I am a parent judge. If you are going to talk fast, please enunciate and speak coherently so I can best understand. Be respectful and do not interrupt each other, debate is a learning experience and I do not want things to become heated in the round.

Things I look for:

good evidence, impacts, carrying your arguments throughout the round, being respectful, making best use of crossfire while being respectful, and a case around quantitative data and analysis tends to work best.

Please note: Your speaker scores will reflect your speech skills, in the sense of respect, voice enunciation, and quality of argument.

I have been coaching speech and debate for 7 years. I have judged Public Forum debate, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and various speech events in that time.

-Make sure you state your taglines for your contentions clearly. It should be easy for me to flow your cases and keep track of your arguments, so the clearer you can be, the better.

-Provide clear impacts, and focus on impact calculus. Stress these (especially in your final focus or your final rebuttal).

-Weighing your arguments against your opponent's is the key to winning the debate. Clearly state how your arguments outweigh theirs, and again, stress your impacts.

-Please do not spread. If I didn't hear it, then it never happened. If I can't keep track of what you are saying, then it is possible that your opponent cannot either. Speaking clearly is imperative to a fair debate. It will also result in more speaker points.

-If you have a framework, stick with it. If you drop it, there is no purpose for it, and that hurts your arguments more in the long run (especially if your opponent realizes the framework was dropped).

-I do not flow CX. It is your job to bring up what happened in CX in your next speech. That is the only way it will make it onto the flow.

-For LD, make sure your value/criterion is clearly explained at the start of your constructive speech. If you and your opponent have the same value/criterion, or they are similar, it is best to acknowledge this and focus on arguments rather than getting into a framework debate.

-For LD, keep arguments traditional. I'll listen to counter plans and kritiks, but I prefer traditional arguments.

-Please practice good sportsmanship. Being snarky or belittling an opponent, especially if it is clear they are new to debate will not be tolerated.

-To prove you have read my paradigm, simply say "Bear Down" or "Go Wildcats" prior to starting the round.

Debate:

I am looking for style: how well do you deliver your speech?

• are you able to keep the attention of your audience?
• how is your pacing?
• are you emphasizing your points?
• are you adjusting your tone and speed?
• are you making eye contact?
• are you delivering your speech to your audience, or are you just reading your speech?
• did you practice your delivery?

Do you have a claim and a solid line of reasoning?

• are you incorporating your stats/facts or relying on them?
• facts/stats should enhance your argument, not be the center of it.
• are you brining in something new/unique or are you just repeating previous points?
• is your speech well researched?

Rebuttals

• are you able to effectively challenge and counter opposing arguments?
• are your rebuttals grounded in facts, or anecdotal in nature?

Understanding of legislation and how our political system works

• did you do your research?

Speech:

In my 5th year of PF judging. Looking for debaters to be clear and that everyone contributes in cross-fire.

I track the contentions and I am listening for the debate supporting or refuting those contentions. So the more clear you make your contentions, the better.

I use my own flowing sheet to take notes while you debate. I then will enter them into Tab room.

(she/her) I'm a senior at the University of Washington and debated public forum for three years. You can run pretty much whatever and I'll vote off the flow. As always, be respectful towards your opponents otherwise I will dock speaker points.

Feel free to talk as fast as you prefer, but the speed needs to be purposeful. Nothing is worse than listening to a fast speech filled with useless info.

As a judge, I will not weigh your arguments for you. When there is clash, I want you to clearly lay out why I need to prefer your side. Any we said/they said arguments with no analysis are going to be a wash. Use impact calc and the specific terms.

Make the debate fun!! Its always better to judge fun rounds, and you should be enjoying yourselves as well.

Andrew Chadwell,

Assistant Coach, Gig Harbor HS, Gig Harbor WA

Coached PF: 10+ years

Competed in PF: 1 year

Competed in British Parliamentary: 2 years

Competed at the 2012 World Universities Debating Championship in Manila.

Items that are Specific to the 2018 TOC tournament are placed at the end of this-I would still encourage you all to read the whole Paradigm and not just the TOC items.

Hello all,

Note: I debated in PF at a time when things were a bit different-Final focus was 1 minute long, you could not ask to see your opponents evidence and not everything needed a card in order to be true. This might explain some things before you read the rest of this.

Arguments have a claim, a warrant, and a link to the ballot (impact). This is interpreted by my understanding of your explanation of the argument. If I don’t understand the argument/how it functions, I won’t vote on it.

Main items:

1. Clear arguments-I should be able to understand you.

2. What are the impacts?-Impact calc is very important.

3. Give me voters in Final Focus.

4. Abusive Case/Framework/Conduct: Alright so if you are running some sort of FW or case that gives your opponent a super narrow bit of ground to stand on and I feel that they have no ground to make any sort of case then I will consider it in my decisions.

That being said if your framework leaves your opponents with enough ground to work with and they don’t understand it that's their loss.

Conduct in the round should be professional-We are here to debate not get into shouting matches. Or insult the opposing team's intelligence.

Framework/Res Analysis/Observation’s: Totally fine with as long as they are not super abusive. I like weighing mechanisms for rounds.

Evidence Debates/Handover: I have a very large dislike of how some teams seem to think that PF should just be a mini-CX where if you don’t have a card even if the argument is pure logic, they say it cannot be considered. If the logic and the link works I am good with it.

I don't want to see evidence/definition wars unless you can clearly prove that your evidence supplements your opponents. Also, evidence handover counts toward your prep time-not outside of it. You wanna see someone's evidence that comes out of your prep.

Speaker Points: I was asked this several times last year so I figured I would add this piece. How to get 30 speaker points from me. First of all I would say that clarity is a big helper in this, alongside that I will also say that asking good lines of questioning in crossfire can help you get better speaker points from me. I do tend to grade harder on the rebuttal and final focus speeches since those were what I was primarily doing when I competed. The other thing that can be really helpful is analogies. Good analogies can win you a round. If they are actually good.

Things that help you win my ballot:

Unique arguments (That actually link to the resolution)

Be clever.

Be polite.

Be Civil

Make it an awesome round. Down to the wire back and forth. Keep me on the edge of my seat.

Things that hurt you:

Being abusive- either in case or in speaking. Aggressive CF and arguments are okay with me, but keep it in check.

Disregarding All of the above points.

Not being attired professionally. (Unless extenuating circumstances exist)

Ignoring my point about evidence debate.

Insulting an opponent personally.

TOC Specific Items

Please share your opinions or beliefs about how the following play into a debate round:

The speed of Delivery: Medium speed and clarity tend to win out more than the number of items that you claim should exist on my flow.

The format of Summary Speeches (line by line? big picture?)

I generally would go for either Line by line will help my flow be clear and easier to understand at the end of the round. Big picture I tend to believe has more of an impact on the summary and the final focus.

Role of the Final Focus

Put this up at the top: But here it is again: I want to see Voters in the final focus. Unless your opponent pulled some sort of crazy stunt that absolutely needs to be addressed, the final focus is a self-promotion speech on why you won the round.

Extension of Arguments into later speeches

If an argument has not been responded to then you can just extend it. If it has been refuted in some way shape or form you need to address that counter before I will flow it across.

Topicality

Unless this is explained extremely well I cannot vote on T. Frankly don't risk it.

Plans

Not for PF.

Kritiks

With the lack of knowledge that I have in regards to how Kritiks should be run, Please do not run them in front of me. This will likely make vote for your opponent.

Flowing/note-taking

You should be flowing in the round-Even if you know that you have the round in the bag. Always flow.

Do you value argument over style? Style over argument? Argument and style equally?

Equal. A debator who can combine good arguments with style is going to generally win out over one or the other.

If a team plans to win the debate on an argument, in your opinion does that argument have to be extended in the rebuttal or summary speeches?

Definetly in the summery. If you have time in the rebuttal you can...

If a team is second speaking, do you require that the team cover the opponents’ case as well as answers to its opponents’ rebuttal in the rebuttal speech?

No. If you can start to do that great-but that might push you past the medium speed threshold.

Do you vote for arguments that are first raised in the grand crossfire or final focus?

If they are new-no. However, if they are extensions of prior arguments then that will be determined on a round by round basis.

If you have anything else you'd like to add to better inform students of your expectations and/or experience, please do so here.

Please read the whole paradigm. Also remember that I am human (I think) and I can make mistakes.

My name is Jeff Chapman and my two sons attend The Overlake School in Redmond, WA. I was recently introduced to speech and debate by volunteering to be a parent judge. So far, I only judged PF and I have no policy experience.

I am looking for students to succinctly explain their points, back these up with data and give context within the big picture. It helps if you prepare a clear and well-organized case. Talking somewhat fast is okay if there are pauses and you enunciate. I take notes so a reasonable pace allows for accurate reflection of your arguments. I do not place much weight on complicated flow arguments since I take the entire set of points and rebuttals into account. It helps when you extend arguments in your summary and final focus while avoiding new points or evidence. Good to summarize both sides of the debate and explain why you think you won the debate especially tying back to evidence originally presented.

Chris Coovert,
Coach, Gig Harbor HS, Gig Harbor WA
Coached LD: 26 years
Coached CX: 17: years

Coached PF: 20 years

Competed in LD: 4 years

Competed in NPDA: 2 years


LD Paradigm: I have been competing in, judging and coaching Lincoln Douglas debate for over twenty years. I have seen a lot of changes, some good, some not so good. This is what you should know.

I will evaluate the round based on the framework provided by the debaters. The affirmative needs to establish a framework (usually a value and criterion) and then show why, based on the framework, the resolution is true. The negative should either show why the resolution is not true under that framework or provide a competing framework which negates. My stock paradigm is what most people now call truth testing: the aff's burden is to prove the resolution true and the negatives is to prove it false. I will default to this absent another paradigm being established in the round. If both debaters agree that I should evaluate as a policymaker, I am able to do that and will. If you both put me in some other mode, that is reasonable as well. If there is an argument, however, between truth testing and another way of looking at the round the higher burden of proof will be on the debater attempting the shift away from truth testing.

As far as specific arguments go.

1. I find topicality arguments generally do not apply in Lincoln Douglas debate. If the affirmative is not dealing with the resolution, then they are not meeting their burden to prove the resolution true. This is the issue, not artificial education or abuse standards. I have voted on T in the past, but I think there are more logical ways to approach these arguments if the aff is affirming the entire resolution. In a round where the affirmative runs a plan, T becomes more relevant.
2. I find the vast majority of theory arguments to be very poorly run bastardizations of policy theory that do not really apply to LD. I especially hate AFC, and must/must not run plans, or arguments of this nature.
3. I have a strong, strong, bias against debaters using theory shells as their main offensive weapon in rounds when the other debater is running stock, predictable cases. I am open to theory arguments against abusive positions, but I want you to debate the resolution, not how we should debate.
4. You need to keep sight of the big picture. Impact individual arguments back to framework.

Finally, I am a flow judge. I will vote on the arguments. That said, I prefer to see debaters keep speeds reasonable, especially in the constructives. You don’t have to be conversational, but I want to be able to make out individual words and get what you are saying. It is especially important to slow down a little bit when reading lists of framework or theory arguments that are not followed by cards. I will tell you if you are unclear. Please adjust your speed accordingly. I will not keep repeating myself and will eventually just stop flowing.

Public Forum Paradigm

I want to see clear arguments with warrants to back them up. I am ultimately going to vote on the arguments in the round not speaking ability. That said, speaking persuasively will never hurt you and might make your arguments seems stronger. Please do not lie about evidence or take it out of context.

CX Paradigm
I have not judged very much CX lately, but I still judge it occasionally. I used to consider myself a policy maker, but I am probably open enough to critical arguments that this is not completely accurate anymore. At the same time, I am not Tab. I don't think any judge truly is. I do enter the room with some knowledge of the world and I have a bias toward arguments that are true and backed by logic.

In general:
1. I will evaluate the round by comparing impacts unless you convince me to do otherwise.
2. I am very open to K's that provide real alternatives and but much less likely to vote on a K that provides no real alt.
3. If you make post-modern K arguments at warp speed and don't explain them to me, do not expect me to do the work for you.
4. I tend to vote on abuse stories on T more than competing interpretations.
5. I really hate theory debates. Please try to avoid them unless the other team leaves you no choice.
6. The way to win my ballot is to employ a logical, coherent strategy and provide solid comparison of your position to your opponents.

I am able to flow fairly quickly, but I don't judge enough to keep up with the fastest teams. If I tell you to be clear or slow down please listen.

Hi, my name is Lyd (they/them)

My email is: ljhaindfield@gmail.com

I'm currently in law school. I debated 4 years HS PF, 3 years college CX and CARD debate. I've judged and coached various speech and debate events.

To me, debate is an event to have fun and to learn, but must first be safe and accessible.

You do you, and I'll judge accordingly.

Something you should know: I do have an auditory processing disorder - if you plan to spread, share the speech doc, or slow down a bit :)

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

He/Him pronouns.

(anyone and everyone is allowed to be aggressive in round regardless of gender/sex/etc. That being said, don't be mean. If you think I'll perceive your aggression as being mean then don't do it.)

Win my ballot by winning the debate. Debate is a game and you should probably treat it like that. If you want the debate discourse to matter outside of the specific round, you should probably tell me that.

I'll give you high speaks if you're fluent and fill speech time. Being funny also helps you get speaker points.

Impact calculus is also important! If you can use impact calc to reasonably outweigh your opponent's args, I'll probably vote for you.

Make sure to have fun! If you're not having fun doing debate, you shouldn't be doing it.

TLDR: Debate good and you'll win. Don't be rude or a bigot and you won't get auto dropped.

This is my first full year judging public forum debate and consider myself an amateur "parent (lay) judge."

- I flow the debate to the best of my ability and make my decision mainly on the contentions you win on the basis of evidence & weighing in the Final Focus. Please try to be clear on laying out the contentions, rebuttals, sub-points, and so on (preferably with numbers), so that I can "connect" them to the pertaining arguments accordingly.

- I judge on content and delivery, but clarity is crucial: I am comfortable with most speeds but don't go too fast. One clearly communicated contention (and argument) is better than two incomprehensible ones.

- This is a Public Forum format, so please be reminded that you are trying to convince a general public. Please refrain from being too heavy on industry-specific jargon and terminology.

Pronouns: She/her & They/them

Please add me to the chain if there is one. If there isn't one, I'll be giving any excessive evidence-indites some serious side-eye. avalonkingwork@gmail.com

--CARD DEBATERS READ THIS--

For the fall 2024 topic: I will flow all arguments all debaters make and judge them based off what is said in round, and nothing more. That being said: my thoughts are that the negative research base for grid and subsidies adds is in a sorry state, I will be more permissive of analytic responses for these first two waves. I would also like to scream at y'all to add some fucking case arguments to the packet and to your 1NCs, because I'm really not seeing a whole lot of it and it's making it way too easy for affs out here.

I can understand spreading, but I am not a big fan of it in this event and would prefer it get called out the second it gets exclusionary. Everyone reserves the right to tell a debater to slow down or clear up, and if that's not respected I'm not voting for you. Likewise, if I am your judge, you have a right to speak up in any round by just shouting out 'slow' and I will make note of that. I take this seriously, because I can tell when debaters are getting spread out of the round. It's not fun to watch, it can't be fun for y'all in the round, and it makes for unengaging debates all around. If you need a card for that, cut this paradigm.

I'm really just looking for y'all to engage with the material in the packet, and having read through the majority of the articles, will notice when you're missing the point of one or talking out of your ass.

Other than that, all I want is a streamlined debate where both sides can condense down to the key issues of the debate in the final speeches, explain them clearly, and do impact calculus to tell me why the bad things they're talking about are of more consequence and can be solved despite complaints from the opposition.

In regards to specific arguments, I think most circumvention and 'plan is unpopular and won't pass' args are easily answered by fiat and I won't be a fan of that being your whole 2NC. The federalism DA/fifty states CO: it is deeply disappointing to see generic cps make their way into an event where all the affs are visible well before you make your neg. I think it's lazy and holds little pedagogical value, because you really aren't caring what the aff is before you stake that ground. All this being said, what I wrote above is still true: I will listen, flow, and judge all arguments based off what y'all say in round. But I think y'all should put in the extra leg work with these.

For Ks in this format: I would really like to see y'all explaining what your alternatives mean in terms of historical and contemporary examples. Has anyone does the alternative before? What will it look like for the world and us in this round if I endorse your alt? I think the marxism and degrowth lit has some good examples, and I want to see it specifically explained. I think the setcol lit is a little more sparse on alternative examples, but if you've chosen to run the setcol K, that is not an excuse not to explain your alt. Indigenous people have been engaging in analysis and activism for a very long time now, and I'll be disappointed if you can't contextualize your K to that.

Separate from all this, I'm placing a high burden on teams reading arguments about fascist backlash arguments to explain why they're not non-unique, why the aff triggers specific backlash, and why I should care. In a world where the fascists are becoming more and more powerful, I find it hard to believe policies unrelated to the culture war topics that have grown so popular will be the thing that finally emboldens them. Frankly, this is an argument that has always annoyed me, and I am unconvinced you can't read something better. But if you must: read it well. Show me the uniqueness, and impact it out. I'm here to judge it regardless.

--Policy--

In general, my hearing has degraded the past couple of years and the online format doesn't make that much better. So I ask kindly that you move 70%-80% of your full throttle of your full throttle to ensure everything actually gets on the flow to be judged. And for the love of hecc: please. put. me. on. the. email. chain.

-K affs-

I love these, and I run these whenever I get the chance. If you do so, I won't auto-vote for you, but there is a good chance that I'll be having a good time listening to your argument. I am most familiar with trans theory, queer theory, some shades of 'high theory' like deleuze & guattari, your general anti-capitalism arguments, and a good spread of SetCol knowledge, so if what I know changes how you tell me your theory of power - that's what I know. That being said, please explain your theory of power. I like it when debaters show me they know what they're talking about.

In the T debate, I find it hard to vote neg without a TVA, and I generally find affirmatives that move in the direction of the topic more persuasive (but can be persuaded the topic of the aff is more important than this year's topic). That being said, I do find 'T is an RVI' an uphill battle to vote on.

-Policy affs-

There's less beefing on whether or not policy affs are allowable, so I assume you already know I'm not going to auto vote you down for reading a policy aff in a policy debate. Do your thing.

-generally-

Weigh your stuff, explain your link out clearly, and explain how you can solve (or why the other team's solvency is less important than your impact).

I have a pretty high burden on impact turns to clearly bad things - death good, for instance. Run what you want, I will evaluate you based off what is said in the round by both teams, but bear in mind that it will be an uphill battle and I will probably remark on it in my RFD.

Hello! I'm Peri (she/her) and I debated for Mount Vernon HS in Washington doing LD for 3 years in high school. I am also a part-time, de-facto assistant coach for the Mount Vernon team, and I'm starting my own at the school I currently teach at-- I've never really left the debate community, so I know a bit of the norms and I know what's going on. I have my Bachelor's in International Studies focused on Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Middle East and North Africa, and my Master's in International Relations (meaning I know more about the Middle East than the average person) Here is my email if you need it... periannakb@gmail.com

Congress:

A huge pet peeve of mine is 3...2..1 and my time starts on my first word. I wont start your timer until you start speaking. I promise.

Substance > Style

Don't rehash, bring up new points prevalent to the debate. I love to see refutation particularly after the first two speeches. Please, lets move on if we are just going to say the same thing over and over.

Every time you speak in a session, it gives me more reasons to rank you at the end of the round. Fight to give those speeches and use questions! Don't let any of that direct questioning time go to waste!!!

LD:

A huge pet peeve of mine is 3...2..1 and my time starts on my first word. I wont start your timer until you start speaking. I promise.

I did traditional LD in high school. I am a traditional LD judge. You can run some arguments but disguise them as more traditional and focus on that style to keep me a happy judge. Take that into account. Don't spread I won't understand. Explain your arguments clearly and you'll be fine. No Meta-Ethics or trix.

Side note: Please make sure you are educated on the 2024 Jan/Feb LD topic... I don't want to hear arguments that are factually untrue, and I'm excited for well-informed debates that get into the depths of this subject! I've written articles on this topic that you could use as a card-- I know it well.

PF:

A huge pet peeve of mine is 3...2..1 and my time starts on my first word. I wont start your timer until you start speaking. I promise.

I'm judging more and more pufo these days. I like clear, well organized constructives. Don't just read everything one note. I appreciate that public forum is supposed to be different than LD and Policy. Keep it that way.

Random framework arguments about the intent of the topic aren't going to work for me. If things change in the status quo, you need to be prepared to discuss them.

About Me

I have 10 years of experience judging for various schools. I have mostly judged for Mission San Jose High School and periodically for independent entries like Stonewall Academy. The majority of my judging has been in Public Forum and I am familiar in the fundamental concepts of the format.

Preferences

I always come in with an open mind and vote based off of each side's arguments rather than personal bias. In order to win the round it is important that each side weighs each of their impacts. If impacts aren't weighed I won't flow them. If you want higher speaker points and want me to be able to flow your arguments, it is important that you speak clearly and at a good pace. I also appreciate it if you give me a little background into the topic and clear up a few things. Each side should provide a standard for me to weigh on so I can vote for a side based on the impacts. Both sides can also argue which standard is more relevant to the debate and which I should be judging on. If neither side proposes a standard for the debate I will just be judging on which side makes the world a better place. As for links, make sure that your links are logical and aren't huge jumps. If you suddenly jump from the EU joining the BRI to a nuclear war, I won't buy it. Please don't run theory. I will only take it into account if it is actually justified and reasonable (which it almost never is). Lastly, if a side brings up a new argument or point in Final Focus, I will ignore it. You're just going to be wasting your time.

Speaking Points

I will reward a debater with more speaker points if they remain clear and speak at an understandable pace. I dislike spreading as I feel its unnecessary. It is also important that each speaker is respectful in crossfire and other speeches. If any debater starts yelling and is overly aggressive I will lower their total speaker points for the round.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask me during the round. I hope you provide me with an interesting debate!

About me: (He/Him Pronouns) second-year law student at UW. I debated PF for 3 years on local and national circuits. I coached for 4 years after I graduated

If you have questions about the round or my RFD, just email me at: rjl2000@uw.edu Or, text me at 253-683-1929

About round: SHOW UP TO THE ROUND ASAP AND I WILL BE HAPPY AND MORE LIKELY TO GIVE GOOD SPEAKS

speed is fine as long as I can understand you. Please do not full on spread though it's annoying.

I won't vote on anything that's not brought up in final focus. If you want to bring something up in final focus, it should be extended in summary as well.

If your opponents drop something, tell me. Don't just not mention something from your case until your last speech. Its more important to me that you weigh the most important things in the round as opposed to just summarizing everything that happened. Tell me why you're winning in final focus. voters, impact calculus, and weighing are super helpful. If you want to run framework tell me why I should use it. I'll look at any evidence if you want me to, I might call for something if I feel its necessary but I generally try to avoid evidence debates.

Throughout the round, confidence, humor, and aggression are good, while rudeness, bigotry, and general meanness are not. If you think that your attempt at the first category will be interpreted as the second category, error on the side of caution.

SIGN POST PLEASE!!!!- this is like the biggest thing. signposting will help me help you on my flow.

I would prefer no theory/progressive argumentation. If you do decide to run something like that, it better be very important and not just an attempt to get an easy W over people that don't know what's going on.

Specific speech stuff: This is what I would LIKE to see in a high-quality round. Do your best to do these things, but I obviously don't expect all of this from novice debaters.

For 1st rebuttal just solely respond to the opponent's case- please don't go back to your case because I just heard it and there are no responses on it yet. This goes for both rebuttals, but numbering your responses if there are multiple will help me stay organized on the flow

For 2nd rebuttal: Frontline!!!! if you don't mention the main arguments against your case, it'll probably be considered dropped.

Summary: Same thing as second rebuttal in the sense you should be bringing up the main arguments from the previous speech and refuting them. Anything that you don't want your opponent to be able to say "They dropped our __ in summary" should be mentioned

if you want to bring up something in FF, it must be brought up in summary

Collapsing is a good way to ensure you are able to extend all the defense you need and still get offense.

FF: Voters! tell me where to vote! extend some defense if you want, but this speech should mostly be about the places you are winning on the flow and why

weighing is also good

Things that are bad and you should not do:

CALL FOR EVIDENCE/TAKE PREP BEFORE BOTH TEAMS HAVE READ THEIR CASES1! (ex: taking prep as second speaking team before you read your case) super abusive, try-hard, and annoying. If you do this, the max speaker points you can earn is 26. (yes that is arbitrary, too bad.)

Do that really annoying thing that happens in debate where you just keep restating your argument and then saying that refutes your opponents' argument. In rebuttal, your arguments should have warrents. In later speeches, you should explain to me WHY your argument is better than theirs.

Not signpost

overall, i'm experienced so do whatever you want, just do it well.

if you have any further questions please ask.

I am a parent judge, looking for clear and concise arguments. Usually, a slower speed on what you want to emphasize may get the point across better. Please time yourself, but I will keep official time. If your evidence is false, there is a high chance I will drop you. I won't disclose.

I am looking for clear and well-paced speech, structural narration and well labelled claims and warrants.

I am a parent judge and this is my 2nd year judging PF. I am open to any arguments and rebuttals but will be specifically looking for arguments that are supported by evidence and will rely on you to demonstrate the impact and calculate the numbers (where appropriate). I am looking for you to flow your arguments and rebut your opponents arguments. Please do not leave your opponent's contentions hanging without a rebuttal.

While I will weigh the round, I am looking for you to provide you point-of-view and will certainly take that into consideration.

Lastly, please be respectful (I will deduct points if you are not), have fun and speak slow enough so that I can understand you. Compelling arguments with evidence and impact are more important than speed and volume.

Hello everyone!

For a brief background, I debated all four years of high school, competing in Public Forum and Extemp. I am also a former National Speech and Debate Tournament competitor in those events and in Extemp Debate.

Debate Events:

As a judge, I consider myself pretty traditional, meaning speed is okay but if I cannot understand what you are saying, I am not going to try to flow your arguments. I understand that tech issues are real, but that is only all the more reason for you as competitors to take on the onus of being able to effectively convey the arguments you make to your judge and your opponent. Further, in PF I generally won't go for very progressive arguments, however, if you can do them well, I can be persuaded. In LD, I expect competitors to present a strong, defendable framework with a working value and value criterion and keep it as the focus of the round. I have zero experience in Policy, so please put it in terms I can understand. I am more understandable when it comes to speed in Policy, but if you choose to spread please share your case and cards so that I can follow.

I am alright with off-time roadmaps, just keep them brief.

If you can quickly exchange evidence when called for, I won't run your prep. BUT if you are taking an unreasonable amount of time finding your article, I will let you know that I am starting your prep time.

Know your case, know your evidence. If you have to look back at your case to tell me what your contentions are about, you should consider spending more time familiarizing yourself with your material.

PLEASE signpost! Tell me exactly which argument you are attacking in which contention AND if applicable cross apply the arguments from your own case, telling me from which contention you are deriving those arguments. This helps to keep your speech organized and makes it easy for the judge to vote for you.

I love seeing direct clashes, so if you have counter evidence, bring it up. If you recognize a fallacy in your opponents argument, bring it up. Do what you can to prove that your opponent's arguments fall, your arguments are upheld, and that your side has a greater impact in the round.

However, do NOT be rude. Though not the foremost deciding factor in a round, I really appreciate civility and professionalism. If you have to yell at your opponent and your judge to get your point across, then it tells me that you don't think you can argue your points effectively in a professional manner. I like confidence and polite assertiveness, but I expect competitors to refrain from blatant aggression. Further, I will hold a higher respect for competitors who remain professional even when their opponent becomes unnecessarily aggressive. Do NOT be condescending.

I will NOT flow new arguments that are brought up in final speeches. Ample time is given throughout the debate to bring points up prior to final focus, so please do not waste time covering new arguments. Final speeches should focus on the main issues brought up in a debate and convincing your judge why you have won.

Speech Events:

These are pretty much up to you. I enjoy seeing different styles of presentation!

Just be confident!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask :)

Good luck!

*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'm a parent judge and new to this. Please keep time throughout the round. I'm looking forward to listening to you debate today!

Joe Rankin

Bettendorf High School

jrankin@bettendorf.k12.ia.us

UPDATED: October 4th, 2022

I'm not sure what happened to my previous Paradigm that was posted, but it appears to have been erased/lost. My apologies as I just learned of this at the Simpson Storm tournament (Sat, Oct 1, 2022) this past weekend.

My name is Joe Rankin and I am the head coach at Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, IA. I have been the head coach at Bettendorf since the 2005-2006 school year. I primarily coach Lincoln-Douglas Debate, Public Forum Debate, Congressional Debate, and Extemporaneous Speaking...however, I am familiar and have coached all NSDA sanctioned speech/debate events over my time at Bettendorf.

In terms of my coaching paradigm, I'd generally consider these the 'highlights:'

1. I prefer topical debate. The resolution was voted on by coaches and students through the NSDA voting process. That's what I want to hear about.
2. I can generally handle 'speed,' but that doesn't mean I enjoy it. I'd rather help you develop skills that you will actually utilize interacting with other human beings outside of this one particular subset of existence - so I'd much prefer a rate that is more akin to real-world applications.
3. You can make whatever arguments you want to make...but I generally haven't voted on many things associating with theory, kritiks (or however you want to misspell the word critique), or other generally non-topical arguments you make in the round. It takes more work for me to believe those types of arguments are true and not a whole lot of work to make me believe those types of arguments are generally false. So, I wouldn't encourage this type of argumentation in front of me.

I figure that is sufficient for now. If you have any questions, I tend to give you that window before the round begins while setting up to judge. If not, please feel free to ask before the round. The end goal of the round for me is a competitive academic environment that is focused on education. I don't mind answering questions that will help all of us improve moving forward.

My name is Michaele pronounced Mi-kel. I’m a parent judge with four years of experience. Although, I've been judging for several years, I still prefer a clear and slower speaking style.

I also prefer quality over quantity in regards to arguments. Clarity is very important as well as I need to understand each person’s points clearly in order to judge fairly.

I appreciate debaters who are respectful and patient with each other (and with me too).

Also, being a debater is a huge and impressive accomplishment. And I say this as a mom, I hope you are all proud of yourself!

Willow.C.Roark@gmail.com — She/Her

Policy Debate(NDT/CEDA) at the University of West Georgia

Western Washington University (2020-2023)

Mount Si High School (2016-2020)

—— Overview ——

I most align with the communications paradigm. I flow the round. I flow cross-examination.

I will evaluate all complete arguments. A complete argument is a claim, a warrant, and an implication.

I currently compete in intercollegiate policy debate but I’ve also competed in 5 other formats: Advocacy Debate(CARD), British Parliamentary(BP), International Public Debate (IPDA), Social Justice Debate(SJD), and Public Forum Debate(PFD). I’ve had a pretty broad tour of the debate world so don’t worry about just competing as you would in your home format, be that communicative or technical, slow or fast, “progressive” or “traditional.”

I have a considerable bias toward innovative arguments across the board.

Laughing at your opponents is an auto-drop and lowest possible speaks.

If your opponents tell you to slow– slow, or I will stop flowing your speech.

Speaker Points are based on:

1. Conciseness. People use different filler words and speak and articulate at different speeds: I am evaluating these word economy elements less. I will evaluate your sentence level efficiency, overall repetitiveness of the speech structure.

2. Cross-examination – short questions, effective follow-ups, not being excessively rude or interruptive.

3. Signposting (especially including numbering responses in rebuttal/2AC)

Random pet peeve: I don’t want a “card doc.” The round is over dude.

We don’t know how to do tech or truth. Just do the work and try and make sense.

—— Public Forum ——

Argumentative preferences)

I come from the 2016-2020 PF Era but have moved into ‘progressive’ styles of debate in college.

Throw theory and Ks on the flow, I’ll evaluate it all the same.

I like procedurals, especially in a format as broken as Public Forum.

I know the rules say no plans/counterplans, they also say no snitches. It’s the debaters who get to set the norms through the theory debate, not a rulebook. I promise I won’t tell NSDA.

Evidence)

The evidence norms in PF are disturbing. Paraphrasing is everywhere, the evidence can’t be looked at before round, and the cutting of most evidence is immensely sketchy. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve had some rounds where more time was spent calling cards than actual speech time. Other debate events figured out that disclosure and highlighted cards are how you check back on this. I won’t decide every round on these half-assed evidence indicts. It’s just handing the decision to the judge at this point to sort out who did the more sus prep.

“Judge we like looked at their card after CX and squinted at it all moody-looking for a split second, drop this evidence and call for these like 12 other cards”

Because I care about PF, I will only evaluate this kind of evidence indict if:

1: There was disclosure before the round or there is an in-round email chain sent out for at least your side of the debate with your constructive and rebuttal speech docs.

Or 2: you make a formal evidence violation claim and bring your opponents to tab like serious debaters do when they think their opponent has willfully misrepresented evidence.

Summary/Final Focus)

Collapse. Hard.

Go for that one dropped turn and spend the entire back half of the round implicating it on the flow and explaining why you win.

Going for everything is bad. Don’t do it. Don’t extend three contentions in your summary.

Framework)

If you read a framework, justify it. Tell me why to evaluate that kind of impact first; read a warrant. “My opponents didn’t read a framework” is not a warrant.

Weighing)

PLEASE WEIGH YOUR IMPACTS.

If you’re wondering why I didn’t vote for your impact:

Because I was confused. Because this event is confusing, and a mess, and you are the clean-up crew. Put on some gloves and do the dirty work.

Specific peeves)

“Drop them right there” – nope.

“Strike this off your flow” – no.

“for these X reasons, [Our next author] concludes”

- No they didn’t

- Not for those reasons

—— Policy ——

Procedural preferences)

Judge kick in the block as a default.

Fairness can have its own terminal impacts.

Theory can be a reason to drop the team or the argument in any instance, it depends on how you implicate it.

Pen time is appreciated!

General Biases)

In college I have been both a K 2N and a soft-left affirmative. I don't promise to have read your specific brand of high-academic kritikal weaponry, but I will always evaluate complete arguments.

I’m not too hot on ‘infinite condo.’

Floating PIKs are often extremely sketchy. Please tell me exactly what you are PIKing out of and why it resolves your offense.

I miss impact calculus.

The K AFF is fine but IMO it should have anti-topical offense or find creative routes to topicality. You are not writing a good K AFF if your offense and method is floating way off in the void, detached from the resolution.

Speed is probably terrible for everyone who does it and the entire community.

I won’t dismiss framework against the politics DA and the states counterplan.

Don’t be a toxic rage robot.

—— Lincoln Douglass ——

Hey! I am not a frequent LD judge. A few implications:

1. Explain and warrant your value criterian arguments!

2. I have a much higher threshold for theory, especially RVIs.

3. Trix are for kids and not my ballot. Check your tom-foolery at the door.

Despite debating in policy, I actually don’t necessarily default to utilitarianism and consequentialism or prefer them. I will check my biases, but at least know that I am not going to poop on your ethics party.

I was a first speaker in PF for 4 years in high school in addition to World Schools Debate, so I have a lot of experience listening to all types of arguments and speaking styles.

My judging philosophy is simple…I expect you to make it easy for me to vote for you:

Cases:

Signpost your arguments. If you have several contentions, it is important that you let me know which contention you are on so I can keep track of it in my flow. If you are in a subpoint, please let me know this. With each piece of evidence, tell me the source and year so I know its relevance to the case. Most importantly, TELL ME THE SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACTS OF YOUR EVIDENCE. If you do not tell me why the evidence is important, I cannot weigh it more heavily than other pieces of evidence that has impacts.

Note 1: I am fine with any argument, but please make sure that you tell me why it is important (significance and impact), if not I will think it is an irrational argument that has no merit.

Note 2: ENUNCIATE YOUR WORDS. If you are speaking fast, slow, or anywhere in between, and I cannot understand you, I stop taking notes. If I am nodding my head, I am following your argument, if I am looking at you (or in this day and age at the screen) and not down at my paper, you have done something wrong and it is up to you to fix it.

First Cross:

Do not ask clarifying questions, it give the opponent endless time to restate their case and make it stronger. You should be asking questions that help your partner in their refutation so they have the proper ammunition to deliver a strong hit against the opposing team.

I am fine if you speak over one another, and I will not intervene unless there is a blatant disrespect going on. Please be civil, don't be condescending.

Refutations/Blocks:

Signpost your blocks. You should tell me which contention, which subpoint, and which piece of evidence is being refuted. If you have several blocks for one argument, tell me prior to listing them off, then proceed to tell me which block number you are on so I can keep track of it in my flow. If your team is speaking second, please frontline the refutations provided by the other team. Most importantly, IF YOU DO NOT REFUTE THE ARGUMENT, I CARRY IT THROUGH TO SUMMARY SPEECHES, do not make me do that.

Second Cross:

Again, no clarifying questions. Here you should be asking questions that will help your partner in their summary so they can then proceed to tell me why your team has won the round.

Summary:

This is the speech I pay closest attention to in round, since I was a first speaker I have mounds of experience giving these speeches. In this speech, you should be doing several things: 1. Tell me which arguments still stand on both sides, 2. Weigh the impacts of each remaining argument, 3. Tell me why your team has won this round. Most important, IF YOU DO NOT CARRY IMPORTANT EVIDENCE OR CONTENTIONS THROUGH THIS ROUND I CROSS IT OFF MY FLOW, make sure that everything you want me to judge at the end of the entire round is mentioned in this speech.

Note: If I notice that one team has no more remaining contentions/subpoints/evidence and the other team calls this out, I will cast my ballot in this part of the round. Make sure your summary is good.

Final Cross:

If you are asking a clarifying question you have probably recognized that you have lost the round. Here you should be asking questions about the fragments of evidence and subpoints still standing in the round.

Final Focus:

Here you should be crystalizing the round, putting everything in a nice bow. The goal of your final focus should be for me to be confident in my decision. Normally, I have a clear sense of who won prior to this part of the round. If you have any doubt that I will vote against you prior to this speech, make sure that by the end of it I have to reconsider my thinking.

As someone who did Extemp and Oratory for 3 years, delivery is also important:

Speaker Scores:

This is where presentation matters. On ballots we are asked if wins are "low point wins", don't make me do this. If you have a good argument, you should be presenting it well (especially if you are a first speaker presenting your team's case).

For tiebreaks at tournaments, speaker scores matter, so ensure that your presentation is good so that you are not that single 4-2 team not breaking because of low speaker scores.

Most Important Note for the Round:

If you are in anyway Anti-Semitic, Racist, Homophobic, Sexist/Misogynistic, Islamophobic, or display any other form of hatred, I will drop my pencil, give you AND your partner the LOWEST possible speaker score, YOU WILL LOSE THE ROUND, and will be reported to the tournament director for further punishment.

Debate is supposed to be an inclusive setting for people of all backgrounds (religious, gender, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic, etc...) please don't be the reason someone quits debate.

I was a public forum debater and extemporaneous speaker throughout high school. I have been judging for the past two years.

Rate of delivery has no impact on my voting decision. However, I’m only human and if I physically cannot comprehend your argument because you are speaking that fast, expect the argument to be missed

I will be keeping a rigorous flow throughout the debate. This means that during rebuttal I will expect debaters to move down the flow when attacking. Voting issues are necessary and expected. If neither side lists an argument as a voting issue, I will assume the point has been dropped.

I will make my decision based on who persuaded me on their arguments the most effectively. This means not only must you win the voting issue, you must make a case for why your voting issues outweigh your opponents.

Evidence is necessary, however I understand that there is evidence out there to prove virtually every point. These debates should not turn into “he said, she said” in terms of articles. Either be able to explain why your evidence holds more weight than theirs( in a more impactful statement than the date on the article) or move on.

I flow cross-examination and I do make note of who appears to take control of the time.

Keep the debate respectful. I have and I will drop debaters who are egregiously rude, arrogant, and demeaning to their opponents At minimum, rude and condescending debaters will lose speaker points.

I prefer off-time road maps.

Debate is as much about learning as it is about winning.

•Speed: I’m comfortable with faster than conversational speed and if you’re too fast, I’ll hold up my pen high to indicate that I’ve stopped flowing.

•Organization: Clarity and structure are important and it helps me to flow your arguments. Tags are helpful. I’m good with off-time roadmaps.

•Extend your arguments: Please no surprises late in the debate. .

•Policy style arguments: I’m not a Policy judge. Make sure you explain your terms if you choose to go this route. I will not vote for arguments I don’t understand.

•Common decency:

Respect your judge. Respect your partner. Respect your opponent.

Avoid name-calling (EX: saying your opponent or an argument is stupid). That’s rude and also lazy debating.

Avoid yelling matches in crossfire.

I do not like "theory." Debate the topic.

As always...for me, quality is much better than quantity. It is better to have one or two really strong arguments, supported by both evidence and logic, than 4 or 5 weak points.

While I can handle spreading, if I can't understand something you say because you speak too quickly or unclearly, then I can't write it down. If I can't write it down, then I can't refer back to it when making my final decision. In other words, it's as if you never said it.

If it comes down to your evidence says "x" and their evidence says "not x" and I have no way to know who is right, you will lose. What do I mean? Explain why your evidence is more relevant, accurate, and credible...and/or why theirs is not.

Other points:

Signposting is good. Please signpost. Is this a new thought or more warrants or impacts on the same claim?

Off-time road maps are bad. They are a waste of "real" time. I'm guessing you're going to tell me why you're right and they're wrong. Right? If you signpost, I'll know which order you're going in. This is a more valuable skill to learn. For those of you motivated by speaker points, know that I will deduct a full point for each off-time road map.

Be respectful of your opponents. Let's be real, if the coin toss were different, you'd be arguing for the other side so don't act like your entire life's work has focused on your stance on this topic. Keep it civil. On a related note, rudeness is unacceptable as is outright lying. I've seen too many teams blatantly lie in round. If you lie, you lose.

Yearn to Learn. This is high school debate. It's a learning experience. I don't expect you to be perfect and would hope you take every opportunity to learn, whether you win this round or not.

About Me:

Pronouns He/Him/His

Drake University Class of 2025- International Relations (IR) Major & Law, Politics, and Society (LPS) Major, Data Analytics Minor

I was a National Qualifier in Policy Debate, went undefeated in IX at the same NatQuals tournament, and had a Domestic Extemp bid to NIETOC, so I will have no trouble keeping up with any argument you choose to run.

Generals:

Tech>Truth

Don't be racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, etc. If you are any of those listed before, I will stop flowing, you will immediately lose the round, and you will receive 0 speaker points (solely because I cannot assign negative speaker points).

Conditionality is good (for policy).

Don't clip evidence. If caught clipping evidence, I will vote you down, and you will receive 0 speaker points.

I believe you can run almost any argument and win the debate; that means that I am fine with almost all arguments— this includes meme args but read them at your own risk (please don't run the Shrek K).

I am decent with speed (assuming we're in person). I don't mind speed, but full-on spreading is typically frowned upon by me (see: ableism); if I cannot understand you, I will let you know.

I will vote Neg on presumption if the Aff has major solvency deficits.

Other than that, I am tabula rasa as a judge.

I like to be part of the email chain: calebstewart2002@gmail.com

You don't need to "earn" my ballot. It's high school debate. I'm not going to take out my feelings on a bunch of kids just wanting to enjoy their time in high school, spread a message, or attempt to enact social change. At the end of the day, just debate and have fun.

Policy (CX)-

Topicality:

Topicality is a major voter for me.

FXT is nontopical.

If you are not topical, you will have a substantially harder time winning the round. I had a few bad experiences with nontopical Affs in high school, so now I'm scarred for life and lean on T as a crutch because the Aff has 'unlimited' prep. However, if you can win the theory argument, I will still vote for non-topical Affs.

Theory:

I love love love theory! If you want to run debate theory, I am all ears for it!

Typically, Multi-Actor Fiat is usually bad (So no 50-State, NATO, EU, UN, etc. CPs), and Durable Fiat is typically good. However, with that being said, I can be convinced otherwise in-round.

Furthermore, SCOTUS Fiat is something I won't allow in-round unless there is a case already heading to the SCOTUS; even then, SCOTUS Fiat is still suspect.

Kritiks:

I am a-okay with Ks. I think a good K (such as Cap, Neolib, Fem, Afropess, Queer, Security, etc.) can easily win the round if the argument is run correctly (which I think is rare).

K-Affs:

I am fine with K-Affs so long as they're topical (which I know is typically rare). If they are not topical, you can still win, but it is definitely an uphill battle for you. (See reasoning under T)

CPs:

PICs, Topical CPs, and Nontopical CPs are all great! Truly, any type of CP is absolutely wonderful (especially for topics that have no good Neg Ground).

I personally believe that Conditionality is good (especially when it comes to CPs). I will kick arguments if told to.

I can be convinced Condo Bad in the round, but I will default to Condo Good if this argument isn't run.

Aff- Don't forget to perm!

DAs:

Yes.

Run what you want to run as a DA. I really enjoy smaller impact DAs, but the occasional big-stick DA can make for a fun debate! Just please, for the love of all things holy, make sure you have good link work.

Taking a page from my former debate partner’s book, "neg strategy should always be 'what shouldn't I run?'" This means that you can continue your 13 off during the 2NR, but take a critical look at what args are sticking and which args need more work.

CX:

Cross-X has always been a speech for me (and I also think this is where debaters truly shine). Set traps, make jokes, and do what you want— it's your time. Whatever you say will be going down on the flow.

Open CX is alright with me. My partner and I did open CX all of the time in high school. Just ensure that the other team/judges are alright with Open CX.

Framing:

Framing is important in Policy. I like to see good impact calculus. If there is no framing by either team in the round, I will default to Probablitity>Magnitude or the most "believable" framing that fits the round.

Public Forum (PF)-

Nothing truly special here. I did PF for a year and a half, so I know my way around Trad. PF Debate.

I am fine with traditional arguments in PF, but please, please, please, do not spread or run a progressive debate in PF. Let's keep the PUBLIC in Public Forum. (That means no Ks, CPs, or Theory). If you want to have a progressive debate, go do LD or Policy.

I prefer copious amounts of evidence in PF.

Other than what is above, I'm tabula rasa as a judge.

Lincoln-Douglas (LD)-

This is the only style of debate I haven't debated before on a debate circuit. That being said, I did LD back in my high school debate class (among several national qualifiers in LD). Although I lack competitive experience in LD, this lack of experience does not define my knowledge of the topic area. I study political philosophy at college, so please don't just stumble your way through the theory clash.

Value/Value Criterion clash is paramount in LD, so I would like to see a lot of analysis on this specifically.

I don't mind progressive LD, so run whatever you want. (If you decide to run a progressive LD round, see the above policy paradigms.)

Send case to email chain before your speech & I might ask for extra cards if I’m curious: joytaw01@gmail.com

My wifi sucks, it'll make it a lot easier for everyone to have at least speech docs prepared for your speeches - lowkey required for rebuttal, others optional but preferred.

I debated in HS but it's been a while (class of 2020) -- I can understand tech but prefer to be treated like a flay. Semi-ok with speed in the first half of the debate if there are speech docs (still pref not going super fast) (update: I lied I am tired please don't go fast. Do at your own risk but if it's not on my flow then womp womp) + No spreading in second half of the round pls. If you do, I guess I'll still evaluate it but it will only be what I can catch + your speaks will be dropped.

Lay ----- Flay --X--Tech

Public Forum:

General update/preference on framework: I don't like oppression olympics. I don't like talking about why we should prefer one group over another group so if both teams have framing impacting out to marginalized communities, I prefer the debate to just be on the link level unless you are undeniably winning on the warrant level. Also I don't like the "link-ins bad" arg as much either, I just don't like the round being over before it starts.

Theory - pls no theory unless it's about the other team not reading a content warning. I mean if u do read theory i guess i'll judge it but i prefer substance so my threshold for responding to theory is prob a lot lower than u would like. I also don't care for disclosure theory.

Evidence - I care about evidence ethics so don't egregiously miscut cards but if you are going to run ev ethics on someone, implicate why it's more important than substance debate or why it should control my ballot. Also, I think paraphrasing is fine in PF so don't run that on me lmao.

- keep track of your own times pls

- pls stop asking if it's okay to take prep just announce to the room so we're not waiting around and time yourselves

- Be clear. I never get enough sleep so if I don't catch it, it won't be on my flow.

- Frontline if you're second rebuttal

- I don't flow crossfire. If it's interesting I'll listen, but if it's important - bring it up in speech.

- Don't be rude to the other team or I’ll drop your speaks. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzpndHtdl9A)

- YOU CAN’T EXTEND ARGUMENTS WITHOUT EXTENDING WARRANTS!!!! (e.g. Don't just tell me ending arms sales causes war - give me reasons WHY that's true and extend the impact of WHY it's important) Every time you extend an argument you should extend the link chain + impact. No blippy extensions.

- Terminal defense is not sticky (translation: Rebuttals will not be directly flowed across so bring it up in summary if you want it in final focus)

- Collapse

- Pls don’t make me intervene (write my ballot for me with weighing)

warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants warrants (warrants =/= evidence)

weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh but make it comparative

in summary and final focus

pls thank u

Policy update:

I'm familiar with policy debate, as in I've judged it before, but I never competed in it. I competed in public forum so keep that in mind when you're debating. Aka:

- don't go too fast, if you are gonna spread - send me a doc

- If you're running theories or Kritiks that are not intuitive -- please EXPLAIN THEM FULLY or it will not go your way. Also if it involves smth sensitive - please include a content warning.

- Time yourselves - I might do it on the side too but I want you guys to keep track of it yourselves. Especially prep or opponent's prep.

1. Your arguments should have quantifiable impacts if you want to win; qualitative impacts will not be sufficient in most cases

2. I I cannot hear or compile your argument(s), I might not be able to judge it for correctness or completeness. Therefore, do not spread

3. Use logic to win your argument, pathos will not work with me

flay judge, assume i know nothing about the topic

no spreading, make your points clear

time yourselves - be respectful

tabula rasa: no assumptions on what is proper to vote on, I expect teams to show why arguments should be voted on

I debated LD on the Texas circuit for 3 years and made the TFA tournament my sophomore year. My school primarily debated on the local circuit but I particularly enjoyed TOC style debating. This means I am comfortable with national circuit constructs and creative arguments. Still, if you want to take a traditional approach, I'm fine with that too but won't have as much fun.

A few notes:

Read tags, plan texts/cp texts, theory/t interps, etc at a snail’s speed - the rest can be at whatever pace you like. If you don't plan on sharing what you're reading to me before the round so I can follow along, please slow down on the main parts of the framework so I can ensure I get the argument down.

I have a high bar for clarity so be sure to crystallize, extend key arguments, and double down on dropped points - this is how I'll allocate speaker points.

Please be structured in your arguments. This means having a clear overview or framework with clearly stated main arguments. This applies to all arguments - theory, kritiks, plans, DAs, etc. I generally enjoy out-of-the-box approaches to the topic but keep in mind I haven't debated in a while. Just please explain extremely complex philosophical positions in greater detail or slow down for me to get them.

I do enjoy well-developed frameworks and will vote based on a logical framework that you construct for me. I'm fairly tabula rasa when it comes to this. If both sides are presenting frameworks, please compare and explain why your framework is better than your opponent's. This will be beneficial to you as I'm interpreting the arguments.

Feel free to ask me any questions before the round!

I'm a parent judge that has been judging debate for two years. I strive to be impartial.

Respect your opponents and be polite to each other.

Speak slowly and clearly.

I will dock speaker points if you cut anyone off, or condescending.

I stop listening when you go over time.

Have fun!

tldr: very lay judge, speak slow, be respectful, cross matters (i can elaborate why)

the length of this paradigm doesnot mean that i am a flow judge. do not be confused i am being very clear in the way i vote to prevent confusion.if you are confused in ANY way, PLEASE PLEASE ask me before the round.i am more lay than the average washington local judge and that's saying something

scroll down to important notes *there are asterisks

english is my second language, parent judge

do not use jargon unless you want me to be confused

please speak slow and enunciate-- slow

i mean it. if you see a confused look on my face you've done something wrong.

that said, make eye contact with me but absolutely do not yell at me-- this is a professional enviornment for education

if you are going over conversational speed, send a speech doc (idc if its constructive or rebuttal do not read fast if you cannot provide a speech doc). unless you want me to miss whatever you say.

idazhu@yahoo.com (also remind me to check my email when you send the case)

set up email chain before round--also include me in card chains

if one specific evidence becomes a major point of clash in the round, say "ida take a look at this" and let me know what to look for.

i would advise against running theory/ks because i barely understand pf as is although please have faith in me that i can recognize abusive debaters and will take action accordingly (going to tab, marking in ballot).

etc. cursing at your opponents.

i am giving up my time to judge so treat me and your opponents with respect as you would do so in a professional environment.

do not steal prep time PLEASE and do not lag at the beginning pf the round when setting up come prepared.

truth>tech unfortunately, squirrely impacts into nuke war or smth will probably have me confused

hint hint i am afinancial planner so numbers make a lot of sense to me

warrant out CLEARLY how you get to those numbers though..

weigh weigh weigh weigh weigh i will not weigh on your behalf in my ballot.

i would advise weighing during rebuttal then summary then ff so it becomes rly clear to me how i should vote

i do not know what framework is, explain it to me (make sure i nod)

etc. "judge, you are going to be casting your vote on this round off of x. this is more important than larger numbers bc xyz. my opponents agreed/conceded to this in y speech. we are all on the same page for you to proceed to sign the ballot based off."

if ur gonna run fw, come to round early and explain to me what it means before round. again make sure i nod

be professional. i don't want to see a messy workspace with 897713 flow sheets everywhere or fiddling with clothes/hair, i believe that this reflects confidence

please approach me if u have an issue with this

probably collapse, i'm not keeping detailed flow so it's hard to keep track of so many arguments

obvs make sure ur ops dont have any residing turns on ur case

if ur the op, explain what a turn is before u say "turn"

most important***

cross matters a lot- if it is a wash or if you and your opponents don't clearly implicate how i should sign my ballot throughout your speeches (ff is not adequate) the round will come down to how you treat your opponents.there are three, total 9 minutes. i don't think that time should go to waste. every speaker has more than a whole speech's worth of time in cross. if u have additional qs about why i listen to cross, ask me before the round.

attitude and presentation of knowledge is important in my judging methodology.

be respectful to your opponents, let's have a calm round.

do not argue i get annoyed if i feel like i'm being yelled at

do NOT interrupt during cross. i can tell if your opponents are talking straight for 2 minutes and trust that i will dock them accordingly. if i pause your cross to tell you that i feel you consistently interrupt, that is the only warning i will give.other indicators will be my facial expression during the round

be professional- please don't eat during the round. i understand rounds run late and it's difficult to find a time to eat. this comes off as disrespectful towards your opponent and i as well as the sport of debate. if you have a genuine reason to eat,make it clear to me before the round.

please try not to be late-debate always makes speech run late so let's get it started asap

confidence wins- everyone has similar knowledge on topic, so i'll probably sign the ballot on whoever is able to best present and communicate to me (as well as adapting to my indicators) unless theres a distinct difference in skill level--i do take notes but i will not be able to catch quick "turns " "delinks" etc

1. don't throw out jargon or topic specific acronyms, explain it.

2. i will vote off if u give one turn, explain what a turn is, and exactly how it interacts with your opponent's arguments rather than if u dish out 15 turns at a speed i can't understand

not about quantity or tech, but about how i perceive the round, which is lay

3. i probably won't have a technical flow, but tell me to write something down "judge, make sure to note for your ballot (if u win or lose the round) that my opponents did xyz"

thank u for reading this long paradigm but trust these niche little things help you win the round, especially if the clash is unclear to me. i want u to be successful and judge adaptability is definitely a skill to acquire.

also keep in mind just because certain terminology was used in this paradigm does not mean i understand it. if u aren't sure, double check or err on the side of no. i used debate terms so you can easier understand how to adapt

if you are confused by my paradigm, ASK me about it before the round starts. my daughter wrote this

kk bye good luck<3