I debated in PF for 4 years (2016-2020) in MN, I'm now an assistant coach for Blake. Please put me on the email chain before round and send full speech docs + cut cards before case and rebuttal: lillianalbrecht20@gmail.com and blakedocs@googlegroups.com

For TFA 2024: please add sevenlakespf@googlegroups.com to the chain and make sure your documents are able to be viewed after the round (ideally a PDF or Word document). Please arrive to rounds early and be preflowed, especially for flight 2.

Evidence ethics and exchanges in PF are terrible, please don’t make it worse. Start an email chain before rounds and make exchanges as fast as possible. Sending speech docs to everyone before you read case and rebuttal (including your evidence) makes exchanges faster and lets you check back for your opponent's evidence. I find myself evaluating evidence a lot more now, so please make sure you're reading cut cards.

I tend to vote on the path of least resistance, meaning I’ll vote for clean turns over messy case args. I'm kind of a lazy judge that way, but the less I have to think about where to vote the better. But if a turn/disad isn’t implicated or doesn’t have a link, I’m not gonna buy it. Most teams don't actually impact out or weigh their turns, so doing that is an easy way to win my ballot.

You need to frontline in second rebuttal. Turns/new offense is a must, but the more you cover the better.

Everything you want to go for has to be in summary and FF. This includes offense and defense--defense is not sticky for 1st summary. If you don't extend your links and impacts in summary/FF I can't vote for you.

I’m generally good with speed, but I value quality over quantity. I typically flow on paper and will not flow off the doc, so slowing down on tags + analytics is appreciated. I will clear you if I cannot understand you, typically for unclear speaking rather than the speed itself.

Please signpost, for both of our sakes. Clear signposting makes it easier to understand your arguments and easier to vote for you. Line by line is preferred, but whatever you do, just tell me where to write it down.

The more weighing you do the better. Weigh every piece of offense you want to win for best results.

The more you collapse in the second half of the round, the easier it is for me to vote for you.

Speaker points are kinda dumb, but I usually average 28. Good strat + jokes will boost your speaks, being offensive/rude + slow to find evidence will drop them.

I'm fine with theory if there's real abuse. I won't vote on frivolous theory and I'll be really annoyed judging a round on the hyper-specifics of a debate norm (ie, open-source v. full-text disclosure). Good is good enough. Generally, I think that paraphrasing is bad and disclosure is good, but I'll evaluate whatever args you read in front of me. That being said, I really do not want to judge theory debates, so please avoid running them.

I don't mind K debate theoretically, but I have a really high threshold for what K debate should be in PF. I have some experience running and judging Ks, but I'm not very familiar with the current lit + hyperspecific terminology. I'm also really opposed to the current trend of Ks in PF. If your alt doesn't actually do anything with my ballot you don't have any offense that I can vote for you on. If you want to read a K in front of me, you need to go at 75% of your max speed. Far too often teams read a bunch of blippy arguments and forget to actually warrant them. Going slower and walking me through the warranting will be the way to win my ballot--this includes responses to the K as well. However, similar to theory, I really do not want to judge a K round, so run at your own risk.

Feel free to email me with any questions you have about the round!

Hi,

My name is Pankaj Arora. I’m excited to listen to you guys.

I prefer clear speaking, no jargon and good content. No spreading, please.

Please speak at a conversational pace. If I can't understand your argument, I can't flow your argument.

Prefer quality over quantity. One solid argument will persuade me more than a dozen undeveloped arguments.

When speaking, please introduce evidence with the author’s full name, qualifications, publication, and publication date. This information is essential to evaluating the strength of your evidence. While last name/year may be the minimum requirement per NSDA rules, it is not sufficient to win the ballot. Each piece of evidence should be introduced with a brief pause or by saying “quote/unquote.” This is necessary to distinguish between evidence and analysis.

Please signpost with arguments, not authors.

Please ensure that your evidence supports the claims you are making. Disconnects between claims and evidence will seriously damage your credibility.

I’m a parent judge. I will be able to tell if someone doesn't respond to an argument assuming you speak at a pace that I can follow. Good luck!

I am a typical PF judge. No real paradigm since PF is not plan or value driven. I like to see well developed arguments and effective speaking. I will listen to any argument as long as it is reasonable.

Yes, I want to be on the email chain - shabbirmbohri@gmail.com. Label email chains with the tournament, round, and both teams. Send DOCS, not your excessively paraphrased case + 55 cards in the email chain.

I debated 3 years of PF at Coppell High School. I am now a Public Forum Coach at the Quarry Lane School.

Standing Conflicts: Coppell, Quarry Lane

If there are 5 things to take from my paradigm, here they are:

1. Read what you want. Don't change your year-long strategies for what I may or may not like - assuming the argument is not outright offensive, I will evaluate it. My paradigm gives my preferences on each argument, but you should debate the way you are most comfortable with.

2. Send speech docs. I mean this - Speaks are capped at a 27.5 for ANY tournament in a Varsity division if you are not at a minimum sending constructive with cards. If you paraphrase, send what you read and the cards. Send word docs or google docs, not 100 cards in 12 separate emails. +0.2 speaks for rebuttal docs as well.

3. Don't lie about evidence. I've seen enough shitty evidence this year to feel comfortable intervening on egregiously bad evidence ethics. I won't call for evidence unless the round feel impossible to decide or I have been told to call for evidence, but if it is heavily misconstrued, you will lose.

4. Be respectful. This should be a safe space to read the arguments you enjoy. If someone if offensive or violent in any way, the round will be stopped and you will lose.

5. Extend, warrant, weigh. Applicable to whatever event you're in - easiest way to win any argument is to do these 3 things better than the other team and you'll win my ballot.

Online Debate Update:

Establish a method for evidence exchange PRIOR to the start of the round, NOT before first crossfire. Cameras on at all times. Here's how I'll let you steal prep - if your opponents take more than 2 minutes to search for, compile, and send evidence, I'll stop caring if you steal prep in front of me. This should encourage both teams to send evidence quickly.

PF Overview:

All arguments should be responded to in the next speech outside of 1st constructive. If is isn't, the argument is dropped. Theory, framing, ROBs are the exception to this as they have to be responded to in the next speech.

Every argument in final focus should be warranted, extended, and weighed in summary/FF to win you the round. Missing any one of these 3 components is likely to lose you the round. Frontlining in 2nd rebuttal is required. I don't get the whole "frontline offense but not defense" - collapse, frontline the argument, and move on. Defense isn't sticky - extend everything you want in the ballot in summary, including dropped defense.

Theory: I believe that disclosure is good and paraphrasing is bad. I will not hack for these arguments, but these are my personal beliefs that will influence my decision if there is absolutely no objective way for me to choose a winner. I will vote on paraphrasing good, but your speaks will get nuked. I think trigger warnings are bad. The use of them in PF have almost always been to allow a team to avoid interacting with important issues in round because they are afraid of losing, and the amount of censorship of those arguments I've seen because of trigger warnings has led me to this conclusion. I will vote on trigger warning theory if there is an objectively graphic description of something that is widely considered triggering, and there is no attempt to increase safety for the competitors by the team reading it, but other than that I do not see myself voting on this shell often.

I think RVI's are good in PF when teams kick theory. Otherwise, you should 100% read a counter-interp. Reasonability is too difficult to adjudicate in my experience, and I prefer an interp v CI debate.

K's/Non-Topical Positions: There are dozens of these, and I hardly know 3-4. However, as with any other argument, explain it well and prove why it means you should win. I expect there to be distinct ROBs I can evaluate/compare, and if you are reading a K you should delineate for me whether you are linking to the resolution (IMF is bad b/c it is a racist institution) OR your opponents link to the position (they securitized Russia). I think K's should give your opponent's a chance to win - I will NOT evaluate "they cannot link in" or "we win b/c we read the argument first".

I will boost speaks if you disclose (+0.1), read cut cards in rebuttal (+0.2), and do not take over 2 mins to compile and send evidence (+0.1).

Ask me in round for questions about my paradigm, and feel free to ask me questions after round as well.

anthonyrbrown85@gmail.com for the chain

*Please show up to the round pre-flowed and ready to go. If you get to the room before me or are second flight, flip and get the email chain started so we don't delay the rounds.*

Background

Currently the head coach at Southlake Carroll. The majority of my experience is in Public Forum but I’ve spent time either competing or judging every event.

General

You would probably classify me as a flay judge. The easiest way to win my ballot is through comparative weighing. Explain why your links are clearer and stronger and how your impacts are more important than those of your opponents.

Speed is fine but if I miss something that is crucial to your case because you can’t speak fast and clearly at the same time then that’ll be your fault. If you really want to avoid this issue then I would send a speech doc if you plan on going more than 225 wpm.

I do not flow cross so if anything important was said mention it in a speech.

I would classify myself as tech over truth but let’s not get too crazy.

Speaking

Typical speaks are between 27-30. I don’t give many 30s but it’s not impossible to get a 30 from me.

I would much rather you sacrifice your speed for clarity. If you can’t get to everything that you need to say then it would probably be best to prioritize your impacts and do a great job weighing.

Any comments that are intended (or unintended in certain circumstances) to be discriminatory in any form will immediately result in the lowest possible speaker points.

PF Specific

I’m probably not evaluating your K or theory argument at a non-bid tournament. If you’re feeling brave then you can go for it but unless the literature is solid and it is very well run, I’m going to feel like you’re trying to strat out of the debate by utilizing a style that is not yet a norm and your opponents likely did not plan for. If we're at a bid tournament or state, go for it.

Don’t just extend card names and dates without at least briefly reminding me what that card said. Occasionally I write down the content of the card but not the author so if you just extend an author it won’t do you any good.

I have a super high threshold for IVIs. If there's some sort of debate based abuse run a proper shell.

LD Specific (This is not my primary event so I would make sure I check this)

Cheatsheet (1 is most comfortable, 5 is lowest)

Policy: 1

Theory: 2

Topical Ks: 2

Phil: 4

Non-Topical Ks: 4

Tricks: 5

I’ll understand your LARP arguments. I’ll be able to follow your spreading. I can evaluate most K’s but am most comfortable with topical K’s. I will understand your theory arguments but typically don't go for RVIs. I would over-explain if you don’t fall into those categories and adjust if possible.

Competed in PF at LC Anderson in Austin, Texas on the nat circuit for 4 years

For LD

Im not the fastest at flowing so if there is any argument you want me to evaluate, analytic or carded, please send it in a speech doc either to dylcanyon@gmail.com or whatever method is easiest/fastest.

Debate is a game, you can run whatever you’d like as long as you warrant why I should vote on it, I will do my absolute best to avoid intervening at all times but if you make any argument that is exclusionary or makes the debate space unsafe for the competitors, I will intervene in the round as needed.

that being said the arguments I am most familiar with are the following, descending in familiarity: LARP, T and most other theory shells, kritiks, plans, CPs, performance advocacies.

ill evaluate tricks, presumption arguments and similar phil spikes like any other argument but it might be reflected poorly in your speaks.

tldr (PF)

debate is a game so tech>truth

run what you want; warranted arguments are true arguments until I'm told otherwise

I hate intervention and will avoid it at all costs so please I beg of you weigh (that means comparatively and not just using buzzwords like “magnitude” “scope” and moving on) weighing is essential to creating a lens for me to view the round under and achieving quality speaks.

speaks are usually 28-30 and based on argumentation>strategy>speaking

speed is cool, im not the fastest flower so send a speech doc if ur actually going fast and if ur gonna spread then id prefer you read from cut cards

theory is always fun but do it well, DAs are dope, plans and CPs aren't usually my thing but they’re fine , Ks are fine.

General Philosophy (PF)

Debate is a competitive activity and so long as you follow clear rules (speech times, and obvious stuff), are not reading anything exclusionary or blatantly discriminatory, and are not a huge jerk then you can read whatever arguments you like.

ONLINE TOURNAMENTS

Email chain and speech doc disclosure has really proven itself essential to me, if y’all don’t want to do so you don’t have to but it’s strongly advised and will be reflected in your speaks. However, this doesn’t mean I will use the speech doc or evidence sent to me to intervene, any problems y’all have with evidence should be aired out in speech and if there’s enough contest then I will check out the card and adjudicate myself. Otherwise, the doc is just for my clarity of y’alls arguments but should used by both teams to whatever advantage they can.

Framing

Framing is cool with me, but this should have a purpose, if I just hear "lives" or "cost benefit analysis" you will look like a clown. So make sure your framing narrows my ballot , otherwise its a waste

Weighing

Weighing is so so so crucial plz weigh and that doesnt mean empty impact calc but real comparative and ballot direct weighing to make my job easier

I default to strength of link so give me the cleanest link to vote on or give me a reason to vote elsewhere

weighing is always nice to start early bc i find that its far more substantive that way but new weighing can be done in any speech unless its a more technical weighing mechanism in which case it should be explained earlier in the round

Evidence

You can paraphrase but I'll like you a lot more if you don't especially since most paraphrased cards are just one sentence blips

email chain is highly encouraged and is great for improving ev ethics so see the speaks section for the email chain bonus

I don't like calling for evidence unless the text and credibility of the evidence is heavily contested and unresolved within the round, otherwise its your job to explain your evidence and its your job to disprove my opponents evidence ("call for it" is not an argument)

Extensions

This is debate, you should be sufficiently explaining your arguments which means that unless an argument is grossly conceded, I should not hear excessively blippy link extensions

Without warrant extension and explanation, you don't have an argument

Generally the bigger the impact, the more you should be explaining but if I hear that any argument causes extinction without an explanation of how it does so, I'll be unhappy considering my fondness for extinction scenarios.

Theory

Theory is great, I'm cool with almost any theory so long as it is not marginalizing in any way but I love me disclosure, paraphrasing, email chain, or whatever you can think of but preround abuse shells should probably be read in constructive unless the abuse is revealed later in the round and in that case important to the round

I default competing interps, No RVIs

Don't read theory on novices (duh)

If you don't know how to properly extend and weigh theory, the round will be annoying and unfun so please don't do that

Kritiks

I can't guarantee that I'll understand of the more complex Ks that have been popping up in LD over the past few years but more common ones should be a safe bet and I’ll definitely enjoy hearing the K, IF RAN WELL

Once again, don't run these on novices

Plans/CPs

These are fine mostly, but make them purposeful, interesting and not easily permable bc otherwise you have wasted all of our time

PICs are trash don't read them, CPs should also compete with aff unless its funny as hell

Speech by Speech

Overall do whatever you want but its probably better to be line by line til summary then collapsing into a more big picture FF but line by line throughout isn't really an issue as long as you weigh

Constructives - do whatever u want

1st Rebuttal - offensive OVs/DAs are cool, needs to respond to any framing, underviews or prefiat arguments from constructive

2nd Rebuttal - everything for 1st rebuttals goes for 2nd but any and all turns/terminal D are conceded if dropped in second rebuttal so its probably strategic to start collapsing if you are getting dumped

1st Summary - any mitigatory defense that 2nd rebuttal doesn't respond to is sticky but terminal D and turns need to be extended, first summary can frontline 2nd rebuttal w new args but thats the last time i should be hearing new arguments

2nd Summary - extend all defense, offense and weighing you want in 2nd Final Focus, otherwise im not voting on it

1st Final Focus - no new args here except weighing, everything else should have been in summary

2nd Final Focus - everything should have been in summary but plz do not put everything in summary into this speech

Speaks

Speaking is hard sometimes and it doesnt matter as much as argumentation and strategy but clear speakers are still going to get better speaks

speaks are adjusted based on prestige and competitiveness of the tournament

>27.5 = you were either very rude or morally reprehensible

27.5 - 28 = probably need a lot of work

28 - 28.5 = not bad but still could improve

28.5 - 29 = pretty solid debater, can probably break

29 - 29.5 = very good, probably wins an out round or two

29.5 - 30 = great debater and impressive to watch, late outs or chance to win the tourney and a great model for other debaters

I did four years of PF on the TX/national circuit and graduated in 2020. I won’t know anything about the current topic, so please be clear and define topic jargon!

I'd like to think as little as possible, please do the thinking for me. You can make this easier by signposting, warranting every argument, explaining the implication of each argument, and collapsing early in the round.

I'm okay with average fast PF speaking but probably not spreading - I'm not gonna flow off a speech doc so you can spam 100 random turns. I will yell clear twice. Fair warning, I'm 2 years out of debate and a little out of practice so take that as you will

2nd rebuttal needs to frontline; defense sticks through first summary if it's not touched in the rebuttal (but you should extend terminal defense).

Weigh as early as you can; I won't look to new weighing in the FF.

I'll only call for evidence if it’s disputed or sketchy/someone explicitly tells me to call for it.

I never did progressive debate so I have a very sparse understanding of how it works. If you read progressive args, please be very clear, don't use too much jargon, & try to frame them as traditional arguments. I'll do my best to evaluate them (although I really don't prefer or feel qualified to do so).

Don't be rude/sexist/ableist/racist/etc, respect pronouns, and use content warnings. Feel free to message me on Facebook or email me (sofia.chang@utexas.edu) if you feel at any point unsafe in round.

Other things that generally make me sad:

If you're being really mean/condescending, I will be very sad

Don't read carded responses if you're not going to be able to pull up the cards in < 1-2 min. I really dislike waiting 10 min for teams to find cards and then hearing "I can't find the card, you can regard it as an analytic" – I will dock speaks!!

Please don't ask the other team to type up their analytical args and add it to the email chain, unless the debate is virtual and the audio cuts out. It takes forever. Use flex prep or ask about it in cross!

I don't like the term "third world" countries

Keep your own time!

Debate is hard - be cool, have fun!

Yo. I graduated from Plano West '21 (CK) after debating for 4 years.

- Fully warrant your arguments the first time you read them. Don't make new warrants/implications after.

- Defense is sticky in summary if it wasn't responded to.

- Weigh early

- Extensions should fully reexplain the argument.

- Be quick when calling for evidence please.

- Speed is aight if both sides are cool with it but email chain me at (michaelc75025@gmail.com) if you want to spread.

- I debated a decent amount of theory rounds so I'm fairly comfortable there but for other forms of progressive argumentation I'll do my best to follow; explain things well.

- No exclusionary language or actions.

Email: chiniwalas@gmail.com

About Me:

Coppell '21 | UT Austin '25 | He/Him

Coach for Coppell High School

Debate Basics:

1. Extend your arguments, please... I hate having to vote teams down because of this, but it is the simplest thing to do and one of the easiest ways to make sure you don't lose a ballot. If you are confused as to how to do this, please ask me before the round.

1a. An extension just needs to include the claim and warrant of an argument. If you want to include the author/cite and the full tagline, then go for it. However, the bare minimum of an extension is claim+warrant.

1b. Regarding the extension of progressive arguments. I think that there is an inherent advantage to a theory/(non-topical) critical/ROB argument compared to case/substance-based arguments so if you read one of the former arguments in a constructive speech you must extend said argument in the rebuttal (this is not necessary for the latter).

2. Make sure that you have some form of offense at the end of the round. It is really easy to get caught up talking about one point and making sure that you win it, but make sure that said argument is going to help you win the round and isn't purely defensive.

3. Defense is not sticky. I don't want to sound like an old man, but back in my day we had 2-minute summaries and we still had to extend our defense. If you can't make it happen in a 3-minute summary, read fewer arguments.

4. I'm a little more lenient with impact terminalization (i.e. poverty decreases by 2%, saves 20 million lives per degree increase, etc.) but note that this makes it easier for your opponents to turn your impact and it makes it harder for you to do impact calculus. Also, while I won't dock you directly, if your opponents point out that your impact is vague/unclear it might make me less likely to vote for you.

5. I would like to think I am pretty decent at evaluating theory and other progressive arguments, but slow down a little if you are going to be reading something that you think is hard to understand. When in doubt, run it by me before the round (email or just ask). That being said, I do have certain beliefs (disclosure good, paraphrase bad) that won't affect the round unless you ask me to vote on reasonability (instead of competing interpretations).

6. Evidence ethics are important, but I won't verify evidence unless one team explicitly tells me to do so. I hate calling for/having to read the evidence, so if I can find a way out of it (without intervening) then I will definitely try to do so. Misrepresenting evidence is a really easy way to lose a round if your opponents call it out and give me an independent voting issue. Without an IVI, I will just drop the evidence from the round if I find it is miscut.

7. I am okay with speed, but as I said, if you are reading something super progressive, then slow down. Other than that, if you are going to spread, then send a speech doc ahead of time.

8. I am tech over truth. The exception is if you say something racist, homophobic, sexist or otherwise exclusionary.

9. If you have any other questions, just ask me. I'd like to think I am a nice person (although Shabbir might disagree) and I'm much more likely to be happy if you asked at my preferences instead of just guessing.

For Novices:

Pay attention primarily to 1, 1a, 2, and 4. I can answer any other questions you have before or after the round.

If you have any questions about debate (theory or progressive arguments specifically) please shoot me an email and I'd be happy to answer any that you have!

email: seungjohcho@gmail.com

PF paradigm:

I did PF for 4 years, and I did Big Questions for a few weeks at L C Anderson High School. I won both NSDA Nats and TFA State.

Just do whatever you planned on doing. Spreading is fine as long as you are clear. If you aren't good at spreading, first of all, you really shouldn't be doing it in PF, but if you really need to and you know you are bad at it, save yourself the L and flash me the doc you are reading. I value "tech over truth", in the sense that I will vote purely based on the ink on the flow, and I am willing to buy arguments that may not be true at all in the real world, as long as they were well articulated on the flow.

I don't flow cross fires at all, so unless you have an audience to please, I'd say just chill out a bit on cross fires. They won't really affect my decision. Also yes, I realize I was an aggressive debater myself, but if you're straight up being rude, I will dock speaks, which you really don't want from me because I generally give good speaks, so getting bad speaks from me will make you look even worse.

Make sure you weigh and you explain to me why you think you won the round by Final Focus, as I do not want to have to do that for you, especially on topics where I probably don't have any prior topic knowledge.

I will call for cards that you have asked me to call for, or cards that seem sketchy that are central to the round. In most cases, however, I will default to whatever the debaters tell me their cards say, so make sure you stay on top of that.

You do not have to extend defense if it is dropped. If it is addressed, however, I will obviously expect you to address it in speech if you are going for it.

Make sure you are sign posting.

Also please let me know where on the flow you will be starting your speech so that I can start flowing it well.

If you read frivolous theory, keep in mind that I probably will not weigh it unless it is completely dropped/inadequately responded to. I am also not a fan of disclosure theory in PF. That is not to say I won't evaluate it by default, but also run at your own risk.

And finally, everything you want me to vote on should be extended all the way to final focus. Even if it was dropped, if you do not extend it in final focus, I will not default you the win on an argument.

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

LD Paradigm:

Read PF paradigm, should give you a sense of my debate background maybe how you should adapt.

Plans, CPs are all totally fine

Theory, Ks, more tech arguments are all good with me. Just do whatever you planned on doing.

Spreading is totally fine.

I made it to UIL LD State once, so post-round me as hard as you want, as long as it is educational.

amod.daherkar@utexas.edu

just signpost during your speech, please no fOR aBrIeF oFfTiMe RoAdMap (unless there's tshells on top of substance).

I debated for Vista Ridge (graduated 2021) and study Finance at UT Austin

Currently I am involved with Texas Debate and previously coached for Seven Lakes

I’m a “tech > truth” judge whatever that means to you

Paradigms I agree with for reference: Jonathan Daugherty & Jack Hayes

Contact Info: Pramit De on FB Messenger or pramitde@utexas.edu

Debate Basics

1. Send speech docs for constructive to my email. Makes it easier for me to flow and makes sure I don't miss anything you're saying.
2. Debate should be an educational and safe space - No violence of any kind towards anyone in the round will be tolerated and the round will be stopped if deemed unsafe for an individual in it.
3. Do your best to win on the flow while maintaining clarity for the general public.

Online Debate

1. Cameras on at all times.
2. Establish a method of evidence sharing before the round starts.
3. If you get called out for stealing prep and you clearly are, speaks will be low. To avoid this - stay unmuted when a team is sending evidence over.

Public Forum Basics

1. I'll vote off of the least mitigated link chain with an impact at the end of the round
2. Extend the arguments themselves - the names of each author aren't required. If extending an argument requires nuance or repeating something from case to frontline, it needs to be said explicitly.
3. To make an argument into a voting issue, it should be extended in the latter half of the round, warranted throughout the round, and weighed against other arguments
4. Have tangible impacts (extinction works) - statistics about the economy growing don't count, and reading "x increases trade and a 1% increase in trade saves 2 million lives" doesn't make the impact of your individual argument 2 million lives either

PF Rebuttal

1. Frontlining is required in second rebuttal - if you drop offense it's conceded, and defense on an argument you collapsed on should be frontlined or it'll be an uphill battle. The only exception to this is if the first speaking team reads some massive 4 contention 12 link case and dumps in rebuttal. If you are unsure on if your opponents are doing this in my eyes, please just ask and I'll tell you whether you have to frontline or not. In the scenario where they are:
1. First speaking team needs to extend which responses they want to pull through in summary.
2. Second speaking team will just frontline which argument they want to go for in summary. Please don't respond to the entire dump, just frontline what you need. This is not to say you should ignore that part of the rebuttal. Be wary of overarching case responses that respond to multiple contentions placed on a specific contention.
2. Link turns need uniqueness responses to make them into a link turn and access the impact of the contention, otherwise it's just another contention with no impact
3. Each response should have a warrant - you can read as many as you'd like, but no warrant means it doesn't matter
4. Dumping DA's in second rebuttal is can be made into a voting issue, but I don't have a predisposition on this issue

PF Summary/Final Focus

1. Any argument (defense or offense) that wants to be a voting issue needs to be in both speeches - sticky defense doesn't exist
2. Extend and weigh any argument you go for
3. Arguments not responded to in the previous speech are conceded - just call it that and extend it and move on
4. Metaweighing is good but hard - try your best to do it when needed and you'll be rewarded

Theory

1. Any shell in a Varsity division is fair game - that being said, the more frivolous the argument, the lower the threshold for responses. I don't have much experience with theory and am sympathetic to those in that position, so please attempt to respond to it even if you don't know the technical details, I won't punish you for that. Below are my preferences on common shells ran in PF.
2. Theory about non-evidentiary ethics - things such as misgendering, violence, content warnings, etc. are good to read with a higher chance I vote off of the first 2 if there is clear abuse. I'm truth over tech for these. If the theory-reading team forgets to extend part of their shell in summary and the only response from the other team I hear is that they forgot to read "x part" of the shell, I'm still going to up the theory.
3. Theory about evidence-related practices - paraphrasing, disclosure, etc. are fair game - I believe disclosure is good and paraphrasing is bad, but will not hack for these arguments in any way. My caveat about forgetting to extend parts of shells above does not apply here. Tech over truth.
4. Theory that has nothing to do with content in the round - take a guess

Other Progressive Arguments

1. Don't know how to evaluate them, run at your own risk.

Evidence

1. Every piece of evidence needs to be cut - you can choose to paraphrase but must still have cut evidence for it
2. If you take more than 2 minutes to find a piece of evidence, speaks will be low.
3. Make evidence issues part of the debate rather than out-of-round issues - each team should be given a chance to justify the abuse or explain why it warrants a loss
4. Explicitly tell me to call for evidence if you want me to look at it - if you want me to read evidence don't just call it bad and tell me to read it, take the time to explain why you believe it's bad if it's a critical part of the debate
5. If a team can win by reading cut cards only, you're guaranteed a 29 minimum

Speaker Points

1. To get a 29.5 baseline, you must email both constructive and rebuttal speeches on the email chain prior to the speech - this MUST include cards. Points will go up and down from there based on speaking style.
2. Otherwise, my baseline is 28.5.

Post-Round Info

1. I will always disclose as long as the tournament allows it and I feel like I'll be able to reach a decision in a reasonable time - if they don't, shoot me a message on messenger and I will.

Novices (Any Event)

1. Collapse. Most rounds are lost by going for too much and not explaining the most important arguments enough. Choose only a few (one is fine of course) arguments to have in your last speech and explain it/do impact calculus and compare it to your opponent’s argument.
2. Clarity. Go at a pace you feel comfortable at, there isn’t always a need to match your opponent’s speed and make sure that speed doesn’t sacrifice the clarity of your arguments. This also relates to the order of your speeches: Be clear when responding to different arguments and label them as such (i.e. “Moving on to their argument about Military Spending”). This makes it much easier to follow along and catch everything.
3. Comparison. A bit repetitive but important to understand: comparing (doing impact calculus) is the most important way to win a round. Usually both teams are winning some argument on their side, and the way to ensure your argument comes above theirs is to give reason as to why it does.
4. Critical Thinking. This is good for speaker points and even winning the round. You won’t have responses to every argument and so using outside knowledge or analytical arguments that rely on logic are more likely to be stronger in rounds. Don’t be afraid to use what you know.
5. Other than this - I’m open to any arguments being read as long as you explain them and follow some of the suggestions I’ve outlined. I understand that being new to the event can be difficult at first so I want to make sure you are getting as much out of the round as possible. If you have any questions about an argument, my decision, or the event in general, feel free to ask me after the round or shoot me an email. Good luck!

Ask me before round

add me to the email chain dhashvin@utexas.edu

EMAIL: mfoster@luc.edu

Do an email chain and send me speech docs. If I miss something because I didn't have a doc, that is on you

Universal Round Preferences

Run whatever you want, I will evaluate anything as long as it has implications towards the ballot. That means theory, kritiks, and whatever else you can come up with is acceptable (heads up, I don't think tricks implicate the ballot in any meaningful way but feel free to try). My ideal summary and final focus would be enough to understand the voting issues of the round without having heard prior speeches, meaning I expect WARRANTED extensions with impact calculus relative to your opponent's arguments. I will be flexible in terms of what constitutes sufficient extension based on the clutter of the round given a messy flow can always be recovered in the back half with the right strategic choices.

Speaker Point System

I start with a 28.5 as a sort of "zero-point", whereby impressive delivery can boost score and mistakes detract. I will be generally leaning towards better speaks as it really comes down to whether or not the speeches are fluent or choppy. Otherwise, small boosts ( such as to get a 30 ) would require distinctly persuasive performance. Offensive or belligerent behavior will be heavily penalized (be assertive, not aggressive).

If you want higher odds of getting good speaks, disclosing on the NDCA wiki and not paraphrasing will be an automatic aide since this has always been the standard in my head for creating a comprehensible/meaningful round.

Progressive Debate Notes

--Etiquette--

Please don't use progressive arguments to merely outpace your opponents with fancy jargon. If I feel as though a speech is nothing but a bunch of meaningless buzzwords, then the weight/significance I grant to those arguments on the flow will be equally meaningless

--Kritik--

I like K's the most because I've had the time to consume a bunch of literature. I would say I am confident in evaluating anything you throw at me assuming you are very clear in how my signing of the ballot is supposed to operate with the theory being read. I would prefer links which are stronger than something like "state bad" or "futurity/prediction bad", so ideally something that connects back to the topic.

--Theory--

Please read theory in a structured format so that I can have consistency in evaluating it from the flow. I have the expectation that national circuit teams be somewhat versed in the formatting as the resources to learn it is increasingly available for free. With that in mind, I default to competing interpretations and no RVI's. I like disclosure theory (although I prefer you at least try and ask prior to the round). I like paraphrasing theory. If you run these arguments poorly, however, you could very well lose as I will do my best to keep my biases constrained. If you do happen to partake in the practices in a way that I perceive as disingenuous (i.e. purposefully obscure/incomprehensible disclosure), then these benefits may quickly turn negative.

--Tricks--

They don't affirm or negate, leaving me just as capable of voting as I was before reading any of these arguments. If you want to read some truth testing arguments or that the affirmative has some textual obligation, that might work but I am VERY skeptical

--Counterplans & PICS --

Do your best to make any alternative fiat meaningfully competitive and educational. I don't really think almost any PIC competes and there are plenty of hyper generic counterplans that aren't educational. However, I will evaluate these arguments if they are properly defended and warranted.

Former Plano West PF debater. I don't require first speaking team to extend defense in summary for me to flow it through final focus. Offense not extended through summary gets dropped.

If you don't give me a solid warrant for your argument and your opponent puts any ink on it, I won't consider it. I will buy any weighing mechanism if it's the only one presented in the round, so if you don’t like your opponent’s weighing mechanism please present an alternative!

Please don't spread; I don't think my aging brain can handle it. I don't want to read anything during round, so if I can't understand what you're saying I won't flow it. Speed should be ok.

Please be nice to your opponent! Talking over your opponent during crossfire will result in docked speaks.

• Feel free to ask questions.
• If you believe I am not following a required protocol, feel free to speak up.
• I will document my thoughts on a laptop. I will usually have a second screen with the ballot available and a scratchpad for other thoughts.
• My goals are
• Fair, objective judging of performance. You work hard, and deserve my best effort to assess the event in the most capable manner possible.
• Encourage the event to run smoothly and support you as needed.
• Provide thoughtful input. I typically give 2-3 areas that I thought were effective or beneficial to the task, and 1-2 areas of possible improvement.
• I appreciate vigorous debate. I will generally allow participants to express themselves as they see fit, so long as there is some level of reasonable decorum.
• I want teams to be respectful of each other. I find crosstalk outside the speaker to be disruptive. If permitted, please use care when interacting with others.
• I can process concepts quickly, but I have my limits. I want to bring my full ability to assess the performance effectively, but I can only do that if I can absorb the information fully. I have found around 200/210 words per minute to be a reasonably comfortable pace for understanding.
• I may provide the overall outcome of the event immediately after it is finished, but further input will be conveyed in Tabroom later.

********************************************************************************************

I will give teams 1 extra speaker point per speaker if they properly use an email chain during the round. This means:

-Case writeup with the cards used in case below should be sent in a word/google document (like this) BEFORE your first constructive speech

-Any cards being planned on read after that should be sent in a word/google document (like this) right BEFORE it is read in speech.

This likely means you'll have to cut your cards BEFORE ROUND (I know, shocker!). Don't be spending 5 minutes cutting cards during the round to earn this point, you'll each lose half a point as a result if you do. Case docs should be ready to send the second you enter the call too

Email is adnan.m.ismail@berkeley.edu.

***********************************************************************************************

I'm a 4th year bioengineering student at UC Berkeley, and I've competed in PF for about 5 years in middle and high school.

Lets start with the obvious: DON'T BE RACIST TRANSPHOBIC HOMOPHOBIC SEXIST ABLEIST ELITIST OR EXCLUSIVE IN ANY WAY OR I WILL DROP YOU, GIVE YOU 0 SPEAKS, AND MAYBE MORE.

-Warrants in everything are especially important to me, and it's really important your warrants are clear. Lack of clarity will make me confused, drop your speaks and most likely drop you the round.

-Additionally, I look for the path of least resistance to the ballot. In other words, if you have an argument that's been clean dropped and you weigh that argument very well, 8/10 times I'm voting on that argument.

-The best way to create a clear-cut path to the ballot and follow the first two bullet points is by collapsing well on good arguments, especially in the second half of the round. Collapsing creates a much more narrowed/focused round that is easier to judge and follow, and it allows you to nuance and explain your arguments more fully. The more in-depth analysis you do when collapsing/as a result of collapsing, the more likely I'll vote for you.

-For the most part, anything that you say in final focus should be in summary. On the note of the second half of the round/frontlining in 2nd rebuttal or whatever,...I don't care. Just be consistent. Specifically:

----If you frontline in 2nd rebuttal, it's gonna be hard for me to accept new frontlines in 2nd summary. I'll give more leeway for defense that's not frontlined in 2nd rebuttal but almost impossible for turns.

----So long as the defense is untouched, first speaking teams can extend defense from first rebuttal to first final focus. But if the first speaking team extends defense in first summary, that defense is the only defense that can be extended into final focus.

-You can start your weighing whenever, even in final focus. But BIG weighing mechanisms (like those overviews that outline a certain argument/impact as the most important in the round for example) should arrive before second rebuttal. On that note, weigh! It's good to get the ballot. Not just buzz words. But like, actual weighing. Answer questions like these in your weighing: "How does your impact outweigh on magnitude?"

-Lastly on the note of the second half of the round, and I cannot stress this enough: YOU HAVE TO EXTEND EVERY PART OF THE ARGUMENT YOU WANT ME TO EVALUATE. THIS INCLUDES THE LINK, THE INTERNAL LINK(S), AND THE TERMINAL IMPACT OF YOUR ARGUMENT WITH THE WARRANTS FOR EACH PART OF THE ARGUMENT. NOTHING BLIPPY!!

-Don't spread please. I'm good with a brisk pace of talking (If you're confused, err on the side of slightly slower instead of slightly faster).

-I'm not extremely familiar with more technical argumentation (K's, theory, etc.). My philosophy is that while they look more "spooky" or "cool", all arguments share the same structure, where they require some sort of link, an explanation for why it matters (an impact) and warrants all throughout and in between. So just make sure to make the warranting for these arguments crystal clear.

-On that note for theory, the bar for whether or not a team is abusive is quite high. So run at your own risk. If you do think that your theory shell is very warranted and the abuse is substantial and you want to win off of it, I should expect it to dominate your speech time in the second half of the round. As in your entire FF should be dedicated to the shell that you read. Also if you read theory, I'm more inclined to listen to a well hashed shell compared to "paragraph theory." It's easier to flow and simply more clear for me. But I won't get angry at you if you read paragraph theory.

-And lastly don't know much, if anything, about the topic, and definitely not familiar with the topic lit at all. So clarity in warrant/impact analysis and extension of arguments and whatnot is esp key to pick up my ballot this tournament.

Good luck and have fun! Any questions email me at adnan.m.ismail@berkeley.edu

Competed in pf all 4 years of high school for Jasper/Plano West

PF Paradigm

· You can debate quickly if that’s your thing, I can keep up. Please stop short of spreading, I’ll flow your arguments but tank your speaks. If something doesn’t make it onto my flow because of delivery issues or unclear signposting that’s on you.

· Do the things you do best. In exchange, I’ll make a concerted effort to adapt to the debaters in front of me. However, my inclinations on speeches are as follows:

o Rebuttal- Do whatever is strategic for the round you’re in. Spend all 4 minutes on case, or split your time between sheets, I’m content either way. If 2nd rebuttal does rebuild then 1st summary should not flow across ink.

o Summary- I prefer that both teams make some extension of turns or terminal defense in this speech. I believe this helps funnel the debate and force strategic decisions heading into final focus. If the If 1st summary extends case defense and 2nd summary collapses to a different piece of offense on their flow, then it’s fair for 1st final focus to leverage their rebuttal A2’s that weren’t extended in summary.

o Final Focus- Do whatever you feel is strategic in the context of the debate you’re having. While I’m pretty tech through the first 3 sets of speeches, I do enjoy big picture final focuses as they often make for cleaner voting rationale on my end.

· Weighing, comparative analysis, and contextualization are important. If neither team does the work here I’ll do my own assessment, and one of the teams will be frustrated by my conclusions. Lessen my intervention by doing the work for me. Also, it’s never too early to start weighing. If zero weighing is done by the 2nd team until final focus I won’t consider the impact calc, as the 1st team should have the opportunity to engage with opposing comparative analysis.

· I’m happy to evaluate framework in the debate. I think the function of framework is to determine what sort of arguments take precedence when deciding the round. To be clear, a team won’t win the debate exclusively by winning framework, but they can pick up by winning framework and winning a piece of offense that has the best link to the established framework. Absent framework from either side, I default Cost-Benefit Analysis.

· Don’t flow across ink, I’ll likely know that you did. Clash and argument engagement is a great way to get ahead on my flow.

· Prioritize clear sign posting, especially in rebuttal and summary. I’ve judged too many rounds this season between competent teams in which the flow was irresolvably muddied by card dumps without a clear reference as to where these responses should be flowed. This makes my job more difficult, often results in claims of dropped arguments by debaters on both sides due to lack of clarity and risks the potential of me not evaluating an argument that ends up being critical because I didn’t know where to flow it/ didn’t flow it/ placed it somewhere on the flow you didn’t intend for me to.

· After the round I am happy to disclose, walk teams through my voting rationale, and answer any questions that any debaters in the round may have. Pedagogically speaking I think disclosure is critical to a debater’s education as it provides valuable insight on the process used to make decisions and provides an opportunity for debaters to understand how they could have better persuaded an impartial judge of the validity of their position. These learning opportunities require dialogue between debaters and judges. On a more pragmatic level, I think disclosure is good to increase the transparency and accountability of judge’s decisions. My expectation of debaters and coaches is that you stay civil and constructive when asking questions after the round. I’m sure there will be teams that will be frustrated or disagree with how I see the round, but I have never dropped a team out of malice. I hope that the teams I judge will utilize our back and forth dialogue as the educational opportunity I believe it’s intended to be. If a team (or their coaches) become hostile or use the disclosure period as an opportunity to be intellectually domineering it will not elicit the reaction you’re likely seeking, but it will conclude our conversation. My final thought on disclosure is that as debaters you should avoid 3ARing/post-rounding any judge that discloses, as this behavior has a chilling effect on disclosure, encouraging judges who aren’t as secure in their decisions to stop disclosing altogether to avoid confrontation.

· Please feel free to ask any clarifying questions you may have before we begin the round, or email me after the round if you have additional questions.

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

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

- Focus on the topic at hand

- Support their topic with credible evidence

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

- Are clear in articulation and are not rushed

I am a relatively new parent judge. I was a judge last year for debate. Please don't speak too fast.

Hello,

My name is Atul Kapoor. I am a lay judge with a solid amount of judging experience. Please explain your arguments clearly, and speak at a pace with emphasis on quality of your argument rather than quantity. Do not spread and do not overload your speech with debate jargon. I will do my best to judge only off what I am given in the round, so please do the work for me and don't make me have to intervene. Please add me to the email chain at kapoor.atul@gmail.com.

I don't base my judgment on your crossfire, so please don't use it to persuade me. Crossfire is for you to understand your opponent's case and address it in your next speeches. Pretend I'm not listening during crossfire. Make your case in the next speech.

If you're presenting an extinction argument, make sure it's believable. For instance, arguing that affirming or negating healthcare for all could lead to nuclear war and extinction seems far-fetched. If your opponents present an extension argument that seems implausible, address it. It shouldn't only be me thinking it's not plausible.

I assess your speaker points based on clarity, articulation, appropriate speed, and eye contact. Sometimes, I may give low scores.

I will do my best to disclose my decision when I am allowed to, and will leave feedback on the ballot. Above all, remember to have fun and be respectful to your opponents!

Best of luck!

Seven lakes High School '21 | University of Texas at Dallas '24

contact: pkasibhatla4@gmail.com

Debate experience:

I mainly participated in PF debate throughout high school at both local and national tournaments

PF:

- I am a standard flow judge who evaluates tech over truth.

- Okay with any arguments along as they are not offensive, racist, homophobic, etc.

- I am fine with speed as long as everyone in the round can clearly hear the arguments. I do not like spreading.

- Evidence: Paraphrasing is fine as long as you don't blatantly misconstrued the evidence. When providing paraphrased evidence please give the specific line that you reference. Evidence ethics are important, call your opponents out for any misconstrued evidence, false claims or any lies.

- Speaker points: Speaker points are awarded based on strategy and obviously how well you speak. As mentioned above, I will dock both speaker points and drop you if you have bad evidence ethics. Moreover, i'll give bonus speaker points if the round is entertaining and respectful. Being rude and loud will only decrease your speaker points so don't do that

- Give a roadmap of the speech beforehand and signpost throughout the speech.

- To extend an argument you must extend the contention name, the name of the cards and more importantly what the card says. You can't just tell me to extend 'x card' without telling me why the card is important to both your argument and the round. Speaking of extensions, the round should flow from your constructive to the final focus. The second rebuttal should respond to all offensive arguments or I consider them as drops. First summary must extend arguments and defense if it's responded to in second rebuttal. I will more than likely be voting on both the cleanest argument.

- Weighing is great, the more you weigh throughout the round the easier it is for me to vote. Please start weighing during rebuttals. New weighing after second summary is too late and I will not evaluate that.

- Any arguments or concessions during Cross must be brought up in speeches.

- If you read a framework, read warrants. The Framework debate must include weighing.

- Final focus should have the same arguments as summary

Email me if you have any questions!

Hey! I'm your judge.

Debated for Plano West. I competed a good amount on the national circuit and did fairly well. Ended up qualifying to the TOC my senior year in PF. I also have a bit of LD experience. Currently a junior computer science major at Texas A&M University.

Key Points:

1] HERE IS HOW I EVALUATE EVERY SINGLE ROUND:

Which impact/layer is the most important in the round?

Who is winning offense under it?

If you are winning offense under the most important layer whether that is on ur case or not. You have just won the round.

2] I’m not a perfect judge but I like to think of myself as flow, tab, Tech > Truth.

3] Run anything you want (except death or oppression good, 30 speaker points theory, burden of rejoinder is bad, following speech times bad) as long as it has a claim, warrant, and impact. The more nuanced ur args are, the more warranting I'd like to hear.

4] pls weigh. I'm begging you.

5] If you extend something it must have a warrant.

6] Speed is fine but if you’re gonna go policy fast pls send a speech doc so I can get all ur args down. Err on the side of going as slow as you can while spreading AND ENUNCIATE bc there is a greater chance I will miss something the faster you talk. I'll yell "clear" 3x before I just stop flowing.

7] Judge grilling and post rounding for educational purposes are good. Just know that I will not change my ballot after the round is over and if your questions turn into hateful bashing towards me or your opponents, I will happily tank your speaks.

8] Every offensive argument should be underneath some sort of framing/weighing mechanism I can vote off of (this is primarily for LD). If you just read an apriori that says affirm means to agree and since you agree you win. That's not good enough but I will 110% vote on those arguments if they are supplemented by some sort of weighing or framing argument. To clarify: Why should definitional burdens be the top layer of the debate? If you can answer that question, run whatever you like. As long as you explicitly tell me why the apriori is actually an apriori and comes before everything else.

9] Have fun.

For PF: defense from first rebuttal is sticky unless it is responded to. But needs to extend turns. Second rebuttal should frontline.

For LD: Run whatever you want. However, if you run anything philosophically oriented, please warrant your arguments heavily. I should be able to tell the other team with confidence what I am voting for.

Defaults (you can change ANY of these): presumption and permissibility negate. No RVIs and eval with competing interps on Theory. The default framework is a cost-benefit analysis (For PF).

hello friends! I debated for 4 years at Plano West.

chain: adikumar0306@gmail.com

If you have any questions that weren't answered here, I'll be happy to clear them up before round.

1. the warranting of an argument must happen completely the first time you read the response and should ideally be implicated out fully (new warrants/implications from a new warrant will be disregarded, should have theory read against them, and will tank your speaks)

2. I'm a big fan of early weighing in PF. With that being said, if you're just gonna restate your impact and throw out a buzzword, you might as well not weigh at all (make your weighing comparative). I also don't evaluate new weighing in second final unless there is no weighing done in the round prior to that.

3. If you want to dump turns against your opponents, go for it (just make sure the responses are actually responsive because if either a. the response isn't originally responsive and gets turned into something responsive or b. the response gets extended as a blip until final focus, I will intervene to drop the response even if your opponents dropped it completely). I want to make it clear that I am not opposed to reading lots of responses against an argument, but a response must consist of a claim, a warrant, and an implication to how it affects the original argument. offensive overviews in rebuttal are kinda abusive imo, so while ill evaluate it like any other DA/Advantage in the round, I have a lower threshold for responses against the argument and encourage people to read theory against it.

4. With the new three minute summaries, the extension of an argument consists of a re-explanation of the uniqueness, link, internal link, and impact (failure to extend any one of these in summary or final focus drops the argument from my flow). For specific card extensions, idrc if you extend the card name, but it would be preferred.

5. I've debated my fair share of theory rounds, so I think I feel comfortable evaluating a basic theory debate. Additionally, I have a low threshold for responses against "no RVIs" and friv theory. With that being said, while I will do my best to understand non-topical K positions, high theory, tricks, and counter-plans, I can't promise that you'll like my decision at the end of the round.

6. I debated at a fairly fast pace throughout high school, so speed is fine. if you're gonna be spreading, please use an email-chain. If you don't send a speech doc and you're going too fast for me, I will clear you once and proceed to put my pen down and stop flowing.

8. at a base level, i really enjoyed my time in the debate space. I know I'm one of the lucky ones who was surrounded by great friends and coaches that genuinely cared. My number one goal is always to make that space more accessible to others. For that reason, any exclusionary language or action will result in a loss and the lowest possible speaks tab will let me give you.

good luck!

Updated for Fall 2021:

I'm currently a sophomore at Rice University studying natural sciences. I have roughly 3 years of PF experience from high school.

Some general things to keep in mind:

a. Please be a nice person. I encourage you to debate however you want, but don't cross any lines while doing so or else your speaker points will suffer.

b. Please add me to the email chain or any other evidence-sharing equivalent if it exists. My email is lidaniel355@gmail.com

c. For online debate specifically, I strongly encourage (but don't require) that you keep your camera on for the entirety of the round.

For Public Forum:

a. I'll vote off of the least mitigated narrative that has a clearly extended impact.

b. Please weigh as early as summary, it makes evaluating rounds much easier.

c. Frontlining is necessary in second rebuttal.

d. Anything dropped is conceded for the purposes of the round.

e. Evidence ethics is pretty awful in PF debate. If you think your opponent has egregiously misconstrued an important piece of evidence, you can ask me to call for the evidence during your speeches (I won't entertain these requests if it's after the round or during prep time). I have no problem dropping entire arguments over bad evidence and in extreme cases, I'm not entirely impartial to the idea of directly dropping the team.

f. I think there is merit to many theory arguments, but I would still advise not to read them in front of me because I don't have the background to competently evaluate theory debates. Same goes for basically any other form of "progressive" argumentation.

when they say you need to judge

hi! i debated for plano west. i use they/them pronouns. add me to the email chain: rhl53@georgetown.edu

tl;dr

• my priority #1 is a safe debate space. read trigger/content warnings with proper opt-outs when applicable, respect people’s pronouns, and generally don't act exclusionary/___ist or you will be given an L and 20s

• watching people debate off speech docs makes me sad.

• extend the entire argument (uniqueness through impact) and collapse please. otherwise, your speaks will be a bit concerning

• warrants > evidence; i won't call for cards unless you tell me to, or if a lack of warrant comparison requires me to

the rest

• email chain ≥ google doc >>> zoom/nsda campus chat. pf evidence ethics...

• "new warrants are new arguments and will be treated as such" —aj yi

• unanswered defense is sticky in first summary; the only frontlining i require in second rebuttal is turns/offense

• i like progressive arguments, as long as they are run in a way that's accessible to everyone in the round. if you read tricks or friv when your opponents didn't agree to a tricks/friv round, you are cringe and my threshold for what counts as a good response will be very very low

• i don't mind speed, but if i have to flow off a speech doc, you're going too fast. (if i have to clear you more than 2-3 times, i'm deducting speaks) that being said, send your speech docs anyway

• random specific icks: dumping/doc botting and then either looking confused mid-speech when reading through some of the responses on your doc or using completely irrelevant responses, calling for a gajillion cards and then not making them relevant in any speech, probability weighing, impact weighing the same impact scenario read on both sides, being called judge (just call me renee)

• i don't have a presumption preference. if the round goes off the rails, tell me why i presume for you or else i may or may not flip a coin

• click here to boost your speaks; click here and here for instant serotonin

feel free to ask questions! i’m fine with postrounding

if you ever need someone to talk to or have anything else you want to ask, my facebook messenger and instagram (@reneelix) dms are always open

glhf!

I did four years of PF and graduated in 2018. I won’t know anything about the current topic, so please be clear and define topic jargon! I am also a speaks fairy in a way. SIGNPOST!!!!!

I'd like to think as little as possible, pls do the thinking for me : - ) You can make this easier by signposting, warranting every argument, implicating what each argument means, and collapsing early in the round.

I'm good with average fast PF speaking but prob not spreading (do not worry about speed if you are good with it) - I will flow off a speech doc but please don't abuse it to spam turns. I'll say clear twice

2nd rebuttal needs to frontline; defense sticks through first summary if it's not touched in the rebuttal (but it's good to extend terminal defense).

Weigh as early as you can; I won't look to new weighing in the FF.

I'll only call for evidence if it’s disputed or sketchy/someone explicitly tells me to call for it.

I never did progressive debate so I have a very sparse understanding of how it works; if you read progressive args, please be very clear & try to frame them as traditional arguments. I'll do my best to evaluate them (although I don't prefer to).

other stuff:

Do not argue in cross it doesn't help anyone

Keep your own time please!

down to skip grands

do not come off as overly tryhard and condescending i WILL tank your speaks, debate honestly and cleanly

Don't be rude/sexist/ableist/racist/etc, respect pronouns, and use content warnings. Feel free to message me on Facebook or email me (kennethhlin1@gmail.com) if you feel at any point unsafe in round.

Debate is hard - be cool, have fun!

Most of my paradigm is copied from the GOAT Andy Stubbs.

I'm going to vote for the team with the least mitigated link chain into the best weighed impact.

I'm ok with reading progressive arguments, but I'd prefer not. But if you want, please flesh out the arguments as much as you can. I need to know which offense is prioritized and that's not work I can do; it needs to be done by the debaters. I'm receptive to arguments about debate norms and how the way we debate shapes the activity in a positive or negative way.

My three major things are: 1. Warranting is very important. I'm not going to give much weight to an unwarranted claim, especially if there's defense on it. That goes for arguments, frameworks, etc. 2. If it's not on the flow, it can't go on the ballot. I won't do the work extending or impacting your arguments for you. 3. It's not enough to win your argument. I need to know why you winning that argument matters in the bigger context of the round.

Time urself and ur opponents.

I don't care about cross. If you say something important, mention in speech.

Don't be racist, sexist, homophobic, etc.

PF specific:

-All defense you're going for needs to be extended.

-You have to frontline offense in second rebuttal

-I rarely call for evidence; if you don't have the warrant in the summary/final focus, I'm not going to call for the card and do the work for you

-If we're going to run theory... make sure it's warranted and, more importantly, merited.

***Speaker points include delivery, strategic decisions, conduct in the round, etc.

*** If you're second flight and the tournament is already running behind and you walk into the room and haven't flipped and pre-flowed, I am going to be annoyed

Pronouns: he/him

I am a parent lay judge. I prefer for deeper analysis into arguments, instead of repeating the same basic reasoning over and over throughout a round. I also don't carry any biases within the round over which arguments you run, but there's also a limit to how far you can push the logic of an argument. Going slow so I can follow is also extremely important in the round, and it's probably one of the main things I'm looking for. Comparison of arguments is good, and don't use any jargon, I'm not going to understand it. Crossfires are also something that I pay attention to, so make sure to respond to questions immediately, rather than sit there for a few seconds pondering the answer. Speaker points are also updated throughout the duration of the round, and continuing to speak well with good gestures and posture will also be important.

Plano West Senior High School ’19; 4 years of PF, 4 FX/DX

Myself:

I debated four years on the North Texas, Texas, and National circuits in PF and extemp. I did alright. If you want to email any speech docs/have questions about the round, here is my email (jamammen01@gmail.com).

PF Paradigm:

My paradigm is kind of long but there is an abbreviated version below. I don't think it is that different than the standard tab paradigm. Couple key points to bear in mind for those of you scanning 5 minutes before round begins:

I will not buy unwarranted arguments even if the warrants are in previous speeches. This is true for simple claims, citations of evidence, and weighing. If a warrant is properly carried through, then the impacts that subsequently follow from previous speeches will be implicitly carried through. If neither side does the legwork necessary, I will lower my threshold for requisite warranting until I find the argument best warranted. Also weigh, I like that.

1) Tech>Truth, argument conceded = 100% true, no intervention (barring #11) unless you make a morally reprehensible claim

2) The 2nd rebuttal has to cover turns or I consider them dropped. On the flip side if turns are dropped, they act as terminal defense. Also in 2nd rebuttal don't read new offensive overviews it doesn't give the opponent's enough time to respond.

3) Defense is sticky even with a 3-minute summary. i.e. even if defense on case is dropped, it must be responded to for case to be evaluated. Offense evaluated must be in the summary, but an uncontested impact will be implicitly flowed through even when not terminalized if the warrant is read (read the full description below).

4) Crossfire is non-binding in the sense that you can tack extra analysis in the next speech to try and get out of a concession

5) If offense survives 2 speeches untouched (barring case), it's dropped

6) Don't use "risk of offense" unless absolutely necessary

7) Need parallelism in summary/final focus, offensive extensions must be in both speeches

8) All extensions should include a warrant and impact (including turns). Summary must extend full argument

9) Proper weighing and collapsing are crucial to having the best possible round

10) No new args/weighing in second ff

11) If they have an argument straight turned, you cannot kick it

12) No new evidence in second summary unless it is responding to new evidence in the first summary

13) Do not try and shift advocacy after rebuttals

14) Anything you want me to write on my ballot should be in summary and final focus. If your opponents drop an argument or don’t respond to sticky defense, you still have to extend it for me to evaluate it.

15) PF is a debate event, but part of it is speaking. speaks are given on how well you speak (more details below)

Debate is meant to be a fun sport, so win or lose, try to enjoy the round. Have fun!

Whole paradigm below:

Personal Preferences

Preflowing - Preferably already done before you walk into round. I don't mind if you take a few minutes before the round starts but after 5 minutes, we are starting the round.

Coin Flip – Flip outside if you want or in front of me, either one is fine. Just make sure that both teams are in agreement

Sitting/Standing/etc. - If you guys want to sit in all the crossfires then go ahead. I do prefer however that during actual speeches you stand, it just looks more professional that way

Asking Questions after I disclose/RFD - post round discussion is good for the activity, ask away.

Lastly, I’ll always try to disclose my decision and reasoning if permitted to do so, and always feel free to approach me and ask me questions about the round (jamammen01@gmail.com). I firmly believe round feedback is the best way to improve in this event, and I would love to be a contributor to your success.

Too many judges get away not evaluating properly, not paying attention in round, etc. and while people do make mistakes, I think direct discussion between competitors and the judge offers an immediate partial fix. Asking questions ensures that judges are held accountable and requires them to logical defend and stand by their decisions. I do ask that you refrain from making comments if you didn't watch the round.

O Postround me if you want to. I am happy to discuss the round with anyone who watched, regardless if you were competing.

O I'd encourage anybody reading this who disagrees with general postround discussion to read this article which goes in depth about the benefits of post round oral disclosure and why this practice is more beneficial than harmful to the debate space

Spectators - In elims, anyone is allowed to watch. You don't have a choice here, if you're trying to kick people out who want to watch I'm telling them they can stay. In prelims, if both teams can agree to let a spectator watch then they are allowed in. That being said, be reasonable, I will intervene if I feel compelled. I would ask that if you are watching, watch the full round. Do not just flow constructives and leave.

General Evaluation

- Tech>truth. In context of the round, if an argument is conceded, it's 100% true. The boundaries are listed right above. Other than that, I really don't care how stupid or counterfactual the statement is. If you want me to evaluate it differently, tell me.

- I go both ways when it comes to logical analysis v. strong evidence. Do whichever works better for you. Be logical as to what needs to be carded.

- Well warranted argument (carded or not) > carded but unwarranted empiric. In the case both sides do the warranting but it is not clear who is winning, I will likely buy the carded empiric as risk

- Conceding nonuniques/delinks to kick out of turns, etc. are all fine by me. However, if your opponent does something dumb like double turn themselves or read a nonunique with a bunch of turns, I will not automatically get rid of the turn(s). Once it flows through two speeches you've functionally conceded it and I'm not letting you go back and make that argument.

- Reading your own responses to kick an argument your opponents have turned definitively is not a thing. Even if your opponents do not call you out A) you will lose speaker points for doing this, B) I'm not giving you the kick.

- If offense is absent in the round, I will default neg. I believe that I have to have a meaningful reason to pass policy and change the squo.

- I would highly encourage you to point out if defense isn't responsive so I don't miss it. That being said, I try my best to make those judgement calls myself based on my understanding of the arguments being made so I don't require you to make that clarification. A non-offense generating dropped arg that doesn't interact with an offensive extension is meaningless.

- Another thing I hate that's become more common is debaters just saying "this evidence is really specific in saying _____", "you can call for it, it's super good in saying _____", and other similar claims to dodge having to engage with warranting of responses. If you say these things explain why the warrant in it matters and how it interacts with your opponent’s case.

- If neither team weighs or does meta comparison, I will intervene. Preference: Strength of Link > Subsuming Mechanisms > Comparative Weighing > Triple Beam Balance.

Speech Preferences

- Second speaking rebuttal MUST address turns at the very least from first rebuttal or I consider them dropped. I think that both teams have a right to know all responses to their offense so they can go about choosing what to go for in summ/ff in the best possible way. Second speaking team already has a lot of structural advantages and I don't think this should be one of them.

- I need parallelism between summary and final focus. This means all offense, case offense, turns, or whatever you want me to vote off need to be in both speeches. Do not try to shift your advocacy from summary to final focus to avoid defense that wasn't responded to.

- Highly would prefer line by line up until final focus, this should be big picture. This doesn’t mean ignore warrants, implicating impacts, and weighing. I will evaluate line by line final focuses however.

Framing

- If framing is completely uncontested, I don't need you to explicitly extend the framework as long as you're doing the work to link back into it. On the other hand, if framework is contested, you must extend the framework in the speech following a contestation as well as the reasons to prefer (warrants) your framing or I will consider it dropped. If framework flows uncontested through two speeches it is functionally conceded and becomes my framework for evaluation. If framing is not present in the round, the LATEST I am willing to buy any framing analysis is rebuttal. Any time after that, I expect you to do comparative analysis instead.

-I usually default CBA absent framing. Of course, if you present and warrant your own framework this doesn't really matter

Weighing/Collapsing

- Weighing is essential in the second half of the round if you want my ballot. It can even be done in the rebuttal if you feel it is helpful. I believe collapsing is a crucial aspect that allows for better debate, don’t go for everything.

- I think that second final focus shouldn't get access to new weighing unless there has been no effort made previously made in the round in regards to weighing. Weighing should start in summary AT LATEST. Exception is if there is some drastically new argument/implication being made in first final which shouldn’t happen.

- Weighing and meta weighing are arguments. Arguments must be warranted. Warrant your weighing.

- No new terminalization of impacts in final focus (i.e. do not switch from econ collapse leading to job loss to econ collapse leading to poverty)

Extensions

- Extensions should include the warrant and impact, not just the claim and/or impact. Also just saying "extend (author)" is NOT an extension. I don't need you to explicitly extend an impact card if your impact is uncontested but I do need to get the implication of what your impact is somewhere in your speech. When evaluating an argument as a whole I generally reference how I interpreted the argument in the constructive unless distinctions/clarifications have been made later in the round.

- THE SUMMARY MUST EXTEND THE FULL ARG (UNIQ, LINK, Internal Link, Impact) This is especially true for case args or turns. On defense, the warrant and how it interacts/blocks your opponents arg is fine. A 3-minute summary increases my threshold for this extension.

- I advise that even though defense is sticky, extend critical defensive cards in summary and weigh them. I am more inclined to buy it.

- My threshold for extension on a dropped arg is extremely low but even then, I need you to do some minimal warrant/impact extension for me to give you offense

-Even if the opponents don't do a good job implicating offense on a turn (reference above), the turn still functions as terminal defense if extended. Just saying the opponents don't gain offense off of a turn doesn't mean the defensive part of an extended turn magically disappears....

-Turns need to be contextualized in terms of the round or you need to give me the impact for me to vote on it by summary/ff. They don't have to be weighed but it'd probably be better for you if you did. A dropped turn by the other team isn't a free ballot for you until you do the work on some impact analysis or contextualization.

Progressive arguments:

*Under NSDA Rules/Not TFA* - Please run args within the boundaries of NSDA competition rules. If you don't, I can't vote for you even if you win the argument

I don’t like these arguments and am inclined not to vote on them as they should not be very prominent in pf and should not be seen as free wins. I think that the discussions that are created through theory are good, but should be had outside the setting of round. That being said however, if there is a clear violation by your opponents, run theory and I will vote on it. Do not run disclosure theory, you will get dropped.

Speaks/Speed:

TLDR: My range is generally 27-30. Below 27 means you were heavily penalized or said something offensive, 29+ means I thought you did an exceptionally good job. I give all 30s on bubble rounds, anyone with a good record should clear. Speaks should not be the difference in you breaking if you win the bubble round.

- I can handle moderate speed, just don’t spread or you’ll lose me. I will clear if I cannot understand you and if I have to clear multiple times, we're going to have a problem. If I miss something, not my problem. If you think an email chain would be helpful, start one and add me (jamammen01@gmail.com). Good job for reading this long you deserve a reward, creative contention names geet +.5 speaker points .

- General Penalties (This is just a condensed, but not all inclusive, list of speaker point issues listed elsewhere in the paradigm):

1) Taking too long to preflow (.5 for every extra minute after first 5 min)

2) Taking too long pull up evidence

3) Unnecessary clears during opponent speeches (.5 per)

4) Stealing Prep. This is unacceptable, you will be punished heavily if I catch you

5) Severe clarity issues that aren't fixed after consecutive clears

6) Using progressive args to try and get free wins off novices

7) Trying to do anything abusive - read your own responses to turns, reading conditional cps, floating pics, etc.

8) Severe evidence misrepresentation (Trust me you probably won't want to see your speaks if you do this)

-Bonus speaks. I have added more ways to get bonus speaks, whether you utilize them is up to you

1) Reading case off paper (.1 bonus for each partner)

2) Appropriate humor and/or Crossfire power moves (varies)

3) +1 if your laptops are just closed(without misrepresenting evidence)

Evidence:

- I will call for evidence if I am explicitly told to do so or if there is a gap in both warranting and/or card comparison. I will also call if I am just curious.

- I would suggest having cut cards for anything you read available.

- If your evidence is shifty through the round (I.e. what you claim it to say changes notably between speeches), I'm calling for it and dropping it if misrepresented.

- Powertagging: It happens, pretty much everyone does it but it better not be misrepresented.

- "Made up"/ "Can't Find" Evidence Policy: In the case I call for evidence after the round, I may request for the citations and your interp/paraphrase/etc. to look for it myself if you claim you "can't find it", but it will be looked down upon.

o L/20 and probably a report to coaches if you refuse to give me this information when asked because that sends me a strong signal there's something really sketchy about this ev that you don't want me to see.

o If you cannot produce the original card you cited, it is dropped

o If I think what you are citing sounds ridiculous/doesn't exist I will search for it. Low Speaks if I cannot find anything similar to what you cited with the given quotations/interp - I assume it's either severely powertagged or made up.

Round Disclosure:

- I’ll always try to disclose with rfd and critiques after the round. I am also open to disclosing your speaks if you want to know.

-I will still disclose even if I am the only judge on the panel to do so.

- No disclosure policies are dumb as I think these policies encourage bad judging but I will respect them.

Lastly, if you're still slightly/somewhat/very confused on understanding my ideology and position as a judge, I've linked the paradigms of a couple people who have probably had the biggest personal influence on how I view debate and the role of a judge:

https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?judge_person_id=53914

https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?judge_person_id=54964

https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?search_first=art&search_last=tay

https://www.tabroom.com/index/paradigm.mhtml?judge_person_id=84007

Feel free to ask me any other questions before or after the round (jamammen01@gmail.com)

Debate is meant to be a fun sport, so win or lose, try to enjoy the round. Have fun!

LD/CX Paradigm

If you get me as a judge in these events, I AM SO SORRY. My best advice would be to treat the round like a pf one, as this is how I will be evaluating it. This means going a bit slower and keeping theoretical/progressive arguments to a minimum. I will however, evaluate these arguments to the best of my ability if they are presented to me. Again, very sorry.

Extemp Paradigm

IDK if anyone is actually going to be looking at this, but I will write one just in case. I am a very flow judge even in extemp. I believe that what you are saying matters more that how you say it. That being said, this is a speaking event and how you say things matters. (I say like 70% what you say, 30% how you say it). This means not just reading off a bunch of sources like an anchor, give me your analysis on the topic. That is what will boost your rank. In terms of speaking speak clear and confident. Also, I like humor, make me laugh. Any Marvel references are appreciated.

If you say anything super questionable or unreasonable, I will fact check it. If it turns out you were making things up, it will be reflected negatively on the ballot.

Random

Also if the round is super late and you guys don't want to debate (i.e. not bubble round or higher bracket) we can settle the round with a game of smash or poker or smthg...if you guys are good with it.

Lastly, have fun!

cale@victorybriefs.com or SpeechDrop work

hi! i'm Cale. i've been coaching and judging pf & ld for 8 years. i debated in Texas before that.

general:

- read whatever you like: judging debaters who enjoy what they read is fun. however, keep in mind the coherence of my rfd will scale with your clarity- slow for analytics and tags, send well-organized docs, signpost, and number answers when you can. you'll be much happier with my decision.

- speaks reflect how strategic i found your debating to be. i'll evaluate any style, but admittedly prefer quick, clear debaters that read interesting arguments. (no 30 speaks spike or tko, please)

- i will not 'gut check' or strike an argument just because you've deemed it unwarranted or silly. instead, i encourage you to make an active response- it should be quick to do so if the argument is as underdeveloped as you say.

- extend your arguments. it doesn't have to be exhaustive, but something more than the tag is necessary, even if you think it's conceded.

- keep the round a safe and pleasant place for everyone. i will work hard to give you a thorough decision so long as we can all access the debate and speak about it afterwards without hostility.

- i am not going to use my ballot to make an out-of-round character judgement. if you are concerned your opponent is engaging in genuinely unsafe or violent behavior, a debate decision is not the appropriate means of redress- i will bring it to tab or the relevant party.

ld:

overall- i am best for policy debates, good for theory, worse for phil, and alright for Ks and tricks with some caveats (see below). ultimately, i'd like to judge your preferred strategy, but you will need to be more clear if it's something i'm typically not preffed into the back of. i am only human.

policy- i'll judge kick the counterplan. i lean neg on cp theory claims, and wish the aff would engage in a competition debate rather than read a blippy theory argument, particularly when the 1n is only like 3 off. i am good for your process/consult/intl fiat/etc cp, and, again, wish 1ars would just engage- if you are convinced there is not a discernable net benefit, the argument should be easier to answer. 3 word perms aren't arguments- explain the world of the perm. zero risk exists, and while it is difficult to achieve, it is entirely possible to make an argument's implication so marginal that its functional weight in the round is zero. i really appreciate well-executed impact turn debates, some of my favorite rounds to judge.

theory- no defaults, read w/e you want. always send interps and slow for anything you extemp. far too often in these debates there's no weighing or line by line done on paradigm issues: the 1n reads their theory hedge and vaguely crossapplies it to the 1ac underview, and then all of these arguments just float around in the 1ar and 2n without resolution- please lbl to make judging this tolerable. when going for T, keep in mind i do not actively cut LD prep or mine the wiki, so i don't have a reference point for your caselist or prep-based limits standard- add some explanation.

K- i frequently judge cap arguments, and often judge setcol. external to that, i'm much less experienced- happy to judge it, but i need instruction. please lbl clearly: i find myself most lost in k 2n/2ars when the overview is jargon-heavy and crossapplied everywhere. it is probably useful to know i can count on one hand the number of K v K debates i've been in the back of.

tricks- i often judge truth testing and skep and their associated tricks, but i don't have a deep enough understanding of the argument form to say i'm 10/10 comfortable if you read a nailbomb aff or a bunch of indexicals. in general, delineate in the doc and cross, be super clear abt the collapse strat, and i can vote for these.

phil- i have next to no experience with phil argumentation save for Kant tricks and some pomo (mostly just Baudrillard). need you to slow down and give me extra judge instruction if you're reading anything dense, but happy to learn.

pf:

extend defense the speech after it's answered and be comparative when you're weighing or going for a fw argument. otherwise, read what you think is fun- this includes theory, critical arguments, and other forms less common to PF. two things to add here: 1. don't read an argument just for the sake of it, read it well and 2. i am not amenable to the PF-style 'this argument form is holistically bad' response if we are in the varsity division- engage with substantive responses.

come to round ready to debate (pre-flowed, have docs ready if you're sending them, etc). the only way to frustrate me beyond being rude is to drag out the round by individually calling for a lot of evidence and taking forever to send it.

many PFers spend copious amounts of time impact weighing with multiple mechanisms. more often than not, you are better served reading one simple piece of weighing and investing that time elsewhere- either in more clearly frontlining and extending your case argument, or better implicating a piece of defense or turn on your opponents' case.

Im a lay judge speak slow and give good argumentation.

I need docs to understand and articulate arguments send them to shail21_21@yahoo.com

Thanks and I hope for a good debate!

*It’s been a while since I’ve judged, and I have very little topic knowledge. Try to overexplain arguments please.*

*If all competitors get to round early and begin, I'll boost speaks*

*aamirsmohsin@gmail.comfor the email chain*

General

I did PF for four years on the local and national circuit; treat me as a standard flow judge

- Tech > Truth

- Comfortable with anything < 250wpm, but if you plan on speaking quickly, don't sacrifice clarity; I'll need a doc for anything above that

- Fine with paraphrasing as long as not misrepresented AND you have the card cut ready to send

- Extend the content of a card, not just the author

- I presume first-speaking team if there's no offense at the end of the round, but that can be changed if args are made in round

Speeches

Cases

- Do whatever you think is strategic

- Slow down on weird args

Rebuttal

- If you choose to dump responses, PLEASE make sure everything has a warrant and don't go ridiculously fast unless you're reading cut cards

- Read new advantages/disadvantages (and don't label them as 'overviews') if you want, but they should interact with your opponent's case

- Second rebuttal, at the minimum, should frontline any turns on case.

Summary/FF

- Collapse

- Make the implication of defensive args clear

- I'll be iffy on weighing in first final, it should be in first summary unless second rebuttal chooses not to collapse

Progressive

- I think I'm okay at evaluating theory debates. This is the max you should probably read in terms of progressive args

- If necessary, read whatever you need to, and I'll try to adapt to you

Speaker Points -- tell me if you do any of the bonuses

- I'll start speaks at a 28.5 and go up or down based on strategy

- I'll up speaks by a point if you disclose properly (full-text or OS) on the NDCA wiki

- I'll tank speeks if you steal prep

I am a lay parent judge but do my best to flow. I do not disclose winners. My modal speaker score is a 28. I have not met a speed limit, but if you find it I will let you know. I find that speed hurts debaters as frequently as it helps, so use it carefully. My career has spanned corporate strategy, public sector policy advisory, higher education and entrepreneurship.

Hello! I debated in high school (1995-1999) and have been judging debate for the past 20 years. Here is a quick recap of my paradigm

SPEED: no issue. Talk as fast or as slow as you want.

QUALITY > QUANTITY: it is better to have a few good arguments than many bad ones.

FRAMEWORK: important but not absolutely required. Helps to frame the round, but arguments are more important.

PHILOSOPHY: especially for LD, I think it is important to incorporate philosophy into your arguments. Not as important in PF, but it doesn't hurt to have it.

SOURCES: always cite your sources. I reserve the right to check your evidence during or after the round.

CIVILITY: be good to your opponent. This is a formal environment. Don't be rude or you will lose the round even if you have better arguments.

VOTERS: always give me voters at the end of the round. I will use them as a tiebreaker if the round is close.

CX: try to trap your opponent during CX. Don't waste valuable CX time asking for clarification questions, unless absolutely necessary.

HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!

Currently an undergrad studying International Affairs at GWU, did a couple years of PF and Extemp, and like a weekend of CX for Plano West

The important stuff:

Honestly treat me like a generic flow judge and you should be fine

Winning my vote should be pretty simple; just collapse, extend, and weigh more effectively than the other team, I will try to avoid doing any legwork in the round unless both teams absolutely force me to*

*please note though that just because you say something and I don't buy it that does not mean I "intervened", if you're not making persuasive arguments with credible sources that's on you

I am willing to vote on theory, if properly done, but I would really rather not unless the other team is clearly being abusive

I will try to give high speaks as long as both teams remain respectful and hold a good round

The not important stuff:

If you bring a picture of Viswajith Rajagopalan, Jacob Mammen, Mukund Rao, or Pranay Gundam, +0.1 speaks each

Email: cafepunch2000@gmail.com

I am a parent judge, you may send me cases @ neemaspatel7@gmail.com if possible before the round, this will benefit your speaks

I flow arguments to the best of my ability so my understanding of your arguments is critical to your success.

I am not a lay judge, here are some guidelines for success:

1) You can speak fast, but please be clear.

2) Just because I am a parent judge does not mean you can forget about warrants. If you want me to buy an argument, I need to know why it is true, on all levels of responses not just your case. Do not just make claims and expect me to buy it.

3) Handle your own time and prep. Create a way of evidence sharing before the round start time and add me to whatever the two teams decide, a google doc, or email chain, unless you are sharing the cards in person.

4) Be respectful to me and your opponents, any form of inappropriate behavior will result in an automatic loss and the lowest speaks I can give you.

**Note**

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

LOOK AT THIS | WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH WEIGH

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

General

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

Organization

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

Strategy

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

Framework

Framing is nice.

Crossfire

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

Weighing

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

Extensions

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

Evidence

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

Summary/FF

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

Speed

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

Speaks

27-30. Don't be a douche.

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

No bonuses for Squid Game references but I will laugh.

Progressive Debate

Not super experienced but I'll evaluate it.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

pls weigh i beg.

Debated PF at Bellaire High School for 4 years.

Email: vrama000@gmail.com

Tech > Truth

Flex Prep is completely fine

Presume NEG

Don't be sexist, racist, homophobic, etc.

Be nice to novices

Progressive is fine, but I have been out of debate for a while. I may not be familiar with some arguments you are making, but I will evaluate them

You can postround me/ask me questions if you would like

I am a third year out and I did CX and LD at Austin SFA from 2015-2019.

I would like to be on the email chain - anevayel@gmail.com

General:

I have 0 preference for argumentative style (traditional, “progressive” etc). Yes I’m fine with whatever speed you want to go.

Tech/Truth: I default to tech on arguments I either have personal opinions about or don’t understand but please don’t mistake tech as just having more ink on the flow. I swing more towards truth in matters where whatever is being said is like common knowledge or a fact about current events etc.

I will not disclose your speaker points and I won’t give you a 30.

Speaker points are 60% strategy and quality of argumentation and 40% how clearly you spoke and your in round etiquette. I will give you the lowest points I can if you are nasty. Don’t be.

LD/CX:

Kritiks: Fantastic. Please make sure you understand it and you explain it clearly. I’m probably familiar with whoever you are reading so I wouldn’t downvote you because I don’t know/understand the author but the burden is still on you to explain and win their argument as if I don’t know who they are.

T: Please be mindful I have not judged many rounds on this LD or policy topic so I have 0 preconceived notions of what is T and what is not. You must give me a clear violation->impact story.

Theory: If you’re in LD or PF-I don’t evaluate theory. Ask me for clarifiers if you must. CX- do your thing but please don’t just spread through a bunch of blocks someone else likely wrote

Disads and Counterplans are great! Make your link stories specific! Please, don’t forget to debate about the aff!

PF:

Please be nice to each other. Don’t quote the TFA rules at me. Run whatever arguments you want but you absolutely must tell me a coherent story that is backed by your evidence.

Edit for pwsh 2021: Please make an effort to clearly say what argument you're responding to. Don't just throw out a line and expect me to instantly place it in the context of the round and the argument you want. I am very dumb and slow.

** PF Paradigm**

I debated and did alright. This should be generally listed in order of what I see as important. Email for speech docs/questions you have later is mukundrao9 at gmail

Short stuff

1. Tech > truth. Exceptions are obvious. Don’t be a terrible person.

2. Turns must be frontlined in 2nd rebuttal. Turns must be extended in 1st summary. If defense is frontlined in 2nd rebuttal then it also has to be extended in 1st summary.

3. Please Weigh. I won’t listen to new weighing in 2nd ff unless there’s no other weighing in the round.

4. Please signpost. I expect you to go line by line in every speech. If narrative debate is your thing then please tell me where to flow stuff

5. I am not perfect. sorry if I mess up

Evidence

• Pull up evidence quickly.

1st summary/final focus

• 1st summary needs to extend all turns you want me to vote off of.

• 1st summary needs to extend defense if your opponents frontline it in 2nd rebuttal.

• 1st summary doesn’t need to weigh.

• If you’re conceding defense to get out of a turn, it needs to be done in 1st summary.

2nd rebuttal/summary/final focus

• 2nd rebuttal has to respond to all the turns on your case.

• If you’re conceding defense to get out of turns, that needs to be done in 2nd rebuttal.

• No new evidence to frontline in 2nd summary. Read it in rebuttal.

• Your “turns” in rebuttal have to actually turn their case. Please don’t read independent offense in front of me.

• 2nd summary needs to extend everything you’re going for.

• I’ll drop speaks for new args in 2nd ff.

Extensions

• Extend arguments not authors. If I don’t have well warranted arguments in summary and final focus, I won’t vote for them.

• My threshold for extensions of conceded arguments is pretty low.

• Extending author names will make me happy but it’s not necessary.

Disclosure

• If you disclosed, tell me before the round. I’ll give you +.5 speaker points.

• I won’t hack for disclosure theory. You still have to win the arg.

• Don’t run disclosure theory in a round where you know you’ll win anyways.

Theory

• I have a pretty high threshold on theory. I’ll probably vote for anything but I might not be happy about that and your speaks might reflect it.

• Your best bet is to ask before the round if I’ll be receptive to a certain shell.

• If you run theory on novices, I will tank your speaks.

• Default is no RVI, but I think in pf it’s really easy to win an RVI so don’t be afraid to go for it.

Other Progressive Args

• I’m a fan, but I don’t really know how to evaluate these args. You’ll probably have to do more work on framing in front of me than you would for some other judges.

Speed

• I’m a pretty new judge. I can keep up with pf speed (edit: not so sure how true this is anymore), but if you go fast you are taking a risk that I miss something. I will clear you if I can’t understand you and your opponents can do the same.

• If I don’t understand an argument the first time you read it, I will not vote off of it.

• Send speech docs if you’re going fast.

• If you go really fast on paraphrased evidence, I won’t be happy.

Weighing

• I won’t listen to new weighing in 2nd final focus unless there isn’t any weighing earlier in the round.

Cross

• Don’t be rude. Talking over your opponent will not impress me. If I think you’re being condescending I will seriously tank your speaks.

Speaks

• My speaks are based off of general strategy. They’re not based off of speaking skills or presentation (except if you’re mean)

Misc.

• Pointing out an argument doesn’t have a warrant is terminal defense. I’ll be less likely to disregard an unwarranted argument unless you point it out. Don’t take that chance.

• Explain why non-responsive arguments are non-responsive.

• If you have any questions before the round, don’t be afraid to ask.

• If there’s anything I can do to make the round better for you, please tell me.

• Pause when you switch flows please!!

• Clarity of impact is not a weighing mechanism.

Updated for Plano West 2021

I debated for Cypress Bay and Plano West. I am a second year student at Florida State University.

Email: noahromo17@gmail.com

General:

Tech>Truth. Now don't go crazy and not read the rest of this because you won't win if you just spread through a bunch of dumb arguments. The way to my ballot is still 100% through warranting your arguments well and weighing. Also, if you are reading cut cards in case, tell me, and I will bump your speaks by +0.5.

Please be conscious of your opponents and audience in the room. If you're reading anything that may upset people in the round, you should read a trigger warning or content warning (the best way to do this would be anonymously through a google form or smth).

If you are sexist, racist, homophobic, ableist, or transphobic, you will be dropped.

Preflow before round, keep track of your time and your opponent's time and don't steal each other's prep.

Don't assume I know the topic well.

You can email me or message me on Facebook with any questions as well and hmu if you need a coach!

Important Stuff:

1. This is first because it is the most important part of debate. WEIGH, WEIGH, WEIGH. Weighing should be comparative and warranted just like any other argument (Ex: Don't just tell me that your argument should win because your impact has a higher magnitude, tell me why having a higher magnitude makes your argument more important). If I am conflicted between different weighing mechanisms, meta weigh, or else I may default to one mechanism over another and you may not like my decision. I generally enjoy consistency between you and your partner's weighing mechanisms. Also weighing links and warrants is just as important as impact calc. If you don't get it by now, WEIGH because debate is all about comparing your arguments.

2. Speak fast if you want, I know I was a generally fast debater, but I will doc your speaker points if you aren't clear. Speaking slower can also be just as strategic and powerful, especially when it comes to emphasizing certain arguments on my flow. And if you're going to truly spread then I can flow it, but I will drop your speaks if you don't send a speech doc.

3. Any offense you want me to evaluate needs to be extended properly and in both Summary and Final Focus.

4. Whether it's paraphrasing or cut cards, please make sure your evidence is saying what you say it does. If someone tells me to call for it and it doesn't say that, it may cost you in a tight round. If your evidence is misrepresented and it's important I may drop you. Also, read dates please.

5. Defense from first rebuttal is sticky unless it is frontlined in second rebuttal (Now keep in mind that with a 3-minute summary I think important defense should be extended). Note: Turns are offense so they NEED TO be extended in first summary if you want them in final, and they should be responded to in first rebuttal.

6. Turns from first rebuttal must be responded to in second rebuttal, or else they are not frontlined.

7. Organization is key when it comes to giving a cohesive speech. Make sure your speeches are structured and signpost as you go. A roadmap always helps, or just let me know where you're starting.

8. No, I won't evaluate anything that was said in crossfire unless I hear you being excessively rude, belittling, or hateful to your opponents in any way. If you want me to evaluate it, it's gotta be in a speech.

9. If both teams are ok with it I will disclose at the end of the round. Tell me if it's a bubble round and I'll give you both high speaks :)

10. If you are going for turns, remember to extend the impacts and weigh them. And if you extend a link turn, you should extend your opponent's impact if they drop it.

11. A frontline is not a case extension. Extending your link chain and impact is a case extension. You must both extend and frontline if your argument is responded to.

12. I love framing debates, I think they are some of the most educational and interesting debates I have had so don't be afraid to have them. But if you are reading a framing argument, please try to read it in case and not past first rebuttal. Reading a long framing argument, in second rebuttal, that is very critical to the way the round is going to collapse is pretty abusive and it's going to annoy me.

More Progressive Stuff:

1. I liked to read lots of framing arguments, sometimes read shells, and a K every now and then. I also competed in Policy debate sometimes (not saying I was that good though lol). So, I think progressive debate is cool and has a large potential to increase the educational value of public forum, but only if orchestrated correctly. Which means don't read progressive arguments against novices or inexperienced opponents. If you truly believe you are 'so much better' than the team you are facing, let's see you win the round on my flow by weighing and warranting your arguments well because that is how to set a good example for new debaters. I will tank your speaks or possibly drop you if you use any of these arguments to exclude your opponents.

2. I think theory is cool and you should stick to shells that target specific in-round abuses. It's a good idea to ask me before round if I will be receptive to a specific shell. I default to no RVIs/competing interps.

3. So I will evaluate whatever argument you put in front of me as long as it has a claim, warrant, and impact. But just know that I am not as comfortable with Ks, tricks, and other more nuanced progressive arguments. You can run them and I will try my best to evaluate them, but you should probably go a bit slower when reading them.

4. I will evaluate just about any argument except for a couple of specific ones: Oppression good, death good, and 30 speaker points theory. If you want to know why I believe any of these arguments are bad I am happy to start a dialogue with you. If there are any other specific shells or arguments you wonder if I will be receptive to or not, do not hesitate to ask me before the round starts.

Speaks:

I will generally give out 27-29.

Debaters get too angry nowadays. If you debate well and are lighthearted/funny you will get high speaks. Rounds are always most educational when they not only clash, but everyone is having a good time!

I'll give you a 30 if you really impress me or make a funny reference to a good rapper (Whatever rapper you reference though has to have BARS, I'm talking five fingers of death bars).

Jokes and funny debates are my favorite. I personally thought debate was the most fun part of high school because it's like this awesome game of four-dimensional chess. So don't let frustrations get to you because enjoying your rounds is by far most important.

I'll intervene as little as possible because I want you to decide my ballot for me.

Ask me before round if you have any specific questions.

please put me on the email chain: kateshadman@gmail.com

^^please send docs, don't dump an entire speech into the body of the email

Colleyville Heritage HS (TX) '20: 4 years PF (tfa and nat circuit)

University of Oklahoma '24: 4(ish) years policy

pronouns: she/her/hers

tl;dr (pf)

do whatever you want, i vote on the flow. your barrier to speed is your opponent (if they can’t handle it don’t do it). please warrant and weigh your arg and terminalize your impacts — if you do this you will most likely win. 2nd rebuttal should frontline, if they don’t defense is sticky in 1st summary. if it’s in final it needs to be in summary. have good evidence ethics.

come in pre flowed and send the email chain at the start time

for roadmaps: just tell me which piece of paper to have on top

tl;dr (cx)

my only cx experience is in college, so I'm not as with it as the other college policy debaters

I don't care what you read, I'll listen to pretty much anything. write my ballot for me, I love judge instruction (especially on the K, implicate it to the round plss). I'm biased for a good policy round but don't get me wrong, I love a good K (most familiar with set col, security, and cap). pls label each piece of paper in the 1NC. regardless of the argument, make sure to extend the link (really hard to vote on anything in the 2AR/NR if it's missing) and implicate your args.

come in pre flowed and send the email chain at the start time

for roadmaps: just tell me which piece of paper to have on top

welcome to my paradigm:

*before your speech, pls just tell me what piece of paper to start on and I'll follow you from there (cx: just give me the order of the sheets of paper)

Warrant, Weigh, Win- it's that simple.

- it needs to be on the flow, I need clean extensions and weighing if you want me to vote on it

(please weigh. please, please, please weigh)

- for it to be an extension, I need claim, warrant, and impact

- tell me why/how you're winning and why your argument matters (write my ballot for me)

- terminalize impacts

- please come in pre-flowed and prepared to debate (i want to start the round asap)

- speech doc/email chain should be sent at the start time of the round (or earlier, just not later)

- signpost, I want to write down all of your wonderful arguments (in the right places)

- speed: i don't care how fast you go, know your opponent (if they can't handle the speed -- don't go fast, if they don't have experience flowing off speech docs, this isn't the round for them to learn), if you're going to go sicko mode, give me a doc, otherwise, I flow on paper if I'm not writing stuff down, slow down

pf specific:

- quality > quantity

- tech > truth

- default util

- I don't like calling for ev. you should be doing the ev analysis yourselves, ie. compare the ev between speeches then say it in the speech (I won't vote on it if it's not on the flow)

rebuttal:

- 1st rebuttal shouldn't be doing case extensions (unless it's an ov, fw, or weighing you want flowed on your case), i already got the args from case, it's just repetitive

- 2nd rebuttal: pls frontline offense

summary:

- if 2nd rebuttal frontlines, defense is not sticky

- if 2nd rebuttal doesn't frontline, defense is sticky

- please weigh (pls, pls, pls)

final focus:

- final focus should mirror the summary (if it's not in the summary it shouldn't be in final) (weighing should also be the same)

- PLEASE DON'T GO FOR EVERYTHING, collapse and narrow down the debate

crossfire:

- start whenever y'all are ready, don't wait on me

progressive args (pf)

I would rather not but, do whatever you want, but, it's extremely hard to do the work you need to do within the pf time constraints and the bar doesn't lower just because it's pf. if you are going to do something funky, one of the biggest mistakes I see is not implicating the K (or whatever) to the round, make sure you do work on page comparison otherwise, it's really hard to see how the argument is relevant to the round. tell me how to evaluate the arg in the context of the round.

"progressive args don't belong in pf" isn't a response (unless you have a beautifully curated block on this arg), you need some legitimate ink on the flow

again, I would rather not judge progressive rounds in pf, if you want to, you run the risk of losing the ballot a lot easier than if you debated traditionally

evidence:

don't do anything stupid and don't take forever to pull up evidence, evidence should be cut properly and cited with a working link, if your opponents are doing something bad/sketch with ev make it a voting issue--I am very likely to vote on it (if it's legit)

personal thing about ev- evidence shouldn't be paraphrased when it's introduced into the round, you should be reading from cards, obviously this gets lost in the back half of the round (which is fine)-- if you are going to paraphrase make sure you have the cut cards available and that you are representing them correctly

What's up I did PF for four years from plano west '21 (IS)

shahrukhshowkath@gmail.com

You can ask me questions before the round if you have any after reading this

Tech> truth but if its something weird, you will have to work harder to get my ballot

I'm probably not familiar with any of the topics so explain unusual terminology

I'm ok with speed for the most part but send speech doc if spreading. If it is too fast/can't understand you, I'm just not gonna flow it.

Theory is ok but I'm not completely familiar with it. For any progressive argument, it's best if the argument is fleshed out to me simplistically and I'll do my best to follow

Either line by line/big picture summary is ok

Second rebuttal should reply to first

When extending, fully extend the argument

if comparing evidence, please tell me in round or else I have to do it myself and you can guess how that's gonna go

Warrant. don't make new warrants later

Weigh.

Collapse.

Signpost.

be quick when calling for evidence pleasee4eeeeeeeee

no exclusionary actions or language.

debate well.

Lmao pls read smth fun and non substantive

Fr ill buy anything, but it has to be warranted and weighed well. 2nd rebuttal has to frontline turns but term defense can be responded to in summ. Defense is sticky but new implications need to be made in summary for it to be considered in final. Weighing is vital. Extend card by card esp in summary and extend all warrants and impacts on turns.

u gotta explain shit well

Dont go too fast, im tech but im not that great with spreading :)

I dont have presumption preference pls give me reasons for presuming one side or the other in round

funnier/more entertaining the round = more speaks

on theory:

all parts of the shell need to be extended

I have judged LD for the last 5 years. I prefer traditional arguments with logical analysis and strong evidence for PF and LD. Good Luck!

Strake Jesuit Class of 2020 | Texas A&M Class of 2024

If there’s an email chain add mestephan20@gmail.com but if you can, use the file share (it's a lot quicker) and share a PDF instead of a .docx file.

At Strake I debated PF for 2 years and LD for roughly 2 years, predominantly on a local level.

TL;DR, I strongly prefer traditional/LARP debates, and I will judge rounds based on the flow. Don't speak fast if the tournament is held online.

Important:

-I won’t extend evidence if you don’t mention its ***author name and date***. Give a warrant’s implications and extend them throughout the round.

- It’s good to give off-the-clock roadmaps and signpost (i.e. where you are or what you are attacking) during the speech.

-Weigh arguments with metrics like magnitude, scope, timeframe, etc.

How to get good speaker points:

- Being polite (also being aggressive isn’t mutually exclusive).

- Being articulate and I can understand what you're saying.

- Don’t go over your allotted speech and prep time by much. Note that I keep track of speech times (but not prep time).

- Don't use filler words like "uh" or "um" and avoid speaking in a monotone.

Note for today's event (The McMillen High School Last Word) - I have a sore throat and would like to minimize my speaking / talking as much as possible.

I am a parent judge and have been judging for many years now. I used to judge PF earlier but for last couple of years I am doing IEs.

My paradigm regarding IE:

• I did a lot of drama and theater in my school and college days and am still involved today. So I am familiar with the intricacies of most of the IE events and have a good understanding of what makes a for a good performance.
• I like to see energy and passion in performances. Ability to evoke the emotion in audience is a key metric of success for me.
• Delivery, voice modulations, facial expressions, hand gestures, character swapping etc. are key component of IE performance (as applicable to each event). They make the performance richer and more impactful. So doing more is preferred than doing less.
• Each IE event has its guardrails. I like to see students stick to that as much as possible.
• Time management is key for me. I would like performances to use as much time as possible and avoid a situation of finishing too early. But going over is also a no-no.
• Most important - your conviction as a performer in the piece that you are performing. Make it convincing!
• Lastly, in every round, I need someone to help me with the time keeping.

My Paradigm regarding PF:

• I would highly prefer that you speak clearly than quickly. I like when teams use a structured framework for their arguments. I will vote for the team that best responds to the other team's arguments while at the same time clarifying their own arguments.

• Comparison and direct weighing of arguments will make it much easier to make my decision. With that being said, please refrain from using too much technical jargon without being able to explain it first.

Good luck to everyone!

Hello Everyone! Find the event you are competing below and read the paradigm!

Congress:

I want to see proper etiquette in round and respect to every single Senator/Representative.

Argumentation, Creativity, and Presentation are my top 3 things I look for when I judge.

Argumentation: Your arguments need to make sense. You need to have a clear warrant/evidence and you need to show how your evidence links to your position.

Creativity: Be funny. Give me a funny intro or make me laugh and that's a huge bonus to your rank. Congress invitational rounds are very long and some speeches get blended together. Stand out. Puns are huge for me and originality is key. Arguments that are unique to the debate/not stock arguments, add a lot to the debate and I really appreciate it.

Presentation: Be presentable. Act like you want to be here. Effective gestures and facial expressions add a lot to what you are talking about.

Flow of Debate:

If you are speaking in the 5th or 6th cycle, try not to give constructive speeches but crystallization speeches/consolidation speeches. Giving constructive speeches late kind of ruins the flow of the debate.

Cross Exam:

I only mark off points if there is a lack of knowledge of content or presentation that isn't adequate. (example: stuttering during CX, giving a blank face during CX, or anything in between.)

As a competitor, you must ask questions. It helps the flow of the debate and really allows the judges to see the cross-examination aspect of Congress. When no one asks questions, it's extremely boring and really doesn't allow the judges to see if the competitor knows their stuff.

For PF/Policy/Parli

PLEASE add me to the chain @ttsudama@gmail.com (if rules allow)

- Please don't be late.

- Speak coherently and make sense.

- While I have experience in debate, I want you to speak slowly and calmly. Yelling doesn't make you right. If the volume does become too loud I will mark that off speaker points. If you are speaking too fast and become incoherent I will say "clear" one time as a reminder that you are either going too fast or because you are incoherent. After that, there are no more warnings and you have a higher chance of losing the debate because most likely I will have stopped flowing.

- I prefer case debate. I ask that there is no theory or kritiks. IF there is one ran, it must be well said// easy to understand. Run at your own risk.

-Think of me as a parent judge who flows. Please do not get too technical.

- I default to the voting framework. For example, if you say your Weighing Mechanism is Net benefits, I will choose whichever side provides the most amount of net benefits. Make sure to signpost, organization is key, and bouncing everywhere on the flow gets really confusing and leads to a dock on speaker points+ missed arguments on my flow.

IF you have any questions, email @ttsudama@gmail.com. Ask anything there is no such thing as a dumb question. Just ask honestly. Email is free.

I'm a programmer which means the logic and evidence are critical to me. If you spread, you will lose.

For Public Forum:

I want to see your confidence with your support points and views. Ask good questions and point out logical fallacies while maintaining decorum. Your argument points shouldn’t be given too quickly as your constituents and colleagues need to understand and digest what you’re saying. Don’t try to do too much in your speeches either, I’d rather see you adequately break down a single argument than try to address everything poorly all at once. Remember to maintain a good precisely point in order to support your point. I also want to see why's and how's with good and strong supporting cases. Don’t just rehash the same points over and over.

Any claims you make to address arguments should have some sort of evidentiary support. This is what your debate support SHOULD look like, not how you Feel.

In addition, I want to see you in complete control of the chamber keeping things moving and following procedure. Gentle reminders should be used to maintain decorum and you should try to have a genuine relationship with the entire chamber. We as the judges should not have to call you out about precedence!

I am a parent judge. I will try to take notes on key parts or your speeches so please sign post and speak clearly/at a normal pace. I will judge based on 2 key factors:

1. Logic: whichever team has the most logical links between claims and provide reasoning (warranting) behind their claims

2. Weighing: proving which impacts have the most political, health-wise, etc. impact in different ways

Thanks and good luck!

hi, i'm AJ! i graduated from Plano West in 2021 and competed in PF on the national circuit. my pronouns are they/them, and my email is ayi@college.harvard.edu.

- priority #1 is safety; be cognizant of your presence in the round/community, don’t be a problematic human being, use correct pronouns, provide content warnings with opt outs, etc.

- would strongly prefer if y’all came in preflowed and coin flipped/ready to go!

- outside of that, do whatever makes the debate enjoyable :) below are my preferences that might make it easier for you to win, but really do whatever you like. if you are compelling and/or justify decisions against my preferences below, you will likely be okay!

things i like in debate / things to know about me as a judge:

- i think about debate pretty similarly to renee li, alyssa nie, and aditya kumar.

- i'm quite expressive in response to what y'all say (though i also just nod/furrow my eyebrows in confusion a lot). i don’t like most pf arguments and still vote off of them so don’t be intimidated! but feel free to use my facial cues as you see fit.

- please prioritize warrants throughout the round, do not be blippy with them, and have clear extensions of your entire link chain and impact in the second half for anything you want me to vote on (including turns). any offense i vote on must be extended clearly in both summary and final focus and include good warranting.

- please collapse as much as possible. i really like smart analytics and strategic decisions, much more than blippy, unintelligent dumps of as much as you can possibly get through.

- new warrants are new arguments and will be treated as such

- you don't need to frontline defense in 2nd rebuttal, but whatever you don't fl can be extended straight into 1st ff. i think it probably makes for a more in depth debate if you fl defense and collapse in 2nd rebuttal, but it's up to you.

- on weighing: being comparative between the actual nuanced arguments on the flow (as opposed to the general idea of an argument i.e. climate change) when weighing or responding is really really important to me. i am not too impressed with the meta of broad prereq weighing that doesn’t actually make sense when considering your link chain’s effect on the impact.

- that said, please weigh, and please start it by summary!

- dislike: doc botting, blowing up blips in final, independent DAs in 2nd rebuttal, excessively unclear speed, overgeneralizations of arguments or of the squo, jargon (define terms if absolutely necessary) being called judge, friv theory (unless its actually funny)

- don’t really care about: crossfire (feel free to take 1.5 min of prep instead of gcx), author names (just cite stuff consistently), most presentation things (sit/stand/whatever you’d like)

- super down to give as detailed feedback as y'all want, but i know thats not always what anyone wants to listen to immediately after an rfd. so i'll default to giving just the rfd - if you want advice beyond that ask me after round/message me. also please reach out even if you just want to talk about debate/hs/life! AJ Yi on FB, @aj__yi on Insta

I am a parent judge. Please speak at regular speed. If you speak too fast, you risk losing me. I value logic in an argument. I have a strong background in statistics, so please make an effort to fully understand the evidence you present, especially those with numbers. Statistically a good posture and good manners correlate with higher speaker points that I give.