Hello Everyone,

I am a parent judge and I have a background in technology.

I am a truth over tech judge. If you're able to weigh effectively and concisely, you'll probably get my vote. Do not use technical terms or run a K, because most likely I will not understand what you're doing and you'll lose my vote. Be polite and respectful.

Best of Luck!

Sudipto

I did mostly speech in middle school to high school, with only marginal experience in debate (most of it comes from helping my friends in their debate prep).

My main philosophy for debate and how to deal/prepare for judges comes from a quote from Bruno E. Jacob, one of the founders of the NSDA: "I should be able to take someone off the street and they should be able to come and judge a round. And if they aren't able to judge it, then we aren't doing something right." Thus, treat me as a lay judge. Which mostly means, as a baseline:

a) Be clear about your points. The way you convey the information, logically present the facts to tell a story, is just as important as the information itself

b) Be respectful and civil

c) I prefer to vote for an option that actually does something to solve a problem rather than argue technicality.

Background:
I debated on the Oregon circuit in LD and Parli. I am an open-minded judge and enjoy any type of argument.

Specifics:

- I'll mainly vote on the explicit voting arguments you make.
- Extend dropped arguments through to voters if you want me to vote on them!
- I'm alright with speed but will inevitably miss stuff if you get too fast! Absolutely make sure to slow down on tags.

I am a parent with 2+ years of experience judging both individual and debate events.

* Spreading: I try to flow all contentions but may miss some in cases of high speed delivery. I favor well developed arguments over trying to overwhelm other side with sheer numbers.

* Theory: Please explain arguments without relying solely on jargon, but if you over-argue your points, I'll assume that you have nothing better to say.

* Voting: I favor competitors that present the most logical arguments, and clearly explain how impacts of their case outweigh those presented by opponents. To win my vote on framework arguments, they must be well developed with clear links to your case.

* Other Preferences: Questions should be concise and relevant, not long rebuttals with a half-hearted question at the end. I don't consider road maps to be off-time. The clock starts when you begin speaking, and I will cut you off if you go more than a few seconds over time.

Affiliation: Clackamas High School

Competitive experience: 2 years of NPDA (college parli), 1 year of CEDA (college policy)

Coaching/Judging experience: 6 years of NPDA coaching with 45-60 rounds judged per year, 10 years coaching high school policy

Pronouns: He/him

Post the order in the zoom chat ((especially when someone is afk) credit to Wichita BM and Gerrit Hansen for this one)

I’m into philosophy. It was my major for my decade-long undergrad, so that won’t change anytime soon.

I'm also a former law student focused on immigration, employment, and labor.

Although I have run topical affirmatives with a plan in the past, I have generally moved towards the critical as I have continued (From a Heg and Econ National Security Courts aff to Lovecraft performance and high theory).

In CEDA, I have gone for the Cap K with a Historical Materialism alt in every one of my 2NRs. This does not mean that I will automatically pick you up if you run it, but I will be familiar with most of the arguments and authors involved in that debate.

I have come to grips with the fact that I am not very good at evaluating Framework. This does NOT mean you shouldn't run it in front of me or go for it. I think Framework is a valuable debate to be had in most rounds and I encourage people to look at varying forms of this argument in debate. You should be aware, however, that I am not going to be able to fully appreciate the nuances of Framework arguments. It's really not you, it's me.

I hold a high regard for creativity in debate, both in strategy and style. In my mind, creativity is the reason debate is such a fantastic activity. I particularly like arguments that are novel, strange, or Weird.

I am also pretty expressive in round. If you notice me nodding my head or or making a face that suggests "Hey, that sounds reasonable" then that probably means I'm thinking that. If I look up in disgust or confusion, then that means I am probably experiencing one of those things.

All that being said, I am open to most any position or style so long as you can articulate why your arguments are preferable.

Also, feel free to find me outside of rounds and ask me about a round (please bring your flow or be specific about what went on in the round, I can only remember so much on demand) or about general arguments and strategies or whatever.

Clarity: I flow all speeches in the debate and I stick to that flow when making my decision. I will call clear if I can’t understand you. If you are still not understandable to me after I call clear twice, I will stop flowing what I cannot understand.

Clipping: If there is a challenge relating to clipping cards, it must be brought with video evidence. If a team has been shown to be clipping cards in my round; that team will receive a loss and the clipper will receive 0 speaker points for that round.

Email: forensicsresearchinstitute@gmail.com

I am a fairly laid-back lay judge (aka parent volunteer). I have no experience as a high school or college Speech & Debater. That said, I did theater and performing arts stuff in high school and some in college, and in my professional life, I listen and talk to people. So, I think a lot about language, voice, and clarity of presentation.

Given that I don’t have a background in S&D, use of jargon and highly technical points in debates is not likely to be that helpful. You’re welcome to use them if you like, but just know I probably won’t understand it and may be mildly bemused. What most influences my votes and rankings is if you can provide a compelling case for your ideas in a down-to-earth way. Help me understand your framework in plain English, and I’ll do my best to evaluate your ideas and arguments.

Giving a clear road map and helping keep me oriented with sign posts as you go will benefit you. Going too fast is not likely to help. In fact, excessive speed is likely to distract me from your ideas. I react well to respectful, collegial interactions between competitors, and pay close attention to that.

Finally, I’m really impressed by all of you folks who are dedicating your time and energy to such a cool set of activities, and like seeing students engaging with each other and having fun. (That’s point of all this, right?)

TLDR Version: I did CEDA/NDT policy debate in college. Do whatever you want.

Hello:

My name is Ben Dodds. I have been involved with speech and debate for 18 years. I did policy debate for four years in high school and two years of CEDA/NDT in college. When I transferred from Gonzaga to Oregon, the policy team was cut and I started doing Parli on the NPTE/NPDA circuit.

I coached the University of Oregon team for six seasons after I finished debating. I judged CEDA/NDT and NPTE/NPDA debates at that time.

As far as a judging paradigm is concerned, I think that this is your activity now, not mine. If you can convince me an argument is valid in any format I will listen. I have enjoyed deep and complex debates about process counterplans and politics DAs and performance Kritiks of all stripes. There have been excellent debates on everything in between. You can't go pro in debate, it ends, I want you to use the time you have here to make arguments you like.

The unifying trait of arguments that I enjoy is that YOU enjoy them. If you are passionate about an argument, know why it should matter to me and can tell me that, I am game for it.

I don't have a "default" mode for evaluating or weighing arguments. If arguments are not compared, I will just compare them myself in whatever mood I am in at that moment. This cannot go well for you. Debate is subjective, no matter how much we might tell ourselves it isn't, it is and always will be. If you create the weighing mechanism and debate about what is important, I'll use that. Without comparison, my decision will probably feel arbitrary to you and me. Debate is about processing, comparing, and contrasting ideas. If you don't compare and contrast, you are not debating.

I have one specific request. I have never been in a debate where one person (or team) made all good arguments and the other person (or team) made NO good arguments. I appreciate debates and debaters that take an honest approach to their opponent's argument quality as well as their own. I want to hear an honest assessment of which arguments you think are good and bad, should be weighed or not, and matter most at the end of the round. If you show me a rebuttalist that thinks every argument they made is perfect and everything the other team said is worthless, I'll show you a bad rebuttal. I want to hear you tell me "this is their BEST argument, we STILL win because..."

I would appreciate as many specific questions as you have before a debate. I will answer them all.

I have judged debate since 1988. I started programs in San Jose, San Francisco, and Portland. I have judged every form at the state and national level. I am pretty tabula rasa. In fact, one reason we brought Parli into the state of Oregon in 1997 was that we were looking for something less protocol driven and less linguistically incestuous. Policy and LD seemed to be exclusive to those who could master lingo. With Parli, we had a common knowledge street fight. So, I am open to your interpretation of how the round should be judged. Incorporate anything from your tool box: weighing mechanism, topicality challenge, counterplan, kritik, et al.

But, I still have to understand what you are saying and why. . .and so does your opponent. (Hey, now this guy seems like a communication judge. Eye roll.) I will not judge on debate tactic alone; I am not a Game Player . . . though I did play PacMan once in 1981.

Next, I am a teacher. This is an educational activity. Students should be working on transferrable skills--what are we doing in this debate chamber that we will use outside of the room in a classroom or a college campus or life? So, no speed. I will call "clear" to help you adapt to the room. And, while I am open to creative opposition to premises and other kritiks for the round, I won't abide by arguments that degrade a people or an individual. I was stunned when a debater once tried to argue that Internment was not that bad. I do not think they believed this in their heart; how could we have come to a spot in this educational event where this young person felt that this was a viable argument?

Let us have fun and walk out of the room with something to think about... and our limbs in tact! Con carino, Gonzo

Quick update for online: I will try to keep my camera on so you can see my reactions, but if my internet is slowing down and hurting the connection, I’ll switch to audio only. For debaters, just follow the tournament rules about camera usage, it doesn’t matter to me and I want you to be comfortable and successful. I will say clear or find another way to communicate that to you if need be. If at all possible, do an email chain or file share (and include your analytics!!) so we can see your speech doc/cards in case technology gets garbled during one of your speeches (and because email chains are good anyway). We’re all learning and adjusting to this new format together, so just communicate about any issues and we’ll figure it out. Your technology quality, clothes, or any other elements that are out of your control are equity issues, and they will never have a negative impact on my decision.

TLDR I am absolutely willing to consider and vote on any clear and convincing argument that happens in the round, I want you to weigh impacts and layer the round for me explicitly, and I like it when you're funny and interesting and when you’re having fun and are interested in the debate. I want you to have the round that you want to have—I vote exclusively based on the flow.

If you care about bio: I’m a coach from Oregon (which has a very traditional circuit) but I also have a lot of experience judging and coaching progressive debate on the national circuit, so I can judge either type of round. I’ve qualified students in multiple events to TOC, NSDA Nats, NDCA, has many State Championship winners, and I’m the former President of the National Parliamentary Debate League. See below for the long version, and if you have specific questions that I don't already cover below, feel free to ask them before the round. I love debate, and I’m happy to get to judge your round!

Yes, I want to be on the email chain: elizahaas7(at)gmail(dot)com

Pronouns: she/her/hers. Feel free to share your pronouns before the round if you’re comfortable doing so.

General:

I vote on flow. I believe strongly that judges should be as non-interventionist as possible in their RFDs, so I will only flow arguments that you actually make in your debates; I won't intervene to draw connections or links for you or fill in an argument that I know from outside the round but that you don't cover or apply adequately. That’s for you to do as the debater--and on that note, if you want me to extend or turn something, tell me why I should, etc. This can be very brief, but it needs to be clear. I prefer depth over breadth. Super blippy arguments won't weigh heavily, as I want to see you develop, extend, and impact your arguments rather than just throw a bunch of crap at your opponent and hope something sticks. I love when you know your case and the topic lit well, since that often makes the difference. If you have the most amazing constructive in the world but then are unable to defend, explicate, and/or break it down well in CX and rebuttals, it will be pretty tough for you if your opponent capitalizes on your lack of knowledge/understanding even a little bit.

Arguments:

I’m pretty standard when it comes to types of argumentation. I've voted for just about every type of case; it's about what happens in round and I don’t think it’s my right as a judge to tell you how to debate. Any of the below defaults are easy to overcome if you run what you want to run, but run it well.

However, if you decide to let me default to my personal preferences, here they are. Feel free to ask me if there's something I don't cover or you're not sure how it would apply to a particular debate form, since they’re probably most targeted to circuit LD:

Have some balance between philosophy and policy (in LD) and between empirics and quality analytics (in every debate form). I like it when your arguments clash, not just your cards, so make sure to connect your cards to your theoretical arguments or the big picture in terms of the debate. I like to see debates about the actual topic (however you decide to interpret that topic in that round, and I do give a lot of leeway here) rather than generic theory debates that have only the most tenuous connections to the topic.

For theory or T debates, they should be clear, warranted, and hopefully interesting, otherwise I'm not a huge fan, although I get their strategic value. In my perfect world, theory debates would happen only when there is real abuse and/or when you can make interesting/unique theory arguments. Not at all a fan of bad, frivolous theory. No set position on RVIs; it depends on the round, but I do think they can be a good check on bad theory. All that being said, I have voted for theory... a lot, so don't be scared if it's your thing. It's just not usually my favorite thing.

Framework debates: I usually find framework debates really interesting (whether they’re couched as role of the ballot arguments, standards, V/C debates, burdens, etc.), especially if they’re called for in that specific round. Obviously, if you spend a lot of time in a round on framework, be sure to tie it back to FW when you impact out important points in rebuttals. I dislike long strings of shaky link chains that end up in nuclear war, especially if those are your only impacts. If the only impact to your argument is extinction with some super sketchy links/impact cards, I have a hard time buying that link chain over a well-articulated and nicely put together link chain that ends in a smaller, but more believable and realistically significant impact.

Parli (and PF) specific framework note: unless teams argue for a different weighing mechanism, I will default to net bens/CBA as the weighing mechanism in Parli and PF, since that’s usually how debaters are weighing the round. Tie your impacts back to your framework.

Ks can be awesome or terrible depending on how they're run. I'm very open to critical affs and ks on neg, as a general rule, but there is a gulf between good and bad critical positions. I tend to absolutely love (love, love) ones that are well-explained and not super broad--if there isn't a clear link to the resolution and/or a specific position your opponent takes, I’ll have a harder time buying it. Run your Ks if you know them well and if they really apply to the round (interact with your opponent's case/the res), not just if you think they'll confuse your opponent or because your teammate gave you a k to read that you don’t really understand. Please don't run your uber-generic Cap Ks with crappy or generic links/cards just because you can't think of something else to run. That makes me sad because it's a wasted opportunity for an awesome critical discussion. Alts should be clear; they matter. Of course for me, alts can be theoretical/discourse-based rather than policy-based or whatnot; they just need to be clear and compelling. When Ks are good, they're probably my favorite type of argument; when their links and/or alts are sketchy or nonexistant, I don't love them. Same basic comments apply for critical affs.

For funkier performance Ks/affs, narratives and the like, go for them if that's what you want to run. Just make sure 1) to tell me how they should work and be weighed in the round and 2) that your opponent has some way(s) to access your ROB. Ideally the 2nd part should be clear in the constructive, but you at least need to make it clear when they CX you about it. If not, I think that's a pretty obvious opportunity for your opponent to run theory on you.

I'm also totally good with judging a traditional LD/Parli/Policy/PF round if that's what you're good at--I do a lot of that at my local tournaments. If so, I'll look at internal consistency of argumentation more than I would in a progressive debate (esp. on the Neg side).

Style/Speed:

I'm fine with speed; it's poor enunciation or very quiet spreading that is tough. I'll ask you to clear if I need to. If I say "clear," "loud," or “slow” more than twice, it won't affect my decision, but it will affect your speaks. Just be really, really clear; I've never actually had to say "slow," but "clear" and "loud" have reared their ugly heads more than once. If you’re going very quickly on something that’s easy for me to understand, just make sure you have strong articulation. If you can, slow down on tags, card tags, tricky philosophy, and important analytics--at the very least, hammer them hard with vocal emphasis. My perfect speed would probably be an 8 or 9 out of 10 if you’re very clear. That being said, it can only help you to slow down for something you really need me to understand--please slow or repeat plan/CP text, role of the ballot, theory interp, or anything else that is just crazy important to make sure I get your exact wording, especially if I don't have your case in front of me.

Don’t spread another debater out of the round. Please. If your opponent is new to the circuit, please try to make a round they can engage in.

I love humor, fire, and a pretty high level of sassiness in a debate, but don’t go out of your way to be an absolutely ridiculous ass. If you make me chuckle, you'll get at least an extra half speaker point because I think it’s a real skill to be able to inject humor into serious situations and passionate disagreements.

I love CX (in LD and Policy)/CF (in PF) and good POIs (in Parli), so it bugs me when debaters use long-winded questions or answers as a tactic to waste time during CX or when they completely refuse to engage with questions or let their opponent answer any questions. On that note, I'm good with flex prep; keep CXing to your heart's desire--I'll start your prep time once the official CX period is over if you choose to keep it going. CX is binding, but you have to actually extend arguments or capitalize on errors/concessions from CX in later speeches for them to matter much.

If I'm judging you in Parli and you refuse to take any POIs, I'll probably suspect that it means you can't defend your case against questions. Everyone has "a lot to get through," so you should probably take some POIs.

Weird quirk: I usually flow card tags rather than author names the first time I hear them, so try to give me the tag instead of or in addition to the cite (especially the first few times the card comes up in CX/rebuttal speeches or when it's early in the resolution and I might not have heard that author much). It's just a quirk with the way I listen in rounds--I tend to only write the author's name after a few times hearing it but flow the card tag the first time since the argument often matters more in my flow as a judge than the name itself does. (So it's easiest for me to follow if, when you bring it up in later speeches or CX, you say "the Blahblah 16 card about yadda yadda yadda" rather than just "the Blahblah 16 card.") I'll still be able to follow you, but I find it on my flow quicker if I get the basic card tag/contents.

Final Approach to RFD:

I try to judge the round as the debaters want me to judge it. In terms of layering, unless you tell me to layer the debate in another way, I'll go with standard defaults: theory and T come first (no set preference on which, so tell me how I should layer them), then Ks, then other offs, then case--but case does matter! Like anything else for me, layering defaults can be easily overcome if you argue for another order in-round. Weigh impacts and the round for me, ideally explicitly tied to the winning or agreed-upon framework--don't leave it up to me or your opponent to weigh it for you. I never, ever want to intervene, so make sure to weigh so that I don't have to. Give me some voters if you have time, but don’t give me twelve of them. See above for details or ask questions before the round if you have something specific that I haven't covered. Have fun and go hard!

Weigh impacts.

Weigh impacts.

Additional note if I'm judging you in PF or Parli:

- PF: Please don't spend half of crossfire asking "Do you have a card for x?" Uggh. This is a super bad trend/habit I've noticed. That question won't gain you any offense; try a more targeted form of questioning specific warrants. I vote on flow, so try to do the work to cover both sides of the flow in your speeches, even though the PF times make that rough.

- Parli: Whether it’s Oregon- or California-style, you still need warrants for your claims; they'll just look a little different and less card-centric than they would in a prepared debate form. I'm not 100% tabula rasa in the sense that I won't weigh obviously untrue claims/warrants that you've pulled out of your butts if the other team responds to them at all. I think most judges are like that and not truly tab, but I think it's worth saying anyways. I'll try to remember to knock for protected time where that’s the rule, but you're ultimately in charge of timing that if it's open level. Bonus points if you run a good K that's not a cap K.

My background is in Public Forum and Parliamentary debate. I competed in HS in Colorado and was a state finalist in PF. I competed in Parli at Lewis & Clark College. I have coached PF, LD, CX and Parli. I am familiar with all mainstream forms of debate. I can handle all the technical stuff, so if you want to run a K or something, I'm open to it. But don't just do it to do it. It needs to fit in the round and if it's bad, I will hold it against you. Kritiks are valuable to debate because they can have an impact on our discourse. To wield them as a procedural cheapens that. I also really really dislike Topicality unless absolutely necessary. Especially when someone runs T against like a novice case topic area. Running Topicality because you think you have to is so boring and just takes away from the debate.

I prefer debate to be an accessible activity. Overly relying on jargon to make your point bums me out. Do not spread your opponents. If they say "clear" you better slow down. Disregarding that can absolutely cost you the round.

Most of all, persuade me. I want warranted claims and facts presented, but I need you to do the analysis. You need to put the pieces together for me, I will not do the work for you.

I will try not to divulge my personal beliefs, and most of all, I will try not weigh them in a round. That being said, I am human and I have feelings and empathy.

I also value cordial discourse. If you get rude to your opponents (dismissive, talking over them incessantly, glaring or obviously rolling your eyes) I will mark you down on speaker points at the very minimum, and it will affect my decision. Remember, you were new once, and a supportive community keeps this activity alive.

Have fun, don't stress out, and GOOD LUCK!!

For email chains: bharrison@pps.net

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Yes, put me on the email chain: ekruger.berlin@gmail.com

If you have any questions about my paradigm, please feel free to reach out to me.

Background:

I'm a Freshman at the University of Denver majoring in International Relations and German, with a minor in Economics. I graduated from Cleveland High School in 2021 and competed all four years, mostly in Policy and Public Forum.

The basics:

1. I expect debaters to uphold and promote respect throughout the entire round. I'm open to listen to pretty much anything in a debate round, but if it is clear you don't want respect to prevail in the room, I will drop you. Debate is an educational activity but respect is a prerequisite.

2. Please for the love of all that is holy, SIGNPOST. If I don't know where you are on the flow, then I cannot reasonably evaluate your arguments

3. Tech > Truth (duh)

4. Kick out of positions. I don't want to have to evaluate a million args going into the last speech.

5. Weigh impacts. Every Speech. Period.

6. Extend arguments.

7. I'm OK with spreading. HOWEVER, read the room. If you have a first year who clearly can't handle spreading, then DO NOT spread. I don't care if you have a speech doc. I don't care if its the "norm" in policy or LD or Parli. DO NOT do it. Also, always send a speech doc.

8. Your round, your rules, just tell me why to vote for you.

Public Forum

I did PF my senior year after years of policy so I have some preferences that may be out of the norm. But again, do whatever you want as long as it's not abusive, racist, homophobic, etc.

1. I REALLY hate the paraphrasing culture in PF. It would make my life and your opponents life easier if you cut cards the proper way (tag, author, date, highlight).

2. Spreading in PF is kinda dumb but I understand how short speeches are so go ahead.

3. No arguments are off limits (theory, k's, etc.) but NEVER on someone new to debate.

4. Too many teams drop the line-by-line in summary. Don't be that team. It makes it seem really abusive when your partner brings up that one thing second speaker said on the line-by-line in final focus. Also, it's so much more fun than big picture.

5. Please, please, please collapse onto your best argument. PF is too short to address 3 args in final focus.

6. Impact analysis throughout the debate is SO KEY. Tell me why your impact is more important but don't wait until final focus.

Policy

*Note: I have yet to judge or coach the 2021-2022 topic. Assume I have no background knowledge on literature, acronyms, etc.*

1. Go as fast as you want but I haven’t participated in/judged policy in many months so my ear for spreading is not up to date. Just send a speech doc and we'll have no problems (I will drop speaks for clipping cards/skipping over cards and not telling anyone in the round).

2. Kick, extend, be organized, don't drop arguments.

3. On K's: I was never a K debater, never wanted to be one, and hated every K debate I was a part of. That being said, I think they have their place in the debate space and I will vote for one. Feel free to run them but assume I won't have any background on the lit. So, explain everything very throughly and run at your own risk.

4. Another note on K's: Kicking the alt of a K and just going for the link and impact is genius and something I wish I had done more….. Alts are usually stupid so why not just run it as a DA? (I totally didn't steal that from my partner... thanks Daniel)

5. On T: Go for it. Some judges say it's a time suck, others say it's a core part of debate. I think its amazing, so run it.

Parli

1. I see parli as unprepared policy so look at my Policy paradigm

2. Any args go but don't get too fancy with it. Nothing wrong with a classic uniqueness, link, internal link, impact.

LD

1. I have 0 experience in LD but I'll evaluate the round like I would any other debate.

(only if you are spreading): Add me to the email chain: surajkulkarni205@gmail.com

Hi everyone!

A little bit of my background: I debated at Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon. Some stuff about me: 4-time state qualifier in LD (qualified in impromptu+radio as well), advanced to elims at state, qualified for NSDA Nats twice (once in LD and the other in World Schools).

Okay, here's the stuff you actually want to know (I hope) :)

Tl;dr - be ethical, run good arguments, and make sense.

no frivolous theory abuse - severe reduction in speaks...

I do prefer LARP over anything else, mainly because I engage in LARP style LD myself (not too progressive tho but still LARP).

truth>tech; By this I am not referring to the "validity" or "accuracy" of an argument per say. I would just rather have a debate round that focuses on the big picture instead of focusing on pointless minutia (ie: extend C1 subpoint g which was dropped....) I hate voting on those kind of arguments, but if it is necessary or if the debate round comes to that level of argumentation, I have no choice but to evaluate the round on that basis.

Feel free to run complex args to your utmost pleasure, but make sure it isn't too abstract and vague that it is impossible for me to comprehend (speaker points will be capped to 26.5 at this point). If a debate is largely based on argumentation lacking credibility, I will have to intervene and use my own thinking to come to conclusions. Make sure you run arguments that are factually correct.

Theory/Topicality/T-shells: love them:)

Kritiks: I don't like Kritiks at all, but I will listen to them if I have to. If you do run a K, please explain it very clearly! Also, make sure that you emphasize role of the ballot/judge as well... (afro-pessimism, orientalism, other K-lit etc... should have good internal links to the case)

DA's/Advantages: I run these A LOT and I love them as well. Make sure that these are structured effectively. If you are running a terminal impact with an existential scenario, please specify both brink and linearity to delineate impacts. I need those in order to evaluate your args effectively.

Perms (severance, etc...): You can do/run them however you want, but specify why the perm is effective and why the permuted card, case, or block is permutable or isn't mutually exclusive with the plan/opposition/whatever...

Ad hominems/personal attacks and misogynistic or racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, xenophobic statements are impermissible, and will lead to an immediate loss in the round (*reading a card by an author that contains discriminatory or offensive language is also enough for me to give you a loss with minimal speaks).

Swearing in the round (unless it is cited by an author) will lead to 20 speaks, no exceptions at all (you can curse before the round and after the round, but don't do it while you are debating). Excessive swearing (more than twice) will lead to a loss for the round.

Misrepresentation of evidence is horrible. If you feel like a piece of evidence is somewhat sketchy, ask me and I will find out/look it up. I will do the same thing if I feel that your evidence or your opponent's is used in an improper way. A lot of judges try to use weighing and impact calculus instead of dropping the debater, but I will definitely do the latter.

Don't be abusive in CX especially if your opponent is soft-spoken. I am not a loud and aggressive debater myself, and using aggressive tactics and abuse against a debater that is not doing so will cause me to sympathize with them more, meaning that they have an edge over you. If I see this in a round, speaks will be deducted.

Tl;dr - clarity is extremely important!

I can understand spreading, and I am okay with it ONLY if you send me the speech doc. If you don't enunciate more after being told clear/slow three times, I will deduct 0.5 speaks each time I cannot understand you. If the rest of your speech is unintelligible then I will deduct 1 speak every 30 seconds after you have been told clear 3 times. (For example: If you're in your 1AR at 1:00 and I have said clear or slow 3 times already but you haven't even tried to make yourself clearer throughout your speech, you will end up with 24 speaks. If you do it again in your later speeches, I will use the same metric and subtract it from whatever value you ended up with previously). It could also be even worse, b/c I won't be able to understand your arguments and as a result I won't be able to flow anything. In other words, don't sacrifice clarity for speed.

*Additionally, please slow down on contention names and tag lines. If you don’t slow down, I can’t understand anything. This is especially important in rebuttals. Please send me your cards that you will be using in your rebuttals as well.

Arbitrary stuff for gaining speaks:

mentioning Harry Potter related stuff in any of your speeches : +1.1 speaks

interweaving a creative joke that has something to do with Grey's Anatomy: +1.2 speaks

making a comedic joke that's appropriate and actually funny: +1.5 speaks

talking about Indian food, music, or Bollywood : +1.6 speaks

Have fun and good luck!!!

Hello! I am Deborah Kurtz from Portland, Oregon. I've been teaching English Language Arts at Mountainside High School in Beaverton for the last five years. Prior to teaching, I had a career developing training and marketing programs for large corporations, such as Intel and Petco.

I'm thrilled to be coaching and judging Speech and Debate this year. Clear, organized, and engaging communication is most important to me. When it comes to debate, I'm looking to see who can present the most organized and persuasive argument. Please focus on the issues to strengthen your positions; I'm not interested in getting into the weeds of debate theory. I'm interested in discussions that would educate and persuade everyday people. Most of all, be positive and respectful to your competitors.

I am a communication judge. I like students to clearly communicate, give real-world examples and have clear clash. Structure and organization are very important and will help me flow the round. I don't like progressive LD. I don't enjoy a definition debate in any form of debate but I will vote on topicality. I want civility, persuasion, and a clash. I generally vote on stock issues in Policy and I am not a fan of K's.

TL;DR: Don't be a dick, do whatever you want. I’ll evaluate the flow and I can hang.

Be respectful and don’t be racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. Off time orders are preferred, don’t thank me before you speak or shake my hand. I will evaluate the flow with very few caveats. Pronouns: he/him/his.

I did policy in high school and NPDA at the University of Oregon. My partner, Gabe, and I won the NPTE in 2022.

Preferences that matter for my decision

1. Debate is a game
2. Hard debate is good debate
3. Lying won't get you very far, interpreting the truth will
4. You will be auto dropped if you defend a bona fide Nazi
5. Terminal no solvency is a voting issue, but takeouts are rarely terminal
6. Nonfalsifiable arguments are probably in bad faith
7. I default to magnitude first sans weighing
8. Spirit of the interp is not real, write a better interp
9. I default to competing interps but do not default to theory is a priori
10. Topicality violations are not derived from solvency
11. Collapsing is always better than not collapsing
12. For the love of god extend the aff
13. For the love of god answer the aff

Preferences that matter but less for my decision

1. Theory is a cop out - if you're winning theory and substance go for substance
2. Condo is good, PICs are justifiable if there are multiple topical affs, CP theory is far from a losing strat
3. Perms are defense, collapsing to defense is suboptimal
4. Going for RVIs is usually cowardice, cowardice is suboptimal
5. Links of omission are weak
6. Psychoanalysis is grounded in at best tautologies and at worst transphobia, you can win it but please be cautious
7. Decolonization is not a metaphor
8. Kritiks are a byproduct of good, nuanced, and educated debate; the existence of ks is good for the activity
9. I have yet to hear a compelling flow-based 'spreading bad' argument
10. Anthropogenic climate change is real as are extinction risks
11. Science is a very useful ideology
12. Lit based alts are better than alts you made up

HS Parli specific:

Spread if you can, don't if you can't. I will protect, but call POOs when you think necessary.

Parli is not a "common knowledge" format simply because of limited prep. I will not vote on something "germane" to the topic over something "not germane" to the topic absent an argument on the flow. I evaluate what is germane to the debate; if an impact stems from the action of an advocacy or the resolution, it is probably germane.

CARD specific:

CARD is a format built around accessibility and subject matter education. I will base my RFD on who wins the flow and all preferences above apply, but it is my job to ensure that cordiality, access, and educational value are maintained. In practice, this means I will be extra cognizant of proven abuse/reasonability, power tagging, overt rudeness in cross-x, and smart use of the evidence packet. It’s still debate – don’t pull punches, but at least make sure everyone in the room is having a good time.

Any questions about either my paradigm or my decision email me at skydivingsimians@gmail.com

I started my debate coaching in 2017, as a board member of Huaxia Chinese School over east coast, we have annual Chinese debate tournament, the style is similar to Lincoln Douglas debate.

I am helping the debater to improve their skills through these tournaments, some kids also score great in their own school debate match.

I would like the debater well prepare the match, use full of their time, master certain attack skills.

Aggressive but polite. This is debate match and not an argument event.

Behave nice, loud clear statement/speech, taking notes during the match will be my main score points.

I would love to see the debater talk and make friends during the tournament, exchange knowledge and share experience.

Have a good match and hope to see you in the tournament, and show us what you have.

My background is varied. I've worked in IT and I currently work as a software developer. In college, I studied psychology and political science.

Most of the points below apply for both speech and debate.

- For me, theory supported by evidence is always preferred to theory alone. If a theory does not appear to be based on a set of premises that justify the conclusion, I'll likely dismiss it, even if evidence which you provide supports part of the overall claim--the theory must first be logically sound.

- I'm a lateral thinker, so non-linear argumentation and storytelling is fine by me.

- For debate in particular, one thing I'll be looking for is some form of thesis statement that encompasses your argument. It would be best to lead with this statement, or I may misidentify the thesis. This is different from a roadmap. Whereas the roadmap acts as an outline for your speech, a thesis statement briefly summarizes the core or your argument.

- When reviewing research, I usually ask myself the following questions, so it will only help if these points are included when you cite your research:

1. "Did the research use proper sample size, and is the sampling method appropriate for the type of research?"

2. "Was the research replicated, producing the same results, or was it otherwise peer-reviewed?"

3. "Does the research prove cause, or is it simply demonstrating correlation?" This is the most important aspect of research, in my opinion.

- If I can see that the research neglected to account for confounding variables then the research is less meaningful to me.

- As far as delivery goes, I like to see good use of inflection to emphasize important points, but I am much more concerned with the content of your arguments.

- I find that ethos and logos arguments are typically more persuasive than pathos.

I have been coaching and judging High School debate since 2003, though I have spent the better part of the last decade in tabrooms, so don't get to judge as much as I used to. :-)

If I had to classify myself, I would say that I am a pretty traditional judge. I am not a huge fan of Ks, because for the most part, I feel like people run Ks as bad DAs, and not a true Ks.

I cannot count the number of times I have had a student ask me "do you vote on [fill in the blank]"? It honestly depends. I have voted on a K, I have voted on T, I have voted on solvency, PICs, etc., but that doesn't mean I always will. There is no way for me to predict the arguments that are going into the round I am about to see. I can say that, in general, I will vote on almost anything if you make a good case for it! I want YOU to tell me what is the most important and tell me WHY. If you leave it up to me, that is a dangerous place to be.

Important things to keep in mind in every round.
1) If your taglines are not clear and slow enough for me to flow, I won't be able to flow them. If I can't flow it, I can't vote on it. I am fine if you want to speed through your cards, but I need to be able to follow your case.

2) I like to see clash within a debate. If there is no clash, then I have to decide what is most important. You need to tell me, and don't forget the WHY!

That leads me to...

3) I LOVE voting issues. They should clarify your view of the debate, and why you believe that you have won the round.

1) Be polite.

2) Provide clear links.

3) Signpost for me, I want to know where you're at on the flow at all times.

4) Have fun!

Hello,

I have been judging and coaching since 2016, before that I was a competitor in high school. My day job is a compliance director and pre-kindergarten teacher . My paradigms are pretty simple. In debate I vote by flow, show me the link chain, connections, and how your evidence or case is stronger than your opponent. If you provide a frame work, carry it through the round. I do not like spreading and super fast speaking, slow down and annunciation your words. Debate is still a speaking event, show off your public speaking skills . My pet peeve is interrupting opponents and rude manners, such as mumbling rude comments, if you ask a question, wait for a reply before moving on. Keep your comments to the case not other students. In IE events, I am looking for annunciation, smooth pace of speaking, use of gestures and showing a varied range of emotions. Best of luck in your rounds, feel free to ask any questions.

I did not participate in speech or debate in high school.

I value organized and logical argumentation. Apply your argument, logic or theory to the facts of the topic.

I value the clear expression of ideas. The intent should be to communicate to your audience, not spray out as many arguments & points as you can. I do not do spread.

I value the targeted rebuttal of your opponents idea's.

I value respectful behavior. If I believe the intent of a question is merely to interrupt or knock your opponent of their stride and not a legitimate question, I will penalize such a question.

I do not want to hear debate about debate. Debate the resolution.

Pronouns: he/him/his

Affiliation: Cleveland High School

TOC Conflict Notice: I am judging for Oak Ridge in LD. Cleveland High School, the only other conflict I could have, does not have any entries in TOC LD, so Oak Ridge is my only conflict at the tournament.

TOC LD Topic: For those of you reading cases about Israel/Palestine, you should know that I am affiliated with J Street. I spend a lot of time researching, organizing, and doing advocacy work on solving the conflict through an anti-occupation lens. I will evaluate your round on the flow and will do my best to not let my personal biases get in the way, but I wanted to disclose this upfront for transparency.

Put me on the email chain!: dwitten3@gmail.com

Competitive Experience:

-2 years of experience in Policy Debate

-1.5 years of experience in Public Forum Debate

-0.5 years of experience in Parliamentary Debate

-Competed in Worlds Schools Debate at the 2020 and 2021 National Tournaments

Background: I am a sophomore at the University of Arizona pursuing a major in Political Science and a minor in Communication. I graduated from Cleveland High School in 2021 after competing on their speech and debate team for four years and serving as a captain for three years.

If you have any questions about anything in this paradigm, please do not hesitate to ask me! I am happy to clarify anything you want me to.

The Basics:

-PLEASE SIGNPOST YOUR ARGUMENTS! Tell me which argument you are on, tell me what you are responding to, and use numbered lists/some organizational structure to make it easier to follow.

-I am a flow judge. I will evaluate the round based on the flow and who wins their offense.

-I am a tech over truth judge.

-I will default to a framework of utilitarianism unless debaters propose a different framework.

-Theory is a priori. I will evaluate these arguments before all others.

-Kick out of positions and go for your strongest arguments.

-Weigh impacts throughout the round! Don’t save it all for the final speech!

-Extend your arguments, especially if they are dropped!

-You must tell me why your impacts outweigh -- impact framing is very important to me. Tell me why you win on magnitude, timeframe, or probability and why the one(s) you win on are most important. Additionally, quantify your impacts! It is much easier to evaluate a round where one team argues they can save 50,000 lives whereas the other team only saves 20,000 (you get the idea).

-I will evaluate progressive arguments (Ks, theory, etc.) in any debate format (yes, even PF). Just be sure they are well-developed and adapted to the form (ex: if you read a K on neg in PF don’t read an alt because counter-advocacies aren’t allowed. Simple alts like reject the aff are okay.) Make sure your theory shells have the correct structure (interpretation, violation, standards, voters, maybe framing) and that your K’s are also properly structured.

-I am okay with spreading in any debate event (you probably shouldn’t do it in Parli though), but if you are going to spread, send a speech doc and make sure it is in order so everyone can follow along. Remember that some debaters are not familiar with spreading, keep it fair for them!

-I view debate as a game with an educational net benefit. I also believe the point of debate is education.

-This is your round, I’m just here to evaluate it. I may have my opinions on debate and how it should work but I will let y’all do your thing and evaluate based on what happens.

Public Forum

-This is the debate form I did in my senior year and had the most success in.

-Paraphrasing evidence is okay, but I really prefer to hear direct quotes from cards. If a team asks for a card, don’t just send the link to the evidence. Send an actual cut card with the parts you referenced/read highlighted. Also, make sure it is cited!

-Try not to completely discard the flow in the summary speeches. It is okay to talk about big picture themes in the round, but you really should address the line-by-line, or I will count it as a drop of the other team’s arguments.

-In the final focus, you should explain why you win your strongest arguments, why the impact outweighs, and why you counter the other team’s offense. Try to boil the round down to the most important points while telling a story in this speech. Side note: you also probably shouldn’t be going for every position you started out with in your constructive.

LD

-I don’t have a ton of LD experience but I understand how the value/criterion debates work and I have general knowledge about the format.

-Be sure to prioritize the framework debate in LD as it is way more important than other forms, but don’t neglect winning offense on the flow.

-Explain your philosophy -- odds are I do not understand it. I am happy to evaluate it, but just explain it to me like I do not understand. This way we will all stay on the same page.

CX

-Go as fast as you want, just send a speech doc.

-Speech docs are so so so important!!! If you’re going to send a speech doc, please please please put things in order and keep it organized!!! The doc loses its value if you only read half of what is in it and jump around to different parts. Please do your best to avoid this. I will penalize speaks for this. This is really my only major debate pet peeve.

-Much like above, kick out of positions, win the flow, stay organized, don’t drop things.

-I am happy to evaluate K or non-topical affs, just explain everything. You are probably going to need a good T response, though.

-A note on T: It is a staple of the CX neg strategy and good to have in your toolbox, especially against affs you may not have much prepped out on. Use it. If you’re on neg, you must argue why I should evaluate T under competing interpretations and make sure you are winning your interpretation, standards, and voters.

-Another note on Ks: I am most familiar with cap K lit and loosely familiar with SetCol, Security, and Afropessimism/anti-Blackness lit. Whatever your lit is, please explain it and make sure you have a solid link. If you are going to read arguments about identity in rounds, please be respectful of all debaters and people in the round and beyond. Do it consciously with good intentions. Don’t leverage someone’s identity and experiences just to win a debate round. Think about this when you are prepping your cases.

-Kicking the alt of a K and just going for the link and impact is genius and something I wish I had done more…..

Parli

-I don’t have much to add here. Theory is okay, so are Ks. Contentions/ADVs/DVs/CPs are great, too. Parli is a lot of fun so just do your thing. I feel what I have written about other debate forms and at the top generally applies here.

I have a background in policy debate, so that means that I like structure and specific impacts. Other than that, I am pretty tabula rasa. Please tell me how you win this debate with discussions of burdens and weighing mechanisms. In Oregon Parliamentary, I am not a huge fan of Ks because I do not think you have enough time to prepare one properly, but I will vote on one if the opp links into it hard, like you can show me how they are specifically being sexist, racist, trans/homophobic, etc.