As a judge, I am eager to witness debates that are engaging, substantive, and focused on the core issues at hand. I appreciate teams that can present a clear and compelling narrative, while effectively addressing their opponents’ arguments. I value creativity and novel perspectives, but I believe that arguments should be grounded in real-world evidence and examples.

I prefer debates that prioritize quality over quantity. I am more impressed by a few well-developed, thoroughly researched, and logically sound arguments than by a barrage of underdeveloped or unsubstantiated claims. I expect debaters to provide clear explanations of their reasoning and to draw meaningful connections between their evidence and their conclusions.

I appreciate that World Schools Debate is an accessible and inclusive event. I value clear, persuasive, and conversational delivery that effectively communicates ideas to both the judge and the opposing team.

I will evaluate the debate holistically, considering the strength of each team’s arguments, their responsiveness to the key issues in the round, and their ability to effectively defend their position while rebutting their opponents’ case. I will also consider factors such as the quality of evidence, the clarity of the reasoning, and the persuasiveness of the delivery.

Ultimately, I believe that debate should be an enriching and educational experience for all participants. I expect debaters to engage with each other respectfully, to demonstrate a genuine interest in the topic at hand, and to strive for intellectual honesty and integrity throughout the debate.

Some background about myself: I have a Ph.D. in American history, with a focus on contemporary political economy. I teach US History and US Government at Jackson-Reed High School, in Washington, DC, where I also advise the Speech and Debate Team.

My email is eduardo.canedo@k12.dc.gov.

Experience: I spent 4 years doing Policy Debate at Bronx Science and am currently a sophomore majoring in biology and sociology at Macaulay Honors College.

Email: chane7@bxscience.edu - please put me on the email chain :)

FOR POLICY - Updated for 2022:

Overall:

Please tell me how to vote. Having been out of debate for 2 years, not telling me exactly how you want a round evaluated leaves everything up to my own previous experience and former knowledge which is not as decent as it used to be.

I am a tech over truth judge. Unless something is contested in round, I'll generally take it for truth. The only exception to this rule is if something blatantly offensive is said in round (this includes but is not limited to anything racist, sexist, homophobic, and ableist). In this case, I wouldn't give the offending team the win or high speaker points even if the argument goes cold conceded.

Usually I don't mind speed, but especially in online, I've noticed that it gets a little more difficult to hear so you can still be fast, just make sure you are still slowing down for tags and analytics.

Run whatever you want and know the best. I also usually prefer it when debates are kept small (so I'd prefer 1-3 off vs. 8 off) but if you're more comfortable with a bigger strategy, go ahead.

Explain everything (things like acronyms) - please don't assume I have prior topic knowledge.

FOR LD:

All of the above from the Policy section applies wherever applicable.

I like performance and kritikal debate although traditional is fine too.

Assuming I don't know anything about the topic beforehand is a good idea.

I've never debated LD so I don't have a strong opinion about LD specific theory (for ex: RVIs) and I might not know what LD specific arguments/theory is or what the conventional way to evaluate such arguments are - if you explain what it is, I won't have a problem with it though!

I am a former policy debater. As an alum judge, I’m involved in policy, public forum, and LD judging. Feel free to speak as slowly or quickly as you would like to get your point across. I will be flowing the entire time and my decision will be heavily based on the flow of the round. Remember to lay out your voting issues because I want to know what you think was important in the round. Winners will be based on key arguments in the round and those arguments supporting evidence.

Hi!

PF PARADIGM:

I am always ready unless I specify otherwise, please don't ask every time you speak.

Road maps are fine if kept VERY short. I don't time them.

Dates matter and NSDA rules say you should at a minimum read the year of the card; please follow these rules or I will not flow your cards.

Please extend each argument made in a speech in all following speeches for them to be counted by me in the round.

I don't flow Cross-Fire, so anything you'd like to use to further your arguments must be brought up in a speech.

Dropped arguments only matter if you tell me why. You do not automatically win just because an argument is dropped.

LD PARADIGM:

I am always ready unless I specify otherwise, please don't ask every time you speak.

Although I have done primarily traditional value-criterion debate, I am open to circuit style arguments as I did some LD circuit debating in High School. I am much more persuaded by arguments that are related to the resolution as opposed to Kritikal arguments that do not link (resolution specific Kritiks I am open to).

Please extend each argument made in a speech in all following speeches for them to be counted by me in the round.

I may not be familiar with all theory arguments, but am open to learning.

You do not automatically win just because an argument is dropped, tell me why it's significant.

As far as speed goes, I can keep up with it if it is clear and well articulated, don't go fast just to go fast.

Hi Debaters,

Welcome to the tournament. I hope you have a great competition today.

Please speak slowly & clearly.

I am a lay judge who prefers traditional cases. Please no K's, counter plans, etc. Again, please speak slowly & clearly as possible.

Have fun & Good Luck!

Hi,

I am a parent judge and not comfortable with spreading. I prefer traditional LD structure (no progressive arguments please) with audible, well-written arguments with supporting evidence. No need for unnecessarily convoluted phrases. Please present clearly and audibly. Don’t be over-aggressive or rude. And most importantly have fun!

Background: I am a parent judge and I am delighted to participate in the program.

Prefs:

Spreading - I'm not the biggest fan of spreading, you may go fast if you wish, but I will only flow what I hear, which might be pretty slow by most peoples' standards. If you can avoid spreading, then I'd prefer if you could avoid it.

Trad = Larp/Policy > everything else

I enjoy a good traditional debate, but I don't mind policy arguments either.

No K's and no theory if you can help it - I enjoy the clash more.

Truth > Tech - if you make an argument, even if your opponent concedes it, I will not vote for it.

Important: Try to avoid any Debate Jargon if you can help it.

Please be polite and enjoy the debate!!!

I look forward to your active participation and will support the best arguments presented.

***Include me in your email chain.*** callieham479@gmail.com

It would be beset for everyone if you kept your own time.

Public Forum

To be a true PF judge, I shouldn't have one of these...right? But see below...

Lincoln Douglas

LD debate should remain distinct from policy debate. While the passage of new policy may be deemed essential for AFF ground with some resolutions (i.e. Sept/Oct 2018), value debate should remain central to the round. I don't mind speed or progressive/policy-style arguments in an LD round as long as you provide analysis of those arguments and link them back to the value debate.

Policy - I haven't coached or judged CX since 2016...but just in case...

As a judge, I am open to all arguments and styles of policy debate. Your job as a debater is to convince me that what you have to say matters and should be preferred to your opponent. The way you go about that is entirely your choice (within reason…professionalism and decorum are key). If you have questions pre-round, please ask. Having said that, here are some specific likes/dislikes as a judge which you can choose to follow or completely ignore (because I will objectively evaluate whatever lands on my flow whether I really like it or not):

Case: I do love case debate. I find it hard to vote NEG when case goes relatively untouched and hard to vote AFF when rebuttals focus on off-case arguments. Rounds where case is essentially dropped by both sides are my worst nightmare.

K: Not my favorite, but I will evaluate K. I’m not really well-versed in kritikal literature, so if you choose to run kritikal arguments (AFF or NEG), please provide thorough explanation and analysis. Don’t expect me to know the ideals that Whoever promoted because, unless you tell me, I probably don’t.

T: I tend to be pretty lenient on the affirmative as far as T goes. In order to win on T, the negative must completely prove that the affirmative has totally harmed the fairness and education of the round.

CP/DA: Sure? Run them? Why not?

Theory/Framework: Don't love it, but sure. Whatevs. Just tell me how/where to flow it and why it matters in this round.

The Flow: Tell me how to flow the round. Roadmap. Sign post. Please slow down for clarity on tags and citations. If you insist on spreading tags and cites, please provide me with a copy of your speech. If your arguments don’t make it on my flow, they cannot be evaluated on my ballot. I also do very little (feel free to read that as “no”) evidence analysis following the round. It is your job as a debater to clearly articulate the argument/evidence/analysis during your allotted time.

Have fun! Be nice! (or at least reasonable)

(General paradigm at the top, event-specific paradigms listed in [brackets]. If you're here for congress/speech/interp scroll to the bottom.)

I judge from a blank slate. In other words, it is up to the competitors to make their arguments, prove their points, and weigh the impacts. I will vote for the side that wins on the flow no matter how good or how flawed I personally think those arguments are.

The only time I bring in outside knowledge to a debate round is for very basic facts. Example: if a debater says that the current U.S. president is Lebron James, then I know for a fact that this is wrong and any arguments based on this being true will be dropped from my flow. This is only for basic facts that I am 100% sure of and which should not be in dispute; if a fact is at all controversial, complicated, or I am not 100% sure, then I will leave it up to the debaters to hash it out and I will not judge based on my personal opinion.

You must tell me how to weigh/decide the round, then you must tell me why you win under that decision framework. The jargon I'm using here is very LD but as a general concept it's true for PF too.

On warrants: if two opposing warrants contradict each other then I resolve the conflict based on warrant quality and relevance to the argument. I very much appreciate it when debaters go into detail about why a warrant should stand/fall to help resolve the conflict. If warrants contradict and neither comes out as superior then the arguments are a wash and I drop both from the flow.

On speed: I am fine with speed but my ear isn't as quick as it used to be, so please slow down for your tags and impacts so I can make sure we're on the same page. If this is an online tournament then please keep the speed to an absolute minimum because the audio distortion is a real problem. Please take this seriously.

[LD] The value framework is only important to me in terms of telling me how the round should be judged. I am very flexible when it comes to frameworks; all I care about is that the debaters' cases follow a logical structure and they explain why I should vote for their side. It's okay to appeal to your opponent's values, multiple values, or implicit values. You don't need to talk about "values" at all if you provide a clear mechanism for weighing the round.

[LD] Kritiks/theory cases are fine but you need some sort of offense. Even if you completely nullify your opponent's case you still need something on your side of the flow showing me why I should vote for your case/world/whatever. I do not believe in Affirmative burden in LD so if the round is a wash I do not automatically vote negative.

[LD] Special note on Utilitarianism: You must always link your arguments into the round's accepted framework, especially if it is your own framework. Util is no different. If you use Util as your VC you MUST provide a Util analysis at some point in the round. All Util frameworks boil down some concept of weighing net benefit and harm. Therefore to win the round you must explain exactly why your side gives the most benefit and/or least harm, and this means directly weighing your net benefit/harm against your opponent's net benefit/harm. If only one debater provides a Util calculus and the other does not then the one who does will probably win the round. I normally don't like giving such a specific paradigm but Util is very popular these days and I think it is very unfortunate how many rounds are decided entirely because someone uses Util and then never explains why they win under their own VC. If you have no Util calculus, you have no Util link.

[PF] I view each side as advocating for or against the position taken by the resolution, not on whether or not I "accept" the resolution or the pro/con case. This means that I do not give much weight to overly specific or unconventional interpretations of the resolution, and most theory/kritical arguments are limited to rebutting specific arguments. However I do not reject any arguments outright and I will listen to your justification for making that argument. I judge entirely based on whether analysis of the flow leads to advocacy for/against the resolution position; barring extreme circumstances I do not factor debate style into my RFD.

[PF] I do not flow cross examination. CX is for clarification and explanation so the debaters can hash out how their arguments interact with each other. There is zero benefit to being combative in CX because you cannot win or lose arguments during cross. I do still listen to CX though and what is said in cross can affect my understanding of the arguments made during the round.

CONGRESS: I primarily value good discussion. A good speech should 1) Have something useful to say, 2) Say it clearly, 3) Justify it with solid evidence and reasoning. Every speech should progress the discussion; no speech should merely repeat previously made arguments, even if you're giving a summary speech. Speeches early in a bill should provide new arguments. Speeches later in a bill should directly respond to arguments made by other senators. Speeches near the end of the bill should analyze/compare/weigh the arguments already made. Questions should similarly progress the discussion and try to reveal more about the speaker's position and arguments. I do not place much emphasis on how "congressional" your style is, however I view the goal of your speeches/questions to be promoting the public good via the role of a congressperson, and I will judge the quality of your speaking to the extent that it promotes/detracts from your advocacy for/against the bill.

tl;dr - tech and speed good, but I'm not doing work for you. The resolution must be in the debate. Though I think like a debater, I do an "educator check" before I vote - if you advocate for something like death good, or read purely frivolous theory because you know your opponent cannot answer it and hope for an easy win, you are taking a hard L.

Email chain: havenforensics (at) gmail - but I'm not reading along. I tab more than I judge, but I'm involved in research. Last substance update: 9/18/22

Experience:

Head Coach of Strath Haven HS since 2012. We do all events.
Previously coach at Park View HS 2009-11, assistant coach at Pennsbury HS 2002-06 (and beyond)
Competitor at Pennsbury HS 1998-2002, primarily Policy

Public Forum

1st Rebuttal should be line-by-line on their case; 2nd Rebuttal should frontline at least major offense, but 2nd Summary is too late for dumps of new arguments.

With 3 minutes, the Summary is probably also line-by-line, but perhaps not on every issue. Summary needs to ditch some issues so you can add depth, not just tag lines. If it isn't in Summary, it probably isn't getting flowed in Final Focus, unless it is a direct response to a new argument in 2nd Summary.

Final Focus should continue to narrow down the debate to tell me a story about why you win. Refer to specific spots on the flow, though LBL isn't strictly necessary (you just don't have time). I'll weigh what you say makes you win vs what they say makes them win - good idea to play some defense, but see above about drops.

With a Policy background, I will listen to framework, theory, and T arguments - though I will frown at all of those because I really want a solid case debate. I also have no problem intervening and rejecting arguments that are designed to exclude your opponents from the debate. I do not believe counterplans or kritiks have a place in PF.

You win a lot of points with me calling out shady evidence, and conversely by using good evidence. You lose a lot of points by being unable to produce the evidence you read quickly. If I call for a card, I expect it to be cut.

I don't care which side you sit on or when you stand, and I find the post-round judge handshake to be silly and unnecessary.

LD

tl;dr: Look at me if you are traditional or policy. Strike me if you don't talk about the topic or only read abstract French philosophers or rely on going for blippy trash arguments that mostly work due to being undercovered.

My LD experience is mostly local or regional, though I coach circuit debaters. Thus, I'm comfortable with traditional, value-centered LD and util/policy/solvency LD. If you are going traditional, value clash obviously determines the round, but don't assume I know more than a shallow bit of philosophy.

I probably prefer policy debates, but not if you are trying to fit an entire college policy round into LD times - there just isn't time to develop 4 off in your 7 minute constructive, and I have to give the aff some leeway in rebuttals since there is no constructive to answer neg advocacies.

All things considered, I would rather you defend the whole resolution (even if you want to specify a particular method) rather than a tiny piece of it, but that's what T debates are for I guess (I like T debates). If we're doing plans, then we're also doing CPs, and I'm familiar with all your theory arguments as long as I can flow them.

If somehow you are a deep phil debater and I end up as the judge, you probably did prefs wrong, but I'll do my best to understand - know that I hate it when debaters take a philosophers work and chop it up into tiny bits that somehow mean I have to vote aff. If you are a tricks debater, um, don't. Arguments have warrants and a genuine basis in the resolution or choices made by your opponent.

In case it isn't clear from all the rest of the paradigm, I'm a hack for framework if one debater decides not to engage the resolution.

Policy

Update for TOC '19: it has been awhile since I've judged truly competitive, circuit Policy. I have let my young alumni judge an event dominated by young alumni. I will still enjoy a quality policy round, but my knowledge of contemporary tech is lacking. Note that I'm not going to backflow from your speech doc, and I'm flowing on paper, so you probably don't want to go your top speed.

1. The role of the ballot must be stable and predictable and lead to research-based clash. The aff must endorse a topical action by the government. You cannot create a role of the ballot based on the thing you want to talk about if that thing is not part of the topic; you cannot create a role of the ballot where your opponent is forced to defend that racism is good or that racism does not exist; you cannot create a role of the ballot where the winner is determined by performance, not argumentation. And, to be fair to the aff, the neg cannot create a role of the ballot where aff loses because they talked about the topic and not about something else.

2. I am a policymaker at heart. I want to evaluate the cost/benefit of plan passage vs. status quo/CP/alt. Discourse certainly matters, but a) I'm biased on a framework question to using fiat or at least weighing the 1AC as an advocacy of a policy, and b) a discursive link had better be a real significant choice of the affirmative with real implications if that's all you are going for. "Using the word exploration is imperialist" isn't going to get very far with me. Links of omission are not links.

I understand how critical arguments work and enjoy them when grounded in the topic/aff, and when the alternative would do something. Just as the plan must defend a change in the status quo, so must the alt.

3. Fairness matters. I believe that the policymaking paradigm only makes sense in a world where each side has a fair chance at winning the debate, so I will happily look to procedural/T/theory arguments before resolving the substantive debate. I will not evaluate an RVI or that some moral/kritikal impact "outweighs" the T debate. I will listen to any other aff reason not to vote on T.

I like T and theory debates. The team that muddles those flows will incur my wrath in speaker points. Don't just read a block in response to a block, do some actual debating, OK? I definitely have a lower-than-average threshold to voting on a well-explained T argument since no one seems to like it anymore.

Notes for any event

1. Clash, then resolve it. The last rebuttals should provide all interpretation for me and write my ballot, with me left simply to choose which side is more persuasive or carries the key point. I want to make fair, predictable, and non-interventionist decisions, which requires you to do all my thinking for me. I don't want to read your evidence (unless you ask me to), I don't want to think about how to apply it, I don't want to interpret your warrants - I want you to do all of those things! The debate should be over when the debate ends.

2. Warrants are good. "I have a card" is not a persuasive argument; nor is a tag-line extension. The more warrants you provide, the fewer guesses I have to make, and the fewer arguments I have to connect for you, the more predictable my decision will be. I want to know what your evidence says and why it matters in the round. You do not get a risk of a link simply by saying it is a link. Defensive arguments are good, especially when connected to impact calculus.

3. Speed. Speed for argument depth is good, speed for speed's sake is bad. My threshold is that you should slow down on tags and theory so I can write it down, and so long as I can hear English words in the body of the card, you should be fine. I will yell if I can't understand you. If you don't get clearer, the arguments I can't hear will get less weight at the end of the round, if they make it on the flow at all. I'm not reading the speech doc, I'm just flowing on paper.

4. Finally, I think debate is supposed to be both fun and educational. I am an educator and a coach; I'm happy to be at the tournament. But I also value sleep and my family, so make sure what you do in round is worth all the time we are putting into being there. Imagine that I brought some new novice debaters and my superintendent to watch the round with me. If you are bashing debate or advocating for suicide or other things I wouldn't want 9th graders new to my program to hear, you aren't going to have a happy judge.

I am more than happy to elaborate on this paradigm or answer any questions in round.

I'm an alumna of University of Chicago and am in the mental health field. I would prefer no spreading as I can't understand it!

I am a parent judge who has judged at local tournaments. I have experience judging PF debate and LD debate at local tournaments. Please speak clearly and at a moderate speed.

"And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence they will both stand, or their controversie must either come to blowes, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature."

- Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Pt. 1, Ch. 5, para. 3

General

I did LD debate for four years in high school, so I understand the event's jargon and how arguments interact with each other in terms of the framework and contention level. This means that I also flow the debate and will make note if a debater extends a conceded argument (so don't expect to win me over with a flowery 2AR if your 1AR was a dropfest). I am definitely tabula rasa, so I'll accept any arguments made in the round as long as they are either uncontested or better upheld in terms of clash, even if I personally disagree or know a given statistic is misleading. However, I will not accept any arguments that are blatantly offensive or abusive (ex: racism and ridiculous "observations" that make it impossible for your opponent to win the round). I cast my ballot by picking the superior framework and weighing who has the most offense under that framework in terms of cards and contentions.

Speed

I'm alright with a faster than normal pace, but please don't go full blast. If you feel the need to send me your speech doc via e-mail, then you're definitely going past the line.

Counterplans/kritiks/other policy stuff

I'm alright with you running these in the right context (i.e. it's pretty unfair to run a policy-esque plantext at a traditional tournament in which your opponent almost certainly has no familiarity with such arguments). However, I'm probably less likely to vote on these arguments compared to a traditional 1AC or 1NC, so run them at your own discretion. I'm most open to counterplans, as those are pretty intuitive and they already get run all the time in oblique fashion anyway.

Policy

Unfortunately, I am sometimes dragged into judging this event. I did policy a handful of times in high school, but I don't have the same level of familiarity with the event that I do with LD. Most of the stuff from above applies (i.e. no new arguments in your rebuttal speeches, an argument that's dropped and extended is considered true within the round).

I understand that you generally have to spread in order to read your 1AC or 1NC in time, so I simply ask you to slow down (relatively speaking) in your rebuttals and speak clearly when you spread.

Don't run ultra-esoteric kritiks. If your K asks me to do something like "embrace the queer suicide bomber," "embrace the death drive," or embrace whatever form of ______ futurism, I will probably be less likely to vote for it (to put it lightly). My paradigm is generally tabula rasa, but I'd rather be upfront about arguments I'm skeptical of and often don't follow. If you run these arguments, you will probably get killed by utopian fiat, or your opponent will respond at the level of the K and the round will essentially become a coin flip because I won't follow a lot of the clash.

Collapse and focus on a few key arguments if you're arguing over theory. The last thing I want is to have to vote based on some three second blip you made in one of your rebuttals and I didn't even have time to flow properly.

Harvard Judging Update: I am very familiar with the PF feb topic

I have competed in PF and help write the Debatetrack brief and run Public Forum Debate Academy on YouTube.

Add me to the email chain if there is one (I'll provide my email at the beginning of a round). I like speech docs and can handle up to ~200 wpm.

I enjoy debates where people incorporate some logic into the round. You can have as many arguments at the beginning of the round, just make sure there is time to explain each one in-depth (examples and a detailed impact are helpful). At the end of the round I’m likely to consider voting in one to three places, so you should condense your arguments as the round progresses (especially in summary speech for those in Public Forum). Additionally, having a narrative/story alongside your contentions is helpful and can aid in getting high speaker points.

While I don't need off-time roadmaps/order of your speech, I am happy to accept them (so long as they are brief). Regardless of that, please tell me where you are starting, whether that is stated in the roadmap or at the beginning of your speech.

Do not be aggressive in cross or speeches, I value respect, and continually interrupting the other side in the crossfire almost always is not good for your ballot. Smugness, head shaking, and smirking/laughing at your opponents will lose you speaker points.

For evidence, I like to have dates and author's last name in accordance with NSDA guidelines. Ideally, you should qualify your sources/authors and let me know what type of study or article the evidence is. After the first mention of the evidence, you can refer to the evidence as the author's last name.

In close rounds, I want to be persuaded and I may just listen to both Final Focus/LD Neg Rebuttal & Aff Rebuttal speeches, checking off things that are extended on my flow.

If you put in believable and effective weighing mechanisms, then I will almost certainly vote for you if there is no other clear-cut comparative analysis. If there are multiple weighing analyses from both sides, I vote for the most compelling (best explained, most realistic) weighing. You can also refute the weighing and I am thus less likely to vote off that weighing unless it is defended.

In particular, I find the truest arguments to be the best place to vote. Thus, discussion of probability is usually more important than the scope or magnitude of an issue. This is not to say scope is unimportant, I am willing to default to the believability of an argument before I consider how many people are impacted.

If there's no weighing, I generally vote for the argument that has been defended the most. In Public Forum, I am looking for arguments to be extended in Summary and Final Focus if they want to be considered

As for time, I will let each team finish up a sentence/concept but f a new response is made overtime, I will not consider it.

In crossfire, I appreciate two things. First, logical questions are appreciated. Second, evidence indicts are also good, although they can be a tad tougher to execute.

At the end of the day, while I do flow, I am more lay than most teams recognize. Great rounds for me include the NSDA National and State finals because they incorporate logic and analytics with solid evidence. I respect a mature, calm, and logical team.

Theory - I don't think I am qualified to vote for a full theory shell but if the opponents have bad evidence ethics I am open to theory. Paraphrasing theory is ok as well, just don't make the shell too technical

Kritiks - really not familiar to these.

My background is in Lincoln-Douglas debate along with some Public Forum and Congress from 2006-2009 roughly. My judging has been sparse over the years with the last time I judged being the Pennsbury Invitational just prior to covid. Before that it had been probably ten years.

LD for me, is a values debates so at the end of the round the person who persuades me why their value is the best wins the round. Now, how you get there seems to have changed over the years but sound, logical arguments that are backed up by evidence (empirical or theoretical) are key. So is your ability to communicate why they are important to the round. A great round in my opinion, is where the competitors agree on what the top key issues of the round are and then try to convince me on the better way of looking at it, rather than two ships passing in the night. I can follow moderate speed, but if it impedes your ability to communicate I wouldn’t suggest it. Also if it's too fast I won't be able to get your argument on the flow.

I did speech and debate in high school, 3 years of LD and 1 year in PF. I'm alright with any kind of argument you want to read (theory, k's, etc) just explain what you're reading well and make sure you can communicate your advocacy. I'm also okay with speed, but if you are planning on speaking really fast, please email me your case. My email address is msavransky01@gmail.com.

I'm a flow judge and prefer tech > truth but your arguments obviously still have to be true for me to vote for them.

How To Win My Ballot

Arguments should be extended in the summary and final focus speeches, if an argument is brought up in the 2nd rebuttal and final focus but not the summary, I won't vote on it.

Weigh your arguments against those of your opponents, that's one of the most important things for me in the round! In your speeches, you should be explaining why voting for your side has a bigger impact than that of your opponents using different criteria like magnitude, scope, timeframe, probability, and reversibility. This is especially important in your final focus and summary speeches.

Your final two speeches should look somewhat like my ballot, explain the main arguments that the round comes down to and why they should be the key voting points. Say why those arguments flow your away and weigh them against the arguments your opponents.

Don't go for too many arguments in the final speeches, you shouldn't be talking about everything discussed in the debate, only the most important things. Otherwise, the debate tends to get messy as there ends up being a lot of extended arguments that have little interaction with each other.

Cards should be explained through out every speech, when you extend a card, you should not only be saying the name of the author but also the warrant of the card and the implication of it. Also, you should be weighing your cards against those read by your opponents i.e say why your evidence is better quality, why there is more of it, and so forth. When two teams have competing cards, this is what helps me decide which one to believe and side with.

All I'm all, just extend your arguments and cards in every speech, weigh the most important arguments against each other in the final speeches and you'll definitely win the round/get great speaks.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to judging you !

Jay Talmadge ~Any Pronoun~

If you have QUESTIONS email me AND/OR EMAIL CHAIN: jaylintalmadge@gmail.com

Racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, etc. is a voting issue. If you say something that attacks an individual or their identity I will not condone this and you will experience consequences based on the severity of the action :)

If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe with something your opponent has said or done please email me and I will deal with it accordingly

Trigger Warnings matter so please include them if need be

tl;dr

I will listen to any argument BUT if you are running any KRITIQUE then I would highly suggest asking if I am familiar with the lit/author. This is not for my need but your desire- if you want me to understand and properly evaluate it then ask. I like dense phil I just also like having enough confidence in the lit to judge the round

Speed is cool with me, if you have a TOC bid I will not be ale to understand your top speed BUT I will say slow and/or clear if I need it <3

BUT I am not the only person in the round- in debate, an institution crammed full with structural inequities the round MUST be accessible to your opponent as well, I want you to run your kritiques but it should not be against a traditional only debater or someone who is not equipped for that debate!!! ALSO IF YOU ARE A COMPETITOR YOU CAN SAY SLOW/CLEAR TOO

PLEASE STOP COUNTING DOWN BEFORE YOU SPEAKKKKKKKK- you can ask if we are ready but y'all just talk

About me: I did LD for 2 and a half years on the Washington local circuit. I am a Freshman at Colby College planning to double major in Science, Technology, and Society and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in African American Studies. Yes, I was a traditional debater, no that does not mean I hate progressive nor does it mean I am stupid in regards to it.

**This is being added to after every tournament based on my experiences there. If something is unclear please feel free to reach out because this is VERY incomplete and will be for a while**

I think speaks are dumb but also some tournaments get angry at me if I give everyone 30 so I try to be a speaks fairy but I might be restricted (both by the tournament and by your personal actions)- instead I start at 29

Novices: I consider myself a flow judge. If it is not on my flow but you said it rip.
If you concede something it is technically true BUT YOU HAVE TO EXTEND IT IN EACH SPEECH AND IMPACT AND WARRANT IT OUT!!!!
In addition, here are somethings you should do if you are in this situation: (a) prove to me that those arguments have no impact under the framework, (b) prove to me that the other arguments within the round supersede the ones you have conceded, or (c), if it was your argument conceded, use this to your advantage for time management or even a win.

Weigh your impacts for me. I shouldn't be left at the end of the round with consequences that do not connect to the framework or each other. I am not gonna pick what is the more important impact for you.

Please do not spread unless you have confirmation from your opponent that they are okay with it

Time yourself and please, for the life of things, do not count down before starting your time or tell me when you are starting your time just start speaking!! :relieved:

General

I prefer doc exchange (1) online sucks (2) its good for evidence verification and making sure people aren't clipping (3) makes the debate more equitable for people who would prefer (or need) both the auditory and the visuals.

The Neg's obligation in the round is not to defend that the status quo is a good place, rather to show that in comparison the Aff's world is worse.

Framework itself is not an argument for traditional debate. It is what you propose to me is how we should view the round and understand impacts. Having said that, for K's framework and the roll of the ballot is up to you to tell me how to evaluate it- is the presumptions the topic/aff makes itself an impact to vote neg? idk. Also, if the roll of the ballot is to vote for the person who did better in cross ex, and it is agreed upon in the round, I will literally vote off that.

Tech > truth most of the time

Prep Time:

I am ok with flex prep, however it is your opponent's choice to answer a question or not, they are not obligated. They also have the right to tell you to be quiet.

You may play music during your own prep but not your opponents'!!!

Speaking:
1. Clarity over quantity. ESPECIALLY ONLINE It will be a better debate for your opponent(s), you and me if you prioritize speaking clearly over speaking more. I will honestly do my best to say clear and slow but I will often get too distracted trying to follow your arguments so if I look lost I would try slowing down to see if that helps. ALSO, if you are a competitor you have the right to tell your opponent to slow/clear (they are different so try to be specific), this space should be accessible hearing wise for everyone participating.

2. If you do want to go fast, work your way up to your top speed!!!! Start at like 75% or some other pretty arbitrary but slower than top speed pace then as you read your constructive/go through your refutation you can pick up the speed. I need time to get used to your voice and ngl its been a bit since I've heard people speak at their top speed so just help ease me into it

Theory:

I am ok with T. I have had a lot of annoying experiences with frivolous T when I was a novice so if you are a novice running T don't just do it as a cop out to "out smart" your opponent, its not a cute look. THIS MAY MEAN if you read T to extend it and not drop it immediately in the next speech (this is different from kicking T). That tells me you ran it for literally no reason <3

Open members: go for it, have fun. I am still developing my opinion of competing interps versus reasonability so you tell me and justify why and I will probably opt for what you put forward.

K's:

Link- How does this aff in particular actually link to the K. If you read only generic cards I will listen but no one is getting much out of that and I can almost guarantee you the aff has more specific links. If the links are carded for generic links and analytical for more specific ones I will take it.

Alt- Ideally, the alt has both positive in-round impacts and if we imagined a world in which it was implemented positive out-of-round impacts. That's not going to happen in each round so if you have only one, tell me why you only need one of them or why the one you offer me outweighs the other one.
I prefer alts to be really clear and not generic. If your alt is more than reject the aff tell me what that world is like and how its vibing more than the aff.

CP:

I have no preference for conditionality at the moment- make your claim and back it up then we are cool.

Clarity of the plan text is important for everyone to be on the same page, SLOW DOWN or say it twice something so your opponent and I can engage with the round properly.

Something being textually competitive only is usually not enough for me to buy the CP. This is true because usually there is an avenue or two you can take to find evidence or whatnot to make the CP (I forget the "proper" word so I am going to say) contextually competitive- it can be something even as simple as funding reallocation just try to give me something more.

ALSO I don't know why I have to add this but you should link to the aff if not, even if your opponent doesn't call it out I will buy the perm SO easily

Hello,

I am a local parent judge who has judged LD, PF, Parliamentary Debate, and Congress on the local, state, and national circuit. I have judged for multiple years of experience, with judging at several national tournaments, including Ridge Debates, UPENN, Harvard, etc.

LD

-Don't spread (I prefer a clear, articulated speech)/signpost

-Good clash between debaters (Proper use of CX time will be looked favorably upon)

-Prefer lay debate but won't be opposed to progressive...However...

-No Ks, Theory, Topicality, policy debate, etc

-If you are going to run phil, make sure it's clearly explained and warranted...I am not too experienced in phil but I can catch on if it's well-explained

-Plans, Disads, and CPs are okay as long as you explain them well

-I am not too technical with LD-specific words so make sure you use more lay terms to explain concepts

-Good Framework debates will be looked favorably upon (You can use more obscure fws as long as you explain well)

Congress

- Adapt to the round based on its specific stage (Constructive, Refutations, Crystallizations)

- Severely look down upon rehash (Always add something new to the debate)

- Everyone has a chance at breaking as long as they do their job

- Weigh the debate, especially if you are a late round speaker

- Explain why your argument/speech is the most important to the round

- Make sure that your use rhetoric, especially for intros, refutations, and conclusions

- Congress is also a debate event, make sure to use Cross X strategically

- Presiding officers are decently high ranked on my ballot

- Along with evidence, always provide a warrant (explain WHY the evidence makes sense)

Regardless of the category, make sure to be respectful, always try your best, and simply enjoy yourself!

Previous PF debater! Flow judge, please weigh arguments during summary and FF, and I don't flow crossfire. No off-time roadmaps and no theory! I'll time you, but please time yourself and your opponents. If evidence clash becomes a big deal in the round, I will call for all of it at the end.

Tech > truth, if you can argue it and extend it through round, I'll vote on it.

If you have any questions feel free to ask before the round starts! Or if you have questions on RFD email me (trinitywhite0917@gmail.com)