I am a license attorney, graduated from UMKC, and practicing employment law. also graduated in 2020 with a Bachelors of Science in Political Science from Missouri State University. I emphasized in International Relations, minored in Philosophy and graduated with distinction in Public Affairs.

I did Model United Nations throughout high school and college, and although I myself did not participate in debate in high school or college, I have judged tournaments around the country since early 2020, which would likely classify me as a lay judge. That being said, I likely have a stronger understanding of law, policy, and IR than most lay people.

When it comes to speech style, I strongly dislike spreading. (That's the lay judge in me). I understand its value in terms of debate strategy, but ultimately, it's unrealistic to communicate in that way, and makes it really hard for me to judge arguments I can barely understand. I value real, yet flawed, arguments much more than arguments made so fast that your opponent cannot follow.

I typically will not disclose unless I am required to by tab.

Overall, this is a learning experience for everyone, including me, and I hope all competitors can be respectful and understanding of their colleagues regardless of who they are, what their technology capabilities are, etc.

Clements '21 | University of Michigan '25

Email: apurva.desai63@gmail.com

Hey! I debated in PF for 4 years at Clements High School. I qualified for Nationals and State multiple times, with much of my national circuit experience being in my Junior/Senior years.

General -

1. SIGNPOST. If you don't signpost I don't know where to flow your arguments. Pls signpost.

2. I love narrative debate. If your case has a clear narrative, and equally good offense, you are already ahead in the round from the get go. Moreover, if you and your partner mirror your speeches and retain a cohesive story throughout the round, it's much easier to vote for you.

3. Collapse. In order to really flesh out arguments in the latter half of the round, that time cant be spread out re-extending your entire case. If you collapse on 1-2 arguments, it makes it easier to develop your ideas throughout the round. ALSO strategically dropping arguments that have a bunch of defense on it and going for a cleaner piece of offense is very cool. you should do that.

4. Theory: I will not evaluate any theory, tricks, Ks, etc., unless there is a violation in the round that hurts or excludes someone. Even then, I would prefer you point it out to me in paragraph form with a warrant and explanation rather than forcing me to evaluate progressive argumentation.

5. Evidence. If you believe a piece of evidence is miscut or misused in the round, tell me DURING your speech to call for the evidence. Unless a card is blatantly false, and the opponents don’t call it out, I will not intervene. Also evidence exchanges should take no more than 2-3 minutes at the most (you should have your evidence ready before round).

6. Link Debate. (MOST IMPORTANT): If you dont have a clean link into your impacts, weighing does nothing for you. Never sacrifice time in speeches for weighing if you dont have good frontlines and clear access to your links. Only when both teams are winning on the link level will I really look to weighing for my ballot.

7. Weighing. (IF YOU ARE WINNING THE LINK DEBATE) Focus on quality not quantity when weighing. This means implicating your weighing to engage with your opponent's arguments instead of giving me 5 mechanisms that are not explained very well. Also, you should ALWAYS be weighing your turns independently of your case (otherwise they can only serve as terminal defense at best).

8. Rebuttal: You MUST frontline turns in 2nd Rebuttal. If a turn is dropped I flow it as having 100% probability.

9. Grand Cross. You can skip it if y’all want. Unless there's some major clarification needed by then (which there shouldn't be), I don't see any real need for it.

Speaks: +0.5 speaks if you physically turn around when you read a turn

**As mentioned above, Please watch for speed when competing online, if you would like to go fast I will expect a speech doc so I can make sure I get everything**

You can ask me any questions if necessary (apurva.desai63@gmail.com or just message me on FB - I respond here fastest), and remember to enjoy the round!

I mainly have a history of PF but have extensive debate experience. I will usually flow throughout the round, crossfire included. However, nothing matters to me unless it is extended.

• I am tech>truth
• I prefer line-by-line summaries, I also prefer collapsing
• I'm pretty strict about summaries not including new arguments. If an argument is new, I will catch it and won't count it.
• Spreading is fine. Be reasonable.
• I'm not a huge stickler about being respectful, as long as you're not, like, verbally harassing your opponent...

About me:

I've been a member of different speech and debate programs for 5 years now where I've spent 4 years competing at the high school level in Texas and one year at the collegiate level as a part of Missouri Valley College's debate and forensics team. This experience has included 2 years of LD and policy, 4 years of congress,5 years of IEs, and 3 years of Public Forum debate.

Ev Sharing:

If you're going to do an email chain, I would like to be included: sidnihunter@gmail.com. If you know how to use speech drop and are comfortable with it this makes it a lot easier for teams to share and receive information.

General:

I'm willing to listen to just about any argument so long as it has warrants that are legitimate- in the end run whatever you prefer and what makes you comfortable. Thorough card analysis is the easiest way to win my ballot- you obviously understand the link but explain to ME why it matters. I'm more truth vs tech but I’ll vote tech if it’s obviously a tech round. With that being said, I'm fine with speed but know that if I can't understand you, I can't flow your arguments and that's going to hurt your ballot. Be courteous of your opponent(s) as well because if they can't understand you then there will be absolutely nothing educational about the round.

LD: When evaluating any round the first thing I look at is framework. You can lose the framework debate and still win my ballot, your impacts just have to be weighed in the framework that won the round. With that being said, there needs to be plenty of clash on a contention level basis and I expect both sides to extend your case into the 2nd.

PF: I've done a mix of both high school and college Public Forum. So, I'm really easygoing on the fact that I love both lay and techy rounds. But note that just because you're a techy team hitting a lay team doesn't give you my ballot. If what you're saying doesn't make sense to me then I have no reason to believe that it is true or matters. Make sure that your responses aren't just spewing cards and statistics at me but really walking me through the story. I wanna know why what you're telling me matters, and why what your opponent is saying is either wrong or doesn't matter. I'm a firm believer that most rounds can be won during the final focus. Give me a clear overview of the round and voters.

Policy:

Topicality

I enjoy a good T debate. Stock issues are still very important in traditional policy debates, and I want debaters to do it well. Run T if there is a clear violation. Please emphasize voters. Please give me reasons why your model for debate is the best model, and why your opponents' is either not as good, or actually bad for debate. Provide clear DAs and impact them out if you want a better chance at winning the round.

Disadvantages

Please read specific links if you have them. Tell me exactly how the aff plan fits into your scenario. I'm fine with terminal impacts as long as they are warranted. If you don't have a CP to solve the DA make sure UQ does not overwhelm the link.

Counterplans

I like CPs when they are run well. Please have a unique net benefit on the CP. You can read CP theory for the aff or neg. It's a neglected argument, but I actually like hearing theories on different types of counterplans. Provide specific solvency for the CP if possible, I'd rather not hear just one card on why the actor is better.

Ks

The link is incredibly important for me to evaluate the K. The alt should be feasible and clear-tell me why perms don't work and how it better solves the framing issues presented in the K. Chances are I probably don't know your lit base well so be prepared to explain it.

IEs, Congress, and Speaking events:Did these for four years so I know the rules and expectations vary by circuit. These events are so cool, but I've seen each individual one lose its distinctiveness from other events similar to it and become muddied/ washed down to another event (i.e. don't make a speaking event look like an interp event and vice versa.) You can be the best in the room but if I feel like your event is lacking the distinctive characteristics it is supposed to have or running too much like another event then I'm going to be inclined to vote you down.

be respectful to your opponent and/or everybody in your room :)

If you have any questions regarding my paradigm, please do not feel afraid to ask, I promise I will not bite you

I have been coaching debate since 1980. I was a policy debater in high school. I have coached policy debate, Lincoln Douglas, Public Forum, Big Question and World Schools debate. I am also a congressional debate coach and speech coach.

LD-

It comes as no surprise based on my experience and age, that I am a traditional judge. I do keep up on current theory and practice, but do not agree with all of it. I am a traditional judge who believes that LDers need to present a value to support based in the resolution. A criterion is helpful if you want me to weigh the round in a certain way. Telling me you won your criterion so your opponent loses doesn't work for me, since I believe you win the round based on your value being upheld by voting affirmative or negative on the resolution. Telling me to weigh the round though using your criterion makes me very happy.

Voting Issues- I need these. I think debaters ought to tell me what to write on my flow and on my ballot.

Not a fan of K's, performance cases, counter plans, or DA's in LD. I know the reasons people do it. I don't think it belongs in this type of debate. I know debate is ever-evolving, but I believe we have different styles of debate and these don't belong here.

Flow: I was a policy debater. I flow most everything in the round.

Speed- The older I get the less I like speed. You will know if you are going too fast --- unless your head is buried in your laptop and you are not paying any attention to me. If I can't hear/understand it, I can't flow it. If I don't flow it, it doesn't count in the round.

Oral Comments- I don't give them.

Public Forum-

I have coached Public Forum since it began. I have seen it change a bit, but I still believe it is rooted in discussion that includes evidence and clear points.

Flow: I flow.

Public forum is about finding the 2 or 3 major arguments that are supported in the round with evidence. The two final focus speeches should explain why your side is superior in the round.

I am not a fan of speed in the round. This is not policy-light. I do not listen to the poor arguments moving into the PF world.

Introduction:

Hello, my name is Pavan Katragadda. I have been involved in the world of speech and debate for over five years, serving as a parent judge. My journey in this field has been enriching and enlightening, and I am eager to continue learning and growing with each debate I judge.

Communication Style:

Clarity of speech is of utmost importance to me. I believe that the essence of a good debate lies not in the speed at which arguments are delivered, but in the articulation and structure of those arguments. Therefore, I encourage debaters to speak clearly and at a pace that allows me to follow their line of reasoning. If you choose to spread, please be aware that if I cannot follow your arguments, it may impact my evaluation.

Technical Terms:

While I am familiar with the general rules and format for most of the Debates, I may not be well-versed in all “technical” terms from the debating vocabulary. If you plan on using any such terms, I would appreciate it if you could explain them during your speech. This will ensure that I fully understand your argument and can evaluate it accurately.

Post-Round Process:

After the round has concluded, I like to take a few minutes to reflect on the arguments presented and enter my feedback and results. Please understand that this process takes time, and as such, I will not be able to disclose the results or provide judge’s feedback immediately after the round.

Expectations:

I expect all debaters to come prepared with strong arguments backed by solid evidence. A good debate is not just about winning or losing; it’s about learning, growing, and enjoying the process. So let’s have a fun and engaging debate!

⁃ Please be respectful in the round

⁃ Talk as slowly and clearly as possible, things that I don’t catch will not count towards the round

⁃ I will give speaker points based on structure, clarity in speeches, confidence and connectivity, and how you defend your argument (PF)

⁃ No tolerance for inappropriate behavior, be professional with others

⁃ Feel free to ask me any questions before/after the round

⁃ Have fun and good luck!