LD Paradigm- I compete in nfald currently so I like to encourage kids to have fun and do what you like in round all that I ask is that you're nice and please extend~~~

PF Paradigm- I currently coach Public Forum at the middle school level, and I'm the most familiar with this event because I competed in it the longest in High school and have consistently been in public forum judge pools since 2017. I don't really care what you go for in round especially at the varsity level, I just don't want progressive arguments being ran strategically so that your opponent doesn't understand what you're doing and making the debate a wash especially whenever they're done poorly, so please be willing to be flexible and make rounds as simple or complicated as they need to be. That being said I try and keep my voting reserved to whatever the is established in the round regardless of my own opinions. Don't make me do any work in terms of judging the competitors should be telling me how I need to vote.

Congress paradigm- I want chambers to be run by the debators as much as possible I don't care about much as long as you dont go over alotted time I'm very flexible on augmenting nit picky things for the sake of convenience just dont spend 20 minutes going over things. Typically I recommend just defaulting to the rules but settling things quickly via majority vote is also okay as long as the ruling is fair.

Hendrickson HS '19

UT Austin '23

email: acastaneda713@gmail.com

he/him

-------

Top Level:

- Debated for 3 years at Hendrickson HS

- Tech > Truth

- Clarity > Speed

- Condo is fine unless told otherwise

- PLEASE BE NICE! Debate is a fun, educational activity and everyone should have an opportunity to engage in these discussions. Please respect your opponents and your partner. I promise you will not win debates if you are a jerk.

Specifics:

Framework:

- I often view these debates through an offense/defense paradigm and tend to default to competing interpretations.

- I think that the aff has to prove why their interpretation or model of debate is better overall and why it creates a better space/allows for better discussions etc. Remember, this is about competing models of debate and interpretations, so impact out your standards and do some good impact calc to paint a clear picture of your model of debate.

- I do lean towards debate being a game but can obviously be persuaded otherwise.

Topicality:

- I usually default to competing interpretations.

- I think impact calc between standards is pretty important, esp when the 2NR and 2AR are equally clashing on these issues. Tell me why your standard matters and why that model of debate is important/better, and have a clear vision of your interpretation.

Kritiks:

- Im familiar with your basic/generic kritiks (cap, set col, security, etc).

- I think that the k must link to the aff, not to the structures that surround society. Links of omission are not persuasive to me. I have a pretty high threshold for the link debate and need a pretty decent explanation as to how the aff links/makes xyz worse, etc.

- I am heavily persuaded by arguments such as pragmatism/state good, etc, but these must be utilized correctly and must be put into context.

- In general, examples are amazing.

- I also think there needs to be a fairly robust explanation of what the alt is/does, otherwise im persuaded by a perm or even just that the aff is a good idea.

- I think that the aff gets to weigh their case.

- Try to have a cohesive story of your kritik. Often times, there are many floating parts that im not sure what to do with so the more you can do on your part, the better.

Disads:

- Go for it. Have a link, have clear explanations and a cohesive story, and be up to date with your ev.

- Impact calc is important.

- The more specific, the better.

Counterplans:

- I enjoy a good cp/da debate so go for it.

- Solvency advocates are important.

- The more specific the cp is, the better.

Theory:

- Slow down, have robust explanations of why your standards create a better model of debate/why it justifies x argument.

- Probably not the best judge for heavy theory debates but go for it if you think you need to.

speed is fine as long as you make an email chain/speech drop - email is obinnadennar@gmail.com

im fine with all types of debate. i love critical arguments/case positions that engage with various types of philosophy. k debate is my favorite. cool with everything else.

one note on theory: i do not like frivolous theory (i.e. down my opponent since they are wearing socks - yes, i have seen this shell). if your opponent gets up in the next speech and says this is stupid and don't pay attention to it. i will discard it and i will not see it as a voting issues. that being said, if there is actual abuse in the round, theory is not only fine but welcomed. competing interps over reasonability.

please feel free to ask any questions before the round. ill be more than happy to answer them

For really any style of debate I am willing to listen to any argument as long as it makes sense. For CX, persuade me but make your case make sense, for the most part I will not do the work for you (this applies to both aff and neg) however if I feel like an argument is so ridiculous that I think it should not be considered then I won't but this has not really happened.

If you are going to run a K make sure the aff is actually causing considerable harm, I do not want a K for a Ks sake. Try not to have excessive offs, quality over quantity is always better. Explain your links and impacts thoroughly, don't assume I'm going to immediately understand your arguments just because you read them. Also, you can spread but just make sure it is clear, slow down on tag lines and authors, and if you can, on analytical arguments. If you do not wish to spread you do not have to. As for speaker points, do not worry too hard about it.

My name is Chris Ivy and I'm the FFA advisor for Plano East.

I have experience in prepared public speaking and extemporaneous public speaking through FFA. I have trained many award winning public speakers through the FFA. While I don't have experience in debate, I am fully aware of what a great debate and speech sound like from a competitor.

LAY JUDGE

NO SPREADING!

I am a parent judge and have been judging the debate tournaments for last 5 years.

When I am judging the debate, I am looking for teams that are able to

- Focus on the topic at hand

- Support their topic with credible evidence

- Are respectful to the views of the other teams, while clearly calling out why they feel that the opposing team views are not comprehensive and why their own case is better.

- Are clear in articulation and are not rushed

Joshua F. Johnwell (he/him/they/them/queer/josh/whatever you want)

NYU Policy Alumni (2016-2020)
Houston, TX / Nat HS Circuit (4 Years) @ Dawson HS
GDI (Gonzaga) Alum - 4WK, 5WK Scholars, 2WK

Email questions to debatejosh@gmail.com
or just ask before round, preferably. oh & YAS, EMAIL CHAIN ME

Current Affiliations: NYU
Past Affiliations: BL Debate (2020-2021), Success Academy HS (2019-2020), Dawson HS (2012-2016)

PF/LD: I will normally judge based off of the round. Okay with speed. Prefer it if you don't run theory arguments.

Interp: I will take piece selection into account. Prefer more versatile pieces that display a wider range of skill and talent.

Speaking Events: I will count evidence and fluency breaks. I will also keep track of how evenly your time is distributed. I would also appreciate some humor - more in Original Oratory, less in extemporaneous speaking events.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Email is glarson3434@gmail.com

I am a freshman at Scripps College(a liberal arts college in Claremont). I am a lay judge, my only exposure to debate is through my little brother who does it. This is my third time judging, please speak clearly and civilly and warrant everything. Automatic 30 speaks if you rap your debate, but only if your rhymes are good. I will not listen to or judge anything you say overtime.

Good luck! You got this, give it your all!

Email/contact for evidence: ellalehavi@gmail.com

Experience: I am new parent judge.

Speed: Although I am personally not a fan of it, please make sure your spreading is clear and coherent. If I can't understand you, I probably will not flow it. 

I am a coach who appreciates traditional LD debate and refined speaking presentation.  If you are progressive or can't adapt without spreading, please strike me.

If I can flow your round, I will enjoy judging it!

Email: christianmendoza4975@gmail.com

I debate for the University of Pittsburgh; third year of college debate.

Please add me to the email chain, before the round would be nice. Email me if you have questions before or after the debate.

Online debate:

If you have a technical issue, just pause your timer and let everyone know.

Mics will cut out sometimes, if this becomes a problem, I will let you know and pause the speech.

Prefs:

Clarity over speed, but you can go fast, and I’ll keep up on the flow

I’m not incredibly familiar with this years topic so explain your acronyms and make your tags clear, also differentiate them from the cards because online debate can be hard to hear. I will read your cards and figure it out from there as long as you’re making honest arguments you can defend and explain.

I judge primarily by listening to what you say, which means cx matters, judge instruction tells me how to evaluating my decision and I’m not going to just look at your cards while you read them instead I will pay attention to what you’re telling me. Impact comparison makes it much easier to evaluate the debate but don’t sacrifice a good framework debate.

Argument stuff

I am not tech over truth. While you can win on technical aspects of the flow that doesn't mean I default to tech when you can make simple arguments with good evidence.

I am partial to the affirmative in framework debates, however, I will vote on the most persuasive team which means you have to answer questions for me which include what your model of debate looks like or your critique of the resolution/debate etc.

Fairness is an IL to Education, not an Impact in itself. If your impact is fairness, you need to explain what debate is and not rely on a premeditated idea of debate. I like when teams write my ballot in the 2nr and 2ar.

The best way to win a round is to narrate what happened in the debate and sit on a couple of arguments rather than try and go for too much without a clear line of thinking.

I tend to protect the 2nr, so try not to lie too aggressively in the 2ar and sit on your biggest pieces of offense that were won.

Dropped arguments should be extended but will not get you an auto win by any means unless you use them for a different part of the debate. I would much rather vote on a team that made the best arguments and consistently kept it clean on the flow then a team that relies on debate tech to get out of tough spots on the flow. Make it make sense.

Speaks:

Finally, debate rounds are fun and can be very educational. Try and keep the debate interesting because it really does take 2 hours.

Do not harm others with your language because debate is a real activity.

Presumption

I am one of the most naturally neutral individuals I know. I will NOT favor a side because I SHOULD. I will favor a side because you convinced me to... hence the purpose of effective argumentation. Don't assume -- just explain.

Speed

Be understood. Be clear. If I don't flow it... IT NEVER HAPPENED. Remember this during warrants / impacts / extensions. I rarely call for cards, so if I need to hear it, make sure you set the scene for optimal results.

Theory/ K

Debating about debate is fun and engaging -- if it makes sense. Silly theories are just silly, but go back to my section on presumption - I will favor a side because you convinced me to... hence the purpose of effective argumentation. If you convince me that the theory is valid, then it is for the round. I will not assume how it functions or the reasonability of it. Prove that it does or doesn't. A good K with clear explinations, links and impacts are refreshing to me. Neg must explain why aff can't perm the day away -- why is the alt superior? Aff, why is the perm better than the alt and case solo? This is where speed choices are important.

Evidence

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself: Do you understand the card? Does it link to the argumentation presented? Is it topical to the context you're using it in? Do the warrants exist in the text? Is it qualified? Is it dated? ....is clipping truly worth it?

T's, DA's, CPs

Policy was my niche back in the day. That being said -- I'll buy it if its clear, all conditions are met, it makes sense, and if it actually does something / proves a point. I will follow the flow, and the flow alone. Keep it clean!

Finally... most importantly... tell me WHY I should be voting for you. Yes. I want voters. Explain why a drop is catastrophic. Tell me why case outweighs. You know what happens when you assume... don't assume that I'm rolling with you. Explain why I should be.

Spkr Point Breakdown

30 Likely to take the tournament

29.5 Contender to the crown

29 Excited to see how deep you go!

28.5 Highly likely to clear

28 Clearing is possible

27.5 On the bubble, keep pushing

27 Congrats on earning entry into the tournament!!

*email chain: - use file sharing software if available instead of email chain pls

HI, my name is Isaiah and debated for 4 years before I came to Harvard. I'm cool with anything but I have a preference for debates that feature deep argumentation, extensive framework debate and lot of clash.

-Definition debate is ok but don't let that be your only argument.

Being aggressive is fine but I don't tolerate disrespect as everyone is here to learn from each other and improve their craft.

Lay Judge

If Debate: Explain your arguments in a simple manner. Don't go fast. English is not my first language.

If you make arguments about programming/computers make sure it is up to date and accurate.

The more persuasive and powerful speaker that is able to play the policymaker role

If IE: Make sure to speak clearly, make sure to have good volume so I can hear, English is not my first language but I am still proficient enough to judge, and follow the rest of the rules for your respective events.

Good Luck and remember you're bold for competing and your words hold power

**Note**

I haven't judged in a hot minute so I don't know every arg on this topic but as long as you explain your links + doing everything below I'll be able to keep up with yall.

LOOK AT THIS | WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH

Please weigh for the love of god. also kindly don't take super long to trade and pull up evidence it just wastes so much time. sidenote: meta-weighing makes me feel some type of way too.

General

Tech over truth. PF is a game just play it right - collapse, extend and weigh.

Organization

I prefer line by line rebuttals and summary. Voters for final focus is fine. If you're doing something wack or even if you're not signpost por favor.

Strategy

Respond to turns read on your case. Still tryna decide if defense is sticky after its been changed to 3 mins.

Framework

Framing is nice.

Crossfire

I don't really pay attention to CX so if something important happens bring it up in a speech. If nobody has questions just end it early and everyone gets + .2 speaker points.

Weighing

If the round is close weighing will decide which way my ballot is going. Also meta-weigh if necessary (i.e. explain why I should prefer your weighing over theirs.) Also weighing in every speech may not be a terrible idea.

Extensions

Extend the argument WITH IT'S WARRANT (@noah ogata). If you just say extend this - newsflash - I won't.

Evidence

Please don't misrepresent evidence. I'll call for evidence if I feel like it's necessary.

Summary/FF

Do a line-by-line summary and FF and then weigh. If it's not in summary then I won't care if it's in FF.

Speed

I'm pretty decent at flowing just don't go too crazy fast or else I might lose you.

Speaks

27-30. Don't be a douche.

Bring a picture of Noah Ogata, Jacob Mammen, Pranay Gundam, or Mukund Rao to round and I'll give you +.1 speaks each.

No bonuses for Squid Game references but I will laugh.

Progressive Debate

Not super experienced but I'll evaluate it.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

pls weigh i beg.

Hello,

My name is Archana Rao. I have judged about 3 tournaments and at least about 8 rounds of PF debate so far. I am a lay judge.

I prefer the candidates speak clearly and slowly

I am looking for good data to support the pro and con stances

Good understanding of the stance by both participants and team effort is a big plus

When a team makes an effort to completely understand and then refute the opposition, bonus marks

Have a clear structure to the argument and following through very advantageous

Please give a roadmap before your speeches, and signpost during your speeches so I know where to mark and to flow your speeches.

Overall, structure your speeches in a way where I can easily understand whats going so I can judge your rounds easily.

And most importantly, have fun.

Best of luck,

Archana Rao

Email Chain: knsimmons10@outlook.com

Pronouns: She/Her

I have competed in mock trial for several years so my experience is not 100% geared towards the inner workings of speech and debate but how your skills are transferable to careers and courtrooms. Despite this, I'm familiar with pretty much every speech event as well as PFD and LD. I have experience in judging speech and debate, so I know what to look for.

For debate people, my paradigms are pretty simple: Do not spread (if I can't keep up with what you're saying, I won't flow it). I would much rather you be clear in your argumentation then for you to speak quickly. I will say clear twice and then I will take off speaker points. Be really clear and tell me what arguments you're rebutting/extending/crystallizing, make it clear what I should be voting on. Signposting is a must. I don't mind K's if they are compelling. Overall though, it should be pretty standard not to be rude to your opponents. I will not vote on any arguments that are evidently racist, ableist, sexist, or homophobic.

For speech competitors, please give a trigger/content warning. I personally don't need one, but I think it only fair for you to warn your fellow competitors in order to keep everyone comfortable. I am very big on intentional movement, so make sure that your movements have a purpose and are not distracting from your content. Overall, just be confident and have fun!

I teach Professional Communications at Plano East Senior High School. I am a lay judge and have never judged before. No Spreading!! I do not tolerate rudeness - passion is one thing, but that does not mean you get to be rude.

I am a lay, volunteer, first-time judge, so you are essentially resting your fate on a captive juror who wasn't smart enough to figure out how to get out of jury duty (very real-life). To make things worse, I have no experience with formal academic debate, so I am going to be learning as I go with regard to the format and lingo I see being thrown around in other judges' paradigms. That said, I am a lawyer by profession, and I believe I can generally recognize when arguments are laid out clearly and persuasively. I don't like blatant appeals to biases even if they might align with my own, and I don't like hearing conclusory statements without adequate support and citation. Finally, it should go without saying, but I see other judges mentioning civility, so yes, please be nice to each other.

I teach math at Plano East Senior High School. I have not judged debate before.

Lay Judge

No spreading!

I teach Theatre 1-4, Tech 1-4 and Advanced Technical Theatre at Plano East Senior High School.

I have not judge debate before.

Lay judge