27 (Not as Good), 28 (Good), 29 (Very Good), 30 (Perfect).
Relatively new to debate
I am a parent judge
Please make your arguments clear and articulate
I will understand most arguments but sorry if my RFD is not too clear
Seven Lakes High School '20 | Georgetown University '24
contact: aam333@georgetown.edu
I did debate for 4 years in high school (mostly PF and FX) on the local (TFA) and national circuit.
PF:
· Tech > Truth. I’m a standard flow judge and will evaluate anything as long as it’s not blatantly offensive, homophobic, racist, etc.
· Only run theory as a legit checkback for abuse. Don’t make it frivolous or read it against inexperienced debaters as an easy win or I’ll drop your speaks. Debate is about inclusion first.
· Speed is fine as long as it’s clear. If you’re going to spread, send me a speech doc.
Some things I think are really important :
1. Please give a roadmap and signpost
2. Extend every part of an argument and extensions must be in each speech. Don’t just tell me extend “x card,” actually tell me what the card says.
3. First summary only has to extend defense if it’s responded to in second rebuttal.
4. Second rebuttal must respond to offensive arguments, otherwise they’re drops.
5. Weighing = good. The earlier, the better. I won’t evaluate new weighing after summaries.
6. Offensive overviews/disads are fine as long as they’re read before summary
7. Arguments in CX only matter if brought up in the following speech.
8. I’ll give speaker points based on strategy, but I’ll give good speaks as long as everything is entertaining, civil, and not stupid. Don’t be rude or I’ll drop you and your speaks. Also please don’t try to out yell each other in CX or I’ll be annoyed.
9. Paraphrasing is fine. Don’t misconstrue evidence please. If you want me to look at a specific piece of evidence – tell me, otherwise I probably won’t call for anything. Call your opponents out on misconstruing, falsifying, or lying. I’ll drop you if your evidence ethics are trash.
10. In the absence of offense, I presume neg unless you read warrants for a different form of presumption.
11. If you read framing, read warrants for it.
12. ff should parallel summary.
Feel free to email me after round if you have questions.
Hello everyone,
Good luck to all participants. I am an open-minded judge who will decide the round based on the quality of the debate and not on any personal or preconceived views I may have on the topic.
Some background. I am a trial lawyer. In high school, I was an experienced national circuit, Lincoln-Douglas debater, and won tournaments such as TOC. In college, I was a parliamentary debater and competed nationally and internationally.
I will flow the round but value well-warranted analytics and argument over speed and/or argument and evidence with poor explanation/analysis. I can handle some speed but not at the expense of clarity.
I prefer narrative debate and highly value weighing. I will vote for qualitative argumentation over a series of blippy arguments.
Put me on the email chain at the start of the round.
Fair warning. I want a real, substantive debate on the merits of the issues presented by the topic. I WILL not vote for Ks or other theory-based arguments that do not address the topic.
I am a parent judge. I have judged at a few tournaments. This is my first time judging the Medicare For All topic.
Chad Meadows (he/him)
If you have interest in college debate, and would be interested in hearing about very expansive scholarship opportunities please contact me. Our program competes in two policy formats and travels to at least 4 tournaments a semester. Most of our nationally competitive students have close to zero cost of attendance because of debate specific financial support.
Debate Experience
College: I’ve been the head argument coach and/or Director of Debate for Western Kentucky University for a little over a decade. WKU primarily competes in NFA-LD, a shorter policy format. This season (2023) we are adding CEDA/NDT tournaments to our schedule.
High School: I’ve been an Assistant Coach, and primarily judge, for the Marist School in Atlanta, Georgia for several years. In this capacity I’ve judged at high school tournaments in both Policy Debate and Public Forum.
Argument Experience/Preferences
I feel comfortable evaluating the range of debates in modern policy debate (no plan affirmatives, policy, and kritik) though I am the most confident in policy rounds. My research interests tend toward more political science/international affairs/economics, though I’ve become well read in some critical areas in tandem with my students’ interests (anti-blackness/afropessimism in particular) in addition I have some cursory knowledge of the standard kritik arguments in debate, but no one would mistake me for a philosophy enthusiast. On the nuclear weapons topic, almost all of my research has been on the policy side.
I have few preferences with regard to content, but view some argumentative trends with skepticism: Counterplans that result in the plan (consult and many process counterplans), Agent counterplans, voting negative any procedural concern that isn’t topicality, reject the team counterplan theory that isn’t conditionality, some versions of politics DAs that rely on defining the process of fiat, arguments that rely on voting against the representations of the affirmative without voting against the result of the plan.
I feel very uncomfortable evaluating events that have happened outside of the debate round, especially in the CEDA/NDT community where I have limited knowledge of the context regarding community trends.
I have little experience evaluating debates with some strategies that would only be acceptable in a 2-person policy debate context - 2ac add-ons, 2nc counterplanning, 2ac intrinsicness tests on DA, etc. I’m not opposed to these strategies, and understand their strategic purpose, but I have limited exposure.
Decision Process
I tend to read more cards following the debate than most. That’s both because I’m curious, and I tend to find that debaters are informing their discussion given the evidence cited in the round, and I understand their arguments better having read the cards myself.
I give less credibility to arguments that appear unsupported by academic literature, even if the in round execution on those arguments is solid. I certainly support creativity and am open to a wide variety of arguments, but my natural disposition sides with excellent debate on arguments that are well represented in the topic literature.
To decide challenging debates I generally use two strategies: 1) write a decision for both sides and determine which reflects the in-round debating as opposed to my own intuition, and 2) list the relevant meta-issues in the round (realism vs liberal internationalism, debate is a game vs. debate should spill out, etc.) and list the supporting arguments each side highlighted for each argument and attempt to make sense of who debated the best on the issues that appear to matter most for resolving the decision.
I try to explain why I sided with the winner on each important issue, and go through each argument extended in the final rebuttal for the losing team and explain why I wasn’t persuaded by that argument.
Public Forum
Baseline expectations: introduce evidence using directly quoted sections of articles not paraphrasing, disclose arguments you plan to read in debates.
Argument preferences: no hard and fast rules, but I prefer debates that most closely resemble the academic and professional controversy posed by the topic. Debate about debate, while important in many contexts, is not the argument I'm most interested in adjudicating.
Style preferences: Argumentation not speaking style will make up the bulk of my decision making and feedback, my reflections on debate are informed by detailed note taking of the speeches, speeches should focus their time on clashing with their opponents' arguments.
Background:I am a second-year law student at NYU and work with Delbarton (NJ). He/Him/His pronouns.
Email Chains: Teams should start an email chain immediately with the following email subject: Tournament Name - Rd # - School Team Code (side/order) v. School Team Code (side/order). Please add greenwavedebate@delbarton.org to the email chain. Teams should send case evidence (and rhetoric if you paraphrase) by the end of constructive. I cannot accept locked Google Docs; please copy and paste all text into the email and send it in the email chain. It would be ideal to send all new evidence read in rebuttal, but up to debaters.
Evidence: Reading Cut card > Paraphrasing. Even if you paraphrase, I require cut cards. These are properly cut cards. No cut card = your evidence won't be evaluated in the round.
Main PF Paradigm:
- Offense>Defense. Ultimately, offense wins debates and requires proper arg extensions, frontlining, and weighing. It will be hard to win with just terminal defense. But please still extend good defense.
- Speed. I will try my best to handle your pace, but also know if you aren't clear, it will be harder for me to flow.
- Speech specifics: Second Rebuttal -- needs to frontline first rebuttal responses. Anything in Final Focus should be in Summary (weighing is a bit more flexible if no one is weighing). Backhalf extensions, frontlining, and "backlining" matter.
- Please weigh. Make sure it's comparative weighing and uses either timeframe, magnitude, and/or probability. Strength of link, clarity of impact, cyclicality, and solvency are not weighing mechanisms.
- I'll evaluate (almost) anything. Expect that I'll have already done research on a topic, but I'll evaluate anything on my flow (tech over truth). I will interfere (and most likely vote you down) if you argue anything racist, sexist, homophobic, or fabricated (i.e., evidence issues).
- I will always allow accommodations for debaters. Just ask before the round.
"Progressive" PF:
- Ks - I'm okay with the most common K's PFers try to run (i.e. Fem/Fem IR, Capitalism, Securitization, Killjoy, etc.), but I am not familiar with high theory lit (i.e. Baudrillard, Bataille, Nietzsche). But please don't overcomplicate the backhalf.
- Theory - Debate is a game, so do what you have to do. If you're in the varsity/open division, please don't complain that you can't handle varsity-level arguments. *** Evidence of abuse is needed for theory (especially disclosure-related shells). I will (usually) default competing interps. I generally think disclosure is good, open source is not usually necessary (unless your wiki upload is just a block of text), and paraphrasing is bad, but I won't intervene if you win the flow.
- Trigger warnings with opt-outs are necessary when there are graphic depictions in the arg, but are not when there are non-graphic depictions about oppression (general content warning before constructive would still be good). Still, use your best judgment here.
- ***Note -- if you read an excessive number of off positions that appear frivolous, I will be very receptive to reasonability and have a high threshold for your arguments. So it probably won't work to your advantage to read them in front of me. Regardless of beliefs on prog PF, these types of debate are, without a doubt, awful and annoying to judge. I'll still evaluate it, but run at your own risk.
Misc: Please pre flow before the round; I don't think crossfire clarifications are super important to my ballot, so if something significant happens, you should make it in ink and bring it up in the next speech; I'm okay if you speak fast (my ability to handle it is diminishing now though lol), but please give me a doc; speaker points usually range from 28-30.
Questions? Ask before the round.
Hi
Did PF for 4 years at King High School, now attending Emory University in ATL.
Please add me to the email chain/google doc (I prefer google doc): Khem6th@gmail.com
If both teams agree, I will give 45 seconds of prep time instead of grand cross (taken simultaneously by both teams after summary, does not get added to individual team prep time).
Feel free to postround me, I don't really mind since it makes me a better judge and my decisions more clear. My decision, as written, will not change.
Pretty standard PF flow:
- Warranting is big important – cards shouldn’t do all your work
- Second speaking team should at least frontline turns in rebuttal, I will put less weight on new frontlines made to defense in Second Summary (meaning a blippy response/backline in final by 1st speaking team will be adequate)
- Anything in Final has to be in Summary, except weighing for either team and unresponded defense for 1st speaking team
- I will only vote on things that make it into final focus, I work backwards on my flow
- If there's no ink on the link chain, you can use blips to extend it in final focus, but try to keep it cohesive in summary.
- Please collapse
- Explicit weighing (jargon) and explanations of mechanisms
- I prefer more probable, low severity impacts over less probable, high severity impacts – the best thing you can do is provide historical examples
- Speed: I prefer well-warranted, conversation-paced debate. If you are to go fast, keep in mind that I flow on my computer and can type like max 80wpm when I have text in front of me, so don’t go mad fast else I’ll miss stuff
- I will vote on the easiest path to the ballot
- I do not care about cross, make it fun, anybody can talk if they want to
-"Are you tech over truth?" - to some extent, I will evaluate an argument I know to be false if its not responded to but this doesn't mean that you should skip warranting just cause its on the flow. Like other judges, my threshold for quality of responses goes down the more out-there an argument is.
Progressive arguments:
- General:
I do not have a lot of experience with progressive argumentation (this means probably argue util for a better ballot). If you want me to vote on progressive arguments, please give me explicit explanation of what the link is and good explanation of why the impact comes first. I don’t really like unwarranted “moral duty” arguments but warranted and explained moral weighing is fine.
- Kritiks:
With Kritiks, I have little experience with them as well – if you want me to vote on a Kritik, I need really defined role of the ballot arguments of why my vote makes a structural change. I don’t understand a lot of K lit so please make it as if you were talking to a friend of why something in the system needs to change and less like you’re in front of a well-versed policy debater.
- Theory:
I have a little more experience with theory than general progressive args and Kritiks, but normative arguments need very good Standards and Voters/Impact for me to vote on it – I generally like undisclosed, paraphrased (heathen statement right?) PF but I’m open to good arguments on that or on other norms. Also, I do need you to go slower and present an actual flowable shell.
Evidence Ethics:
Please do not take any longer than a minute to find a piece of evidence, and if you are having technical issues finding a card please just say so.
Evidence should not be misrepresented, whether its cut or paraphrased. I will read evidence as its written, not how its cut or tagged, even if it’s not brought up by your opponents – I think it encourages lazy research practices and abuse of PF rules.
This being said, I likely won't call for a card unless it is a) pivotal in my decision, b) its veracity is contested and important, or c) if both teams read opposing evidence and none gives a warrant of why their's is better
Speaks:
- I think speaks should be based off the pool, so no set rules on scale
- If you make the round fun for me to judge, or if I laugh, you and everybody else in the round will probably get higher speaks
- I don't listen to cross, so do whatever you want really
- I appreciate competitors being nice to each other and friendly, it makes the activity more fun for everyone. This event, though competitive, should support a learning environment with a community so treat your opponents like you would your friends in conversation :)
Misc:
I don't have an onboard camera for my computer, and its a hassle for me to use the usb plugin one. I likely won't have my camera on.
Yall gotta rock with the oral rfd ❗️❗️
Jeffrey Miller
Current Coach -- Marist School (2011-present)
Lab Leader -- National Debate Forum (2015-present), Emory University (2016), Dartmouth College (2014-2015), University of Georgia (2012-2015)
Former Coach -- Fayette County (2006-2011), Wheeler (2008-2009)
Former Debater -- Fayette County (2002-2006)
jmill126@gmail.com and maristpublicforum@gmail.com for email chains, please (no google doc sharing and no locked google docs)
Last Updated -- 2/12/2012 for the 2022 Postseason (no major updates, just being more specific on items)
I am a high school teacher who believes in the power that speech and debate provides students. There is not another activity that provides the benefits that this activity does. I am involved in topic wording with the NSDA and argument development and strategy discussion with Marist, so you can expect I am coming into the room as an informed participant about the topic. As your judge, it is my job to give you the best experience possible in that round. I will work as hard in giving you that experience as I expect you are working to win the debate. I think online debate is amazing and would not be bothered if we never returned to in-person competitions again. For online debate to work, everyone should have their cameras on and be cordial with other understanding that there can be technical issues in a round.
What does a good debate look like?
In my opinion, a good debate features two well-researched teams who clash around a central thesis of the topic. Teams can demonstrate this through a variety of ways in a debate such as the use of evidence, smart questioning in cross examination and strategical thinking through the use of casing and rebuttals. In good debates, each speech answers the one that precedes it (with the second constructive being the exception in public forum). Good debates are fun for all those involved including the judge(s).
The best debates are typically smaller in nature as they can resolve key parts of the debate. The proliferation of large constructives have hindered many second halves as they decrease the amount of time students can interact with specific parts of arguments and even worse leaving judges to sort things out themselves and increasing intervention.
What role does theory play in good debates?
I've always said I prefer substance over theory. That being said, I do know theory has its place in debate rounds and I do have strong opinions on many violations. I will do my best to evaluate theory as pragmatically as possible by weighing the offense under each interpretation. For a crash course in my beliefs of theory - disclosure is good, open source is an unnecessary standard for high school public forum teams until a minimum standard of disclosure is established, paraphrasing is bad, round reports is frivolous, content warnings for graphic representations is required, content warnings over non-graphic representations is debatable.
All of this being said, I don't view myself as an autostrike for teams that don't disclose or paraphrase. However, I've judged enough this year to tell you if you are one of those teams and happen to debate someone with thoughts similar to mine, you should be prepared with answers.
How do "progressive" arguments work in good debates?
Like I said above, arguments work best when they are in the context of the critical thesis of the topic. Thus, if you are reading the same cards in your framing contention from the Septober topic that have zero connections to the current topic, I think you are starting a up-hill battle for yourselves. I have not been entirely persuaded with the "pre-fiat" implications I have seen this year - if those pre-fiat implications were contextualized with topic literature, that would be different.
My major gripe with progressive debates this year has been a lack of clash. Saying "structural violence comes first" doesn't automatically mean it does or that you win. These are debatable arguments, please debate them. I am also finding that sometimes the lack of clash isn't a problem of unprepared debaters, but rather there isn't enough time to resolve major issues in the literature. At a minimum, your evidence that is making progressive type claims in the debate should never be paraphrased and should be well warranted. I have found myself struggling to flow framing contentions that include four completely different arguments that should take 1.5 minutes to read that PF debaters are reading in 20-30 seconds (Read: your crisis politics cards should be more than one line).
How should evidence exchange work?
Evidence exchange in public forum is broken. At the beginning of COVID, I found myself thinking cases sent after the speech in order to protect flowing. However, my view on this has shifted. A lot of debates I found myself judging last season had evidence delays after case. At this point, constructives should be sent immediately prior to speeches. (If you paraphrase, you should send your narrative version with the cut cards in order). At this stage in the game, I don't think rebuttal evidence should be emailed before but I imagine that view will shift with time as well. When you send evidence to the email chain, I prefer a cut card with a proper citation and highlighting to indicate what was read. Cards with no formatting or just links are as a good as analytics.
For what its worth, whenever I return to in-person tournaments, I do expect email chains to continue.
What effects speaker points?
I am trying to increase my baseline for points as I've found I'm typically below average. Instead of starting at a 28, I will try to start at a 28.5 for debaters and move accordingly. Argument selection, strategy choices and smart crossfires are the best way to earn more points with me. You're probably not going to get a 30 but have a good debate with smart strategy choices, and you should get a 29+.
This only applies to tournaments that use a 0.1 metric -- tournaments that are using half points are bad.
I debated PF throughout High School. I am rather familiar with the topic this month and while judging I take into account a sound understanding of the topic from both members of each team, respect from one team to another, and most importantly a strong argument with clear evidence. Pronunciation and clarity during the round is very important to me in order to understand you. Don't race through the material, be coherent and articulate with a 'paced' dialogue. If you go so face that I can't follow, it doesn't benefit me in understanding your argument. Ultimately, that hurts you.Make your case, but understand the opponent's argument as well, and attempt to respond to it. Otherwise, it is two speeches, vs. a debate.
I am a parent judge. I have judged LD and PF in the past years and like both formats.
Please email me your cases so that I can better understand what you are speaking in a virtual round: manumishra@yahoo.com
I appreciate well constructed arguments and clear speaking. There is no need to show over aggression in your speeches. Please don't spread but if you do that there is a chance I may not hear you and flow. Yes, I do flow a little though if it is in the context. I consider cross-X sessions also in my evaluation, so be clear when you answer and respectful when you question. Do not interrupt your opponent excessively and let them speak. If I am unable to hear clearly I will not be able to give any credits.
Please respond to all of your opponents arguments with proper justifications. Have proper evidences in support. Be truthful. If I find any indication of falsifying any evidence, that's a disqualification.
Off-time roadmaps are OK. Please stay within the time limits for your speeches.
Be well behaved and respectful to your opponent(s) and enjoy the debate rounds, good luck!
-Lay parent judge
-Speak at a normal pace
-Be respectful
-Will be taking notes throughout the round
-Don't collapse on arguments, be thorough
-Facts are important, I may ask for cards
-Repeat: Be civil and respectful!!
-Overall, enjoy the round :)
I am a parent judge, although I did compete in forensics competitions in high school.
My Speaking Style Preferences are as follows:
I appreciate assertiveness when presenting arguments and debating, but only when that assertiveness does not get in the way of a civil and professional demeanor.
Make sure to speak clearly and at an understandable pace. I will not be able to judge you on arguments that I can’t understand when they’re presented.
Also make sure you stick to your time limits, and please don’t go too far over since that puts the opponents at a disadvantage.
As for argumentation:
The team that is able to support their contentions with strong logic and good evidence while effectively refuting their opponents' case will win the round.
If you want me to vote on an argument, make sure to carry it through your speeches so that I can follow it through the debate, I cannot judge you on arguments I cannot follow.
Your arguments should be topical, I will not vote on arguments which are not connected to the topic.
As a final note,
I know that all debaters have prepared themselves extensively, which I very much appreciate. Make sure to remember that the goal of debate is to learn and grow as well as have fun. Good luck!
I am a parent judge. You must be clear and speak at a slow pace in the round because I can only vote for arguments I understand. All responses and arguments must be clearly warranted, and you need to weigh in the round so I know which arguments to prioritize. In summary and final focus, make it very clear why I should vote for you. I also expect you to time yourself and each other. Also, please avoid jargon and debate terminology.
My son does PF debate for Horace Mann. I'm a relatively new Judge. I favor key points made clearly and slowly. I favor substance over speed.
Scientist, educator and parent.
Judging PF for two years.
Public Forum should be accessible to a general audience. Please make certain that your arguments are comprehensible. If you feel like your opponent is running an argument which is unfair or against the rules, be prepared to define the violation and explain why to discount the argument in your rebuttal, summary, and final focus. Your rationale should be clear so that your opponent can adequately address your points. I don't try to flow, but I'm listening. Leaving significant time in speeches or hogging crossfire is not flattering, or impressive.
Constructive:
Your constructive to set me up for your arguments - build your case, tell me the story.
Clarity and explanation of sources and their relationship to claim-warrant-impacts (arguments) helps my understanding of your decisions through summary and final focus, they should contribute to a coherent narrative. Generally, I only consider arguments cleanly extended through summary and final focus.
Evidence:
Cramming in loads of evidence of questionable quality with tenuous links to overwhelm your opponent is not impressive to me as a judge and is often counterproductive. When it comes to evidence, think quality over quantity. Understand your evidence. You should be able to:
- explain any expert opinion you cite (rather than just stating it),
- understand where a statistic comes from
- defend the relevance of any empirical evidence you present.
-do not misrepresenting evidence!
Knowing, engaging and re-evaluating an opponent’s sources is often compelling; however, invoking the purpose of the format and debating debate usually equates to missed opportunities to strengthen your argument. All evidence should have a clearly defined DATE, author, and credentials. Sourcing on your card should be clear and wording of the text should not be altered. Please be expeditious and honest with calls for evidence.
By the end of the round, having a coherent narrative that accounts for both teams' evidence and arguments is most persuasive to me. How your contentions bind and work together is critical.
Speaker Points:
I reward speakers - w/ higher points, who make a presentation effort: eye contact, slowing down on impact work, grouping & weighing in final speeches vs. a line by line, some humor if you're actually funny. Maintain clarity always. If you can’t speak quickly and clearly, then don’t speak quickly. I can handle some speed, but probably not full on spreading. Extreme speed, overuse of jargon, and trickery are not appreciated and could cost you the round. Win the round on the strength of your argument, the veracity of your evidence, and the clarity of your presentation.
Rebuttals:
Your rebuttals to give me reason to disagree with your opponent. Don't just attack, you need to defend. Your summaries to clean up anything vague or muddled.
Your final focus to make me vote for you.
Crossfire:
If you see me scribbling notes during cx, please know I’m not actually flowing cx. Do not take it as a sign that I think what you’re saying in that moment is important. I don’t vote off cx. That said, I do listen closely; cx is your opportunity to clarify arguments & evidence and employ strategies that will help your speeches. Please be civil during cx. Do not talk over your opponent. Follow up questions should be very limited, be courteous to your opponents' need to question you. Discourtesy will result in deducted speaker points.
Disclosure:
I will disclose ONLY if required by the tournament host.
Remember:
· I want you to convince me with your arguments, not with a bunch of PF lingo.
· If you want me to vote on something, extend it through FF.
· Quality of argument over quantity.
· Please don't dumb down because I am a "parent" judge.
· Please do not play dirty, it can cost you the round.
· Be respectful. Do not be rude or condescending.
Been judging debate (PF and LD only) for almost 20 years. Coached PF at Cary Academy last year. While I try to stay up on the "technical stuff," to me, this misses the point of debate as an educational or, for that matter, a persuasive activity. So, while I can probably follow whatever case you want to run, put me in the truth (vs tech) camp. Running a well executed rhetorically sound argument will be the best way to win my ballot.
As for style, clear communications will win the day. Can probably flow at whatever speed you choose to run, but I don't value quantity over quality, whereas I do value clarity over vagary.
In addition to advancing rhetorically sound arguments, I expect debaters to find the clash in the round and give me a standard with which to weigh it. Don't expect me to do that work for you. You don't want me imposing my sensibilities by picking some arbitrary standard for the round. Moreover, between two sound cases, I will prefer any reasonable standard to no standard at all (even for an otherwise compelling/sound cases). Word of caution, though, don't let the round devolve into a pure weighing debate. At the end of the day, I will vote for the side that presents the most compelling case for affirming or negating the resolution.
I did PF in high school and I am now a senior in college, do with that information what you will. Please add mirandahopenutt@gmail.com and maristpublicforum@gmail.com to the email chain. This should be started in the tech time. Please include at least the cases and call the email chain something like "Grapevine Round 1 - Marist VL vs Marist HN."
The basics:
- I hate paraphrasing, please cut cards. I think it's bad for the activity, 9/10 times is misrepresentation, and high schoolers are less informed than the academics they are citing. I won't drop you for paraphrasing, but please make it abundantly clear where you pulled your argument from the text. (If it is clear, you could have saved yourself and everyone else a whole lot of time by just reading the card in the first place)
- I will vote on the most cleanly extended and well weighed argument in the round.
- Respond to first rebuttal in second rebuttal please (your speaker points will reflect whether you did). I will not evaluate new defense in second summary on offense dropped by the second rebuttal.
- Make sure your extensions of arguments are extensions of the entire argument. Saying "extend the Jones '12 turn" in summary is not sufficient for you to go for that turn in final focus, for example.
- I will evaluate theory, k's, etc., but I prefer debates on the topic. This is simply because I feel that I am much better at judging debates on the topic. So, if you choose to read these arguments go for it, but understand that I need you to explain exactly how they should influence my ballot.
hi! I did PF in high school. Here's some things about my judging.
1. Do whatever you want. I suggest you frontline in second rebuttal, but I don't really care. Just don't be racist, sexist, or otherwise problematic.
2. I want to make the debate as accessible and fun as possible. If there's anything you want to try or that you've seen in other rounds or in other people's paradigms that seems fun, we can try it as long as your opponents are okay with it.
3. My knowledge of K lit is very limited. I'm down to judge a K round but act like I don't know anything.
4. Debate is meant to be a communication activity. While I will judge any style of debating, I will give speaker points based on your communication skills. I will only vote for an argument if it’s warrant is clearly extended. It’s your job to make sure I catch everything you want me to flow throughout the round.
5. If you think I made a bad decision or just have questions, please feel free to ask me after the round (just don't be too aggressive). I'd rather have a discussion than have you walking away feeling unsatisfied.
Also please weigh. Please. Feel free to ask me any other questions!
UPDATED slightly on 3/2/24:
PLEASE EMAIL ME CASES BEFORE THE ROUND SO IT IS EASIER FOR ME TO FOLLOW THEM: ppaikone@gmail.com. THANK YOU!
Personal Background:
Since 2023, I am the speech and debate coach of George School in Pennsylvania. From 2000-2023, I was a coach of the speech and debate team of University School in Ohio. I have coached and judged virtually all high school speech and debate events over the years, but I’ve devoted the most time and energy to Public Forum debate and Lincoln-Douglas debate. I have experience at all levels: national, state, and local. Probably my biggest claim to fame as a coach is that my PF team (DiMino and Rahmani) won the NSDA national championship in 2010. If any of the points below are unclear or if you want my view on something else, feel free to ask me questions before the round begins.
LD Judging Preferences:
1. VALUE AND VALUE CRITERION: I think that the value and the value criterion are essential components of Lincoln-Douglas debate. They are what most distinguish LD from policy and public forum. If your advocacy is NOT explicitly directed toward upholding/promoting/achieving a fundamental value and your opponent does present a value and a case that shows how affirming/negating will fulfill that value, your opponent will win the round – because in my view your opponent is properly playing the game of LD debate while you are not.
2. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY: I think that speed ruins the vast majority of debaters, both in terms of their ability to think at a high level and in terms of their effective public speaking, which are two things that are supposed to be developed by your participation in high school forensics and two things I very much hope to see in every debate round I judge.
Most debaters cannot think as fast as they can talk, so going fast in an attempt to win by a numerical advantage in arguments or by “spreading” and causing your opponent to miss something, usually just leads to (a) poor strategic choices of what to focus on, (b) lots of superficial, insignificant, and ultimately unpersuasive points, and (c) inefficiency as debaters who speak too fast often end up stumbling, being less clear, and having to repeat themselves.
I would encourage debaters to speak at a normal, conversational pace, which would force them to make strategic decisions about what’s really important in the round. I think it is better to present clearly a few, significant points than to race rapidly through many unsubstantial points. Try to win by the superior quality of your thinking, not by the greater quantity of your ideas.
While I will do my best to “flow” everything that each debater presents, if you go too fast and as a result I miss something that you say, I don’t apologize for that. It’s your job as a debater not just to say stuff, but to speak in the manner necessary for your judge to receive and thoughtfully consider what you are saying. If your judge doesn’t actually take in something that you say, you might as well not have said it to begin with.
Because I prioritize quality over quantity in evaluating the arguments that are presented, I am not overly concerned about “drops.” If a debater “drops” an argument, that doesn’t necessarily mean he/she loses. It depends on how significant the point is and on how well the opponent explains why the dropped point matters, i.e., how it reveals that his/her side is the superior one.
As a round progresses, I really hope to hear deeper and clearer thinking, not just restating of your contentions. If you have to sacrifice covering every point on the flow in order to take an important issue to a higher level and present a truly insightful point, then so be it. That’s a sacrifice well worth making. On the other hand, if you sacrifice insightful thinking in order to cover the flow, that’s not a wise decision in my view.
3. WARRANTS OVER EVIDENCE: If you read the above carefully, you probably realized that I usually give more weight to logical reasoning than to expert testimony or statistics. I’m more interested in seeing how well you think on your feet than seeing how good of a researcher you are. (I’ve been coaching long enough to know that people can find evidence to support virtually any position on any issue….)
If you present a ton of evidence for a contention, but you don’t explain in your own words why the contention is true and how it links back to your value, I am not likely to be persuaded by it. On the other hand, if you present some brilliant, original analysis in support of a contention, but don’t present any expert testimony or statistical evidence for it, I will probably still find your contention compelling.
4. KRITIKS: While I may appreciate their cleverness, I am very suspicious of kritik arguments. If there is something fundamentally flawed with the resolution such that it shouldn’t be debated at all, it seems to me that that criticism applies equally to both sides, the negative as well as the affirmative. So even if you convince me that the kritik is valid, you’re unlikely to convince me then that you should be given credit for winning the round.
If you really believe the kritik argument, isn’t it hypocritical or self-contradictory for you to participate in the debate round? It seems to me that you can’t consistently present both a kritik and arguments on the substantive issues raised by the resolution, including rebuttals to your opponent’s case. If you go all in on the kritik, I’m likely to view that as complete avoidance of the issues.
In short, running a kritik in front of me as your judge is a good way to forfeit the round to your opponent.
5. JARGON: Please try to avoid using debate jargon as much as possible.
6. PROFESSIONALISM: Please be polite and respectful as you debate your opponent. A moderate amount of passion and emphasis as you speak is good. However, a hostile, angry tone of voice is not good. Be confident and assertive, but not arrogant and aggressive. Your job is to attack your opponent’s ideas, not to attack your opponent on a personal level.
PF Judging Preferences:
I am among the most traditional, perhaps old-fashioned PF judges you are likely to encounter. I believe that PF should remain true to its original purpose which was to be a debate event that is accessible to everyone, including the ordinary person off the street. So I am opposed to everything that substantively or symbolically makes PF a more exclusive and inaccessible event.
Here are 3 specific preferences related to PF:
1. SPEED (i.e., SELECTIVITY): The slower, the better. What most debaters consider to be slow is still much too fast for the ordinary lay person. Also, speed is often a crutch for debaters. I much prefer to hear fewer, well-chosen arguments developed fully and presented persuasively than many superficial points. One insightful rebuttal is better than three or four mediocre ones. In short, be selective. Go for quality over quantity. Use a scalpel, not a machine gun.
2. CROSSFIRES: Ask questions and give answers. Don't make speeches. Try not to interrupt, talk over, and steam-roll your opponent. Let your opponent speak. But certainly, if they are trying to steam-roll you, you can politely interject and make crossfire more balanced. Crossfire should go back and forth fairly evenly and totally civilly. I want to see engagement and thoughtfulness. Avoid anger and aggressiveness.
3. THEME OVER TECHNIQUE: It is very important to me that a debater presents and supports a clear and powerful narrative about the topic. Don't lost sight of the bigger picture. Keep going back to it in every speech. Only deal with the essential facts that are critical to proving and selling your narrative. If you persuade me of your narrative and make your narrative more significant than your opponent's, you will win my ballot - regardless of how many minor points you drop. On the other hand, if you debate with perfect technique and don't drop anything, but you don't present and sell a clear narrative, it's highly unlikely that you will win my ballot.
For online debate:
(1) GO SLOWLY. I cannot emphasize this enough. Going more slowly will greatly improve the thoughtfulness of your arguments and the quality of your delivery, and doing so will make it much easier for me to comprehend and be persuaded by your arguments. No matter how many pieces of evidence or blocks or turns or rebuilds you present, if your opponent just clearly presents ONE intelligent point that strikes me as pertinent and insightful, I am likely to side with him/her at least on the particular issue, and perhaps vote for him/her altogether.
(1a) In terms of your case, to be as specific as possible, in the hopes that you will actually heed my words about speed, the ideal PF case should be no longer than 600 words total. If your case is much longer than that, and you go faster in order to squeeze it into 4 minutes, it's highly likely that I will simply not catch and process many of your words - so you may as well not have said them in the first place.
(1b) In terms of the later speeches in a round, be selective, be strategic, and sell me the goods. In rebuttals, give me your ONE best response to your opponent's argument - maybe two responses, at the very most three. In the second half of the round, collapse to your ONE best voting issue and give your ONE strongest reason why it is true and your ONE strongest reason why it should be considered significant. I'm not going to count all your points just because you said them - You just have to make ONE good point count. (But don't try to do that just be repeating it again and again. You have to explain why your opponent's attack on it should be considered insufficient.) And point out the ONE most critical flaw in your opponent's argument.
(2) More advice on presentation: because we are doing debate through Zoom, it is MORE important that you pay attention to your delivery, not less. It's much harder to hold people's attention when you are speaking to them online than when you speak to them in person. (I'm sure you know this to be true as a listener.) So if you just give up on presenting well, you're making the obstacle practically insurmountable. On the other hand, if you put some real effort into speaking as well as you can in this new online format, you'll likely stand out from many of your opponents and your points will likely be understood and appreciated more than theirs.
(2a) Be clear: Do everything you can to be as clear and easy to understand as possible, both in your writing and your speaking.
(2b) Vary your delivery: Indicate what are the most important points in your speeches by changing up your voice. You should emphasize what is really important by changing the pace, the pitch, the volume, and the tone and also by using pauses. Your speech should not be one, long unbroken stream of words that all sound the same.
(2c) Eye contact: I know it's very hard but try to look up at your camera as much as possible. At least try to show me your face as much as you can.
(3) I don't believe that theory or kritiks should be a part of Public Forum debate. If you run either, you will almost certainly lose my ballot. I don't have time now to give all the reasons why I'm opposed to these kinds of arguments in PF. But I want you to have fair warning of my view on this point. If your opponent has not read this paradigm (or is blatantly disregarding it) and runs a kritik or theory in a round and i am your judge, all you need to say for me to dismiss that argument is that PF debate is intended to be accessible to all people and should directly address the topic of the resolution, and then continue to debate the resolution.
I debated in PF for three years in high school, and currently debate on the APDA Collegiate circuit at UVA. I am good with speed, unique arguments, or really whatever you are interested in trying during the round! Please be kind and respectful to all competitors, especially during CX. Feel free to ask my any other questions you have before the round.
I am a parent judge with some experience judging speech and public forum. I will try to take notes, but I am not a flow judge. I look for competitors with a clear and smooth speaking style, solid gestures, but most importantly, logical and well-supported arguments.
I competed in Public Forum for five years throughout my debate career, having made it to elim rounds at a few national tournaments as a part of South Plantation High School's debate team. I have been judging ASTs and other novice tournaments for three years also. My rules are fairly simple, and I tend to be fairly laid back.
- Be kind and courteous to your opponents in round, rudeness will result in lower speaker points.
- No spreading please.
- Any offense or defense that you extend in final focus must have been mentioned in your summary.
- For first summary, there is no need to extend terminal defense that has gone unresponded to.
- I don't flow crossfire, if a concession is made by your opponent during cross, you must bring it up in a speech for it to be weighed in the round.
- Be sure to weigh and warrant your impacts effectively.
- If you slip in a music reference or make me laugh, I'll probably raise your speaker points.
- Don't be afraid to ask me any additional questions, and I hope you have a good time in debate! ^-^
Updated for Harvard 2021:
While I have a background in policy and LD I’m usually in pf pools for round commitments these days. Feel free to ask me any specific questions before the round that you think would help your strategic advantages.
I prefer a framework or a weighing mechanism in which I can filter the debate. I like strong link chains, impact calculus, and contentious clash. I think defense should be extended if it’s an important argument in the debate, but you ought not waist speech time if they concede the defense. Speed will always be fine, I will flag if I get tech fuzzy because of storms that are expected throughout the weekend.
Email Chain: Grahamphlieger@gmail.com
Background
Policy, PF, Ld, Congress, Extemp for Crandall HS (Tx): 2011-2015
Coach for Southlake Carroll HS (Tx): 2015-2017
Coach for Lake Travis HS (Tx): 2019-
npda/npte at University of Texas at Tyler 2015-2018
Updated 4/17 for the Tournament of Champions
Congrats on qualifying for the TOC! Being at this tournament is a substantial accomplishment on its own, and one that you should be extremely proud of.
Topic thoughts:
Both teams should spend more time explaining the mechanism by which they resolve their impacts. For instance - how does the UNSC prevent conflict? What would the UNSC do absent a veto to resolve x conflict? I think that the team that best explains those internal links has a better shot of winning in front of me. Using past examples of UN intervention (or lack thereof) seems to be important to explain warrants to me.
In short:
Put me on the email chain before I show up. Send speech docs (i.e., Word docs as attachments) before any speech in which you are going to read evidence. Read good evidence. Debate about what you want. I'd strongly prefer it have some relation to the topic. Speed is fine so long as you're clear, slow down/differentiate tags, and clearly signpost arguments. I will not read the document during your speech. Theory is silly and I'd rather vote on anything else. Critical arguments are fine, if grounded in topic lit and you can articulate what voting for you is/does. Debaters should read more lines from fewer pieces of evidence. If you have time, please read everything in my paradigm. It's not that long.
--
he/him
I've been involved in competitive speech and debate since 2014. I am the Director of Speech and Debate at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. I competed in PF and Congress in high school and NPDA-style parliamentary debate in college at Minnesota.
I am also a Co-Director of Public Forum Boot Camp (PFBC) in Minnesota. If you do high school PF and you want to talk to me about camp, let me know.
I am conflicted against Seven Lakes (TX), Lakeville North (MN), Lakeville South (MN), Blake (MN), and Vel Phillips Memorial (WI).
Put me on the email chain. Please flip and get fully set up before the round start time. My email is my first name [dot] my last name [at] gmail. Add sevenlakespf@googlegroups.com, sevenlakesld@googlegroups.com, or sevenlakescx@googlegroups.com depending on the event I am judging you in. The subject of the email chain should clearly state the tournament, round number and flight, and team codes/sides of each team. For example: "Gold TOC R1A - Seven Lakes CL 1A v Lakeville North LM 2N".
In general:
Debate is a competitive research activity. The team that can most effectively synthesize their research into a defense of their plan, method, or side of the resolution will win the debate. I would like you to be persuasive, entertaining, kind, and strategic. Feel free to ask clarifying questions before the debate.
How I decide rounds/preferences:
I can judge whatever. I will vote for whatever argument wins on the flow. I want to judge a small but deep debate about the topic.
I've judged or been a part of several thousand debates in various formats over the past decade. I have seen, gone for, and voted for lots of arguments. My preference is that you demonstrate mastery of the topic and a well-thought-out strategy during the round and that you're excited to do debate and engage with your opponents' research. The best rounds consist of rigorous examination and comparison of the most recent and academically legitimate topic literature. I would like to hear you compare many different warrants and examples, and to condense the round as early as possible. Ignoring this preference will likely result in lower speaker points.
I flow, intently and carefully. I will stop flowing when my timer goes off. I will not flow while reading a document, and will only use the email chain or speech doc to look at evidence when instructed to by the competitors or after the round if the interpretation of a piece of evidence is vital to my decision. There is no grace period of any length. I will not vote on an argument I did not flow.
There is not a dichotomy between "truth" and "tech". Obviously, the team that does the better debating will win, and that will be determined by arguments that I've flowed, but you will have a much more difficult time convincing me that objectively bad arguments are true than convincing me that good arguments are true. In other words, an argument's truth often dictates its implication for my ballot because it informs technical skill.
I will not vote for unwarranted arguments, arguments that I cannot explain in my RFD, or arguments I did not flow. I have now given several decisions that were basically: "I am aware this was on the doc. I did not flow it during your speech time." Most PF rounds I judge are decided by mere seconds of argumentation, and most PF teams should probably think harder about how to warrant their links and compare their terminal impacts than they do right now.
Zero risk exists. I probably won't vote on defense or presumption, but I am theoretically willing to.
An average speaker in front of me will get a 28.5.
Critical arguments:
I am a decent judge for critical strategies that are well thought out, related to the topic, and strategically executed. I am happy to vote to reject a team's rhetoric, to critically examine economic and political systems of power, etc. if you explain why those impacts matter. In a PF context, these arguments seem to struggle with not being fleshed out enough because of short speech times but I'm not ideologically opposed to them.
I am not a great judge for strategies that ignore the resolution. I will vote for arguments that reject the topic if there are warrants for why we ought to do that and you win those warrants. But, if evenly debated, relating your strategy to the topic is a good idea.
I am a terrible judge for strategies that rely on in-round "discourse" as offense. I generally do not think that these strategies have an impact or solve the harms with debate they identify. I've voted for these arguments several times, and I still find them unpersuasive - I just found the other team's defense of debate worse.
Theory:
Theory is generally boring and I rarely want to listen to it without it being placed in a specific context based on the current topic.
I am more than qualified to evaluate theory debates and used to go for theory in college quite a bit.
I would strongly prefer not to listen to debates about setting norms. Disclosure is generally good. Paraphrasing is generally bad.
Here is a list of arguments which will be very difficult to win in front of me: violations based on anything that occurred outside of the current debate, frivolous theory or other positions with no bearing on the question posed by the resolution, trigger warning theory, anything categorized as a trick or meant to evade clash, anything that is labeled as an IVI without a warranted implication for the ballot.
I recognize the strategic value of theory and that sometimes, you need to go for it to win a debate. If you decide to do that, you might get very low speaker points, depending on how asinine I think your position is. I will be persuaded by appeals to reasonability and that substantive debate matters more than your position.
Evidence:
Evidence ethics arguments/IVIs/theory/etc. will not be treated as theory - I will ask the team who has introduced the argument about evidence ethics if I should stop the debate and evaluate the challenge to evidence to determine the winner/loser of the round. The same goes for clipping. This is obviously different than reasons to prefer a piece of evidence or other normal weighing claims. I reserve the right to vote against teams that I notice are fabricating evidence during the round even if the other team does not make it a voting issue.
You should read good evidence and disclose case positions after you debate.
I have been a judge for 2 years. I have judged all events on the speech side at local tournaments and both nationals. I have judged PF at every local tournament for the last year. I want to hear concrete, logically connected arguments. Before you start your speech tell me which side of the flow you are starting on, stating clearly your contentions and sub-points. I have issues with spreading, if I cannot flow your arguments, you cannot win, simple as that. Please weigh at the end. I expect professionalism and good sportsmanship. Most important have fun and good luck!
I am a lay judge so make sure you don't speak too fast but I still deeply value good argumentation and logical reasoning. As long as the teams can make arguments that make sense and respond to their opponents case while defending their position is what I am mainly looking for and how confidently they present their case.
Updated 4/11/24 for the Chance National Qualifier - GOOD LUCK TO ALL competitors
I admire and appreciate your skill, ability and preparation. As Adam Smith articulated in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, I work from the assumption that you are all praiseworthy. And, like Aristotle, I view our time together in this activity as a journey toward the good.*
Summary LD Expectations
- Do not spread. Let me repeat do not spread. I know it's in your DNA but do not spread. I always vote for the debater who speaks slower. Always.
- I am a traditional values judge as this is the foundation for this event. Therefore invest your time and energy on your value. Clarity and defining this value will go a long way to earning my ballot. Investing time in side by side comparison to your opponent's value with a clear and simple explanation for why I should prefer your value will go a long long way to earning my ballot.
- This is not policy debate therefore there is no requirement for a plan or for implementation. Invest your limited time in value analysis, resolutional analysis and rebuttal, not on implementation.
- Traditional debate therefore no progressive debate, critique, or counter plans.
- I reject on their face all extinction impacts.
- I value analysis and warranting over evidence. The best way to lose my ballot is to read a list of cards, indicate your opponent has no cards and unleash some debate math - ie "Judge my view of resolution will reduce recidivism by 150.3% resulting in a reduction of poverty world wide of 173,345,321 and leading to growth in Georgia of 13.49% which will increase the standard of living in Athens by 22.32% and reduce polarization by 74.55% which will ensure that representative democracy will . . . . blah, blah, blah. BTW, when I am exposed to debater math you should know what I hear is blah, blah, blah. So . . . invest your time in simple, clear (hopefully logical) warranting - no need for cards or debater math. You know, I know, your parents know that statistics/empirics prove nothing. PS, if Nobel winning social scientists have the humility to acknowledge that is is virtually impossible to determine causality, you should too, so avoid the correlation/causality offense or defense.
- In your last 3 minutes of speaking you should collapse to your most important or valid argument, provide me with voters, and weigh the round
- Quality over quantity, less is more, therefore those debaters who collapse to a single argument and weigh this argument earn my ballot. In fact, those rare (delightful) debaters who provide a logical narrative based upon a clear value and throughout the round, focus on a single, clear, simple argument make for a breath of fresh air, meaningful 45 minutes of debate and a lasting learning experience. These types of rounds are as rare as a lunar eclipse and I value and treasure these rounds and debater(s) - less than a dozen over my years of adjudication.
- Simple is preferred to the complex. I am a lay judge and while I have over 20 years experience and have judged over 160 rounds of LD in both face-to-face and online environments I find that the simplest argument tends to earn my ballot over many arguments that are complex.
- A negative debater who collapses to the Aff framework and definitions and then clearly explains a rationale for why negating the resolution achieves that value is from my point employing a very sound strategy when arguing before a community judge and overcomes the initial time disadvantage, The AFF debater who uses the 3rd AFF to only review the SINGLE most important argument, weigh clearly and simply and end with valid votes makes the most efficient and strategic use of speaking last.
- Remember to clearly define all relevant terms in the resolution. The March/April 2025 topic has often hinged on definitions. Where there's a difference in approach on a term you'll need to clearly warrant for me why I should prefer your definition. PLEASE not cards or debater math.
Don't worry *(be happy) as I will cut and paste this paradigm into my ballot. But alas, that is after the fact. Oy.
I am appreciative and grateful to have this opportunity. IE and speech I do have comments for you after my "sharing" with debaters. Skip to the end.
You are the teacher, I am the student. As my teacher, you will want to know my learning style.
I am curious and interested in your voice and what you have to say. I am a life long learner and as a student I make every effort to thoughtfully consider your teaching. so . . .
- I take notes (flow) in order to understand. So, a metric for debaters - think of me on the couch with one of your grandparents, Joe Biden and Morgan Freeman. We are all very interested in what you have to say and we are all taking notes. So, be certain your pace allows us to take notes (flow) with comprehension. If you are doubtful about the pace you are using, YOU ARE SPEAKING TOO FAST and should slow down. Thank you very much.
- As your grandparents, Joe, Morgan and I sit on the couch we are striving to learn new material from you. You know far more than we do, you are very familiar with how to convey this information and we all think much slower than you so - KEEP IT SIMPLE. I would advise checking all debate jargon at the bus, before you enter the building.
- Less is more. So, if you have 2 to 5 high level arguments and feel compelled to advance them, go for it. But as the round comes to an end, focus on ONE and make certain you explain it so that your grandparents, Joe, Morgan and I can understand. I was fortunate earlier this year at the 2024 ARIZONA STATE TOURNAMENT to judge an out round of LD on a panel with a young, policy TECH judge and another parent. In a 2-1 decision, I was soooooooooooooooo pleased that, in post round disclosure and RFD this young, policy TECH judge recommended that the two excellent debaters collapse to the ONE argument that they considered most important (ie the argument they were winning). I was overjoyed as I have always indicated one simply and well explained argument will always capture my ballot over the old laundry list. In other words DO NOT RUN THE FLOW in 3rd AFF speech merely explain the ONE argument and weigh the voters. One other outstanding piece of feedback from this young, policy, TECH judge was to look at the judges - he, like I, react to your argumentation - nodding and smiling when we understanding and are convinced and frowning or shaking no when we are not. I noticed he did this in the round and, for those of you who have argued before me before, you know that I light up when you have me and if become despondent when you don't. Useful in round feedback from the judge is GOOD. I know you all have strategy based upon some interpretation of game theory when arguing before a panel. Remember you will most likely have 1, 2 or even 3 parent, lay judges on the panel. WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND DEBATE THEORY, CANNOT PROCESS ARGUMENTS DELIVERED AT A RAPID PACE AND NEED SIMPLE, SIMPLE SLOWLY PRESENTED SIDE BY SIDE ANALYSIS.
Anything else?
- I see LD as an exploration of value, that is values debate, therefore I am most interested in learning your take on the value your have selected in evaluating the resolution. I am not interested implementation, rather the key is how the value you employ affirms or negates the resolution AND why that value is superior to the one selected by your opponent. It is ok, very ok, to concede value. It goes without saying, but I will anyway, that you should understand your value and provide a simple clear definition. Soooooooooo there is Justice, Social Justice, Restorative Justice, Distributive Justice, Procedural Justice, Retributive Justice, Environmental (???) Justice, Economic Justice, Global . . . . well you get the point. Which one are you arguing for? If you don't specify then your opponent may, to your disadvantage, If you opponent doesn't then . . . . well the nightmare of all LDers, your parent, lay judge (ME) will. I don't think you want that. But, for those who read this paradigm, you would not be surprised to find that I am deeply influenced by the value analysis of Aristotle and Adam Smith sooooooooo if you have not read Nicomachean Ethic and/or The Theory of Moral Sentiments you will want to clarify you value as these are the defaults I will use if you don't clearly, slowly and simply explicate yours.
- I am skeptical of Rawls based upon my reading of A Theory of Justice. But, by sharing this prior with you I want you to know as a student I am very interested in learning. So, if based upon your reading of Rawls you provide a rationale for my acceptance, you have it. Of course, the prereq for success here might well be your actual reading of Rawls, although the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy makes a start on introducing this theory to the lay reader.
- I am very skeptical of Utilitarianism and its various expressions, particularly the rote and familiar rationale that is read on the top of cases that use it. I am very easily persuaded to reject based upon the comparison of impact on the minority.
- I reject all extinction impacts
- I reject all progressive debate
- I reject kritik
- If you are compelled to provide a counter plan or alternative as NEG, you need to provide clarity as to the link to the resolution and to utilize analysis and material that the AFF would be expected to aware of. (I understand the grammar policy have now OKed ending a sentence with a preposition.
- CX is important for the ethos of the debaters, clarification, and laying the ground for rebuttal.
- In round tone - I appreciate all debaters, particularly those who are having fun, display good humor and take a collaborative rather than adversarial approach. I know you are all very serious about this activity (which I appreciate) and you need to be yourself. That said, when considering your approach, particularly in CX you might try a thought experiment or fantasy - you are arguing before the Supreme Court. What tone and approach would you take if you were trying to engage either Elena Kagan or Neil Gorsuch, remember of course that your grandparents, Joe, Morgan and I are also up there on the bench.
Congress
- Congressional debater - elite debaters come prepared to argue both sides of all bills, never read a speech, anticipate rebuttal in CX, know the burdens in speaking first, mid and last in the course of legislative debate and accordingly speak at all three points in the Congressional session and are ready, willing and able to PO. I begin each session with the PO ranked first and the bar to surpass an elite PO is Jordanesque or Tarasui esque or Clark esque. So, PO, I praise those who PO and condemn elite debaters who don't.
- I commend to you Aristotle - On Rhetoric - specifically his treatment of ethos"the way we become responsible citizens who can understand each other and share ideas is through rhetoric"
- Excellent overview of Congress expectations.
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PO resources - all potential PO candidates are encouraged to review:
https://www.uiltexas.org/files/academics/Witt_An_Act_of_Congress_PO.pdf
http://www.bobcatdebate.com/uploads/5/5/6/6/55667975/presiding_officer_guide.pdf
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Members of our community who have taught me a great deal:
Frederick Changho (I take the approach Truth >Tech)
Non debaters
IE - I tend to be much more impressed by the performance that reaches deep within to find some sort of reality or authenticity and I tend to be less impressed by the well developed techniques that excellent actors employ.
Extemp - I value analysis within the context of a cohesive narrative over quantity of evidence cited.
Orators - your call to action need be substantial, significant, clearly defined and either achievable, or contextualized in such a manner that the attempt has significant value.
And don't worry, my previous paradigm, saved for posterity due to the scope of Google - here
*Taking this approach, Aristotle proposes that the highest good for humans iseudaimonia, a Greek word often translated as "flourishing" or sometimes "happiness". Aristotle argues that eudaimoniais a way of taking action (energeia) that is appropriate to the human "soul" (psuchē) at its most "excellent" orvirtuous (aretē). Eudaimoniais the most "complete" aim that people can have, because they choose it for its own sake. An excellent human is one who is good at living life, who does so well and beautifully (kalos). Aristotle says such a person would also be a serious (spoudaios) human being. He also asserts that virtue for a human must involvereason in thought and speech (logos), as this is a task (ergon) of human living.
Did PF for four years in high school. Was previously the Tournament Chair for the Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament. Don't speak so fast you sacrifice clarity and make sure to weigh.
I debated for West Broward High School for 4 years and was mostly active in the Public Forum national circuit my Sophomore and Junior years.
I have included my preferences below. If you have any additional questions, ask me before the round begins.
updated as of 1/28/23
-If you'd like, send cases to robertq522@gmail.com before the round starts. If I call for a card, you can send it to that email as well.
- I will vote on almost any argument that is topical, properly warranted, and impacted. If an argument makes no sense to me, it's usually your fault and not mine. In the absence of an explicit framework, I default to util.
-Tech > Truth always. If the argument is ridiculous, I expect you to tell me why. Don't assume I know that an argument is BS, explain it.
- I am fine with moderate speed. Although I personally spoke pretty quick when I competed, I will misflow tag-lines and citations if they are rushed, and I prefer a more understandable debate. You also may run the risk of too much speed hurting your speaker points.
-If both teams fail to generate legitimate offense by the end of the round, I will vote on a risk of offense.
-My attention levels during crossfire are much lower than they are during your speeches. If something important comes up, mention it in your next speech.
- I will typically only vote on something if it is in both summary and final focus. If you read an impact card in your case and it is not in summary, I will not extend it for you, even if the other team does not address it. Of course, there are inevitably exceptions, e.g. defense in the first FF.
- No new evidence is permitted in second summary (it's fine in first summary). This is to encourage front-lining and to discourage reading new offense in second rebuttal. Additionally, new carded analysis in the second summary forces the final focus to make new responses and deviate away from its initial strategy. The only exception I will make is if you need to respond to evidence introduced in the first summary. New analytical responses are fine.
- First summary doesn't have to extend defense for it to be in final focus, but it is responsible for extending turns/any offense. This obviously does not apply if your defense is frontlined in second rebuttal. Second summary and both final focuses need to extend defense.
- I try to be visibly/audibly responsive, e.g. I will stop flowing and look up when I don't understand your argument and I'll probably nod if I like what you're saying.
- I will only ask to see evidence after the round in one of three scenarios. (1) I was told to call for a card in a speech (2) Both teams disagree over what the card says and it's never fully resolved (3) I'm curious and want to read it
- I usually won't keep track of your speech and prep time. It is your job to keep your opponents accountable. If there is any particular reason you cannot keep time, please let me know and I will try to accommodate.
- I will evaluate theory arguments and Kritiks if they are well warranted enough. I didn't compete in LD or Policy in high school, however I read theory and kritiks at the 2019 TOC (in PF lol). I mildly understand structuring but if you decide to make it a voter, please make sure the warrant is well explained in summary and final focus. As a disclaimer, if something doesn't make sense to me, I may not feel comfortable voting on it. This means you will probably have to over-explain advanced and complex arguments.
- I evaluate the debate on an offense/defense paradigm. This does not mean you can wave away your opponent's defensive responses by saying "a risk of offense always outweighs defense," because terminal and mitigatory defense are not the same thing. Terminal defense points out flaws in the logic of an argument while mitigatory defense accepts an argument as a logical possibility and attacks its probability or magnitude. I personally dislike 'risk of offense' type arguments because I think they encourage lazy debating, but I will happily vote on them if they are well executed. You must answer responses that indict the validity of your link chain if you want to access offense from an argument.
- I reserve the right to drop you for offensive/insensitive language and/or arguments, depending on its severity.
- If you plan to make arguments about sensitive issues such as su*cide, PTSD, or sexual assault, I would strongly advise issuing a trigger warning beforehand. If you don't know how to properly issue a content warning, ask me before the round. I believe debate should be a safe space, and the least we can all do is make sure everybody is prepared for the conversation.
- I expect all exchanges of evidence to take no longer than 2 minutes. If you delay the debate significantly while looking for a specific card, I may dock your speaker points for being disorganized and wasting time. If someone requests to see your evidence, you should hand it to them as soon as possible; don't say "I need my computer to prep."
- Wear whatever you want, I don't care.
- Be nice to each other.
If you have concerns, email me.
Shoutout to Max Wu, I finessed most of his paradigm in making this.
This is my third year judging Public Forum Debate. I understand spreading and progressive arguments.
The winner will be decided based on who best communicates the most logical arguments. When judging communication, I take into account your pace and organization of the speech. Being aggressive is fine, just make sure you are clear, keeping in mind the time.
I do not like students who read off of their laptops. I prefer eye-to-eye contact which exhibits confidence while speaking/ debating. I am very keen on Cross-Examination and you will score higher speaker points if you are effective in cross -ex and give proper rebuttals.
Additionally, good evidence comparison is key but also focus on extending your case as well.
Overall, have fun, and try to do your best! Good luck with your debate!!!
I am a parent judge. This is my first time judging.
i flow the round but i'm not tech and i can handle some speed (be safe and just go slow). i'm pretty well-read on most topics, especially economic ones, but i'm tech over truth. logic > evidence w/o warranting. if the tournament allows me to i'll disclose w/ a detailed rfd
I competed from 2012-2016 at Lake Highland Prep and went to TOC, I went to UF and was director of Blue Key's PF tournament in 2018. I can handle some speed but I 100% would prefer slower speakers, especially during online tournaments like this.
I value hard numbers and statistics because they are easy to weigh. WEIGHING will earn you my ballot. If you introduce new evidence in any capacity that doesn't allow your opponents to respond, such as 2nd summaries/final focus/grand cross, it will not be evaluated due to my personal fairness philosophy. So if you're speaking 2nd and you think you have to respond to something like that, don't even waste your time on it! Just skip it.
Be as clear as possible. If you say something brilliant that I can barely understand because of your speed and clarity, I won't be able to evaluate it well.
Hi! My name is Brenda Reiter and I’m a graduate student at the George Washington University. I competed in Public Forum for 5 years. I am a flow judge, and I will be open to all arguments.
I hate evidence debates. I know evidence is essential to a debate but it’s somewhat pointless to be throwing out cards that aren't being explained logically or have a sound warrant.
I don’t have a problem with terminal defense (extension from 1st rebuttal to 1st FF) but if you must bring it up in summary.
Summary and FF should tell a similar story (voters, warrants, evidence)
I hate off-time road maps!! I prefer you tell me where you’re going and signpost throughout your speech.
Please use voters!! Tell me why you’re winning not your contentions again!
I will probably ask to see evidence that is conflicting and or evidence that is winning you the round. If your evidence is incredibly complex and I a senior in college cannot understand it, your opponents probably won’t and I won’t evaluate it.
Don't get lost in the technicality of the debate, but rather focus on the bigger picture. Also, remember you are debating the resolution.
Theory shells/debate:
My last debate tournament was in 2019 and a lot of things have changed since then. When I competed in PF theory was not big at all and you would often lose a round if you ran it. No longer the case so as I continue to judge I have to adapt. I don’t know theories so if you run something please explain it to me!! I will vote for any argument that stands through the round but EXPLAIN!!
In terms of disclosing cases and evidence in Wiki, I don’t care if it happens. I don’t think it’s abusive if a team doesn’t post their case. The thing about PF is being able to take down arguments with logic which is more compelling for me than evidence that is not properly understood.
Don’t be afraid to ask me any questions!!
A brief off-time roadmap to my paradigm (aka my background)
I did PF for 4 years in high school and I am currently a freshman in college. Having done PF almost exclusively throughout high school, I like to think that I am pretty familiar with the event.
Just as a disclaimer for the rest of my paradigm I probably won't include every single thing that I have an opinion on so if you have any questions or if something I wrote just doesn't make any sense please just ask me about it before the round starts :)
If you are really pressed for time to read this skip to the end and read from "online debate stuff" onward.
A general overview of my thoughts
-I will absolutely not tolerate any racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, or any other offensive arguments. I'll instantly drop you.
-Overall I would characterize myself as a traditional judge. I believe that PF is not nor should it be LD or Policy and that it should be as accessible as possible.
-With this being said, do not read theory or your k or any hyper-progressive argument and don't spread. If you decide that you absolutely have to do any of these things I won't automatically drop you but my threshold for buying, let alone weighing, anything that you say will be very very very very very high and your opponents will have to really screw up to not get my vote (so just don't do it).
-I am going to say that I am tech over truth HOWEVER please don't think I'll buy any argument you throw out there.
-Please please please extend your arguments correctly. If you are in summary or ff and you just go "extend Smith 19 as our response to their nuclear war contention" I will absolutely not extend it as I can guarantee I have no idea what Smith 19 said or what it's about. Instead, extend your arguments/responses by giving a quick signpost about what you are going to talk about/your claim, explain your evidence to me clearly and why it's right, and then give a clear impact.
-Please warrant your arguments. Don't just respond to something by reading off a card. Actually explain to me why something is/isn't true and how your evidence shows that. Also with your responses, interact with each other at a warrant level. For example if you both have two cards that say the exact opposite thing, don't just keep repeating your card over and over again but actually explain to me why your evidence makes sense and why theirs doesn't.
-Weigh. I am really not a fan of this idea that you have to wait until ff to explain why you won the round. In summary, or honestly as early as rebuttal, give me a clear weighing mechanism to use for evaluating the round. If you don't do this and your opponents do I will very likely end up voting for them and if neither team does this I'm just gonna figure it out on my own and I promise you want neither of these situations to happen so please please please just do it thank you :)
-I can live without your off-time roadmaps because most of them are pretty useless, but honestly if you feel more comfortable giving it for whatever reason go for it. If it's really really critical for your strategy to address sub-point b of contention 2 of your opponents' case before you do anything else that would be good to let me know in a roadmap but overall if you just stick to the flow and signpost when you move on to something new everything should go smoothly.
-I am totally willing to buy logic arguments without evidence as long as they are really well warranted and believable. With that being said, if your opponents bring up evidence saying why this argument is wrong and explain it well I'll definitely be inclined to believe them more.
-I enjoy probability analyses when debating so if its applicable to analyze a round in this way it is probably a good idea to do so.
-I am not afraid to call for a card as a judge.
Online debate stuff
I hate that email chains exist in PF now but they are necessary given the circumstances so please add me to yours. My email is ereiter02@gmail.com. Feel free to email me if you have any specific questions about anything after a round and I will try my best to answer you. With respect to evidence, I expect evidence to be sent to both your opponents and myself in a timely manner. I get that technology is definitely far from perfect but if you don't produce any cards that have been called for relatively quickly I'm going to be annoyed and inclined to believe that you don't have the evidence (please prove me wrong though) and I'll likely move the round along and say to treat the card like it doesn't exist unless you can produce it at a later point in time (don't abuse this and produce it right before your final focus while on the second speaking team and say that that card is why you win the round).
If you didn't read anything from above, basically I'm a traditional flow judge.
How to get better speaks
-Please make me laugh.
-Debate is supposed to be fun.
-Puns are appreciated (only good ones though, if it's bad I will be upset).
-Cursing is fine as long as you aren't cursing out your opponents or being racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, etc.
-Please don't do any of these things at the expense of your speech (i.e. don't spend 15 seconds lingering on your joke; move on and get to your arguments)
I am a 4 year PF debater. Pretty much will do what a classic flow PF judge will do, and whatever you expect an east coast ex-debater to do. The big thing overall is please just be a good person and try to have fun. Don't be rude or disingenuous. At the same time, if you bring good energy you'll prob see some high speaks.
Some preferences:
-You don't need to extend defense in first summary
-You don't have to frontline everything in second rebuttal, but doing so would probably be advantageous for you
-Weigh early and often. I hate when teams just throw out buzzwords (MAGNITUDE!), please do logical analysis and direct argument comparison.
-I place a large focus on the link level debate. Teams that tell a consistent and compelling link story are likely to win my ballot -- please don't extend impacts without a sufficient link.
-Heavy emphasis on warrants and logical analysis. For me, smart analytics + evidence will always beat just evidence. If you just have evidence and some assertions without good warranting, I'll be pretty hesitant to vote on it
Things I don't like:
-Overviews in rebuttal that are essentially new contentions, especially in 2nd rebuttal. Even if you phrase it as an overview or disad, if it is functionally a new offensive argument I will be very hesitant to vote on it. I think they're abusive given that they come so late and the summary has so much to cover
-Moving advocacy: be consistent with your narrative. Don't change your link story or any warranting that is essential in the round in the later speeches
-When teams read small turns early on and blow them up late in the round because they haven't been responded to super cleanly. If the argument is a crucial voter, it should have a built up narrative throughout the round.
-Theory/Ks/Squirrely args: I will evaluate these arguments but I am not familiar with them and have not debated many of these rounds throughout my career --> it is quite likely I won't make the best decision if you decide to run these just because I am unsure how to properly evaluate.
I am Parent judge, I am new at this. I work as an Office Manager, I have an MBA.
Here is what I like for Debate:
Clarity, organization / signposts and flow are critical - remember that I have not heard your particular construction of support for your position before so in order to follow along it needs to be woven together tightly.
PF Debate implies . . . debate - your ability to continuously support your position by really listening to, processing, analyzing and responding (professionally) to your opponents' arguments while demonstrating a very deep and nuanced understanding of the issues will be a key differentiator.
Please be professional to each other., and respect boundaries.
Please speak at a normal pace. If you are fast I will not be able to understand you and flow properly.
I am a new parent judge to debate. These are the things I will be looking out for:
- speak slowly and use understandable vocabulary
be respectful to all opponents and speakers
- do not bring in new evidence after the 1st rebuttal
Have fun! :)
I am a parent judge with 3 years of experience judging in PF. A few notes about my preferences:
- Please try to speak slowly, if I cannot understand what you are saying, I will not be able to evaluate it in my decision
- Act civil during crossfire, I will drop your speaker points if you are rude to your opponents
- Don't run arguments that use lots of complex technical argumentation and jargon (K's, theory, etc.)
- I evaluate the flow to judge the round, but please give me a clear narrative, I enjoy voting for arguments that are cohesive and well-warranted
- Don't misconstrue your evidence and make sure that if you paraphrase, it accurately represents your evidence
- Give me clear link extensions and weighing in the final focus, and don't bring up new offense after first summary
- Time yourselves please
- Make sure to address all responses from first rebuttal in your second rebuttal, otherwise I will consider the responses dropped
- If you send me your disclosed case I will give you +1 speaker points. saokara@yahoo.com
Parent judge. Although I am proficient in English, it isn't my first language. I go for clarity and simplicity. For me to judge well and right, it is important that I understand the speakers/debaters clearly...am not a fan of use of jargons.
I am fairly new in judging Speech.
**ALL TOURNAMENTS: I learned of the topic the morning of the tournament. PLEASE assume I know nothing. Except Sunvite 2024, half my masters degree was section 230 so I know a decent bit.***
Background:
Competed in Public Forum @ Cypress Bay HS (2013-2017)
BA in Political Science @ University of Central Florida (2017-2021)
MA in Bioethics, Tech Ethics and Science Policy @ Duke University (2021-2022)
PF (If you have me for another event go lay) Paradigm
- Look, I know NSU is a tech school and all, but they hire me to coach lay debate i havent cut a card in maybe 6 years (but like ive been around the circuit so i sometimes know what's going on) . if you're spreading or speaking too fast i probably wont catch a lot of it and will probably look confused
- if possible, number your responses so i know if I missed anything
- Set up email chains/preflow during tech check. I am a big believer in sending case docs to make it easier for everyone but I won't force yall to do so. You'll get a bump in speaks if you do. sharansawlani@gmail.com and uschoolpf@gmail.com
- Please don’t shake my hand.
- You can ask to look at ev during your partner or opponent's speech/cross. Idk why or when people started considering this as "stealing prep time".
- Quality of voters> Quantity of voters.
- Weigh, weigh, weigh, weigh, weigh. Which weigh? Dat weigh.
- Keep the round lighthearted. I think debaters are way too angry now and some humor would be appreciated. Jokes and puns are highly encouraged.
- Not a fan of super squirrelly arguments or theory (the next 2 bullets might answer your next questions). Idk too much about K's and im not the best at evaluating them, but if that's what you wanna read just make sure you explain it well. If I'm confused at the end of the debate I promise you won't be happy with my decision.
- READ and SEND cut cards. paraphrasing is whack. i wont penalize you for it but if the other team reads theory or tells me to evaluate paraphrased evidence as analytics and not real evidence, and you dont respond, it's going to be a really uphill battle.
- Disclosure in PF is a good thing. Same thing as paraphrasing; If someone discloses and either a) you do not and they read disclosure theory OR b) you LIE about what you've disclosed, I consider this a TKO. This means if disclosure theory is read in the round (reasonably) and it is conceded then it is basically over.
- Your final focus should be telling me what to write on my ballot. If i don’t have to spend time thinking about how im voting after the round, you and i will both be happy (half of you at least).
- Apparently this needs to be clarified now but regardless of speaking order, in the rare situation where there is no offense on either side at the end of the round I will presume neg.
If you have any other questions feel free to email me sharansawlani@gmail.com or ask me before the round provided your opponents are present as well. Hated my decision? send all complaints to sophialam@uchicago.edu and hold nothing back.
TLDR:
Bold: Collapse, weigh, signpost, don’t make me think, galaxy hoodie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai3UfW-dFi8&ab_channel=HeXyaCe
Fold: being mean, friv theory, no email chain/disclosure, partial quads lmao.
I competed in PF at Ransom Everglades in Miami, FL for 3 years. I was a contributor to Beyond Resolved for 2 years. I am a second-year public policy studies major at uchicago now. if you have any questions about how i decided a round i judged of yours or need any coaching/advice my email is dschurr@uchicago.edu.
update for remote tournaments: I'll join the zoom as soon as the pairing is out so if you want to start early i would love that <3
to make it short and sweet, i vote on the flow but i also need to see a narrative throughout the round. the team that builds that narrative for me while also winning on the flow will be getting two 30s and a W.
How to win my ballot:
- paint a picture of the world on either side and tell me why one is better than the other
- be clear with your explanations (I may be on the flow side but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate simplicity)
- be honest with your evidence! i paraphrased in debate and am a strong supporter of paraphrasing (why would you not want to hone your analytical and critical thinking skills???) but if you take advantage of paraphrasing you will make me sad :/ also bonus points and major speaker points if you know all of your evidence really well and can explain it in cross
- WEIGH!!!!!! Don't just say the word 'magnitude'. Give me comparisons between your arguments and your opponents' arguments
- care about your arguments! I love seeing debaters who are passionate about their arguments and genuinely believe in what they are running
- collapse your narrative - there is a reason the speeches get shorter! you are not supposed to be rereading your case to me in final focus. If you have two arguments and one is obviously winning, pick that argument and tell me why it's more important than anything else in the round. chances are if you extend everything, either a) you will spread and i will not catch any of it, or b) you will extend two arguments poorly instead of extending one really well
- don't care about frontlining in second rebuttal. if you do it, cool. if you don't, cool.
- I do care about defense in 1st summary. you now have 3 minutes and i did it with two so it will make the round significantly easier if you do it. I will not, however, drop you if you do not do this. it's just highly recommended.
- Have fun! this time will be over before you know it and you'll be looking back on these days fondly, so make them enjoyable
Things I really dislike:
- people who run theory or ks just to win ballots. if you do this in front of me the one thing u will be sure not to receive is my ballot. if you run these arguments very well and care about them, however, you may win my ballot
- being mean to each other. I think it goes without saying that if you're disrespectful in any way to anyone in the room, I will be sad:/ (i find it very difficult to give a mean team the w so i may make a decision to show you that acting over the top obnoxious has no place in PF)
- mean crossfires? just don't make cross unbearable for me to watch. don't take yourselves too seriously!
Do not lie about or manipulate evidence. All arguments and rebuttals must be across my flow throughout the round. Do not make a point in rebuttal and drop it in summary and final. You must weight and you must link to impacts. I appreciate good speakers but will award low point wins in any round where the better speakers fail to cover the flow, weigh, link to impacts or address framework (when applicable).
I am a parent judge. Some things to note:
1. Speed is bad, be slow. Expect more traditional speaking in LD.
2. No yelling during crossfire
3. I do not disclose
4. Please collapse in Summary
5. No new arguments in final focus
- Please stop speaking so fast. I max out at 220 wpm. Past that, I'll only catch bits and pieces of it all, and that is not a good position for any of us.
- *if you have me in any other debate event than PF or LD: I'm so sorry. I'm not gonna lie to you: this won't go well, and I apologize in advance.
- Yes, put me on the email chain. krishna.shamanna2401@gmail.com
- *For LDers: they've been sticking me in ya'll's rounds all year despite my objections, so I've reluctantly become somewhat mildly knowledgeable about how the event works, and can safely say that I won't be the absolute worst judge in this event, and should generally be able to follow along most substance. That said, please treat me like a flay judge, and ease up on the speed and the jargon, because if ya'll start spreading or feel the need to try some new-fangled progressive argumentation, I promise you that I will have no idea what's going on and will either default to the team I can comprehend or literally just flip a coin if I don't know what's going on for either of ya'll.
- No longer relevant because COVID, but leaving it here for posterity: Bring me food and I'll give you a 30 (just you, not your partner, unless he/she/they brings me food too-- no freebies).
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Some stuff abt me: I debated in PF for two years for Westwood High School, one of them on the national circuit where I achieved mild success. Now I'm a second year out. Here's what you rly need to know:
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TLDR: Warrant, weigh, and don't be abusive. Tech>Truth, but don't be offensive and/or dumb. Yes, I disclose, and no, you don't have to.
Long version:
- Yes, I intervene. 2 scenarios where it will happen: Either you're being incredibly offensive (sexist/racist/homophobic, etc.) in the round, or you lie about evidence. To clarify the first: I haven't seen many egregious examples of this type of conduct, but suffice to say: when you cross a line, I will drop you. I don't care if you won the flow-- if you actively contribute to making the debate space more exclusionary, I refuse to reward you for that with a W. To clarify the latter: It's one thing to marginally overstate the extent to which a card supports your contention. It's another thing entirely to cherrypick the part of a card that supports your argument, while ignoring the entire list of answers to your argument made in the next paragraph. In the overwhelming majority of cases, I will simply drop a piece of evidence if I find it to be misconstrued. But if your entire link chain is based on one card, and that card is a straight-up lie (at least the way you read it), I will drop the entire argument from my flow and refuse to evaluate it. I won't necessarily drop you for it, if you have some other source of offense that wins you the round, but you will be at a disadvantage from that point forth, and your speaker points will be dismal. This has happened exactly once so far in my time judging-- please do not be the second, whoever is reading this.
- I'm nice on speaker points now. Don't worry too much, just be respectful.
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I heavily dislike presumption/default votes, and expect you to not put me in that position. If you're confused about what this means, let me elaborate: A very disturbing situation is one in which I have to view two or more paths to the ballot that are both equally strong. Don't misunderstand-- this most often means you're doing something wrong. For example, if I have two ways to evaluate the round and I can literally flip a coin to figure out who gets the W because you frontline and extend completely separate arguments while doing 0 comparative weighing, I will consider factors such as quality of extensions, which scenario is more of an offensive argument to vote off of, etc. to make my decision. To clarify, this DOES NOT mean I will intervene to give the W to the team I like more in the round. It just means that the team does the better debating in a bad round should win the debate, rather than me reducing the ballot to the outcome of the coin flip-- ergo, no "presuming" anything.
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Speak fast if you want (mostly-- but if you're over 250 words per minute, we'll have trouble), as long as you’re clear, and your opponents don’t get spread out of the round (hint: if this is a potential issue, ask if they would like to establish a speed threshold). But if you wanna ignore this, just let me be clear about something: I. Am. An. Extremely. Lazy. Person. I try to intervene as little as possible in debate rounds, and that extends to your speaking. If I cannot understand you, I will not work to understand you-- I shouldn't be doing that anyways. It's your job as a debater to convince me of stuff, so do it right.
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CPs/Ks/Theory and progressive whatnot--- Please, don't do it unless there's no other option. There are some situations where it's unavoidable: If your opponents paraphrase like 100000 cards and spread to place a boatload of responses, leaving you with not nearly enough time to make responses and call for evidence and whatnot, sure, run theory about spreading, paraphrasing, or whatever-- but it has to be egregious abuse. And even then, please dumb it down rather reading a shell. This event was designed to be a form of debate accessible to everyone, and I believe these types of arguments, while sometimes necessary, undermine that purpose. Not only do I doubt I can evaluate them correctly, but I'm frankly tired of seeing teams (you know who you are) from big schools with multiple coaches that are flown out every other weekend, go into round and spread theory shells against small-school teams (from predominantly local, lay circuits) about how small schools are supposedly harmed by non-disclosure or paraphrasing (this means I almost never evaluate disclosure theory).
- Paraphrasing- I don't understand why people are so uptight about this in PF. Reading direct quotes doesn't mean you can't misrepresent what the evidence says, so the logic behind the "no paraphrasing" requirements that many judges/coaches set doesn't really make sense to me. Again, this event is designed to be accessible to everyone-- in some cases, that necessitates paraphrasing evidence in order to articulate your arguments in the clearest way possible. But independent of that, I think it's important to realize that with the time limits being what they are in this event, sometimes paraphrasing is the only way that you can have enough time to make an argument at a deeper level and really provide a complete narrative for the judge to evaluate. So please, paraphrase if you want, and don't read theory against it unless there's actually an egregious case of misrepresentation that changed the coarse of the whole round.
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I shouldn’t have to say this but: Claims/Statistics need warrants before they can be evaluated as arguments, and this applies to all offense and defense in the round. If you extend an impact without extending the warrant (or vice-versa), I count it as dropped-- not weighable. Extending an argument, ESPECIALLY with the new extra minute of summary, should be done cleanly, with everything important mentioned in both summary and final focus. If neither team does this, I won't be happy.
- First summary is no longer allowed to skip extending terminal defense. If you're gonna extend it in final focus, I want it in summary as well. This year, the NSDA has literally given you an entire extra minute of summary AND prep time. There is no excuse anymore.
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If you want to concede defense to kick out of turns on your case, or read your own defense on your own case to kick those turns (sketch, but I'm cool with it), you need to do it immediately after the opposing speech which made those turns.
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Second rebuttal MUST frontline turns, AT A MINIMUM. I think you should frontline defense as well, but I won't penalize you for not doing it. I like overviews, and don’t care if they’re in second rebuttal. Any overview read in first rebuttal MUST be answered in second rebuttal, otherwise it is conceded. You can allocate your time however you want-- I did 2-2 splits throughout my (very short) career, and it usually worked.
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Terminal defense extensions are good. Turns are better. You can drop your case at any point in the round and still have a shot, assuming you did it right.
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Anything in final focus must be in summary, except weighing (It doesn’t matter to me when you do it, as long as you do it because too many of you don't). Everyone needs to weigh. No one does. Please do. If not, you run the risk that the round becomes a messy stalemate (happens more often than you’d think), forcing me to intervene, and neither you nor I will appreciate the outcome of that.
- Weighing is more than saying buzzwords like probability, scope, magnitude, etc. You actually need to explain it. In fact, if you just get to the point and avoid saying those buzzwords (as in just say "Our impacts are more important because 1) we save 150 million people, while they only save 5 thousand, 2) We give you global benefits while they're restricted to China, 3) The chance of accessing X benefit is X% more likely to happen that nuclear war, which is almost possible today because of mutual deterrence"-- ALL WITHOUT SAYING THE WORDS "WE OUTWEIGH ON MAGNITUDE, SCOPE, AND PROBABILITY, BC ___") , I can guarantee you'll have extra time to warrant and even add some more weighing mechanisms, and maybe even some meta-weighing-- and then you'll be EXTREMELY likely to get my ballot, along with a FAT 30 :)).
- I realize that a lot of people won't be comfortable with this because it goes against everything ya'll were taught in debate camp and school and whatnot--- so I won't penalize you for it, meaning you COULD get a W30 without doing any of this-- it's just infinitely more likely that you'll fall back on buzzwords as a crutch and do 0 weighing, so be careful.
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I strongly prefer that teams collapse in summary/final focus on key issues. You can go line by line in summary if you want, but by the time you get to final focus, I think you should be collapsing on 1-2 voting issues in the round, and CRYSTALLIZING.
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Please have your evidence (preferably cut cards, but PDFs are ok if you paraphrase) available when your opponents call for it. As someone who debated with a very unreliable laptop and frequently used paywalled articles, I know sometime it takes some time to pull up evidence, so I'm slightly forgiving with this and will do my best to not be unfair. But try to not take it too far, because it's annoying, and if I'm on a panel, I can guarantee that I'll be one of the only ones who'll be nice about this.
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Misconstrued cards will be dropped from the round. If I catch you straight up lying/falsifying, you’ll be able to tell; my face (particularly my eyebrows) is very expressive when I’m angry. Suffice to say: you’ll get an L25, and you’ll know you did, well before I announce it, post it on tabroom, and loudly scold you.
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I don’t like jerks, but I love sass!. Please, by all means-- Be funny!!! (if you can haha) Tournaments are too depressing most of the time, for everyone, so ya'll might as well make this an entertaining experience for all of us.
- If you are being overtly offensive (as in racist, xenophobic, sexist, etc.), you will get an L25, period.
I am a parent judge and am judging debate for the first time. So, most importantly please talk slow. I have a little topic knowledge, but I am always going to vote for the team whose arguments are clearer and easier to understand.
I do not tolerate disrespect of any kind during the round, and I will drop you if you are being offensive.
Good luck!
I am a parent judge with very little experience judging, I would like to see people slowly and clearly.
I do not like seeing people spreading.
Thank you.
I am a parent judge - this is my third year judging. I look for a confident delivery and clear articulation of ideas. My background is in law and finance.
I am new to judging debate, but I am well aware of quality arguments. I look for depth of analysis, direct clash of arguments, evidence without it driving the debate, and the human element of persuasion. Please do not spread/speak too fast to ensure I hear and evaluate all arguments by both teams.
PF Paradigm: I am an experienced PF judge and PF coach on the national circuit. I judge primarily on impacts. You need to give a clear link story backed up with logic and evidence. Framework is important. Weighing is very important. It is better to acknowledge that your opponent may be winning a certain argument and explain how the impacts you are winning outweigh than it is to ignore that argument made by your opponent. Don't extend through ink. If your opponent attacks your argument you need to respond to that attack and not just repeat your original argument. I don't mind rapid conversational speed - especially while reading evidence, but no spreading. I will keep a good flow and judge primarily off the flow, but let's keep PF as an event where persuasive speaking style, logic, evidence, and refutation are all important. Also let's keep PF distinct from national circuit LD and national circuit policy -although I will listen to any arguments that you present, in public forum, I find arguments that are directly related to the impacts of the resolution to be the most persuasive. Theory arguments as far as arguing about reasonable burdens for upholding or refuting the resolution are fine, but I don't see any reason for formal theory shells in public forum and the debate should be primarily centered around the resolution.
LD Paradigm: I am an experienced LD judge. I do prefer traditional style LD. I am, however, OK with plans and counter-plans and I am OK with theory arguments concerning analysis of burdens. I am not a fan of Kritiks. I will try to be open to evaluate arguments presented in the round, but I do prefer that the debate be largely about the resolution instead of largely centered on theory. I am OK with fast conversational speed and I am OK with evidence being read a little faster than fast conversational as long as tag lines and analysis are not faster than fast conversational. I do believe that V / VC are required, but I don't believe that the V / VC are voting issues in and of themselves. That is, even if you convince me that your V / VC is superior (more important, better linked to the resolution) than your opponent's V / VC that is not enough for me to vote for you. You still need to prove that your case better upholds your V / VC than your opponent's case does. To win, you may do one of three things: (1) Prove that your V / VC is superior to your opponent's AND that your case better upholds that V / VC than your opponent's case does, OR (2) Accept your opponent's V / VC and prove that your case better upholds their V/VC than their case does. OR (3) Win an "even-if" combination of (1) and (2).
CX Paradigm: I am an experienced LD and PF judge (nationally and locally). I have judged policy debate at a number of tournaments over the years - including the final round of the NSDA national tournament in 2015. However, I am more experienced in PF and LD than I am in policy. I can handle speed significantly faster than the final round of NSDA nationals, but not at super-fast speed. (Evidence can be read fast if you slow down for tag lines and for analysis.) Topicality arguments are fine. I am not a fan of kritiks or critical affs.
speak clearly
Current Coach -- Marist School (2020-present)
Former PF Debater -- Marist School (2016-2020)
Current Student at the University of Georgia
Please add maristpublicforum@gmail.com to the email chain
Debate is first and foremost a safe, fun, and educational activity so we should do our best to keep it that way
TL;DR: I am a tech judge and I will vote off my flow. Please do whatever you do best and enjoy the round.
General important stuff:
1) Extend every part of the argument... uniqueness, link, internal link, and impact. A claim without a warrant is not an argument. If you do not extend your argument then I can not vote on it. I really do listen and pay close attention to this so please do. I will vote with no shame against teams that probably would have won if they had just extended their argument fully.
2) I cannot stress enough that fewer well developed arguments will always be better than blips with no argument development or good warrants. I've noticed teams that collapse and more thoroughly explain their arguments tend to win my ballot more often than not against a team that goes for too much.
3) Please weigh your arguments. Explain why your argument is more important than the other teams.
4) My only real pet peeve is wasting time during or before a debate. Please be ready to start the debate on time and don't cause unnecessary delays during it. Preflowing should be done before the debate. When prep time ends you should be ready to start your speech right away. "Pulling up a doc" or something like that for 30 seconds is stealing prep and should be done before you end your prep time.
5) Second rebuttal must answer first rebuttal, defense is not sticky
Other specific stuff:
Argument types:
I don’t care what type of argument you read as long as it is well explained, has warrants, and is weighed (case, k’s, theory... whatever are all fine). You do what you're best at!
Speed:
You can go as fast or slow as you want. I will be good flowing any speed you decide to go. My only caveat if you go fast is to slow a bit down on taglines and still signpost well
Theory:
Any theory arguments need to be real violations that have real impacts. Frivolous theory is unpleasant to judge and will be almost impossible to win in front of me. I believe paraphrasing is bad and disclosure is good. At this point in the activity reading cuts cards and disclosing has become a norm that most teams adhere to which I think makes my threshold for responses to the shell even higher than it has been in the past.
Any theory argument should be read in the speech directly after the violation. For example disclosure theory should be read in constructive, but if a team reads cut cards in case and then paraphrases rebuttal then you read paraphrasing in rebuttal/summary whichever is next.
Speaks:
If you flow on paper and give second half speeches off of that flow a small boost in speaks. I give speaks primarily based on quality of the debating in round. Making good strategic decisions, collapsing, and weighing are all things that can help your speaks. Being nice and not wasting time also help. I do not really care how "good" you sound if you are not making good arguments at the same time. To put this into perspective, when I debated I always felt that winning rounds was more important than sounding good, but with winning generally comes better speaks.
I am an inexperienced judge, so please expect results to take time.
As a former debate captain, I enjoy hearing well thought out arguments. I expect the debaters to run the debate through consensus. I will only participate if asked to rule on a question
Ultimately, the quality of your logic and evidence will win out over strictest pedantry. Please speak clearly and concisely. Speed is fine and you must time yourselves.
Coarse language and discussions of sensitive topics are acceptable if it is appropriate to the debate. Do not engage in personal attacks.
Discrimination and cruelty will automatically lose you the round. I do not tolerate it.
Hi! I’m an experienced lay parent judge. Please speak slowly and send speech docs.
I am a parent judge. I have judged a few tournaments before in the Bay Area. I like debates that are based on facts and evidence. Impact weighing is very important to me. Please make sure to extend your most important arguments. I do flow the rounds.
Also, try to speak slowly and clearly. If I cannot understand your arguments, I will not be able to count it. Make sure to be respectful to your opponents.
I am a lay judge, but I have watched several rounds of PF before. I will consider arguments if they are made clearly and consistently in the round. Please make sure your voice is clear. I will not tolerate exclusion in any part of the round. I am not comfortable with theory or Ks. Please make sure to explain weighing mechanisms, and do not use jargon. Signpost during your speeches, and explain the warranting behind your links.
I am a lay judge, but I have watched dozens of rounds of PF before. I will consider arguments if they are made clearly and consistently in the round.
Please make sure your voice is clear.
Refrain from using debate jargon in general... if you want me to understand how your actions play into the round, explain why they matter
Scientific jargon is welcome
Make sure to signpost in every part of your speech
Do not be exclusionary towards your opponents; you will be dropped immediately
Explain why your arguments are more important instead of using weighing jargon
Do not run theory or Ks; I will not know how to evaluate them on my ballot.
Truth over tech unless one side is clearly winning
Gained lots of experience in PF judging over 3 years, have a good idea on how to evaluate arguments and the flow. If you just debate how you normally do, it should be sufficient to win my ballot.
Experience:
I'm a parent lay judge.
Flowing:
I'll do the best I can to flow. Please speak as clearly as possible. I can handle moderate levels of speed (I'm referring to speed in the context of a public forum round), but please do not go too fast.
Important Info For Debaters:
1. Combine logic and evidence. I place a premium on your ability to both explain arguments and analyze them. I don't want you to rely on your evidence to do the debating for you, and vice versa. In your constructive, I understand that there are times when a card doesn't need much explanation. However, outside of those specific instances, I don't want you to just read a card and move on. For the most part, I want you to explain the implications of each card you read. Furthermore, I love when you use logic to explain to me why something doesn't make sense.
2. Speak clearly. As stated above in the flowing section, please speak as clearly as possible. I can handle moderate levels of speed (I'm referring to speed in the context of a public forum round), but please do not go too fast. DO NOT SPREAD.
3. Creativity. I love creative arguments, just make sure you have the evidence to back them up.
4. I will buy any argument. If you have the cards for it, I will vote on it if you win the argument.
5. I don't need a roadmap.
6. Racism, sexism, ableism, or any other form of discrimination will result in an automatic loss and 20 speaker points.
Be nice to each other. Don't go fast. Make extensions and weighing clear. If your argument doesn't flow through cleanly, I'm not going to do work for you. Quality of arguments > quantity. Frontline in second rebuttal.
Blueface references are +1 speaks. If you can fit an entire verse in one of your speeches, I'll probably give you a 30. Don't be abusive. I don't evaluate Theory or Kritiks.
im a debate boomer now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
yay it's my annual paradigm update. i hope im not a flay now :(
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well yes but actually no
lay before 8 AM and after 9 PM
About me: he/him, pf 4 years (2016-2020), got 2nd at silver toc once so that's cool
General Stuff:
-pls pls pls weigh and do comparative analysis
-2nd rebuttal should frontline turns/DAs and not have Offensive OVs
-defense is sticky for first summary
-idc about cross
-if you paraphrase I will expect you to have cut cards
Prog Stuff:
never ran Theory/Ks; there's a good chance that if the round becomes prog stuff at least two of the four people will leave the round feeling unsatisfied with my decision.
Speaker Point Stuff:
-good round strat (making my life easier)
-i was once able to understand 300 wpm but prob capped at 250 now sad
-cool pen spinning
I am somewhat new to judging debate, but I am aware of quality of arguments. I look for depth of analysis, direct clash of arguments, evidence used, and the human "art" of persuasion. Please do not spread/speak to fast to be sure I am able hear and understand the arguments by both teams.
TLDR on my paradigm:
I debated my junior and senior year of high school in the West LA/OCSL circuits and graduated in '20; qualified to nats and STOC my senior year & coached for ~3 years after that. I am now pursuing a bachelors in Politics & Public Affairs & coaching the debate team @ Denison U.
email: tan_s1@denison.edu
Important Things for the skimmers:
-I am about 75% tech 25% truth.
-Spread and I will drop you.
-I default to Cost-Benefit Analysis w/ a value of human life if no other framework is read and first speaking if there is no offense on the flow.
-I require weighing and extensions if you want to win the debate. Both defense and offense are not sticky (more on this below). I should hear extensions from the 1SS onward.
-I flow on paper, so keep it somewhat slow.
It has been quiteeeee a while since I've last judged, so please be gentle with my feeble mind.
If you are running theory or Ks, both sides must OK it for me to evaluate the arg. I never debated and have hardly judged pre-fiat so don't expect me to be anywhere close to my post-fiat judging abilities.
I have voted aff 69 times and neg 87 times (give or take), meaning an almost 56% neg bias. Yikes. I would guess the bias is from defaulting neg; I have since shifted to voting for first speaking in the interest of fairness.
Parli:
Debated parli mainly my junior year, I am versed in the event.
POIs need to be short. I will not flow them. Bring it up in a speech if it's important.
I'll tell you if I accept your Point of Order.
I am versed in topicality shells. I am receptive to prefiat args in this event, but you'll still need to slow them down and dumb them down a bit.
I prefer that Ks link in to the res, but non res Ks are fine, I'm just more receptive to res level.
I know that quantified impacts are hard to come by in parli. If you don’t have a quantifiable impact, I expect some sort of framing that replaces terminalization. If you don’t have terminalization or a framing level thing going for your impact, I find it difficult to vote for it.
LD:
I tend to evaluate the round on framing and VC above all else. Treat me like a flay judge (quick reminder that I have the least amount of experience judging this event). Pre-fiat args are ok (and encouraged), but no guarantee I can evaluate them well.
PF:
What I like to see in round:
Extensions: My threshold for extensions is fairly low. I expect you to extend every link in the arg you're going for; they can be paraphrased. I expect your impact scenario to be extended.
Signposting: I hate guessing where I should be flowing. Be explicit where you are going on the flow both before your speech and during it. If you think you're being obvious, be a little more obvious. Seriously, this is one of my biggest problems in-round. Signpost.
Two worlds analysis: I like to see this both on the weighing, warrant, and evidentiary level. Why should I prefer your weighing over your opponent's? Compare them. Why should I prefer your warrant over your opponent's? Compare them. Why should I prefer your evidence over your opponent's? Compare them.
Weighing: Weighing is a must if you want to win the round. If you don't weigh and your opponent does, they win. Irrespective of the quality and integrity of your link chain and impact, I will always vote for the side with the winning weighing. If you both weigh, you'll also need to metaweigh to get my ballot.
Evidence analysis: I like it when you call for evidence. Evidence standards in pf suck and have been getting worse. You're likely to find some great responses if you call out crappy evidence. It also makes me happy to hear people call out a crappy card.
What I don't like to see in round:
Sloppy crossfires: Crossfire can be a great way to clear up confusion and communicate critiques of the other side. They can also be horrible screaming fits where nothing gets done and you both end up angry. Make sure you are having constructive conversation or I will drop speaks.
Disorganization: If your speech is not organized and super jumpy, regardless of signposting, I will likely get lost. Please have a strategy when you deliver.
Ad hominem: If you're racist/rude/homophobic you get L20'd & tournament management will be notified.
My quirks:
Defense is not sticky: Lack of defensive extensions, even if dropped, makes for a messy backend debate. You will win the defense if it is dropped, no need to spend too much time on it.
Post-rounding: I encourage post-rounding in order to better myself as a judge. Judges that drop you and say, "everyone did great!" made me extremely angry when I debated. If I missed something, bring it up. However, it will not change my ballot. If I missed it, I missed it.
The "truth" part of my paradigm: If the round gets really messy or your evidence sounds far too absurd then I will intervene. It pains me to say this, but the standard for evidence is already rock bottom and I am trying to make a minuscule difference. If you don't have messy rounds and read good evidence then this shouldn't worry you.
Remember that I am a human and debate is a game. I will sometimes make mistakes, please do not hate me for it.
I debated PF for 4 years at Westwood High School and now Attend UT Austin. I am tech over truth. if you prove to me that the sky is made of dogs I’ll believe you.
Email: danieltehrani110@gmail.com
General:
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Go line by line not big picture
Evidence:
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If you paraphrase that is fine. However, if you're falsifying evidence while paraphrasing and it’s a piece of evidence I call for or your opponents tell me to call for, I will drop the argument.
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The same goes for cut cards if you're falsifying that then I will drop the argument.
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I have a high threshold for evidence quality, spend the time to get good evidence
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For online tournaments I want speech docs. That includes your case doc and any speech after that if you read off a doc. It helps me ensure I don't miss an argument that could be pivotal in the round.
Progressive Arguments:
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You can run them if you want but make sure to go slower and ensure that I understand them and why they are being run. I never read progressive arguments in high school so keep this in mind before considering reading something
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If I perceive that you are just reading something to win a round rather than trying to fix an issue either in debate or society then I will just drop the argument and lower your speaks
Speed:
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I’m good with any speed, other than genuine spreading.
Speaks:
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You start with good speaks and good strategy, speaking, and argumentation will bring that up further but sexism, homophobia, racism and other similar issues will earn you a 25
Offs/Dissads/overviews/underviews:
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You can read as many as you want but make sure to keep the Warranting for the argument
Prep Time
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Don’t steal prep
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Keep track of time yourself
Constructive:
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The only thing I’ll say here is to sound alive. Try to not sound bored out of your mind.
Cross:
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Be kind and courteous to your opponents i.e. have basic manners.
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If you’re racist, sexist, homophobic, or any similar thing then you will get the L and 25 speaks. This is really for the whole round not just cross
Rebuttal:
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1st Rebuttal should respond to their opponents case, introduce any new offs, weighing, overviews etc.
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2nd Rebuttal should frontline their case and respond to all offense your opponents put on you. You can concede a NU or delink to get out of frontlining an argument.
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2nd. Rebuttal should respond to all responses or otherwise it is conceded
Summery:
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There is no sticky offense or defense
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Make sure to crystallize
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1st Summary should frontline the offense you are going for while extending the link chain. 1st summary should also extend and/or frontline all responses that they want to extend. Since there are 3 minutes in summary now make sure to weigh if you don’t the round becomes much more difficult to evaluate
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First summary should interact with defense to the extent that the second rebuttal frontlined (so, if the second rebuttal frontlines, the first summary should interact with that frontlining
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2nd summary should frontline and/or extend any offense they are going for and explain the link chain. They should also frontline/extend any response they want to extend. Also weigh
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Every argument (that is offense) needs to be explicitly extended (claim, warrant, impact) to be evaluated. For defense, a claim and warrant extension is enough. Extend what you want me to vote on.
Final Focus:
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Summaries and Final Focuses should match in content. Don’t introduce any new responses (like new NU and Delinks) at this point of the round. If you want me to evaluate an argument it must be in both SUMMERY AND FF
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Make sure to extend the claim warrant and impact and weigh for all offense you are extending in the round. Make sure to integrate frontlines to the responses they have made
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Implicate everything and do comparative interaction on the warrant/link/and impact level
I'm a parent judge at Hunter College High School and I've judged at a few PF tournaments before. Please speak slowly and clearly, and don't use any jargon.
If you want me to vote off of an argument, please make sure to bring it up in both summary and FF. At the end of the round, you should only focus on the 1-2 most important arguments and weigh them against your opponents' arguments. Have fun!
I coached Public Forum starting from its beginning in 2002 until I retired from teaching in 2011. I have continued on as an active judge: judging at the local, state, and national levels. Nearly all of my judging in recent years has been Policy but with Lincoln Douglas and some Public Forum in the mix.
PF:
In the traditional spirit of Public Forum, the debate is best presented in a clear, understandable manner.
PF is a relatively short, quick-paced form of debate. Complexity is fine but be judicious. Stay focused and relatively succinct. Communicate well. I judge Policy, but spreading has no place in PF - at least for me. If I can’t follow what you are saying, well…
Base your contentions on reliable evidence. Draw conclusions using sound reasoning. Clash (of ideas) is great. Obnoxious, aggressive behavior, if it gets ugly, may cost a round.
Limited tag-teaming during crossfire is OK.
A strong final focus can often win a close round.
LD:
Questions worth considering are: What is good (or at least the greater good), and what form should it take in the real world? Philosophers have had a lot to say about this. But so does common sense. Consider me the man on the street who sometimes digs philosophers when they also have their feet on the ground. Using a good strategy can be a winner. Getting beyond philosophy and reason, within limits, emotional appeals can be persuasive.
Moral, ethical and philosophical considerations should be a foundation for your case.
Policy:
I characterize myself as a "Policy Maker Judge." I can handle a modest amount of spreading but don't overdo it. It's more effective to rely on the quality of arguments and evidence than on quantity. Substance counts and so does style. Limited tag-teaming is OK. It is a real art to be confrontational while also being genuinely respectful of your opponent.
While Kritiks are a worthy part of Policy debate, I have never found them to be a decisive, or sometimes even a relevant, factor in my decisions. For some judges they are significant so when there is a panel, feel free to use them. Just be sure to present a strong arguments that support or negate the Affirmative case.
Learn from your experience.
Do what you do best.
Enjoy the competition!
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
Hello! I am a first-time parent judge. I am also a Florida attorney with my law degree from Stetson University and my LL.M. from the University of Florida.
Just a couple of things to keep in mind while debating;
- Please speak at an understandable pace
- Quality over quantity with your argumentation
- Stay civil during crossfire and during all other times of the round
I did not do debate in high school or college.
I have coached speech and debate for 20 years. I focus on speech events, PF, and WSD. I rarely judge LD (some years I have gone the entire year without judging LD), so if I am your judge in LD, please go slowly. I will attempt to evaluate every argument you provide in the round, but your ability to clearly explain the argument dictates whether or not it will actually impact my decision/be the argument that I vote off of in the round. When it comes to theory or other progressive arguments (basically arguments that may not directly link to the resolution) please do not assume that I understand completely how these arguments function in the round. You will need to explain to me why and how you are winning and why these arguments are important. When it comes to explanation, do not take anything for granted. Additionally, if you are speaking too quickly, I will simply put my pen down and say "clear."
In terms of PF, although I am not a fan of labels for judges ("tech," "lay," "flay") I would probably best be described as traditional. I really like it when debaters discuss the resolution and issues related to the resolution, rather than getting "lost in the sauce." What I mean by "lost in the sauce" is that sometimes debaters take on very complex ideas/arguments in PF and the time limits for that event make it very difficult for debaters to fully explain these complex ideas.
Argument selection is a skill. Based on the time restrictions in PF debate, you should focus on the most important arguments in the summary and final focus speeches. I believe that PF rounds function like a funnel. You should only be discussing a few arguments at the end of the round. If you are discussing a lot of arguments, you are probably speaking really quickly, and you are also probably sacrificing thoroughness of explanation. Go slowly and explain completely, please.
In cross, please be nice. Don't talk over one another. I will dock your speaks if you are rude or condescending. Also, every competitor needs to participate in grand cross. I will dock your speaks if one of the speakers does not participate.
For Worlds, I prefer a very organized approach and I believe that teams should be working together and that the speeches should compliment one another. When each student gives a completely unique speech that doesn’t acknowledge previous arguments, I often get confused as to what is most important in the round. I believe that argument selection is very important and that teams should be strategizing to determine which arguments are most important. Please keep your POIs clear and concise.
If you have any questions, please let me know after I provide my RFD. I am here to help you learn.
Pronouns: he/him
Hello!
I am a parent judge of a student who does speech events. I am very much a beginner. In fact, the Florida Blue Key tournament (2020) is my first tournament to judge...ever! I am excited to judge!
Please go slowly and explain each argument completely. I do not know the technical aspects of debate, at all, so if you are going to use jargon, you need to explain to me what the word you are using is (if it is not a word used in every day speech).
Be nice to one another and be nice to me! :)
Hello my name is Levale, I ask that everyone is nice during round (try not to get too heated). I love a lot of clash! For the first speakers I ask that you please give me voters in the summary speeches so I know what to vote on and who to vote for based upon your voter issues and the way you back then up. For the second speakers , in final focus please tell me why I should vote for you based off the voter issues provided by you partner in summary.
I am a former debater I debated all my years in high school as a second speaker in public forum.
Post-Emory thoughts:
Honestly, I think debate is in a relatively good space overall. It's usually this time of year that I find myself pessimistic on a few different tracks, but this year I'm incredibly optimistic. But still, a few thoughts as we're moving into championship season:
- Concepts of fiat need a revisiting in PF. No one believes it to be real, and the call back for it to be illusory as an answer to offensive arguments is not adequate. The distinguishment between "pre" and "post" fiat is relatively unneeded and undeveloped, most of this is being mistaken for a debate about topicality really. In fact, the pre/post debate is rooted in a weird space that policy resolved or at least moved past in the 90s. If non topical offense is your game, why not explore some wikis of prominent college teams that are making these arguments?
- I cannot stress this enough, the space of post modern argumentation is confusing for me. I can more easily dissect these arguments when constructives are longer than four minutes, but in PF I especially do not have the ability to ascertain as to what the specific advocacy is or why it's good in a competitive setting. I am an idiot and the most I can really talk about my college metaphysics course is a dumb rhyme about Spinoza and Descartes(literally if you are well read on your subject, this should be ample warning as to what I can work through). That being said, criticisms focused on structures of power or the state specifically I can understand and don't need hand holding. Just not anything to do with the French(French speakers like Fanon do not count).
- Deep below any feelings I have about specific schools of thought or even behavior in round, I do know that debate as an activity is good. That does not mean I am full force just deciding ballots on ceding the political, but rather I need to hear why alternative methods to approaching the competitive event have distinct advantages. There is a huge gulf between somehow creating a more inclusive space and burning that same space to the ground that no team in PF has even begun to explain how to cross or even conceptually begun to explain why it can be overcome.
- RVIs != offense on a theory shell. No RVIs being unanswered does not mean the opponent cannot go for turns or a comparative debate on the interp vs the counter interp
- A competing interpretation does not conceptually create another shell.
- Teams need to signpost better, I will not read from docs and I truly believe that the practice is making everyone worse at line-by-line debate.
For WKU -
The last policy rounds I was in was around 2015 for context. I do err neg on most theory positions though agent counterplans do phase me. Other than that, the big division when it comes to other arguments I don't really have much of a stance on.
Affs at the end of the day I do believe need to show some semblance of change/beneficial action
Debate is good as a whole
Individual actions I don't think I have jurisdiction to act as judge over.
Who am I?
Assistant Director of Debate, The Blake School MN - 2014 to present
Co-Director, Public Forum Boot Camp(Check our website here) MN - 2021 to present
Assistant Debate Coach, Blaine High School - 2013 to 2014
This year marks my 14th in the activity, which is wild. I end up spending a lot of my time these days thinking not just about how arguments work, but also considering what I want the activity to look like. Personally, I believe that circuit Public Forum is in a transition period much the same that other events have experienced and the position that both judges and coaches play is more important than ever. That being said, I do think both groups need to remember that their years in high school are over now and that their role in the activity, both in and out of round, is as an educator first. If this is anyway controversial to you, I’d kindly ask you to re-examine why you are here.
Yes, this activity is a game, but your behavior and the way in which you participate in it have effects that will outlast your time in it. You should not only treat the people in this activity with the same levels of respect that you would want for yourself, but you should also consider the ways through which you’ve chosen in-round strategies, articulation of those strategies, and how the ways in which you conduct yourself out of round can be thought of as positive or negative. Just because something is easy and might result in competitive success does not make it right.
Prior to the round
Please add my personal email christian.vasquez212@gmail.com and blakedocs@googlegroups.com to the chain. The second one is for organizational purposes and allows me to be able to conduct redos with students and talk about rounds after they happen.
The start time listed on ballots/schedules is when a round should begin, not that everyone should arrive there. I will do my best to arrive prior to that, and I assume competitors will too. Even if I am not there for it, you should feel free to complete the flip and send out an email chain.
The first speaking team should initiate the chain, with the subject line reading some version of “Tournament Name, Round Number - 1st Speaking Team(Aff or Neg) vs 2nd Speaking Team(Aff or neg)” I do not care what you wear(as long as it’s appropriate for school) or if you stand or sit. I have zero qualms about music being played, poetry being read, or non-typical arguments being made.
Non-negotiables
I will be personally timing rounds since plenty of varsity level debaters no longer know how clocks work. There is no grace period, there are no concluding thoughts. When the timer goes off, your speech or question/answer is over. Beyond that, there are a few things I will no longer budge on:
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You must read from cut cards the first time evidence is introduced into a round. The experiment with paraphrasing in a debate event was an interesting one, but the activity has shown itself to be unable to self-police what is and what is not academically dishonest representations of evidence. Comparisons to the work researchers and professors do in their professional life I think is laughable. Some of the shoddy evidence work I’ve seen be passed off in this activity would have you fired in those contexts, whereas here it will probably get you in late elimination rounds.
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The inability to produce a piece of evidence when asked for it will end the round immediately. Taking more than thirty seconds to produce the evidence is unacceptable as that shows me you didn’t read from it to begin with.
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Arguments that are racist, sexist, transphobic, etc. will end the round immediately in an L and as few speaker points as Tab allows me to give out.
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Questions about what was and wasn’t read in round that are not claims of clipping are signs of a skill issue and won’t hold up rounds. If you want to ask questions outside of cross, run your own prep. A team saying “cut card here” or whatever to mark the docs they’ve sent you is your sign to do so. If you feel personally slighted by the idea that you should flow better and waste less time in the round, please reconsider your approach to preparing for competitions that require you to do so.
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Defense is not “sticky.” If you want something to count in the round, it needs to be included in your team’s prior speech. The idea that a first speaking team can go “Ah, hah! You forgot about our trap card” in the final focus after not extending it in summary is ridiculous and makes a joke out of the event.
Negotiables
These are not set in stone, and have changed over time. Running contrary to me on these positions isn’t a big issue and I can be persuaded in the context of the round.
Tech vs truth
To me, the activity has weirdly defined what “technical” debate is in a way that I believe undermines the value of the activity. Arguments being true if dropped is only as valid as the original construction of the argument. Am I opposed to big stick impacts? Absolutely not, I think they’re worth engaging in and worth making policy decisions around. But, for example, if you cannot answer questions regarding what is the motivation for conflict, who would originally engage in the escalation ladder, or how the decision to launch a nuclear weapon is conducted, your argument was not valid to begin with. Asking me to close my eyes and just check the box after essentially saying “yadda yadda, nuclear winter” is as ridiculous as doing the opposite after hearing “MAD checks” with no explanation.
Teams I think are being rewarded far too often for reading too many contentions in the constructive that are missing internal links. I am more than just sympathetic to the idea that calling this out amounts to terminal defense at this point. If they haven’t formed a coherent argument to begin with, teams shouldn’t be able to masquerade like they have one.
There isn’t a magical number of contentions that is either good or bad to determine whether this is an issue or not. The benefit of being a faster team is the ability to actually get more full arguments out in the round, but that isn’t an advantage if you’re essentially reading two sentences of a card and calling it good.
Theory
In PF debate only, I default to a position of reasonability. I think the theory debates in this activity, as they’ve been happening, are terribly uninteresting and are mostly binary choices.
Is disclosure good? Yes
Is paraphrasing bad? Yes
Distinctions beyond these I don’t think are particularly valuable. Going for cheapshots on specifics I think is an okay starting position for me to say this is a waste of time and not worth voting for. That being said, I feel like a lot of teams do mis-disclose in PF by just throwing up huge unedited blocks of texts in their open source section. Proper disclosure includes the tags that are in case and at least the first and last three words of a card that you’ve read. To say you open source disclose requires highlighting of the words you have actually read in round.
That being said, answers that amount to whining aren’t great. Teams that have PF theory read against them frequently respond in ways that mostly sound like they’re confused/aghast that someone would question their integrity as debaters and at the end of the day that’s not an argument. Teams should do more to articulate what specific calls to do x y or z actually do for the activity, rather than worrying about what they’re feeling. If your coach requires you to do policy “x” then they should give you reasons to defend policy “x.” If you’re consistently losing to arguments about what norms in the activity should look like, that’s a talk you should have with your coach/program advisor about accepting them or creating better answers.
IVIs
These are hands down the worst thing that PF debate has come up with. If something in round arises to the issue of student safety, then I hope(and maybe this is misplaced) that a judge would intervene prior to a debater saying “do something.” If something is just a dumb argument, or a dumb way to have an argument be developed, then it’s either a theory issue or a competitor needs to get better at making an argument against it.
The idea that these one-off sentences somehow protect students or make the activity more aware of issues is insane. Most things I’ve heard called an IVI are misconstruing what a student has said, are a rules violation that need to be determined by tab, or are just an incomplete argument.
Kritiks
Overall, I’m sympathetic to these arguments made in any event, but I think that the PF version of them so far has left me underwhelmed. I am much better for things like cap, security, fem IR, afro-pess and the like than I am for anything coming from a pomo tradition/understanding. Survival strategies focused on identity issues that require voting one way or the other depending on a student’s identification/orientation I think are bad for debate as a competitive activity.
Kritiks should require some sort of link to either the resolution(since PF doesn’t have plans really), or something the aff has done argumentatively or with their rhetoric. The nonexistence of a link means a team has decided to rant for their speech time, and not included a reason why I should care.
Rejection alternatives are okay(Zizek and others were common when I was in debate for context) but teams reliant on “discourse” and other vague notions should probably strike me. If I do not know what voting for a team does, I am uncomfortable to do so and will actively seek out ways to avoid it.
I am lay judge so please talk slowly and don't use complex debate terms. Most of my voting will come off final focus, so make it clear in final focus why i should vote for you
PF: I am a lay judge. I judge based on quality of arguments, weighing impacts, and extending arguments. Most importantly, speak slowly and clearly in all speeches, not just the constructive. Please signpost and do not spread. It is important to me that you are debating the argument and not just offering contradicting pieces of evidence. I will not call for cards at the end of the round. Please add me to your email chain if you have one: xwang2713@gmail.com .I take cross into account more than the average judge. The team that wins is the team that 1. Narrows down the debate 2. Outlines why you win the argument and the significance of your argument 3. Has arguments that are logical and easy to follow.
I debated LD and Policy all throughout high school. In college I judged tournaments in Utah, Arizona and California.
While judging, I like debaters to tell me why they should win. By this I mean clearly state which of your arguments (contentions) I should flow through. The ones your opponent hasn't addressed are easy. With the contentions they have addressed, tell me why your argument is better (you have better sources, better stats, etc.). Many judges will circle the contentions they think you have won and draw an arrow across the flow sheet. Think of these as points for your side. But, I prefer you to tell me which of these you have won and why. I don’t mind spreading, just make sure you don’t transition to jibberish. Learn to read your judges. If I put my pen down, I probably can’t understand you.
The best advice I have is to relax and have fun! Debate shouldn't be torture--tournaments should be fun. Let’s face it, most people are terrified of public speaking. Debate tournaments give you the chance to practice critical skills you’ll use the rest of your life, both personally and professionally.
Good Luck!
I've judged a few times before - I'll judge how you debate not what you say. That being said, I do not know PF jargon and will not be able to understand you if you populate your speeches with such terms. Please speak slowly and clearly articulate your points. Make it explicitly clear what your claim, link, and impacts are. I'm fairly knowledgeable about most topics so don't try to pull anything sneaky with cards or evidence - I'll know pretty easily and it'll cost you. Be civil, be respectful, and make my job easy.
I did extemp and policy debate in high school at College Prep in California. I did policy debate in college, at UC Berkeley. I am a lawyer, and my day job is as a professor of law and government at UNC Chapel Hill. I specialize in criminal law.
I coached debate for many years at Durham Academy in North Carolina, mostly public forum but a little bit of everything. These days I coach very part time at Cedar Ridge High School, also in North Carolina.
I'll offer a few more words about PF, since that is what I judge most frequently. Although I did policy debate, I see PF as a distinct form of debate, intended to be more accessible and persuasive. Accordingly, I prefer a more conversational pace and less jargon. I'm open to different types of argument but arguments that are implausible, counterintuitive or theoretical are going to be harder rows to hoe. I prefer debates that are down the middle of the topic.
I flow but I care more about how your main arguments are constructed and supported than about whether some minor point or another is dropped. I’m not likely to vote for arguments that exist in case but then aren’t talked about again until final focus. Consistent with that approach, I don’t have a rule that you must “frontline” in second rebuttal or “extend terminal defense in summary” but in general, you should spend lots of time talking about and developing the issues that are most important to the round.
Evidence is important to me and I occasionally call for it after the round, or these days, review it via email chain. However, the quality of it is much more important than the quantity. Blipping out 15 half-sentence cards in rebuttal isn’t appealing to me. I tend to dislike the practice of paraphrasing evidence — in my experience, debaters rarely paraphrase accurately. Debaters should feel free to call for one another’s cards, but be judicious about that. Calling for multiple cards each round slows things down and if it feels like a tactic to throw your opponent off or to get free prep time, I will be irritated.
As the round progresses, I like to see some issue selection, strategy, prioritization, and weighing. Going for everything isn't usually a good idea.
Finally, I care about courtesy and fair play. This is a competitive activity but it is not life and death. It should be educational and fun and there is no reason to be anything but polite.
I'm a lay judge. So speak clearly and slowly.
I'm a lay judge. Please speak slowly and clearly.
I did PF for all 4 years of high school. I had a breaking record at state twice, and I had a breaking record at Blue Key twice. I always debated in a traditional style. I have seen my fair share of progressive debaters, however, and I know how that style works. I have also judged Blue Key and FFL Varsity State in the past. I urge you to abide by the things I listed below. It could greatly influence your round.
1. DO. NOT. SPREAD. I will not flow spreading. Spreading has no place in PF. I will listen to fast speaking, but if it gets anywhere close to being a form of spreading, I will stop flowing.
2. AVOID OVERLY PROGRESSIVE ARGUMENTS. While I CAN follow progressive debate styles, I feel that progressive debate is corrupting PF. PF was designed to be easy to follow. Any average person should be able to understand everything said. Progressive debate simply does not accomplish this goal. This doesn't mean you will lose if you run progressive arguments. There are some arguments styles that I will not flow. Others that I will flow. I urge you to ask me beforehand if you are running something overly progressive.
3. Link with evidence. I’m not going to buy simply logic that the resolution causes human extinction.
4. Do not debate the validity of the resolution to me. I don't care what you think is wrong with it.
5. I’m a flow judge. I credit responses to every point so be sure to signpost.
6. I don’t flow crossfires. If something important comes up, bring it up in the speeches.
7. I weigh heavily. I like to hear a "framework" for the round.
8. I like to see similarities between the summary and the final focus. If you don't mention a point in at least one of those speeches there is no chance I will weigh it.
9. Keep your own time. If you go over time, I will just stop listening I won’t stop you. It looks bad on you if you can’t even watch the time.
10. Be professional. Shaking your head, talking while the other team is speaking, laughing at things being said, or any other form of showing an attitude or lack of professionalism in round will count heavily against you.
An important part of debate that many people forget is that the judge decides if you win or lose the round. It doesn’t matter if you think you won or not. It matters what the judge thinks. Whether you agree with my paradigm or not, follow it. Ask questions before the round if you are unclear on something. I am happy to clear stuff up.
This is my 3rd year directing a team. I am primarily a speech coach. I'm looking for clear, persuasive tone.
I flow the rounds and appreciate careful and reasonably-paced speaking, good evidence and knowledge of your sources. Not all sources are created equal so be willing to evaluate them. The date of a source can be important --- eg, it has current up-to-date information or it is a classic or comprehensive source that has not been superseded.
I value comprehensive arguments and reasoning as well substantial evidence.
I don't flow cross but I'm very much listening.
I will not insert myself into the round, meaning if I don't buy something but your opponent doesn't bring it up it will not affect you. However, you will see it on my ballot.
I have no problem with framework debate.
Think big, think critically.
Thank you
Hi, my name is Christian and I did public forum for three years at West Broward High School. I qualified to the TOC junior year. I know you're probably reading this like fifteen minutes before the round thinking "is this judge flow or lay" or something, so I'll make it simple. I understand debate enough to be considered "flow" by most standards, but I've been out of the circuit for a while, so if you're going to read Ks/theory shells or anything similar, or just be very tech, please try to take that into consideration. In general, I'll vote on offense/defense or whatever I consider the highest layer based on what you have argued. Please signpost clearly. You can spread but please be clear or try to send a doc. Narrative and ethos isn't something that I pay the most attention to but I'll definitely appreciate if you pay attention to either, especially in extremely muddled rounds on the flow. Please try to avoid doing stuff like new evidence in second summary or new args in second final focus. I won't discount that stuff entirely, but I won't treat it as very important and will be very receptive to args from the other team about why I shouldn't care that much. I don't care what you wear, don't lie about evidence. No ableism, racism, sexism, or anything else of the sort. I'll tank your speaks and possibly drop you. Please read trigger warnings.
I debated at Western High School in Public Forum for 4 years. I am currently a senior and my only current involvement in debate is judging Blue Key every October. I would describe my judging style as a flow judge who cares a lot about a speaker's presentation and persuasion skills. I plan to flow throughout the round, including during crossfires; however, do to the nature of being an online tournament (with possible internet latency) I encourage important points to be discussed throughout the round and not simply briefly mentioned. I will not flow through ink and expect that FF arguments extend arguments from either of the 2 Summary speeches. Anything else, feel free to ask me before round.
I am the Scott Woods who teaches and coaches at BASIS Scottsdale in Arizona. There are others. For instance, I am not the slam poet Scott Woods (although I enjoy his work), so if you try a slam poetry case because you think that your judge is a pretty famous slam poet, you will probably be disappointed by the ballot.
About me: I teach middle school English and high school speech and debate. I competed in interp and platform events in college. I'm a Scoutmaster, a Republican, and I go to church regularly. Many people who know me don't believe that I am as conservative as I think I am.
I want the debate round to be for the benefit of the debaters. I have been coaching and judging debate for several years, mostly in PF, but some LD. I also judge policy rounds occasionally. I've judged at the TOC four times and at NSDA Nationals three times. When I judge on a panel, my decision is often different from the majority, possibly because my judging skills are so refined and subtle, or maybe for other reasons that escape me.
I think of debate as an educational game that should be fun, challenging, and life changing for the good. I don't like sneaky approaches to debate, tricks, or unsporting behavior. I especially don't like anything that attempts to achieve an unfair advantage over an opponent. Among the behaviors I don't like to see are spreading, because it seeks to gain a time advantage by squeezing more content in the given time, forcing one's opponent either to spread or to be disadvantaged, because it makes debate into a ridiculous exercise (and I consider making good things appear ridiculous in order to achieve personal gain to be bad form), and because it is aesthetically unpleasant (and I consider intentional ugliness inflicted on others to be bad form). Also, if you spread I won't flow as much, won't understand as much, and won't believe you as much. If both teams spread, then I'll just have to guess at who won, which is very likely something that you don't want me to do. Please speak in a clear, persuasive voice at a reasonable public debate speed, and be sure to point out when the other side is spreading, show the harms, then show why they should lose on that. I'll probably buy it.
If your debate strategy includes using tactics that have the effect of giving you an unfair advantage over your opponent, your chances of winning will go down. Your arguments should give you the advantage, not your sneaky approach, your hidden claims, your abusive framework, or your tricky wording. Again, call out your opponent's sneakiness. This is especially fun and elegant in an LD round when your opponent values morality, justice, fairness, etc., and you call them out for violating standards of morality, justice, or fairness.
I prefer clear, well-reasoned arguments that are logically valid and well supported by warrants and evidence. I also value impacts. Show me magnitude and probability. I will evaluate these by taking on the stance of an intelligent person who is well educated, open minded, and not a fool. If you read a card but don't put it into the context of a clear argument, then I won't care about it. You have to use evidence to support your warranted arguments. Your cards are your evidence. I hear many LDers giving lengthy quotes of dense philosophy, without contextualizing the quoted speech. I would much prefer that you summarize the entire argument of the philosopher clearly, briefly, and accurately, rather than quoting some paragraph that seems to support your interpretation. I almost never buy appeals to authority. If you say that Philosopher X says Y, therefore Y is true, I will probably not believe you. Feel free to call your opponent on this.
Since I think that debate is a worthwhile activity that can positively shape the character of youth, I value having fun and being nice. I don't want to spend an hour or so with people who are being mean to each other. Let's have fun and enjoy the round.
I won't leave my knowledge, training, or prejudices at the door, mainly because I can't (if I were truly tabula rasa, I would be an infant or an imbecile). Instead, I'll try to be aware of them and limit the impact of my own opinions or knowledge on the debate. If you don't make the argument, I will try not to make it for you. You must do all the work in the debate. I will, however, apply my knowledge of effective argumentation and the "reasonable person" test to the arguments in the debate. If you give me a weighing method and a clear path to signing the ballot for you, your chances of winning the round go up. Please understand that I will fail to leave behind my biases, assumptions, prejudices, etc. This is a feature of being human. We can't control the processes of our thought very well, and we are largely unaware of what guides and controls our thinking. Your job as a debater is to make these biases, assumptions, and prejudices irrelevant against the overwhelming power of your arguments. Good luck.
Please understand that I will likely be judging you after having taught children all day or having traveled a long distance and slept poorly. I will probably not be at my best. This is true for many of your judges. You should consider taking this into account when you write your cases and make your arguments. After you lose a round that you think you should have won, don't complain about the stupid judge. Instead, consider what you could have done differently to compensate for that judge not being at his or her cognitive best. That's your responsibility. I don't want to think during a round. Thinking is hard. It's not my job. I often disappoint debaters when I am required to think. Your job is to pre-think the round for me, better than your opponent does. The team that does this best will win.
It's up to the round to decide on the framework. If your framework is abusive or unreasonable, I'll drop it and favor your opponent's analysis, especially if your opponent calls it out as such. I prefer realistic frameworks that generously look at the resolution as though the debate were really a public forum (even in LD) for discussing an important issue. I also prefer realistic arguments that are accessible to the public.
It bothers me when debaters don't know their case because someone else wrote it, they haven't researched the topic, or they are just using the cards that came with the briefs without trying to understand the bigger picture. This become a problem when debaters misinterpret cards or philosophers they don't understand. If your opponent calls you on your card and disputes what it means, then I will call for the card at the end of the debate and make my own judgment. I don't want to do this for a number of reasons, mainly because I don't want to do the work that you should be doing. That being said, I know a lot about many subjects, so if I think that you are misinterpreting a card, I may call for it, even if your opponent has not called you out on it. I don't like to do this, but I also don't like misinterpreted or false cards to affect a round, and I don't expect high school students to have comprehensive knowledge of the world. If I think that your card was misinterpreted, then I will drop the argument it supports.
Please do the work for me. Make it easy for me to decide who wins. Tell the story of the round. Be organized on the flow in your rebuttals.
If your opponent calls for a card, they may continue to prep while you search for it, without that time counting against their prep. This is the procedure at the TOC, which I particularly like because it encourages teams to provide their opponents with the cards they ask for in a timely manner. If you don't have the card, and the context surrounding it, then I will drop the argument that is supported by the card. If your card clearly says something other than what you say it does, I will very likely vote for the other side. Please don't misrepresent your evidence.
Regarding policy debate: Every round that I have judged in policy debate has come down to judge adaptation. Whoever adapts best to my limitations as a judge (see above) will likely win the round (or, if you prefer, my ballot). My recommendation is that policy debaters should have two cases: one that they normally run and another that they write for judge adaptation. Debaters should also practice adaptation whenever they can, making sure that their arguments are comprehensible (at a minimum) and convincing (this should be the target) to normal, educated people.
I'm a parent judge. This is my second year judging.
Please don't go too fast. I have lived in the US for almost 30 years now and am very familiar and interested in all kinds of political topics.
I will try my best to take some notes, so please signpost.
Thanks! Good luck!
Hello! I'm currently a junior at UCSD. I've debated PF for 4 years and LD for 2 years back in high school(Canyon Crest/Carmel Valley - graduated in 2018), mostly at lay tournaments but I do have circuit PF experience(I guess I would describe myself as the average "flay" judge).
I don't like to impose too many guidelines on how rounds should go, but here are some things to keep in mind:
Speed is fine, but if you do choose to spread, I need the speech docs.
I'm pretty flexible with any argument that you run(except for theory/Ks/tricks and stuff like that); just make sure you explain it clearly with weighing and signposting :)
Please don't be rude in crossfire/cross-ex.
Please no new information in final focus :)
Don't be afraid to ask me questions before/after the round! And most importantly, have fun!!!
I am a lay judge, being a public forum judge for about 1.5 years. So please speak slowly and clearly (<200 wpm). If I can't understand you, I can't vote for you. I will look for a clear explanation of the arguments. If you signpost clearly during your speech, that will be great. Please run less run any progressive arguments but try to focus on debating the topic. Please use little debate jargon (such as de-link and terminal defense, etc.) but use simple terms. And most of all have fun!
I served as a judge for the last two years for public forum section in MS, but not for virtual debate.
I am a parent judge. I prefer a moderate speed. I need clear weighing and extension of warrants, links, and impacts.
I am a parent judge. This is my first time judging.
I am a parent judge and have judged at several tournaments in the past. Thanks.
I am a parent judge. Don't talk to fast, and make sure you explain your arguments and the warranting clearly. Weigh the impacts in summary and the final focus. Please don't misconstrue the evidence or stretch the truth.
I am a lay judge. I have had some experience with judging for the past year.
I vote for the team that makes the best logical arguments and are able to successfully refute their opponents' and defend their own case. Be sure that your arguments are properly supported with evidence.
I do not understand theory or kritiks very well, so I prefer if teams stick to traditional debate argumentation.
Please be kind and respectful when debating; I do not like it when teams are rude and don't let the other team finish.
Please speak slowly as well. It is hard to understand fast speech in a virtual setting.
I'm a lay judge and have 3 years of judging experience. I'll be taking notes throughout the round, so be as clear, slow, and understandable as possible. I'm mostly tech > truth, but I won't vote on frivolous/squirrely args. I also won't vote on theory, K's, etc. Please be respectful throughout the round. If you catch miscut ev, point it out in a speech and I'll take it into consideration. (written by daughter)
For IEs:
This is my first time judging IEs (I usually judge PF)!