GBS Hybrid JVNovice Opener
2021 — Glenview, IL/US
Novice Policy Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideMorgan Bard (she/her)
2ac/1nc , 4th year at Niles North, morgan.debate4@gmail.com (add to email chain!!)
any form of homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, etc. results in an automatic L and an email to your coach. if anything you're gonna read has the possibility of being triggering, pls ask the opposing team if they're comfortable with that arg.
tech>>>truth -- ex. the sky is green; as long as you give me good evidence proving the sky is green, ill vote on it.
Quality over quantity of arguments, what this means is i'd prefer fewer better in depth arguments rather than 10 bad arguments that don't enhance the debate round, especially for novi debates.
time your own speeches
t-- love love love. but if you're reading it in the 2NR it should be the ONLY arg in the 2NR. overall one of my fav args.
da's-- amazing as long as you read them correctly and don't drop any part of it.
cp's-- basically the same as da's but you really need to go ham on why it's better than the affs plan.
impact turns-- LOVE THESE!! go all out on turns
k's-- def not my fav arg but that won't affect my vote. just do it well and we'll be good
framework and roll the ballot-- YES-- how should i look at the round! TELL ME how I should vote and why!
if you have any questions at all ask during round or email!!
good luck y'all <3
2/18/2024 update...please read - i am now several years removed from the point when i was actively involved in debate and kept up with the topic. i judge a combined total of around 20 policy/ld debates per season. my exposure to the topic starts and ends with each debate that i judge. my knowledge of the topic on any given season is essentially nonexistent, and my knowledge of post-2018 debate in general is probably diminishing with time. i wouldn't call myself a lay judge by any means, but a few steps above. the safest way to win a debate in front of me is to slow down (not to the point where you aren’t spreading at all, but still a bit more slow than you’d normally speak), and focus on the quality of arguments over quantity. pick a few arguments to explain in depth as opposed to having lots that aren't explained well. line-by-line in the style of "they say...but we say..." will also get you a long way with me...overviews/"embedded clash"...not so much...you can feel free to scrap your pre-written overviews entirely with me. if you want the decision in a debate to come down to the quality of evidence, please make that clear in your speeches because i won't do that on my own (i don't usually open the speech docs anymore, nor do i flow author names/card dates. keeping that in mind, statements like “extend the chikko evidence” with no elaboration whatsoever are meaningless to me, as i won’t have any idea what that specific evidence says without an explanation). i won't vote on arguments that i don't understand, miss because of speed/lack of clarity, etc. - i have voted against teams in the past because they went for arguments that i either couldn’t flow or couldn’t understand, even if they may have “won” those arguments if i’d had them on my flows. attached below is my old paradigm, last updated around mid-2019. it is all still applicable…
my old paradigm:
Happy new year.
Add me to the email chain: dylanchikko@gmail.com
I don't time anything. Not prep time, not speeches, nothing. If no one is timing your speech and I notice in the middle of it, I'll make you stop whenever I think the right amount of time has passed. The same is true for prep time.
I have no opinions on arguments. I know nothing about the topic whatsoever outside of the rounds I judge. I don't do research and don't cut cards. I'll vote for anything as long as it's grounded in basic reality and not blatantly offensive. Speak slightly less quick with me than you usually would. I'm 60/40 better for policy-oriented debating (just because of my background knowledge, not ideological preference). But I'll vote for anything if it's done well. My biggest pet peeve is inefficiency/wasting time. Please direct all complaints to nathanglancy124@gmail.com. I’m sure he’d love to hear them. Have fun and be nice to your opponents/partner/me.
I'm an Assyrian. A big portion of my life/career as an educator consists of addressing and supporting Assyrian student needs. That influences my thoughts on a lot of real-life topics that regularly end up in debates. That's especially true for debates about foreign policy and equity. So do your research and be mindful of that.
Don't say/do anything in front of me that you wouldn't say/do in front of your teacher.
Feel free to ask me before the round if you have questions about anything.
Hey debaters!
I'm Eleni (E-l-e-n-ee) Chronopoulos, a 4th year policy debater at Glenbrook South. Refer to me as judge, Eleni, whatever you want :)
Add me to the chain please! chronodebate@gmail.com
FLOW! Showing me flows = extra speaks :)
I am decently knowledgeable on the water topic, and have been a policy debater all four years. This doesn't mean I will not vote on the K, just do a good job of explaining it. Know your arguments and you will go a long way when securing my ballot.
LBL is super important-- do it!
I love a good counterplan, but make sure to mention and elaborate on the net benefit and clearly talk about why it is better than the aff.
I vote on T too sometimes, but if its a stretch, probably not unless its poorly debated or dropped.
Theory debates are cool too- but nothing to crazy or excessive.
Be respectful and be kind <3
Have fun and let me know if you have any questions :)
Glenbrook South '22
UIUC '26
Put me on the email chain - cdresslerdebate@gmail.com
I'll keep it brief:
Fine with anything, but more used to CPs/DAs
I'll try my best to not intervene - evidence explanation goes a long way
Impact out your arguments, regardless of whether or not they were conceded
2023 update
I have minimal knowledge on this topic. This should further incentivize you to really explain your arguments. This also means you should minimize using complicated topic acronyms
Yes, email chain. debateoprf@gmail.com
ME:
Debater--The University of Michigan '91-'95
Head Coach--Oak Park and River Forest HS '15-'20
Assistant Coach--New Trier Township High School '20-
POLICY DEBATE:
Top Level
--Old School Policy.
--Like the K on the Neg. Harder sell on the Aff.
--Quality of Evidence Counts. Massive disparities warrant intervention on my part. You can insert rehighlightings. There should not be a time punishment for the tean NOT reading weak evidence.
--Not great with theory debates.
--I value Research and Strategic Thinking (both in round and prep) as paramount when evaluating procedural impacts.
--Utter disdain for trolly Theory args, Death Good, Wipeout and Spark. Respect the game, win classy.
Advantage vs Disadvantage
More often than not, I tend to gravitate towards the team that wins probability. The more coherent and plausible the internal link chain is, the better.
Zero risk is a thing.
I can and will vote against an argument if cards are poor exclusive of counter evidence being read.
Not a big fan of Pre-Fiat DA's: Spending, Must Pass Legislation, Riders, etc. I will err Aff on theory unless the Neg has some really good evidence as to why not.
I love nuanced defense and case turns. Conversely, I love link and impact turns. Please run lots of them.
Counterplans
Conditionality—
I am largely okay with a fair amount of condo. i.e. 4-5 not a big deal for me. I will become sympathetic to Aff Theory ONLY if the Neg starts kicking straight turned arguments. On the other hand, if you go for Condo Bad and can't answer Strat Skew Inevitable, Idea Testing Good and Hard Debate is Good Debate then don't go for Condo Bad. I have voted Aff on Conditionality Theory, but rarely.
2023-2024 EDIT:
**That said, the Inequality Topic has made me add an addendum to my aforementioned grievance about being on my lawn: running blatantly contradictory arguments about Capitalism, Unions, Growth, etc. are egregious performance contradictions that I will no longer ignore under the auspices of conditionality. Its not that I am changing my tune on condo per se, its that this promotes bad neg strats that are usually a result of high school students not thinking about things they should be before reading the 1NC. Its pretty easy to win in-round abuse when a Neg is defending Unions Good and Bad at the same time. I encourage you to try.
Competition—
1. I have grown weary of vague plan writing. To that end, I tend think that the Neg need only win that the CP is functionally competitive. The Plan is about advocacy and cannot be a moving target.
2. Perm do the CP? Intrinsic Perms? I am flexible to Neg if they have a solvency advocate or the Aff is new. Otherwise, I lean Aff.
Other Stuff—
PIC’s and Agent CP’s are part of our game. I err Neg on theory. Ditto 50 State Fiat.
No object Fiat, please. Or International Fiat on a Domestic Topic.
Otherwise, International Fiat is a gray area for me. The Neg needs a good Interp that excludes abusive versions. Its winnable.
Solvency advocates and New Affs make me lean Neg on theory.
I will judge kick automatically unless given a decent reason why not in the 1AR.
K-Affs
If you lean on K Affs, just do yourself a favor and put me low or strike me. I am not unsympathetic to your argument per se, I just vote on Framework 60-70% of the time and it rarely has anything to do with your Aff.
That said, if you can effectively impact turn Framework, beat back a TVA and Switch Side Debate, you can get my ballot.
Topic relevance is important.
If your goal is to make blanket statements about why certain people are good or bad or should be excluded from valuable discussions then I am not your judge. We are all flawed.
I do not like “debate is bad” arguments. I don't think that being a "small school" is a reason why I should vote for you.
Kritiks vs Policy Affs
Truth be told, I vote Neg on Kritiks vs Policy Affs A LOT.
I am prone to voting Aff on Perms, so be advised College Debaters. I have no take on "philosophical competition" but it does seem like a thing.
I am not up on the Lit AT ALL, so the polysyllabic word stews you so love to concoct are going to make my ears bleed.
I like reading cards after the debate and find myself understanding nuance better when I can. If you don’t then you leave me with only the bad handwriting on my flow to decipher what you said an hour later and that’s not good for anybody.
When I usually vote Neg its because the Aff has not done a sufficient job in engaging with core elements of the K, such as Ontology, Root Cause Claims, etc.
I am not a great evaluator of Framework debates and will usually err for the team that accesses Education Impacts the best.
Topicality
Because it theoretically serves an external function that affects other rounds, I do give the Aff a fair amount of leeway when the arguments start to wander into a gray area. The requirement for Offense on the part of the Affirmative is something on which I place little value. Put another way, the Aff need only prove that they are within the predictable confines of research and present a plan that offers enough ground on which to run generic arguments. The Negative must prove that the Affirmative skews research burdens to a point in which the topic is unlimited to a point beyond 20-30 possible cases and/or renders the heart of the topic moot.
Plan Text in a Vacuum is a silly defense. In very few instances have I found it defensible. If you choose to defend it, you had better be ready to defend the solvency implications.
Limits and Fairness are not in and of themselves an impact. Take it to the next level.
Why I vote Aff a lot:
--Bad/Incoherent link mechanics on DA’s
--Perm do the CP
--CP Solvency Deficits
--Framework/Scholarship is defensible
--T can be won defensively
Why I vote Neg a lot:
--Condo Bad is silly
--Weakness of aff internal links/solvency
--Offense that turns the case
--Sufficiency Framing
--You actually had a strategy
PUBLIC FORUM SUPPLEMENT:
I judge about 1 PF Round for every 50 Policy Rounds so bear with me here.
I have NOT judged the PF national circuit pretty much ever. The good news is that I am not biased against or unwilling to vote on any particular style. Chances are I have heard some version of your meta level of argumentation and know how it interacts with the round. The bad news is if you want to complain about a style of debate in which you are unfamiliar, you had better convince me why with, you know, impacts and stuff. Do not try and cite an unspoken rule about debate in your part of the country.
Because of my background in Policy, I tend to look at things from a cost benefit perspective. Even though the Pro is not advocating a Plan and the Con is not reading Disadvantages, to me the round comes down to whether the Pro has a greater possible benefit than the potential implications it might cause. Both sides should frame the round in terms impact calculus and or feasibility. Impacts need to be tangible.
Evidence quality is very important.
I will vote on what is on the flow (yes, I flow) and keep my personal opinions of arguments in check as much as possible. I may mock you for it, but I won’t vote against you for it. No paraphrasing. Quote the author, date and the exact words. Quals are even better but you don’t have to read them unless pressed. Have the website handy. Research is critical.
Speed? Meh. You cannot possibly go fast enough for me to not be able to follow you. However, that does not mean I want to hear you go fast. You can be quick and very persuasive. You don't need to spread.
Defense is nice but is not enough. You must create offense in order to win. There is no “presumption” on the Con.
While I am not a fan of formal “Kritik” arguments in PF, I do think that Philosophical Debates have a place. Using your Framework as a reason to defend your scholarship is a wise move. Racism and Sexism will not be tolerated. You can attack your opponents scholarship.
I reward debaters who think outside the box.
I do not reward debaters who cry foul when hearing an argument that falls outside traditional parameters of PF Debate. Again, I am not a fan of the Kritik, but if its abusive, tell me why instead of just saying “not fair.”
Statistics are nice, to a point. But I feel that judges/debaters overvalue them. Often the best impacts involve higher values that cannot be quantified. A good example would be something like Structural Violence.
While Truth outweighs, technical concessions on key arguments can and will be evaluated. Dropping offense means the argument gets 100% weight.
The goal of the Con is to disprove the value of the Resolution. If the Pro cannot defend the whole resolution (agent, totality, etc.) then the Con gets some leeway.
I care about substance and not style. It never fails that I give 1-2 low point wins at a tournament. Just because your tie is nice and you sound pretty, doesn’t mean you win. I vote on argument quality and technical debating. The rest is for lay judging.
Relax. Have fun.
Solorio Academy HS ‘23 --> UIUC '27
She/Her - Prefer if you didn't address me as "judge"
Put me on the email chain: nicholegarcia2023@gmail.com
Tech > Truth
More policy-oriented than anything. That doesn’t mean I’m not willing to vote on anything else. Feel free to run whatever is your style.
Top Level Tingz
- I have glanced over the high school topic very briefly so assume I know nothing about the specifics of your aff/other arguments
- I'm not doing the work for you. Write my ballot, explain dropped arguments and what that means for the round, explain the warrants for your arguments
- I’m a bit more generous with speaks. Most teams get 28-29. This is decided by how you sound (Confidence!!), quality of arguments, and overall behavior in the round
- Trust that I am competent enough to understand what went on in the round overall – Don’t post round me
- I prefer if you time yourself (if you can’t, let me know), stand up during speeches, face the judge(s), FLOW!
- Not very expressive – my resting face looks a little angry (don’t let it make you nervous)
- Absolutely will not tolerate any sort of racism, sexism, ableism, etc
- This includes putting the other team down and attacking them as people rather than their arguments
Brief Background: I debated 4 years at Solorio, competing in both UDL and nat circuit tournaments. I mostly stuck to a strict policy strategy as the 2N but hit a lot of K teams so I have a decent amount of exposure to both traditional policy and K. I went to debate camp at Dartmouth and was taught to debate by the Conor Cameron and Victoria Yonter (<3). Not currently debating for UIUC.
Case Turns – LOVE. Pretty much down with any case turn. Keep consistent and extend it throughout the debate along with your warrants.
DA’s – DA ground has looked a bit iffy :( --> I have a pretty good understanding of the more common DA's but don't expect me to fill in the argument for you. Tell me the story of the DA, explain how the Aff specifically links, and make your impact clear. Impact calc and Impact comparison are super important!
CP’s – The more sketchy the CP the more I’ll dislike (also not a huge fan of multi-plank CP's) but if you’re winning the CP I’ll vote on it. Make it clear how the CP solves the NB, and what the CP does. The CP has to be a reason to reject the Aff. Answer the Perm.
K’s – I don’t love K’s but I am willing to vote on it. I have a decent understanding of K’s but I hold the neg to a high expectation in terms of explanation of the K. If you plan to go for the K explain all of it. I expect explanations for how the K functions, what the role of the ballot is, and what the alternative and the impacts are. If I don’t know what it does you can’t reasonably expect that I’ll be able to justify my ballot for the K.
K literature that I am more familiar with: Cap, Imperialism, Set Col, Security, Fem. Anything else that isn’t a more traditional K you should assume I know nothing about. (good rule is to assume I don't know anything about the K though)
K Affs - Not a big fan --> probably not the judge you want for a K aff. Doesn't mean I refuse to vote on the aff tho it just means I expect a lot of explanation of the aff + interaction/clash with the neg.
K Aff v T --> Love T personally (I ran it very consistently), I expect K teams to be able to answer T thoroughly and properly. I lean more towards the neg. Fairness impacts are good but harder to win especially when the aff is oftentimes a turn to fairness. Other impacts I am a fan of: education (super important to me), limits, predictable clash. In order to win T it should be a large component of the block and the 2NR (but make sure you watch out for arguments on case that need to be answered). K teams can win in front of me but it is important that T is sufficiently answered.
Theory - Don't have any strong opinions on theory (but I do love a good condo round ;) ). Its a bit harder to win less traditional theory in front of me but I'll do my best to put my bias aside and weigh the impacts. DO NOT SPREAD YOUR THEORY BLOCKS. I understand its strategic if your opponents can't flow all of it but neither can I --> if you're going to ignore this and spread it at least send the block.
Topicality (policy) - Also don't have a strong opinion on topicality. I am less persuaded by a generic T block that doesn't specify the aff's violation and I am less persuaded if it's against a core file (huge aff with lots of literature/ground). I think topicality is good for keeping teams in check and preventing neg abuse but keep in mind that you should be able to clearly define what is and isn't topical (having a case list would help). Get creative but make sure your sources/definitions are credible and relevant. In order to win T it should be more than a minute of your block and all of the 2NR ( all or nothing basically).
Hello all My name is Colin Goldberg and I'm a senior at Glenbrook South High school.
I've been doing debate for all of the high school so this is my fourth year of debate. I'm a policy-oriented judge, but I will assess any kritiks you want to run.
For me and I hope for yall debate is for fun, so don't be a mean person. Now, this doesn't mean don't try as hard as you can but don't be rude to the specific team.
My knowledge of this topic is not great, so make sure you explain everything. If you can't explain what you're running it will be a lot harder to secure my ballot
My email is 226637@glenbrook225.org please add me to the email chains. As a backup please add the email chronodebate@gmail.com.
Also, online debate fosters an environment where stealing prep becomes the norm. I expect no one will be stealing prep, however, if you are caught I will heavily dock speaks.
New Trier '23
call me sam, not judge
please add me to the email chain - samgdebate@gmail.com
Top Level Stuff
Tech >>>> truth - I am down for whatever. The only exceptions to this are callouts, hateful arguments, or death good.
be clear!! I am not the world’s greatest flow, so please prioritize in-depth argumentation over shotgunning a bunch of misc arguments.
I won’t read cards unless specifically directed to by debaters or if it is essential to resolve a debate - even then, I will not read unhighlighted portions of cards unless a rehighlight is extended
I have very little topic knowledge, so please avoid jargon and explain topic-specific examples
T
Give an alternative to plan text in a vacuum
interpretations must be explicitly extended in every speech
CPs
I default to judge kick unless told not to - these debates need to begin in the 1AR
DAs
even if it’s kind of silly, 1ARs need to respond to turns case
K v Policy
I’m familiar with Pess, Set Col, Cap, Death Cult, and Security - anything else requires significantly more explanation
I’ll probably always start off with framework when writing my ballot in these rounds, so teams need to be explicit about what I weigh if they win their interp - this explanation should preferably begin in the 2AC and 2NC
If you want an argument to be applied to framework, that needs to be explicit
Subjectivity shift defense should go beyond the generic list of alt causes (also applies to T-USFG)
T v K
I have no preference for the offense either team decides to go for in these sorts of rounds - I generally think that fairness is an impact but can be persuaded otherwise
please cut the long overviews
If i have no idea what your AFF does after the 2AR, i’m voting on presumption
K v K
I would feel much more comfortable adjudicating a T debate
clarity is super important here, I will feel much more confident in my decision if everyone slows down and defaults to more explanation - keep things super organized, and i should be fine
Theory
Unless theory is dropped (and it's on a flow that's extended into the 2NR), condo is probably the only reason to reject the team - that said please don’t go for condo unless absolutely necessary - condo debates make me want to throw up
I won’t vote on condo in novice debates
Absent an add-on, I think 2NC CPs are indefensible
Misc Things
saying "oops" in a speech = -0.1 speaks
please don't like yell your speeches - idk why people think being loud equates to increased ethos
Hi. I debated at Glenbrook North HS in Northbrook for 4 years, 1.5 in policy and 2.5 in LD. I was the LD coach at Loyola Blakefield HS in Baltimore for 3 years followed by being the debate coach for Chicagoland Jewish HS in Deerfield, IL, New Trier HS in Winnetka/Northfield, IL, Bronx Science, Beacon HS in Manhattan, the director of debate at Mamaroneck HS in Mamaroneck, NY and currently the director of debate at South Shore International College Prep in Chicago. I've also worked at multiple debate camps and have been a private coach for multiple debaters. Trust me, I've seen it all.
Last updated 4/9/24. Changed some words and added my judge kick stance.
I'm fine being on email chains but I'm not posting my email publicly. Just ask before the round.
General stuff:
I will vote on any argument, in any weighing mechanism provided. I do not discriminate, I'm find with speed (though sometimes my flowing can be bad), fine with theory, fine with kritiks, whatever you want to do. It's your round, not mine have fun with it.
-Extensions are key! Every extension needs to have the word extend/pull through the flow/or similar wording attached to it. Then it needs to have a warrant for what is being extended, finally the extension needs an impact back to the weighing calculus. If that is the value/value criterion mechanism then it needs to impact back to the VC that is being used for the round. If that is some other mechanism, it needs to be impacted to that weighing mechanism (theory means voters I guess). That weighing mechanism and the warrants for the mechanism should be extended (In a v/vc model the vc should be extended along with the argument). If these things are not done then the arguments will not be evaluated in the same depth and I might not give you credit, or as much credit, for an argument that you may have clearly won on the flow. I guess in simpler terms I have a high threshold for extensions. Also, when extending please extend along with the warrant please compare your arguments to other arguments. The best extensions are not just argument extensions but have comparative weighing along with the arguments.
-Evidence is not inherently preferable for analytics absent some argument for why I should prefer that specific piece of evidence over a generic analytic. Debaters are smart and well researched on the topic (usually) and so should be able to have a command of what is going on equal to/greater than a lot of experts. Trust yourself and talk about why you are correct instead of some rando newspaper writer who has probably done less research than what goes into the typical 1AC.
- WEIGH! One of the things I'm almost always unsure of after a round is which argument to evaluate first. Do I look to the Disad, the spike, the contention 1? Most debate rounds involve multiple arguments that could "come first" and people telling me the order in which to evaluate arguments and which arguments are more important makes my life easier. It also means you'll be more likely to win because the argument that you're saying is most important/comes first is probably also the one that you're winning the most. WEIGH! Seriously WEIGH!
On Non-T affs:
You ought pretend to be topical. Topicality means different things to different people and I think that the topic and what topicality means can change in debate and in different debates. However, the aff should claim that they are talking about the topic. What the topic means to you and how it functions might be different than the "traditional" method and that's fine! How you make that claim or whether that claim is true can be (and should be!) contested in the round.
- Other thing: It has become very clear since 10/7/23 that settler-colonialism justifies mass atrocities. I will vote against it much as I vote against people who say or uphold racist/sexist/homophobic or other harmful ideologies.
- Feel free to come up to me at any tournament and ask me questions about anything, I can't guarantee you a great answer but I can guarantee that I will try to respond.
LD Paradigm:
Things I've noticed about my preferences for debate: (This is just a list of things I like, none of these are necessary to win a round but they do affect my judging)
- I tend to prefer debaters who debated similarly to how I debated. What does this mean? I debated in an old school national circuit LD style. On the aff that meant a very broad criterion with mutually exclusive contentions that I tried to kick out of as much as possible (usually at the end of the 2AR, I had one contention and maybe framework). On the neg, it meant a short NC, no more than 2 minutes, with extensive analytical responses to the aff. While it might not help you win the round, debate has changed a lot, it will help your speaker points.
- I like a 2AR that isn't on the flow. What does this mean? The 2AR should be more of a story speech that merely references the flow. A lot of weighing/crystallizing or time on voting issues.
-I like even/if stories. They tend to make the round clearer and make my life easier.
-LD debaters need to stop saying "we" when referring to themselves. You are a singular human being and not one half of a partnership. If you say "we" while referring to yourself you will lose 0.1 speaker points. I will also interrupt your speeches to ask "who is we?" Be prepared.
-I'm a leftist politically. Property rights arguments and other capitalist arguments are not particularly persuasive to me and I don't like hearing them. That doesn't mean I won't vote on them, it just means if you have something else it's probably a good idea to run it.
-I presume coinflip. That means if I can't find any offense or way to vote I will flip a coin to decide the round. I have done this quite a few times and never want to do it again but I'm not afraid to do it and if I think your round warrants it, a coinflip will happen. (That said the only times I've done it has been in rounds where there have been on offense by either side so as long as offense exists I will not flip a coin).
-I like philosophy, I am a philosophy major. That said I'm not good at flowing it, especially when spread at the beginning of the speech. So if you do read philosophy slow down a little bit so that I can catch your arguments.
-Going off that last point, my major is in continental philosophy; which means I take classes on all those critical authors you've wanted to use in rounds. Kritiks are wonderful! If you know what are you talking about, please run them in front of me. Ks do not need an alt, though it is preferable. Make sure to understand the interactions between your position and the position of what your opponent is running.
- Please start the AC/NC with I affirm/I negate. It doesn't take away from your word economy and it gives me a second to "catch up" and get used to your spreading/debating voice so that I don't miss your first argument. You don't need to re-state the resolution though, that's unnecessary.
-Something most debaters forget is that as a judge I do not look to see what you are reading while you are reading it. I don't read the cards on the email chain until after the round. Therefore, be more specific in signposting then off the Martin card 1..2..3 etc. Don't just say Martin, say what Martin said as well, because I might not have gotten the author name Martin but I got the argument they made. Also, be clear about where Martin is on the flow. If Martin is a contention 1 card, say that she is in contention 1. Virtual/Computer debate note: I do ask to be on the email chain but I don't read the cards on the chain until after the round so this still applies.
- Policy style arguments have started to come more and more into LD and people like running them in front of me. That's fine, I really like them. However, if you are running them you also take on policy-style burdens. For example, if you read a plan then you have to fulfill the 4 criteria of the HITS (if you don't know what that is, you shouldn't be running a plan. Also, considering the last person to lose on significance was Tom Durkin in the 1978 NDT, significance doesn't matter anymore). Most importantly, is that policy has a status quo whereas LD does not. That means that you need to orally give me the dates of evidence! If you're running a DA I need to know that the uniqueness is actually unique, if it's a plan that the inherency is actually inherent etc. Evidence without dates on it means that I won't give you credit for uniqueness or inherency claims that you need in the debate round. If your opponent points out that you didn't read those dates then I will give zero credit for any uniqueness/inherency claim and assume that your evidence is from 1784 and take away any offense that is based off of that plan/DA (I will also give said opponent at least a 29). So make sure to tell me those dates!
- I've recently read A LOT of social movement theory and have also been actively been involved in crafting strategy for a social movement. This has made me significantly more wary of most kritik alternatives. Kritik alts either make no sense, are not realistic, would never be adopted by wide ranging social movements, or are actively harmful to spreading social movements. It won't change how I vote, if the alt is won, but it does mean that common sense arguments against K alts will be considered more important. But if you look at my earlier stuff from Ks you'll see that I don't even think an alt needs to be read, so, you know, think about that risk.
- A priori/pre-standards arguments/other tricky-esque nibs. If you are losing everything else on the flow I need a reason to uniquely prefer your 3 sentences over the rest of the flow. If that does not happen I will find it very hard to vote for you over somebody else who is winning the rest of the round. Not that I won't evaluate the argument at all it will just be weighed against the rest of the round and if someone else is winning the rest of the round I will vote for the person winning the majority of the round. In simpler words if you go for an a priori, go for it hard. I'm not going to buy it simply because it is dropped.
- Metaethics. Basically, meta-ethics cannot be used as a "magic wand" to get out of framework debate. You still need to provide an ethic to meet your meta-ethic. Just saying my meta-ethical util comes before your ethical deont haha! is not enough. Language might be indeterminate but that doesn't mean we default to util (or deont) unless it's justified.
Since everybody asks me about how I evaluate theory here it is:
I don't mind theory, I will vote on it and I will vote on it in cases where I think no actual abuse has occurred or even times where the argument itself is patently non-abusive. But before you rush to pull out your three theory shells, I really don't like voting on it. Moreover, of all the decisions where people have argued with me after the round, 2/3 of them are because of theory. My paradigm seems to be different than other judges so I would say run theory at your risk. Now of course you're asking why is my paradigm different? Simple because I don't default to a monolithic competing interpretations framework, you don't need a counter-interp/RVI/etc. to win theory (though it is helpful and in a case of offense vs. no offense I'm going to default to offense). I'm not as technical on theory as other judges, simply saying my argument is not abusive, drop the argument not the debater, or even talking about reasonability will probably be enough to convince me to not vote on theory. In other words, I default to reasonability, though will be persuaded otherwise. Also, in a round between two equal theory debaters or even a round where both debaters have competent theory blocks, theory turns into a crapshoot (which, by the way, is most theory rounds) so while I will do my best to sort through it that doesn't mean my decision won't be somewhat random.
Also, I guess most LD judges don't evaluate theory this way so I should point this out. If you only go for theory in the NR/2NR or 2AR then the affirmative/negative does not need a RVI to win the theory debate because the only offense at the end of the round is on theory which means that I am merely evaluating who did the better theory debating and not worrying about substance at all. The RVI only comes into play if there is a contestation of substance AND theory at the end of the debate.
Policy Paradigm:
I will vote on any argument, in any weighing mechanism provided. My main philosophy is it's your round not mine so do what you want. I think a lot of how I judge policy is probably transferred from LD so look there for good stuff. One caveat to that, if there is something that seems very specific to LD (like saying "we" for example) do not bring that into a policy context.
Obviously I have some caveats for that:
First and foremost is that LD is most of what I've debated and coached. Though policy kids have this outdated version of what LD is, there is now every argument in policy in LD also with extra stuff too! I am fine with speed etc. Don't worry about that but I'm still a LDer at heart so be prepared. I've been mostly coaching policy since 2018 or so meaning that I've caught on to a lot more of the nuances of policy debate. At this point I coach more policy than LD so this is changing.
The other important take away is that social conventions of what you can and cannot do in LD and policy are slightly different. For example, RVIs in LD are not joke arguments but made in almost any theory round (though I don't like RVIs in policy). LD does not have the concept of overviews in the same way as policy and what is considered "line by line" is very different. I've been able to figure out most of these biases but occasionally I'll mess up. Just be aware.
I default to reasonability on T and theory issues.
I don't know why this has become a thing but apparently people don't say AND or NEXT after finishing cards in the 1AC or 1NC. You still need to do that so that I know when to flow.
I just learned what this term means but apparently I judge kick if that matters to you (and I think I'm understanding the term correctly)
Utilitarianism is moral philosophy that evaluates the morality of actions based on the consequences. This means that small scale/structural violence impacts are utilitarian because we care about the consequence of structural violence. Stop saying these arguments are not utilitarian or answering them as if they are not utilitarian. They are.
hi, i'm betsy!
she/her
please put me on the email chain! betsydebates@gmail.com
senior at glenbrook south, in my fourth year of debate
clash clash clash clash! your top priority should be actually responding to the other team's arguments.
simple arguments that you actually understand & can explain > weird complicated blocks that your varsity wrote for you
do not steal prep
stand when you speak
be nice!!!!!! and speak clearly above all - if i can’t understand you i can’t vote on any arguments you make.
i'm pretty comfortable judging most arguments, as long as they're explained. this is particularly true if you're reading high theory ks, weird technical cps, etc - it needs to be adequately explained if you want me to vote on it, don't assume i already know about it.
join the women & gender minorities in policy debate collective! ask me about it or email wandgminpolicydebatecollective@gmail.com, follow the Instagram @women.genderminoritiesincx
UIUC '26 - industrial engineering
GBS '22
Topics: Immigration, arms sales (my beloved), CJR, and Water
2N for all
T/L
anything goes (yes you can run that impact turn)
- i gripe a lot about stuff later on but i legitimately do mean the above
a dropped argument is a true argument
yes even aspec/no neg fiat but...
...an argument is a claim, warrant, and implication
the troll theory's gotta have all three to count
I do not do college debate but am active in electoral politics and policy stuff so you don't need to explain anything beyond the most crucial/niche acronyms and T definitions
- i have done almost nothing debate related since april 22 so 75% of this is me having hot takes about the activity
send a card doc after the final speech
What you care about (policy v k)
Policy
The last time I went for t-usfg was as a sophomore (every 2nr was an impact turn v k affs)
single digit amount of K 2nrs throughout my career
if i somehow end up judging a clash debate i wouldmuch rather see an impact turn debate
More stuff since people lie in paradigms all the time
I am most familiar with standard DA, case, and CP debates (obviously)
I am relatively familiar with T and standard Ks (you know what I mean)
Least familiar with non-standard Ks and K-affs
senior wiki for reference > https://opencaselist.com/hspolicy21/GlenbrookSouth/KhKi
case debate is underrated (everyone says this but i actually mean it) (seriously)
Mechanics
call me whatever the hell you want
- yes inserting re-highlightings unless it's from a different part of the article
- yes open cx
- average speaks are 28.5
- asking for a doc with the cards removed is prep time - a marked doc is a doc with marks on the cards that were marked
- I will not vote on things that happened out of round
- i try to decide in a reasonable amount of time (>30 min decisions are a crime)
- ptiv is stupid (just win the c-i???)
#teaminfinitecondo
Random thoughts you can read while your partner does pre-round
You don't need to crack jokes or whatever for speaks, but if you do want to min-max speaks here's some thoughts
- i like creative strategies (cliche i know) - if your strategy has me thinking you put hours of research into this one subject (my favorite 2nr senior year was nuclear energy bad and junior year it was adv cp+crypto regs good or transhumanism)
- no such thing as too many adv cp planks
i never paid attention to this when i debated but making it easy to flow is really helpful especially considering I have terrible engineer handwriting
saying 'this is {ideology} propaganda' etc. is not a warrant or an implication
indicts are usually stupid unless its refuting something methodological/scientific
Stuff you can read while waiting for a decision
it seems like people aren't going for NATO bad which is understandable but i feel like the block could go ham but idk its not a great argument
I would like to be on the email chain - kimbreba@cbhs.edu
I will look at the evidence if I am told to and at the end of the round but I am going to flow what I hear, and I will vote off the flow. I consider myself a very strong flower so don't worry about going fast.
I am very tabula-rosa so I'll vote for anything, but tell me what you want me to vote for in the last speech. I would recommend starting the last speech with "Judge, this round you should vote for _______ because...". or "Judge, these are the reasons to vote aff/neg"
I do not like screaming/screeching during your speech or quietness, I will take speaker points off for screaming an entire speech or being so quiet I can't make out individual words during speeches. It is also far less persuasive to scream/whisper.
I prefer it when debaters label their positions. There seems to be a new debate trend where debaters won't name their positions in order to confuse the other team; this seems like a lazy and cheap trick. I want to judge you on your skill level not because the other team could not figure out what your claims were. But also in contradiction I am not going to disregard an argument just because the other team mislabeled your position, if it applies it applies.
Please ask questions after the round if you have any. I am not all-knowing and if I make a mistake and no one ever calls me out on it then I will keep making the mistake. I know a lot of teams think they should have won but never ask any questions and will leave feeling very salty. If you think you should have won don't worry about asking about it or trying to tell me I'm wrong: the reason for debate is to learn and its as true for the debaters as it is for the judges.
I coached policy debate at Niles West High School for three years. Prior to that, I competed in Policy debate for four years at Niles West and have also competed in NPDA-Parliamentary and NFA-Lincoln/Douglass debate for four years at the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign. I served as the Debate Captain for UIUC during my junior year, teaching and coaching new members and running our team's practices. My background is in political science and public policy as well as studying some critical theory so I like to think I am generally well versed in issues usually being discussed during competitive debates.
I highly encourage flowing, clarity, in depth analysis, and argument comparison. (like impact calculus).
I'm very flexible as I have debated very policy as well as critical positions throughout my debate career. I am a flow judge above all else, so if the right arguments are made and extended, I will vote on that. While I have some minor argument preferences, I will generally remove my biases from the round and judge each debater's arguments on its merits.
If you still have questions, ask me before the round or email me.
You can contact me at: Walter.lindwall@gmail.com
zucie lopez (they/she)
solorio'23 -> isu'27
add me to the email chain pls!
i competed for solorio in high school. i'm currently not debating in college.
i'm not familiar with this years topic so try to explain your arguments ( not only does it help me but also lets me know that you know what you're talking about)
be respectful. there is no reason to be rude to other people in the round. i DO NOT allow homophobia, sexism, racism, ableism, etc. any form of discrimination will result is automatic loss.
Debated for Niles North and Indiana University.
Put me on the email chain, liamjlorenz@gmail.com
I am open to any arguments, as long as they are explained and extended well. I'm not one of those people that "won't vote on death/extinction good" or "will never pull the trigger on ASPEC". I approach the debate from an unbiased mindset. If you out-debate the other team, and I have you winning on a technical level on my flow, I will vote for you.
That being said, I do have some small inherent preferences as a debater, which I feel make for better debates - displayed here in a chart copied from Jeff Buntin. However, these are merely preferences - if your style of debate does not align with the opinions in this chart, that does not mean I won’t vote for you. I will likely understand all of the arguments in debate, and pay close attention to technicality.
Policy-----------O--------------------------------K
Tech-------------O--------------------------------Truth
Conditionality good---------------O---------------Conditionality bad
States CP good---------------------O------------States CP bad
Limits---------------------O------------------------Aff ground
You should flow all arguments, and doing explicit line-by-line will help everyone in the debate, including your chances of winning and getting high speaker points. Stray away from under-developed embedded clash/unnecessarily long “overviews"; the more flowable you are, the better your chances of winning are.
Piper Meloche [she/her, last name rhymes with "josh" not "brioche"]
Groves + MSU
pipermeloche@gmail.com [all email chains, questions]
grovesdebatedocs@gmail.com [high school only]
What I expect from you
1. Non-negotiables - Racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, or other forms of discrimination will not be tolerated. Nor will cheating. Unless the tournament rules tell me otherwise, I will not let an ethics challenge be "debated out." If there is an instance of discrimination in a round I am judging, I will allow the impacted person to decide whether the debate continues. I cannot adjudicate what I did not directly witness.
2. Strong preferences - flow, keep your own time, and frame my ballot at the top of the late rebuttals. Whenever possible, prioritize evidence quality - good cards and smart re-highlights will be rewarded with high speaks.
3. Be nice to each other and have fun - the people we meet and the ideas we learn in debate are far more important than the result of any individual round, tournament, season, or career. I am very sensitive to condescending and rude cross-ex questions - especially when the two students have a power imbalance.
What to expect from me
1. Tech over truth - but the two are far more interwoven than many debaters think. I often grow frustrated when teams give their opponents' best arguments the same attention as their opponents' worst arguments. Truth exists and should determine how you execute tech. Arguments also must not be morally repugnant - death good, oppression good count as morally repugnant, and hot take, global warming good is pushing it. All below preferences assume equal debating.
2. Much better for policy arguments - I was a K debater in high school, but my research now exclusively focuses on the policy side of college and high school topics. The purpose of this paradigm is not to constrain what you do in front of me but to give you the most accurate understanding of my predispositions and how I try to judge debates.
Topic Things
College --
1. D4/5 will be my first time judging this semester. If some community norm about the coolest cards to read or the worst advantages has developed since then, please take the time to explain that to me.
2. Many debates on the college topic will be an assurance or deterrence disad against an aff claiming to solve these impacts. Love that for y'all, but you need to do more link comparison. Asserting that you clearly solve prolif, but your opponent clearly doesn't without warrants gives the same vibes as "I know you are, but what am I?" and almost forces me to intervene.
High School --
1. FSPEC...I don’t get it. SPEC arguments are likely only true if dropped unless you can convince me I’m missing something.
Whatever happened to strategically vague plan texts?! Funding mechanism advantages are whatever, but you are opening yourself up to annoying PICs and process counterplans that change one tiny thing about that funding mech you specified in your plan text or in cross ex! “Normal means” is the best answer to “how is the aff funded” because “Perm: do the counterplan” is the best answer to counterplans that change funding in a way that still results in a JG, BI, or social security expansion.
2. Love that people are going for T, but I think there are more convincing options than “taxes and transfers.” I am unconvinced that the word “and” can never mean “or.” Piper likes to eat chicken shawarma sandwiches with extra garlic and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Did you read that as I like to put ice cream on my chicken shawarma sandwiches with extra garlic? I sure hope not. In this instance, “and” does mean “or.”
Policy v. Policy
1. The politics disad is good, actually. It's only "bad" if you're bad at storytelling. Know the major political figures and forces involved in the disad.
2. A smartly constructed advantage counterplan can solve most affs.
3. Counterplans should compete. Creative permutations can and should check counterplans that do not compete.
4. Conditionality is good, and all other theory is a reason to reject the argument. Conditionality ends after the 2NR if there is equal debating on judge kick or everyone is silent on the issue.
Clash
I'm far more familiar with identity Ks than Baudrillard and friends.
K affs v. Topicality --
1. Neg teams should answer case.
2. K affs should have a substantial tie to the topic.
3. Creative TVAs are an underrated part of the T debate - they should be something you actively research, not an afterthought.
4. I would prefer that aff teams provide and defend a clear counter-interpretation for the topic.
5. Everyone should avoid making gross exaggerations on the topicality page. K affs, for example, will not cause everyone to quit the activity.
Policy affs v. K --
1. Aff teams are most successful in these debates when they invest time in link comparison and flesh out the perm.
2. Neg teams are usually in a better spot when they prove that the aff is worse than the status quo and invest a substantial amount of time into the alternative.
K v. K
I have not judged enough of these rounds to give insight into how I evaluate them. Please prefer and provide judge instruction accordingly.
Random Hot Takes
1. The state of the high school and college wikis is disheartening. If you are scared that your entire strategy will collapse if others have your evidence, your evidence is probably not that good to begin with.
I think posting cites instead of Open Source is perfectly fine. BUT you have to check that you’re uploading complete cites! That includes the full tag, author, date, qualifications, a link to where we can access the text if available, and the first and last 3 words of your card.
2. Inserting rehighlights is *usually* good practice - read better evidence if this makes you sad. Rehighligted evidence will only be considered to the extent that it is explained. "Meloche goes neg" is not an explanation. At some point, introducing excessive rehighlights makes the level of explanation I need impossible.
3. A phenomenal 2AR cannot make up for a 2AC with sloppy mistakes - taking a few seconds of 2AC prep to make sure everything is in order is more valuable than saving those 15 seconds for the 2AR.
4. Your breath control sucks - easiest way to fix it is to try and take breaths at the end of sentences like we do in normal conversations. You'll sound and feel better.
5. After each tournament, I check how the points I gave compared to those received by the teams I judge throughout the weekend. This is my attempt to keep up with point inflation, but it doesn't always work.
6. Death by a Thousand Cuts is a fantastic Taylor Swift song - it is a mediocre neg strategy.
7. I am judging how easy to read, quickly sent, and aesthetically pleasing your judge doc is. Not in a win/loss way, but in a "I'm keeping a mental tier-list" way.
8. https://twitter.com/mcfuhrmann/status/1362452482165768193/photo/1
----
- I've been trying to delete this numbered list for like 20 mins and gave up :(
Kevin Ramirez
Solorio Alumni 22'
UIUC 26'
They/Them
Email {kramirez6904(at)gmail(dot)com.}
General Stuff:
- Tech>Truth
- Write the ballot for me
- Will dock points if you speak over others/ your partner in cx repeatedly
- Explain why it matters that they dropped stuff, don't just say " They dropped it, we win. Moving on"
- Slow down on/ be clear on Analytics, Tags, and Authors.
- Not familiar with the topic this year, doesn't mean I am completely lay however its gonna take me a bit to understand the arguments
Arguments:
DA: Most DA's blend in together, just explain your link and impacts well and you'll be fine
K: I have a lot of experience running a variety of critiques like Nitzche, Anthro, Security, Cap, etc. Although I do get lost at times during high theory k rounds. Just contextualize your link to the aff and explain your alt.
K Aff's: Quoting my glorious leader
" Good luck to you " - Conor Cameron
T: Im not the biggest fan of T debates, however its not like I wont vote for it. If you explain your impacts and topicality violations well and win then I will vote for you. I am not persuaded by reasonability though which is something to keep in mind.
CP: I give a lot of leeway to the aff when it comes to cp theory since I think a lot of cp's being used now-a-days is just cheaty, I also dont do judge kick unless you tell me to. Otherwise im fine with CP's.
Theory: I used to be very into theory, but not that much anymore. Just like topicality just explain your violation and impacts and you'll be good. However a lot of theory is just not viable, so unless its blatantly conceded or under-covered I wont base my ballot of it. Just stick to the basics like Condo and you'll be fine.
Last updated pre-Michigan Camp Tourney 2023.
Policy debater at McQueen High School for 4 years (2015-2019), Policy debater at UMich (2019-2021).
Former coach at Glenbrook South (2022) and SLC West (2019-2021).
Got my Masters in Secondary Education from UMich (2023). I am a secondary social studies teacher in Michigan.
Rounds judged on the 2023-2024 topic: 1!
Please add me on the email chain: reesekatej@gmail.com
My pronouns are they/them. I am white. I am a friggin bum. I do live in a trailer with my mom. I have no need for trigger warnings. Don’t be mean and don’t be sexist/racist/homophobic etc.
I have no paradigms I explicitly look to for inspiration, but in life I am very inspired by Ricky LaFleur if that is any indication of my intelligence or judging style.
TL;DR: none of these are really hot takes, just debate well and explain stuff. Debate is about denial and error, don't be afraid to try something risky in front of me. I'm a middle-of-the-road judge, I judge a lot of clash debates.
*For Public Forum specific info, scroll to the bottom.
******Random Predispositions******
- Animal suffering is a relevant utilitarian consideration. You can beat animal Schopenhauer/human death good, it would be screwy if I auto-voted on that, but don’t assume I’m presumptively human-biased.
- If you run the “Speaks K”, I will auto-deduct .2 speaks.
- Accidentally using words like "stupid" or "crazy" is usually solved by an apology and would not warrant a loss.
- Write your plans/CPs correctly.
- I'd prefer you don't talk to me while your opponent is prepping.
******Thoughts on various arguments******
T
I feel like I’ve become somewhat neg leaning in T debates. This is because sometimes the aff is not good at extending offense to their interpretation when they don’t decisively meet the negative’s interp. I generally default to an offense/defense paradigm when evaluating T. So, affirmative, you need to have offense to your interp, or you need to persuasively explain why you meet their interp. Negative, not much to say for you here. One of the things you need to do is provide a positive and a negative caselist for your interp. Absent a positive caselist (i.e. the list of cases the aff could read), I find the aff’s overlimiting/predictability offense much more persuasive.
Also, it doesn't take rocket appliances to compare interpretation evidence, you should do it so I don't have to after the round and give you an RFD you won't like.
K
I like kritiks, I will listen to any kritik. I am a sucker for psychoanalysis and settler colonialism, but I like em all. Please be clear on what the alternative does and defend your worldview. I like links that are specific to the aff. I generally default to weighing the aff against a competitive alternative, unless someone tells me otherwise.
Role of the judge: Not to sleep through pairings, but I’m open to alternatives
Extinction first framing is persuasive to me, please spend time on this argument. I see a lot of K teams in high school blow this off and I have no idea why. It is a very easy way to lose the debate.
This is especially important if you are aff: perms need to have a perm text. Saying "perm", "extend the perm", and then not saying what the perm is or does irks me and doesn't constitute a complete argument. It is especially hard to evaluate when you have read 6 perms and then you just say "extend the perm" and I don't know which one you are going for.
Thoughts specific to antiblackness - I am most persuaded by specific examples on both sides. Explaining the three pillars and the libidinal economy to me isn't enough - I need specific examples of laws or actions that prove your theory as opposed to pure description.
Thoughts specific to settler colonialism - I am not sure how you can get to "settler colonialism/indigeneity etc. is ontological" by regurgitating gratuitous violence, natal alienation and general dishonor and applying it to indigenous people. Because of my thoughts above, I don't find this persuasive, but its double confusing for me because these are different areas of scholarship.
DA
I love disads, which is unfortunate considering that there aren’t a lot of good ones on this topic. I read a lot of cards in DA/DA + CP debates, so my advice is to do a little ev comparison here and read good evidence to begin with. DAs start at 100 percent risk and the aff should take it down from there.
I am typically unpersuaded by short analytical turns case analysis in most disad overviews - I would recommend you read cards unless you can very persuasively explain a turns case argument without one.
CP
Yay, I like counterplans! The more creative the better, get wild with it.
I like plan flaw debates and counterplan flaws matter. Write your counterplan texts correctly.
If the CP debate is gonna be heavy on CP competition, understand that English grammar/the dictionary don't interest me in the slightest and you're going to have to explain to me what a "transitive verb" is if it becomes relevant. And especially on this topic when the definition of the word "the" is apparently so important, for the love of god do some ev comparison or impact out what these definitions mean for debate-ability or something.
Case
I love case debate. If you're negative, point out errors in aff construction and debate impact defense well. If you're affirmative, defend your baby.
Impact turn debates are my absolute favorite to judge, as they often are the best for evidence comparison and impact calculus iv you do them right.
I would prefer if you explicitly extended each impact you're going for in the 2AC. Listing a bunch off with no explanation or saying "we have impacts, they dropped them" makes impact comparison harder for me and it just isn't persuasive.
For soft left affs/framing: I'm sympathetic to probability claims coming from soft left affs but am much more persuaded by claims about why discussing structural violence impacts in debate is important or a deontology angle. For example, I would prefer you say "we should prioritize structural violence impacts in debate because that's what we are most likely to be able to engage with in real life/extinction framing indefinitely obscures structural violence" as opposed to "probability first = util" because the l think the latter is just untrue.
Non-plan affs/K affs
I used to say I wasn’t good for K aff debates, but people kept reading K affs in front of me and I realized I will vote for anything.
I think debate is a game, but you can still win a K aff. You can also persuade me that debate is something more than a game. I will listen K aff debates and evaluate them like I would any other round, but I have a few preconceptions that are relevant. If you're aff, leveraging your offense against clash/fairness/advocacy skills etc. is a good way to get me to vote aff. I am unpersuaded by affs that can't defend that there is some value in negating the aff unless your aff is some flavor of a) debate bad, b) a survival strategy, or c) anything where you argue that negation is bad or unnecessary.
If you're neg, the framework debate can be fairly generic but I think you should still address the components of the case debate that can be used as offense against framework. I am persuaded by procedural fairness as an impact, although I find that debates are easier to evaluate if you go for something external. I also enjoy when neg teams read a K or a DA against non-plan affs. It makes the debate much more interesting.
Theory/Other Issues
I don't unconditionally support conditionality. Feel free to go for condo bad if you're aff, just debate it well. Other theory issues are usually a reason to reject the argument, not the team (unless you just plain drop it).
I often notice that teams will read their generic theory block and not answer the specific standards of their opponent and then leave me to compare for them. If this happens in a theory debate, I usually just default to not rejecting the argument/team.
******CX Stuff******
Although I might seem like I’m not paying attention, don’t judge a cover of a book by its look - I listen to cross examination intently, I just want to avoid staring at my computer screen during online debates so I don't get eye strain.
I’m okay with tag team cross ex but please don’t talk over your partner if you can help it. Remember, a link is only as long as your strongest long chain - it is better to develop CX skills and improve for the benefit of the partnership in the long term, so don’t worry if your partner sounds a little silly or if you think you can answer a question better than them. You can interrupt if needed, but don't make it egregious.
******FUN******
Stuff/people I like that you can reference in your speeches: Trailer Park Boys, Eminem, Minecraft, Kurt Fifelski and Thomas Nelson Vance. Ask your parents permission before seeking out info on any of this media.
Health tip – eat more soluble fiber!
Thanks for reading, have a fun round, and feel free to ask questions if my paradigm is unclear.
******For PF/LD******
I have not judged much PF or LD and I have a limited understanding of some of the norms and practices of the event. I have seen a few rounds before so it’s not completely new to me. Odds are I will end up evaluating your round like I would evaluate a policy round, so see above. Counterplans (if that is what you call them) are presumed OK in my book unless someone convinces me otherwise. Spreading is also fine unless someone convinces me otherwise. I promise I have brain cells and I know what the topic is. Ask me questions if stuff in my paradigm doesn't make sense and I will explain it.
Solorio 23'
I prefer policy have leaned into the big stick impacts and low probability impact calculus more than I would like to admit. (much to the dismay of judges whos rounds devolve to solvency in order to determine probability in counterplan debates)
This should indicate to you that often I am tech over truth. No matter how little explanation an advantage or DA scenario gets, if its dropped by the other team, 15 seconds of yelling its been dropped thus it is true typically is sufficient to allow me to weigh marginal risk of an impact which for close debate may be all you needed to win.
DA's
I feel generally positive about voting for non-sensible Bizcon or Politics DA's but its in the execution. Please have updated evidence and a proper link no matter how strong the link is any specificity to the aff is much better than generic links (topic links are a strange grey area but need some "2NC Spin" or new evidence to better justify the link.)
Calling me a judge makes me feel old but I’m fine with it if that's what you prefer, you can also call me Chris.
He/Him
Add me to the chain: rchristopher1570@gmail.com
Solorio ‘23 —> UIUC ‘27
Background:
I debated at Solorio for 4 years, competing in both nat circuit and UDL. I mostly stuck to policy but did run some of the wacky counterplans (thanks Gio! :) ). I have a good exposure to traditional policy and some on Ks. I went to debate camp at Dartmouth and got taught to debate by Conor B(if you know what the B is please tell me) Cameron and Victoria Yonter. Currently not debating.
Top Level:
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I’m not too familiar with the current high school topic so assume I don’t know any of the specifics for your aff/arguments.
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I’m better for Policy than the K, but like any other argument I’m willing to vote on it if it’s explained thoroughly
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Tech > Truth — If something is dropped don’t just say, “they dropped___” and move on. Explain the argument and make it clear how you want me to evaluate the argument.
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I’ll read evidence but it won’t weigh my decision unless you specifically tell me to look at a certain piece or if there’s a lot of evidence comparison.
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I won’t do the work for you, if you don’t contextualize an argument to the debate then I’m less likely to vote on it.
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I assign higher speaks based on how confident you are and the depth of your arguments. I doc speaks if you are rude to your opponents or partner. Being assertive is good but there’s a difference between assertiveness and rudeness.
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My ballot is submitted before I give feedback. I'm happy to walk through my ballot in a constructive manner, but aggressive post rounding is cringe.
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Should go without saying but I won't tolerate Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Ableism, etc.
Specifics
DAs:
I think Disads are great and should be in every 1NC. Disads should tell a story of the negative consequences of passing the plan. Every part of the disad is important but I think more time should be spent on the Link and Impact.
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For the neg: If the DA is being run by itself tell me how it turns case and do impact comparison. If it's being run as a net benefit, the previous sentence applies + tell me how the CP avoids the DA. I’d be more convinced by your DA if the link is more specific to the Aff
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For the aff: I’m a fan of both offense and defense arguments when answering a DA. If you want to take the offense route you’ll need to read more cards and have a better explanation in order to execute the straight turn effectively. On the defense route make sure to focus on why case outweighs.
CTs:
I love case turns. I don’t have much to say other than more often than not, these debates get messy. Just make sure to keep everything consistent. LBL will be your best friend in these debates.
CPs:
I’m probably more open to wacky CPs than other judges, keep in mind wacky =/= abusive. Multi-plank counterplans are iffy for me, it all depends how you run them: If you go for all the planks you present then that's alright with me. If you kick out 4 of the 9 planks you presented, it’s more likely I’ll vote aff on theory. Other counterplans such as agent/process cps are fine with me.
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On the neg: Remember, the counterplan is a reason to reject the aff. ALWAYS have a net benefit; either external or internal. Make sure to explain how the CP avoids the net benefit, and how the CP access the plan and solves. Answer the perms.
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On the aff: I’m not too efficient in perm theory so if your strategy revolves around outlandish perms then I’m probably not your judge for it, but like any other argument if explained well, I’m willing to vote on them. Other than that POSTAL should be your rubric on answering CPs
Ks:
I find Ks very interesting but they’re not my strong point, far from it. You’ll have to do more work in order to get me to vote for them i.e. explaining all of it: role of the ballot, alt and impact. If you can’t tell me what any of those are, I can’t justify giving you my ballot.
I’m familiar with literature for Cap, Security, Imperialism, Set Col, etc. For high theory Ks, all of the above applies + higher expectations. Throwing buzz words will not only make your opponents confused, it’ll confuse me too.
K Affs:
Not much to say other than I’m probably not your judge for this, but if you’re willing to put in the effort and do the work, then I’m willing to do my best to judge.
I do expect you to interact and clash more with the neg.
T:
Also not much to say other that I’m less likely to vote on it if it’s super generic as in not specifying how the aff violates, also if it's against a core aff. Having a case list helps.
Theory:
I’m pretty neutral when it comes to condo and evaluate based on the round I’m judging. I’m less likely to vote on other theory arguments, unless explained well. Don’t spread through your blocks and if you do send them in the doc.
This paradigm is sorted in descending order in terms of the importance of each component as I perceive them.
I debated at New Trier and currently study Computer Science and Statistics at Emory. I am immensely grateful for the communities I found debating with these two institutions, and I aspire for my view on debate to replicate many of the values of the coaches and debaters that have supported me.
I try not to let my beliefs influence me.
I won’t entertain arguments that are facially unethical, including death good. I’ll stop flowing.
I am a big believer in decorum and procedure. Please time yourselves. Please take a shower if needed. Please send everything in one doc before you stop prep. Please do not come to the debate in your pajamas. The mass migration to the bathroom post-2NC needs to stop, or at least diffuse a little bit. Please treat your opponents and I with respect, at least until you leave the room. Your content is formed by your form.
I am an expressive judge. My face betrays my emotions, no matter how hard I try.
I believe the status quo to be a somewhat stabilized form of debate for both K and policy teams. I do not consider topicality to be unreasonable or dangerous. I do not consider K AFFs to be the reason debate is dying. I am difficult to persuade that ballots shape personal subjectivities. I believe that K teams are better-equipped to win alternative, equally impactful forms of offense.
Topicality debates against planless AFFs should rely more on delineating boundaries between interpretations. I feel that most K AFFs produce vague, unclear imperatives (“AFFs must trouble the epistemology of the resolution”) as if they are defined parameters on the topic, and everyone assumes that this makes sense. This makes it difficult to understand AFF offense beyond “this AFF is very important.” I think about topicality through models, not AFFs.
Teams defending K AFFs should be very clear about a solvent mechanism or advocacy that redresses harms outlined. The risk that you win offense is, to an extent, predicated on this question.
I have been told by every university-level debater and coach around me that “conditionality bad” is facially nonsensical, but I can’t seem to remember why.
Counterplan theory debates need to devolve to issues that are more enriching than AFF and NEG ground. Unless someone is interested in doing better comparative work to prove some definitive topic bias, I couldn’t help but care less.
Debaters generally need need higher-quality evidence, particularly on topicality. I cannot believe some the things I have read in your card docs pass as evidence.
Debaters need to substantiate their arguments much more. Debaters will spurt out any wild conjecture that comes to mind in order to answer solvency deficits. Many of these are claims that one would need a Ph.D. to prove in any serious context. Spin is for comparing or connecting substantiated arguments, not for constructing them from thin air.
You can substantiate an argument with something other than a card. Good analytics beat bad disads. Mid analytics don’t beat mid disads.
Lastly, please keep the following, little catchphrases to yourselves. I never want to hear them ever again:
“Uniqueness determines the link/the link determines uniqueness”
“No perms in a method debate”
“Sufficiency framing”
“Our impacts are linear”
“Intrinsicness”
https://www.womenandgenderminoritiesinpolicydebatecollective.org/
She/her
Glenbrook South ‘22 (arms sales, criminal justice reform, water resources)
UC Berkeley ‘26
Please put me on the email chain: audreydebate@gmail.com
Cal Invitational 2024 Note:
I am judging LD but did policy in high school. Please keep in mind I have not debated/judged in almost two years, so please err towards lots of judge instruction and going slow through tags and analytics. I am probably best for DA/CP teams but understand/went for Ks so don't worry about overadapting. I would prefer to vote on developed args rather than tricks but will vote off the flow. Most importantly have fun!
Top level:
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Debate should be a safe space for everyone.
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Although I have a lot of experience in policy debate, I have zero topic knowledge, so please keep in mind that I may need more explanation of acronyms, etc.
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Tech > truth, I will vote off the flow, arguments need warrants, CX is binding.
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Fine with anything as long as it’s well-executed. I was a 2N and most 2NRs were DA/CP, but went for everything from the fem fiat K to wipeout. The following is just meant to give you some knowledge of my predispositions if left without enough judge instruction, but ultimately debate how you are most comfortable.
K affs: I only went for framework vs them, but if you have a good answer to SSD/“read it on the neg” you will be in a good spot. I tend to think debate is a game that teaches us about the real world, so both sides take that how you will.
CP: Won’t judge kick unless you say so + win that it’s good.
T: I will evaluate these debates based on offense-defense, not a big fan of plantext in a vacuum but I will vote for it if you win it. Since I have no topic knowledge I don’t think I will feel comfortable voting on reasonability alone but again if you win the flow I will vote for you.
Some good paradigms you can refer to as well: Melanie Rudolph (junior year partner), Sid Kuchimanchi (senior year partner), Alyssa Lucas-Bolin (high school coach)
Have fun!
Ansh Shah
1A/2N
email for email chain
-4th year debating at Maine East
-my email is rishishah0515@gmail.com
-pronouns are he/him, after the round is over you can call me Rishi
-not super experienced with Ks so if you're running one, make it super clear
-haven't debated yet this season, so don't assume that I'll automatically know arguments you're making; explain everything
-I'm fine with pretty much any type of argument, just make sure you're being clear
-be respectful to the other team
-I prefer tech over truth. Debate is a game of strategy, so don't try to appeal to pathos the entire round. However, if you're running an outrageous argument (ie something discriminatory), I'm not gonna give that to you.
rockwell.debate@gmail.com // Rocky, Rock, Rockwell, etc.// he/him // New Trier High School
- Studying Jazz Piano and Political Science at Johns Hopkins—if you have any questions about any of that, I love talking about myself.
- Please time your speeches because I won't, yes tag team cx, yes prep during cx, whatever u wanna do with that time.
- Despite considering myself pretty chill, I'm pretty punctual about time, so like, be on time
- Unpopular opinion: I'm sort of receptive to some level of post-rounding (if you're mean I'm going to be annoyed with you). I'm always down to improve as a judge, and the only way I can is if I receive feedback, but keep in mind the decision is final.
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Read this if your round starts in 30 minutes:
• tech > truth, dropped = true, left is law, etc.
• assume I know nothing about the topic (especially on T <3)
• soft left, planless, and big stick affs are all good in front of me.
• i'm better at resolving a K debate than other stuff because that's where a lot of my debate experience lies, but for what its worth, as a 1a, i read exclusively policy strats
- that's not indicative of a bias towards Ks—in K v Policy rounds, I'd consider myself very impartial compared to other judges.
- I would much rather watch a good T debate than a bad K debate
• 2ac should send analytics
• i only judgekick if someone says so
• fairness is probably an internal link
• 0 risk exists
• condo is the only reason to reject the team
• extra thoughts on kritik/framework below
Notes for Kritiks:
Top level:
• In terms of familiarity, I'm most well-read on Marxism, Bio/Necropolitics, Cybernetics, and Anthropocentrism, but I understand most authors/arguments enough to adjudicate a debate at the high school level
• If by the end of the round I don't understand what your K is talking about, that's your fault for not explaining it well enough, not mine for not reading enough Lacanian post-colonial gender abolitionist authors
• If you don't want to line-by-line at all, don't be mad if I miss something or am not clear where exactly an argument belongs. My expectation isn't for the 1off Baudrillard team to stand up and be like "AT: 2AC 13", just like, roughly follow the 2AC order and signpost at the least.
Framework:
*Note: Generally, these are my opinions which demonstrate how I think about framework—you can win otherwise (see "tech > truth")
• At the end of the day, we can all admit that it's probably most fair to let the aff weigh the 1ac (or the inverse for T - USFG vs. planless affs). The framework debate should be about what fairness means and how it impacts us.
• Debate is an educational activity that uses a competitive game as an incentive structure to encourage better research, and has some limited capacity to shape/create subjectivities. I'm frustrated that many of us take "debate doesn't shape subjectivity" as a given.
- I don't think individual rounds are persuasive or can incite action (i.e. a revolution will not spill out of debate), but debate, which defines a particular approach to politics, has the possibility to influence the way we understand information and decision-making, and there may be different models of the activity which might produce more desirable thinkers. In short, "debate doesn't shape subjectivity" argument can be swapped with "school doesn't shape subjectivity" to realize how silly and reductive the argument is.
• I love philosophical/positional competition a lot, and it shapes the way I think about politics in the real world (what's that?), but I do recognize how it could be competitively unfair/problematic, so I could go both ways on it.
• I think fiating an alternative is awesome, but one should have its justification rooted in framework and not some abigious claim of "reciprocity to the affs model".
Other:
• Overdependenceon jargon is annoying (I recognize sometimes it's necessary, but this is a highschool activity): "ontology" is a good example. Google defines it as "n. the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being", so it always begs the question: ontologyof what? Ontology of the state, the ontology of the oppressed, the ontology of settlers, etc. The point being: clarify things like these and don't rely on buzzwords to make the argument
Dana Thurnell (she/her)
GBS 2023
UMich 2027
Please add me to the chain dthurnelldebate@gmail.com
Limited topic knowledge
Run anything you want even if you think it is bad. That said the worse an argument is the easier it can be defeated.
I am probably not a great judge for the k. You can still run the K and if you run it very well I will vote for you but I just tend not to think they are winning. I'm definitely more familiar with stuff such as Cap K and Security but still know most other Ks. More high theory stuff will need a lot of explanation.
K affs: Once again not a great judge for them but run it if it's what you are comfortable with but I definitely lean neg on framework. I generally see fairness as an impact as long as the neg articulates it as such. Case debating in these debates is very important.
DA/CPs are really fun and I love to hear these debates. I think the aff should try to make more theory arguments against obviously illegit CPs and the neg should be prepared to defend themselves against that.
I love T but make sure to debate it well.
Theory - I'm much more open to voting on theory violations than most people so make sure to answer it.
Case debating - do it! Side note an impact turn strategy is awesome
No sexism/racism/homophobia/xenophobia/any other stuff like this - will result in me voting you down and lowest speaks. No clipping - I am listening.
Overall, have fun.
Contact/Email-Chain: cpunwincontact@gmail.com
Top Level:
My name is Cameron (he/him), I'm a fourth-year debater at Niles North High School. I started on the immigration topic.
Time your own speeches/prep, I will also be timing for my own purposes but if you're not timing that's gonna hurt your speaks.
Don't be mean. I get it, debaters are grouchy, like to yell and be aggressive CX that's fine you do you, but if you are consistently being condescending and rude to the other team or your partner that is gonna damage your speaks and make me less likely to vote for you. Just be respectful of other people.
Tech > Truth... Yes even if its a really absurd argument (excluding racism, sexism, homophobia etc). It's up to the debaters to tell me that the argument is stupid.
Really read whatever you want... I prefer more policy-oriented rounds but I don't really mind. If its not a common knowledge acronym don't use the acronym form or clarify what it means.
Yup that's it (I only judge novis), have a fun round.
I prefer Jairo (pronounced hi-roe) over judge, but im fine with either
He/They
2A/1N for Solorio 19-23
Not debating at Northwestern 23-27
Assistant Coach at Von Steuben 24-Present
Background+Top level stuff
I debated both in nat circ and udl (Chicago Debate League) tournaments during high school. Went to camp during my freshie and soph (virtual) years, so if any questions then I am more than willing to answer.
For the current high school topic, assume I know very little---the only experience I have with it is from the other times i've judged/helped coach teams at tourneys
Tech>Truth---Doesnt mean you dont have to contextualize/explain what them dropping something means for the round, you still have to explain and make clear what the argument is for me to evaluate it in your favor
Better for policy---didn't do K debate, but don't let that stop you from running what you want///i'll vote for anything if you are winning it
No specific way to assign speaks, just be nice, speak pretty, explain things well, and youll do alright
I feel like I can be a pretty visual person with my face, so if I approve or disapprove of something then you will be able to tell(nodding head for good, scrunching my face for not so good, you get the gist)
Anything that promotes violence, discrimination, or hate is an immediate L, lowest speaks possible, and a report to tab
Specifics
In case you are wondering about in depth thoughts on arguments:
DAs
I really like disads and I think they are a staple of what neg args should be in debate. For every disad, paint me a story of how the disad actually happens if the plan were to pass, from the UQ up to the moment of the impact(big red button is pressed, oceans rise and we get 2012 IRL, the environment collapses, etc.)
- For the neg---should always be in a 1nc. For later speeches, if running DA by itself, tell me why it turns the case and do impact calc. If running as a net benefit, tell me exactly how the cp avoids the DA. Avoid generic links as much as possible; if generic link is called out then I am much much less to weigh the DA as highly as the aff
- For the aff---the best strat to go for is straight turn imo. If done well , then you have forced the neg into an awkard position and you are fully in control of that flow. Honestly if the neg fumbles the straight turn answers too then I am all for a pure straight turn 2ar. If not possible, then the main canon of arguments work, just prove why case outweighs
CTs
I LOVE case turns. These debates can get messy tho, so for both sides make sure to 1. keep the story clean and concise 2. try to organize LBL as much as possible
- Neg---If you wanna go for a CT, then you have to make sure to tell me all throughout the debate how the aff links and how the impact outweighs. Personally, I dont mind it if you sandbag in the block, so go crazy with impacts if you have them, just make sure to answer all the aff args they present cus even once concession can take out the whole ct for me
- Aff---For most of the CTs run, theres a high likelihood you link. It might just be me, but if its clear the aff links, then I just want to see you bite the bullet and tell me why that linking is good(i.e, if you increase growth then do growth good, if heg then heg good, so on, and give me specifics as to why its good). Obviously, this doesn't mean you can just disregard their impacts, so make sure to also answer or group the impacts they had. If they sandbag in the block, then crossapplying is your friend
CPs
CPs are really interesting because theyre either really good or really mid. In general, Agent/Process cps are legit, I find consult cps boring, and if your cp has more than like 5 planks then don't even run it(even you know its abusive). Also, sufficiency framing is iffy---if your cp doesnt solve the impact of the aff, then why even run it
- Neg---THE CP HAS TO BE A REASON TO REJECT THE AFF, PLEASEEEEEEE. That means even if the cp is plan plus, I still wont vote for it. You need to prove to me in the 2nr 2 things: First, you are able to access the plan and solve for the impacts through your cp, and second, doing the plan alone is bad/doing the cp would solve for discrepancies with the plan alone. That being said, you ALWAYS need a net benefit, whether it be internal or external, and explain how the CP avoids that
- Aff---Personally, I like seeing shifty perms being run and exploited like crazy if conceded. By shifty, I dont mean different wordings of the cp text so dont do that, but shifty as in like "do plan and have agency do x instead". In general, POSTAL works great with cps so just stick to that and youll be good
T
T has sucked these past few topics cus everything is so untopical but borderline topical. That being said, don't just run T as a strat skew cus that just wastes flow and could be used for more substantive off. However, still good to always have T on both sides in case of anything
- Neg---I feel like T is really underappreciated against smaller affs. If you are able to call out a team effectively on how theyre untopical, then keep it going all throughout the round and call out if their counterinterps are generic, if they severely underlimit, and so on. T can get very messy though, so unless you have a really good feeling about T, dont run it because I know we dont wanna argue over definitions for 2 hours
- Aff---If you know you're borderline topical, you better have a damn good counterinterp. Apart from that, main canon of arguments work in front of me
Ks
Ks are really interesting but far from my specialty(I had to debate under a hard right policy coach for 4 years, dont blame me). With that tho, I am really only interested/know more of the main canon of neg ks, so stuff like cap, security, afropess, queer. fem, etc. If your k is high theory, then dont pref me(I dont wanna hear about baudrillard for 2 hours)
- Neg---In front of me, you link you lose is valid ONLY IF you win framework(run it as like a da in a way). I really dont buy many alts of the ks as realistic, so if you know your alt isnt that amazing and the aff is calling you out on it, just drop it and resort to talking about how they make matters worse and why I need to evaluate the K more than I do the aff. However, if you run some generic links against the aff, then I am much much less likely to weigh it that highly if they call out the generality
- Aff---Ima be straight and to the point in what I like to see v ks- first strat, call out why the alt fails and why its probably unrealistic/doesnt solve. Second, if they kick the alt, go for case outweighs and specifically why case outweighs, so if you need util then run it in the 2ac, or impact d then also run it in the 2ac, and hell you can even do case turns k to take out the impacts. For all of that to work though, you NEED to win and stay on top of framework, so keep framework on top of the k flow in every speech. Perms are pretty weak v ks, so still read them but dont depend on them for the 2ar
K affs
In all honesty, I am not in tune with k affs like that, so I am not the best judge to run these in front of. However, if it is your main strategy, then you should run what you are most comfortable with
- Neg---Unless you would also run Cap against them, you should just run FW. I buy FW the most against k affs, just stay on top of their answers to your arguments and you should be alright
- Aff---For a k aff to stick in front of me, I need a clear explanation why running the k aff solves for your impacts and why this round is specifically necessary. I need a role of the ballot from the get go(2ac fs, 1ac preempt maybe even) and for this to be explained in depth in the later parts of the round. In a similar fashion, I need an explanation of why running on the neg cant solve, and you need to explain to me how the alt looks like in action
Theory
Most theory is really a wash for me. The only one I will vote for is condo, but that also depends on the round and how many conditional off are run
Misc. Stuff
I like jokes---if you make me laugh then i'll give you +.1-.2 speaks---specifically, joke about Conor Cameron or Victoria Yonter(and if it flies), i'll give +.3
Aaron Vinson
Debate Coach, New Trier High School, Illinois
Formerly, Head Coach, Princeton High School, Ohio
Glenbrook North Alum, Miami University of Ohio Alum
email = vinsona@newtrier.k12.il.us
==Updated 8/1/23==
Overarching philosophy of debate/judging (scroll down for thoughts on arguments)
I used to judge a good amount. That has not been the case. I taught at Michigan this summer and probably judged about 15 debates there .
Debate is about having fun - you should read arguments that you enjoy regardless of my past debate background or what arguments my students may or may not read.
Debate is about communication, response, and oral argumentation - if it wasn't in the debate or if it was not clear to me in a debate, it's not a thing. All arguments should have some level of engagement with what the opposing team is saying or they are just floating statements. I try to judge all debates through a lens of, how will I explain to the losing team why they did not win and how can I explain how they could have won.
Debate should be a safe space - be respectful to your partner and opponents; if your "thought experiment" includes trivializing genocide, suicide, x identity, you should consider the impact that that argument might have on your opponents and anyone watching the debate. I understand that discomfort in engaging new areas of literature can be beneficial but there is a line between that and making people feel uncomfortable talking about their own identity (literally referring to CX exchanges with this example). If this is egregious I will feel compelled to intervene.
Thoughts on specific arguments
Topicality - it's fine. Probably hard to win in front of me. What I would call a "low probability victory" because I think most debates fall down into infinitely regressive limits debates that are easily resolved - for me - with reasonable interpretations (that means the aff would have to extend a reasonable interpretation!). To be successful in front of me I think that debating topicality more like a DA (link explanation + impact) and then debating interpretations like a CP (what the debates under each interpretation would be like and why they are good).
Counterplans - they're good. Consult CP's are fine. Condition CP's are fine. Process CP's are mostly fine. Delay CP's are mostly fine. Advantage CP's are good. Agent CP's are good. International Actor CP's are fine. States CP's are good. 2NC CP's are questionable. Offsets CP's can be fine. Affs can be most successful in front of me by explaining what is different between the plan and counterplan and then explaining why that difference is impacted by a specific aff advantage / internal link scenario). Final thought is that the aff often forgets to point out that the billion plank advantage cp prolly links to politics.
Counterplan theory - conditionality is probably good because the alternatives create worse debates. I evaluate these debates technically, which often gives a slight advantage to the neg, and look for impact calculus that never materializes (which is also good for the neg). Also, most things just don't make sense as voting issues except conditionality. If you want to be successful with counterplan theory in front of me, see my notes about topicality. And be very clear about what you want me to do and why (reject the argument, stick them with it, they lose, etc).
Disadvantages - they're good. Politics DA's are good. Elections DA's are okay. Rider DA's are so-so. Tradeoff DA's are good. Economy DA's are good. Spending DA's are so-so. I think intrinsicness is interesting, turns case is a big deal, contextualizing size of DA vs size of case is helpful for all. Negs who make their DA's bigger in the block (impact wise) are often successful in front of me.
Kritiks - they're good. I believe my voting record skews neg because of most aff teams' inability to generate offense. Aff perm strategies are okay but should be contextualized with offense, solvency deficits, etc. I default to fiat meaning "imagine" so sure we arent going to start a world revolution but I could certainly imagine that or we could talk about if that's a good thought experience. I would give myself a "B" for K literacy fluency.
T USFG/Framework - it's good. But ... I believe my voting record skews the other way. I've had the pleasure of many coaches angrily asking me about arguments that weren't in the debate. I view debate as a communication activity and I only consider the arguments presented in the debate. Coaches get upset when this emphasis on technical execution seems to "hurt" their framework team. I think the data bears out that I am winnable for either side. I will say that affs that don't read a plan AND are not in the same direction as the resolution OR don't read a plan AND are not related to the resolution have a low win rate in front of me. See notes about debating topicality in front of me.
Ethics - clipping is bad. Miscutting evidence is bad. Misrepresenting evidence is bad. Misdisclosing is bad. Are any of these things auto-losses in-front of me? Probably not. Context matters. If one piece of evidence is miscut or misrepresented, it seems reasonable to just imagine that card wasn't read. If someone does want to stake the debate on one of these things that can be verified, I can be persuaded. If team A asserts that team B has clipped or miscut evidence, and stakes the debate on it, and is wrong, team A would lose. That's what it means to stake the debate on something.
Speaker points - I know I look 16 but I'm much older. So are my points. I'm trying to be better to represent changing norms but that's a thing. If you lose you're probably getting a 28 something if you were reasonable. If you weren't reasonable you're probably getting a high 27. If you win I try to think about if I would expect the team to break at the tournament. If so they're probably getting a 29. Then relative comparisons to other people in the debate kick in. Things that bump your points up: clarity, cx, respecting your opponent, judge instruction, evaluation and assessment based arguments at the end. Things that can bump your points down: being hard to understand/follow, being mean, not kicking arguments correctly, not attempting line by line, only reading cards, not answering / not letting your partner answer in cx, not disclosing to your opponent before I get there, tech incompetence, prep shenaningans.
Please put me on the email chain: sammywinchesterwalsh@gmail.com.
I debated for Northside for four years and graduated in 2022. I am not debating in college.
I lean policy, but I will vote on anything if you are winning it.
Clash is especially important, go a level further than the tag, tell me why you are right and they are wrong.
Please do not forget about Case.
T and Theory - If you lose any T or theory arguments that are ran against you, I will usually vote against you. Though the standards of the argument need to be impacted out to be considered. For example "They lost T." is not enough for me to vote on, you need to go a level.
DAs and CPs - Very comfortable with them, go for it.
Policy Aff v. K - As I lean policy, if you are running a K, turns case arguments work best with me. On framework for both sides, make sure it is consistent. Please try not to change your interpretation or standards throughout the round. Unless it is an integral part of the K to ignore Case, don't concede or forget about case in the 2NR. I am decently comfortable with the standard Ks, but anything super specific or academic, you will need to make it make sense to me. I will not vote on something I do not understand by the end of the round. If you are going for it, you should be able to explain it adequately.
K Aff - I will not vote on something I do not understand by the end of the round. If you are going for it, you should be able to explain it adequately. Especially since academic K's are about learning. However, if you're framing is based on being confused, you're going to need to do some explanation there, but if you win it, I will vote accordingly. Arguments against K Affs that I like are other Ks and Cede the Political, though anything can work.
Glenbrook South '23
Please add me to the chain: hmwdebate@gmail.com.
TOP LEVEL -
I'm a first year out. I don't debate in college. Glenbrooks is my first(and maybe only) tournament of this year, so I don't really know much about the topic specifically, but I still remember a decent amount from my years of highschool debate and will probably be able to piece the round together(just don't assume I know anything since I'm a bit rusty). I haven't updated my paradigm in a while, so a decent amount is in the context of novice debate.
This is my inspiration, everything he says applies. He probably does a better job explaining everything so...
https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?search_first=connor&search_last=kiefer
TL/DR:
I'll vote for anything
do impact calc and judge instruction
Tech required is proportional to how true the argument is
explain stuff (I'm not smart)
I'm ok with open CX
I like funny debaters, but not mean debaters.
I debated for 4 years debating for Glenbrook South (North of Chicago). I do not debate in college. I was a kritial policy debater(just so you know). I am absolutely not big brain, and will probably be the dumbest one in the room.
General Stuff
I am tech over truth most of the time if warrants are provided. Although I used to prefer evidence over analytics, recently I have started to think of well warranted and contextualized analytics as being the same if not better than cards. If you are extending evidence tell me why I should prefer your evidence (and don't just say "well it's more recent" or something like that, tell me why recency matters). MAKE SURE TO DO IMPACT CALC; as a 2a, I rarely do enough of this (don't be like me). I also like judge directions(please tell me how to evaluate rounds, I would like to do as little work as possible). Try to be respectful, but I understand if you have light hearted banter or make jokes.
Order of arguments(favorite - least favorite) this isn't an order of how I vote, just my favorites
1.Kritiks
2. CPs(the cheatier the better)
3. Normal Arguments(Case/DA)
4.misc. theory violations
5.Topicality
Theory
In my eyes, there are no clear rules to debate. If someone drops your stuff, and they are winning sandbagging good, I might still weigh it. If you want a 3nr, go up there and spend most of the time on theory(actually, probably not. Tournaments have speech times. If it's the last round, then I might be receptive). With persuasive theory, I will allow almost anything. TECH OVER TRUTH DOES NOT ALWAYS APPLY HERE. Using a previous answer, if you want a 3nr, you better have some damn good theory arguments. but generally I will vote on theory arguments if they drop it. I generally believe that the neg has the most ground, but am willing to be persuaded. Theory debates should not exclusively be blocks, extend your offense and then do line by line on their defense.
Here's the order of voters I find persuasive
1. Education
2. Fairness
3. Strategy
4. aff/neg Ground
5.miscellaneous
Kritiks
Ks are pretty epic ngl. I have the most experience with Moten, Afropess, Cap, Setcol, but I am willing to listen to any K(as long as you explain this well and aren't too buzz word heavy[I am probably the least familiar with PoMo]). Because of this, I would like to believe that I can be a competent K judge, but I still think that a good K team doesn't go off big words, but instead explains their theory like I have never heard of who Deleuz is. I believe that the affirmative should have to defend the impact of the plan and their representations, but can be convinced otherwise. I think that framing out the aff/k tricks are interesting. I have sympathy for the aff wanting to weigh their impact, but I think this becomes more persuasive when you defend your reps are good or read scenario planning cards. I also think that if the K team does not attempt to moot the aff, they should either have in-depth impact framing or case debating. I believe that in debate, utilitarianism is the most predictable impact framing, and will default to this. That being said, I can very easily be convinced another way.
Counter-Plans
I think counterplans are strategic. That being said, I am very willing to vote on perms, and probably will. IF YOU ARE AFF, NEVER DROP PERM DO THE CP(THIS IS YOUR BEST CHANCE OF WINNING). Also, try to attack solvency and the net ben. I find counterplan debates fun, and went for a process CP almost every neg round novice year.
CX
I am Ok with open CX, but if you keep taking questions from your partner, then you will lose speaks. I understand if you think your partner will cost you the round, but in general, have some trust. Same thing for asking questions. I like teams that are dominant in CX, without being overly aggressive.
Racism/Misogyny/Bigotry
I typically have a pretty high bar for what I would consider to be in this category, like if you mess up a util argument, I won't completely flame you. TECH OVER TRUTH DOES NOT APPLY HERE. If you read a racist argument, I will not evaluate it, and I will yell at you in the RFD. Even subtle things, can be racist if it's a clear dog whistle. I will try not to outright vote you down if you are clearly winning, but if it's competitive, you will lose.
Topicality
I personally do not think a lot of T arguments are legitimate(clearly some are). That being said, I will vote for them(even if they aren't completely dropped). The T ASPEC at the bottom of another T violation is a legitimate strategy, just please be very clear if it isn't in the speech doc.
General Decorum
I am fine, with some light hearted bashing, IF the other team is alright with it. pls no bullying.
If I see you not flowing then you are probably going to lose speaks, as it kinda shows me you don't care. That being said I'm ok with you prepping speeches, just please don't look at the ceiling or look at "cringe compilation #154"
I will shout clear. I probably won't do this a bunch, especially if you send speech docs.