HAVE FUN

Don't try any args you aren't comfortable with just to get the ballot, you learn with every round, you can't win them all, but at least you'll be better after every loss (especially if you do redos and take notes on the RFD)

TLDR:

I am a flex debater, recently switching to more K-oriented strategies, but I still definitely know more about policy strats. You have no need to worry about args you read with me judging because I am able to evaluate them all in a normal manner. Again have fun!

Okay now to the actual paradigm

I am a junior at Damien High School. And compete in varsity policy

add my email @codydebate04@gmail.com

T v plan

T is an interesting argument for me. If T is dropped I will more often than not sign a neg ballot already, impact out T, and make me understand how why because they aren't T is going to make the debate space worse.

CP

I love counter plans, I've been going for these since freshman year, watch out when going for a counterplan with just an internal net benefit because I find it's harder for me to vote. If you have an intention ongoing for a counterplan with me, go for a disad as a net benefit. (I have a high threshold for internal net benefits)

DA

Again, another argument that I love. Make sure that you properly articulate the link, especially when you go for some odd disad about affairs happening far away from America, especially when the entirety of the advantage is specific to the US, explain to me how the affirmative causes your disad. Do good impact comparison, write the ballot for me in the 2NR, give me a good analysis of your impacts, and why I should put that above case.

K

(Updated 12/11/20), I'm a K debater now, I understand and am able to mostly properly judge going for a K, so do not fear reading a K with me as your judge. I go for the K in most rounds I am in nowadays.

K affs

(Updated 12/11/20)

I read a K aff, I have no problem with one reading a K aff with me as their judge. But that doesn't mean I will hack for you, T-USFG is always a viable argument and is definitely necessary to evaluate to the fullest extent.

Affs with a plan (policy)

Love it, through the debate continue to explain to me how the I-link leads to your impacts and why that is the most important through the debate, if it is a soft left aff, convince me why you o/w on the DA's extinction impacts. Normally, I default to extinction if both teams botch the framework. But, I also nearly always flow aff if an advantage goes nearly fully conceded.

How To Get Good Speaks

Good CX (questions and answers)

Confidence

Persuasiveness

Good analytical arguments

Show me your flows at the end of the debate for +.2 speaks (I won't ask you need to read the paradigm to find out).

baylor’26

from the river to the sea...

tldr - i am a sophomore at baylor university studying data science and computational biology -- second round qualified to the NDT -- my senior year of high school, i had 5 bids to the tournament of champions, was consistently a top 10 speaker as well as consistent appearances in late elims of national circuit tournaments if background/success matters at all to yall.

email chain -- odarwish22@damien-hs.edu

- Tech > truth, BUT my inclination to vote on certain positions will increase/decrease depending on the level of extrapolation present i.e. arguments must be fully flushed out in order to be given any semblance of weight in my decision.

- The first 30 seconds of your rebuttal speeches should crystalize the debate and ideally mirror my potential RFD.

- My decision calculus first and foremost usually comes down to what arguments are tailored to the casting of my ballot.

- Presumption goes to the team that deviates from the squo the least.

- I am a performance debater -- I like cx sass and assertiveness but just make sure you dont confuse those things with disrespect and aggressiveness

- I default to judge kick absent being instructed no judge kick

- Link specificity is very important to me.

- Do not insert evidence.

- Speaker points rate individual performance, strategic/bold pivots, general rhetorical appeal etc. because of this I generally give out a lot of low point wins.

- My camera is usually on, if its off seek confirmation prior to starting your speech.

Arguments --- I am accustomed to and have taken exclusively left leaning critical positions throughout the second half of my career, despite this I have no biases and will strictly defer to my flow for any argumentative inconsistencies. I will not fill in holes for you and you should act as if I don't know what the literature says while showcasing a superior explanation of your arguments.

- Theory --- Condo is generally good but I've voted otherwise in the past. Dropping utopian alts bad isnt an auto dub same goes for most theory arguments. Rejecting the arg generally remedies any harms created, you're going to have to do some work to make me vote otherwise.

- Framework --- I have no biases here. Procedural fairness is both an internal link and an impact just depends on how you deploy it in round. Things you should do that should seem obvious but dont happen: Go for only one impact in the 2nr, do impact calculus/comparison, articulate solvency deficits to their model of debate, explain how your model solves and interacts with said deficits visa vie tva/ssd, link analysis (most of their offense probably just assumes debate or the state), actually answering the 2ac and getting off your blocks, predict/preempt 2ar shifts and compensate by doing judge instruction, ballot framing, and model comparison, answering the affirmative in the 2nr. I think that debate is a game but I also think it has the potential to influence different material outcomes. I view Tvas as impact filters that don't need to solve the affirmative but should include aff literature. SSD becomes very convincing to me if the affirmative answers to T devolve into state/state education bad. I am a sucker for smart presumption arguments and have a higher threshold for aff solvency explanation. Although I do not go for framework in college, as a 2a, I am constantly responding to the argument as well as coaching my debaters to go for it. I really enjoy good framework debates but the opposite is true as well. If the level of framework debating described above seems synonymous with your style of debating you should probs prefer me highly.

- The K --- Try not to go for a k that you are unfamiliar with; not to say I wont vote for you if you win, but rounds where you constantly evade questions during cx and provide me with shoddy explanations that dont do your literature base justice are agonizing. I strongly prefer substantive critical debating and am not a fan of spamming contradictory critical positions derived from different schools of thought. I don't care about how you go for the k or what you read just make sure you are telling me a story that I can retell to the affirmative in the rfd. I dont like implicit clash, you should be doing the line by line on the k proper. Link contextualization and drawing aff/topic specific historical examples separate good and great k debaters. I think framework is the most important part of the K but it can become ultimately irrelevant if the rest of the critique is winning that either the plan exacerbates the harms you've impacted out or the critique is winning an impact turn to the aff. I will default to judge kicking the alt if it was conditional but you need a reason why I should if the other team makes a judge kick argument. I am most comfortable with language/post-structuralist criticisms but am still somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to identity critiques.

- K Affs --- I have experience defending and debating these types of affs and I think that the closer you are to answering the resolutional question, the better. I think that uniqueness is extremely underutilized in these debates and usually helps me weigh a lot of these ballot and impact comparison questions in your favor. When answering topicality YOU WILL LOSE if you dont have a competing interpretation of debate that you can solve your impact turns through because then they're just non-unique. Thats why I stress the importance of ballot and impact uniqueness in these debates. You should probably have some sort of advocacy text/statement or at least make the solvency portion of the 1ac clear. If I am left without understanding what the role of the negative is under your model thats probably a disad to it. When debating framework leverage your case as much as possible - I see a lot of teams struggling to decide on whether to defend a middle ground or the impact turn, just make sure you pick one so that the story of the affirmative remains constant, inconsistency in the different affirmative speeches both argumentatively and strategically warrant my neg ballot a lot of the time. I think explaining how the affirmative solves the individual pieces of offense you are going for not only clarifies the messy portions of the round but also just makes it easier for you to cross apply/group arguments in the rebuttals. I also won’t vote on an impact turn your model can't resolve so you need to explain how you solve the offense you consolidated down to. The best 2a's pick and choose a few things to go for in the final speech and talk about how these arguments interact with both what the 2nr is going for and most importantly how that influences the casting of my ballot. I default to giving the affirmative the permutation but I can be convinced otherwise.

If you have any questions about anything that was/wasn’t mentioned above you can email me.

@dylan barsoumian -- my guy

First off, I wanna say that during speaking, for me, clarity > speed, if I cannot understand what you are saying, then I will warn you, 3 warnings = fewer speaker points.

Respect will give a good impact. Be nice to the other team.

I do policy, I am personally 1AC. Did Lincoln Douglas once, probably never will again.

I will look at everyone's points, but If I think you should win, then you probably will win.

Mention club penguin = +.2 speaker points

You got this, don't be nervous. If you are uncomfortable, tell me, and we can work through it.

My name is Kyler (he/him/his), and I'm an undergraduate majoring in philosophy and economics at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville. I did speech and debate for four years in high school, and I have been judging tournaments since I graduated in 2018. I absolutely love speech and debate and think that it is one of the best activities you can do to prepare for college and for life.

Judging framework: I work to be a tabula rasa or "blank slate" judge. I use whatever framework debaters agree on to weigh the round, and I will hold any claim you make during a round as true until your opponent contests it. I look for logical, concise arguments and clear speaking/communication.

Also, while the goal of a debate is to win, you should still be kind to one another. Any personal attacks or discriminatory language will result in an automatic loss.

do wtvr u want

senior at damien hs - ask me questions before the round

strictly tech>truth

senior at Damien

Put me on the email chain- alandebate03@gmail.com

he/him

General:

please be respectful of others

ask me questions before the round if you have any

I'm cool with spreading just don't go warp speed through blocks and always emphasize/signpost, ill shout clear if you're going too

fast. thoroughly extend warrants, shadow extending sucks. Better analysis is better than card dumping and

don't leave it up to me to do the work for you. Good speaks for comparative analysis. I'm pretty familiar with

the POLICY topic but don't assume I know the entirety of an arg.

Nárhi jámaxakia

- Email chain -- mam.damiendebate@gmail.com

TL;DR:

- Affiliation: Damien (Debater) - 2020 - Present

- I am a proud Indingoeus Person/Latino to countries all around the Americas.

- Call me: Mark/Markos

- I've debated the Criminal Justice Reform topic; the Water topic; and the Emerging Tech/NATO topic (I also rank them in that order)

- I've taken took part in/coached/judged in about 20 (give or take, I don't want to do the math) this year - I have a good understanding of the topic

- I was a 2n for about 2 years, and I was a 2a for the TOC on the water topic, so I am sympathetic to the 2AC, 1AR, and the 2NR - just don't drop the bag and you should be good.

- I am fine voting on anything - except if it's an impact turn to structural violence (i.e. racism good; colonization good; etc) -- I will not flow it, I will not evaluate it, I will doc ur points, and I will alert tab and ur coaches about it.

Preferences:

- I enjoy K v K debate (or K debate writ large)

- I'm a performance debater - so claims about specific identities are always good.

- If you run set col with me and don't know what the lit is saying just for my ballot we are going to have a problem

- For more ideas of what I enjoy in settler colonialism debates see the following people's paradigms: Maddie Pieropan and Joshua Michael.

- HOWEVER - I read both Policy and Kritikal Affs and Positions, so I am comfortable with most of the arguments.

- Yes Spreading - Just be clear - I flow what I hear - if you are unclear and I don't get it on my flow - you don't get it in the round.

Ks:

- Yes! I love the K - my philosophies range from Some PoMo to Settler Colonialism (so Set Col, Psycho, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Cybernetics, Queer Pessimism, Orientalism, Feminism, Afro-Optimism/Pessimism, etc), but I am good with a majority of philosophies, as long as you can explain the links to the aff and they are developed well within the block, you should be fine.

- I like K debate where there is nuance, if you are reading blocks that your coach wrote prerd and dont know what you are saying, dont read the K.

- Link Debate: IF by the 2nr you have not given me a clear explanation of the link to the aff... you're not going to like how I vote.

- Alts: you can kick it - but you better have a really good link story as to why your links outweigh/negates any risk of the affirmative solvency mechanism and a great FW debate.

- Identity PTX - Go ahead - but make sure that you aren't being racist/appropriating a culture that you don't have an ontological relationship with. (If you don't know what that means you should not be reading Ks)

Theory:

- I tend not to like voting on T - however, I will vote on T if you go for it.

- To get my ballot on T you need to:

1. Have a good story as to why X is cheating

2. Cite in round abuse (Losing links/ CP ground, strat skew, etc)

3. tell me why I should care specifically about cheating in that rd - if your T arg is way too vague, ill will not vote for it.

- I will not vote for nonsense theory - like disclosure, etc. these are bad arguments and I don't care.

CPs:

- I dont think that CPs need a Solvency Advocacte, especially if its something that just came to you prerd. DO NOT take advantage of this and start reading 20 CPs with no Solvency Advocactes (I think the limit for me is 3 CPs)

- Read them as you want - explain what the mechanism of the CP is and why I should prefer it to the aff. Explain how the CP avoids the net benefit and we shouldn't have a problem.

- CP theory is bad - don't drop it and I won't vote on it.

DAs:

- I'm going to quote one of my judges when I started debating "I don't know why people don't just go for the squo"

- If you think that the DA is sufficient to win a turns case argument - just go for the DA and case defense. If I don't have a clear explanation of the link story by the 2nr - you have made a mistake and will probably lose this debate (give me warrants as to why the aff doesn't solve but links to the DA.)

Notes/Random Stuff ab me:

- If you feel like you still have Qs about my paradigm feel free to ask me b4 the round/email me - I have nothing better to do in that 30 minutes of prep lol.

When judging any style of debate or speech I need the competitors to have strong annunciation and a good pace. If you are speeding through your content I cannot properly judge the round.

In terms of LD, make sure you are properly defining your Value and Value Criterion, you are keeping your framework up throughout the debate, and you are directly refuting your opponent's arguments. 

Although I judge heavily on speaking style, at the end of the day whoever wins on the flow wins on the ballot. 

Chain: damiendebate47@gmail.com and lspark24@damien-hs.edu

Tech over anything - no argument restrictions.

Favorite 2NRs are impact turns (China War Good, Warming Good, Cap Good vs K affs), k's (Set Col, Cap, Baudrillard, Heidegger, and Bido), and (thanks to enthusiast Brandon) process counterplans.

Don't overadapt. I have familiarity with kritkal and policy debate and no set preference on their deployment. The best 2NR is in your wheelhouse.

I'll adjust speaks according to competition level at Woodward.

Each debate round is important, for my time and yours. I'll judge accordingly.

I flow straight down and number if you do. Inserting evidence is good for reference, and insert re-highlightings is good to lower the bar for affirmative evidence comparison.

Rebuttals should focus on a few well-flushed arguments - extending evidence warrants and technical implications. "Judge instruction" means deviating from the flow and telling a story with evidence.

Incomplete arguments in the 1NC justify rebuttal answers. This means one-card critiques and dis-ads are unviable. One could point out the evidence discrepancy, give me a thumbs down, and I'll consider it answered. Good cards lower the threshold for cards needed

General thoughts:

Theory: "Neg leaning" - as in debate structurally making theory a hard win. However, line-by-line and centralization in the 1AR can reverse this. The "Courts PQD" and "Offsets" counterplan likely forwards a bad educational model - and theory/competition is the strategic 2AR. I have experience with both sides and feel comfortable in these debates. Dropped theory is dropped theory. Condo is good and substance is the priority in the 2AR.

Dis-ads: Prioritize turns-case on the link and impact level. Contrived theory on these flows are bad. Evidence quality is important on all parts.

Counterplans: What is theoretically defensible is the threshold for your solvency claims. Solvency deficits must be robustly impacted out and isolated to an impact to avoid sufficiency framing.

K's: The K loses perm-double bind sans a framework interp. The threshold for the alt solving the aff is extremely high and should be held to the same level as counterplans sans a philosophical justification. K/s extinction does not answer extinction o/ws, and vise versa.

K affs: What the negative teams lets the affirmative get away with is the determiner of these rounds. Fairness is an impact and possibly the only impact to debate. The counterinterp is essential for offense on affirmative dis-ads and to access educational claims not turned by limits/ground. Switch side is persuasive when contextualized to what a hypothetical debate would look like on the neg. TVA's are incredibly persuasive when I coherent story is told on the types of engagement it provides. Storytell to solve the internal link of framework dis-ads. The negative should win 100% of framework rounds if debated equally.

I would like to be on the email chain: dsavill@snu.edu

Director of Debate for Southern Nazarene University since 2021 and former coach of Crossings Christian School from 2011 to 2023.

Things you need to know for prefs:

Kritiks: Very familiar with kritiks and non-topical affs. I like kritiks and K affs and can vote for them.

Policy: I am familiar with policy debates and can judge those. My squad is designed to be flex so I am good with either.

Speed: I can handle any kind of speed as long as you are clear.

Theory/FW/T: I am not a fan of FW-only debates so if you are neg and hit a non-topical aff I will entertain FW but that shouldn't be your only off-case. Contesting theory of power is a good strat for me.

Performance/non-traditional debate: Despite what some would think coming from a Christian school, I actually like these kinds of debates and have voted up many teams.

I try to be a tab judge but I know I tend to vote on more technical prowess. I believe debate should be a fun and respectful activity and I try to have a good time judging the round. I think debaters are among the smartest students in the nation and I always find it a privilege to judge a round and give feedback.

Hi! I’m an assistant coach at Southern Nazarene University and have been since 2021. Previously, I coached at Crossings Christian from 2020-2023. I started debating in the sixth grade and debated at Crossings from 2013-2020. I competed at the high school national level since the eighth grade, broke at a couple TOCQs, and won two 5A state titles in Oklahoma.

I was a flex debater, which means I debated both policy and the K and am comfortable with either. I ran many different Ks during my seven years of debate, such as Agamben, Cap, Setcol, Afropess (with a black partner), Baudrillard, and Psychoanalysis. I don’t have anything against nontopical or performance affs, and I’m generally tech over truth.

There are a few things I’ll vote a team down for, no matter what’s happening in the rest of the round:

- Being rude, laughing at, or mocking the other team.

- Death good, suicide good, or advocating for killing people, especially if these arguments are contextualized to someone in the room.

Things I like:

- A nice joke in your speech, even if it’s corny. Have fun in the round!

- Being respectful to your opponents and your partner.

- Telling me what I should write for my RFD.

Things I dislike:

- Disclosure theory, perf con good theory, and multiple worlds good theory. I especially dislike multiple worlds good theory being used as a reason why your 2AC block doesn’t contradict itself.

- The phrase “This card/argument is trash” or similar phrases. Tell me why the argument’s bad instead of just insulting it.

- Ks without alts.

- Wipeout

- Eugenics good

Peninsula '22 | USC '26

Add me to the chain:

chrislrsims@gmail.com

Did policy for three years LD for one year. Clarity > speed - if I can’t hear your argument I’m not going to flow it. Be nice!

Policy:

Ran almost exclusively policy in high school so very comfortable with these debates. Especially love counterplan competition debates and in-depth DA turns case/case turns DA.

Theory:

I don't like it unless there is in-round abuse. Reasonability and DTA are powerful, especially if explained thoroughly. My view of reasonability is that I should weigh the impact of the abuse versus the benefits a debate over the topic. Don't run ridiculous theory arguments.

Condo is good.

Kritiks:

Your critique should directly disagree with the plan or implicate the solvency of the case in someway. I do not like links of omission. Links should be clearly explained and turn/ow case. Case is critical in the debates, if you do not touch it I probably won't vote for the K.

Read a plan!

Philosophy:

Not comfortable with evaluating these debates.

Don't run any calc indicts, frivolous theory, and random independent voting issues.

brt.damiendebate@gmail.com

i don't know much about the topic

do whatever you'd like as long as your arguments have warrants

im expressive during debates so pay attention