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Lexington Winter Invitational

2021 — NSDA Campus, MA/US

Novice LD Paradigm List

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Jason Aroesty Brookline High School

Gregg Bierman Needham High School

Rachel Buske Arlington High School

Levi Cannon Brookline High School

Ian Chen Scarsdale High School 8 rounds

Steven Clark Needham High School None

Adam Ford Acton-Boxborough Regional High School

Brett Fortier Lexington HS

Last changed on Sat January 27, 2024 at 1:06 PM EDT

PLEASE COME ON TIME AND START THE ROUND ON TIME - we are all busy and don't want to wait 15 minutes for an email chain, speaks will directly reflect this preference, you will also get better speaks if you can end early or take less prep but please don't do so at the expense of speech quality

brett.t.fortier@gmail.com

Mandatory things about debate so you know I'm somewhat qualified to judge

Debated for Lexington HS from 2018- 2022

Competed on nat circuit from 2019-2022, got 15 career bids, qualled to TOC junior + senior year, won a couple tournaments, deep elims of a handful of others (not that any of this actually affects how good judges are but I get why it's useful to know).

TLDR; run whatever you want, I'll evaluate it as best as I can, I wont refuse to evaluate anything and I will try my best to evaluate everything, below is mostly a list of familiarity with arguments and rants about debate

Theory- 1

Trix - 2 (if you read actual warrants you are fine but I'm not gonna make the argument for you)

Phil - 2/3 (good if you want to actually debate, if you use it as an excuse to do trix debate but with less warranting I will be unhappy) please acc explain your phil some of it is dense

Policy- 2

K- 2/3 (Becoming more comfortable but still have less experience)

I have run most arguments from Deleuze K, to skep NC's, friv theory, Policy, and also debated at several local tournaments. That being said I mostly read theory as my A strat, tricks occasionally when I could, and policy and phil in other rounds

Please add me to the email chain brett.t.fortier@gmail.com

I will flow any speed, but I reserve the right to say clear or slow 3x, after that point if I don't catch something I consider it to be on you. I am generally not great at flowing, I am fine for most things, but if you are spreading at 500wpm and extempt 'evaluate the theory debate after the 1AR' or some other blippy 1 liner that you expect to win off of, if I didn't flow it then I will not vote off of it.

Statements do not have to be true, but they do have to have a warrant, the warrant does not have to be true, but it does have to exist. I will vote off blatantly false statements if there is an extended warrant and impact. Truth and tech trade off which each other, the more true you are the less tech you need to be and vice versa.

Attacks on other people are not arguments and thus don't belong in the space

Misc

I default no judge kick CP's

I am not voting on evidence ethics. Stop being scared of debating. Run it as a shell or get me to reject the arg, if you stake the round you will lose.

I will not evaluate 'give me 30 speaks', I will give you what you deserve. I will probably just drop your speaks for this

Call-out affs are not real arguments. I will not vote on call out affs, even if you can prove that the debater is bad in some way, it's not my job to evaluate if a debater is a bad person and I won't do it

I will time prep if I remember which I will try to, please don't steal prep, its not fair or allowed

if you post round, do it respectfully, ask questions, I mess up sometimes, if you get your coach to come and yell at me, I will just get up and leave

I won't read evidence unless you ask me to do so, and if you ask me to do so, please say what I am looking for i.e. 'their impact card has no evidence that global warming is reverse causal' is good but 'their evidence is bad' will not cause me to go back

I will sometimes close my eyes while I'm flowing, I'm not asleep, just helps me concentrate

Defaults

Presumption goes to the side of least change (very easy to change), permissibillity negates (harder to change just bc most arguments as to why it affirms don't actually justify it)

Theory is CI, DTD, no RVI

TT paradigm

Theory>K>Substance

All of these can be changed very very easily but just making some type of argument about it, please dont make me use these defaults

Policy-

Go for it, have well researched positions that you can understand well, just please don't be boring. If it's the same generic Aff that 100 other people have on this topic, and there is nothing about yours that makes it unique, I will be sad. I will still pick you up even if it's not interesting but I will probably give you worse speaks as a result of my not being invested in the debate.

I don't understand why people don't make more analytical turns on case, just because it's a Policy debate doesn't mean that you need a card that takes 30 seconds to read when you can say the same thing without a card in 10.

CP's: go for it, I like all CP's

I think analytical CP's that intuitively solve for all of the Aff's offense are underused, solvency advocates are probably not needed to make a CP legitimate

I like cheaty memey CP's and they are underused as well e.g. space elevators

If you insert evidence, you should read it, if you are pulling specific lines I think its your burden to read it, if you want me to read their evidence, tell me what specific things to look for, I am not going to read every single line of the article before making my decision. I.e. 'read their evidence - it doesn't isolate Russian aggression as the IL to war, it says bear attacks cause war' is good whereas 'read their evidence it's bad' is not something I am going to do.

Condo is prolly good unless you use it in a way that is explicitly to take advantage of condo, solvency advocates probably aren't needed, Pics are pretty neutral, process + agent CPs r probably bad. (Change my mind through debate, these are very light defaults)

K's

Go for it, I am familiar with the rough ideas of most K literature, but I will not use prior knowledge to evaluate your K

The further out of debate I get the more I enjoy these BUT you should know your lit, good K debate is teaching me about models of the world and explaining why and how violence occurs, if I leave the round feeling as though I have learned something your speaks will be accordingly boosted

I personally never read that many K's, but I have hit most of them, and now have experience teaching or being taught a majority, so feel pretty good evaluating them

HOWEVER, if you read some new K that is 99% incoherent, and your explanation of the K in the last speech is not sufficient for me to understand the K then I will not vote on it.

Please don't give a 4 minute 2NR overview to the K that does a bunch of implicit work everywhere, I would much prefer a brief overview then LBL, I am unlikely to give implicit clash on either side, but this will hurt you more if your work is OV heavy and relatively light on the LBL

I don't like death good, I will vote on it but I just don't find myself very convinced by it and I think ethically debaters probably shouldn't read it.

I would prefer if you have framing mechanism and that you weigh it against theory or the aff framing mechanism. However if your ROB is something that is basically just a trick, you know what this means, I don't understand how its good for debate. Your ROB should not be 'I auto win' because this would seem to rely on you winning debate bad or ontology to justify the ROB at which point you have already won.

If you are going to go for the alt as a floating PIK, indicate it in the 1NC please

Theory

I love it, I think it's very strategic, rhese are the most entertaining debates to judge a lot of the time

Friv theory is good, however the more frivolous the shell is the more frivolous of a response I will accept on the shell

Read unique shells that I haven't seen before or old shells with new standards and you will make me happy and probably get better speaks, it can be a frivolous shell, friv shells that are new are often hard to respond to which is good for you

I will vote off a RVI on pretty much any theory shell, even if it's just an I meet on theory as long as you justify it

Disclosure is probably good, disclosure theory is also probably good

If you read reasonability please give some sort of way for me to know what you think is reasonable 'good is good enough' is not sufficient to justify reasonability

That being said, theory debates with 5 shells and 2 RVI's floating around get messy quickly, weigh between aff theory and neg theory, fairness and education, theory and RVI's, etc.

Tricks

Go for it but please read this whole section, don't just assume I want to sit through this. People are not reading this and getting bad speaks lol, debate tricks well or don't do it, don't be messy

I ran these positions and generally find them either interesting and entertaining or completely a waste of everyones time. At their best it causes tons of critical thinking, line by line arguments, and interesting weighing interactions. At its worst its two people grasping at complex positions reduced to 1 line blips which are both fully conceded and I have to intervene or flip a coin

Yes Tricks are stupid and usually bad arguments but that means it should be fairly easy to answer them and I don't get why people don't just answer them. IMO if you can't do lbl and so drop a trick that would be on you.

Don't say 'whats an a priori' in cx, I will drop your speaks, you know what it is

If you read tricks but you don't understand them then it's probably not strategic to just bombard them with tricks

If you cannot explain the paradoxes that you read, I will not rely on prior knowledge to evaluate them

If you read evaluate x after x speech I will wait until after the 2AR to see if I ought to evaluate after x speech and if you have won the argument at that point I will backtrack and evaluate the round as needed.

Like with all things- the blippier the trick is, the less you need to respond to it in order to disprove it

Tricks need warrants, otherwise you can just say 'no warrant' and move on

This 'no 2N I meets thing' lacks the warrant for an argument, you still need a violation for the theory shell and if you don't have it you will lose idrc if the 2N isn't allowed to make I meets. Also it seems like you could do this and read a very questionable shell that they probably don't violate which would possibly be a strategic way to read this argument.

If you read something without a warrant I will not vote on it, full stop.

The worst arguments I have ever seen in debate are probably trix, if you read these types of argument VERY REAL CHANCE YOUR SPEAKS ARE TANKED. I consider this fair warning to be harsh.

T vs. K affs

I lean for T in these debates due to my experiences as a debater and the side I was usually on, but I have nothing against K affs, have and would continue to vote for them

I think that when done well K affs can be strategic and good for the space, but that if you read a K aff and are unprepared for T that you will probably lose

If your K aff or Frwk block is just OV generic stuff from 2012, I will be very unhappy

Your T 2NR should respond to case, if you don't it's very likely that you will lose the case debate and then lose the framework debate

Speaks

I start at a 28.5 and move from there, below 26 is reserved for fully offensive things. The speaks you receive are relative to the pool you are in, e.g. a 29.5 at a local is different than a 29.5 at TOC.

Speaks are a reflection of not only how good you are but how happy you make me, if I am happy then you will be happy with your speaks, if I am sad than you will not be happy. Resolving good debates that are close is very very different than judging bad debates that are messy and hopefully you can draw that distinction.

If you sit down early or take less prep I'll give you higher speaks :)

Novice/Lay debate

If you read something that excludes a novice or lay debater from engaging, and it is clear that you knew they could not engage and yet you still continue with this strategy, you will get a L 20. For example, if your opponent reads a case at a conversational speed and then you spread a skep and Baudrillard NC and it is clear they don't know what is happening during CX and their 1AR, then you will lose. I don't care if you are ahead on the flow, you should not have to read arguments they can't engage with in order to win. You should try to speak at a max roughly 50% faster than them. I will not drop you unless it is a case of blatant abuse, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. If you read a tech AC without realizing they can't engage, you should 1) help them understand in cx and 2) dont go for the tricky parts of the T

Debate what you feel comfortable with if you are a lay debater or novice, I think these debates are good and definitely an important part of learning to debate

Don't have justice vs. morality debates, they are the same thing and picking one over the other makes ultimately no difference

Matt Freedman Needham High School

Jatin Girhotra Walpole High School None

Gabby Grau Arlington High School

Vivian Guo Scarsdale High School 8 rounds

Last changed on Sun November 14, 2021 at 4:05 AM EDT

Hi, I'm Vivian. I'm a freshman at Duke University studying Computer Science. I debated a lot on the national circuit junior year and quit my senior year. I'm a tech judge and will do my best to evaluate any flow. For Scarvite, try to go at 70% speed and explain a lot because I'm sick and I've been out of the activity for a year and a half.

Contact information: vivianguo07@gmail.com. If you have questions, it's probably better to text me at 914-325-2500. My paradigm is mostly just stuff by Claire Liu:

Honestly, debate is a game. It can be intellectually stimulating, liberating, or a total meme depending on how you play it, but at the end of the day, a win or a loss doesn't actually mean anything. Don't over-invest into the ballot - it doesn't mean anything about you as a person or a debater - it just determines who won a particular round, so relax and try to enjoy yourself. Given this, I also expect that debaters are respectful to each other and everyone in the round. Additionally, feel free to tell me if I'm doing something/acting in a way that makes you feel unwelcome, either during the RFD or during a round.

**** NOVICE **** If you want to bring progressive debate into the round you should make sure your opponent is comfortable with it and take every step to be accessible. I will evaluate any argument you read in round, but if you read a kritik, and cross ex makes it abundantly clear you don't know what you're talking about, your speaks are a 27 at best.

Other things:

0] I don't care what you wear. If you wear a onesie I'll up your speaks by 0.2

0] If you have a funny ringtone for your timer I will up your speaks by 0.2

1] don't call me judge.

2] bring me food or snacks and i'll improve your speaks.

3] i have a pretty high threshold for an "extension." You can't just say the name of a card I also need an explanation of it/what it does. If I don't hear an extension it's unlikely I will be willing to vote off of the argument.

4] Don't cheat or miscut evidence. And if you're stealing things from the wiki at least understand what you're reading.

5] Weigh as early as possible - i.e. disad outweighs case in 1nc, t standards weighing in 1ar.

6] If there are two contradicting arguments, but neither debater does any interaction/weighing, I will consider it a wash and just not bother evaluating it. I'm lazy like that.

7] If neither debater extends framework I'm defaulting to the aff framework.

8] I'll try to average a 28 for novice and 28.5 for varsity.

Here are some defaults that I hope I don't have to use because you will articulate the argument for me :D

Theory is drop the argument, competing interps, no RVIs.

Topicality is drop the debater, competing interps, no RVIs.

1AR theory > topicality = theory = kritik > substance/LARP

Christian Han Lexington HS

Michael Hecht Brookline High School None

Brandon Herring McDowell HS

Sean Kelleher Needham High School

Last changed on Fri February 2, 2024 at 8:42 AM EDT

General:

To the best of my ability, I judge based on the round that I’m presented with, full stop.

As a high schooler, LD encouraged me to think creatively, and to develop a personal communication style that balanced my strengths and weaknesses. Consequently, I have limited interest in having debaters adapt to my preferences; however, there are several caveats which I describe below.

To be clear, I recognize the value of learning to adjust to different audiences, but my view is that it is more important to encourage high school students to be creative, and to experiment with arguments and oratorical styles. Consequently, as long as the debaters are speaking at a pace that I can understand, and are civil to each other throughout the round, then I have no preset expectations (speed is fine, when necessary, but I cannot keep up with super-fast speakers).

When judging at tournaments, I try to write careful and useful ballots, and those documents naturally reflect my general views about contemporary LD; however, those opinions do not affect my decision-making process (well, I suppose I have unconscious biases like everyone else, but I do my best to keep an open mind).

Caveats:

1. I can’t keep up with superfast speaking – this is not a preference, I simply don’t have the required mental capability - so if you choose to do that, expect low speaker points, and recognize that I may decide the round by flipping a coin.

2. I am not conversant with contemporary LD theory and terminology, so please don’t assume that I know what you mean when you use technical language. Basically, I’m happy to listen to whatever you want to say, just please use plain language so that I can follow your arguments.

3. Related to 2: I have zero patience for arguments which try to preclude the other side from winning based on theoretical or technical grounds.

a. That being said, I do think that some of the resolutions are poorly phrased, and tend to unduly favor one side or the other; in those cases, it’s reasonable to discuss each sides’ respective argumentative burdens. To be clear, however, my starting point is that each side has an equal chance of winning the round, so if you are going to debate burdens, I urge you to be fair and reasonable.

4. With very rare exceptions, I judge purely based on what I hear in the round, so I’m not going to read your cases. Consequently, if you think that precise details like the date, or source of a card are important, make sure to emphasize them verbally so that they get my attention.

Last Thing:

While extensions and elaborations of existing arguments are appropriate in the 2NR, and 2AR, entirely new arguments or pieces of evidence are not.

Ipek Kendircioglu Lexington HS None

Arun Kodumuru Lexington HS

Last changed on Sat September 30, 2023 at 1:19 PM EDT

Send Speech Docs!!

Email: kodumuru@umich.edu

Hello I'm Arun Kodumuru, I'm a Sophomore at the University of Michigan and I debated for 4 years in LD at Lexington Highschool

General Things --

1) If you are unclear and as a result I miss arguments it is your fault. I will yell clear 4 times before I hop on Tetris.

2) tech > truth

3) Don't be bigoted -- I forget which paradigm I got this from but: "don't use words, phrases or slurs outside of your social location," period. You can run arguments that may be on the edgy side but just make sure your opponent is comfortable.

4) I'm good with any speed just maybe go 90% of your normal speed if it's early in the morning.

5) Use good ev ethics -- I agree with Tej Gedela's stances on this

6) More time spent on weighing + explanation is always in your best interest

7) If you're circuit going against a trad debater to get high speaks you can still read your usual circuit strat, but just don't spread.

8) Don't spread if you're going against a traditional debater -- you will get low speaks

9) Debate is tough and if you're feeling down watch this -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGOQfLFzJj8

Quick Pref Sheet --

Theory/T - 1

K (Identity) - 2

Phil - 2/3

Tricks - 3

K (High Theory) - 4/5

Policy - 5

Defaults: (These can be altered and changed very easily based on arguments made in the round)

Truth-Testing > Comparative Worlds

Competing Interps > Reasonability

Drop the debater > Drop the argument

No RVIs > RVIs

Presumption Affirms > Presumption Negates

Permissibility Negates > Permissibility Affirms

Layers from highest to lowest: Theory, T, ROB, ethical fwrk

Novice LD --

I will evaluate the debate based on the arguments made in the debate rather than ethos. However, ethos will determine speaker points. I would prefer that you do not spread if your opponent does not spread or read arguments that your opponent may not understand and cannot engage in (i.e theory or tricks). DO NOT read tricks in a novice debate, I will vote on them but you will get 25 speaks.

DO WEIGHING! Most novice debates come down to who weighs there impacts better so please do weighing. Debates without weighing make me sad and are often irresolvable. Clash with each others arguments as much as possible.

COLLAPSE! Don't go for every argument you read in the debate. If you read 3 contentions choose 1 to extend in the 1AR and 2AR and do lots of weighing for why that 1 contention comes first in the debate. You also don't need to extend every card in the aff - extend a few and compare your evidence to theirs.

How to get high speaks: Be respectful, Collapse, Weigh, Clash with your opponents arguments, Use CX strategically.

Varsity LD --

Tricks -- Sure but here are some caveats -- The warrant for an argument starts at 0 and then goes up, with that being said just make sure there's an actual justification for your tricky arguments. Be truthful during cross and I would appreciate it if you formatted your doc so that I could see each argument. Also the roadmap is super important with these debaters so please walk me through the order for each flow and whether I should flow a certain argument on a separate page.

-- If you have analytics pre-written in a constructive speech send it

T/Theory -- Yeah sure go for it. I every read shell from condo to glizzy theory throughout my career. I'll always be technical, but my threshold for reasonability also decreases with the frivolity of the shell. Structure your shell and make sure I know what I'm voting on. Make sure to do lots of framing and weighing for different impacts in the round so that I can judge the round off the flow.

-- Don't read disclosure against traditional debaters, I'll still vote on it, but your speaks won't be lookin too hot.

K -- K's are dope and I'm always open to them. In debate I primarily ran Mollow and Queerpess as my main K strategies, but I've taken classes on Nietzsche and looked into Berardi. I will say I am a lot more comfortable with the identity side of K debate but I'll evaluate your wacky K's as well. Don't spend five minutes on the overview about your theory, I would much more appreciate if you do the explanation along the line by line. Also framing is a huge part of these debates, just make sure I know what your model's orientation looks like.

-- If you're reading a reps K please proactively explain why I should drop the other debater/whatever your impact is -- "that's a voting issue" isn't a warrant.

K affs -- Read them, go for it, I don't care if you don't implement but explain your model of debate and why it deserves the ballot. That being said I will not evaluate call out arguments or arguments based on out of round violations other than disclosure. Lastly, an explanation for your method is super important -- I need to be able to repeat back to you what it is that the aff does in order for you to get the ballot.

Policy/LARP -- Yeah policy is dope, I just don't have the most experience with this style of debate

-- I live for impact turn debates! -- If you actually understand the turns that you're reading and give me a good explanation of them your speaks will be rewarded handsomely.

Phil -- Philosophy is a very interesting style and I advocate for it because of how specific it is to LD. That being said I understand most of my phil experience in debate was between Util, Kant and Hobbes with a little bit in Virtue Ethics and Hegel. Some of the more abstract philosophies that are read these days are a little harder for me to digest, but with a good explanation of the meta ethic and standard in a round I should be able to understand your argument. I also encourage debaters to cut substantive evidence for the syllogisms of their frameworks -- it just makes the argument a lot stronger.

-- Please enunciate more on your permissibility triggers and provide sufficient explanation for them. I'm not willing to pull the trigger for you for a 1 second trigger you made in the NC.

Theo Kuby_Weiss Stuyvesant High School 8 rounds

Last changed on Sat January 16, 2021 at 5:56 AM EDT

Hi everyone!!

I'm Theo (he/him/his) and this is my third year debating for Stuyvesant High School ('22) in NYC.

You can reach me at theomoss@gmail.com or Theo Kubovy-Weiss on Facebook.

Some general notes and preferences:

- I'm cool with pretty much any argument type, but my favorites are K debates and Baudrillard is my favorite author (ignore this, novices!).

- Anything racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise exclusionary will result in me dropping you with 0 speaks.

- Be clear about your arguments and signpost.

- Weigh!! I won't do it for you. Unless it's explicitly stated in round otherwise, I will consider all impacts to be of equal weight and importance.

- I will boost your speaks if you specify your pronouns at the beginning of the round.

- I always disclose at the end of the round and I'll tell you your speaks if you ask.

- Don't argue with me after the round. I submit my RFD before I tell you the results and you being argumentative won't change that. I encourage you to ask questions/ask for advice, though!

- Doesn't matter what category you're in, if your opponent is at a certain level, match that level. I will not be impressed if you go 5 off against a novice's lay case and I'll dock your speaks heavily. Novice year especially (but really debate at any level) is just about practice, experience, and exposure, and all that overwhelming your opponent does is diminish their confidence. Even if you're a novice, don't read stuff you know most novices won't get (i.e. a prioris in a lay round).

------- FOR SCARSDALE ----------

For pretty much all of you, this is either your first tournament or one of your firsts. I know it can be really daunting and stressful going into LD with minimal experience, so really try to keep in mind that debate is just a game. For a lot of people (like myself) it's stressful, competitive, and at times overwhelming, but it *does* get easier with time and even if you lose a round, it's not the end of the world. If anything, losing a round will do more for you as a debater than winning. Take each loss as an opportunity for growth and each win as a congratulations for your hard work—nothing more than that. If there's anything I can do as a judge to make the round any easier or less stressful, please let me know and I'll do my best.

Take a deep breath. You got this!

Archit Kumar Lexington HS 8 rounds

Last changed on Tue January 10, 2023 at 8:53 AM EDT

Varsity:

Hi I'm Archit - karchit0509@gmail.com - I debated for four years at Lexington High School and qualified + broke at the TOC 2x.

**I AM BAD AT FLOWING - GO 60-70 PERCENT MAX SPEED OR I WILL MISS ARGUMENTS

TLDR - Don't be offensive and arguments need warrants. I have a high threshold for warrants and I am not afraid to give an RFD on x blip didn't have a sufficient warrant.

1- T/Good Theory/Substantive Phil/Policy args

2 - Dense phil.

3 - Tricky phil, Topic Specific Ks

4- Ks or K affs, Heavy tricks, Bad Theory

Stuff I like

1] Topicality! T Framework, Topic specific stuff, Nebel all great. Bad and doc botted Nebel debates are terrible but good Nebel debates make me very happy. High speaks for a pics 2AR versus nebel. Semantics can be confusing so make sure to explain it.

2] Good Theory arguments. (Counterplan theory, Open Source, True combo shells).

3] Policy debate. Love innovative affs + new pics. Read these and go for these. 2NR gets new cards to some extent (can't be egregious and to the point where you are functionally reading new scenarios).

4] Substantive phil. My favorite argument in debate was Kant but I almost always read util against phil affs. I err Util against dense, confusing phil but am very, very even on Kant vs Util or Hobbes.

Stuff I don't like or wouldn't be good at judging -

1] Tricks - I won't gut check but these make me sad and speaks will reflect that. Some innovative philosophical tricks are ok but paradoxes, nibs, skep not great. Won't vote on eval debate after _______. If I don't flow it, I'm not voting on it. (I'm not great at flowing so slow down if you still decide to read 1000 nibs. (Answering tricks with tricks is totally fine. You can go for the dropped resolved a priori if ur opponent initiated a trick debate.

2] Bad theory (must read condo, nit-picky disclosure violations, shoes theory) is terrible and while I won't gut check it I will be inclined to vote on reasonability and hurt your speaks. PLEASE USE REASONABILITY AGAINST BAD THEORY.

3] Kritiks - I don't dislike Kritiks but I literally never read one so it would be hard for me to evaluate these rounds lol. Extinction outweighs seems true to me and I err aff on getting to weigh the case.

4] K affs - Again don't dislike but I have 0 experience and err towards T framework. I'll do my best to be tech though.

Defaults: (Will only use these if no argument is made in the round)

1] Theory is drop the argument, no rvis, competing interps, fairness and education are voters anything else is not.

2] Permissibility negates, presumption negates until the negative introduces a counter-advocacy

3] I'll default to util if no framework argument is made

4] The aff gets to weigh the case vs the K

5] T > Theory > K = Case

6] Truth testing (I probably err towards comparative worlds once an argument is made for it tho)

"All are Allowed, Simply Improve" - Julian Kuffour

Novice LD:

Hi I'm Archit. This is my fourth year of debate at Lexington High School and I qualified to the TOC 2x. I've done circuit, tech debate and also done lay debate. Anything is fine with me.

Debate the way that you are most comfortable and I'll evaluate the round the best I can. I will evaluate the rounds based on arguments made and not ethos but ethos can be used to determine speaks.

You do not need to give voters, read a value (though you should read a value criterion/framework) or repeat arguments.

If you want to read advanced positions go ahead, but please consider your opponent.

How to get high speaks:

1] Weigh - This can win you 99 percent of novice debates. Say your impacts outweigh on magnitude, probability, timeframe etc. and explain why that weighing mechanism matters most.

2] Collapse - you don't need to extend every contention, chose 1 or 2 that are best and explain them in depth and weigh them against your opponents args.

3] Don't have a values debate (I don't care if morality or justice matter more, debate over your value criterions instead (i.e util vs deontology or structural violence for example).

4] Be respectful, and use CX strategically.

Austin Li Lexington HS

Wei Li Acton-Boxborough Regional High School

Qing Liu Acton-Boxborough Regional High School

Tong Liu Acton-Boxborough Regional High School None

Vik Maan Lexington HS

Last changed on Sun October 27, 2024 at 1:45 PM EDT

Lexington '22. Qualified for the TOC twice.

Email: breakdocs@googlegroups.com

Policy: I am more comfortable with this style of debate than some may assume. I err towards more impact calculus and judge instruction. I enjoy election and PTX debates. I'm fine with T and process CP debates since it forces better AFF writing. For a DA to turn the case, it must turn the affirmative's internal links. I am generally persuaded that the link controls uniqueness, but for less probabilistic uniqueness claims (elections, politics, etc.), I can be convinced by the inverse. I am a fan of smart UQ CP's that artificially create DA's and/or side step impact turns. Default to judge kick.

Phil: Please read framework hijacks. Don’t shoehorn in bad offense just to read the philosophy you want—you’ll likely lose. I prefer carded philosophy over analytical justifications, but either is fine. Frameworks are an offense filter but if you’re reading epistemic modesty, be sure to explain how I should correctly resolve the round under that framework. "Extinction outweighs" is a contention level argument that needs to be paired with a warrant for consequentialism. Skep vs K Affs is legit.

Theory: There’s no such thing as "frivolous" theory but I am great for reasonability and drop the argument. Weighing and judge instruction are critical because theory debates can easily turn into a wash. I enjoy creative combo shells and unorthodox interpretations.

Tricks: This is a broad category. I like philosophical tricks and skepticism but dislike underdeveloped spikes and paradoxes. Stick to a few tricks and be ready to defend them when answered. Arguments start from 0 to 100, so ensure they include a clear claim, warrant, and impact.

Kritik: I’m persuaded by plan focus and extinction outweighs. I favor fairness arguments when going for T-Framework, though I am willing to vote on clash as well. I am quite terrible for K v. K debates.

Ian Mattson La Salle College High School

Last changed on Mon January 9, 2023 at 9:10 AM EDT

Debated for La Salle for 4 years, currently at Elon University

3 years of being a 2A/1N in policy, one year of being a one off K debater in LD, also was double 2's for half the immigration topic

Put me on the email chain: ian.mattson7@gmail.com

Tl;dr - I will vote on anything, so you do whatever you do best

Good explanation is important

Fast is good when clear

Analytics are good (most of the time)

Theory is good kinda

Politics DA is meh

High theory is meh

2NR ranks are T/K/DA+CP in that order

K Affs can be good

FW is good

Education is a better impact than fairness

Debate is always educational and almost always good.

Everyone wants to say they're tab but they're not, so I'm just gonna give y'all the way I think about arguments. I don't think that necessitates a change in strategy, but more in extension of arguments. You do you.

Theory

Theory is fine as long as it's not fringe. Tell an abuse story and why that made it impossible for you to win/participate in the round. Coherent stories and examples of ground loss, etc. are good.

LD People: Disclosure is good, you should do it. But if you're reading disclosure and the violation is "I messaged them on facebook X mins before the round and they didn't respond" I will give you a 25 regardless of whether you go for it or win. This is a terrible model for debate and whoever thought it was a good idea had no sense of personal space. Email or just, maybe, show up to the rooms 30 minutes before so you can disclose in person. Wild, I know.

DA's

Mostly the usual here, good links are better, impact calc is a must, please explain the turns instead of just putting it at the top of the block overview. Case specific DA's that you clearly did good prep for sound much better than a generic topic DA with a different link.

I think the politics DA is a terrible argument, if we're being honest with each other. That being said, in (almost) every policy round my 1NR was five minutes of politics. I will understand and vote on it, albeit begrudingly. If you have 3 internal links to get to an impact I don't hesitate to vote aff with some analysis on why risk of a link doesn't trigger said impact. 1 internal link is ideal, ya know, like a normal dis-ad.

Pls attack internal links, especially if there's more than 1. I promise they're bad. Unless they aren't, but I have yet to see a politics DA that has a good one.

CP's

More of the usual, make sure you explain why the CP solves case and why it doesn't link to the NB, and why the perm can't resolve the NB. Cheating CP's (Consult/Delay) are usually bad but it's the other teams job to call you out, if they don't then I'm not doing it for them. Just explain the mechanism and how it's different from the aff.

T and FW are different. T when done right is my favorite (and in my opinion, the most fun and strategic) 2NR. Extend interp/violation/(whatever you want to call impacts to T) and we'll be good. T is mostly tech so please try and keep it clean.

Some other thoughts:

Explain reasonability right please.

If there's no counter-interp it's literally impossible to win.

Generic shells are fine, just don't blow through blocks that you read against every aff on the topic. Slow down a little and contextualize to the aff.

There will be no RVI's under any circumstances.

Also gonna keep it fully transparent with y'all, FW is probably a true argument. That being said, I spent the entirety of my senior year not affirming the resolution and had no relation to the topic. Make of that what you will.

FW is about lbl and explaining why your model of debate is good. Relation to the topic makes it significantly easier to win as a K aff. Impact turns to either sides education arguments are good. DA's to interpretations are good. If you don't have a competing model of debate I'm incapable of voting for you, even if you win every piece of offense to their interpretation. Link turns are good when explained right, impact turns to education are great when explained right. TVA's are terminal defense to counter-interps and any solvency deficits are just what neg ground is, so please explain why it is literally impossible to bring the thesis of your aff into a topical discussion. Or have a solid relation to the topic and have a reason your method wouldn't be able to function with fiat/the USfg/etc.

K's

When I did policy, I read exclusively Cap and FW against K affs, Neolib and Security against most policy affs. When in LD I exclusively went one off queerpess, you do with that whatever you want to.

K's are good when: they have good links; an alternative with reasonable solvency; a framework that supports their thesis; impact turns to the aff; are well explained (big important). One or more of those things is always ideal.

K's are bad when: they have bad/generic links; are explained badly; have arbitrary alts that get no explanation; don't interact with the aff at all at any level(biggest important).

Please make distinctions between pre/post fiat impacts and the way I should evaluate them, otherwise I do it myself and one of y'all won't like the conclusion I come to, so make it for me please. Please contextualize to the affirmative, otherwise the link story becomes weak. Please know what you're talking about, otherwise I probably won't be voting for you. If the other team knows more than you about said criticism, there's a high chance I won't be voting for you. Just know your stuff please.

Reps K's are fine, alts that are just reject the aff ~work~ but y'all can do better.

High theory is meh, I don't think myself or any of y'all understand it but ya know, not gonna generalize. If you read Baudrillard and it's the same 3-4 cards I've seen my entire debate career I will be sad. Don't copy Mich KM. Or South Eugene. Or whomstever you're copying. Be original, it makes everything better.

PS: I've read a bunch of stuff at this point. Don't skirt explanation because I may have read your author of choice, if it isn't in the round I'm not going to evaluate it.

Aff teams: if the aff is soft left the permutation is usually a good bet, contest links because they're probably bad, have defense of the rhetoric of the aff, give me a reason to prefer being a policymaker, etc. Most K's can be dismantled pretty easily if you just use your brain a little instead of reading more cards. Call out blippy DA's to things like the perm or FW.

Critical Affs

Hey I've read one of these! For a whole year! And it had no relation to the topic!

Regardless, I am totally fine with these. You need good answers to FW, reasons why their education is bad and yours is not, reasons why the TVA literally can't exist under their interp, etc. Know your lit. Explain what the aff does and why I should sign my ballot aff. Affs that want the ballot for the reading of the 1AC aren't persuasive. Have a method I can vote for, or why the epist is good, or whatever. Give me something. Please.

Performance: I never was ~too~ involved with these so take that into account. Explain why the performance matters/what it gets you/why and how I should evaluate it. As a sage once said: "Reading an eDgY speech doc is not a performance." I wholly agree with that, garnering offense off of the reading of the 1AC/K is fine but don't say it's a performance unless it is. Embodying the method in round would be considered a performance if done right.

KvK - I did none of these until my senior year. I've grasped it but still probably don't understand a lot of the nuances that go into it, especially if I'm not familiar with the lit, so please explain why things matter. If it's a methods debate I think it's very easy to win mutual exclusitivity on the perm, but that might just be me.

Intersectionality can be a good argument if you have the warrants for it, randomly claiming it probably isn't gonna fly and is super susceptible to links.

LD Specific

I strongly dislike trick/Phil affs but have zero problems actually voting for them if explained right. One line a priori arguments are probably bad but if there aren't any theoretical objections to them/they're dropped and the 1AR picks up on that it's probably a win. However, I am sympathetic to things like "Hey Ian, these arguments are silly and unfair to the negative" because they're probably true. Reading your own framing and then a theoretical objection to multiple a prioris/independent reasons to vote aff is more than likely your best bet against tricks.

Please extend the actual text of the aff into the 2AR. Please. I get you wanna talk about framework for 3 minutes but even if you win framework if you don't have an aff I can't vote for you.

Plans are fine in LD.

Final

Why is disclosing speaks a thing? Don't ask, I'll just make them lower than I was originally going to.

Cross can be good when utilized right. Don't be an ass, you can be sarcastic or whatever I honestly don't care. Bring the concessions up in a speech or it doesn't mean anything. If you make me chuckle it's probably good.

You can use whatever pronouns you want for me. If I slip up and say "guys" it's a Philly thing that is gender neutral. Misgendering people is just like, rude? It's not that hard to just say they/y'all. If anyone has an issue with that then they can bring it up, otherwise you just seem ignorant/mean/oblivious to me, which are all bad looks.

Sorry if I missed anything, feel free to email me with questions, it's at the top

Quinn Moore Brookline High School

Karen Mullen Needham High School None

Emily Murphy Arlington High School

Lindsay Navick Walpole High School

Ajit Nayak Acton-Boxborough Regional High School 8 rounds

Daniel Norris Ridge High School

Last changed on Sat May 25, 2024 at 1:03 PM EDT

Fifth-year assistant coach at Ridge High School.

I teach AP Government, Politics, & Economics, Global History, and AP Euro there as well. I will be able to follow any content/current event information you include.

I've coached and judged all major debate topics. I work most closely with our Congressional debate team, but also have experience judging PF, LD, and Parli.

PF: I think it's important for you to remember the goal of the event. Anyone should be able to walk into your round and follow the debate. With that said, I do flow and will try to give tech feedback as well as general commentary. I think some speed is ok in PF, but I think spreading absolutely does not belong.

LD: I am not a former debater myself; I really struggle to follow theory debate, K's, and spreading in general. I've learned a little about it over the past few years, but if you are a tech/theory/spreading team you should probably strike me (just being honest!). For all other levels--I will flow both framework and case and have voted on both. Try to be concrete in connecting your evidence to your claims. I've found that LD debaters can sometimes get carried away with "debater math"...and no, not everything can lead to nuke war. I am partial to probability arguments--I'm a realist at heart :)

Congress: As a teacher of Government & Politics, I really enjoy this event. You should always be roleplaying being an actual representative/senator. What would your constituents think about your speech? Why is your advocacy in their interest? I really like constitutionality arguments--we have a federal system, and sometimes bills being debated are directly in violation of those principles. Feel free to cite those Supreme Court cases all day. I think any well-prepared Congress competitor should be ready to flip at any point, and I look very favorably on whomever can save us from multiple Affs/Negs in a row. As you get later into the round, I will be highly critical if you are just repeating points from previous speeches. I want to see crystal/ref speeches later on--as do your fellow competitors, I'd presume.

Joanne Park West Des Moines Valley High School

Gallo Patel Stuyvesant High School 8 rounds

Last changed on Thu May 9, 2024 at 11:11 AM EDT

I debated for Stuyvesant in LD for four years. I've been out of the activity for two years, so try to keep the spreading to about 75%. You may also want to spend a bit more time on overviews than you normally do.

Add me to the email chain: gcpatel718@gmail.com

Prefs:

Policy/Larp - 1

Kritik - 1

High Theory - 2 (1 for Bifo or Baudy)

Framework/Phil - 3

T/Theory - 3

Tricks - 5

All this said, you can read anything in front of me as long as it's not violent/discriminatory and I will evaluate it to the best of my abilities.

With speaks, I'll try to average a 28.5. You'll do better than that If you weigh your offense and give clear overviews. Try to write the rfd for me in your 2nr/ars.

Tech > truth, but not to a fault. I am a college student with a reasonably good understanding of philosophical and political issues, so of course I have my biases. It's going to be harder to convince me of something I don't think is applicable in real life. If you read something sketchy and your opponent drops it, I will grant it to you, but I'm not going to vote on an argument that is exceedingly dumb. Use your best judgement and try to keep everything grounded in empirical and historical context.

Theory Defaults: Drop the debater, no RVIs, Competing Interps (but I will be happy if you go for reasonability). I am generally not a fan of disclosure theory, but there are definitely situations in which I would vote on it. Also, don't read frivolous theory.

ROB: I default to comparative worlds, but don't let that stop you from reading another ROB. This is usually the most interesting meta-debate within a round.

Ks: I was a K debater in high school, so I love these rounds. That said, I'd rather judge a bad policy debate than a bad K debate. If you don't understand the literature you're reading, I won't either. I think overviews and real-world examples/contextualization are key to the K debate, particularly when it comes to the alternative. I will have a hard time voting for you if you win your links but not your alt solvency. If you decide to use the links as independent voters, you will need to prove uniqueness to the aff.

I have a higher burden of proof for (completely) Non-T affs. I generally think topicality is good and I think it's pretty easy to make most Ks topical, especially if you adopt a loose/creative interpretation of topicality. This doesn't mean I won't vote for a Non-T aff, but if your opponent reads T-Framework against you, I'd advise you to interact with the content of the shell. I rarely buy that case outweighs unless you can prove that it would be a performative contradiction for you to be topical.

FW/Phil: I've been getting into analytic philosophy in college, so I may understand these arguments more than I did when I was debating. That said, I'm still not super confident in my ability to evaluate fw debate outside of basics like Kant or Hobbes, so err on the side of over-explanation. I also want to see frameworks with syllogisms, not just random independent justifications.

Policy: Assume I don't have any topic knowledge. I'm fine with counterplans and PICS. I'm not going to vote on a tiny chance of extinction. Larping doesn't mean you can't be creative!

Other things to be aware of:

Use the author's name when extending warrants/case turns.

You can ask questions, but please don't argue with me after I make a decision. It can only hurt you.

Show me, your opponent, and yourself the utmost respect in (and out of) round.

Try to enjoy yourself! In my ideal world, debate is more about experimenting with different ideas and developing a nuanced worldview than any competitive success. If you read something really creative I'll definitely bump your speaks.

Megha Prasad Walt Whitman

Last changed on Wed February 9, 2022 at 10:49 AM EDT

~Updated for Feb 2022~

FYI I have not judged in approximately a year and I have not interacted with debate in just as long. I would recommend taking this into account while prepping strats and speaking MUCH SLOWER than you usually would.

Conflicts: Walt Whitman, Lexington, Hunter, Hamilton RM

Send docs: 19.prasadm@gmail.com

I did LD and PF at Lexington HS (MA) 2015-2019.

Disclaimers:

Hello! This is ZOOM debate which means it is GLITCHY and GROSS pls SLOW down!

Used to be Yale 2020, now thoughts on e-debate in general: I'm tired, I am burned out, and I get very bored listening to badly explained Baudrillard Ks multiple rounds in a row. If you do pref me, know that double flighted tournaments make my eyes *burn* and I will be flowing on paper for most rounds if it's a double flighted tournament. I used to care a lot about the things listed below. To some extent I still do, but I haven't taught/intensely thought about debate since summer 2019 so at the moment I'm not very invested in specific types of arguments or up to speed with whatever is trendy this season. Judging over Zoom is exhausting and it's honestly pretty hard for me to flow that well with little voices screaming out of my laptop. Please, please, please, for the love of all things good, SLOW DOWN. At least for tags. I'm begging.

PLEASE TRIGGER WARN APPROPRIATELY!!! If you don't know how please ask!

Postrounding is a no <3. Questions about strats are fine, but you won't change my ballot.

LD:

Short version.

Ks we love. LARP/policy is solid. Traditional is also good. Phil is kinda meh, you'd need to explain it very well. Please leave your tricks, skep, and frivolous theory at home, I don't trust myself to evaluate them. Probably okay at evaluating T/theory if there is a persuasive abuse story. If you read T/theory the shell needs to have an impact. Disclosure and email chains are good. When you extend or make new arguments don't forget to implicate them! Tell me what comes first and why.

Long version.

I used to vibe p hard with Mina's paradigm and I share a lot of her views on debate. I was also heavily influenced by Paloma O'Connor, CQ, and David Asafu-Adjaye. As a result, I'm not a fan of the whole "debate is a game" mindset and doing whatever it takes to win a round. Debate is about education, not about your record. Also -- I'm sorry, fairness is not a voter.

Kritiks/Non-T K affs/Performance

I mostly ran these as a debater so these are my favorite arguments. I really like hearing performance affs but you also need to be able to point to something the aff actually does.

That being said, don't read random Ks in front of me just because of my paradigm. I need to see a clear link and know what the alt does. Links of omission are ~questionable~ and I'm sympathetic to args against them. I'm also extremely picky when it comes to people reading and other kritiks relating to indigenous scholarship. I think a lot of authors are bastardized and commodified in debate and I see this the most with indigenous scholarship. Not uber familiar with all K lit, especially newer pessimism arguments.

New microaggression independent voter args that seem to be trendy and function on some sort of level between theory and K, but probably above policy?

Impact these out if you're reading them. I'm not going to vote off of a blippy one line claiming something is an "independent voter" or a "voting issue" and no implication of the argument. Also, don't just drop all the other flows because you think something is an independent voter -- I don't think this is very strategic; explain how it interacts with the other flows and which layer of the round it should be evaluated on. I don't really enjoy voting off these arguments...tbh they make me kinda uncomfy, but if they're warranted and impacted I will.

Plans/CPs/DAs/LARPy policy stuff

These are cool, low key would like to judge more of them. Just be wary of super long link chains. I default to comparative worlds in most debates (esp when framing becomes murky) so this is probably the type of debate best equipped for that.

T/Theory

I did not like these arguments as a debater and I generally do not enjoy judging them. I'm also not very good at judging them so PLEASE make the abuse story very clear and SLOW DOWN A LOT.

Post Big Lex 2020 edit: I'm honestly starting to hate these arguments less. I'm not completely opposed to T and would probably be down to judge more non-T K affs vs T rather than bad/awkward K v Ks.

Yale 2020: Idk if this is a new thing but y'all aren't impacting your shells. Like great you just spent a minute reading T, but didn't tell me what to do about it. DTD or DTA, but if not idk what I'm supposed to do with the shell lol.

Blake 2020: If you read disclosure against a trad/small school debater who is not familiar with the wiki I will probably not vote on the shell,,, like bruh why?

T v K

I went for K over T a lot as a debater but I'm gonna try to be tab about this and say both sides are gonna need hella warrants and hella weighing when making these arguments.

Tricks/a prioris/friv theory

just no <3.

Speaker Points

I start at a 28.5 and then move up or down depending on what y'all do. Go slow at first and let me get used to you before you go full speed. I'll say clear 2-3 times but if nothing changes don't expect my flow to be that great and I'm not gonna check the speech doc to play catch up. Be strategic and don't be rude and you'll probably be happy with your speaks. Read: adapt to your opponent if they have considerably less experience than you. I am not afraid of giving a mean debater with a good strat a 26.

PF:

I didn't do a ton of PF because I don't think it's very nuanced/not well-structured. Biases aside, just make good extensions, do a good amount of weighing and READ ACTUAL CARDS.

Sarai Pridgen Stuyvesant High School 8 rounds

Sanjay Reddy Lake Highland Preparatory School

Aavedon Roy Lexington HS

Last changed on Sat March 26, 2022 at 4:54 AM EDT

Email= Aavedonroy@gmail.com

Novice

Read your case and don't worry about the rest of the paradigm. Make sure to do weighing in your later speeches and collapse to a few arguments that you can develop and defend well.

I did policy, pf and ld. I have dyslexia and adhd. In policy, I did LARP debate. In PF I did LARP and lay debate. In LD I did disability K debate, and some frivolous theory.

Quick Prefs

I can’t understand spreading except off the doc be full warned

Identity K’s/Phil K’s - 1

Tricks -2

Phil-2

Lay 3-

Larp-4

Specifics

I did policy, pf and ld. I have dyslexia and adhd. In policy, I did LARP debate. In PF I did LARP and lay debate. In LD I did disability K debate, and some frivolous theory.

I went 1-5 at columbia, 1-6 camp tournament , 2-4 stanford and emory. I beat such amazing novices from newark, a Strake kid who wasn’t trying, and people not understanding my wiki. I also frequently posted on Debate Meme groups.

I can understand spreading but please send a speech doc. If you don't have a speech doc don't spread. If you don't want to send your opponent's analytics that's stupid but 100% send it to me.

I'm not a Phil debater so unless your reading Kant, util, objectivism, libertinism, Virtue ethics, Pragmatism, Deleuze,Hobbes, Negative Util, SV, Heidegger, Spinoza, Determinism, Tricks, Delibrative Democracy, Foucault, Alienation, Levinas, Agmben then I can't understand it so you might not want to read.

I'm a big fan of combining Phil and K debate combined.

Tech over truth ( except for ableism/accessibility) unless the round is clearly inaccessible ( like actually because someone is spreading and other people can't). If your opponent asks you to slow down then slow down.

If your arguments aren't warranted and your opponent drops it I will vote on it but if both sides aren't warranted then I will do weighing on my own.

I give novices an auto 29 if they run tricks. Like, on one hand, I love you for running tricks in novice year but at the same time, you should be learning the basics of LD.

Asking for a 30 gets you an 27 in speaks.

If you run a k/ theory please run it well. Most debaters don't really understand k which makes me sad so please try to make it coherent.

Theory: I default to reasonability, no rvi, drop the argument (if it's coherent) unless contested.

You can run kaff in front of me if it's an identity k but if it's not an identity k I would prefer not.

my email is aavedonroy@gmail.com

If you want 30's- weigh, speak clearly, and warrant your argument.

If you have a disability I understand that speaks can be harsh so if you want to tell me ahead of time.

Don't vote off word pics unless it's clearly offensive. Ok I will vote on it if it's dropped but like stop acting words that clearly aren't offensive are.

Evidence Ethics is bad but I won't vote off middle paragraph, or brackets unless it's actually bad. I will weigh it as a theoryshell.

Nisha Shah Lake Highland Preparatory School None

Suzie Sharpe Lake Highland Preparatory School

Caroline Shi Scarsdale High School 8 rounds

Last changed on Sun January 16, 2022 at 7:17 AM EDT

SHS' 22

email: caroline3shi@gmail.com

facebook: Caroline Shi

Hi! I'm Caroline, I debate for Scarsdale High School, primarily on the national circuit. If you have any questions before the round, email or message me on FB

for novice debate:

[1] WEIGH!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!

[2] If you wish to bring progressive debate into the round, please make sure your opponent is okay with it beforehand. That being said, don't just read progressive arguments for the ballot if you don't understand them. I will be very sad, and your speaks will reflect that

general:

I'm not the best at flowing, and this whole online thing makes it a bit harder, so please be clear and slow down on taglines/interps

Extensions need warrants, but if your opponent did not spend that much time on your argument/dropped it, you do not need to spend that much time extending it

Tech > truth, but there needs to be a warrant. Run what you want*; I will try to be as non-interventionist as possible/evaluate your arguments to the best of my ability, except for a few cases that I will list below:

- if something is marked as an independent voter, but not warranted as to why it is an independent voter/in general in the speech it is introduced, I probably will not evaluate it how you want me to (as in, I will not vote on it)

- I won't vote on personal attacks based on out of round incidents such as a person's clothing, appearance, mannerisms, etc., with the exception of disclosure w/ screenshots

- don't cheat/miscut evidence

if no arguments are made for or against these, here are my defaults (although I will be pretty sad if I have to use them):

- fairness and education are voters

- comparative worlds

- DTA, reasonability, no RVIs on theory

- DTD, competing interps, no RVIs on T

- presumption/permissibility negate

- 1ar theory legit

*i'm fine with most arguments, but I would highly recommend against reading tricks in front of me (strike or pref low), since I do not believe I am well-equipped to judge them. If you still decide to read tricks in front of me after reading this, don't be sketchy, go slow, and at least hint at its application in the first speech it's introduced in.

*LARP with caution: I'm probably fine to judge basic DA/CP/plan AFF strats, but I'm not familiar with advanced LARP jargon/super complicated LARP strats.

addendum: please adapt to novice/traditional debaters as best as you can. your speaks will thank you for this :)

note: if you felt uncomfortable in the round because of something I did/your opponent did, please contact me after the round

Iris Shu Acton-Boxborough Regional High School

Alexander Sorgini La Salle College High School

Last changed on Sat January 20, 2024 at 5:54 AM EDT

Email: asorgini27@gmail.com

Hey everyone! I graduated from high school in 2022, after four years of speech and debate. I am most familiar with LD and Extemp.

Special Note for JVLD:

You likely are just starting out/have only a little experience in the event and that's ok! My advice would be to try to learn as much as you can from your rounds. To that end, don't be afraid to ask questions if you are unsure of speech times or something similar. Feel free to read the below info but it may not apply to you until later.

For LD:

Putting this on top: I don't necessarily assume that extinction outweighs everything else. I never bought the idea that an infinitesimal chance at extinction (very high magnitude) outweighs a lesser magnitude with much higher probability. I understand how extinction weighing arrives at that conclusion with a magnitude of "infinity" and all. That being said, if this is a straight circuit round, I accept that this is the standard assumption and will follow your weighing arguments as such. If this is a trad round, though, be prepared to defend that to a much higher degree. Especially in a trad round, I am more receptive to arguments with impacts proportionally tied to the resolution rather than a forced link to extinction.

Traditional arguments: I read a lot of more traditional arguments especially when I competed on the local circuit. I am always up for a more traditional round.

LARP/Policy: I am most familiar with LARP/Policy arguments. Plans, CPs, and Disads are all great!

Kritiks: Probably not the best judge for you if you are running Kritiks. If warranted, I would vote for a K but your level of explanation will have to be higher. Especially if you are a novice, you need to really understand what you are reading or you won't be able to explain it to me.

Theory: I am fine with theory but I believe it should be reserved for when actual abuse has occurred in the round. I am not a fan of frivolous theory.

Topicality: I strongly urge you to be topical.

Speed: I don't love spreading. I can understand reasonable speed (you don't have to talk conversation level or slower). If you spread excessively, you risk me not catching crucial information. I'll let you know if you're going to fast, but just keep that in mind heading into the round.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me before the round!

Jessica Srinivas Needham High School

Sarah Stoe Arlington High School 8 rounds None

Kevin Tang Ridge High School

Last changed on Thu April 1, 2021 at 11:07 AM EDT

Hi yall! I'm Kevin and my pronouns are he/him/his. I coach debate at Ridge High School in New Jersey. I debated for Ridge ('20) primarily in traditional Lincoln-Douglas debate, and sometimes in Parliamentary and Extemporaneous debate.

Paradigm Summary:

I'm most comfortable evaluating traditional debate. I'm not very experienced with tech, though I'm most comfortable evaluating LARP debates if I have to. I'm happy to listen to anything as long as it is not exclusionary and is warranted. I appreciate thoroughly warranted arguments and clear overviews at the top of rebuttals. While debate is a competitive activity of persuasion and strategy, debate should be safe and accessible. Please show respect, especially if your opponent is less experienced than you. Be kind to each other :)

Preffing Guidelines: 1&2 Trad, 3 LARP, 4 Kritiks, 5 Anything else tech (Phil, Tricks, Theory, T, etc.)

Experience:

During high school, I qualified and cleared twice at NSDAs (in LD and World Schools) and qualified twice and cleared once at NCFLs (in LD). I also qualified once to Parli TOCs. I'm now a debate coach at Ridge High School, mainly focusing on Parli debate.

Trad LD Paradigm:

I have a lot of fun with evaluating traditional LD debates, and I did this the most in high school! I'm tab and flow thoroughly. Please don't be too fast. Really really love strategic frameworks and framework debates in general. In high school, I typically read util and side constraint/procedural frameworks. Warrant your arguments, weigh early, and link impacts under frameworks. As a judge, I appreciate clear overviews at the beginning a lot.

I care much for quality arguments; quantity doesn't matter as much to me, and arguments should be complete. I have a pretty high threshold for extending and warranting arguments. When you extend, please extend individual claims and warrants. Be specific and thorough. That being said, I still do value efficiency in rebuttals.

To borrow from Ishan Bhatt's paradigm, it's important to note that "arguments do not start at 100% risk—they start at whatever risk your justifications for them imply. The implications of your arguments stem from the warrant, not the claim." For example, if you say nuclear war might happen because of x and your opponent concedes that argument, that doesn't mean that nuclear war will 100% occur (just because they conceded it).

Ultimately, debate is your activity! Read arguments that you feel most comfortable with.

Tech LD Paradigm:

I am generally not good with evaluating tech debates, though I like to judge LARP debates if I have to. I am not very good with speed either, so please slow down and focus on clarity in front of me. Explain your arguments really thoroughly. At circuit tournaments in high school, I mainly did LARP (plan, counterplans, disads, etc.). I occasionally read Deleuze, but I do not have a good understanding of kritiks overall. I am least experienced with everything else (phil, tricks, theory, T, etc.). I have a pretty high threshold for theory, but if there is legitimate abuse, I am down to listen and vote off of it. I dislike having to decide the round procedurally, and I appreciate clear overviews.

Even though I prefer certain arguments and have more experience with certain arguments, I will still evaluate the entire flow (that includes things I am not comfortable with, such as theory and T). Please explain everything super clearly, as if I have never learned the basics of progressive debate. If I ultimately can't explain it to myself, I can't and won't vote for it. I will try my best to listen and understand.

Parli Paradigm:

My "Trad LD Paradigm" section covers a lot of my thinking for Parli. For miscellaneous thoughts, if you plan on tag-teaming (calling on your partner in the middle of your speech for assistance), please only do so if both teams are okay with that and please vocalize that to me before the round starts — I know for East Coast Parli, tag-teaming isn't really a thing, so it doesn't seem fair if one team does it while the other doesn't even know about it. I love seeing the Opp block (the final two, back-to-back Opp rebuttals) being used to its full potential. Use those 12 minutes strategically! I'm also okay with the second Gov and Opp speeches having a new contention, and I think it's underrated. I like seeing POIs being used frequently and clear overviews being read at the top of each rebuttal.

Speaks:

I award speaks mainly off of strategy in round. Be creative and read arguments that you are comfortable with and can explain well. I greatly appreciate clarity too (e.g. overviews, clear signposting and line-by-line rebuttals, etc.). And most importantly, being respectful and kind matters a lot to me!!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at kevin.pa.tang@gmail.com or ask me in-person before the round starts. Good luck and have fun, yall.

Anthony The Lexington HS

Lex Thomas Walpole High School None

Filip Vrancic Lexington HS

Last changed on Sun January 8, 2023 at 9:53 PM EDT

Hi,

I'm Filip. I debated for Lexington Highschool for 4 years in LD.

I qualified for the NDCA in my Junior Year.

My Email is fvrancic@umass.edu, please add me to the chain.

If it is 5 minutes before the round and you are just checking my paradigm there is TLDR at the bottom.

I am more or less open to any arguments you want to make provided they are not racist, sexist, homophobic etc. If any of these arguments are made I will stop the round immediately and give the debater who made that argument/statement a zero and L.

If you are a novice you can skip the following section(up to the evidence ethics section):

That said, my primary experience with debate has been Phil/Policy/Theory. If you are reading some super deep K lit, etc, expect to have to explain it a little better than you would have to to other judges.

Experience(1=I have a lot of experience, 5=I have very limited/no understanding):

Phil - 1

Larp - 1

Theory - 1

Tricks - 2/3

K - 4

High Theory - 4/5

I default to the following layering: Theory>ROB>Framing/Substance

I default to the following paradigm issues: Drop the Debater, Competing interps, No RVIs

Try to avoid making me use my defaults, even if they align with what you are trying to do in the round.

Evidence Ethics

I will also auto drop for an evidence ethics violation(This cuts both ways, if you stake the round on a violation and are wrong I will give you a loss, feel free to make it an argument in round if you are not sure). If you cannot get through the entirety of a card, please say 'cut the card here'. Do not change dates on evidence, plagiarize, etc. I won't be super strict about it, so just don't be blatant, and if you messed up and your opponent asks in CX, tell the truth.

Other important stuff:

CX is binding, anything you say in CX is taken as truth in the round.

Do make arguments that are creative and unorthodox. I think creativity is a very undervalued skill in debate, and will reward it accordingly. I will be sympathetic to the fact that you are taking a risk, and the argument 'Don't vote off this, it doesn't have a card' wont fly. You can leverage the fact that carded evidence is more LIKELY to be correct though, and don't be afraid to do it.

Weigh. Tell me why a certain argument is more important than another one. Just saying that it is is not enough for me.

Finally, don't just extend the AC or NC through when your opponent made responses to the case, and then claim they didn't. I will not be very happy about that.

TLDR; Be reasonable, be creative, weigh, explain your arguments, and make sure both you and your opponent have a good time.

Hagit Weihs Arlington High School

Reed Weiler Rye Country Day School

Last changed on Sat April 23, 2022 at 5:43 AM EDT

Note for TOC: I haven't judged in a couple months, so don't assume I'm up to date on all the recent topic trends. Also, when flowing virtually I've noticed that I need a few more seconds to isolate sections of the debate so please don't transition too quickly between signposts.

I'm Reed (He/Him). I did LD for four years at Lexington High School ('14-'18), went to TOC my junior and senior years, and reached elims at a bunch of bid tournaments & round robins along the way. I've taught at NSD over the summer and currently coach a number of students through Flex Debate.

I'll try my best to be objective and will evaluate pretty much any argument as long as it is properly warranted and implicated, with the exception of arguments that are actively exclusionary/racist/homophobic/ableist/etc.

I read mostly policy, philosophy, and theory my senior year, but have experience with and am totally comfortable voting on Ks and tricks. I don't think my preferences as a debater carry over a ton into how I evaluate rounds. I'll be just as happy watching a dense deleuze v. kant debate as I will be judging plan v. counterplan debates. Regardless of the content of your positions, all I really care about is whether you can execute your arguments well, demonstrate strategic vision, and explain things in a clear & understandable way.

I'm cautious of overly-long paradigms but if you're looking for any more clarification either Sam Azbel or Grant Brown's paradigm would be a decent reference for how I approach debates.

Things that will get you higher speaker points:

-good CX :)))

-unique Ks

-genuine clash in framework debates

-smart/tricky LARP strategies

-persuasive abuse stories on theory

-demonstration of topic knowledge

-good ev comparison

*I will not make a decision that procedurally excludes any of the 5 speeches. What this means is if you ask me to "evaluate the debate after the 1ac/1nc/1ar/2nr", i will most likely ignore it, as I've found that doing so would create an incredibly arbitrary decision procedure that I don't feel would benefit anyone in the way they are hoping.

Do your best, have fun, and please ask questions if you have them. I am always willing to discuss my reason for decision/give comments after the round. If you feel the need to ask me anything before the round, shoot me an email: rw9427a@student.american.edu

Alexander Wood Hunter College

Amanda Wu Acton-Boxborough Regional High School

Xiaojing Wu Westford Academy

Michele Zanini Brookline High School

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