Debate Events:

I graduated from Plano West in 2018 and competed in my Junior and Senior years in PF and IX. I approve of wearing fedoras in round.

I'm not the picky type, so I'll just be going over some general things.

Treat me like a more lay judge, meaning you will need to explain things as if I have never been anywhere near debate in my life, and will need to be clear. Spreading should be minimal as if I can't understand, I will not be able flow it, and that certainly won't be helping your case. With that in mind, be loud as well. That tends to help with clarity.

Speaks: I'll be lenient for the most part, so expect high points, within the 28-30 range. Unless you're being uncivil, in which case, expect something lower.

As for things within the round itself, the usual will apply. Have warrants, don't fire off as many cards as you can without purpose, have warrants again and make sure you weigh your arguments.

Most importantly, BE CIVIL. Especially in crossfire, or you'll lose speaker points and potentially more.

Congress:

Direct me to the exit, because I probably wandered in by accident and am definitely lost and in the wrong room.

PF Paradigm at the top, LD at the bottom. I approach the events in a completely different manner. I wouldn't apply what is in the PF paradigm to LD.

PF Paradigm

I am a coach that has been involved with debate for a while. At the most basic level, I will evaluate the impacts students have access to at the end of the round using the weighing/framing mechanisms provided. You should be weighing in the back half of the round. Here are some notes about the details.

-I am listening but not flowing crossfire. While I'm not voting on anything that is said here, I am judging your knowledge of the important args and the topic in general.

-I am not tab. The best description of my judging style is a critic of argument. I want to vote for the best debaters, and to that end, I feel this activity is at its best when students explain warrants. I will vote on consequential drops, but I almost never vote on unwarranted blippy claims, even if they are carded. So for instance, if Smith 20 says "the economy will crash in two months," and that is the end of the story; for the purposes of the round I am not assuming the economy will crash in two months. You need to explain why Smith thinks that and contextualize its importance within the round. If Smith doesn't give a reason you are comfortable explaining, or you don't understand why Smith thinks that, this argument should not effect the RFD. My bar for a warrant that I will accept is very low(often I disagree with the warrant but still accept it), but the bar does exist. Just give me something that makes sense. The top competitors warrant and do all this naturally, so I don't think a lot of adapting should be going on.

-I prefer a brisk but understandable pace in the rebuttal/summary speeches, offense in the FF needs to be clearly extended (preferably weighed) throughout.

-I view debate as a game that teaches essential skills, and will vote for the students that in my opinion win the game. Using offensive arguments or not respecting the dignity of your opponents will lead to you losing the game.

-There is a zero percent chance I will vote on theory because it exacerbates inequity in high school debate. I've heard all the counter-arguments and strongly disagree. I will not reward it. Disclosure isn't necessary. I am not a fan of paraphrasing, but theory is a terrible way to deal with it. I will tend to side with the team reading cards.

-There is a zero percent chance I will vote on a non-topical K. There is a zero percent chance I will vote for a K that links into the topic in general. If the K has a strong link into the opponents advocacy, I will consider it.

-Defense is not sticky.

-You should frontline in 2nd Rebuttal.

-Sell terminal defense, I have a higher bar for granting access to the impact then a lot of judges.

-There is no reason for a plan or CP.

-I don't like politics DAs, in policy rounds they work as a net benefit to a CP decently, but as independent offense in PF I think it is poor in general. The only way I'm voting on it is if it the other team severely mishandles it or has no offense I can comfortably vote on.

-If you want to see cards have the names ready and say them immediately after the speech. The 1st speaker for each team should be ready and adept at sending cards. I am not ok with a stream of asking for cards one after the other stretching out the time. The PF round should end in roughly an hour.

-I do want to be on the email chain to double check important cards. I will not be looking at them while you are speaking nor reading them to better understand your case. That should be clear during the speeches.

LD Paradigm

The PF paradigm above doesn't apply very much here. I debated LD in high school, but that was a long time ago. I will do my best to be tab and vote on execution. It is important that if you go fast you must also be clear.

I prefer debate on the topic and I view this activity as a game, so my natural inclination is to expect the resolution to grant both sides with ground. The specifics can be debated. In general, I don't like to vote on blippy drops. I rarely vote for non-topical affs. Framework debate is ok and I will vote for the debater that executes their style the best. I enjoy judging debates with clash, and reward developed arguments which clearly link to the core issues of the resolution. I will vote for Plans, CPs, DAs, Ks, Theory, and framework.

I don't have a problem with speed, but if I can't understand what your saying I will not connect the dots for you. A brisk speech that is clean is preferable to a faster pace in which words are mumbled and there are many noticeable stumbles. I keep a detailed flow and if an argument is dropped it matters. I like to hear voters during the final speeches.

I have been a coach and consultant for the past 29 years and done every debate format available stateside and internationally. I also have taught at Stanford, ISD, Summit, UTD, UT, and Mean Green camps as a Curriculum Director and/or Senior Instructor for LD, PF, and WSD. I think no matter what form of debate that you do, you must have a narrative that answers critical questions of who, what, when, where, why, how, and then what, and so what. Debaters do not need to be shy and need to be able to weigh and prioritize the issues of the day for me in what I ought to be evaluating. Tell me as a judge where I should flow things and how I ought to evaluate things. That's your job.

If you would like for me to look at a round through a policy lens, please justify to me why I ought to weigh that interpretation versus other alternatives. Conversely, if you want me to evaluate standards, those need to be clear in their reasoning why I ought to prioritize evaluation in that way.

In public forum, I need the summary to be a line by line comparison between both worlds where the stark differences exist and what issues need to be prioritized. Remember in the collapse, you cannot go for everything. Final focus needs to be a big pic concept for me. Feel free to use policy terms such as magnitude, scope, probability. I do evaluate evidence and expect you all to do the research accordingly but also understand how to analyze and synthesize it. Countering back with a card is not debating. The more complicated the link chain, the more probability you may lose your judge. Keep it tight and simple and very direct.

In LD, I still love my traditional Value and VC debate. I do really like a solid old school LD round. I am not big on K debate only because I think the K debate has changed so much that it becomes trendy and not a methodology that is truly educational and unique as it should be. Uniqueness is not the same as obscurity. Now, if you can provide a good solid link chain and evaluation method of the K, go for it. Don't assume my knowledge of the literature though because I don't have that amount of time in my life but I'm not above understanding a solidly good argument that is properly formatted. I think the quickest way to always get my vote is to write the ballot for me and also keep it simple. Trickery can make things messy. Messy debaters usually get Ls. So keep it simple, clean, solid debate with the basics of claim, warrant, impact, with some great cards and I'll be happy.

I don't think speed is ever necessary in any format so speak concisely, know how to master rhetoric, and be the master of persuasion that way. Please do not be rude to your opponent. Fight well and fight fair. First reason for me to down anyone is on burdens. Aff has burden of proof, neg has burden to clash unless it is WSD format where burdens exist on both sides to clash. If you have further questions, feel free to ask specifics.

In plat events, structure as well as uniqueness (not obscurity) is key to placing. Organization to a speech as well as a clear call to order is required in OO, Info, Persuasive. In LPs, answer the question if you want to place. Formatting and structure well an avoid giving me generic arguments and transitional phrases. Canned intros are not welcome in my world usually and will be frowned upon. Smart humor is always welcome however.

I want you all to learn, grow, have fun, and fight fair. Best of luck and love one another through this activity!!

Updated 2/6/2025

Note: I wrote most of this paradigm immediately after I finished competitive high school debate (several years ago), so I am a little more lay than I used to be. You can still follow this, but try to go easy on me so I can track/flow well.

I'm a former debater from Texas, so I mostly debated UIL and TFA. I did a little bit of NSDA. I went back and forth with traditional and progressive debate, so I'm fine with either as long as you communicate well. I mostly participated in Congressional Debate and Public Forum Debate. I broke at NSDA Nats in both events. I also spent a lot of time in extemp, so I appreciate good speaking skills in debate (but they won't change my decision). I studied politics/business in undergrad, and I'm in law school now.

I want to be on email chains. I don't need your case unless you are spreading, but still add me to the chain if you start one. Email: caleb.fournet@gmail.com

I have listed specific paradigms for Congress, LD, PF, and CX (in that order). Let me know if you have any questions.

Enjoy your rounds! Be confident, be respectful, have fun, and learn.

--Congress Paradigms--

1. Speaking is important in this event for me. I judge probably 65/35 on arguments vs speaking, respectively.

2. This is a mock Congress. Debate as such. Do not forget that you are a Representative/Senator.

3. I also take participation in the chamber into account. Ask questions, call motions, vote, etc.

4. Please present clash if you aren’t giving the authorship/sponsorship. Simply saying the name of another student and claiming they are wrong does not count.

5. I try to stay pretty educated on politics. But I won’t know the ins and outs of every bill/resolution in the country. Make sure you are clearly explaining what you are talking about.

--PF Paradigms--

--Strikes-- I won't vote on any of these things.

1. No “evidence paraphrasing,” tags can be paraphrased but they have to be carded.

2. No counter interpretations/”tricks” in debate.

3. If your strategy involves reading more than three off case and kicking all of them but the one your opponents didn't catch or have time to respond to.

--Preferences--

1. Offtime Roadmaps

2. Signpost

3. Formality

4. Majority of rebuttal should be defense (reasons to reject your opponents’ advocacy).

--General--

1. All kinds of arguments are acceptable in debate (Framework/Evidence/Definition/Topicality/Morality/Theory/K/CP)

2. My default framing is cost benefit analysis (CBA).

3. Absent offense (reasons to vote for your advocacy) by PRO in the round and I will default CON on the ballot.

4. Given the times in PF I am okay with poverty, unemployment, GDP, inequality, etc. as impacts. I would prefer quantified terminals impacts (recession, war, etc.).

5. I am tech>truth. I evaluate strictly on what is presented in the round. I will inevitably have to choose one argument over the other but I will base those interpretations on warrants and analysis presented in the round - not outside information.

--Non Negotiables--

1. The second rebuttal must respond to turns.

2. Summary should consolidate.

3. Extensions must include warrants.

4. Final Focus should be voters and weighing, most rebuttals in FF will be dropped.

--Style--

1. Speaker points are on presentation, not arguments.

2. Speed: I will say clear if I cannot follow, if it continues I will drop my pen till I can follow. Slow down on argument tags and cites. Give both me and the other team the doc if spreading.

--Progressive Debate-- I’m okay with progressive debate but a few notes if you are running it.

1. Debate is an education place, run progressive arguments to exclude your opponents and I’ll give you 25 speaks low point wins at best.

2. Please know/understand what you are reading. Do not read something for the sake of reading it. K’s/Theory need to be well explained and extended.

3. Theory/Topicality Defaults In Order: RVI, Drop the Debater, Topicality

--LD Paradigms--

--Strikes-- I won't vote on any of these things.

1. No “evidence paraphrasing,” tags can be paraphrased but they have to be carded.

2. No counter interpretations/”tricks” in debate.

3. If your strategy involves reading more than four off case and kicking all of them but the one your opponents didn't catch or have time to respond to.

--Preferences--

1. Offtime Roadmaps

2. Signpost

3. Formality

4. Majority of rebuttal should be defense (reasons to reject your opponents advocacy).

--General--

1. All kinds of arguments are acceptable in debate (Framework/Evidence/Definition/Topicality/Morality/Theory/K/CP)

2. My default framing for LD is utilitarianism.

3. Absent offense (reasons to vote for your advocacy) by PRO in the round and I will default CON on the ballot.

4. Given the times in LD I am okay with poverty, unemployment, GDP, inequality, etc. as impacts. I would prefer quantified terminals impacts (recession, war, etc.).

5. I am tech>truth. I evaluate strictly on what is presented in the round. I will inevitably have to choose one argument over the other but I will base those interpretations on warrants and analysis presented in the round - not outside information.

--Non Negotiables--

1. The 1AR must respond to turns.

2. The back-half of the NR and the 2AR should be voters and weighing. Most blocks in these speeches will be dropped, frontlines will flow through though.

--Style--

1. Speaker points are on presentation, not arguments.

2. Speed: I will say clear if I cannot follow, if it continues I will drop my pen till I can follow. Slow down on argument tags and cites. Give both me and the other team the doc if spreading.

--Progressive Debate-- I’m okay with progressive debate but a few notes if you are running it.

1. Debate is an education place, run progressive arguments to exclude your opponents and I’ll give you 25 speaks low point wins at best.

2. Please know/understand what you are reading. Do not read something for the sake of reading it. K’s/Theory need to be well explained and extended.

3. Theory/Topicality Defaults In Order: RVI, Drop the Debater, Topicality

--CX Paradigms--

--Strikes-- I won't vote on any of these things.

1. No “evidence paraphrasing,” tags can be paraphrased but they have to be carded.

2. No counter interpretations/”tricks” in debate.

3. If your strategy involves reading more than four off case and kicking all of them but the one your opponents didn't catch or have time to respond to.

--Preferences--

1. Offtime Roadmaps

2. Signpost

3. Formality

4. Majority of rebuttal should be defense (reasons to reject your opponents advocacy)

--General--

1. All kinds of arguments are acceptable in debate (Framework/Evidence/Definition/Topicality/Morality/Theory/K/CP)

2. My default framing is stock issues.

3. I am tech>truth. I evaluate strictly on what is presented in the round. I will inevitably have to choose one argument over the other but I will base those interpretations on warrants and analysis presented in the round - not outside information.

--Non Negotiables--

1. The second rebuttal must respond to turns.

2. Summary should consolidate.

3. Extensions must include warrants.

4. Counterplans must be competitive/unique

5. Given the times in CX I want quantified terminal impacts (recession, war, etc.). There is more than enough time to extend these from poverty, unemployment, GDP, inequality, etc. impacts.

--Style--

1. Speaker points are on presentation, not arguments.

2. Speed: I will say clear if I cannot follow, if it continues I will drop my pen till I can follow. Slow down on argument tags and cites. Give me (and the other team if they request) the doc if spreading.

--Progressive Debate-- I’m okay with progressive debate but a few notes if you are running it.

1. Debate is an education place, run progressive arguments to exclude your opponents and I’ll give you 25 speaks low point wins at best.

2. Please know/understand what you are reading. Do not read something for the sake of reading it. K’s/Theory need to be well explained and extended to vote on.

3. Theory/Topicality Defaults In Order: RVI, Drop the Debater, Topicality

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.

PF
-DO NOT SPREAD! I like smooth deliveries and perfect fluency, especially from the first speakers of each team.

-Have solid link chains that are easy to understand. In addition, be sure to have strong supporting evidence because arguments are only strong if they have strong factual backing.

-Even if you have the perfect case, it’s no use if your delivery is poor. Powerful speaking and relevant content are extremely important but with perfect fluency added on, that’ll bring you up from my 29 to 30.

Congress

-I'm not as experienced with Congress so please excuse any mistakes I make.

-I'm looking for strong link chains and delivery.

-Clash is important! Including refutation in your speeches, especially after 1st aff/neg is essential.

-Impact your points, tell me why what you're saying matters.

Honestly, I don't really care about debate. Just entertain me.

P.S. I'll take bribes

:))

Hello!

Before I go into my paradigm, I'm going to give a little bit of background on myself: I did speech and debate competitively for three full years. In this time my main events were Public forum (NSDA national qualifier) and Congress, and I have experience in nearly every event in the NSDA, TFA, and UIL circuits.

Paradigms:

Debate:

I like to see progressive debate; you can basically run any type of argument as long as you roadmap it. My one reservation is that I do not like spreading; speed is fine, but excessive speed to the point where you are 'double-breathing' is too fast.

1. I flow on all stock issues, but heaviest on significance/solvency. Please use cards, but don't rely on them alone - I want it to be a debate on the issue at hand as opposed to the "Who's card is better" speech. be prepared to show the other team or myself your cards without using the internet.

2. I want to see direct clash of evidence and/or logic.

3. feel free to be assertive to prove your point, but I will dock speaker points if it becomes too aggressive (ie: yelling, excessive interrupting, ad hominem attacks).

4. Speaking quickly is fine, but don't spread (ask me and I will explain what I do in this situation before the round starts).

5. for PFD, progressive debate is okay with me, but please announce what you are doing in your off-time road map.

6. For WSD, accept an appropriate amount of POI's

Congress:

1. Get yourself heard in the chamber, I like to see representatives who try to speak within the first 45min of the chamber - if you stand for speeches and questions often and aren't getting recognized, that is okay, but sitting and not trying for speaking time isn't.

2. If rules allow, I prefer the chamber implement direct questioning. During direct questioning, the same rules of aggression apply as with debate.

3. Presiding Officer needs to keep separate precedency charts for speeches and questioning

Extemp:

1. I'd like to hear the question clearly stated at both the beginning and the end of your speech

2. Roadmap your entire speech

Competed PF for 4 years at Lovejoy High School, qualified for state 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. I also competed in College Policy last year at Indiana University. I can understand some speed, but I have not judged in months and we are online so higher speeds may not pick up well over computers. For security I would reccomend just emailing me speech docs, helps me not miss anything

I am tech over truth in that I will prefer a mediocre argument with 0 defense on it over a strong, realistic contention with 2 unanswered pieces of terminal defense.

If you want it in final focus (PF), and want it to be weighed, it should be in your summary as well. Also PLEASE DO IMPACT CALCULUS. Tell me on what scale is your impact either more likely, impactful, or far-reaching(scope).

Repeating your link chain is not extending the argument... Unless the opponent drops it completely, you must still explain what this drop means in the context of the round and why it can, or should, win you the round.

(Update for online, most of this doesn't apply as you are looking at a computer screen. Just try to keep it persuasive.) I know from experience, we all want 30's in the speaker point category, here's how you get one from me. First, be conversational, speaking like a robot in every speech and staring at your flow will not get you good speaks from me. Second, in cross, do not get bullied around and ask 1-2 total questions, but obviously be respectful and if your opponent asks for a question after you ask one, just give it to them. Third, your ability to weigh and crystallize your argument in the later speeches will come as a factor in your speaks, do not make me decide which argument is more important, tell me which one is the winner, and what specifically happened in the debate that makes that the case.(Drops, unanswered turns, non-unique's, etc.)

I am a PF-er at heart, so if you run Plan-affs, K's or other non-standard argument types.

If you have any other questions on any in-round preferences, feel free and ask me in the round.

Email is glarson3434@gmail.com

LD

I am an old school judge. I want the main focus to be on framework. Most times my ballots go to the debater who links all arguments to values and criteria successfully. I can keep up with some speed, however I tend to favor persuasion and logic over spreading and tons of cards. I want to hear impacts of cards, not just the card itself. Debaters should listen to each other and use that as the basis of clash, not just contradiction. If you plan to use theory and critiques, you better explain it clearly and don't assume my knowledge.

PF

I am not a fan of spreading. I do not want you to overload with cards and theory.

I would call myself a heavy tab judge. I will listen to any argument that you could possibly read in front of me, but only if you can do so, well. Ks, K affs, theory, framework, performances, wipeout, CPs, Ts, and anything else you could possibly run is okay with me. My only condition is that Voters must always be read. I don't care how long you spend on the argument, if you don't properly cover the voters on the individual argument, then I have no reason as a judge to vote for it.

Explicitly sexist, racist, xenophobic, and homophobic discourse does not belong in debate, so don't engage in it. People should be nice. If you are not, then you may be looking at a low point win. I do not vote based purely on speaking style but if you are rude or offensive, then don't hope for anywhere near that 30. Other than these caveats, I am comfortable voting for just about any winning argument within any framework you want to explicitly place me within. Absent debate to the contrary, I default to voting for the advocacy with the most net beneficial post fiat impacts. On all portions of the debate I tend to use the heuristics of offense/defense, timeframe/probability/magnitude, and uniqueness/link/impact to evaluate and compare arguments.

Speed:

Won't be able to spread me out of the round as long as you are clear. If you are not then I will say clear once and then after that anything that does not end up on the flow does not get carried over.

Email: jameshaydenporter@gmail.com

I am a traditional judge (don’t spread). I encourage you to use Value clash and weighing frequently. Stats and evidence is needed to support your arguments (my coach taught stats)- don’t just state them in your constructive. Your arguments that are extreme (war, extinction,racist, etc) need to be legitimatized. I don’t just buy the extreme arguments unless you prove they’re probable. Philosophical arguments aren’t as compelling without data. Use pathos too, it helps. Furthermore, my decision is made based on the Rebuttal. That’s what the focus of the debate should be. If you want me to focus on a point, say it in the rebuttal for it to factor into my decision. The Neg constructive is also the first neg rebuttal. Also, extend evidence. I admire weighing. Don’t just say your argument is better. Place your argument and your opponent’s on a scale, show me how your are comparatively better. Watch hot words in resolution like “on balance” or “just”. Advance the debate, evolve arguments to respond to what’s being said. Speaker points and speaking ability is a big help and your speaker points will be given accurately. Also, be polite! Use your cx to clarify, poke holes, and expose. Finally, keep your time and remember your prep. JUST BECAUSE THE RESOLUTION SAYS OUGHT DOESN’T, IN THE SLIGHTEST, MEAN YOUR VALUE NEEDS TO BE MORALITY!! Your value needs to match the content of your case.

please put me on the email chain: kateshadman@gmail.com

^^please send docs, don't dump an entire speech into the body of the email

Colleyville Heritage HS (TX) '20: 4 years PF (tfa and nat circuit)

University of Oklahoma '24: 4(ish) years policy

pronouns: she/her/hers

tl;dr (pf)

do whatever you want, i vote on the flow. your barrier to speed is your opponent (if they can’t handle it don’t do it). please warrant and weigh your arg and terminalize your impacts — if you do this you will most likely win. 2nd rebuttal should frontline, if they don’t defense is sticky in 1st summary. if it’s in final it needs to be in summary. have good evidence ethics.

come in pre flowed and send the email chain at the start time

for roadmaps: just tell me which piece of paper to have on top

tl;dr (cx)

my only cx experience is in college, so I'm not as with it as the other college policy debaters

I don't care what you read, I'll listen to pretty much anything. write my ballot for me, I love judge instruction (especially on the K, implicate it to the round plss). I'm biased for a good policy round but don't get me wrong, I love a good K (most familiar with set col, security, and cap). pls label each piece of paper in the 1NC. regardless of the argument, make sure to extend the link (really hard to vote on anything in the 2AR/NR if it's missing) and implicate your args.

come in pre flowed and send the email chain at the start time

for roadmaps: just tell me which piece of paper to have on top

welcome to my paradigm:

*before your speech, pls just tell me what piece of paper to start on and I'll follow you from there (cx: just give me the order of the sheets of paper)

Warrant, Weigh, Win- it's that simple.

- it needs to be on the flow, I need clean extensions and weighing if you want me to vote on it

(please weigh. please, please, please weigh)

- for it to be an extension, I need claim, warrant, and impact

- tell me why/how you're winning and why your argument matters (write my ballot for me)

- terminalize impacts

- please come in pre-flowed and prepared to debate (i want to start the round asap)

- speech doc/email chain should be sent at the start time of the round (or earlier, just not later)

- signpost, I want to write down all of your wonderful arguments (in the right places)

- speed: i don't care how fast you go, know your opponent (if they can't handle the speed -- don't go fast, if they don't have experience flowing off speech docs, this isn't the round for them to learn), if you're going to go sicko mode, give me a doc, otherwise, I flow on paper if I'm not writing stuff down, slow down

pf specific:

- quality > quantity

- tech > truth

- default util

- I don't like calling for ev. you should be doing the ev analysis yourselves, ie. compare the ev between speeches then say it in the speech (I won't vote on it if it's not on the flow)

rebuttal:

- 1st rebuttal shouldn't be doing case extensions (unless it's an ov, fw, or weighing you want flowed on your case), i already got the args from case, it's just repetitive

- 2nd rebuttal: pls frontline offense

summary:

- if 2nd rebuttal frontlines, defense is not sticky

- if 2nd rebuttal doesn't frontline, defense is sticky

- please weigh (pls, pls, pls)

final focus:

- final focus should mirror the summary (if it's not in the summary it shouldn't be in final) (weighing should also be the same)

- PLEASE DON'T GO FOR EVERYTHING, collapse and narrow down the debate

crossfire:

- start whenever y'all are ready, don't wait on me

progressive args (pf)

I would rather not but, do whatever you want, but, it's extremely hard to do the work you need to do within the pf time constraints and the bar doesn't lower just because it's pf. if you are going to do something funky, one of the biggest mistakes I see is not implicating the K (or whatever) to the round, make sure you do work on page comparison otherwise, it's really hard to see how the argument is relevant to the round. tell me how to evaluate the arg in the context of the round.

"progressive args don't belong in pf" isn't a response (unless you have a beautifully curated block on this arg), you need some legitimate ink on the flow

again, I would rather not judge progressive rounds in pf, if you want to, you run the risk of losing the ballot a lot easier than if you debated traditionally

evidence:

don't do anything stupid and don't take forever to pull up evidence, evidence should be cut properly and cited with a working link, if your opponents are doing something bad/sketch with ev make it a voting issue--I am very likely to vote on it (if it's legit)

personal thing about ev- evidence shouldn't be paraphrased when it's introduced into the round, you should be reading from cards, obviously this gets lost in the back half of the round (which is fine)-- if you are going to paraphrase make sure you have the cut cards available and that you are representing them correctly

Email: Aryn.mf.walker@gmail.com

In a nutshell: Run whatever you want to, but tell me how to evaluate it and make sure I can understand it. Generally, I'm psyched to see a team run just about anything that they're particularly good at running (with the exception of overtly prejudiced arguments Please make your arguments clear. You’re supposed to do the heavy lifting here – I should not have to decode what you’re saying. I’ll ignore name dropping, philosopher drive-bys, and argumentation shorthand. If someone reading your speech had to read a sentence twice to understand it, then it won’t be convincing when I hear it. Rebuttals are key for me. Don’t just shuffle around and regurgitate what’s been said in the constructives – provide analysis, re-argumentation, and clarity. And remember, we're not weighing whose evidence is better, rather whose arguments are better.

T- I default to competing interpretations unless otherwise specified. The only real standard on T is limits and I, therefore, will filter much of the 2ac offense as well as 2nc explanations of the violation through that lens. When going for this argument it would help to treat T very much like a disad and having clear articulations of the distinctions you make between the definitions you have read and framing arguments to tell me how to evaluate them. I think that T is underutilized and if done well is cool. When debating T having reasons to justify modest forms of unpredictability, why extra T is good etc as ways generate offense on the limits debate. Similarly, specific examples of ground lost and smart distinctions between good and bad ground will help section of this debate for me. Nuance is key.

DA'S
Good Disad debates are good. I am of the opinion the politics disad are maybe suspect in the conjunction of link and internal link chains, that said framing arguements on this flow are important for me. Justifications for probability, magnitude, and time frame can really make or break alot of these close debates and I think spinning link and uniqueness questions is good.

CPs
I really like a good CP debate. These are fun arguments all counter-plans are theoretically suspect but that's on you to explain. Explain why the counterplan solves at least some or all of the aff, that is important. Slow down on the text of the counterplan so I can catch it. Have a clearly articulated net benefit. Theory alone is insufficient to beat the counterplan, I think it should be paired with some sort of solvency deficit.

The K—I have no problem with the K, if your framework is couched fairly. I do, however, think that they ought to be topic specific with a link explanation that assumes the action of the plan. Statism probably should not be a round winner for me, unless the other team screwed up fairly badly. On this topic, a sophisticated Marxism criticism would be a good choice. A good way to summarize my views of the kritik is that ideally it ought to function as an internal link turn to the affirmative. For example, an affirmative with 3 advantages which all terminalize in nuclear war would be easily susceptible to criticisms which indicate why the methodology deployed by the affirmative makes the international system more chaotic and unstable—because the implicit internal link turn is that the aff method makes nuclear war more likely. You should theoretically be able to beat the aff without cheap shot frameworks that prevent the aff from accessing the 1AC. This perspective should exclude most generic criticisms which don’t adequately deliberate the outcome of the affirmative, but encourages k’s to be as well researched as any other argument and to authentically respond to the aff. I feel the same way about critical affirmatives. Ideally, the aff would still defend the resolution, unless coupled with a good defense of why that perspective is bad. Good critical affirmatives defend the topic and use the veins of critical literature available to them from research on the topic to essentially control every internal link argument. Critical affirmatives should include at a bare minimum some sort of statement of advocacy coupled with a framework. Please don’t hold out on 100% of your framework evidence for the 2AC/1AR. Give me some concept of how your positions operate in terms of the role of the ballot early and often.

Theory
I really enjoy good theory debates. Bad theory debates are at the other end of the spectrum. I also really like non-conventional theory shells. Nuance, specificity, and clarity are key for any shell. When reading theory, make sure to slow down for your interp so I know exactly what the shell is. An RVI is fine if you justify it well.

Speed
Speed is fine.
- Try not to read at top speed if you're hitting a novice. You can still go fast, just make it bearable.
- I won’t vote off of things not on my flow. If I can’t flow you I will shout “clear” as many times as necessary for me to flow you. Be-aware though that if I'm calling clear, I am missing arguments that I won't vote on, no matter how clearly they are articulated in the next speech.
- Give me a sec when switching offs so i can find it on my computer.