My paradigms as a judge are to articulate you words if you spread, eye contact, and be courteous to your opponents.

San Diego State University Comm major

Current Trojan Debate Squad member (Policy Debate) 23/ '24

NDT / CEDA qual

Your work towards making your speeches clear for my flow will be reflected in my ballot.

Please include me in the email chain joaquinresell@gmail.com

*Updated 11/30/21*

My email is daw8332@sdsu.edu

I'm hired. Used to do Policy.

Good stuff to do:

- Avoid Cheerios and other sugary cereals

- Hydrate before + after every speech

- Get 8-9 hours of sleep a night

- Don't be mean to each other

The Round:

As big or small and as outlandishly or by-the-book as you want - just make it matter.

I prefer you debate like I was dragged off the street and made a judge. You're probably smarter than me anyways.

Judging:

Offense/Defense & Games. I'm TR until you say otherwise.

My RFD's are going to be as constructive and in-depth as I'm able to deliver on. If you think I'm going nowhere with whatever I'm saying during this time, please interject.

*For any PF rounds I happen to judge - I have never debated PF in my life, but I've debated enough to know how to judge it. Just remember I'm not really familiar with the structure of PF.*

I want to be on the email chain. Please email me at hebronlc111@gmail.com

If you have any specific questions, ask.

I'm a first year out and I debated LD with Hebron for 4 years

State and Nats qualifier

I'd highly prefer if you'd share your constructive speech and evidence in some way, whether that be through email or google doc.

You should go for any argument you want, but here are my familiarity with arguments ranked:

1) Ks/K-affs

2) LARPing

3) Theory

4) Phil

5) Tricks

Online Debate Things

-Please go slower if we're online

-Keep a recording of your speeches in case anything happens

Defaults

Speed - I'm fine with spreading, but please don't spread analytics (especially theory stuff) at your highest speed. I can't type that fast. Will say clear once.

Open cross in CX and flex prep in LD are fine.

Sending Evidence - It'd be ideal if you could send your prep out during prep time, but if you need to take a few seconds to send it out after, it's fine. Anyone caught stealing prep gets 25 speaks.

Default args

1) No RVIs on theory

2) Competing interps > reasonability

3) Default framing - Util

4) Tech > Truth (this excludes racist, homophobic, or sexist remarks)

Speaks start at 28.5 at locals and 28 at TOCs. Although clarity and speaking ability can somewhat affect speaks for me, you gain or lose most of them based on argumentation and strategy.

If you're debating someone less experienced, be nice.

I also don't flow CX so concessions need to be brought up in speeches.

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.

My name is Kyler (he/him/his), and I'm an undergraduate majoring in philosophy and economics at The University of Tennessee-Knoxville. I did speech and debate for four years in high school, and I have been judging tournaments since I graduated in 2018. I absolutely love speech and debate and think that it is one of the best activities you can do to prepare for college and for life.

Judging framework: I work to be a tabula rasa or "blank slate" judge. I use whatever framework debaters agree on to weigh the round, and I will hold any claim you make during a round as true until your opponent contests it. I look for logical, concise arguments and clear speaking/communication.

Also, while the goal of a debate is to win, you should still be kind to one another. Any personal attacks or discriminatory language will result in an automatic loss.

I am currently a college student.

I did Speech and Debate all of high school and our team/league was very competitive.

I consider myself very competent to judge any style of speech or debate, however, I have the most experience with

- LD, PF, Parli debate

I do not have many paradigms if any, but during round, I do ask:

You do not spread but I can follow along.

In final speeches, I appreciate the impact calculus.

Respect you and your opponents with prep time/CX.

Use line by line refuation.

email: colter.heirigs@gmail.com

POLICY PARADIGM:

I have been coaching Policy Debate full time since 2014. Arms sales is my 7th year of coaching.

I view my primary objective in evaluating the round to be coming to a decision that requires the least “judge intervention.”

If debaters do not give me instructions on how to evaluate the debate, and/or leave portions of the debate unresolved, they should not expect to get my ballot. My decision will end up being arbitrary, and (while I will likely still try to make my arbitrary decision less arbitrary than not) I will not feel bad.

In the final rebuttals, debaters should be giving me a “big picture” assessment of what’s going on in the debate to give them the best chance to get my ballot. Extending 25 arguments in the rebuttals doesn’t do much for me if you’re not explaining how they interact with the other team’s arguments and/or why they mean you win the round. In my ideal debate round, both 2NR and 2AR have given me at least a 45 second overview explaining why they’ve won the debate where they dictate the first paragraph of my ballot for me.

Important things to note:

-I don’t ever think Topicality is an RVI (*this is distinct from kritiks of the neg’s interp/use of topicality*)

-If you don’t signpost AND slow down for tags, assume that I am missing at least 50% of your tags. This means saying a number or a letter or “AND” or “NEXT” prior to the tag of your card, and preferably telling me which of your opponents arguments I should flow it next to. Speech docs are not substitutes for clarity and signposting.

-I'm probably a 7 on speed, but please see above ^^^^

-High-theory will be an uphill battle.

-I would prefer not to call for cards, I believe it’s the debaters job to clearly communicate their arguments; if you tell me they’re misrepresenting their cards – I will probably call for them. But if I call for it and they’re not misrepresenting their evidence you’ll lose a lot of credibility with me and my cognitive biases will likely run amuck. Don’t let this deter you from calling out bad evidence.

-You can win the line-by-line debate in the 2AR but still lose the debate if you fail to explain what any of it means and especially how it interacts with the 2NR's args.

-Don’t assume I have any familiarity with your Acronyms, Aff, or K literature

-Swearing is probably word inefficient

-You’re in a bad spot if you’re reading new cards in the final rebuttals, very low propensity for me to evaluate them

-CPs that result in the aff are typically going to be a very hard sell, so are most other artificially competitive CPs. Perms are cool, so are time tradeoffs for the aff when this happens. If you really think you've got a sick techy CP make sure to go out of your way to win questions of competition/superior solvency / a specific link to the aff plan alone for your NB

-I think debate is a competition.

-the best “framework” arguments are probably “Topicality” arguments and almost probably don’t rely on cards from debate coaches and definitely don’t rely on me reading them after the round

-Impact everything out... Offense and Defense... I want to hear you telling me why your argument is more pressing and important than the other team's. I hate having to intervene... "Magnitude," "Probability," and "Timeframe" are not obscenities, please use them.

Arguments you shouldn’t waste your time on with me:

-Topicality = RVI (*this is distinct from kritiks of the neg’s interp/use of topicality*)

-Consult CPs

I am going to have the easiest time evaluating rounds where:

-warrant and evidence comparison is made

-weighing mechanisms and impact calculus guiding how I evaluate micro & macro level args are utilized

-the aff advocates a topical plan

-the DA turns and Outweighs the Case, or the CP solves most of the case and there's a clear net benefit that the perm doesn't solve for

-the negative has a well-researched neg strategy

-I am not expected to sort through high-theory

-the 2NR/2AR doesn't go for everything and makes strategic argument selection

Presumptions I bring into the round that probably cannot be changed:

-I’m voting Neg on presumption until the aff reads the 1AC

-Topicality is never an RVI (*this is distinct from kritiks of the neg’s interp/use of topicality*)

-There is no 3NR

-Oppression of humans = bad (note: I do not know how this compares to the end of the planet/human race, debaters are going to have to provide weighing mechanisms for me.)

-Earth existing = good (note: I do not know how this compares to other impacts like oppression of humans, debaters are going to have to provide some weighing mechanisms for me.)

-I will have a very difficult time bringing myself to vote for any sort of Consult CP if the aff even mumbles some type of “PERM”

-Once the 2AC perms, presumption goes to the neg to prove the perm unworkable or undesirable if the CP/Alt is not textually/functionally competitive

Unimportant things to note:

-Plz read your plan before you read solvency – I will be annoyed and lost if you don’t

-I really enjoy author indicts if/when they’re specific – it shows a team has worked hard and done their research

-I really enjoy case specific strategies – I enjoy it when a team can demonstrate that they've worked hard to prepare a case specific strategy

-I enjoy GOOD topicality debates

-I’ve been involved in policy debate in some capacity for 11 years now – Education is my 5th topic coaching.

-I put my heart and soul into policy debate for four years on high school. I worked tirelessly to put out specific strategies for specific affirmatives and I like to see debaters who I can tell have done the same and are having fun. So, show me you know your case better than anyone else if you're affirmative, or on the neg, show me specific links and answers to the affirmative... I tend to reward this in speaker points. ...That being said, generics are fun, fine, and essential for the negative team. Feel free to run them, you will not be penalized in any way.

Specific Arguments

I'm good for just about anything that is well debated: T, Theory, DAs, CPs, Ks... I can even be persuaded to vote solely on inherency if it is well debated - if the plan has literally already happened, for the love of god please punish the aff.

That being said, I enjoy seeing a strategy in argument selection, and appreciate when arguments don't blatantly contradict each other (i.e. the DA linking to the CP, or Cap Bad and an Econ Impact on politics). Especially in the 2NR.

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

LD Paradigm

I am pretty tab when it comes to LD. My goal is to reach a decision that requires the least amount of judge intervention.

Signpost and slow down on tags. Slow down even more for theory args. Spreading through tags and theory interps is absolutely not the move if you want me to be flowing your speech. I will not be flowing from the doc.

Slow down. No, you don’t have to be slow and you should certainly feel free to read the body of your cards at whatever max speed you are comprehensible at. If you’ve used signposting, slowed down on tags and pre-written analytics, you’re golden. It's inexcusable and unforgivable to not have signposting in the 1ac.

I come into the round presuming:

-the aff should be defending the resolution

-the aff is defending the entirety of the resolution

-my ballot answers the resolutional question

-debate is a game

These presumptions can likely be changed.

Stylistically agnostic, but probably not your best judge for:

-dense phil that you’re spreading through

-undisclosed affs that don’t defend the entirety of the resolution

-process CPs that result in the aff

-more than 2 condo

-friv theory - I ❤️ substance

-Probably not interested in hearing condo if it’s just 2 condo positions

-theory interps that require me to ignore other speeches

I think that I have a low propensity to vote for most arguments regarding things that happen outside of the round or prior to the 1ac. I am not interested in adjudicating arguments that rely on screenshots of chats, wikis, or discord servers.

Questions, or interested in my thoughts on particular subjects not covered in my LD paradigm? Check out my POLICY PARADIGM above!

Public Forum Paradigm:

First speakers get to ask the first question in crossfire. If you ask about the status of this in round, expect to get one less speakerpoint than you would have otherwise.

File Share > e-mail chain.

Depth > Breadth. You only have four minutes to construct your position, would far prefer to hear 2 well-developed contentions rather than 3-4 blippy ones unless they are incredibly straight-forward. Much less interested in adjudicating “argument checkers” than most.

Northwestern ’23-‘26

KU ’21-‘23

brockehines@gmail.com

---I am a chemistry major and tentatively have a life outside of debate. Consequently, you should err on the side of overexplaining topic intricacies, interactions, and key terms.

--- I know more about policy arguments than I do about K args. That being said, I am more than willing to vote for them (including planless aff’s). My knowledge on specific theories varies to a bit rusty to non-existent (Bataille).

--- In K debates, the higher the contextualization from both sides = the higher the chance of winning.

--- Evidence quality is very important. However, I tend not to read the evidence unless the round is particularly close.

--- Inserting highlighting text is good but I need you to explain why you are inserting it/why it matters.

--- A lot of debates are won and lost on strategic vision. Ie, you need to crystalize the debate and integrate arguments into each other. Having to piece together arguments to make my own conclusion is not something you want.

--- FW/T-USFG: Fairness is an impact & clash is an impact. However, saying they are an intrinsic good is not a sufficient explanation as to why they are impacts. Explain to me why clash and fairness matter.

--- T: This is where evidence quality is of utmost importance (precision and predictability), and there is no substitute in these debates for evidence quality.

--- Misc thoughts: I will not vote on racist/homophobic/transphobic arguments, warming not real, miscellaneous death good stuff (wipeout of the sort), personal attacks/personal indicts and tricks (for the LD folks)

I am blank slate, tabula rasa. What I hear is how I judge.

I want to understand you while speaking (I’m in sales) and I want you to debate each other for the topics presented in the round. I will not read any files unless there is a clear distinction of misunderstanding.

I competed in Public Forum, Congressional Debate, and Extemp during HS but have experience with LD and Policy from college. Here are my paradigms for each event:

Public Forum - My philosophy as a judge is to know absolutely nothing about the topic. I expect you to persuade and inform me as to why your side is the more beneficial over the other. If I ever want clarification on something, I will ask for the evidence from the team at the end of the round if that is a deciding factor for me. I prefer to see frameworks over alternatives in the case, because I think alternatives detract too much from the space in the short time. I will not dock for spreading if it is a high-skilled round, but if it's a round with a major-skill difference I would expect the better team to not spread. Please make sure to extend any arguments you feel are impactful, especially rebuttal arguments because many teams won't extend rebuttal points made until FF. I am a fan of unique arguments as long as they flow logical. A strong proponent of partner chemistry and vibes, so have fun with your partner please! I will give brownie speaker points if you make a joke about the topic.

Lincoln-Douglas - My LD experience relates to a lot of college LD. I'm fine with both progressive and traditional LD, whichever style works better for you is what I want you to debate with. While you don't need to provide a value for judging the round, it will help providing that or something to offset it in the beginning. I encourage people to get creative with their values, because I think that helps expand the discussion and debate a lot more. I will not dock for spreading if it is a high-skilled round, but if it's a round with a major-skill difference I would expect the better person to not spread. Just be sure to extend key arguments at the end of the day as well and flow your rebuttals. I don't need line-by-line, but I should be convinced by the end that your refutation is logical and stronger than any defense the other person provides. I will give brownie speaker points if you make a joke about the topic.

Policy Debate - My experience with policy partially stems from HS, but mostly from college. It's viewed as the Wild West of debate in college and I hold that view for HS, so feel free to try anything. What I will be looking for though are the linkages that create an actual basis for the argument. Feel free to argue foreseeability if defense of your argument or to counter the other team. I've seen Cuthulu successfully pulled off in the round, but that was because of the thought and effort put into creating a foreseeable world for the argument to exist. As a policy debater, show me the world of your case and the impacts. Speed is fine with me and if you want to flash me your case that is also great just for me copying over taglines quickly into my notes. Have a great debate! I will give brownie speaker points if you make a joke about the topic.

Online Debate: In the event, you get cut out, I will ask that you resume your speech from whatever your opponent or I last flowed.

Etiquette:

- Do not attack your opponents, attack their arguments.

- If you are rude, offensive, disrespectful, racist, sexist, etc I will tank your speaks and possibly drop you if it's a big enough issue. Debate is competitive, but that doesn't mean you can be mean.

If there is a problem or you think something is wrong (like shady evidence), tell me ASAP so we can pause the debate if needed and solve the issue. If there is a disagreement about the content of a card, I will call for the card at the end of the debate.


Debate:

- LD!! Framework: I want to see strong justifications (please have a card, don't just run framework without having a card, it seems like you haven't researched the topic or don't care about the debate at all) during the framework portion and strong links to the framework throughout the debate.

- When you extend, don't just extend tags, extend cards + impacts or just impact in case time is low.

- When you are making refutations use blocks and evidence! If you don't have blocks, please make some blocks. I like evidence, but I will settle for analytical arguments if both sides don't have warrants.

- Signpost during your speeches and cite the year & author (the last name is fine if you want to give credentials to weigh the evidence that's great!) of your cards. It's ridiculous how many people don't, I'm literally just hearing the resolution and I have no clue what the common arguments so if you start refuting things without specifying what it is, I'm not gonna try to play connect the dots to figure out what you're doing. It's not hard, I'm sure most of you can do it.

- Once you drop something, you cannot come back to it. *If your impacts are better, I might disregard. If you're good on the flow, you have good impact calc, but you drop one non-crucial argument, I might disregard.

- If you bring up an argument in cx but don't later in the round, then it's useless.

Policy!!

- Tech > Truth

- Slow down on analytics and tags!

DA

- specify on link stories

- Do the impact comparison so I don't have to do all the work thx

CP

- tell me what the NB is and how it solves!

- do the line by line well

Speaks/Drop:

- debate skills > talking pretty, you can be a polished speaker AND a flow debater

- If you bring up new evidence or new arguments in a later speech where the opponent does not have a chance to respond, I will tank your speaks (you won't walk out with anything higher than 24) same thing for new evidence, don't bring new evidence when the other team will not get to respond. That's bad faith and I will drop your speaks and potentially even your side if it becomes a key argument.

- I really really hate when you tell me how I should be voting, I am pretty sure I can vote for myself, so use that time to build your arguments, your links, etc.

- I am fine with speed, be like Eminem if that's what ya want, but I do not want to watch spit fly and just hear heaving. If you are going too fast for me to understand, I'll just say clear. If you don't slow down, I won't be able to flow so when you extend or cross-apply, your side will be missing pieces

- If you make me laugh, it will boost your speaks :))

Some background:

I did PF throughout high school and parliamentary debate (APDA) at the University of Maryland. I've coached students in PF, Parli, LD, and Policy and I've judged all debate formats, though I'm most up to date with PF.

Some general things:

1. Don't be rude.

2. Rounds are evaluated based on argumentation. Speaks are evaluated based on contribution to the ballot.

3. I can handle speed as long as you remain coherent. I will never intentionally penalize you for spreading but you take on an increasing risk that I miss something on the flow the faster you speak. Send me a speech doc if you want to be safe: thnliu288@gmail.com

4. I will stop flowing when time is up (yes, you can finish your sentence). Keep track of each other's prep time.

5. I don't flow cross but will pay attention. For me, cross often helps clarify things (remember, I'm not an expert in the topic you're debating). If there's something from cross you'd like me to evaluate in my decision, bring it up in your speech.

Some notes on debate and flow

1. Please signpost and road-map. Telling me where you are on the flow will ensure that I am also there.

2. Tech > truth. The further from "truth" your argument strays though, the lower the threshold I have for what qualifies as a response. For instance, "no they can't" is an acceptable response to "elephants can fly".

3. I (tend to) only evaluate arguments made in the speech where they belong. Constructive arguments belong in the opening speech. Responses should be made in the first speech they can be made in (generally the subsequent speech). New arguments don't belong in the final speech.

4. Extend (and frontline) the offense you want me to flow through. If you forget to extend it, I'll probably forget to vote on it. Blippy extensions are fine in principle, but often insufficient for a ballot in practice. The more you think I should prioritize an argument, the more speech time you should allocate to it.

5. I will only call cards if you explicitly ask me to and they matter for my decision. Hint: they almost never do.

6. Tell me how to weigh arguments or I will weigh them myself. I'm bad at weighing.

Specific argument preferences/biases

1. I am receptive to pretty much any type of argument, so long as you tell me how I should evaluate it.

2. Progressive arguments (Ks, theory) are cool. However, I offer no guarantee to keep up to date with the latest acronyms or terminology, so err on the side of explaining things more thoroughly.

a. Be very explicit when telling me how to evaluate the argument. This is especially true for anything pre-fiat - if you don't tell me what I should do (and warrant why), I'll probably do something you didn't want me to.

b. I prefer "drop the argument" to "drop the debater". I'll consider whatever you run, but I'm more inclined to buy the former.

c. Used to be categorically against RVIs, have come around somewhat. I'm down to vote on them, but it's context dependent.

d. Still very against tricks, very receptive to theory on tricks bad. If I have to vote on them, you are almost certainly getting a low speak win.

3. Tabula rasa is fake. Debate involves a common pool of knowledge assumed to be true unless challenged. If challenged, it becomes another argument to be evaluated in the round. For transparency, my "default settings" are: policymaker role of the ballot, debates should be fair and educational, the world exists, science is correct, the earth is flat, words have meanings, consequences matter, equality good, rationality real, people have free will. Feel free to make arguments challenging these assumptions, but keep in mind that you incur the burden of proof.

4. Feel free to ask questions before the round. I don't claim to be perfectly unbiased, but I am very willing to clarify any pre-existing beliefs I may be bringing into the round.

5. My gut is not your gut. If you ask me to gut check something or rely on my intuitions, I'll do that but you may not like the outcome. The safe thing to do is just make warranted arguments.

6. If you say "baba yetu" in your speech, I'll sky your speaks.

My background: I was born and raised in Kansas City, graduating in 2011. I do not let personal bias dictate my decision. I qualified for Nationals in Lincoln Douglas Debate and made it to double elimination rounds (Top 30), losing to the National Champion. I do not say this to brag; I just know how a lot of judges can be in this region so I want you to know I am very versatile and enjoy flow rounds as equally as you may see on the coasts.

Judging preferences:

CX: absolutely anything flies. I have no problem with T arguments, CPs, or K arguments; I hold the traditional belief that in this type of debate the burden lies with the Affirmative. In order for the affirmative team to get my ballot, their plan must retain all of the stock issues, or at least those that are debated in the round. For the negative to win, they only need to prove that the affirmative fails to meet one of the stock issues in its entirety. Rapidity of speech is not an issue so long as you do indeed speak cohesively.

LD:At the end of the day, the debater who proves that on balance their value is better upheld on their side of the debate when supporting the Resolution through their contentions will get my ballot.

I believe the VC can serve as many roles. I like the value criterion to measure or uphold the value. At the end of the day, it is a value debate so that holds more weight. I won't count drops unless you call them, however if it doesn't impact the Value debate it is negligible. Respect the intent of speeches (no new arguments for instance in last speeches) and I am okay with voting issues on the Aff last speech. The burden is equally on the Aff and Neg side to affirm or negate the resolution unless you run a more circuit style case. I prefer a more philosophical approach to LD- this can be completely rooted in evidence and real world analysis.

Public Forum: The side who upholds their contentions, has a better speaking style, and successfully achieves the art of "debating" will get my ballot. I must emphasize I do not let personal opinions sway my decision. I am very open to all styles of public forum debate.

For IEs, feel free to ask me anything.

My name is Jace Martin and I am a former LD, PF, Extemp, and Congress debater before I graduated High School in 2021. I was a 3-year debater in High School that mainly focused on LD and PF in the Debate world and filled in and Extemp and Congress when needed. I qualified 3 times for the National Tournament: twice in PF and once in US Extemp. I was District Champion for LD and Informative Extemp my senior year as well as being President of my school's debate team. Overall for Debate be aggressive in questioning and rebuttals but not rude, there is a fine line. I would like to receive flashes or copies of your original case before the round to help follow along and reference back to. If you bring in additional cards you do not need to flash them to me unless I ask but make sure you are clear in reading and explaining the cards. On that matter, when bringing in extra cards make sure that you explain how they apply to the area you are trying to put them on and tell me where to write them on my flow. If you make it unclear where information goes on a flow, it will not be flowed.

Speed - I am good with speed with respect to which event you are in. I am fine with a proper amount of speed in LD and PF, however, you should not be spreading as if it were Policy.

LD - There should not be any Ks, DAs, Ts, and such in LD Debate. This style of debate should be targeted towards showing me how your contentions apply to your V/C and why those weigh the heaviest in the round. I do enjoy a good impact calc if you can pull it off correctly. Using cards in rebuttal rounds works well and I would like to see that if possible. Like with all debate, it should be clear where each argument should go on the flow.

PF - Like LD, no Ks, DAs, or anything of that nature. For this style of debate, there should be impact calc in the last speech. Don't be afraid to narrow down to contentions you believe you can win as the round wears on. However, do not simply drop contentions and move on but use impact calc to counter it. Using additional cards in rebuttals is powerful and I would suggest doing so if possible. Be respectful during cross-ex but do not be a pushover.

Policy - I am not as well versed in Policy as I am in other debates so keep that in mind throughout the round. I am not a fan of Ks so I would not suggest running them. You should always be telling me where to flow, if I have to try and guess your argument will likely not be flowed. Impact calc weighs very heavily for me in Policy, tell me how you win on timeframe, magnitude, and probability. Make sure to tell me where you use cards/cross-apply and explain why you are doing so and how it applies.

Extemp - Be slow and intentional with your words as you speak. Don't just repeat yourself over and over to get to a higher time. I would rather your speech be shorter but with higher quality than getting to the max time but I am bored in the process. I love funny intros and entertainment during your speech because that will carry over into your life of captivating people's attention with your words. Try to minimize "Uhs" and "Ums", a few are understandable but do not let me get distracted by them.

Congress - in congress, I find it best to judge on a point scale to keep everything even and an objective way I can rank you. I will judge you on a scale of 1-6 for each speech, with 6 being a fantastic speech. Along with this, I award 1 point for each question fully asked. Because of this, you can see being active weighs very heavily with me. For POs I am willing to rank you highly, but you must prove to me that I should and that you have complete control of the session.

Overall have fun during the round, it is ok to make jokes, etc. during the round as long as it doesn't distract too much from the topic at hand. The more fun that you have means the more fun I will have to judge your round. Good luck to all.

In debate, I value true debating. I look for clash and actual consideration of competitor's arguments, not just person after person reading their pre-written, un-customized cards or speeches. I also value communication. If you talk too speedily and I cannot hear distinct words, those arguments will not be accounted for in my judging. This is not to be mean, but if I can't understand you, I can't really judge you. Finally, you will be polite and respectful. Yes, I want clash, but nothing personal. Debate your opponent's points, not their personality or appearance or whatever else. Honestly, that would just make me more sympathetic to them, so don't do it. And PLEASE, no lingo. Say real people words. I do not care enough to learn every swanky fancy term for something you could just call by name, so if you use debater's slang around me, I just plain won't know what you mean, and that's not good communication.

IEs are a little different. Of course you will not be clashing, so those parts don't apply. Still, I expect you to speak clearly, and I expect to not. be. yelled. at. I don't mean I don't want to be lectured, because extemp speeches and oratories are literally lectures, but do not raise your voice at me. Get passionate, vary your tone, all that good stuff, but don't literally yell. It's kind of the same principle, if I can't hear you well and you're just being mean, I'm gonna have a harder time giving you first place.

And for POs in Congress, please, be chill. I'm not saying be lax on the rules, but in my opinion, an amicable (but not lazy!) chamber is the best kind. I don't like being yelled at. As long as everyone gets to speak and you run the room fairly, you'll be good in my book, and you'll be satisfied with your rank on my ballot.

I just want y'all to be nice to each other. You're all overachievers who choose to put on a suit and debate politics on the weekends for fun, there's no need to get nasty or cutthroat or anything l like that. You're a lot more similar than you are different, which is a good thing! Just be cool, and I'll be cool too.

Good luck, all!

Short version of judging paradigm/my debate background:

age 33 now, X Florida debater- both policy and LD ; had a very high overall country wide ranking and at least 3-4 bids to the TOC my senior year in LD (preferred event if policy partner not available); was recruited by a college policy coach to debate with them in college right out of high school, but after a summer of pre-season, I decided to quit debate to go “paint pictures” and play d3 & some d1 ultimate frisbee; now I’m a chef LOL. *other notes: speed is fine; but this internet is new so please be clear on the internet; I am/was one of the fastest speakers and excellent spreaders clarity wise probably in the history of debate; also being rude disgusts me try not to do that in the round- your speaker points will suffer, watch it happen.

being rude vs. being confident is totally different.

racism sexism antisemitism etc being nasty to women- those things also will not be tolerated; your speaker points will suffer as will your personal karma LOL; lastly interrupting without purpose even during cross x is not tolerated. unlike the last ie most recent presidential debate between the two “babies” who couldn’t control not going over their own time limits - we live in an organized, comported society. as a former debater and just reasonable human being, I was shocked to see such lack of respect for rules especially among grown men; as such I now especially expect better of our youth and hold the next generation to a higher standard- one of my ONLY reasons for judging your competition! *evidence and the "flow" and flow of things is very important whether it be policy, LD, parli, extempt, congress, I dont care what.

BE A MASTER OF YOUR CRAFT & WITH YOUR WORDS. those who do this will also be rewarded with appropriate wins and speaker points. any sign of hope or brillance any spark for the future of our country from you youngsters would be AWESOME. FEEL FREE TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS about specific judging preferences/argument BEFORE ROUND OR TOURNAMENT. just have fun please and do a nice job.

if you are a tournament director etc, someone looking to hire me i have EXCELLENT ETHICS, MORALs, and STELLAR communication both written and verbal in english/spanish; i am always looking to demonstrate excellence on behalf of you as judging indeed is extremely important to both the debate activity and NEXT future American generation; finding qualified judges who still REALLY CARE about this activity, the future of our country and planet, and about being a good person is super important for debate :)

i wish everyone a healthy and happy 2022; we are ALL in this TOGETHER. :)

best

chef Heather Nagle

Value/Criterion:

I listen closely for a well-organized case and rebuttal. Be sure to clearly state how your Value and Criterion (V/C) are relative to your cards and contentions. During the rebuttal, don’t lose the V/C argument, relate back to yours or your opponent’s V/C and how your arguments best accomplish the V/C(s) that is the focus of the round.

Solvency & Topicality:

These two are crucial in your cases and rebuttals. Reiterate your burden of solvency and stay on topic. Make sure your plan, evidence, and burden of solvency relate to the resolution.

Speaking:

Please make sure to articulate yourself, speak clearly.

Voters:

Be sure to include voters. Be careful and try not to completely drop a voting issue.

Overall: Be prepared, be organized, be professional and respectful, and be confident in your arguments and rebuttals.

History: Did four years of debate at UC Lab and had success, did a tad of debate at Michigan, and I am currently a debate coach at Success Academy Harlem North Central.

Thoughts (tldr: Do whatever you want but do it well. I was raised on technical Midwest style debate)

1. Debaters have a debilitating tendency to fail to see the forest for the trees. Most debates can be resolved by 1 central issue, define that issue and tell me why you are winning on that question.

2. I am tabula rasa- I have a read a drilling aff, a Moby Dick aff, an Asian Identity aff, an encryption aff, went for Baudrillard ALOT, etc. In other words, do what you want!

3. The best way to win a K in front of me is to spend a lot ton of time on the link debate and give each link an impact and/or turns case args. Pull lines from the 1AC, go into their internal links or the structuring logic of the aff- don't just read your generic heg links to the K blocks.

4. Your final speech should always begin and end with the exact reason you think I should vote for you.

5. Nuance is always strategic and appreciated.

6. Im not the best for techy T and theory debates but I can most def handle it.

7. CrossX is a speech and it is super important.

8. After some personal experiences I have come to believe that death good arguments pose a serious real life threat to the mental health of high school debaters. If you read these arguments and the other team makes the argument that death good is detrimental to the community, I am very likely to vote on the argument. However, that does not mean that you shouldn't read arguments like fear of death bad in front of me.

Hey debaters! My name is Arya Satish, and I am currently an undergrad at Johns Hopkins University. I was a captain for my high school debate team in Northern VA, where I competed Public Forum and Policy Debate. I competed in the WACFL and VHSL circuits in HS.

DEBATE EXPERIENCE:

HS Public Forum Debate (2017-2019)-enjoyed it but wanted a change

HS Policy Debate (2019-2021)-regional champion both years and 2021 NCFL Nats qualifier (didn't compete bc senioritis)

PREFERENCES :

General:

First and foremost: No matter how simple or complex your argument is, EXPLAIN IT TO ME. I will not make any assumptions or leaps unless you connect the dots for me.

I do value speech etiquette highly--that means eye contact, delivery, CONFIDENCE, etc--and use these criteria for determining speaker points.

I do pay attention to cross-ex/crossfire.

I'm huge on logic, especially when voting.

Track your own prep. Let me know how much time is left anytime you use it.

Lastly, STAY ORGANIZED. It helps me, but it is way more helpful for you.

Policy:

I competed in policy debate at a pretty high level, but that was a while ago, so do what you want with that information.

I read and flow tags and some parts of cards--just enough to make sure you're not power tagging.

Line by line is extremely effective and helpful.

On the note of organization, roadmaps are also very helpful.

Spreading: I can stand it for most args; don't do it for things like theory.

DA: Nothing much to say, they're effective. I want to see good links.

CP: Tread the "comprehensive vs. abusive" line carefully. A good CP is a great arg as long as its within boundaries. Perms are a great response ONLY IF it makes sense.

K: Pretty knowledgeable about most of the common ones (i.e. Cap K) but assume I know nothing just for good measure. If you can't explain it well, don't bother running it.

Extensions: Do it. And while you're at it, please use a warrant.

Public Forum:

It's been a while since I competed, so take it easy on me if you're a high level PF debater. I'll update this as needed.

Read my general preferences mostly...will update as needed.

ADVICE:

Probably all things you've heard before, but I'll say it again bc it's important:

Be confident. It actually works.

Enjoy being a debater. Have a good time while also taking it seriously, but don't go overboard.

Lastly, I won't vote for you if you cross certain lines. Be respectful, open-minded, calm, and fair. Words to live by.

I competed in events including extemporaneous speaking, Congressional debate, impromptu speaking, commentary, oratory, informative speaking, prose, poetry, and more throughout my six-year Speech and Debate career. I look for strong logic and proper speaking techniques (preferably with a unique style). Being respectful is critical, and any discriminatory and/or demeaning behavior should not be condoned in Speech and Debate.

Hi, I'm Annie!

I'm currently in my second year of college and I have three years of Public Forum, Policy, and Extemporaneous experience. I have debated policy for most of my time and have experience in lay and progressive competition. I will probably understand the debate jargon that is brought up, but please fully articulate your arguments.

Things that help me vote for you: courtesy, preparedness, clarity, and detailing why your arguments are winning the round.

Debate can be tough! Have fun and do your best.

My background consists of doing PF debate for a year and LD debate for 3 years. I am a traditional LD debate judge, as I am from West Texas where that is the primary type of debate. I was apart of the NSDA, TFA, and UIL circuits, where I competed in a variety of tournaments at the local, regional, and national level. I currently attend Texas Tech University where I am active within the Student Government Association and various other student organizations.

As a judge in a traditional LD debate, my primary role is to evaluate the arguments presented by both sides and determine which side made the more compelling case. I will base my decision on the quality of the arguments, the strength of the evidence presented, and the persuasiveness of the speakers.

I believe that the most important aspect of any debate is the clash between the two sides. I want to see both sides engage with each other's arguments and respond to each other's points in a way that advances the debate. I appreciate when debaters demonstrate a deep understanding of the topic and the issues at stake, and can articulate their ideas clearly and concisely.

In terms of argumentation, I expect debaters to provide well-reasoned and logically coherent arguments, supported by relevant evidence. I am not swayed by emotional appeals or unsupported claims. I prefer to see debaters engage with the complexity of the issues, rather than relying on simplistic or reductionist arguments.

I also value effective communication skills, such as clear enunciation, good pacing, and appropriate use of body language. I appreciate when debaters are respectful and professional towards each other, and towards me as the judge.

In terms of the format of the debate, I expect both sides to follow the standard LD structure, with clear and coherent introductions, contentions, and rebuttals. I expect both sides to stay within their allotted time limits and to respect the rules of the debate.

Ultimately, my goal as a judge is to fairly evaluate the arguments presented by both sides and determine the winner based on the strength of their arguments and their overall performance in the debate.

I debated in policy for The Blake School for four years (2009-2013) and then I debated for Rutgers University-Newark in college (2013-2017). I ran mostly policy based arguments in high school and mostly critical arguments in college. I was an assistant coach (policy and public forum) with the Blake School until 2019 and then coached policy and congress at Success Academy from 2019-2023. I currently coach LD and policy at the Delores Taylor Arthur School for Young Men in New Orleans.

Email - hannah.s.stafford@gmail.com - if its and LD round please also add: DTA.lddocs@gmail.com

--

Feel free to run any arguments you want whether it be critical or policy based. The only thing that will never win my ballot is any argument about why racism, sexism, etc. is good. Other than that do you. I really am open to any style or form of argumentation.

I do not have many specific preferences other than I hate long overviews - just make the arguments on the line-by-line.

I am not going to read your evidence unless there is a disagreement over a specific card or if you tell me to read a specific card. I am not going to just sit and do the work for you and read a speech doc.

Note on clash of civ debates - I tend to mostly only judge clash of civ debates - In these debates I find it more persuasive if you engage the aff rather than just read framework. But that being said I have voted on framework in the past.

PF - Please please please read real cards. If its not in the summary I won't evaluate it in the final focus. Do impact calculus. Stop calling for cards if you aren't going to do the evidence comparison. I will increase your speaker points if you do an email chain with your cards prior to your speech.

Updated Feb 10, 2023 - middle and elementary school, as well as non-policy debaters, most of this is not useful for you, but some might be! Do feel free to read! :)

TLDR

If you have questions before or after round, ask in person or feel free to email me. My email is n(dot)velo2000(at)gmail(dot)com. Put me on the email chain!

Worldview:
K --------------x----- Policy

Speed for tags and analysis:
Slow ------------x------- Fast

Speed for the body of ev:
Slow -------------------x Fast

Introduction

I have a BA in political science from the University of Kansas with a minor in philosophy (2021). I am pursuing a JD at the University of Kansas School of Law (2024).

I debated for Emporia HS in Emporia, KS ('14-'18: oceans, surveillance, China, education), and the University of Kansas ('18-'19: executive authority). I mostly read "soft-left" affs, though occasionally read traditional high-magnitude impact affs. Every aff I read defended USfg action. My 2NRs were a lot of T. Don't let the arguments I read determine what you read in front of me.

I try to judge when I can. Trends, community consensus, and topic knowledge are things that I am no longer up to date on. Given that the tournaments I judge are few and far between, my flowing abilities may not be where you'd like them. I often choose to flow on paper, meaning I may not make eye contact.

Deviation from my paradigm =/= auto-loss, following it perfectly =/= auto-win. I can be convinced to evaluate the round by other means than those below. This paradigm applies to other forms of debate where applicable.

Top level: Non-Debatable Rules

Be nice - you have a duty to be respectful and ethical towards everyone in the round. This includes, but is not limited to, not making arguments that could have traumatic implications. A breach of said duty will be met by a punishment I deem proportional to the breach. If being otherwise unethical/hyper-aggressive is your strategy, strike me.

Speeches, CX, prep, winning, speaker points - each debater must give exactly one constructive speech and exactly one rebuttal for their team. Each debater must be available for CX after their constructive; open CX is fine. Speech and prep times are strict. Prep stops once the flashdrive goes into your computer or when you open your email. Compiling evidence into one doc is prep. Don't steal prep. Exactly one team will win. Info on speaker points below.

Filesharing - I would like speech docs. Speechdrop > email chain > flash drive. Microsoft Word documents preferred.

Online chat box - only has been an issue for middle school/novices. Don't abuse it.

Clipping - if you clip and I catch it, you get the "4" rank and/or 20 speaker points. If you clip and the other team catches it with a recording, I will award you a loss in addition to the "4" rank and/or 20 speaker points. Don't clip. If you need to stop reading a card before finishing it as indicated by the speech doc, you should say "mark the card at [last word you read]."

General/Misc. Thoughts

Tech > Truth - within reason, a dropped arg is a true arg if there is an extension.

Clarity > Speed - slow down for anything that isn't the text of a piece of evidence, especially if the argument isn't in the speech doc.

The less work there is for me to do at the end, the better.

No judge kicks unless its explicitly an option. Make it clear that I can judge kick before the 2NR. Conditionality is a prerequisite.

The neg should disprove the desirability or scholarship of the 1AC. I struggle to vote on things that happened before the start of the 1AC or after the end of the 2NR.

I tend to lean neg on framework vs affs that do not defend USfg action. Not an impossible for the aff to win, but much harder for the aff if the 1AC content is not related to the topic.

I consider debate to be a game first and an educational forum second - fairness is an impact in and of itself.

I generally consider myself a utilitarian. Avoiding unnecessary suffering is inherently good. Unnecessary suffering is inherently bad. Death/suffering good arguments are neither true nor ethical.

Affirmative/Case Debates/Presumption

The aff should defend a hypothetical solution to a problem.

The aff cannot sever out of the 1AC advocacy.

The content of the 1AC should be related to the resolution. Any aff not related to the resolution should be prepared to justify that decision.

Defense alone is never enough to justify voting neg. Presumption does not exist absent offense. There is always a non-zero-percent risk the aff does something beneficial.

Topicality/FW

The 1NC should have an interpretation, violation, standards, and a reason to vote neg. The block should give a topical version of the aff if there is one.

The standards debate should have at least one warrant. Saying "vote neg for limits and ground" is insufficient without more analysis, and especially so in the block. The block should explain how your interpretation resolves any alleged abuse, why non-topical affs and/or the 1AC advocacy damages limits and ground, and why limits and ground are good.

I default to competing interpretations. Reasonability has never meant that "our aff is a reasonable example of the topic," but has rather meant that "our interpretation of the topic is a reasonable one, so don't vote us down."

Absent clear, egregious abuse, T is not an RVI. If there's any uncertainty over whether that level of abuse is met, it probably hasn't been.

Theory

Generally open to good faith theory arguments, but "cheap-shots" will be held to a higher threshold.

Conditionality is usually good; it's up to the aff to tell me where to draw the line, if at all.

Disclosure is good, but failure to disclose usually does not justify rejecting a team or infinite conditionality. New affs are a valid, strategic aff choice.

Disadvantages

The neg should ideally provide specific link evidence, or spin generic link evidence in a way that relates to the aff. Specific link/no link arguments are stronger than generic ones.

Impact overviews are nice. I think there is a lot of room for nuance in "DA outweighs and turns case" arguments. These arguments win rounds.

Counterplans

If you're reading a "cheating" CP, be prepared to defend the legitimacy of it.

CPs should compete through mutual exclusivity or through external net benefits (such as a disadvantage). Internal net benefits are unpersuasive and lose to the permutation.

CPs should have texts that are specific and written in a similar format to the aff plan text.

Kritiks

If this is your bread and butter, I probably should not be your highest-ranked judge.

Framework debates (fiat not real, weigh impacts of aff vs K, etc.) are important and I like them but you have to slow down. Here, the quality of your arguments heavily outweighs the quantity of them.

Speaker points

I think of speaker points as a way of grading your speech. To do so, I take the "grade" that I think you deserve, place a "2" in front of it, and move the decimal (ex: 75% = 27.5). In awarding speaker points, I consider both speech delivery and content. The standard for these scores changes with the tournament and division; novices at local tournaments will be held to lower standards than teams on the national circuit.

30 = Perfect.

27.6 to 29.9 = Above average, there are likely one or more small issues you can improve on to get closer to a 30.

27.5 = Average.

25.1 to 27.6 = Below average, there are one or more major areas you can improve on.

25 = Well below average, there are many major areas that need improvement.

20 = You clipped your evidence, displayed egregious disrespect, or created another ethical issue in the round.

Policymaker paradigm, but open to all arguments.

Quality > quantity of arguments.

Speed isn't an issue, but analysis of arguments > speed. Evidence is necessary, but reading a bunch of cards back to back isn't a substitute for analysis/explaining the impact of that argument in your own words.

Feel free to ask specifics prior to the round.

Iowa City High school 2012-2016

Northwestern University 2016-2020

Northwestern University Coach 2020-???

I want on the email chain: josephweideman01@gmail.com

--I generally know more about policy arguments, but I'm happy to vote for the K/think it is very strategic and usually answered badly.

--In K debates, both sides need to do a much better job of: 1) using examples/contextualizing their offense; 2) debating the other team's argument instead of a caricature of their argument; 3) evidence based debating

--I care a lot about evidence quality. I'll usually read a good chunk of the cards during the debate.

--I think a lot of debates are determined by which team has the better strategic vision/ability to weave the different pieces of a debate together into a win. I do not like having to piece together a debate without instruction from debaters on how to do so.

--I will be very quick to ignore evidence composed of sentence fragments that make no grammatical sense when put together.

--Inserting re-highlighting of the other team's ev is fine, but you must explain what you're inserting/why you think it helps you.

--T-USFG/FW: I think the vitriol with which this argument is approached by many people on both sides of this issue is bordering on the absurd. FW has argumentative merit. So do the answers to FW. Clash is good (If you want to convince me otherwise you'll need to explain what debate is without clash). I care less about fairness gripes. Stop saying things are intrinsic goods and instead use descriptive language to explain why they matter. Aff teams' impact usually outweighs but I consistently vote neg when the aff shotguns offense and fails to answer the neg's defense/tricks and/or because clash turns aff offense.

--I am uninterested in adjudicating personal attacks/arguments about things that happened outside of the debate.

--Conditionality = Good

--T vs Plans: Least favorite type of debate to judge (other than theory debates...maybe). I think evidence quality/predictability matters a lot and its usually silly to put limits above everything else.

--Make choices please.

Be respectful and kind during debate. I find using rhetorical strategies such as logos and ethos provides more of a persuasive appeal. In policy debate, I appreciate when there's a proposal argumentation so the audience knows the details and reasoning the proposed solution is a good idea. I prefer quality over quantity in terms of evidence meaning I would rather have a team make a strong case with few points than rushing through numerous points. I prefer if competitors refrain from using profanity in a debate round. :)