Hi I'm Ben

I participated in Public Forum Debate at Hackley for 4 years. I am now a junior at the University of Chicago. In general, I am a flow judge and you should treat me as one. If any of this is unclear or if you have any other questions, please ask me. I am happy to answer any specific questions about my preferences. Please read my paradigm so you can ask me specific questions though.

Above all, have fun. Debate is supposed to be fun. Make me enjoy watching the round. Make jokes. Put a smile on. I promise whether you do well or poorly you will still be happy if you genuinely enjoy debate, so enjoy debate.

For those of you who don't have much time or want a simple version of my paradigm the most important things know are:

-don't misrepresent evidence

-implicate your responses to your opponent's case

-defense is sticky (so you don't need to extend defense they don't respond to)

-Summary and Final Focus must be about the same content

-tell me where you want me to flow your responses (signpost)

-Weigh!!!! Weigh in comparison to your opponents weighing

-Collapse on one argument

Specific Preferences:

1. In second rebuttal, ideally all offense from the other side in the round should be covered. This means you should respond to their case, and any turns and disadvantages they put on your case in first rebuttal.

2. I like to hear weighing in rebuttal, it makes my life easier and the quality of debate higher.

3. I can handle speed, but a disclaimer: the faster you go, the higher the chance that I misunderstand what you are saying. Be reasonable with speed.

4. Please read the dates on any evidence you read.

5. If you misrepresent your evidence with paraphrasing intentionally, your speaks will suffer. Be warned.

6. I'll evaluate theory and k's but I won't like it. They don't really belong in Public Forum, but if you win them, I'll vote off of them.

7. Card dumping is great, but if you don't implicate your cards to their case I'm not going to evaluate them. This also means you have to warrant your cards.

8. Defense is sticky. If defense isn't responded to, you don't need to extend it.

9. Offense is not sticky. If you want me to evaluate offense, it must be in summary and final focus, and if you speak 2nd, in one of your first two speeches.

10. I will put my pen on the table during cross. If you think I am not paying attention during cross, it is because I am not paying attention. Cross is for the debaters to clarify stuff with each other, not to bring up new points or to grandstand for the judge.

11. That being said, don't be super rude or you will lose speaks. I am okay with wittiness/humor, I even appreciate it, but make sure you don't yell at your opponents or explicitly make fun of them, it is bad for the activity of debate and I will take away speaks.

12. Please signpost. If you don't tell me where on the flow you want me to write what you are saying, I will decide, and you might not like that. Even worse, if I can't figure out where to put it, I will just ignore it. You definitely won't like that.

13. Tech>Truth. I will evaluate the round entirely based on what's on my flow. I am not going to intervene. You tell me how to vote and why that means I vote for you, and I will evaluate the round.

14. Please weigh in summary and final focus. Not only that, comparatively weigh. This means you take your weighing and your opponents weighing and you explain why I should prefer your weighing in comparison with their weighing.

15. Collapse. If you go for your whole case, I am going to be really sad and the quality of the debate is just going to be worse. It also will make your weighing and extensions less clear.

16. Speaks: I think speaks are stupid and subjective and they don't promote the activity of debate, they promote the activity of public speaking. Thus, most of the way I am going to evaluate speaks is round strategy, vision, and cohesiveness in a team. Here is how that looks:

30- You collapsed on the right thing, and you weighed it with your opponent's case innovatively. All of the opponent's offense was responded to completely. You frontlined everything you went for. Final Focus built on, but was about the same content as summary. Both partners were on the same page the whole round.

29- You collapsed on the right thing, and you weighed it adequately with your opponent's case. You responded all of your opponent's offense, but you may have mishandled it somewhat. You frontlined everything you went for, but maybe it was a little rushed or done not well enough. Final Focus and Summary were about the same content. Both partners seemed pretty cohesive throughout the round.

28- You collapsed, but perhaps not on the right thing, and your weighing was not comparative. You may have dropped a turn, or a part of your opponent's case, but you at least weighed. You did not necessarily frontline all of your opponent's defense on what you went for, but the frontlining done was good. Final Focus felt a little bit disjointed from Summary, but they still were in the big picture covering the same thing. The partners seemed to be presenting slightly different worldviews at least, and may have interrupted each other in Grand Cross.

27-You probably went for everything, and your weighing was poor or nonexistent. Your defense was mishandled and you didn't respond to significant parts of your opponent's offense. There was nearly no frontlining even attempted, and the frontlining attempted was poor and didn't apply. Final Focus brought up new stuff and felt completely different than what was going on in Summary. The partners seemed very disjointed and probably interrupted each other in grand cross.

26 (This is nearly impossible to do)-You didn't even try to extend any offense and your speeches turned into just yelling nonsense at the wall. Defense? What's that? We don't need to talk about what our opponents said. Partners seemed to be close to a fistfight during prep time.

auto 26 (If you got a 26 this probably happened)- intentional misrepresentation of evidence or complete disrespect for the other team is a one way trip to a 26.

17. If you ask me to call for evidence, I will call for it after the round if my decision is contingent on it.

18. Extensions need to extend the warrant, link, and impact of an argument, and also frontline after you extend.

19. Oh yeah pls don't be racist, sexist, homophobic or any one of those kinda things i will give you lowest speaks possible!!! Don't be that guy or gal pls!

20. Trigger warnings and content warnings seem ideal when appropriate

Former debater. No spreading. No new evidence after summary. Definitely, no new arguments in second summary, except to respond to a new argument brought up in first summary. I won't look at cards, so if you call a card and it's wrong, you have to tell me how it is wrong; evidence falsification/fabrication, however, is a whole other issue, which should be taken up with Tab. I principally vote on what is in the Final Focus, so extend your arguments through every speech until FF.

nb0564@princeton.edu if needed. debated a lot of PF.

I don't have preferences for what arguments you read, existence/quality of evidence, or theory defaults. All open to your interpretation.

I enjoy creative strategy and respectful rounds. Reach out with any questions, and have fun!

Hi y'all. My name is Will Calder, I am a Junior at Delbarton and have done PF Debate since Freshman Year. I am a "flow" judge as well as a "tech" judge, meaning, I take into consideration dropped contentions, responses, and turns when making the final decision. However, the best way you will win my ballot is by weighing the impacts of the round. Defending your case is the best way to win my ballot.

Into Specifics:

Speaking: I can definitely handle speed. However, don't supplement speed for clarity. I much prefer a team that warrants out their evidence compared to someone who just lists statistics at hyper speed.

Speeches: I am super flexible about timing. If you go over by 10 seconds to finish a sentence or thought, be my guest. However, I will stop flowing after 10 seconds or after you start another sentence.

Frontlining: 1st Rebuttal, please read as close to 4 minutes of offense as much as you possibly can. 2nd Rebuttal, I would prefer anywhere from 45-60 seconds worth of frontlining. And don't make it an afterthought at the end of your speech.

Evidence: If you want me to look at a specific card, tell me to look at it and I will determine whether it has a game changing impact on the round. I prefer you guys debate evidence in round rather than after the entire round. However, make your argument as to why the card is game changing. Don't expect my opinion on a card to determine whether you win or lose...you have to tell me why.

Theory: Just don't run it. If you run it, I will autodrop you. Just debate the topic in all of its flaws to the best of your ability.

Any Type of Debate Besides PF:

- I am completely clueless about the rules of other forms of debate. I will do my best to educate myself before a debate, but please be understanding that I have 0 idea what is going on

Final Comments:

Other then that, after every round, if you guys would like to ask me questions please feel free. I personally don't believe Tabroom RFDs do justice to competitors. As a competitor I want to know exactly what is going on in the judge's head when a decision is made. Therefore, I will give in depth comments and tips as well as a full breakdown of the round, time permitting. During this, you guys can ask me questions about a certain piece of evidence, extensions, or anything. I feel that you all have the right to ask or at least question me just so you can get clarity.

Excellent debaters speak slowly, clearly and with good organization to their presentation.

Speak in plain English and avoid debate speak. Do not "resolve to negate" (no one says that in real life); tell me why I should find that the proposition is wrong or unwise (or the converse).

If you cite to an authority, make it clear what the authority is and why that authority is reliable. For example, it is not "Higgins 26 says". Rather, it could be: "As former Assistant Secretary of Defense John Higgins said in his Foreign Affairs article of _____."

You do not have a "card". You have evidence or opinions described by a third party source.

Be respectful to each other; do not interrupt during crossfire. If you ask a question, allow the opponent(s) to answer. Refer to public officials by their title and with respect in a way that no one knows your politics. For example, refer to them as President Trump, President Obama and President Biden.

If you say your opponents did not respond to your third contention (debate speak!) then make clear what that contention (better referred to as "point", "reason", "premise" etc.) is. The same holds true if you are addressing one of their points.

It is important that I be able to track the organization and logic flow of your arguments. I do that for the purpose of determining overall persuasiveness, not to create a checklist of everything that must be "covered". If there is a major point that I believe is unpersuasive based upon the totality of the arguments, then not every sub-point or sub-argument needs to be addressed. I am definitely not a fan of spreading, it generally shows weakness. To be clear though, if there is a strong argument that is not rebutted, that will weigh heavily in the determination of the winner.

Saying less but in a clear manner is far more important and effective than saying more in a way that cannot be understood.

Stand erect, and make eye contact with the judge(s) and note their reactions. Read my reactions to see if you are going too fast or speaking too softly. I do not care if you yell at me if that is what it takes for you to be loud enough to be heard -- and understood.

If you would like to e-mail me, use: owen.carragher@clydeco.us.

Most importantly:

HAVE FUN AND LEARN EACH TIME.

Put your best foot forward!! And please do it without offending others.

All the best!

Hey, I debated PF for four years at Princeton High School. 

Here's my email for an email chain: emilychoi19@gmail.com

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VBI Specific:

Lol idk much about trains so extra warranting >>> 

Don't assume I know things; explain everything clearly, or else I'll have just as much reason to believe the opposite is true.

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Progressive Args:

Avoid running tricks, theory, or Ks in PF --> not a big fan, especially if it is run poorly. 

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PF Specific:

Don't run blippy arguments that are inherently untrue. 

Don't run run the 900 million card --> although it will make me laugh.

Don't card dump, legitimately implicate.

Make sure to collapse and extend properly in summary and ff --> parallel structure!!

Also, WEIGH!!

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Speaks:

Don't be mean to your opponents.

- If you sing, like actually sing a speech in it's entirety, I'll be not sad: 30 speaks :D

- If you rap your speech, I'll not be sad: 30 speaks :D

- Please do not be rude to your opponents or else: 10 speaks

If you have any questions about my paradigm or in general, don't hesitate to ask me questions before the round.

For public forum, please speak slowly and clearly. I prefer well-structured arguments with fewer sources of evidence as opposed to an overwhelming number of sources that are not clearly linked to your argument. As you present your case, define terms and abbreviations as if the audience has little to no background in this area. The final focus, closing argument, is important as I develop the Reason for my Decision.

As a parent judge I value crisp clear language. Especially in the beginning when presenting contentions, be succinct but speak slowly. This sets the foundation for the whole round so if I miss a few sentences or misunderstand, this will not work in your favor. No "spreading" please. I value logical reasoning, strong presentation, respect for the topic and each other.

For remote/online tournaments, it is helpful to state your name prior to beginning to speak on Contentions, Rebuttal, Summaries and Final Focus. This helps me flow the round and assess speaker points quickly upon completion. Thank you!

I am a parent judge aligned with Regis High School in New York City. I have been judging debate for several years at some of the larger regional tournaments, states, and local tournaments, judging mainly Public Forum, rounded out with a BQ qualifier and BQ nationals. Parliamentary Debate is a new format for me.

I work in finance. I'm familiar with basic debate jargon (turn, extend, etc.) but I'm certainly not a very 'debatey' judge. For PF, off time roadmaps are welcome. Please be sure everything you say is understandable. Speed is okay but you must be clear. If I can't follow you it will be harder for me to understand connections between your contentions, warrants, and impacts or challenges to your opponent's arguments.

When time runs out, please finish your thought and stop speaking.

I will vote off the flow.

Hi,

I've been debating for 3 years and I am not a lay judge.

Don't forget to extend your arguments and impacts.

Please weigh impacts in summary and final focus! Even some weighing in rebuttal can be beneficial to your argument.

Explain why YOUR arguments are better than your opponent's arguments, not just why their arguments are bad.

Please signpost so I know what argument you're addressing.

Do not be disrespectful to opponents/me during cross.

I am a parent judge. I have been judging PF for the past 3 years. I debated LD in high school many years ago. I prefer students to speak at a reasonable pace and not race through their individual speeches. I expect all students to respect their opponents and not make derisive remarks about arguments. When you ask a question allow your opponent to respond. Obviously, I prefer when arguments are addressed at least at some level rather than just ignored. I am often more persuaded by the logic of an argument rather than just counting pieces of evidence.

I have been competing in the debate circuit for the past few years now and I use she/her pronouns.

My email is carolynhohl29@gmail.com, so if you are choosing to disclose your case please copy me on your email chain.

I judge 90% on the flow, so if you are choosing to do an off time road map (under five seconds please) tell me which side of the case I should flow on (and please stick to your roadmap!!). If you don’t choose to do an off time roadmap make sure that you signpost.

I will only vote on offense, so please make sure that your final focus isn't entirely defense. If this happens, I will default to neg.

Debate is a wonderful activity, but it can be very exclusionary at times. If at any time you feel uncomfortable in a debate because of what the other team has said please privately email me.

(If you want to do an open forum during grand cross, I am open to doing so. Please just make sure that your opponents agree to this before the round starts.)

That being said, I only will only accept theory if a team says anything can be considered hate-speech.

Other things:

1. You don't have to be perfect (I won't take off speaker points for super small mistakes)

2. Weigh (PLEASE--the more weighing the better)

3. Be cordial in cross!

Howdy, I'm Anthony Holm, I am a first-year out, currently a freshman at the University of Iowa

Email - TonyHolm2000@gmail.com

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LD DEBATE

TLDR: Don't read tricks in front of me, I want to see debaters making actual arguments their opponents can engage with, that goes for every argument.

If you are relying on your opponent being unable to engage with your argument as a strategy that will make me sad.

I don't care how you present yourself, you can wear whatever makes you comfortable and you can sit or stand or fly.

I'll presume based on speaker points (in Elim rounds I'll presume based on speaker points I would have given). However, if you argue for a different method of presumption I'll presume based on in round arguments.

General info:

- Although I used to read tricks and I'll understand them if you read them, I've come to realize how extremely toxic and exclusionary tricks-style arguments are. So I really don't want to hear them being read.

- I don't want to intervene, please make it clear what my evaluative mechanisms are, I.E. the tools I should be using to evaluate the round.

- I'll assume some stuff like conceded arguments are true, AC is 6 minutes, etc. Unless you make arguments about why I shouldn't.

For Novice Debate: This changes a lot of my paradigm, I think debaters should be focusing on the fundamentals at this stage. So don't read tricks (a prioris, Nibs, friv theory) I will ignore these arguments.

- If you read a K or read theory, please run it correctly. I'm very happy listening to Novice debaters read advanced arguments but make sure you do it correctly although during the first topic I am going to have a low bar for responses (this does not mean novi get to ignore these arguments, I'll be upset if I think you're trying to take advantage of my leniency)

Speaks- Everyone gets above a 29 unless you do something that makes the space exclusionary or toxic (tricks debate or prey on your opponent's misunderstanding) cause then I'll just give you average speaks. If you do something extremely out of line you get a 25.

Cross Ex:

Do whatever you want, T-Pose, Levitate, Ascend, I do not care just make sure your opponent can hear you and so can I

I probably won't pay much attention to the actual content of CX cause I'll be writing comments on the previous speech as well as CX strategy, so if you're gonna call back to the content of cross remind me

I want a fun cross, if things get heated I'll pry be paying close attention. A fire cross-ex is my favorite thing in Debate so if you get going, please be confident, be aggressive, and get the concession or slip up you need. So long as you are not personally attacking your opponent or causing psychological violence in another way be as aggressive as you want.

if you can dodge questions masterfully I will be very happy

if you let your opponent get away with murder then I'll be less happy

Spreading

do it, just send the email chain if you're opponent asks.

Framework: Probably my favorite kind of debate, determines what offense is / what impacts are/ how to weigh. The biggest mistake in framework rounds is just a bunch of conceded preclusion claims with no interaction, I’ll attempt to resolve these by doing work myself which I don’t want to do. Furthermore, if you just read a bunch of straw man dump arguments against a framework (like most people do to Kant) it will make me sad.

-TJFs: fine read them if you want.

-Skep Triggers: Funny, I always enjoy the new ways debaters articulate them.

Skep: Do not read skep as your primary argument, if skep comes up in round it should only be as a result of framework issues triggering skep, I.E. both debaters defend consequentialism but consequences fail is also read.

Impact justified frameworks: make me sad :( read them if you want but be ready to defend them.

Theory- I don’t default on any paradigm issue, they should be read in the round, if you do not read fairness/ed./whatever is a voter I will not evaluate theory as a voting issue.

- Also, I’m fine if the counter-interp text is just “I’ll defend the violation” or “converse/inverse of their interp”. I will never “gut check” against theory args.

- Personally, I think RVI's are good, competing interps is true, and theory is drop the debater. I'll do my best to keep these biases out of my decision though.

- if it turns out you had some masterful strategic plan that required you to not read paradigm issues (I've done that before) then I'll be happy if the strat works.

T: Is fun I like it, a lot of the same rules for theory still apply

- Nebel T confuses me so be clear about it.

Interps: I'm fine with minimal extensions, "extend the interp" with a very fast explanation would be fine I.E. "Extend the interp NIBS are bad"

Spikes: I like them, read them more. They are probably necessary for certain affs just cause the 1AR can be soul-crushing when debating tricks gods (@Peregrine Beckett) or just in general.

- I'll listen to OV arguments like "spikes are ableist" but I don't think these arguments are very persuasive given that most under-views will preempt these.

K’s- I think Ks are really interesting and can have some good debates, but I do have a few problems with them

- don't be purposefully vague about the K in order to take advantage of your opponent's misunderstanding, this will really upset me. So If you do not read a clear explanation of the K, I will not vote on it. of course, if your opponent straw mans it a bunch I'll be much more lenient.

- ROBs-ROJs should have normative justifications, I need clear warrants as to why our decision calculus ought to be based around the issues the K talks about

- I want to see the K debater substantively respond to the AC/NC instead of making very broad overviews.

- Read Non-T aff's all day long I think they can be great, just make sure you are very clear about them.

LARP- is cool, it's not my cup of tea so I don't do it much. But it's strategically beneficial so LARP all you want.

- if you make some wacky argument like spark or dedev you'll be very cool.

If you have any questions just ask me. if you're trying to do prefs, shoot me an email.

I have been coaching public forum at Shrewsbury High (MA) since 2014, and am now the head coach there. Please note that Shrewsbury PFers have been instructed not to send their cases to their opponents or their judges. They also will not partake in Theory or K debates since they have no place in Public Forum Debate. They will be debating the resolution as is the entire goal of PF debate.

I have a lot of experience judging, but have also been in the tabroom a lot recently. I believe in the values of public forum debate, meaning that the debate should be able to be adjudicated by a citizen judge. I will flow, but I'm looking for clear signposting and a clear structure to each speech. This is just good practice.

I love a good narrative, but not at the expense of solid evidence and impacts.

I want logically sound warrants, please don't just say that my card is from 2023 when theirs is from 2021...I want a real reason for why your evidence is better in relation to your contentions.

Please give me clash and weighable impacts. But please don't just say you outweigh on scope or magnitude without telling me why.

I really don't want to call for evidence, so please don't use false figures or try anything dodgy. This includes things like, "our opponents didn't respond..." when they clearly did respond.

I will not judge based on any plans, counterplans or critical theories. That is simply not in the spirit of public forum debate.

I don't like roadmaps. Your speech should be clear enough for me to follow without one and it's a problem if you need one, and although I'll probably let you give it, I won't be listening to it.

Don't be rude. This includes good etiquette in crossfire. Condescension will make me look for a way to give you the loss.

I do really like cases I haven't heard before. Just be careful though, the reason they're new is that there's usually an issue with them! That's the fun of all this right!?

Greetings!

I am a parent judge and new to Public Forum Debate. I am a former trial lawyer. I am looking forward to judging and will be looking for certain things as the rounds progress.

Most important to me will be a respectful and courteous exchange of arguments and ideas. Convincing arguments are much more persuasive when expressed with confidence and strength versus negativity and condescension.

Please speak clearly and slowly. It is more important to me that you express your position in a concise and measured manner versus speaking extremely fast and trying to pack in multiple arguments. There is more strength in less arguments expressed clearly and convincingly rather than more arguments delivered in rapid fire.

Time management is a critical skill. To that end, please keep time for yourselves. I will be keeping time, but your ability to keep within the time constraints of the competition is relevant.

It is incredibly important to me that you enjoy the process of interactive exchange of ideas. This is a life skill that will serve you all well in life, whatever path you choose to pursue.

Hey, my name is Wubet. I am a Senior who does pf debate. Please be respectful of each other. Speak clearly, remember to enunciate, and don't spread. If something important is mentioned in cross, bring it up in your speech so I can flow it. Most importantly, make sure to weigh!

I have no background in debate, but I've been judging since 2013. I have also been a practicing attorney for over 35 years. I am looking for a thoughtful exchange of ideas. I do not emphasize technicalities often associated with high school speech and debate. I do not like K’s.

Speak clearly and avoid spreading. I cannot credit arguments that I miss because you were speaking too fast. Arguments should be supported by evidence.

I like signposting and prefer quality of evidence and argument over quantity. Teams should do their best to collapse and weigh.

Explain why I should vote for your side, including why the other side's arguments fail and why yours don't, or why your arguments are better than theirs.

This paradigm is a work in progress; I know it's lame at this point, but more will be added over time. For now, here are a few guidelines:

I'm a lay judge (hence the lame paradigm) - first year, fourth tournament

I appreciate roadmaps

Not a fan of speed; please speak clearly

If both sides make compelling cases, you really need to weigh

Never hurts to make me laugh!

If you see me typing while you're speaking, don't worry, I'm still listening.

Please make sure your Internet is working before we start the round

Good luck and have fun!

my email for evidence and etc: esther.kardos@gmail.com

general rule of thumb.... i am now officially 4/5 years removed from pf debating and the format has changed a lot. i am super receptive to this change so if you're doing something especially out of the box it's totally fine with me, i just need a heads-up and you might have to do some extra legwork to teach an old pf-er new tricks.

spreading - yeah, probably. if you can't get through your speech without it, then i can follow until about 230 wpm. after that, maybe send over a copy of your speech to make sure i don't miss anything. i would encourage you to slow down toward the back end of your speeches, but up to you.

theory & beyond - i didn't have to deal with this a ton back when i did pf (pf used to be the "one format without theory" lmao not anymore!), but i've had enough exposure to T/K/plans/counters from judging that i can probably pick up what you're putting down. as a caution, i REALLY need to get persuaded by theory to vote on it, and if it's too complicated for me to understand i'll just default to your opponent.

flowing - make flowing easy for me! start each of your big points with something flashy like "my first contention is..." or "my second independent point is..." or even just "one... two... three...", and then clearly indicate to me the different branches of argumentation under that big point. you don't need to be as obvious as shouting "THIS IS MY WARRANT, THIS IS MY IMPACT", but be able to clearly explain why/how something is true and what's going to result from it, and especially why it matters more than whatever your opponent is saying. i listen to cross-ex but i don't flow it, so if you/your opponent say something important during cross, make sure you remind me during your next speech so it 100% makes it on the flow.

evidence/cards - evidence is only as good as the warranting, weighing, and impacting that goes behind it. i will never base my rfd on how well you were able to gather bits of evidence from the depths of debate's dark web, or if one really good point you were making had a link that couldn't load. instead, if the argument you're creating makes sense to me (with some informational evidence to back it up) because of the warranting, weighing, and impacting you put behind it, then i'll always be more willing to pick that up rather than just buy what the other team is saying because of some guardian article from 2004.

misc - i don't mind "offtime roadmaps" or whatever the kids are calling it these days, just let me know beforehand and plzzz keep them brief. if you're a novice (or even a varsity!!!) and you have questions during the round, please don't be afraid to ask me, i'll never look down on you for wanting to learn! i'm happy to give any timing cues, you just gotta let me know beforehand. be nice to each other, debate is temporary but building a habit of being a jerk follows you forever. and in case I haven't beaten this to death already, WARRANT AND IMPACT AND WEIGH.

if you have any more questions, let me know. i'm so excited to see what arguments you come up with!

-I will flow. I appreciate a clear narrative across arguments! It's okay to collapse.

-Significant impacts are awesome, especially quantifiable ones! Explain the gravity of the situation!

-Signposting is always really helpful.

-Spreading is okay, but make sure we can actually understand you. Don't speak super fast against an obviously less experienced team (this helps no one!)

-Don't be rude in cross-ex, especially don't be patronizing or condescending toward female debaters

-If evidence is requested, please pull it up quickly for the other team

-If you're running complex theory, please break it down and explain it.

Hi, I'm Emma McRedmond. I'm a Junior at Lexington High School. I've done one year of Policy and one year of PF. Like everyone I don't allow bigotry in a round and I will vote you down. For actual debating, I can listen to spreading but it is not preferable. And make sure to weigh in ff and have fun!

Email: cm3054@princeton.edu if you need it for any reason, I prefer docs to email chains but up to you, I like to be shared on the evidence.

TL;DR: Ex-PF debater currently a sophomore at Princeton. Don't spread, for the love of all things debate signpost, weigh WELL, I won't flow after time for speech is up. I'm not well-versed in theory or K's; you're welcome to run it but I can't guarantee I'll understand it. Won't drop you for misconstrued ev but I won't consider it in my eval of the round.

Me: I'm a current Princeton student and ex-debater with 4 years of PF experience. I went to several National Circuit tournaments and won a few local ones. As I was a flow debater, I would consider myself a flow judge; I'm not necessarily up to date on what has happened in the world of PF in the past ~3 years.

Timing: Since I'm judging varsity, please time yourselves. If your opponent is over time, that's up to you to call them out.

Speed: Speak as fast as you would like as long as you aren't spreading. Take that to LD or some other form of debate where spreading is welcome. I'll accept a speech doc if you want to spread, but if you spread without one I'll dock your speaks significantly.

Theory/Kritiks: I am not well-versed in either (again, I haven't been in the PF space in years). I'm decently familiar with disclosure theory but in all honesty I find it somewhat idiotic and get bored listening to rounds entirely on this topic. You're welcome to argue it though. Assume I don't know theory jargon/terms so please make sure to briefly explain them. I can't guarantee I will understand how to incorporate theory and/or K's into my evaluation of the round but run it at your own risk. I really dislike theory run against opponents who aren't familiar with it - imo that's mean and an abusive way to pick up wins, I'll likely drop you if you do this. I'm generally not a fan and think this stuff belongs in other forms of debate unless you are genuinely trying to change the debate space and not just trying to use it to win.

Signposting: Hopefully the following reminder should only apply to novices - PLEASE SIGNPOST! (AKA, "In my opponents' contention 1, [tagline], they say xyz. In response, we say zyx.") In the words of my favorite debater, Dorothea Newman, signpost so much that I feel like I'm driving in a construction zone. My biggest pet peeve is not signposting. I also appreciate numbered responses and if you do this I'll give you decently high speaks; it just makes my flows pretty. I will subtract -1 speaks if you fail to ever signpost in the round.

Weighing: Make sure to do a good job weighing, I would rather vote off of who does a better job weighing than my own personal view of impacts. Additionally - you can't just say "we win off of probability and magnitude (insert other weighing buzzwords)", you must tell me why your argument is more probable/has a greater magnitude. Metaweighing is great.

Reasons for drops: I can and will drop you if you are racist, homophobic, xenophobic, sexist, ableist, etc. Xoxo. Maybe if you run really abusive theory against opponents who are not familiar with theory.

Misconstrued evidence: As disclosure becomes more common within debate, we're seeing less of this, but that being said I won't drop a team for misconstrued evidence, but I will consider that piece of evidence null if it's sufficiently proven to be misconstrued.

Extra: Make the debate interesting!!

Good luck and please don't postround me. I'm just a tired college student. You'll live. Also more than happy to email you a picture of my annotated flows if you don't find the RFD sufficient.

Add me to the email chain: josephineobrien922@gmail.com

Note for Glenbrooks

Hi LDers! I will be judging you. That being said, I have only ever debated in PF and I am a PF judge. That means that I cannot judge advanced theory or spreading. If you don't read my paradigm and run a progressive argument and leave me sitting there attempting to flow and wondering what the heck is going on, that's on you! That being said, I've always loved LD and I'm excited to judge y'all. Most everything else in my paradigm still applies to you, so read through it.

Background:

Hi! I'm Josephine (she/her/hers). I debated for four years for Hunter and graduated in 2021 — I'm taking a gap year before I start college at Columbia University with a dual BA at Sciences Po. I was my team's captain as a senior and, although I took a step back from debating due to virtual tournaments/college apps, I'm familiar with current circuit norms and argumentation. You can treat me as a flow judge, but that doesn't mean that you should tell me to "just extend" an argument or spread.

tldr:

You can win my ballot with the two Ws: Warranting and Weighing. Be nice.

General Guidance:

• Please signpost and weigh. I'll evaluate weighing first, then who links into that weighing best. If you want my ballot, weigh. Make fewer arguments and weigh them more!

• I'm okay with moderate speed. If I can’t make out what you are saying I’ll say “clear” twice.

• I am tech over truth, but if you are racist/sexist/etc i will drop you with low speaks. That also means that you NEED to use content warnings if you're discussing a sensitive topic. And, this should go without saying, but respect pronouns.

• Speaks start at a 28 and go up/down from there.

• Please, please, please warrant — tell me WHY what you're saying is true, even if so-and-so from the Brooking Institute says it's true!

• Don't be mean in cross — that doesn't make it a fun round for anyone.

• PF: Write my ballot for me in the final focus! everything in FF should be in summary. All offense for me to vote needs to be in the second half of the round.

• You need to extend a clear link chain with warrants and impacts if you want me to vote on it. You would be surprised how many teams neglect to do this.

• If you want me to vote on a turn, it needs to be given the same care and attention as case offense. What that means: your links need to be extended, you need a clear and warranted impact, and you need to weigh that impact. I will not vote on a turn that is nebulous or not implicated. That being said, I have nothing against voting off a turn (I personally loved running turns) — just run it well.

• I will raise my hand once you're at time and stop flowing after a ~5 second buffer

• I love cool and innovative strategies — run them in front of me!

• I’m fine with theory if it checks back for actual abuse BUT I am not too familiar with progressive arguments (I personally never ran them). Therefore, if you’re trying something progressive, run it in paragraph form, don’t spread, and explain it clearly.

• LD: if neither side has offense at the end of the round i will presume neg, but please don't make me presume anything (please extend!). PF: I'll presume first-speaking team.

• Wear whatever makes you comfy.

• Try to make me laugh! I show all my emotions on my face so you will know if you say something funny.

Zoë Kaufmann legit taught me everything I know about debate so if you want to learn more about my philosophy, you can check out her paradigm here. You can assume that anything in it also goes for me.

Have fun! And if you ever want to chat about debate or life, feel free to reach out via email, Facebook Messenger, or Instagram (@j0sephinefrancis). I know as well as anyone that debate can be stressful and scary but I am here for you and so proud of all of you! Instead of spending your last few minutes before your round stress-prepping, watch this!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCwcJsBYL3o

I'm an undergraduate junior at Columbia Engineering. I have no current involvements with PF, but competed in PF for 4 years in high school, and Parliamentary for ~1 year. While I don't mind a more 'technical' approach to PF debates (e.g. speed-reading as much evidence as possible), I do appreciate a more accessible/traditional style of delivery, as I feel it makes for better quality discourse overall. In that vein, I appreciate good signposting & weighing in speeches, especially as rounds go on & the overall amount of information that's been brought up grows. Otherwise, I'm pretty flexible with how things go.

Reasonable Pace, thought out arguments, and maturity when opposition is speaking.

I take detailed notes (flow) during the debate. I do not flow cross examinations. If seeing a specific piece of evidence is relevant to the decision I will ask for it. I care about logic and the strength of link chains. The quality of evidence matters. Please extend arguments through the debate. A dropped argument will not hold. The speed arguments are delivered is only an issue when words become garbled and unintelligible. Thus, be very careful spreading if you chose that method. Please try to use all of the time allocated to you. It is easier for me to follow a debate when I can see the debaters. Have fun and respect the art of debate!

Hello all,

I will flow. I don't like theory and I don't like turn spam.

Pls don't make my job very difficult. This means saying WHY your argument is better than your opponent's (weighing) and not going for every single contention in your case (collapse). I look forward to judging all of you!

I have experience judging PF, LD, and Speech at national-level tournaments. For PF: I am open to a wide variety of approaches to a topic and try not to intervene in a round unless absolutely necessary. Generally, I encourage debaters to consider quality over quantity, making links between evidence, contentions, and impacts as clear as possible, and to avoid speaking at super-human speed. It is also helpful when debaters consider framework and make a case for what voting issues should be in a round and how the arguments should be weighed. Please be mindful of not speaking over one another during CF.

I am new to speech & debate. I will be looking for you to present clear impact from your arguments and clear linkage to those impacts. Additionally, If I cannot understand why your impact outweighs your opponent's impact - then it will be hard for me to award your team as the winner.

Hello!

I am a new parent judge and I would really appreciate if you speak clearly and speak slowly. As a parent judge, it is very likely that I will not know a lot about the topic you are debating so make sure that you explain everything. Also, as a parent judge I will probably not know many debate terms so please try to avoid these, for example use point instead of contention. Please signpost. Make sure to extend all your points and keep bringing up the points you want me to remember. It will help me decide a winner if you directly compare your arguments and impacts to your opponents.

I am looking forward to judging you, thank you so much!